Wednesday, 10 March 2010 09:43
Rowley Board of Selectmen
March 8, 2010
Dick Cummings was absent from this meeting.
APPROVED
- The budget numbers from the police, fire and highway departments were approved for fiscal year 2011 and will go on the town warrant to be approved by residents at the Town Meeting in May. In addition, several capital expenditure items, such as new gear for the firefighters and new low-band radios for the Highway Department, were discussed and will be included as items on the Special Town Meeting warrant. The overall town budget was discussed as well, and Chairman Dave Petersen noted that because of steady and conservative spending thus far, the town is in relatively good shape with the budget.
- A one-day auction permit license for an auction at Midway Utility Contractors on March 19. The business will be selling surplus and unused light construction equipment.
- The nomination of Reed Wilson as the animal inspector for Rowley.
- A re-issuance of a class II license to Frank Ivonella for Car Lines at 185 Newburyport Turnpike.
SIGNED
- A declaration of Independent Living Center Day on July 26 to recognize the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- A proclamation naming the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
AWARDED
The contract for Town Hall video equipment to the Camera Company of 858 Providence Highway in Norwood for $54,623.25. The equipment will be used to televise the weekly selectmen and other town department meetings.
DISCUSSED
That Bob Merry was repairing the 9/11 commemorative flag that sat at the intersection of Cross and Pleasant streets and was damaged by the Feb. 25 windstorm. Merry noted that the recess bell at what used to be the Center School fell in the storm as well and with the selectmen's approval would now be on display at the Historical Society.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
To discuss collective bargaining issues.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 09:42
Evan Mugford, Daily News Staff Writer
ROWLEY — The youngest of Mark and Margaret Boyle's three sons (Mark, 14, Luke, 13), 11-year-old John Boyle made waves at the 2010 New England Youth Wrestling Championships at Lowell High School over the weekend.
After claiming titles as the Massachusetts State and Sectional champ, John, in just his second year of competitive wrestling, placed second in the 95-pound Novice division — a division comprised of the most talented fourth- and sixth-grade wrestlers in New England.
The second-place finish earned John an invite to the premiere national youth wrestling event: the Ohio Tournament of Champions in Columbus, Ohio, on April 24.
In the final match, John and his opponent went tied, 4-4, into a sudden death overtime period. John shot in, but in his haste, was unable to secure the takedown, and gave up his back to eventual champion, Quinn Abrams of Bow, N.H.
"I was disappointed right after the match, but then I heard that the kid was really good and hasn't lost in a long time," said John. "I knew I gave him a really good match, so that cheered me up a little bit."
Equally adept at judo, John explained that wrestling may be the easier of the two sports.
"It's easier to get points in wrestling than in judo," said John. "In judo, it's mostly all standing, but in wrestling, there are many different ways to get points and to get a win."
A judo practitioner and instructor for the past 14 years, Wakefield's Jimmy Pedro of Pedro's Judo Center — and until recently, Pedro's Wrestling Club (a camp that produced six New England finalists in its inaugural year) — has known Boyle and his family since 2006, and said that the family's wealth of judo knowledge is the reason for the sudden boom of wrestling success.
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Monday, 08 March 2010 10:34
Rowley Board of Selectmen
March 1, 2010
APPROVED
- Ratified the declaration of a state of emergency for the town of Rowley from Friday, March 26, at 1 a.m. to Saturday, March 27, at 8 a.m. Selectmen Chairman Dave Petersen outlined the process taken in town to deal with the power outages of the Thursday, March 25, storm, indicating town departments would soon review what went right or wrong to aid in future emergency situations. "I just want to thank the town workers for doing a fantastic job, working all hours and dealing with the many calls and wide range of emotions from residents," Petersen said. "Everybody pitched in to help and worked together effortlessly, and considering the amount of damage the town suffered, restored the town to pre-storm conditions as quickly as possible."
- Two zoning bylaw amendments, one regarding restricting the maximum number of units that can be accepted in multifamily developments and the other to repeal the soil suitability requirement. Brent Baeslack, Rowley's conservation agent, noted that while the criteria of the bylaw is still very important, the soil suitability regulation, which became a bylaw in 1972, has become redundant because of environmental legislation that has passed since that time. The criteria for testing soil suitability is now included as part of other regulations. These two items will go on the town warrant for Town Meeting approval.
