It’s a little too cold and a little too early in the season for the Alewife to run, yet despite today’s 44 degree temperature, Gloucester’s new shellfish warden Tammy Cominelli shares that nine were counted from the Little River’s brand new counting station on Saturday!
Today marked the official opening of the station with Mayor Sefatia and members of SumCo eco contractors, NOAA, and the Mass Division of Marine Fisheries in attendance.
Tammy Cominelli (Gloucester Shellfish Warden), John Catena (NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center), Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Anna Macan (NOAA Fisheries Communications), Jen Goebel (NOAA Fisheries Communcations), Max Schenk (City of Gloucester Health Department), Michael Pentony (NOAA Fisheries – Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator), and Travis Sumner (SumCo co-founder).
* Unfortunately, I did not get everyone’s name. Please let me know if you know the names of the gentleman in the far back row and the gentleman to the far right. Thank you!
Tammy Cominelli, Gloucester’s new Shellfish Warden, checking the water temperature.
* * *
In Massachusetts, the Alewife run between late March through May (when the water temperature is 51 degrees) and Blueback Herring run from late April through June (57 degrees); both species use the Little River to spawn at the freshwater Lily Pond.
The river herring begin their spring journey by swimming from the Atlantic Ocean, traveling through the Little River brackish, marshy basin.
Little River
River herring travel upstream to the little pool just below the Lily Pond, where they then swim up the new ladder, called an Alaskan sea pass, to spawn.
Here the adults will stay for about three to six weeks. Unlike salmon, which spawn and die, river herring that survive spawning take the return trip back to the sea.
Lily Pond snowy spring day
After the baby herring hatch, they live at the Lily Pond anywhere from one to three months. Once they have grown large enough, the young herring begin their journey to the Atlantic Ocean, first migrating down to the Little River basin, which is a mixture of both fresh and sea water, and then slowly out to the open sea to join large schools of Alewife and Blueback Herring.
River herring return to their home river to spawn once they become adults, in three to five years.
This meeting is an INFORMATIONAL PUBLIC HEARING to address any questions and explain the CDBG RFP requirements and to obtain the views of the citizens of Gloucester regarding the CDBG Program. The Grants Division of the Community Development Department will be seeking proposals from qualified organizations, agencies, or individuals for its Program Year 2018 (PY18) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The CDBG Program is designed to promote safe, sanitary, and affordable housing, encourage handicapped accessibility, improve public facilities, support social service and job training activities, provide economic development assistance, and improve the living environment for low- and moderate-income residents of the City of Gloucester. The 2018 CDBG Program is expected to be funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Funding of proposals is contingent upon receipt of funding from HUD.
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Sharing press release from Mary Ellen Lepionka and Bill Remsen followed by a selection of visual arts, maps, and writing spotlighting Dogtown (1633-1961) by Catherine Ryan.
Nov 29th, 7PM, Public Meeting
Come to a special public presentation November 29th in Kyrouz Auditorium in Gloucester City Hall, 9 Dale Avenue, at 7pm.
Week of Nov 13
“During the week of November 13 a team of archaeologists from the Public Archaeology Laboratory (PAL) in Providence will be conducting fieldwork in Dogtown. They will begin mapping and describing an area to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, a National Park Service program to honor historically significant buildings and landscapes.
What do you think?
“Presenters at City Hall on Nov 29th will include Betsy Friedberg from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, who will explain how the National Register program works and what it does and does not do, and Kristen Heitert from the PAL, who will present an initial plan for defining the boundaries of Dogtown as a National Register District. People attending the meeting will be asked to respond to that plan and to express their views about what makes Dogtown special. What should be the boundaries of the proposed National Register District, and what cultural features should be included in it? What would be the benefits of National Register status, and are there any drawbacks?
Who all is involved?
“The Dogtown archaeological survey is funded through a matching grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Dusky Foundation and is financed by the City of Gloucester. The Gloucester Historical Commission applied for the grant and is coordinating the project in collaboration with the Rockport Historical Commission. The PAL team will also have the assistance of members of the Dogtown Advisory Committee, the Rockport Rights of Way Committee, the Cape Ann Trail Stewards, and the Friends of Dogtown.”
