Newburyport Today

Mondays with the Mayor

I apologize for not communicating with your audience during the last two weeks.  Vacation schedules have made the operation a bit hectic.

During this period a god deal of progress has happened on the Rail Trail.  The bridge that passes over Low Street was installed.  This event garnered the interest of numerous residents.  The bridge arrived in one piece on an oversized trailer at 10:15 pm.  The arrival was almost ceremonious as this 100 foot tractor/trailer traveled east on Low Street completing its trip from Tennessee.  One has to marvel that it took only one hour to put this structure in place once it arrived.  The bridge will link the rail trail from the MBTA station to the waterfront.  Paving has begun and we still expect a mid November opening of the trail.

Moving westerly on Low Street the solar panel project at the Nock/Molin School has taken shape and we are expecting the project to be in operation the first week of school. I did not realize the complexity of the wiring that is necessary to bring the solar produced power into the electrical system of the school.  The project included a very complex junction of cables and switches to interconnect both systems.  There will be a station in the front lobby which will allow the students to keep track of the energy being produced and to allow this project to be incorporated into the science curriculum.

I have the pleasure of meeting the teachers for their first day of the school year this morning.  We have worked very hard to keep the number of teachers at the level it was last year. This fiscal year we actually have a municipal budget that is smaller than last year, but again the change in health insurance was a great aid in maintaining our level of instructors.  The Newburyport Education Foundation continues to be a major contributor to our educational system; this year they have outfitted new music labs in the Nock School.  This capital expenditure will allow for a more diverse instruction of music while maintaining the same level of instructors.  We have also received a gift from the alumni association to add a coach to the fall athletic program.  Each of these gifts helps to provide a more complete educational experience for our children.  I greatly appreciate the efforts of these community based organizations.

As the summer comes to an end, let us look forward to a productive and weather friendly Fall. My administration has much to complete in the next four months as we prepare for a new administration. There are numerous infrastructure projects that will begin by mid September and we must carefully examine our finances as we proceed through the first half of this fiscal year.  We are still concerned about additional cuts that may come from the state level; this cannot take us by surprise!

Mondays with the Mayor

Editors note: Mayor Moak just sent this over to us, and while it is Tuesday, we are happy to have him post today!

It was an enjoyable Yankee Homecoming Week.  It was an excellent opportunity to connect with many older friends and meet new members of the community.  Kathleen Bailey and her staff were so dedicated and creative in their approach to this event.  I look forward to Don Walters chairing next year’s event.  Don has a great deal of energy and brings a successful business career to the position.  The fireworks display was, as my granddaughter described “beautiful”.  It was encouraging to know that the community stepped up to raise the necessary funds.  Mother Nature cooperated with a clear night, from my vantage point the moon was in the background during the performance. Nice way to spend an evening in Newburyport.

On the government side of Newburyport, I was very disappointed that the City Council did not approve the Regional Health Service Agreement with Amesbury and Salisbury.  Through the cooperation of the three communities this was a well thought through plan.  Government, to continue to provide effective service for all constituents, must look at new ways to providing existing services.  This plan had many up sides not just saving of money, but shared resources, health data and consistent health regulations for the region.  The state is encouraging this type of agreement; we could have been on the forefront of this initiative.  I believe Amesbury and Salisbury will continue to work on an agreement, I wish them success, although I may be envious of their success in regards to their increased potential for funding.  On a positive note, it is rewarding to know that other communities look to Newburyport for setting their level of expectations in respect to health services.

Mondays with the Mayor

It was again a distinct pleasure to be part of the opening ceremonies for Yankee Homecoming. Kathleen Bailey and her staff of volunteers have worked tirelessly to bring us the 52^nd annual Yankee Homecoming.  When one has the opportunity to reflect on the volunteerism in Newburyport it becomes apparent why we are such a unique and active community.  All the citizens who serve on boards and commissions and community organizations dedicate a great deal of their time and expertise to our community.  We are fortunate to be able to maintain a hospital, see improvements to our YWCA, expand the services for the Crisis Center, and reap the improvements to our schools through the Newburyport Educational Foundation.  These projects and services are made possible by accomplished professional administrators and the enthusiasm of our citizens. 