- The town of Rowley investment policy statement.
- Designating $33,000 of Community Preservation Committee funds to go toward the restoration and preservation of the town clock, and replace it with a new clock.
- Authorizing Town Administrator Deb Eagan to go forward to get an "as built" plan made for Christopher Road.
- Authorizing $200 for JRM Hauling, the new recycling company in town, to build a ramp to a new, larger waste receptacle for paper collection at the town recycling center.
- Authorizing a site survey to be done on town property on Fenno Drive to accurately assign boundary lines.
HEARING
For the acceptance of the street layout for Emily Lane, off Dodge and Daniels Road. The Planning Board and light and water departments all indicated that the road is ready to be accepted as a town road. The road's acceptance will be added to the town warrant for the Town Meeting for residents' approval.
SIGNED
- An all-liquor license for the Rowley Veterans Association under new manager David Leavitt.
- Two proclamations recognizing local Scouts of Rowley Scout Pack 15 — Nicholas Michel and Thomas Kuczun — for earning Eagle Scout status.
DISCUSSED
- An expanded proposal to construct two public skating rinks in town on the soccer fields behind the Pine Grove School. There was great concern about the project being rushed through with ever-increasing costs and supplies noted (the estimate has gone from an approved $33,000 to over $100,000), as well as concern for enlisting enough volunteers to manage the project. Selectman Dick Cummings, who is heading the project with Parks and Recreation Committee member Glen Fougere, will revise the proposal to provide more detail and present it to the board for review again.
- An invitation received to the 375th celebration of the First Parish Church in Newbury during Memorial Day weekend. Selectmen will decide at a later date if anyone will attend.
- Four bids have been received for supplying video equipment for the town to televise selectmen and other department meetings, and they will be discussed at the next selectmen's meeting.
- Local Girl Scout troop asked the town for a list of community service projects that need to be done in town, pledging two full hours per 140 Scouts of free service. The selectmen will ask town departments for suggestions and get back to the Girl Scouts.
- That the fiscal year budget would be level-funded, and the plan was to save about $100,000 by reducing the police budget by cutting the deputy chief position, who is now acting chief, and a sergeant's position, open due to a retirement. The extra funds will go toward equipment needs for the police and fire departments.
- In light of the recent storm and power outage, Selectman Stu Dalzell Sr. suggested examining once again the purchase of a generator for the Pine Grove School so that in emergency situations, residents would have somewhere to go. The suggestion is cost-prohibitive at this time, but the owner of the Seaview Retreat, who was present at the meeting, offered his generator to the town in a couple of years when he gets a new one for his facility.
POSTPONED
- A decision on whether to go forward with updating the town's signage bylaw. Planning Board chairman Cliff Pierce was asked to work on a draft of a rewrite and bring it before selectmen at a later date.
- The review of changes to the town's earth removal bylaw.
Monday, 08 March 2010 10:33
Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Daily News Correspondent
ROWLEY — What one month ago was approved by selectmen to be a maximum $33,000 expenditure for public skating rinks in town has ballooned to a $100,000 endeavor that includes snowblowers, lights, construction of a new shed, replacement liners and other equipment. And selectmen are wondering just how this happened.
On Feb. 1, Selectman Dick Cummings suggested having two public skating rinks in town — one for advanced skaters and one for beginner skaters — on the soccer field behind Pine Grove School. The board gave preliminary approval to the rinks, along with agreeing to ask the Community Preservation Committee for between $27,000 and $33,000 to fund the project.
They also required that Cummings come back to the board with complete details of the project before final approval. The CPC money comes from funds, secured through taxes on residents, that are designated to be used for recreational use.
At Monday night's selectmen's meeting, Cummings and Glen Fougere, who represents the rink project for the Parks and Recreation Committee, presented to the board a proposal for two rinks that was nearly triple the approved amount and included numerous items that were not discussed or approved at the Feb. 1 meeting.