– Dogtown is eligible for the National Register. Will Gloucester earn another major district designation? Above excerpts from the press release for the Nov 29th event shared by Bill Remsen, local project coordinator, and Mary Ellen Lepionka, co-chair Gloucester Historical Commission, and some Dogtown maps and memorabilia 1633-1961
Dogtown Maps and memorabilia 1633-1961 selected by Catherine Ryan
Prior 2017 Dogtown public forums, lectures and meetings mentioned consideration of controlled burns to clear brush and return some land to a former moors state, with various potential benefits.
“Nature takes a lot of courses.” Chris Leahy said. He focused on Dogtown, “a very special place”, and possible merits of land stewardship geared at fostering greater biodiversity. Perhaps some of the core acres could be coaxed to grasslands as when parts of Gloucester were described as moors? Characteristic wildlife, butterflies, and birds no longer present may swing back.” March 4 2017 Dogtown Forum at Cape Ann Museumin collaboration with Essex County Greenbelt, Mass Audubon, and Friends of Dogtown group
February 23, 2017 Chris Leahy also gave a talk at Sawyer Free Library Dogtown- the Biography of a Landscape:750 Million Years Ago to the Present A photographic history through slides presented by the Gloucester Lyceum and the Friends of the Library
“Today the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York is gorgeous. The hills are covered with oak forests, and the valleys are patchworks of hayfields and farms. But Ostfeld says the area didn’t always look like this. When the Europeans came here hundreds of years ago, they clear-cut nearly all of the forests to plant crops and raise livestock. “They also cut down trees for commercial use,” Ostfeld says, “to make masts for ships, and for firewood.” Since then a lot of the forest has come back — but it’s not the same forest as before, he says. Today it’s all broken up into little pieces, with roads, farms and housing developments. For mice, this has been great news. “They tend to thrive in these degraded, fragmented landscapes,” Ostfeld says, because their predators need big forests to survive. Without as many foxes, hawks and owls to eat them, mice crank out babies. And we end up with forests packed with mice — mice that are chronically infected with Lyme and covered with ticks.”
Selection of maps
from books, and memorabilia I’ve pulled on Dogtown (1634-1961):
1961
From Gloucester 1961 Cape Ann Festival of the Arts booklet
1954
From Gloucester 1954 Festival of the Arts booklet, prepared for the second of the Russel Crouse Prize Play, the Witch of Dogtown, by S. Foster Damon. “Each year it is hoped new plays dealing with the Gloucester or Cape Ann theme will be produced.”
Joshua Batchelder 1741 survey map of “a good part of Dogtown common” printed and annotated for Gloucester’s 3rd Annual Cape Ann Festival of the Arts in 19541954 Index to annotated map
1923 Christian Science Monitor art review for Gloucester Society of Artists
“Dogtown Common, the now deserted hill home of the first settlers who 300 years ago braved the dangers of a hostile and Indian Annisquam, offers both romance and reality. It has remained for Louise Upton Brumback to interpret its clear contrasts, its far spaces, blue skies, white clouds and stiff green pointed cedars. Although the draftsmanship is crude in the extreme, the effect is rare and genuine. The old resident who passes through the gallery will shake his head dubiously at the false color creations of harbor and rock, but accepts this striking and bold visualization of Dogtown Common as the true spirit of Cape Ann…”
Inland among the lonely cedar dells Of Old Cape Ann, near Gloucester by the Sea, Still live the Dead–in homes that used to be. All day in dreamy spells They tattle low with sounds of tinkling cattle bells Or spirit tappings of some hollow tree And there, all night–out of the dark– They bark–and bark…
“Note: From a little volume, by Charles E. Mann, entitled “In the Heart of Cape Ann” Gloucester, Mass., The Proctor Bros. Co), the curious reader may learn more strange, half forgotten facts concerning the old Puritan life of that region. Among its singular New England characters, certain authentic and legendary figures have entered the theme of this poem. P.M-K. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. March, 1921
Percy MacKaye (1875–1956) was an American dramatist and poet.
Harvard MacKaye papers: “History note: Percy Wallace MacKaye, author and dramatist, graduated from Harvard in 1897, wrote poetic dramas, operatic libretti, modern masques and spectacles, and was active in promoting community theatre. The collection includes his papers and those of his wife, Marion Homer Morse MacKaye, as well as material relating to the career of his father Steele MacKaye (1842-1894), an American theatrical designer, actor, dramatist, and inventor. The bulk of the collection consists of material pertaining to community drama; correspondence with literary and theatrical figures including Edgar Lee Masters, Edwin Arlington Robinson, George Pierce Baker, Theodore Dreiser, Amy Lowell, Upton Sinclair, Edward Gordon Craig, Louis Untermeyer and Thornton Wilder.”
