TTC_02_21_18_Vol.14-No.17

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Page www.TheTownCommon.com February 21 - 27, 2018 How to Submit Letters to the Editor Marc Maravalli, B.S., R.Ph. Publisher/Editor, The Town Common Letters to the Editor provide a useful way of communicating concerns, issues, or suggestions to all members of the community. The Town Common encourages all citizens to submit letters concerning issues of interest and concern to the local community. Letters selected for publication may be edited for length and clarity. Some letters may serve as a catalyst for other articles or coverage, and community leaders and agencies will be offered an opportunity to respond to letters concerning their areas of responsibility. All letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number. Letters may be submitted to: The Editor c/o The Town Common 77 Wethersfield St. Rowley, MA 01969 or preferably via e-mail to: editor@thetowncommon.com. The Town Common deadline is 5pm Wednesday (except when a federal holiday necessitates an earlier deadline). The Town Common serves the communities of the Upper North Shore of Mass. & Coastal New Hampshire and welcomes your participation. Send your Organization or Group Notices, Birth or Engagement Announcements, Photos, Articles and Letters to the Editor, by mail, phone, fax, or e-mail to: 77 Wethersfield St., Rowley, MA 01969 Phone: 978-948-8696 Fax: 978-948-2564 E-mail: news@thetowncommon.com The Town Common Marc Maravalli, Publisher / Editor editor@thetowncommon.com Graphic Design Services graphics@thetowncommon.com Advertising Opportunities advertise@thetowncommon.com Event and Announcement Submissions events@thetowncommon.com 77 Wethersfield Street Rowley, MA 01969-1713 Phone: (978) 948-8696 Fax: (978) 948-2564 www.thetowncommon.com The Town Common is not responsible for typographical errors or omissions, but reprint opportunities do exist for prompt notification of such errors. Advertisers should notify The Town Common of any errors in ads on the first day of issuance. No credits &/or refunds are offered or implied. All material and content cannot be duplicated without written consent of the publisher. The right is reserved to reject, omit, or edit any copy offered for publication. Copyright 2004-2017 The Town Common © - All Rights Reserved In loving memory of Liz Ichizawa, Reporter (1956 - 2005) Letters To The Editor Regarding Proposed Solar Farm Community Announcements Regarding the proposed Large Scale Ground Mounting Photovoltiac Solar Farm System with Net Metering at 623 Community Wethersfield Street Rowley, MA, Connections I am against this proposal. I wrote this letter to let the town boards and people be aware of how this solar panel system will affect me, the abutters, Business neighbors and community. Spotlight My words will not be the sanitized as where the Federal, State and Local Boards can only say or do in reference For to speaking for or against proposals of Solar Panel Systems. Sale Real Estate • This is called a Solar Farm, it is a “business”. Webster dictionary For states Sale the following as a “business” - “the selling of commodities and or services”. The town boards will not Sports and cannot express • Sports in any way that this • Sports is called a business. They are not allowed to but they do know it is a “business”. The term “NET METERING” is used in the selling of unused solar power (commodity) to a power plant facility. In our State laws there are Pets, categories of Animals, solar panel systems: Small, Plus medium and large capacity. This solar system for Rowley Health is now going & to be Fitness upgraded and changed as I write this letter. It is now going from seven acres to possible eleven acres or more for this large solar panel system project. This change will make it into one large solar farm, with the amount of twelve “large capacity solar panel systems” in our residential area. By State law the Town of Rowley will have to buy back all unused power not being used by the owners at “retail price”. How can such a Large Solar Panel System be allowed to be undertaken in this residential area? It disrupts and damages the fragile ego system around us by bulldozing, digging and scraping now proposed eleven acres of earth. This is all being done between wet lands as they try to fit in as much solar panels as possible. The company working on the project said this will not cause damage to our environment? We all know it will cause great harm to our environment and wildlife in the area. It will devalue our properties, who would want to buy our homes looking at hundreds of these solar panels in their back yards or in front of their home? This will take away the beauty of our land area for another ones profit? It becomes a stepping stone for other solar companies to follow. Is this the beginning of how our residential areas will look like in the future? Ma. State Law; Part 1, Title Vll, Zoning Chapter 40A section 3 EXCEPTION- “except where necessary to protect the public health, safety or welfare”. The abutters live in a residential wooded area and because of this project, the abutters and neighbors feel as I do of the potential danger this will present because of the tall trees surrounding our homes. It is during high wind storms and also when the spring thaws comes that we feel helpless and concerned on what could happen. The abutter’s trees could fall and cause serious injury or even death by letting them start cutting, or tree topping for their Solar Panel Systems. Their trees are a berm that protect our trees. Some of our trees are in ground water areas as well as near or on wet land areas. I fear for the safety of my family as I do for other abutters around this proposed project. I am not against Solar Energy but I am against