November Bates Bridge Update

Mother Nature brought us an early reminder of what winter can be--so it’s a good thing that the Groveland Bridge construction is going gang-busters! The project is a little better than 28% complete.

As you can see from either side of the bridge, most of the work in the Merrimack River is being done from barges--and lots of concrete is being poured. Unfortunately, utility relocation work along Main Street in Groveland is still on-going.

Formal Session

There is a formal House session occuring in the State House today. It began at 10:30 and will resume at 1:00 this afternoon. You can watch live at: http://www.malegislature.gov/Events/EventDetail?eventId=217&eventDataSource=Sessions

New Legislative Aide

Hello! My name is Anne Barrett and I'm the new Legislative Aide for Representative Harriett Stanley (Stephanie Cappucci recently moved to Washington, D.C. and Dan Mahoney won't be far behind!) I'm from New Hampshire and graduated from Northeastern University with a BA in Communications Studies.

Going forward, I will be the person to contact with questions and concerns regarding the Second Essex District. You can contact me directly at anne.barrett@mahouse.gov. I am excited to work with Representative Stanley to advocate for the District. Just bear with me as I learn the ropes!

Georgetown Knights of Columbus Blood Drive with Children's Hospital

From Ray McManus of the Georgetown Knights of Columbus:

The Knights of Columbus is happy to announce that the blood drive during the celebration of Georgetown Days is for one of our own. The blood drive with Children's Hospital will be in honor of McKinley Rose Nicholas whom is the daughter of Mike and Erica Nicholas. Mickey as her parents affectionately call her had Acute Myeloid Leukemia and is currently in remission after going through a bone marrow transplant.

Mickey is the youngest of four children and contacted the disease when she was just one year old. She has received treatment art children's hospital as well as the Dana Faber Cancer Center. You may be familiar with "Mickey" because of the Pan Mass Challenge where 'Team Mickey' riders sponsored her.

The bloodmobile from Children's hospital will be at 73 East Main Street on Sunday the 25th, which is the council home of the Knights of Columbus. We encourage you to long onto www.halfpints.childrenshospital.org and look for the sponsor code KOCGEORGE to register to donate.

Alternatively, you may call Ray Mc Manus at 978 352-3828 to arrange for an appointment with the bloodmobile, which will be at the Knights of Columbus building 73 East Main Street Georgetown. Donation hours are from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

Each donation can help up to four of our young patients!

Blood Drive in Groveland

The American Red Cross and The Friends of The Langley-Adams Library are holding a blood drive to support the community blood supply. The drive will be on Tuesday September 27, 2011: 2:00PM – 7:00PM at the Congregational Church UCC: 4 King Street, Groveland MA.

The Red Cross is urging the public to make an appointment to donate blood by calling 1-800-RedCross or visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/.

Individuals who are at least 17 years of age weigh at least 110 pounds and are in general good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.

August Bates Bridge Update

As you’ve probably noticed, the summer heat didn’t deter the crews working on the Bates Bridge project – – we’re now at 22% complete! That is 10 times last year’s mid-August progress.

 

Progress has been mostly technical – – for a full report and to see pictures, go to the Groveland/Haverhill Bates Bridge Reconstruction page.

FY2012 Budget Conference Report

Good morning 2nd Essex residents!

For those of you who might enjoy looking at the budget the Legislature will be voting on today, you can view it here. From all of us in Rep. Stanley's office, I want to wish you all a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

June Bates Bridge Update

We had hoped that it would be 21% by June 21st – but the news is still good. The Bates Bridge project is 18% complete.

As most of you can see from all the cranes and heavy equipment, construction is going quickly, with most of the work being done from working barges on the downriver side of the Merrimack.

On the Groveland side, utility relocation work continues along Main Street. To see pictures, go to the Groveland/Haverhill Bates Bridge Reconstruction page.

Groveland Boy Scout Troop 78 Upcoming Events

Saturday, June 11, Steven Girard is holding a Physically Fit Activity Day from 8 AM to 4 PM at Pentucket High School as his Eagle Community Service Project.  Children from any school district in grades 4-6 are welcome to attend.  This event will focus on physical fitness and activities, and will be led by Boy Scouts from Troop 87, trained adults, and Pentucket athletes.