Dartmouth: The MacKaye Family Papers “contain materials documenting the life and career of four generations of the family. They include a large amount of personal and professional correspondence as well as original manuscripts and typescripts of plays, prose, masques, pageants, poetry, essays and articles. Of note are manuscript materials for Benton MacKaye’s works on geotechnics entitled “Geotechnics of North America,” and “From Geography to Geotechnics,” as well as Percy MacKaye’s biography and works on his father Steele MacKaye and the MacKaye family, entitled respectively, “Epoch,” and “Annals of an Era.”
(Gloucester, Dogtown Common, is not on the MacKaye Wikipedia page)
Great read p.22 from the Dogtown and Its Story chapter, in The Gloucester Book, by Frank L. Cox, 1921
1918 Eben Comins painting
1912 government rifle range Dogtown
1904 (1742)
ca.1904 Charles E. Mann map copied from 1742 map in MA archives collectionMann
1877 Higginson
“Three miles inland, as I remember, we found the hearthstones of a vanished settlement; then we passed a swamp with cardinal flowers; then a cathedral of noble pines, topped with crow’s-nests. If we had not gone astray by this time, we presently emerged on Dogtown Common, an elevated table-land, over spread with great boulders as with houses, and encircled with a girdle of green woods and an outer girdle of blue sea. I know of nothing more wild than that gray waste of boulders..”
In 1855, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal: “I am [reading] William Wood’s “New England’s Prospect”… William Wood New Englands Prospect was originally published in 1634 in London. Here is a Wood excerpt concerning burning brush to clear land, a historical antecedent (and apt surname) to keep in mind when considering stewardship 2017 and beyond.
…The next commodity the land affords is good store of woods, and that not only such as may be needful for fuel but likewise for the building of ships and houses and mills and all manner of water-work about which wood is needful. The timber of the country grows straight and tall, some trees being twenty, some thirty foot high, before they spread forth their branches; generally the trees be not very thick, though there may be many that will serve for mill posts, some being three foot and a half over. And whereas it is generally conceived that the woods grow so thick that there is no more clear ground than is hewed out by labor of man, it is nothing so, in many places diverse acres being clear so that one may ride a hunting in most places of the land if he will venture himself for being lost. There is no underwood saving in swamps and low grounds that are wet, in which the English get Osiers and Hasles and such small wood as is for their use. Of these swamps, some be ten, some twenty, some thirty miles long, being preserved by the wetness of the soil wherein they grow; for it being the custom of the Indians to burn the wood in November when the grass is withered and leaves dried, it consumes all the underwood and rubbish which otherwise would overgrow the country, making it unpassable, and spoil their much affected hunting; so that by this means in those places where the Indians inhabit there is scarce a bush or bramble or any cumbersome underwood to be seen in the more champion ground. Small wood, growing in these places where the fire could not come, is preserved. In some places, where the Indians died of the plague some fourteen years ago, is much underwood, as in the midway betwixt Wessaguscus and Plimouth, because it hath not been burned. Certain rivers stopping the fire from coming to clear that place of the country hath made it unuseful and troublesome to travel thorow, in so much that it is called ragged plaine, because it teares and rents the cloathes of them that pass. Now because it may be necessary for mechanical Artificers to know what timber and wood of use is in the Country, I will recite the most useful as followeth*…” *see photos for Wood’s trees list
Thoreau was thinking along these lines, finding god in berries.
“From William Wood’s New England’s Prospect, printed about 1633, it would appear that strawberries were much more abundant and large here before they were impoverished or cornered up by cultivation. “Some,” as he says, “being two inches about, one may gather half a bushel in a forenoon.” They are the first blush of a country, its morning red, a sort of ambrosial food which grows only on Olympian soil.” -Thoreau’s Wild Fruit
“If you look closely you will find blueberry and huckleberry bushes under your feet, though they may be feeble and barren, throughout all our woods, the most persevering Native Americans, ready to shoot up into place and power at the next election among the plants, ready to reclothe the hills when man has laid them bare and feed all kinds of pensioners.”
photos: William Wood’s New Englands Prospect scanned from book in the University of CA collection. “Wonasquam” on map at Cape Ann
“Of their Custom in burning the Country, and the reason thereof” The Salvages are accustomed to set fire of the Country in all places where they come, and to burne it twice a year: at the Spring, and the fall of the leaf. The reason that moves them to do so, is because it would other wise be so overgrown with underweeds that it would be all a coppice wood, and the people would not be able in any wise to pass through the Country out of a beaten path… And this custom of firing the Country is the meanes to make it passable; and by that meanes the trees growe here and there as in our parks: and makes the Country very beautiful and commodious.”
