Gloucester Snow Emergency Declared: Parking Ban Starts at 10AM 3/14, Schools Closed

~ Chris Sicuranza

The City of Gloucester has declared a snow emergency and parking ban on all city streets due to an upcoming severe snow storm. All city buildings including City Hall, library and schools will be closed on Tuesday, March 14th, with regular city hours planned for Wednesday, March 15th (weather permitting). Please see full parking ban timing, warming shelter updates and complete details below:

PARKING BAN: 
Effective at 10:00 AM tomorrow, Tuesday, March 14th, until 7:00 AM Wednesday, March 15th all vehicles are banned from parking on city streets. Residents may park in all municipal and school parking lots. Please remove all vehicles from municipal and school parking lots before the parking ban expires at 7:00 AM Wednesday. School parking lots will be the first areas to be ticketed and towed once parking ban has concluded.Violators of this emergency declaration will be at the owner’s expense.

TRASH & RECYCLE PICKUP DELAY:
Trash and recycling will NOT be picked up Tuesday and will resume Wednesday on a holiday schedule (one day delay).

SNOW CLEARING:
All residents and businesses are reminded that they are responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks adjacent to their property. Please make every effort to shovel out hydrants at or near your homes. Your cooperation during this parking ban is necessary for efficient and safe snow removal efforts.

NEIGHBOR SAFETY CHECK:
Please check on your elderly and disabled neighbors, especially if there is a loss of power. Various warming and safe shelters will be announced and updated for anyone in need, and seen below.

POWER OUTAGES:
National Grid is preparing for a Nor’easter which could bring blizzard-like conditions to our area, including high winds and approximately 1-2 feet of heavy, wet snow. National Grid reminds customers to keep safety a priority. It is a good idea to ensure cell phones and electronic devices are charged so that you can stay connected during the storm. To report an outage or see a map of outages currently reported, please visit: https://www1.nationalgridus.com/ReportOrCheckOutage-MA-RES or call: 800-465-1212

WARMING CENTER UPDATES: 
Warming centers are locations where the public can congregate during daytime hours to remain warm through severe winter events. They often use existing staff at locations that are otherwise open, but all groups are committed to Gloucester in providing a coordinated multi-agency response for the community’s needs.

  • Action Inc: Given the impending snowstorm, Action, Inc. has made arrangements for the Emergency Shelter (located at 370 Main St. in Gloucester) to be OPEN on Tuesday, March 14. Meals will be served.  Staff can help any questions and can be reached at Main Phone: 978-282-1000 or via Email: mlezynski@actioninc.org. Open Door will be supplying food for Action shelter.
  • Gloucester Housing Authority / Rose Baker Senior Center: The Gloucester Housing Authority office will be CLOSED on Tuesday, March 14 due to the storm. Residents are advised to remain indoors until after the storm has subsided. In the event of a maintenance emergency in one of our buildings, please call (978) 283-4435. GHA Operations Director Cliff O’Neill and Executive Director David Houlden can be reached via this number in the event of an emergency.

    Maintenance crews will work to keep emergency access routes open during the storm, but will not clear remaining walkways and parking areas until after the snow has subsided. Common areas of the Sheedy & Clark Buildings are powered by generators during a power outage. The generator at McPherson Park powers the elevators and hallway lighting.

  • The Grace Center: The Grace Center will be CLOSED on Tuesday, March 14. Their emergency team is available to respond and can be reached at Phone: 978-675-6240
  • The Open Door: The Open Door programs, including Second Glance, will be CLOSED on Tuesday, March 14. Our emergency team is available to respond to open the building if a larger community emergency should arise. Open Door will be supplying food for Action shelter.

“Green Screen 101” Cape Ann TV- Lunch & Learn Series ‘After-Hours’

~ Cape Ann TV

Learn how to green screen at Cape Ann TV’s next Lunch & Learn ‘After-Hours’! on Tuesday, March 21 at 7PM

 
Cape Ann TV’s Lunch & Learn Series continues on Tuesday, March 21 at 7PM with “Green Screen 101”. Presentation and demonstration by Ted Reed, professional video producer.
 
