People are trying to find out where to vote in Newburyport.
If you live in Newburyport and do not know where you go to vote, the Newburyport City Clerk has this link. Press HERE.
You just put in your street number, city/town, state and zip code.
It works for everyone in Massachusetts. It is from Secretary Galvin’s Office.
And vote for Martha Coakley, the Democrat (D).
Go vote tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19, 2009.
Your vote matters.
Every vote matters.
Vote for Martha Coakley, the Democrate (D)
Don’t forget to vote this Tuesday, January 19, 2009
It’s really, really important.
Your vote matters.
Vote for Martha Coakley, the Democrat (D).
One of the things that I think Mother Nature definitely got right, is as the days grow shorter, and the sun is low in the sky, to make sure that the leaves fall from the trees, thereby letting in lots more light.
And in Newburyport, there comes a time in the fall when I am actually glad to see the last of the, by then, translucent, often yellow leaves float down to earth, letting oh, so much more light shine through into my dwelling, as the winter time frame for light becomes more and more undersized.
And there is always a point, sometime in the fall, when the light changes. It is a subtle change, but the hue is different.
And in the winter morning, as the sun rises later in the sky, the light touches the tips of the now leafless trees, and ignites them in a yellow-crimson light, that makes them luminous, and they glow in a way, that they never glow any other time of year.
And my discovery, as I sit in a reading chair one Sunday afternoon, after a Newburyport snow storm. The sun as it goes down around 4:30, lights up the now retreating clouds. And my neighbor’s 3rd floor windows facing West, hidden by trees in the summer, becomes an astonishing deep pink, yellow, blue color.
The windows are so bright that I wonder if my neighbors have done over their third floor, or gotten some exotic light fixture. But the color of their windows slowly changes to a dark and penetrating purple and then finally fades to black.
No, it is not a new decor, but a spectacular Newburyport winter light show, for free, put on by none other than Mother Nature.
I’ve lived here in Newburyport, MA a year shy of 3 decades now. Not to brag, but Newburyport City Councilor, Tom O’Brien, called me “an almost native.” May seem weird, but this really and truly is a big, huge compliment (I’m actually not kidding here).
And driving on Rt. 1A after a New England snow storm, one could always tell when one was entering a new town because of how the roadway was plowed. And for 3 decades, Newburyport, in the roadway being plowed department, has always stuck out, not in a good way. Definitely in the not as well plowed department. And after 3 decades, I’m beginning to think it’s just a Newburyport systemic thing.
I have found over the years, that calling the Newburyport Department of Public Works (DPW) and requesting better plowing on my street has worked wonders. At one point, I even sent them a “thank you” note, which they promptly pinned to their bulletin board. I think that they said that it was to boost moral, and that it might have been the only thank you note that they, the Newburyport DPW, had ever received.
During this recent snow storm, the first of January 2010, I called to say that the plowing job on my street was the worst I had seen in 13 years. The foreman (I believe that’s who it was) showed up on my street within about 15 minutes, and we had a very nice chat. Really, it was very nice.
Apparently, in its hope to do a good plowing job last year, the plows got too close to people’s property, and lawns and driveways were damaged (I believe that this was the gist of the informed information that I received). So this year to compensate, the folks (a lot of new folks apparently) were told to be very careful, the result being, plowing very far away from the Newburyport curbs.
I explained to the gentleman from the DPW who came for a visit, and the very nice and patient lady who answers the phone at the Newburyport DPW, that my neighbors and I were snow-blowing and shoveling our street, which, I was pretty sure was not the goal. They agreed.
When the plow returned to our street to finish up the job, it did one spectacular job. And I was impressed. So a big thank you from me to our Newburyport DPW.
One of the things that puzzles me is that people approach me, and almost in a whisper and ask, would Newburyport’s mayor-elect, Donna Holaday be supportive of “X” issue.
And my response, so far, has always been, “You bet” (I’m tempted to say “You betcha,” it’s so catchy). “Have you seen her voting record on “X,” it’s even better than “Y’s,” in fact it’s way better than “Y’s.”
And then I go onto say that Donna Holaday is very approachable, easy to talk to, a very good listener, responsive, and on top of it, a “lovely lady” (and, because I am a woman, I can say this last phrase “lovely lady,” without being sexist, plus it’s an accurate description).
And people who have asked me about Donna Holaday with great concern on there face, relax and smile, and say something to the effect of, “I feel so much better,” or “I think maybe I can relax now.” It’s Ok, as they say in New York, “Relax already.”