Cape Ann Museum book shop display October 2017
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Legions of fans visit local, national and international museums to see icons of American 20th century art by Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer. Some of this art was inspired by Gloucester, MA. One more Hopper or Homer Gloucester scene in any collection would be welcome, but in Gloucester it would be transformative.
The City of Gloucester boasts a world class museum that would be the ideal repository for a major Hopper and Homer of Gloucester. It hasn’t happened, yet. It should! I feel not enough of a case has been made for having originals right here in the city that inspired some of their most famous works and changed their art for the better.
Edward Hopper Captain’s House (Parkhurst House), one of the few original Hopper works remaining in private hands, is slated as a promised gift to Arkansas’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Crystal Bridges opened in 2011 and will have acquired 4 examples of Hopper’s art — 2 paintings, 1 drawing and 1 print–with this gift.
I think Arkansas would have been ok with three.
The only known Winslow Homer seascape painting still in private hands is a great one inspired by Gloucester. Bill and Melinda Gates own Lost on the Grand Banks, 1885. I saw it at the auction house back in 1998 just before the sale. What a fit for Gloucester and Homer if it found its way back here!
Edward Hopper’s Gloucester Street also went to the west coast, purchased by Robert Daly. I’d love to see this one in person! The corner hasn’t changed much since 1928 when Hopper painted the street scene.
Hopper’s downtown Gloucester scene, Railroad Gates, is not on public display.
I’m surprised and hopeful that there are paintings of Gloucester by Hopper that could be secured. There are tens of drawings including major works on paper. I saw this Gloucester drawing, Circus Wagon, by Edward Hopper at the ADAA art Fair back in March 2016.
Davis House (25 Middle Street) was sold at auction in 1996.
I’m keeping tabs on most of them. The only way they’re going into any museum is through largesse. Why not Gloucester?
Homer and Hopper watercolors in private collections can’t be on permanent view due to the medium’s fragility. (Exciting developments in glazing and displays are being developed that go beyond the protective lift.) The Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, MA, cares for works of art as well as any institution.
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To kick off this year’s Bluefin Blowout at Cape Ann’s Marina Resort, the Lyon-Waugh Auto Group donated, not one, but TWO BMW i3s to the city of Gloucester! Warren Waugh made the presentation to Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and Police Chief John McCarthy to help show Lyon-Waugh’s appreciation and support to the city. What an amazing gift!
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Here’s the current list of Gloucester stores, museums, and organizations with special offers for the Zuiderdam passengers coming this Friday September 9th!
Peter Webber and Ken Riehl of the Cape Ann Chamber will be walking down Main Street in Gloucester tomorrow to hand out these festive welcome flyers for Holland America passengers. If you don’t see Peter or Ken, please print them out from the photo and display on doors and windows, or contact them and they can email you a PDF.
Ships arrive Friday September 9, Saturday September 24th–which is also a big Essex Heritage Trails & Sails day in Gloucester and Cape Ann– and Thursday September 29th as part of fall foliage cruising.
Three Sheets to the Wind will perform from the Cruiseport deck. CATA will be making bus stop locations and selling all day passes for $3. Some passengers remain on ship and 40% have pre-arranged day trips. After processing through security, 1000 remaining passengers or so will be guided to CATA’s special trolley downtown (including one stop at Western Ave and Middle Street for walking over to Stacy Boulevard) and regular routes to Rocky Neck and downtown Rockport. CATA doesn’t loop to Stage Fort. Steve Douglass runs water shuttle service to Rocky Neck. Local taxi and car services have been alerted. Please reach out to Peter@capeannchamber.com for details. Crew come ashore and in the past have numbered in the hundreds.
If you are ever interested in volunteering contact Lorre Anderson at welcomecruisers@gmail.com to sign up for welcome cruisers, the visitor center, and/or the Chamber. Lorre has managed the cruiseship volunteer brigade for the Chamber for years and is fabulous.