how this project will effect the environment, nature and the people in this residential area. All towns and cities should consider having bylaws to protect their property and safety for the future. This purposed project can produce up to two million watts per hour. I feel that this should be in an m industrial area and not in our residential area. Richard Burns , 620 Wethersfield Street , Rowley, MA Local Historian Steve Klomps to present lecture – Amesbury through Early Artifacts AMESBURY – Local Historian Steve Klomps will present a special lecture about Amesbury history and launch a special series of programs organized to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the incorporation of Amesbury. Klomps is a member of the Amesbury Historical Commission, a volunteer with the Bartlett Museum, and a member of the Amesbury Industrial Survey group, a special project of the Amesbury Carriage Museum. Steve has contributed much to the understanding of Amesbury through his research into early houses, the people who lived there, and the things they made and used as part of their daily lives. Steve’s lecture will begin at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, February 21 (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Amesbury Senior Community Center, located at 68 Elm Street, Amesbury. The event is free and open to the public. Steve will offer a fascinating and personal perspective about local history by presenting a diverse assortment of rare artifacts that illustrate the experiences of people who have lived in Amesbury. Included will be a woodworking plane once owned by 20th-century boat builder Frank Morrill, a tool that represents the important tradition of boat-building In Amesbury and along the Merrimack River; a handmade, 17th-century brick from Jacob Morrill’s House which will introduce stories about early houses in Amesbury; and a 19thcentury silver spoon made by William Little, silversmith of Newburyport, Amesbury & New Hampshire, who was one of the founders of the carriage industry in Amesbury. Steve will use these objects to share his knowledge about life in Amesbury and explain how these and other artifacts are important documents of the past. It is sure to be an interesting evening. This program is sponsored in part by the Amesbury 350 Steering Committee, a group of residents, artists and business owners who have planned a year-long celebration for the City. For more information and a calendar of events, please visit www.amesbury350.com or contact John Mayer, Executive Director, Amesbury Carriage Museum by calling (978) 834- 5058 or via email at jmayer@amesburycarriagemuseum. com. Parsons' Points Triton High School senior Will Parsons (#23) scored 1,000 points on the evening of Friday, February 9th. Parsons is the 6th time achiever from Triton and only the 2nd time in male history, last was 1978-1982. Will Parsons has a passion for basketball and really took it to the next level in Triton High School. It's been said that he doesn’t take a day off, shoots everyday, and dribbles every night. It was a dream come true for him, and his team and Viking fans provided amazing support. Courtesy Photo via Lynn Parsons
February 21 - 27 2018 www.TheTownCommon.com Page 3 Nation’s Second Oldest Farm Could Be a Great Place to Get Married Continued from page 1 problem may have been resolved, at least for the moment, by the Conservation Commission. It agreed that the silk socks Sabatini placed along the driveway was sufficient to control erosion and not disturb the “vegetated wetlands” along the driveway. Conservation Agent Brent Baeslack also declared that the driveway, although owned by the town, was “not a public way.” When he bought the farm, Sabatini was granted an easement for the driveway that gives him the right to use and maintain it. The Fire Department is insisting that the driveway be widened to 20 feet to accommodate a fire truck. But that could land Bradstreet Farm back before the Conservation Commission. The Board of Selectmen has discussed the farm at multiple meetings without resolving the issues that stand in the way of creating a new business in town. When Mr. Sabatini first approached the town last year to see what permits would be needed, he was told that Bradstreet Farm was not a farm and was not zoned to hold events. He argued that farms are excluded from zoning restrictions and federal, state and Rowley laws grant him the right to host agri-tourism events under the Rowley Right to Farm Act. The town Zoning Board of Appeals last year agreed with him and upheld his right to hold events Continued from page 1 was in the top 10, but did not make the finals. The rules, according to the web site, is that you can vote “once per day” for each of your email addresses. “So please come back tomorrow to vote again for your favorite town,” the web site says. The mayor can vote four times a day because he has three email addresses plus his phone. The web site is www.deluxe.com/ small-business-revolution/mainstreet/season-three. Voting continues until 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20. Voting is open to everyone, whether you live in Amesbury or not. “It’s easy,” said Doreen Brothers, director of the Council on Aging. “It only takes about four seconds.” Brothers and her team have mobilized the seniors who visit the center daily as part of its Greenleaf Daily Social and Caregiver program which provides lunch, crafts, classes and exercise. Gail Yarnell, who chairs the Council, is mobilizing the low vision support group members to vote often. Gove is excited and has said she expects Amesbury to win. “People are really getting behind this.” on the property. But the town’s cease and desist orders remained. In a five-page letter, Francis DiLuna, the farm’s attorney, rebutted