Fairhaven Neighborhood News

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Town hall celebrates Fairhaven’s birthday, 200 years to the dayBy Beth DavidEditorIt’s just a birthday party, really. Theguest of honor, however, just happensto be 200 years old.The town of Fairhaven celebratesits 200th birthday this year. On Feb.22, 1812, the town was officiallyincorporated, breaking away fromNew Bedford.To celebrate the day Town Hallheld an open house most of the dayon Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012.Many town hall employees dressedin 1812 garb, although reliablesources tell the Neighb News thatthey were allowed to use computersand telephones.Town Hall was decorated withbirthday cards created by elementaryschool students from the EastFairhaven School. A birthday cake,Fairhaven Shipyard roof catches fireFairhaven Fire Dept. Press ReleaseAt 4:43 pm on Tuesday, 2/21, awatchman at the Fairhaven Shipyardat 50 Fort Street noticed smokecoming from the roof line of the main3-1/2 story building.An alarm was transmitted from fireheadquarters sending two enginesand a ladder truck to the scene. Whenfirefighters arrived they found aheavy smoke condition coming fromthe roof. The ladder was put up to theroof and the fire extinguished within ahalf-hour.Fire crews remained on scene foranother hour overhauling andchecking for any extension into thestructure. No injuries were reportedand all workers at the shipyardescaped without injury as theshipyard was open at the time of thefire. Fairhaven fire officials areinvestigating the cause of the firewhich was confined to the roof. Earlyestimates put the damage at approxi -mately $5,000, thanks to the quickwork of fire crews.cookies, coffee, and party favors werefree to all attendees.Rosalina and Lenny Benoit joinedthe Open House, and Mr. Benoit saidhe remembered the Sesquicentennial50 years ago.“We think it’s great. I never thoughtI’d make it,” said Mr. Benoit, who waswas 16 in 1962 for the 150th birthdayevents.“It’s a great old town. It has a lot ofhistory,” he said, adding that when hewalks near Fort Phoenix and theformer site of Henry HuttlestonRogers’ estate, he tries to imagine thescene with no road and no cars.The Selectboard was scheduled tohave a meeting on Wednesday, not itsusual day, to commemorate theoccasion.On Saturday, town hall will be thescene of a re-enactment of theArticles of Incorporation withrole playing, including someilllustrations of the limitationsplaced on women in 1812.“We’ve come a long way sincethen,” said Bicentennial Commit -tee Chairperson Wayne Oliveira.He said the public isencouraged to attend onSaturday dressed in periodcostume. A lantern walk isABOVE, L-R: Selectboard ExecutiveSecretary Jeff Osuch and Selectboardsecretary Anne Kakley, dressed in 1812togs, go over some documents on Wed.,2/22, on the town of Fairhaven’s 200thbirthday. LEFT BELOW: What’s a birthdayparty without a birthday cake? See page 6for this weekend’s Bicentennial events.Photos by Beth David. See them in color atwww.NeighbNews.com Find us onFacebook for more photos of this andother events.scheduled for later in the afternoon(see page 6 for schedule) and he alsoencouraged participants to bringtheir own lanterns.After three years of planning, Mr.Oliveira said he is “relieved, excited, alittle nervous. We’re just going tohave a good time.” •••Fairhaven Firefighters climb to the roof of Fairhaven Shipyard at 50 Fort Streetresponding to a fire on Tuesday, 2/21. Firefighters extinguished the fire quickly, but nocause was reported. No one was injured. The fire department estimated damage at$5,000. Photo by Heidi Winnett. See it in color at www.NeighbNews.comPage 16Thursday, February 23, 2012Fairhaven Neighborhood News
FinCom reviews COA budget; tree warden pay raise requestBy Joyce RowleyNeighb News CorrespondentAt the February 16 FairhavenFinance Committee meeting, Chair -per son John Roderiques announcedthat there was a strong possibilityanother FinCom member wouldresign. Mr. Roderiques said thatmember Jennifer Bishop had impliedthat she was planning on resigning forpersonal reasons. This thirdresignation since January wouldbring the FinCom down to ten, butwould not affect the current quorumof six members needed to vote, saidMr. Roderiques.Council on Aging Director AnneSilvia and COA Treasurer Geraldine“Gerri” Frates presented the Council’sbudget to the FinCom but will need tomake modifications and resubmit it.Due to a misunderstanding, thebudget did not include a 2% reductionoverall, but only in some budgetcategories. Also, the salary budgetwas not calculated by the number ofpay weeks — 52.2 in FY2013 —instead of 52. The recent 1% payincrease for clerical workers voted atthe February 15 Town Meeting willhave to be added in as well.Member