My sense is that Donna Holaday will be a mayor who governs from the center (one of the reasons that she got elected), with leanings to more “progressive” issues like historic preservation. Why “historic preservation” could be seen as a more “progressive” issue in Newburyport, MA, is still a mystery to me, after all these years.
I think that she will listen to different points of view, and may move in the direction that she senses her overall constituents feel would be the right way to go, which will definitely piss some people off.
I think too, that mayor-elect, Donna Holaday won’t be afraid to admit that she has made a mistake. I saw this first hand at the second public hearing on Newburyport’s now “controversial” wind turbine. She was very out spoken in the fact that there was so much excitement about the new wind turbine, that there was a rush to judgment on the part of the Newburyport City Council (the vote, I believe was unanimously in favor, or at least very close to unanimous, including Donna Holaday), and the whole issue would need to be seriously reevaluated.
And I think that she would take very seriously the citizen activist groups on certain issues like Newburyport’s landfill and the wind turbine ordinance, and try to incorporate them more into Newburyport’s city government, understanding that often citizen activists, often out of necessity, become the city’s “experts” in whatever issue it might be.
So, not to repeat myself, but to repeat myself, I am very much looking forward to Donna Holaday’s term as mayor of Newburyport, MA.
Actually readers of the Newburyport Blog haven’t heard from its editor, namely me, for a while, not just because of a post (no pun intended), very long, local Newburyport election letdown (see earlier entry). Something else is “amiss,” but it seems just like “too much information-tmi” for any “discussion” on the Newburyport Blog. So to process this new “amiss” thing, I found starting a new blog, “The Year of Eating Weirdly” to be highly therapeutic.
The newest blog actually takes “comments” (although there are no comments at the moment), figuring that comments on weird eating things would be far less hostile than comments about Newburyport, aka “Cannibal City.” Although this may prove not to be true.
I did not put the blog on my domain name, because I have this notion that it might be enjoyable to be “anonymous,” (although chit chatting about the new blog on the Newburyport Blog sort of destroys that notion.) It has its own domain name, “CeliacSurprise.com.”.
And I went for “easy.” I didn’t use WordPress blog software, I instead opted for “Blogger,” and the people at Google definitely have this blog thing figured out. Good grief Blogger is a breeze to use compared to good old, now going on four years of using WordPress.
So those readers of the Newburyport Blog who apparently are “appalled” at my on going policy of “not commenting for all sorts of reasons” on the Newburyport Blog, would be happy to know that I have joined the legion of bloggers allowing comments and blissful “anonymity.”
I see my neighbor all the way down our Newburyport street. He has a day-glow orange winter hat on. I want one.
My neighbors, a lovely young family, have two dogs, which are technically “hunting dogs.” I never thought that they (the dogs and my neighbors) actually went hunting, but they do.
I find out this missing piece of information when I start my quiz about the nifty orange day-glow winter hat. (I have memories, which I share, of Marisa Tormei’s character in the movie “My Cousin Vinny,” when she laments about the cute little baby deer out prancing around, and then “BAM”), but no, they don’t hunt deer, just tiny little birds, sometimes. And no, they are not like Dick Cheney, they have never shot anyone in the face.
But the hat, I love the hat. During Newburyport winters, often the only safe place, or navigatable place, to walk when there is a lot of snow and ice, is in the middle of the street. And I tend to blend in with the surrounding, no red coats, at least not yet, for moi. And the bright day-glow orange hat would most definitely “stick out.”
I tell my neighbors that I too would like to look like a day-glow orange pumpkin head, and much to my delight, right before Christmas, they appear at my door, with a hat in hand.
On Christmas day, my son, who is now old enough to be beyond the “I am so embarrassed, you’ve got to be kidding me, you’re wearing a day-glow orange hat” phase, and I walk along the narrow car filled street of Newburyport’s historic district.
As a distracted holiday mother with a cell phone, and a busily driving teenager wiz by, my son nods his head in agreement. “Good idea Mom, I definitely get this one now.”
We pass some well known fellow walkers, who do not recognize me in my new day-glow paraphernalia. But when they are aware of who the mysterious person is, who is underneath the orange day-glow winter hat, they want one of those hats too.
So readers of the Newburyport Blog, who know me from my different walking routes, if you see a brightly colored, orange, day-glow pumpkin head moving along the street–c’est moi.
I think I am finally coming out of my post local Newburyport political election letdown. After the high of Newburyport’s election night, way back in November 2009 (it’s now December, almost January), practically a post-coital event, where I found myself wanting to roll around in bed and smoke cigarettes.