Saturday, June 18, Dallis Hurd is hosting a Flea Market & Pasta Dinner at Groveland Congregational Church from 8 AM to 4 PM.  The Flea Market will run rain or shine, and tables can be purchased for $30.  The pasta supper will run from 4:30 to 7:30 PM.  On the menu is American Chop Suey, Bread and Butter, Drinks, Coffee, and Dessert.  The meal is $8 for adults and $5 for children.  For more information, dinner reservations, or flea market table purchasing, contact Marie Hurd at mhurd09@aol.com. Dallis' Eagle Community Service Project will be to refurbish the courtyard at the Pentucket Middle School.  He will be installing a patio, picnic tables, benches, a rock or stoneway path, clearing out dead trees/bushes, installing trellises, and planting bushes and perennials.

Saturday June 18, Steven Schulz is hosting a car wash behind the Town Hall Complex in Groveland from 9 AM to 1 PM to fundraise for his Eagle Community Service Project.  He will be renovating and improving an area at Coastal Connections in Amesbury.  His project will include relining parking spaces, building handicap accessible planters, installing handicap accessible picnic tables, and much more!

Come out to support the boys by either attending the Eagle Project event or the fundraisers! 

May Bates Bridge Update

Mother Nature may be taking her time bringing us spring weather, but one thing that isn’t taking it’s time is work on the new Bates Bridge – Cianbro contractors are ahead of schedule and work is 17% complete.

Crews working on barges set up within the river have finished both the installation and excavation of the cofferdams for the new pier locations. As you may recall from our last update, Cianbro has implemented a new traffic management setup to facilitate roadway construction on the Groveland side. This phase also creates a work zone for the contractor to start work on the new southerly bridge abutment.

Pile installation in the area of the north abutment and the northeast retaining wall on the Haverhill side of the river has again commenced, after being on hold due to weather conditions from the winter. On the Groveland side, utility relocation work continues along Main Street.

To see pictures, go to the Groveland/Haverhill Bates Bridge Reconstruction page.

Bates Bridge Traffic Management Plans - Stage 2 - Groveland

This week the Bates Bridge Reconstruction traffic management plans moved into its second stage on the Groveland side, altering the traffic flow.

To create a work zone, Jersey barriers have been installed along Main Street from the post office to the existing bridge.

As you may have noticed, the barriers have taken the right turn lane near the bridge for use as a sidewalk for pedestrians. For the duration of Stage 2, stop signs will be replacing the existing flashing signals at the intersection. This phase of the construction process on the Groveland side is estimated to last until spring 2012.

Below you can see the traffic management plan. (click to enlarge)

State House Column

We’re in the midst of my 17th state budget, which has always been a really rewarding part of this job. Numbers are my forte and knowing where $30 billion of state dollars went was always heady stuff.

Not so much this time.

When I first came to Beacon Hill, budget week was a blast. The Flaherty-Finneran process was (barely) controlled chaos with groups of representatives huddling everywhere in the Chamber. We took up about 600 amendments individually and decisions were made before your eyes. Legislators actually had to cast up or down votes.

About a decade ago, that changed. The budget moved to Room #348 and amendments were “consolidated.” At first, the Finneran-Rogers approach seemed to make some sense: the volume of amendments was skyrocketing and the process was unwieldy. The intent was to streamline the process; the result was to centralize the process. 600 amendments shrank to 60.

Then came DiMasi-DeLeo, DeLeo-Murphy and now DeLeo-Dempsey. This year, we’re doing about 15 super-consolidated amendments, all written behind closed doors.

Right now, I’m in my State House office on the third of four days of budget debate. Eight hours of House session on Monday and thirteen on Tuesday (not to mention the eight hours we’ve been in session today) has only yielded two hours of debate.

A major change in how public unions bargain over health care with municipalities was decided behind closed doors, then brought to the floor, debated, and passed in 30 minutes.

Today, controlled chaos looks pretty good. Yes, it was hard to get budgets done and the final document contained dozens of typos and misprints. But we were all part of the process. We all left the State House exhausted and exhilarated.

Now we leave exhausted and debilitated.

Groveland Boy Scouts Electronics Collection Fundraiser

Groveland Cub Scout Pack 113 and Boy Scout Troop 87 will be hosting an Electronics Collections Fundraiser at Perry Park, Route 113, and King Street in Groveland. This event takes place Saturday, May 14, from 9 AM to 1 PM.

Obsolete and outdated electronics from monitors to laptops to TV screens can be dropped off, and for a small fee (see below) the Scouts will recycle them safely and environmentally responsibly. All are welcome to participate in the recycling program!