"Don't get me wrong. I am all for having the public skating rinks for the benefit of the children in town," said selectmen Chairman Dave Petersen. "But this project has spun out of control, becoming an ever-changing proposal with multiple items added week by week. I would be derelict in my duties of being responsible for taxpayers' money if I accepted this proposal as it is."
Petersen also expressed concern that the group was rushing into getting the project approved so it could be on the town warrant for the May 3 Town Meeting, without doing due diligence in planning and budgeting. Selectmen Stuart Dalzell Sr. and Bob Snow concurred with Petersen's concerns, indicating that they didn't understand how the costs could have mushroomed to triple the amount and that they needed to see more detailed plans before anything would be approved.
Cummings had submitted a proposal Monday afternoon that outlined the increased needs for the rinks, along with highlighting the core vision and values for the project, and stating that "if we are going to do this, we should do it right," to explain the substantial cost increase.
Switching to a rink that could be converted to a roller skating rink in the summer added to the cost as well.
Read more...
Monday, 08 March 2010 10:26
Mo Mo Levasseur, Rowley
Do you think you can recall what you were doing last Sept. 14? Probably not. What I do know about that date is that a very large group of family and friends had just learned that Stephanie Jenkins of Rowley had succumbed to cancer, after a very brief, courageous battle, at only 48 years of age. It was truly a sad day for our small town. Ron, Steven, Dan and Kyle's lives will not be the same. Her mom and dad and sisters and brothers' lives will not be the same. We will not be the same. So, how do we move on?
We have chosen to remember Stephanie's memory through a few fundraising events to raise money for playground equipment at Eiras Park in Rowley, for cancer research and for a scholarship. And you can help us by first going to our Web site at www.solaceforstephanie.org.
If you go to the Web site, you will see how courageous Stephanie was through the words of her husband, her cousin and her doctor. And, you will learn how precious life is and that we all need to be a little bit more like Stephanie Jenkins.
So, please, join us at the Carriage Pines Golf Club (formerly the Rowley Country Club) on either Saturday, March 13 or Saturday, April 10 to gather to remember Stephanie. We welcome any type of donation for the silent auction and tickets are still available.
Monday, 08 March 2010 10:24
Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Daily News Correspondent
Town welcomes new reserve police officers
Two new reserve police officers were appointed in town as of Feb. 23 by the Board of Selectmen at the recommendation of acting police Chief Robert Barker. Daniel A. Lee of 41 Fruit St., Byfield, and Jeffrey A. DeCosta of 333 Main St., Amesbury, will serve the town through June 30, 2011.
As reserve officers, Lee and DeCosta will not have regular schedules with the department but will fill in on sick days, holidays and vacation time taken by full-time officers. The appointments include a probationary period with continued employment dependent upon both physical and psychological examinations, successfully qualifying with department firearms and becoming a certified dispatcher. Reserve offices only get paid when they work and receive no benefits.
"The department currently has as four reserve officers, compared to other town police departments that sometimes have more than double that amount," said Barker. "We welcome Lee and DeCosta to our team as we are in great need of these officers to help cover time out from our full-time officers."
The town received about 40 applications for these positions, which will be paid with funds realized through the recent retirements of a detective and the police chief, and interviewed the six candidates with the highest qualifications.
DeCosta works for the Massachusetts Trial Courts in court security, and Lee works as harbormaster in Newbury and as an auxiliary police officer in Haverhill.
Read more...
Monday, 01 March 2010 08:42
Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Daily News Correspondent
A night out for a good cause
There's still time to get tickets for the Solace for Stephanie fundraiser event on Saturday, March 13 from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Carriage Pines Golf Club (formerly Rowley Country Club) on Dodge Road in Rowley. The evening fun includes performances by two comedians as well as dancing to music provided by DJs John and Christine of J&C Entertainment. There also will be a silent auction and food prepared by Affairs Catering of the Back Nine Tavern.
Tickets, which are $40 a person, are available at the Rowley House of Pizza. No tickets will be sold at the door.