The drama. Two good mayoral candidates, and then in the last two weeks, although at first cloaked in euphemisms, it became evident to the collective unconscious of the 35 percent or so voters who actually go to the polls on election day, that one of the candidates, gasp, wanted to put buildings on Newburyport’s Central Waterfront, after 40 or so years of struggling to come to a consensus to basically leave the land naked. The other candidate won. (A gross simplification, I know, but tough luck, voters generally don’t go for complicated political nuance.)
And in thinking about the mayoral candidate that won, Madam Holaday, it feels like a breath of clear Newburyport seacoast air, on a mild, clear winter day, and a dusting of very shovelable, 1-3 inches of powdery, bright white New England snow.
In the mayor elect, Donna Holaday, I have much faith. Sure I’ll disagree here and there, but I trust her to listen to the folks in Newburyport, MA, or to put it another way, to listen to the 35 percent of Newburyport’s electorate that actually pays attention and possibly cares, while considering the remaining 65 percent who don’t have a clue that we actually have something called a Newburyport city government.
She will listen to different points of view, most probably change her mind on local controversial issues, and will be accused, by those who actually pay attention and care of “flip-flopping.” But in my mind, it would not be “flip-flopping,” it would be a careful approach to governing.
She will probably sit down with the Newburyport City Councilors, show great patience and tact with those whom she might disagree, and for those few who look like they are so “green” (green in the “don’t have a clue” sense, not in the “environmentally correct” sense) that it will, if Newburyport is lucky, take them 6 months to a year to figure out what the hell is going on.
My first thoughts of coming out of my post election climax. And as I further awaken from my November induced haze, it could be that I might have something else to mumble and muse about in the days and weeks that await Newburyport, MA.
When the leaves are still on the trees in New England October, when the light has changed with the seasons, and the sun is slanted low in the sky, it can be quite dark on the ground. But when the leaves fall, all of a sudden it seems as if the blinds have been pulled away and the daylight can now get through. Sometimes it feels quite bright and delightful, and at other times, especially on overcast days, it seems as if the landscape has been stripped.
Last Sunday, it was another one of those amazing warm, mid-fall New England days, sunny, after the leaves had fallen from the trees, and I thought I would take a look at the second, or first part of the Clipper City Rail Trail, depending on where you might start from. I walked down to Market Street again, and walked along the Newburyport Rail Trail towards the mouth of the mighty Merrimac River.
I am always surprised when I hear hostility towards the Newburyport Rail Trail, and again, it’s usually a feeling that this very extensive project is stealing money from the rest of Newburyport, MA. And as I’ve said in an earlier entry, the money comes from a completely different funding source, one that can only be used for something like this. So why not us? Why not Newburyport, MA? And the Clipper City Rail Trail presents long term benefits for making money for the City of Newburyport.
The Rail Trail that leads towards downtown Newburyport is the part that I took a gander at on Sunday.
And I was amazed again at the enormity of the project. Here is a photo of just one of the many pieces of equipment that is being used.
Here is a photo of the paved pathway leading to what will be the boardwalk around, under the bridge to downtown Newburyport, as well as a boardwalk in the other direction, to Cashman Park (all blocked off at the moment).
And here is a photo heading back towards Market Street, where the very complex construction of the Newburyport Rail Trail is evident.
And we have a lot of people to thank for this very exciting addition to our city, but one person in particular for me stands out. And that is Geordie Vining of the Newburyport Planning Office. It has always seemed to me that this particular project, which has been ongoing for so many years, has been a true “labor” of love.
I had never really thought that there was any correlation between painting, my painting (see previous post) and my love of local politics. But after this last political race, 2009, I’m beginning to think differently.
When I start a painting there is an idea, the canvas is “blocked in” with shapes, the shapes become more and more detailed until, voila, there is a realistic painting.
And in this mayoral race it took a long time for me to see a picture taking shape, but the last weekend before the Newburyport election 2009 and especially the day of the election 2009, it seemed to me that there was no question that Donna Holaday would win.
About two weeks before the election it became clear, for a variety of reasons, the interviews in The Newburyport Liberator being one of them, that there was a huge difference in the way the two candidates approached the Central Waterfront (see earlier entries). And the there was no question that Donna Holaday had the “Waterfront” vote, a vote in Newburyport, never to be underestimated.
By that weekend, it was obvious to me that Donna Holaday had the “City Hall vote,” and the folks at Newburyport City Hall vote, and their ties in Newburyport’s community go deep.