10-day fall color route from Holland America
Gloucester’s Downtown Welcomes Holland America Zuiderdam passengers! Enjoy these special offers:
DIVA;161 Main St.: 12% off all purchases. Vintage and curated jewelry
Cape Ann Museum; 27 Pleasant St.: $2 discount on our regular admission (currently admission is $10 for adult and $8 for seniors so admission for cruise ships would be $8 and $6 respectively) contemporary exhibits and permanent collection with world class holdings including Marsden Hartley, Fitz Henry Lane, Stuart Davis, Umberto Romano, Paul Manship, John Sloan, Katharine Weems, Viginia Lee Burton, Milton Avery, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer and many more.
Harbor Loop Gift/Building Center; 1 Harbor Loop; 10% off all nautical merchandise for the Cruise ship arrivals
Kids Unlimited; 123 Main St: Take an additional 10% off all summer & winter clearance, already 50%-80% off
Mark Adrian Shoes; 103 Main St.: $10 off any purchase of $50 or more
The Brass Monkey; 85 Main St.: for a “TASTE OF NEW ENGLAND”. Sample a wide variety of New England specialty foods and explore our two floors of unique gifts, antiquities, clothing, jewelry and much more.
Toodeloos! / Island Art; 142 Main St.: 10% off entire purchase awesome independent toy store and art supplies
Trident Gallery; 189 Main St.: free exhibition poster ($25 value) to first 50 visitors
Weathervane; 153 Main St.: 25% off sweats (excludes Cape Pond Ice)
Please note: Additional specials may be available at other businesses. Passengers are encouraged to ask merchants for details. City Hall tower tours may be available September 9th and definitely offered on Sept 24th and 29th.
Carol Thistle, Senior Project Manager for the Tourism Commission, reports that fully one third of revenue collected from the hotel and motel tax will go toward promoting tourism. Carol broke the news at the joint spring meeting of Gloucester’s Harbortown and Rocky Neck Cultural Districts held Tuesday night at the North Shore Art Association.
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Just thought I would drop a note to your readers as my first year as Chief of Police comes to an end. It has gone by very fast and first and foremost, I want to thank the City Administration, the officers and staff of the Gloucester Police Department, and most of all the residents of Gloucester for their assistance, guidance, and support throughout the year. Whether it was a hurricane, a super storm, an earthquake, flooding or any crisis we faced, the support has been tremendous and I truly appreciate it.
We have accomplished a lot in the past year. We have addressed some of the major issues that the Police Department faced and have worked diligently at forming collaborations with the community in as many ways possible. We have also started to change to a philosophy of what we are calling “alternative policing” in keeping with the needs and desires of the community. Alternative policing entertains the notion that the police have many options, not simply arrest, in dealing with situations and we need to develop as many partnerships as possible with the community in order to take advantage of all of them. From an in-house perspective, we’ve made some changes, both tangible and philosophical, that should bode well in the future. These include changes in our command structure, accountability, policy and procedure, training, Records Management, and IT support. While the list of all changes is probably too long for me to write down here, I welcome any discussions your readers would like to have with me regarding any issues, or changes that are being made.
Coming up, we have our second Citizens Police Academy gearing up for October 15 and I’d invite your readers to apply. It will be twice a week for four weeks and encompass just about everything we do on a daily basis (we include tours of Middleton Jail as well as Ride-Alongs and an opportunity to fire our service weapons). This is a great way for police and residents to interacts in a positive atmosphere. Please call the station and ask for Lt. John McCarthy for more info. We will also unveil our SAFEWATCH program, designed to assist in interactions between the police and those who may have a mental issue which would otherwise make an encounter with police inflammatory. SAFEWATCH also assists in returning those who would have a propensity to wander back to their safe environment. We are partnering with Cape Ann NAMI ( National Association of Mental Illness) on this. We are excited to be at the forefront of building positive relations with this segment of the population, and their families who often live with fear that something may happen to their loved ones. We will be addressing drug issues in very noticeable ways, with the ideas of Alternative Policing in mind. Coupling with my previously mentioned strategy of zero tolerance for drug dealers, help for drug users, and cooperation with the community, we have forged a strong partnership with Healthy Gloucester Collaborative and are working regionally with communities such as Danvers and Beverly to share ideas and blanket this problem so that we address the issue from all angles. Another first for Gloucester.
On a daily basis, we continue to work on quality of life issues and plans for addressing issues with animal control, neighborhood disturbances, and concerns surrounding our reservoirs and quarries. Over the winter months we will be developing strategy with the DPW and Environmental Engineering to help solve some of these QoL issues.