I applaud the involvement of our citizens and appreciate their success.  This will be one aspect of being Mayor I will truly miss; participation with our residents to make Newburyport a wonderful place to live and work.

 

Mondays with The Mayor

Editor's Note: We are aware that it is Wednesday, but the Mayor has had a busy week!  See his comments below.

Governor Patrick’s “Town Meeting” last night at City Hall was very well attended and encompassed numerous provocative questions and discussions.  The governor does a very good job of creating a relaxed atmosphere; he is straight forward with his answers and is not afraid to challenge the audience to think about issues from both sides.  There were at least four members of his cabinet in attendance and they assisted in answering questions from the audience…again a commendable trait, giving up the floor to someone who has the knowledge to answer questions.  As a municipal administrator it was interesting to listen to the requests for the governor to restore funding for many programs from services to the persons with disabilities, to special education, to local police funding, to concerns about the animals at zoos. It is also as interesting to witness the overwhelming desire not to raise taxes.  The reality is that budgets must be balanced and that can be done with decrease in costs or increases in revenues or as in most cases a combination of both. During this very compromising economic time, it is difficult to raise revenues without additional taxes, and it is equally as difficult to cut services in times when they are most needed.  In Newburyport we have had a decrease in revenues, but our employees have agreed to concessions especially with health care insurance that has allowed us to maintain almost all essential services to the level we have provided for the past three years.

Laurie Burt, Commissioner of Department of Environmental Protection, and her staff spent most the day in on Tuesday viewing the landfill and speaking with neighbors and concerned citizens about the landfill and the process to complete closure of this site.  The city maintains staff at the landfill each day to inspect the truck loads of construction and demolition materials that are brought to the site.  The DEP will begin to employee additional staff to inspect the operation of the landfill on a daily bases.  The City efforts will be to make certain that the material brought to the site is proper material and it is mixed with soil and covered each day.  The DEP staff will monitor the flare, leachate, air quality and nuisance odors.  The combined effort should insure a timely and proper closing of the landfill.  This is a goal I have given my top priority; I have lived with this project for my fours years as mayor and do not wish to turn this problem over to a new administration.

Just a note on Yankee Homecoming;  I hope you all take advantage of the many events that happen next week.  People and organizations expend a great deal of time and resources to make this an enjoyable week.  I have always enjoyed this festival.  There will be Fireworks (weather permitting) the committee has received increased donations in the last week so we are looking forward to another great display.

Mondays with the Mayor

This is the time of year when one tries to mix business with pleasure, a little earlier start to the day so more of the evening can be enjoyed.  Tonight does not work as planned with a City Council and School Committee Meeting scheduled for the same time.

The City Council continues to review the agreement to share health services with Amesbury and Salisbury.  We began this idea when we witnessed the success of the joint venture of bidding solid waste and recycling services.  When determining how we could share services we looked at Animal Control, Public Nursing Services and Inspections; the two communities of Amesbury and Salisbury looked to Newburyport for managing the inspections and nursing services and Salisbury providing animal control during the day with on call people working nights and weekends.  When there is changes advocated, there is always a concern for the effectiveness of a new way of providing services.  This joint venture has been well examined by the staffs of the three communities and should work effectively for service and decreasing expenses.

The School Committee will begin to format a committee for the search of a new School Superintendent.  The task of this committee will be not only to help identify the best candidate, but to assist the School Committee with ideas for the retention of a superintendent.  Presently there are 70 openings throughout Massachusetts for superintendents. This committee along with the School Committee must be proactive in finding a well qualified educator to continue with the improvements that are being made to our school system.  There have been very sound curriculum decisions that have been made in the last three years. Our children deserve the best leadership we can recruit, and as importantly, retain for a continuous development of educational practices.

I do hope everyone had an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful weekend.