It was also apparent that candidate Holaday had the “townie” vote (except for those who were a little concerned that she might not be as firm about the “override” issue as James Shanley). James Shanley was perceived as the candidate who was the “new comer,” who could take away their town. (I do not happen to think that this is true, but that appeared to be the perception.)
Donna Holaday had the enthusiastic education vote, a large block of voters. Ms Holaday had the “Back Bay vote,” basically anyone in town that really disliked the wind turbine (see earlier entries), which is a huge portion (politically correct or not) of Newburyport’s population.
The historic preservation vote was split.
And when the list of contributors came out, it was perceived that James Shanley was in the pocket of the developers. I know James Shanely, and I know that this is absolutely not the case, although it was the perception. (Mr. Shanley had worked very closely as a Newburyport City Councilor with the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce, a member of which was a major player on his very organized campaign, and my guess is that a lot of the business community gave donations as a result.)
And then there was the fact that Donna Holaday has a huge name recognition, for a whole variety of reasons. And also, a lot of folks in town know that we have a mayor, but they don’t know that we have a Newburyport City Council, much less that we have a president of the Newburyport City Council. So the fact that James Shanley was the president of the Newburyport City Council meant absolutely nothing to a large majority of folks that don’t pay a whole lot of attention to Newburyport politics.
“Many locals know her only as the author of the Newburyport Political Blog. But the political junkie that is Mary Baker Eaton is also an accomplished artist whose work has appeared at prestigious New York City galleries and can be found in private and corporate collections across the country.
And, now, her readers ‑ and everyone else ‑ finally will be able to see her artwork up close, as Kerim Kaya, owner of Kaya Jewelers downtown, presents her paintings through Dec. 31.
The exhibit marks her first major local showing in 10 years, and the quirky Eaton, surrounded Monday morning by her exquisitely detailed paintings of Newburyport scenes, took every opportunity to promote her good friend, Kaya.
“This is a great way for two business people to get together,” she said, leaning against one of the jewelry display cases. “I help Kaya. Kaya helps me. Every time I tell someone about the show, I tell them, ‘You should come in and buy your significant other or yourself a nice piece of custom-made jewelry for Christmas…””
“…The paintings on display showcase Eaton’s love for the natural beauty of the community where she has lived for the past 30 years. A contemporary realist painter, she captures, with lifelike precision, the stillness of the Plum Island marshes, the petals of a bright yellow iris in the South End, apple blossoms clinging to a brick wall at the old gardens at Maudslay State Park and the Common Pasture, its vista unchanged by centuries.”
“Putting things in perspective,” by Ulrika G. Gerth, © The Newburyport Current, November 6, 2009
Blue Morning Glory, Oil on Panel, © Mary Baker
Kerim Kaya, a long time friend and owner of Kaya Jewelers, approached me about a month or so ago and asked if I would like to show my paintings in his gorgeous jewelry store, Kaya Jewelers, 41 State Street, on the corner of Essex Street. My response, especially in this economy that has hurt the arts so much was, “What a great idea!”
The show is up for all of November and December, and the reception is this Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 6 PM-9PM. Please stop by and say “Hello.” And do be sure to buy yourself or your significant-other a beautiful piece of jewelry for the holidays.
You can read the rest of the story in the Newburyport Current here.
Both The Newburyport Current and
The Newburyport Daily News have very good stories on the outcome of the Newburyport Election 2009. Donna Holaday won as Mayor of Newburyport.
The un-official numbers are:
Holaday 2,704
Shanley 2,257
The Newburyport Daily News has an article on the race for Newburyport Councilor At Large. The numbers for that race:
“Connell secured 2,977 votes, Ives 2,877, Hutcheson 2,338, Jones 2,309 and Herzog 1,970. Michael Ferrick received 1,604, while Frances Sullivan took 1,629 votes.”
(The Newburyport Daily News, November 4, 2009)
In Ward 1, incumbent Larry McCavitt lost to Allison Heartquist.
“Unofficial results show Heartquist won by a large margin in the Plum Island precinct, 191-81, while the vote was closer in the mainland section of Ward 1, with Heartquist getting 385 votes to 361 for McCavitt.”
(The Newburyport Daily News, November 3, 2009)
Both the Newburyport Current and the Newburyport Daily News have stories on the Newburyport Charter Commission, Question #1 and the Newburyport Charter Commission race.