Joey, thank you for all your support this past year and for providing me with an outlet to reach so many in Gloucester, and a very heartfelt thanks to your readers, whose engagement of their community makes my job so much more fulfilling. I’m very honored to be here and look forward to serving you in the coming year. I encourage your readers to contact me at anytime with questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Lenny
Leonard Campanello
Chief of Police
City of Gloucester, MA
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I went to Evelyn’s wake yesterday, accompanied by Jim Casey. We arrived at Ross Funeral home early, before the family. When I entered the first parlor, I immediately saw this beautiful arrangement of flowers and walked over to look at them, then at the card. I was so proud and overwhelmed when I read the card, which said: “Deepest Sympathy on the loss of Evelyn who the City of Gloucester was blessed to know” from Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Police Chief Leonard Campanello, Fire Chief Eric Smith and USCG Station Gloucester. The family was so moved by this gesture from the City of Gloucester, as was I, knowing that very special lady, Carolyn, was behind it. This is such an amazing place in so many ways, the reason Evelyn so loved living here.
I put together a couple of photo collages to display at the wake and wanted to share them. The first one was made so that her family and friends who had never been to Gloucester (many lived in the Wrentham/Norfolk area and RI) could see and understand Evelyn’s great love and passion for the place. The second one is of some of the abundant life Evelyn experienced and shared here. Special thanks to Kim Smith for the beautiful photo of Evelyn that I used for the central image on both collages.
In my 58 years, I have been very fortunate to have not lost any close friends or family members (except grandparents when I was young), until now. This morning I went to put out recycling and trash. When I pulled out the recycling bin, I saw the two empty champagne bottles Evelyn had brought to Sunday’s Mug Up along with pomegranate juice to make mimosas to go with her amazing lemon/lime cheesecake topped with homemade whipped cream. I looked at the name of the champagne and totally lost it. Its name was “Barefoot Bubbly”. That was Evelyn. Barefoot as could be whenever she could be, and as bubbly as champagne. Evelyn, you will be so sorely missed by many, but I know your beautiful spirit of light and love will shine on forever, and I am so happy to have known you.
During the past week I have spoken with many people who had only met Evelyn once or on a couple of occasions, but all were feeling the same sense of loss of a very special person. That is because when you met Evelyn, her spirit went out before her, and that was what you encountered first – the “person” came next. So whether you’d known her all your life, or for just a brief time, everyone had the same pure and beautiful experience of encountering her perfect self. We should all live as Evelyn did.
I know Evelyn’s death will have a profound effect on many people, so great that no one will ever know the full extent of it. For me, her passing has already given me a great gift. My dear friend Wendie Demuth and I had a falling out at the end of last season and hadn’t spoken since. Last week Evelyn and I were talking about Wendie, and Evelyn told me that one day we would reconnect, make up, hug and again be best friends. That very thing happened last evening at Evelyn’s wake – and I know she was there, her big beautiful spirit cheering over what she had accomplished.
At the family’s request, Donations in Evelyn’s name can be made to The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, a place Evelyn loved and was very involved as a volunteer.
E.J. Lefavour
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The National Weather Service now has a high degree of confidence that New England will experience significant impacts from Hurricane Sandy regardless of the location of the landfall. With landfall south of New England, Massachusetts is still likely to sustain significant impacts from this storm including damaging winds, associated power outages, and freshwater and coastal flooding.
The City of Gloucester is providing the following information for residents and businesses in order to ensure that steps are taken to be as prepared as possible in the event the storm has a serious impact on our community.
As the storm gets closer and more information is available a Public Information Officer will be available and a telephone number for residents and the media to call will be issued. The announcement of the Public Information Officer will coincide with the opening of the Emergency Operations Center. More information will follow as it becomes available.
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS TIPS
The Gloucester Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) would like to share the following hurricane preparation tips for residents of Gloucester. In addition, the checklist below outlines what you may need, should Gloucester be hit with damaging winds and power outages. · Stay informed by monitoring the storm via the media. · Be sure to have a well-stocked Family Disaster Kit* in the event you lose power or are isolated for a number of days. · Clear clogged rain gutters. This storm brings the potential for torrential rain. Providing clear drainage will help prevent misdirected flooding. · Secure outdoor items such as lawn furniture, trash barrels, hanging plants, toys and awnings that can be broken or picked up by strong winds and potentially become a projectile. · Elevate articles in your basement that could be damaged from even minor flooding. · Keep your vehicles fully fuelled. · Have a certain amount of cash available. If power is lost, ATMs may not be working.