the town’s opposition and proposed a meeting with officials from a variety of departments to discuss lifting the orders and issuing the Occupancy Permit. Originally deeded in 1635 by King Charles I of England to Humphrey Bradstreet, the property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes a 19th century farmhouse and an 18th century barn. The town purchased the 120 acres in 2007 for $2.75 million, using Community Preservation Funds. It planned to put most of it in conservation land, setting aside a few acres for affordable housing and ball fields. Neither has happened. In 2012, the town sold 7 acres, the house and barn at 239 Main Street to Sabatini for $285,000. A master carpenter, Sabatini restored the farmhouse into his personal residence, then started work on the deteriorating barn, replacing much of the wood, doors and windows. His plan is to turn about 600 square feet of the oldest section of the barn, built around 1774, into a museum for school children to learn about farming. The newer section of the barn, about 2,000 square feet, built in the early 1900s, has been converted from a cow barn to a party room. Outside where the cows once entered the barn, there is VOTE for Amesbury Bob O’Brien, president of CI Works, said, “Amesbury is a very collaborative culture which is great for small businesses to operate in. The Small Biz Revolution can provide tooling for small companies, but more importantly, fantastic increased visibility for Amesbury. The Small Biz Revolution is all about innovation and acknowledges the importance of small businesses to the overall economy in terms of jobs.” Gove and Gray starred in the Amesbury video on the web site. The mayor said he thought Amesbury should win because of its people. He cited a story of an elderly woman who called the city to ask if anyone could shovel her driveway after a snow storm. Gray said there were several volunteers. If Amesbury wins, Gove said community businesses could use Deluxe’s marketing help in developing a strategy for attracting customers against businesses in sales tax-free New Hampshire across the border. Alton, population 28,000, sits on the Mississippi River across from St. Louis, MO. The competition describes Alton as having a “rich history and spirited community that Come in for a visit and compare! now a patio and pergola for events, including weddings. Sea View Retreat -Since 1954 It has taken Sabatini, a 30-year (978)-948-2552 resident of Rowley, three years and $405,000, not counting his labor •Private & Semi-Private Rooms as a master carpenter, to restore the An extended Care Community with Baths and Beautiful Views dilapidated barn. He bought most • Medicare/ Medicaid certified of his supplies locally, especially the barn wood he needed from Herrick • Social Services-Speech, Farm. Physical, Occupational, & He has created an English Massage Therapies Garden, which preserves Mrs. Bradstreet’s original vegetable • Full Activity Program garden, and planted 500 Christmas • and much more... trees and ordered 250 more to plant www.seaviewretreat.com this spring. The trees are adjacent to the vegetable fields where caterers MANSION DRIVE • ROWLEY, MA • JUST OFF ROUTE 1A will pick fruits and vegetables for the farm-to-table events. “We are excited about taking (the TEAM DENTISTRY farm) from where it was to where it is now,” Sabatini said. Sabatini considers himself a steward for the land the Bradstreet family developed. He has created community gardens and pathways along the edge of his property for hikers and nature lovers to walk through the conservation land to the marsh. This spring Mill River Winery, which has run out of room to expand, will plant vines on several R O W L E Y of the acres he owns. The winery will also supply wines for the weddings D E N TA L C E F A N M T I L E Y R and farm-to-table events. He will buy beef from local farms, such An important part of a healthy lifestyle is the as Herrick Farm and Tendercrop necessity of healthy and attractive teeth. Farms. The Town Come visit our experienced dental Comm team, and learn how And has taken in and cares we can help achieve your dental needs and goals. for farm animals, including several homeless sheep. DOUGLAS SHEALY, D.D.S. and is ripe for renewal.” Bastrop, population 7,200, is nicknamed The Most Historic Small Town in Texas. Close to Austin, it attracts a lot of tourists, but “in recent years the town has weathered an onslaught of fires, floods and hurricanes.” Tourism dropped off when a wildfire almost wiped it out. Martinez, population 36,000, is on the East Bay near San Francisco, CA. It was the birthplace of the martini, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and conservationist John Muir. Siloam Springs, population 15,000, is on the Oklahoma border and has a lot of natural beauty. Residents enjoy mountain biking, kayaking or walking along a creek that runs through downtown. Amesbury, population 17,000, is the oldest community in the competition. It is known historically as a Merrimack River mill town. According to the Small Business Revolution website, its leaders hope the program will let the rest of the country to see Amesbury as “a mustsee New England treasure.” The third season of Small Business Revolution — Main Street is expected to stream this fall on Hulu and SmallBusinessRevolution.org. RicHARD SELtEnRicH, D.M.D. FREE CONSULTATIONS www.rowleyfamilydentalcenter.com Route 133, Rowley 978-948-2333 Experience a personal consultation with our talented staff in a warm and friendly environment 50 Water St., Mill 1 The Tannery Newburyport, MA 978-465-1815 Voted Greater Newburyport’s Best Hair Salon! Cutting Edge Knowledge New Clients Welcome wisteria-salon.com wisteriasalon@yahoo.com
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