“Although results are not yet official, 3,336 voters said yes to a ballot question that asked if a commission should be formed to review the City Charter, the document that outlines Newburyport’s form of government. The unofficial number of votes against the charter review was 1,233.”
(The Newburyport Current, November 4, 2009)
Both The Newburyport Daily News and The Newburyport Current have the results of the Newburyport Charter Review Commission:
Kathleen Bailey 1,373
Bruce Brown 1, 075
Hugh Kelleher 1,006
Bruce Vogel 1,003
Bruce Menin 997
Steve Cole 979
Shelia Mullins 953
Jim Stiles 941
Roger Gagnon 848
(If I get a chance, I will stop by the Newburyport City Clerk’s Office and pick up a copy of the results ward by ward.)
Here are the official results ward by ward of the Newburyport Elections 2009. They are on the Newburyport City Website.
Official results from Newburyport Election 2009, press here.
Here is a copy of the final election results, ward by ward, that I picked up from the Newburyport City Clerk’s office.
Election results for Mayor, Councillor and Councillor At-Large.
Election results for School Committee, Question #1 and Charter Commisson.
Results for Newburyport Election 2009
Mayor of Newburyport
Donna D. Holaday
James G. Shanley
Winner: Donna Holaday
Ward 1
Lawrence V. McCavitt
Allison Heartquist
Winner: Allison Heartquist
Ward 3
Robert J. Cronin
Dawne Shand
Winner: Robert J. Cronin
Councilor At-Large
Barry N. Connell
Steven R. Hutcheson
Kathleen O’Connnor Ives
Thomas E. Jones
Michael Edward Ferrick
Ari B. Herzog
Frances E. Sullivan
Winners:
Barry N. Connell
Kathleen O’Connnor Ives
Steven R. Hutcheson
Thomas E. Jones
Ari B. Herzog
Question #1
Shall a commission be elected to frame a charter for Newburyport?
Yes
No
Question #1 wins by a large margin
Usually the City Clerk hands out the “un-official” results about a half hour after they are read in City Hall Chambers. But (I think because of the number of Charter Commission candidates) only the “un-un-official” results (in some wards only phoned-in results were available) were in, and at 9:45 it was thought that it might take up to another hour to get the “un-official” results. So I came home. I do not have the list of people who won for Charter Commission. I am sure all of that will be in the local papers tomorrow.
Congratulations to those who won, and to all who ran.
I actually went to all the polling places, except Plum Island. One thing surprised everyone I talked to. Usually there is an “early morning commuter” vote, from about 7:00 AM to 8:15-8:30 AM. Often there are people waiting in line to get into vote. That did not seem to exist at any of the polling places this year, which could mean a very low turn-out, which would be too bad.
When I went to vote at Ward 2, there was a steady stream of voters, and the total at about 11:30 was 250, which people seemed to think was very low for that point in the day.
And the thing that surprised me, was that people said that there was a lot of sentiment against Question #1… about whether to discuss the structure of Newburyport’s City Charter, so it could turn out that Question #1 could be very close.
At Ward 1 and Ward 2 there were a many more people holding Donna Holaday signs, when I went, which surprised me. At the Bresnahan School, Ward 5 and Ward 6, and Hope Community Church, Ward 3 and Ward 4, the signs were about even for Donna Holaday and James Shanley.
Go Vote! (Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM)
Vote for:
Mayor of Newburyport
Newburyport City Council
Newburyport School Committee
Question #1 (whether or not we should have a discussion about the structure of Newburyport’s government, voting just on having a discussion–vote “Yes!”)
9 members for Newburyport’s Charter Review (who will be leading the discussion about the structure of Newburyport’s government.)
Polls close at 8 PM.
The Newburyport Daily News will have the election results as soon as they are available on their website.
Port Media will reporting the election results live on Channel 9. Gillian Swart will be doing the commentary.
I may go down to Newburyport City Hall just to watch the results as they come in.
I am a political junkie. In local elections, I love the day before voting day, and voting day itself. The candidates have waged their campaigns, the last push over the weekend has been made, and there is a certain excitement and anticipation in the air.
And no matter who wins or loses, I always have a let down the day after election day.
Make sure you vote tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3, 2009.
If you do not know where to vote, the Newburyport City Clerk’s Office has this link here, where you can put in your street information and it will tell you where to go.
Here are some of the contested races for Newburyport election 2009 and the ballot question.
(* Means that the person is an incumbent.)
