Mayor’s Update
November 27, 2017
Donna D. Holaday
Thanksgiving: I hope all had a nice Thanksgiving!
Newburyport beat Amesbury in annual Thanksgiving Day game by a score of 27-0. Go Clippers! Mayor Gray will be doing a few hours of community service in Newburyport.
During half-time we dedicated a plaque and Cherry Tree to Coach Ed Gaudiano- Ed has served for 29 years as Newburyport High School’s Football Head Coach. His career record stands at 175-125. He is the leader in NHS Football all-time wins with two Super Bowl championships in 1995 and 1997, three-time Super Bowl runner-up, five Cape Ann League championships, and holds three Cape Ann League titles. He is the first lacrosse coach in Newburyport High’s history, helping to launch the thriving program.
A special thanks to the Lions Club, Rotary, Salvation Army, Anna Jaques Hospital and the many volunteer who provided a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at the Senior Community Center. It was the best turnout to date.
Santa Claus arrived and the lighting of the Christmas Tree: yesterday Santa arrived by Coast Guard boat and was led in a parade by the Triton and Newburyport High School bands. Thank you to the Rotary, Chamber and our DPS for coordinating this annual event.
Schools: Tomorrow night at the Senior Community Center is the joint meeting of the City Council and School Community as required by the Charter. Dinner will be served at 6 pm with the meeting beginning at 6:30.
The Superintendent Search Committee is finalized with 17 members to be chaired by Cheryl Sweeney with Bruce Menin, SC representative and Barry Connell, City Council representative. The search committee for a new NHS principal is also set by the Superintendent. The goal is to have decided on both positions for July 1, 2018.
Later Start Times for Schools: The School Committee had a good discussion at our last meeting and with two key administration positions open, it looks like that the Newburyport Schools would need at least another year to implement later start times. However, we are encouraged that Masconomet is actively looking at this issue with good information on their website.
Parking Garage Bids: Heery, the OPM was very conservative in the bid process directing the City to pre-qualify all General Contractors as all projects over $10M require pre-qualification. Unfortunately this results in limiting bids. Questions were raised regarding GC bids and clarification was received by the Attorney General’s Office. GC bids could come in under $10M, so we rebid the project without pre-qualification required. Bids should be available through ProjectDog tomorrow, notice was posted last week in the Central Register. This will not affect our construction timeline.
NED completed the abutter video assessments and the building should begin coming down next week. The next IAG meeting is this Thursday at 7:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference Room.
Parking Garage Legal Case: We are very close to reaching a compromise with the abutter who has filed action against the City in regards to parking facility. We reached a tentative agreement today with fencing, landscaping, lighting and traffic addressed.
Traffic Fatality on Storey Avenue and Low Street: I am sad to report that Mr. Donald Champoux of Newburyport was struck and killed by an automobile on Friday November 24th at approximately 6:30 pm. The Essex County District Attorney has jurisdiction of the case and we are awaiting further information. Early indications appear to point towards a tragic accident.
A.L.I.C.E. Training: We are implementing A.L.I.C.E. Training in each of the city buildings with positive feedback from staff. The training is provided from NBPT officers.
Upcoming Dates:
Thursday Nov. 30 @ 7:30 am: Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development, Rosalin Acosta at Masonic Hall to discuss workforce labor
Thursday Nov. 30 @ 11 am at NECC: MV Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy – Featuring Secretary Stephanie Pollack
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