For further information and contact information for local pick-up for the elderly/disabled, please visit the Groveland Boys Scouts website.



Groveland Boy Scouts Electronics Recycling Drive Price List

Children's Hospital Blood Drive

This Thursday, April 21st, the Georgetown Knights of Columbus will be hosting a blood drive at 73 East Main Street from 2 P.M. to 7 P.M. benefiting the Children's Hospital.

To make an appointment to donate blood, please call Ray McManus at 978-352-3828.

West Newbury's March Madness



Maple spouts on Garden Street.



Spring Office Hours

Rep. Stanley's office will be holding Spring Office Hours in Newbury and Rowley on Tuesday, April 12.

All area residents are invited to come by the Newbury Town Hall from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM or the Rowley Town Hall Annex from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM.

Residents who cannot come are always welcome to call the office at 617-722-2030.

Merrimac River Road Traffic Advisory

A quick note to let you know about an upcoming traffic hassle – River Road Bridge over Cobbler’s Brook will be closed until fall. The reason: to rehabilitate the structure from damage done during the Mother’s Day flood in 2006.

From the Broad Street intersection with River Road, only local traffic is allowed.

Traffic will be detoured as follows:

• River Road westbound traffic will be directed to turn right onto Skunk Road; continue on Emery Street; turn left onto Route 110; turn left onto Broad Street connecting to River Road on the west side of the bridge.

• River Road eastbound traffic will be directed to turn left onto Broad Street; turn right onto Route 110; turn right onto Emery Street; continue on Skunk Road connecting River Road on the east side of the bridge.

Click to enlarge.

Bates Bridge Traffic Advisory

Rep. Stanley's office has just received word that there will be one-way traffic on the Bates Bridge this Thursday and Friday. I am posting the DOT Traffic Advisory as we received it earlier this afternoon.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation
TRAFFIC ADVISORY
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 16, 2011

GROVELAND/HAVERHILL – ROUTE 97/113 OVER THE MERRIMACK RIVER (BATES DRAWBRIDGE) BRIDGE DECK REPAIRS – MARCH 17-18, 2011

Beginning on Thursday, March 17 and continuing through Friday, March 18 there will be one-way alternating two-way traffic on the William H. Bates Drawbridge carrying Route 97/113 over the Merrimack River in Groveland and Haverhill between 9AM and 3PM. The restrictions are necessary to allow work crews to perform repairs to the open grating bridge deck on the movable span. Police details will be used to direct traffic through the work zone.

The work is necessary to ensure that the bridge remains in good operating condition until the replacement bridge currently under construction just downstream is completed.

MassDOT encourages drivers traveling through the affected area to lower their speeds and use caution.

Hooksett, NH Sewer Plant Accident

As you may know, there has been a release of more than one million disks (currently estimated at between four and eight million) from a Hooksett, N.H. sewer plant into the Merrimack River. More than 200,000 of these disks have already been recovered. As the media reporting of this accident has been all over the place, here are the facts as we know them:

1. The disks do contain small amounts of human waste bacteria. However, they are not dangerous to handle with minor precautions.

2. Bacteria levels on disks found on the beaches will be lower than those along the banks of the Merrimack River as they have had more exposure to water and the sun.

3. As of this morning, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is treating the release of these disks more as a litter issue than one of environmental contaminants.

4. The Massachusetts Department Public Health (DPH) has stated that the bacteria levels found on tested disks are low, and their position is that it is not necessary to close beaches.

5. Clean-up is the number one priority. After that, we can negotiate whether the town of Hooksett pays the entire bill.

That said, and we don’t seek to minimize the impact of the accident, clean-up continues. If the weather tomorrow is spring-like as predicted, don’t be alarmed if you come across these disks. You can ignore them, or you can dispose of them yourself as long as you’re wearing gloves and wash your hands afterward.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the clean-up progresses.

New Session, New System

Now that the 187th legislative session is underway, we’d like to share some information about the Massachusetts Legislature’s new website and how you can follow what your state government is doing online. The website for the General Court can be found at http://www.malegislature.gov/. From here you can search bills, see who’s who, find information on events, as well as follow the budget process.

When searching bills, you can search by keyword/phrase, bill number (preceded by an “H” or “S” to denote if it is a Senate or House bill), or town. Once you’ve found the bill you’re looking for, you’ll be able to see the Bill Summary, Bill History, and Bill Text.