Think of all the times you’ve wanted to battle with Vikings, dive deep beneath the ocean waves and fly to the moon and beyond. Well, now you can!
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Join us for our first Lunch and Learn ‘After-Hours,’ when we explore the basics of shooting on green screen. We’ll cover the basics of what you need for cameras, lighting, and software right here at Cape Ann TV’s studios. Find out how to make your own special effects—special!
 
WHAT IS GREEN SCREEN/CHROMA KEY?
Chroma Key or Green Screen is a fantastic tool for filmmaking that opens up so many storytelling opportunities. It isn’t too difficult provided you know the basics and is easy to use for your films whether you are making an independent low budget film or Hollywood Blockbuster.
 
Green screens are a key tool in a technique called chroma keying. In a basic scenario this may involve a person/subject being filmed standing in front of a green (or blue) screen. Then using an editing program the green color is digitally removed from the video file leaving the person/subject. A new image/video is then layered behind them. If done well it should look as though the person is actually standing in the scenario that is happening in the background.
 
The ability to chroma key opens up an array of options for filmmakers. For example if you are filming a news story and you need your presenter to look as though they are standing out the front of the Taj Mahal, then you could use this technique instead of ACTUALLY taking a news reporter to the Taj Mahal. It saves a lot of time and money.
 
Join award-winning local video producer Ted Reed on Tuesday March 21st at 7PM at Cape Ann TV for Lunch & Learn After Hours “Green Screen 101”. This event is free and open to the public.
 
Space is limited for this event; please RSVP to rtober@capeanntv.org to reserve your spot.

Only A Few Tickets Left – Irish Sweepstakes Event

~ Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce

Only ten tickets left – don’t miss out on your chance to WIN BIG!
At next week’s Irish Sweepstakes event we give out a total of $20k in prizes, including a grand prize of $10,000. The party also features a 50/50 raffle, an Irish dinner and cash bar. Join us for the fun!

Irish-Sweepstakes-Flyer-2017

Wednesday, March 15, 2017 | 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Gloucester House Restaurant  | 63 Rogers Street, Gloucester
Tickets are $100 and may be purchased by stopping by or calling the Chamber office at 978-283-1601.

Free Immigration Information and Services

~ oldfolks76

Immigration has always been an important part of our national heritage and defines our culture and identity. The City of Gloucester joins many other U.S. cities in offering community immigration support to its residents.

In collaboration with Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Carolyn Fuchs, Esq. has volunteered to meet confidentially at the Rose Baker Senior Center with any Gloucester resident who has questions about citizenship, family sponsorship or other immigration questions. Attorney Fuchs has practiced Immigration Law since 1979 and looks forward to helping the residents of Gloucester with any immigration issues they might have.

These services are free and open to residents of all ages. Please call the Rose Baker Senior Center at 978-281-9765 ext. 22 to schedule a confidential appointment.

 

Poetry Workshop at the Cape Ann Museum

~ Cape Ann Museum

Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop

Saturday, April 29

10:30 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

In this workshop, former North Andover poet laureate Gayle Heney will teach participants how to write poetry using the Cape Ann Museum’s collections as inspiration, concentrating on the new exhibition, Charles Movalli: Cape Ann & Beyond. As time allows, participants will be introduced to poetry prompts, stanzas, quatrains, ekphrastic poetry and experimental poetry. Depending on interest, discussion of the editing process and the option to read/perform may also be included.

Charles Movalli gallery

$10 Museum members/ $20 non-members. Space is limited; reservations required. For more information email info@capeannmuseum.org. Tickets can be purchased by calling 978-283-0455 x10 or online at Eventbrite.

 

Rise Up and Sing Out!

~ Rose

Fourth Annual Pete Seeger Legacy Sing-a-long will be held Sunday, March 12 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church.