This fundraiser is in memory of lifelong Rowley resident Stephanie Jenkins, who lost her battle with renal cancer in September 2009 at 48 years old. The money raised from this night out, and another event that will be held in April, will go toward three causes that were important to Jenkins: replacing the equipment at Rowley's Eiras Park playground, funding ground-breaking research at the Dana Farber Cancer Center to combat renal cancer, and providing a scholarship to a high school senior to attend cosmetology school, as Jenkins was an accomplished hair stylist with her own shop in her Rowley home. Visit www.solaceforstephanie.org for more details.
Read more...
Saturday, 20 February 2010 10:42
Victor Tine, Daily News Staff Writer
PLUM ISLAND — Six years after it was first detected, the level of mercury in the blood of some bird species at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge continue to be a concern to local scientists.
Refuge wildlife biologist Nancy Pau said studies have not yet isolated the source of the elevated mercury levels in saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows, but scientists think it may be somewhere in the Parker River watershed.
Pau said the salt marsh surrounding Plum Island Sound receives relatively little flow from the Merrimack River. Instead, the principal sources of water flowing into the marsh are the Parker, Ipswich and Rowley rivers.
The problem was first discovered in 2004, when a study found mercury levels of 1.2 parts per million in the blood of sparrows on the refuge, significantly higher than in birds from other test sites, which extended from Maine to Long Island.
Since then, mercury levels have increased year-to-year, with a spike in 2006 after the Mother's Day storm brought flooding in many of the regions waterways, Pau said.
The mercury appears to be adversely affecting the reproductive success of the sparrows as well, Pau said.
Mercury is a powerful toxin that tends to move up the food chain, collecting in greater concentrations in predators than in their prey. It is known to cause serious health problems — it impairs learning, memory and attention in children and can lead to a greater risk of heart attacks in adults.
Once mercury is in the system, it tends to stay there and build up, Pau said.
She said the sparrows nest right in the marsh, coordinating their egg-laying and the hatching, feeding and fledging of their young with the monthly tidal cycle.
Because the sparrows spend their entire life-cycle in salt-marsh habitats, with a diet that consists largely of insects that live in or near the water, the sparrows are considered a good indicator of the mercury levels in the soil or water near their nests.
Pau said refuge scientists are testing other elements of the marsh ecosystem in their quest for the source of the mercury.
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Saturday, 20 February 2010 10:25
Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Daily News Correspondent
ROWLEY — The town may soon have two new outdoor skating rinks, thanks to a grass-roots effort to enlist enough volunteer support to build and maintain them, plus an infusion of Community Preservation Act money.
The town's Community Preservation Committee wants selectmen to spend up to $100,000 this year to build the rinks and also allotted an additional $17,500 in 2011 and in 2012, pending need. These monies are currently available in the CPA account and have been earmarked for a recreational use project. The money comes from a small surcharge on property taxes.
"The children in Rowley have very little outdoor recreational options, and these rinks will provide them with an outdoor venue that is safe, friendly and accessible to learn the skill of skating," said committee member Dick Cummings. "In addition, having the rinks will allow the community to come together to enjoy winter carnivals, Christmas and New Year's skate days and celebrate Hockey Weekend Across America."
The rinks would be built on the fields adjacent to the Pine Grove School on Route 1A.
The recommendation will now go before the town's selectmen to be approved as an article on the town warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in May, where residents will have the final say on the ice rink construction.
If approved, two rinks will be constructed — one hockey-size at 65-by-200 feet for advanced skaters and one recreational-size at 65-by-100 feet for beginner skaters. Cummings, who is also a selectman, and Glen Fougere of the Parks and Recreation Committee will share responsibility for overseeing the needs of the rink. The selectmen will post rules and regulations and open times, but the rink will not be monitored with skate guards, and it will be skate-at-your-own-risk.
A core group of parent volunteers will assist in the setup, maintenance and take-down of the rink, while the Highway Department will provide a place to store the rink equipment in the off season. Selectmen Chairman Dave Petersen, who abstained from the vote that allowed the skating rink motion to be brought before the CPC, had some reservations about volunteers taking on a project of this size and scope.
"This is a huge project, and I hope we are not making a commitment way beyond what volunteers can handle," Petersen said. Concerns about ruining the grass at the soccer field and enlisting volunteer help for the long term — at least three years — and cleaning off such large rinks was noted as well.