*FAMILY DISASTER KIT CHECKLIST
Following is a list of suggested essentials for what you will need to create your own home disaster kit. You might be surprised to see that most of the items are things you already have. Even if you have everything on this list, now is the best time to organize everything so it is all together when you need it. Medications change, babies arrive, new pets join the family and people move. Check and update your water, food, batteries, medications and contact phone numbers at least once a year.
ü Cell Phone, charger (there are also emergency crank or battery powered cell phone chargers) and headset so you can talk hands free. ü Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day for drinking, plus an additional gallon for teeth brushing, bathing, cooking, etc.). ü Battery-powered radio with extra batteries. ü Flashlight and batteries. ü Keep your vehicle fueled up. Get in the habit of not letting your gas tank get below half full. In an emergency, when it may be difficult or impossible to get fuel, you will be very thankful you have it. ü Dry and canned foods and can opener (make sure the canned and packaged foods don’t have too much salt – they will make you more thirsty and with limited water around, that isn’t the best thing). ü Disposable eating utensils, dinnerware and cooking tools. ü Baby needs, including diapers, wipes and food. ü Pet needs, food, water, collar and leash. ü Medical supplies, including prescription medications, eyeglasses, contacts, etc. ü Toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer and feminine needs. ü Trash bags. ü Soap and toiletries. ü Scissors and tweezers. ü Utility knife. ü Crow bar.
ü First Aid Kit including: Ø first aid instruction guide Ø bandages of various sizes and types Ø elastic wrap Ø adhesive tape Ø finger splints Ø eye pads Ø sterile dressings Ø gauze roll Ø examination gloves Ø instant cold pack Ø burn cream Ø antibacterial ointment Ø alcohol prep pads Ø hydrogen peroxide spray
ü Comfortable thick soled shoes and socks. ü Whistle. ü Waterproof matches and emergency candles (do not use if you smell gas or hear a hissing sound). ü Duct tape. ü Rope. ü Emergency blanket. ü Work gloves. ü Small towel or clean rag. ü Bandana or dust mask. ü Change of clothes. ü Cap or visor. ü Pen and paper. ü Emergency contact numbers. ü Emergency gas shut off tool. ü Fire extinguisher. ü Road map. ü Important personal documents. ü Comfort items – especially for children (stuffed animal, toy, cards, etc.) ü Backpack to store important items so you can grab and go.
Securing Your Home from Hurricane Sandy
Knowing what weather forces your home is vulnerable to is the key to reducing any damage that might occur from Hurricane Sandy. You should know if your home can be damaged by wind, water surge and/or flooding.
There are various ways to secure your home from the weather scenarios that Hurricane Sandy might produce. You should make sure the exterior of your home is as strong as possible by securing doors, garage doors, roof, shutters and windows. For more information on securing your home from high winds, visit:
Do not attempt to move downed limbs until you are sure that there are no electric wires involved and that the cutting the limb will not result in it suddenly moving and possibly causing injury.
Should Cape Ann suffer substantial storm damage, you should be prepared to “shelter in place” for as long as 72 hours. If this is the case, please check on neighbors who may need assistance.
Stay informed of the latest forecast – the National Hurricane Center continues to be the official source for storm forecasts and updates, which you can find at http://www.hurricanes.gov or on your phone at http://hurricanes.gov/mobile.
If the storm approaches your community, your local National Weather Service forecast office is the best place to find any severe weather watches/warnings for your area (www.weather.gov or on your phone at http://mobile.weather.gov).
Eurodam will be visiting Gloucester two times this week. Let’s make their experience one they will remember. Eurodam’s capacity is 2000+ passengers and 800 crew members.
Eurodam arrives tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2 arrival time @ 7:00 am Passenger tenders will start arriving at Cruiseport about 7:30 am. Typically the first to arrive are going on buses or whale watch, etc.
Passengers (lots of them) will begin to visit downtown @ 8:30 – 9:00 am.
The departure time is 4:00 pm
Seven Seas Thursday, October 4 – Cancelled
Eurodam Saturday, October 6 arrival 9:00 am Passengers will start arriving at Cruiseport about 9:30 am. Typically the first to arrive are going on buses or whale watch, etc. However we will start seeing the passengers (lots of them) who will visit downtown by about 9:30 – 10:00 am.
