City of Gloucester Harbormaster Office to Temporarily Close 

–Will Relocate to the Veterans’ Services Center on Emerson Ave.

–Construction Set to Begin on Improved Harbormaster Office and Visiting Boating Center 

GLOUCESTER, MA (September 30, 2019) – Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken today announced that the Harbormaster’s Office is set to close the week of October 7, 2019 and will re-open at a new, temporary location beginning Tuesday, October 15.  

During that week Harbormaster operations will commence remotely. In the event of an emergency residents and businesses should call 978-423-4165; for non-emergencies please email tciarametaro@gloucester-ma.gov and Harbormaster staff will respond accordingly.  

The Harbormaster’s Office, which is currently located at 19 Harbor Loop, is scheduled to move to the Veterans’ Services Center at 12 Emerson Avenue. The move is necessary to relocate the Harbormaster office and operations in preparation for construction of an improved Harbormaster Office and Visiting Boater Center.

Harbormaster TJ Ciarametaro said, “During construction of the new Harbormaster facility and Visiting Boating Center our operations will commence uninterrupted. Our staff will continue to provide, albeit from a different location, residents and businesses with prompt and attentive service related to their boating and natural resource needs.”

Anyone who has business with the Harbormaster’s Office is advised to visit their office before close of business on Friday, October 4. Residents or businesses who need service on or after Oct. 15, during normal business hours, should visit them at 12 Emerson Avenue.  

Earlier this year, the City of Gloucester was awarded a $1 million grant from the Seaport Economic Council (SEC). The grant was used for final design and the upcoming construction of an improved Harbormaster Office and Visiting Boater Center. The enhanced facilities will allow the Harbormaster to meet the increasing community demand on the office including the response of safety calls, staffing special events that take place on the water, and handling of the growing number of visiting and local boaters.  

Construction for the improved Harbormaster Office and Visiting Boating Center is set to begin on Tuesday, October 15. The new facility is expected to open late May/early June 2020.  

The tennis program at Manchester Athletic Club raised over $1000 this month with the help of north shore tennis players who participated in a fundraiser to benefit the American Red Cross and those affected by Hurricane Dorian.

In their 3-hour, season-opening tennis event held Friday, September 13, 28 players from the North Shore Tennis League, came together for this fun event to support those whose homes and lives were devastated by the destructive hurricane which hit at the end of this summer. Participants included teammates from the MAC as well as surrounding area clubs.

“It was a great event. The women were able to enjoy a day of tennis that included high-intensity tennis drills followed by competitive matchplay—all while raising money for a cause we all care about. It was a win for everybody,” said Todd Carpenter, who hosted the event along with other tennis staff.

This kicks off a season of fundraising tennis events at the Manchester Athletic Club, which will run its next event on October 11 from 9:00-12:00pm to support breast cancer awareness—marked around the world in October. Fundraising tennis events will be open to both MAC members and guests. If you would like to participate in upcoming tennis fundraisers, contact, Todd Carpenter at tcarpenter@macathletics.com.

Cape Ann Seniors on the Go Set to Launch in Gloucester

— Reservations Are Now Being Accepted

On Tuesday, October 1^st, residents of Gloucester Housing Authority’s Clark, Lincoln, McPherson, Poplar and Sheedy neighborhoods will be provided free transportation to better access healthy food and fitness locations through the Cape Ann Seniors on the Go initiative.  Cape Ann Seniors on the Go focuses on creating more access and opportunity for these specific purposes among senior residents as a way to have a positive impact on their health.

Weekly trips will be provided for free on a 16-passenger, ADA-compliant bus branded Cape Ann Seniors on the Go which will be operated by Cape Ann Transit Authority.  The trips for senior housing residents will bring riders to locations where they can access healthy food such as grocery stores, The Open Door Food Pantry, Cape Ann Farmers Market and the Rose Baker Senior Center. Residents will be transported to the Gloucester Boulevard for walking and other special activity events will be incorporated.

This initiative grew out of the work of Cape Ann Mass in Motion. The City of Gloucester Health Department serves as a host agent for the Mass in Motion Municipal Wellness and Leadership Initiative, a movement to lower the risk of chronic disease by supporting equitable food access and active living opportunities in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts. The Cape Ann Mass in Motion coalition works on this front advancing access and opportunities in the region. The coalition believes increasing transportation to locations where at-risk seniors may access healthy food and participate in physical activity will lead to positive health impacts.

Karin Carroll, City of Gloucester Public Health Director, said “The Mayor of Gloucester and other Cape Ann municipal leaders are thrilled to be able to now respond to the needs of their seniors by successfully securing funding to provide transportation for older adults of Cape Ann to access fresh food and physical activity.  Through a partnership with the Gloucester Health Department’s Mass in Motion grant, we are able to build on the existing work and access key expertise from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to ensure the grants success. We are excited to work together with our municipal and private partners throughout Cape Ann to improve the health of our seniors.”

The coalition is currently working with the Towns of Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea to implement similar transportation for older adults who live in low income housing in those communities. While the group recognizes transportation needs exist regionally for many purposes, Mass in Motion as a statewide movement is targeted only on the areas of food access and active living which will be the focus of this initiative.

The Gloucester part of this initiative was launched in collaboration with Gloucester Housing Authority, Gloucester Council on Aging, City of Gloucester Health Department and Cape Ann Transit Authority.

Financial support for the initiative has been provided by Addison Gilbert & Beverly Hospital’s Community Collaborative Grant and the Massachusetts Community Compact Initiative.

To reserve a seat on the bus for a trip residents must call (978) 283-7916. There is no charge to residents who use the bus and there is a two bag per person limit on the bus.