Mayor of Newburyport (Vote for one)
Donna D. Holaday
James G. Shanley
Ward 1
Lawrence V. McCavitt *
Allison Heartquist
Ward 3
Robert J. Cronin
Dawne Shand
Councilor At-Large (Vote for five)
Barry N. Connell *
Steven R. Hutcheson *
Kathleen O’Connnor Ives *
Thomas E. Jones *
Michael Edward Ferrick
Ari B. Herzog
Frances E. Sullivan
Question #1
Shall a commission be elected to frame a charter for Newburyport?
Yes
No
For all the information on the ballot for Newburyport’s 2009 election, press here, The Newburyport Daiy News, including the 20 candidates running for Charter Commission.
A friend of mine with a long institutional memory has told me that this is the first time that they could remember when the two local papers endorsed different candidates.
I would agree with the Newburyport Current’s analysis which you can read here.
And their analysis came down to, out of two “terrific” candidates, who would be best suited to lead the city in these very difficult economic times:
“Holaday’s careful and measured approach to problems, her wide range of experience with people from all corners of the city, and her deep roots and long institutional memory are the types of qualities the next mayor probably will need. Then there are her major assets: her expertise with budgets, her knowledge of not only how to create programs, but also how to fund them, and her legal background.”
And the Newburyport Current does have glowing things to say about James Shanley as well. And I would agree, that no matter what :
“You could look at the mayor’s race and say it’s kind of a win-win for the city, and no matter what, things will be fine.” (The Newburyport Current, October 29, 2009)
I was watching Charley Rose last night, and he and the person that he was interviewing were talking about the nature of politics. The conclusion that they appeared to arrive at, and I am paraphrasing here, is that politics is yes, an ability to form sound political policy, but politics also involves “passion,” and “irrationality.” They were talking about national politics. But I would argue that those same principles, “sound policy,” “passion” and “irrationality” are also part of the local political process.
The Newburyport Daily News has endorsed James Shanley for mayor of Newburyport, MA. They were talking about how James Shanley’s proposal for Newburyport’s Central Waterfront (see earlier entries) makes “economic sense” and that Mr. Shanley’s “management of the City Council has been businesslike, respectful and efficient.”
What the Newburyport Daily News endorsement does not take into account is the “passion” and “irrationality” of local politics. And I would argue that the reason “the city has been unable to achieve (a solution to the issue of the Central Waterfront) in 41 years,” would not be for a lack of good ideas over the last 4 decades, but because this piece of land, for whatever reason, brings out tremendous “passion” and yes, forgive me, sometimes “irrationality.”
I think both candidates, Donna Holaday and James Shanley, would be very respectful, efficient and business like in their approach to the office of Mayor of Newburyport. However, having watched both candidates for any number of years now, I think Donna Holaday has a better grasp and a lot more tolerance for the “passion and irrationality” of Newburyport politics, which I would argue, would be a much underestimated and under-appreciated, but much needed quality in local political leadership.
Entrance to Newburyport's Rail Trail--High Street
Sunday was one of those amazing, “this is why we live here,” kind of gorgeous, mild fall days. I had not checked on Newburyport’s Rail Trail for awhile, so I thought that I would go down to Market Street and see if I could walk down to the new bridge across Low Street, that was put in this past August.
The bridge over Low Street headed toward the train station.
One of the questions that is often asked is, why is the city putting money towards a very expensive Rail Trail, when it could use the money for other things, in particular schools.
The answer to that, is that these kinds of projects have a completely different funding source, than, for example the Newburyport Schools do.
The Rail Trail from underneath the High Street over pass.
Route 1, which is right next to this part of the Rail Trail (one would never know it).
This is from the city’s website:
“Funding for the design of the Clipper City Rail Trail came primarily through grants from MHD (Massachusetts Highway Department) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), as well as the Community Preservation Act (CPA). The City hired Stantec (formerly known as Vollmer Associates) to develop the design for the facility. The City also secured the commitment of $3 million in federal and state funding for construction of the trail as part of the regional Transportation Improvement Plan. The primary source of funding is the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program, which is designated specifically for projects that help reduce congestion and tailpipe emissions including by definition bicycle and pedestrian pathways. (This funding source cannot be used, for instance, for work on conventional roads or bridges, or schools and other general needs.) The reliance on federal funding requires that the MHD take charge of advertising, contracting, and managing the construction of the project once the design is completed. The City works closely with the MHD Resident Engineer to manage the contractor during the construction phase.”
From the Low Street bridge going up towards High Street.
These are some of the photos that I took. As you can see Newburyport’s Rail Trail is still under construction, but you can begin to get an idea just how remarkable an asset to the city that it will be.