The Tourism Commission
2012 Cruise Ships Schedule
2012 Cruise Ship Schedule as of now:
PASSENGERS per Ship
Monday, October 1, 2012
Noble Caledonia 116
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Eurodam 2000+
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Eurodam 2000+
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Noble Caledonia 116
Monday, October 22, 2012
Seven Seas 1200
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Seaborn 500
Note: Trolley will be operating for ships with over 150 passengers. Most passengers will arrive in town approximately 9:30 am. Businesses, please note Sunday dates.
You may know that GloucesterMA.com shows a schedule of major events on every page. This schedule is maintained by volunteers and we are looking for more events that will attract visitors to Gloucester during the upcoming season.
The Gloucester Tourism Commission has entered into a contract with WBOQ radio, a.k.a. North Shore 104.9 FM, to promote the City, our Downtown and all that Gloucester has to offer, with multiple daily radio spots during the fall and holiday seasons. Some of you may have heard them as they started last week. Listen to last week’s spot here.
The intent is to draw visitors during the off season. The beginning and end of each spot is the same and there is time reserved in the middle to plug upcoming City events. You’ll notice in last week’s spot there was a plug for the Block Party in the middle.
If you would wish to purchase your own ad for your own business while the city campaign is being run, here is the contact information.
To discuss radio ads (a very simple process) and rates please contact:
Aurelia Nelson
North Shore 104.9 Phone: 978-927-1049 extension 14 or Email: aurelia@northshore1049.com The more people that advertise, the more Gloucester gets promoted!
The City’s Campaign runs from now until October 21 then will start up again for the holiday season November 22- December 20.
Sincerely,
The Gloucester Tourism Commission
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By now, everybody probably knows that the Web is the number one source of tourism information and referrals. That’s why Tracey Muller and Jan Bordinaro, who started PR for Gloucester, organized a group of volunteers to save the City owned GloucesterMA.com from being turned off. They asked Peter and me if we’d re-design the site to accomplish 4 major goals:
Promote Gloucester’s authentic natural beauty, maritime & cultural heritage, food, music and arts.
Build a database-driven engine and admin-system that empowers volunteers to ensure every Gloucester business is represented.
Code the site in a way that helps to boost it’s search engine position.
Make it work on a smartphone.
We agreed — and we donated our time along with many others to accomplish these goals. Plus we added one more goal: promote the site. For that we asked our good friend Joey C. And what a job he did! He gave us an ENTIRE WEEK of videos, podcasts and write ups! I can’t imagine how he got any other work done that week. THANKS JOEY.
Just in case anyone wonders, the City of Gloucester still owns, and has always owned, GloucesterMA.com. The city of Gloucester offers the free listing as a public service. GloucesterMA.com is managed by the volunteer group at no cost to the City.
It’s been just about a year since we launched. Here’s what’s happening:
Traffic for 2011 was about 5 times the traffic for 2010.
The vast majority of traffic comes from Google & other search engines and nearly 80% of traffic is from new visitors.
GloucesterMA.com is the first or second search result for almost every search phrase containing the word “Gloucester”.
Percentage of mobile visitors shot up from 6% when we launched in March to 16% by the end of the year.
If your business serves travelers to Gloucester, you want to be sure your listing on GloucesterMA.com is up to date. Notice the last bullet about smartphones? In case you were wondering, smartphone usage is skyrocketing! And if your phone number is on GloucesterMA.com, all smartphone users have to do is tap it and their phones will dial your number automatically!
So check www.GloucesterMA.com and be sure you’re listed. If you’re not listed or your listing needs to be updated, click here: and a volunteer will fix things as soon as we can.
Please remember, this is an all-volunteer effort to boost one of the three pillars of Gloucester’s economy. We need your help to keep the information fresh and current.
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Beginning Wednesday April 27th paving will begin on Washington Street from Reynard Street to Vine Street and also Washington Street from Lane Road to the Bayview Fire Station
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Tammy Cominelli (Gloucester Shellfish Warden), John Catena (NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center), Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Anna Macan (NOAA Fisheries Communications), Jen Goebel (NOAA Fisheries Communcations), Max Schenk (City of Gloucester Health Department), Michael Pentony (NOAA Fisheries – Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator), and Travis Sumner (SumCo co-founder).
Tammy Cominelli, Gloucester’s new Shellfish Warden, checking the water temperature. 
Little River
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Meeting
You may know that 
Good Morning Gloucester 