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The Cape Ann Interfaith Clergy Association in cooperation with Folk Life Studio and the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church present the Fourth Annual Pete Seeger Legacy Sing in an open community sing-a-long entitled “Rise Up and Sing Out!”.

This family friendly event will be held on Sunday, March 12 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, located at the corner of Middle and Church Streets in Gloucester, MA. Song sheets will be provided and those with acoustic instruments are welcome to come and play along.

The first sing, organized in 2014, was a memorial celebration held shortly after the passing of the iconic folk singer/activist.

Since then, a local social justice organization has been selected each year to be the 16298564_1325248124187531_5226880042050576172_nrecipient of freely given donations from the sing-a-long attendees. Those beneficiaries were the Grace Center in 2015 and the Backyard Growers in 2016.  This year donations will go to ECCO: the Essex County Community Organization. ECCO is a diverse network of congregations and organizations across the North Shore building relationships and power to put human dignity at the center of public life.

The two hour event will begin promptly at 3:00 PM with a break planned at the half-way point. People are welcome to come and go throughout the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Gloucester Area Astronomy Club annual Astrophotography Night

~ Michael Deneen

On Friday night March 10, at 8:00 pm, the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club will bring you our annual Astrophotographers on Parade!

In this annual festival of GAAC astrophotography some of our best photographers will each show off a few of their favorite pictures they’ve taken of galaxies, nebulae and other objects. They will explain what each one is, how big and far away it is, and any issues they had getting the shot.

This is always a colorful, fun and exciting evening, one that will leave you with a new appreciation of what these folks do, as well as a lot of new knowledge about the strange, distant and enormous objects they photograph. Come early to see friends old and new, grab a good seat and some great goodies, and share some terrific conversation. See you on the 10th!

 

The Gloucester Area Astronomy Club meets from 8:00 to 9:30 pm on the second Friday of every month except August at the Lanesville Community Center, 8 Vulcan Street in Lanesville. There is no cost. There are no dues or fees, all are welcome, and you don’t need any special knowledge or equipment to have a great time. Lots of free off-street parking.

PIPING PLOVERS NESTING AT GOOD HARBOR BEACH

~ Chris Sicuranza

PIPING PLOVERS NESTING AT GOOD HARBOR BEACH

The City of Gloucester and Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken will be working closely during the 2017 beach season at Good Harbor Beach with the Essex County Greenbelt Association and the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to manage Piping Plovers if they return again to nest on the beach.
 
“For generations, Gloucester’s citizens have existed in a delicate balance with our coastal ecosystem, from the open ocean, to the rocky shorelines and of course to our beaches,” Mayor Romeo Theken said. “We are committed to making every effort possible to protect nesting Piping Plovers at our beaches but we will do so while maintaining public access to these amazing areas. Please help me and the City by cooperating with any short-term restrictions imposed at our beaches in 2017.”
 
In 2016, Piping Plovers, a small shorebird, were observed nesting for the first time at GHB, and the City acted quickly and responsibly along with Greenbelt and MADFW to protect the birds and their nesting areas. The City is preparing more proactively now for the 2017 beach season.

BACKGROUND:

Piping Plovers are a small shorebird that was placed on the US Endangered Species List in 1986 as a threatened species. Piping Plovers nest directly on the sand at beaches throughout MA, typically on the upper beach just below the outer dune edge. Statewide the Piping Plover population has been increasing over the past 20 years and the population reached about 650 pairs in MA in 2016.
 
In Gloucester in 2016, 4 pairs of Piping Plovers nested at Coffins Beach and fledged 10 young. A single pair of Piping Plovers nested at GHB, hatching 3 chicks but none survived to fledge. The Piping Plovers at GHB nested later than normal in the season which may have contributed to the lack of chick survival. Better early season protections could help eliminate this problem in 2017.
The US Endangered Species Act requires public and private landowners to take necessary measures to protect listed species like Piping Plovers. MA also has guidelines and laws for beach nesting bird management. The city is making every effort to be compliant with all regulatory guidelines.
 