Under the “Bills & Laws” tab on our homepage, you’ll also be able to view the Senate and House Calendars and Journals. The Calendars tell you what bills are up for discussion in the House or Senate, while the Journals are a record of the respective branches past proceedings.

This session, one of Representative Stanley’s state-wide focuses is reigning in health care costs in the Commonwealth. If you’d like to see the bills she has sponsored, simply click on her name on the “people” page of the House of Representatives. From there you can see the bills she has sponsored for this session, as well as their progress.

Both Dan and I are happy to answer any questions you may have. You can find our contact information (and Harriett’s) on our contacts page.

New Contact Information

As you may have read in local media, our new office is in the State House basement -- Room 43.

You can reach us at (617) 722-2030.

Bates Bridge Construction Update

Finally – a break from the weekly snow storms! The first hint of spring is here and we’re happy to report the Bates Bridge is 11% complete.

Even though the river is frozen, ice has been cleared from the marina to the barges and you can see the icy pathway from the bridge. Crews working from those barges have finished installing cofferdams for piers 1, 3 and 4. Excavation has already started within #3.

Because of the weather, progress on installing piles for the north abutment and the northeast retaining wall on the Haverhill side has been slow going.

On the other hand, utility relocations are reaching an end. With almost all overhead and underground utility relocations completed on the Haverhill side along Groveland Street, Old Ferry Road and Orchard Avenue, only Main Street in Groveland remains.

To see pictures of the excavation from cofferdam 3, go to the Groveland/Haverhill Bates Bridge Reconstruction page.

A Local Look At Governor Patrick's Budget Numbers

Governor Patrick has now released his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year.  Despite media headlines about budget cuts, it is the first $30+ billion budget in the Commonwealth's history!

Local officials might think that higher spending is good news for local communities, because it would help lower property taxes.  Unfortunately, that's not the case.  Local aid was cut about 7% across the board.  Most of the increased spending is going to Medicaid (known in Massachusetts as MassHealth), as an increasing number of residents enroll in the program.

Here's how local aid looks for the moment:

Unrestricted Municipal Aid (UMA), state aid that supplements local governance, was cut 7.23% across the board.  At the same time, except for the Haverhill Public School System and Whittier Tech, Chapter 70 aid increased only .54%.  (Both the Haverhill schools and Whittier saw substantial Chapter 70 increases.)

With the decrease in UMA and increase in Chapter 70, most communities in the 2nd Essex will see minor (but not unimportant) losses in state aid under the Governor's proposal over the FY-2011 Budget.

The Governor's budget is the first step towards finalizing the budget in June.  In the intervening time, both the House and Senate will release their competing proposals -- we'll be sure to blog about new developments.

Friends of Jim Young Fundraiser

Last September, Merrimac's Jim Young was severely injured on the job for Georgetown Electric in an electrical accident. Because of the accident, Jim lost both his arms.  Jim volunteers at many local clubs and is also one of Merrimac's Light Commissioners.

 

On Saturday, January 22, at the Moose Lodge in Merrimac, the Friends of Jim Young are hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Young family. There will be a DJ, dancing, silent auctions, raffles and more!  The event kicks of at 7 P.M.

 

Tickets can be purchased at the event -- $15 per person and $25 per couple. Contact Lisa O'Neil for more information on raffle or event tickets at 978-394-1182.

Bates Bridge Update

With the New Year comes new information on the Bates Bridge project: you can see work in the river everyday – and it’s now 9% complete.

In spite of a cold November & December, crews are working from two barges on the river and have finished installing cofferdams for what will be piers 3 and 4 of the new bridge. Contractor Cianbro has also started installing piling for a retaining wall on the Haverhill side.

With almost all overhead and underground utility relocations completed on the Haverhill side along Groveland Street, Old Ferry Road and Orchard Avenue, the work is going much more slowly on the Groveland side along Main Street. We’ll stay on that.

To see pictures of the construction progress, go to the Groveland/Haverhill Bates Bridge Reconstruction page.

"Spotlight Georgetown" Talks Bates Bridge Project

Heidi Michitson recently sat down with Beverly Enos -- host of "Spotlight Georgetown," -- to talk about the Groveland/Haverhill Bridge Reconstruction Project.  The interview will air on GCTV (Georgetown Community Television) starting this Friday, January 7th.  Showtimes are Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays at 8 A.M. and 8 P.M.

Photo: Georgetown Record

GCTV is channel 9 for Comcast subscribers and channel 42 for Verizon subscribers.