Theresa Szala asked if the$2,500 vehicle repair and mainte -nance line item could be reducedsince COA was getting a new van. Ms.Silvia responded that one of the fiveCOA vans would be taken offline, andtwo others were being replaced. Onevan was to be purchased fromCoastline Elderly Services, Inc., andthe other new van was to be leasedfrom Southeastern RegionalTransporta tion Authority. Neitherwas in the fleet yet, she said.There were still two older vans thatrequired maintenance.Due to the deficit, which currentlystood at $1.9 million but may bereduced to $700,000 or $800,000 aftereliminating some articles, all depart -ments need to show where their dayto-dayoperations can be cut. TheCOA budget needed to show a total ofabout $3,200. The budget assubmitted only showed a $1,000reduction.Ms. Frates said that the vehiclerepair line item could be reduced tomake up some of the difference, andthat they would resubmit new figures.Antone Medeiros, Jr., Tree Warden,appeared before the FinCom with aFY2013 budget and a request to raisehis salary by $3,000 or 50% of hiscurrent $6,000 salary. He said hisbudget was level funded becausethere was very little to cut. He hastwo part-time workers rather thanone for safety’s sake, he said.Other major costs questioned bythe FinCom were departmentpurchases of 35 trees each year,which Mr. Medeiros said were used toreplace trees that are taken out byhurricanes or road construction. Mr.Hyland suggested reducing the $5,000tree purchase line item to come upwith the department’s 2% reduction.As for the salary increase, Mr.Medeiros said he had not had a raisein a long time.“I’m using my own truck. I don’t getbenefits or extra [pay] for going outat night or on weekends. The increaseis about $50 per week. It would make[the salary] more realistic,” said Mr.Medeiros.No one should have topay for the privilegeof working for theTown of Fairhaven[John Roderiques]FinCom Secretary Ted Silva saidthat he could not support a 50%salary increase, although he sup -ported the tree warden’s efforts. Hesaid that Mr. Medeiros should havecome forward sooner, as had otherelected officials.Mr. Roderiques suggested that thedepartment budget include a mileageline item so that Mr. Medeiros couldget reimbursed for the use of his truck.“No one should have to pay for theprivilege of working for the Town ofFairhaven,” said Mr. Roderiques. Buthe also said it would be difficult to geta 50% increase for the salary basedon the reasons given.The FinCom also reviewed articlesfor Town Meeting.Article 7, Workers’ CompensationAssessment, was set aside, as TownCounsel Thomas Crotty had notcompleted his letter of opinion,according to Selectboard ExecutiveSecretary Jeffrey Osuch.The board unanimously voted (9-0)to recommend indefinite proposal forArticle 37, repair to Fairhaven HighSchool masonry in the amount of$500,000, member Scott Fernandesabsent.Mr. Silva asked if the work had tobe done anyway. Mr. Roderiques saidit was, but that the grantingmechanism to get the work donewould require holding $500,000 andpaying it out before partialreimbursement.Articles 39 and 40, revolving fundaccounts for special needs earlychildhood and non-mandated studentactivities, respectively, were unani -mously voted to recommendadoption (10-0), with Mr. Fernandesarriving before the item wasdiscussed.Likewise articles 44 and 45,revolving fund accounts forhazardous materials and Hoppy’sLanding were also unanimously votedto recommend adoption (10-0), aswas Article 43, acceptance of aneasement for property at the cornerof Bridge Street and Mill Road forroad widening (10-0).The FinCom voted to recommendapproval of Article 49, purchase of anew ambulance for $220,000 as themoney had been set aside in equalamounts over ten years as part of theTown’s program to maintain twoambulances that are less than fiveyears old.Mr. Roderiques said that he hadscheduled the Historical Commissionand possibly the Board of PublicWorks for the February 23 meeting.The Recreation department wasasked to come in on March 1, and theSchool District on March 8 or 22.Ms. Carter asked if the schoolwould also be required to show a 2%reduction. Mr. Roderiques said thatvote would be simple since the TownMeeting can only vote a singlenumber. If the budget is $18 million,he said, the vote would be 2% off thatamount.“You can’t line item [the SchoolDistrict’s] budget. You vote one figurefor them. I don’t agree with that, butthat’s the law,” said Mr. Roderiques,adding that the State law allowing a2.5% debt override included languagethat required voting a school budgetto a single number so towns did notshift the burden of a deficit toschools. •••Fairhaven Neighborhood News Thursday, February 23, 2012 Page 17
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