Piping Plovers typically arrive from their southern wintering areas to our local beaches in late March or early April. Males and females quickly form breeding pairs that begin the process of courtship and nest site select throughout April and May. During April and May, it is important to limit disturbance to the birds and their habitats. Chicks can hatch from nests in late May and are immediately mobile and move out of the nest in search of food. As chicks grow older and larger, they will roam from the dunes to the water’s edge in search of food. Chicks are very vulnerable to human disturbance and are susceptible to predators like gulls and foxes.

PLAN OF ACTION FOR 2017:

Gloucester officials have directed City staff to collaborate with Greenbelt and MADFW to development management strategies to protect Piping Plovers found nesting on any Gloucester beaches.
 
  • Beach Scraping – Limiting beach cleaning activities like beach scraping with a tractor and mechanical rake is very important once Piping Plovers arrive at GHB. This could start in April and last though June in certain areas at GHB.
  • Fencing – It is also important to strategically select areas for temporary closure with single strand fencing and signs. These fenced areas allow a refuge for Piping Plovers to begin their nesting season normally in May, before the busy beach season. fences could be installed in April and be in place through June in certain areas at GHB.
  • Monitoring – Regular monitors from Greenbelt, MADFW and theCity will visit GHB in March/April to determine if PipingPlovers are present and to ensure that any nesting Piping Plovers are well protected. Monitoring will continue as long as Piping Plovers are present at the site.
  • Public Access – GHB will remain open to the public during the beach season. Only selected small areas may be closed to the public to protect Piping Plovers. Mayor Theken encourages all beachgoers to respect the closed areas and to consider Piping Plovers as an important part of Gloucester’s rich and healthy coastal ecosystem.
  • Dogs – Unleashed dogs can pose a very real threat to Piping Plover adults and chicks. Dogs owners are responsible for controlling their dogs and may be legally responsible for any adverse impacts to Piping Plovers and their habitats.

For more information, please contact Greenbelt Essex County Trust at dwr@ecga.org or (978) 768-7241 x14

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Cape Ann’s Economic Outlook Breakfast

~ Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce

Please plan to join us for the Cape Ann Chamber’s annual Economic Outlook Breakfast, which will take place next Thursday, March 9, from 7:30 to 9 AM at the Gloucester House Restaurant.Economic-Outlook-DynamicBox-2017.jpg

Thursday, March 9, 2017  |  7:30  – 9:00 AM
Gloucester House Restaurant | 63 Rogers Street  | Gloucester, MA
Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at capeannchamber.com or by calling the Chamber office 978-283-1601.

REGISTER HERE.

 MA Secretary of Transportation, Stephanie Pollack will speak on the following programs and topics.
  • MBTA  and Commuter Rail
    •    Updates on Beverly and Annisquam River bridges on the Rockport line
  • Road and Bridge  Local Aid Programs
    •    Municipal Small Bridge Program
      • $50 million state aid program to assist communities with the repair of smaller bridges (with spans between 10 and 20 feet) that are not eligible for federal funding assistance
    •   Complete Streets Program (Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-Sea currently participating)
      • “A Complete Street is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes – walking, biking, transit and vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities.”
      • “Designing streets with these principles contributes toward the safety, health, economic viability and quality of life in a community by improving the pedestrian and vehicular environments. Providing safer, more accessible and comfortable means of travel between home, school, work, recreation and retail destinations helps promote more livable communities.”
      • Sources MassDOT website: http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/DoingBusinessWithUs/LocalAidPrograms/CompleteStreets.aspx
  • Secretary Stephanie Pollack will be addressing these and other topics, including the role of Transportation in the Baker/Polito administration’s overall economic development agenda for the Commonwealth, at the Chamber’s economic outlook breakfast on Thursday, March 9
  • All Cape Ann business owners and local officials, including public works, community development and planning officials, are encouraged to attend this timely and informative breakfast meeting.