Cummings cited information indicating the soccer fields would not be harmed and that a committed group of volunteers was up to this task.
Read more...
Monday, 01 February 2010 08:56
 A new yoga studio has opened in Rowley this past January. Buddhaful Souls Yoga Studio opened January 18, in the Rowley Marketplace. They have occupied the former A Basket Gift location.
More information can be found at www.buddhafulsoulsyogastudio.com . The owner, Elissa Cuddy, can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 978.360.9092.
Monday, 01 February 2010 08:48
Staff Reports, GateHouse News Service
Part of the 106 acres Essex County Greenbelt recently acquired in Rowley.
Essex County Greenbelt has bought 106 acres of land off Hillside Street and Weldon Farm Road in Rowley for $106,000.
Funding for the purchase came from both public and private sources and Greenbelt’s total out-of-pocket expense was $8,000, or approximately $75 per acre.
The property, which will be known as the Great Swamp Brook Reservation, was purchased from the East Boston Savings Bank.
Great Swamp Brook contains wildlife habitat and important water resources, which will now be permanently protected by Greenbelt.
“The Great Swamp Brook project is one of Greenbelt’s most significant land conservation projects this year,” said David Santomenna, Greenbelt’s Director of Land Conservation. “We have had our eye on this property for nearly a decade and are glad that, in the end, we were able to work with the East Boston Savings Bank and our project funders to add the land to Greenbelt’s system of protected land across Essex County.”
Greenbelt’s rated the property highly for its wildlife habitat, high quality water resources, its size, and potential to provide passive recreational and educational opportunities.
An extensive network of forested and shrub wetlands characterize the property, with isolated uplands that provide suitable habitat for many species, including the spotted turtle and blue spotted salamander, both recognized by the state Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program as Species of Special Concern.
The property also contains breeding habitats for forest and shrub land birds.
Protection of the Great Swamp Brook property yields conservation benefits that extend beyond the parcel boundaries.
The namesake Great Swamp Brook runs through the property, and drains into the Mill River, which in turn joins the Parker River, one of the major waterways feeding Plum Island Sound and the Great Marsh.
All are part of a larger ecosystem known as the Great Marsh, a 25,000-acre area that extends from Gloucester to southern New Hampshire. Ecologically, successes in land conservation throughout all of the coastal communities of the Great Marsh have an impact on the integrity of wildlife habitat throughout the region.
There are several parcels of undeveloped and unprotected land directly abutting or near the property that also contain significant conservation values and Greenbelt hopes in time to protect these additional parcels and establish a conservation corridor, or “greenbelt,” in the area.
Negotiations with the East Boston Savings Bank resulted in the purchase price of $106,000. Greenbelt was able to secure project funding from the state through a $53,000 Conservation Partnership grant, and from two private foundation grants totaling $45,000, one from the William P. Wharton Trust of $10,000 and a $35,000 grant from an anonymous foundation.
"In speaking with representatives of Essex County Greenbelt, we immediately became aware of the environmental significance of this property," said East Boston Savings Bank Chairman and CEO Richard Gavegnano. "We were happy to work with them on the transfer. We take great pride in being a community bank, and we are very pleased that this land will remain open space that will benefit both the ecosystem and the general public."
Friday, 29 January 2010 21:52
Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Daily News
ROWLEY — When Stephanie Jenkins got together with a group of local moms to raise the funds to construct the town's only playground at Eiras Park nearly 17 years ago, she didn't realize it would be part of the legacy she would leave behind for the town and for her own children.
Jenkins, a lifelong resident of Rowley, lost her battle with renal cancer in September at 48 years old, after putting up a valiant fight for six months. She left behind three sons — Stephen, Daniel and Kyle; a loving husband, Ron; and many caring family and friends.
Her memory will live on through the charitable events her friends and family have chosen to pursue in her name.
The first is a new Web site, www.solaceforstephanie.org, envisioned by Stephanie's husband and Mo Levasseur of Rowley, Stephanie's close friend, and created by webmaster Rick Hydren, with content edits done by Terri Davidson.
"The site is a tribute to Stephanie's life and also an open invitation to friends and family to connect and share special moments from throughout their years with Stephanie," Levasseur said.
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