Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday,
July 24, 2012
Quick
Article Index . . .
Wilbur McMahon School eighth
graders selling LC T-shirts as fundraiser.
New state budget increases Westport’s local aid.
Lincoln Park’s Comet takes a final bow.
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Wilbur McMahon School eighth graders selling LC t-shirts
as fundraiser. EverythingWestport.com Tuesday, July 24,
2012 Little Compton’s Wilbur McMahon School
Class of 2013 is now selling LC T-shirts as a fundraiser for eighth-grade
activities. Designed by graphic artist Pete Bixby, the T-shirts
are offered in both white and light gray and have the navy blue letters LC
inside an oval with a light blue colored wave in the background. Priced at
just $15 each or two for $25, the T-shirts are available in the following
sizes: Adult S, M, L, XL, 2XL and 3XL;
and youth sizes S, M, and L.
Students will be selling the LC T-shirts at
the LC Flea/Little Compton Chicken BBQ/Fireworks event on Saturday, Aug. 4 at
Veterans Field. Look for the WMS eighth grade LC Tt-shirt
booth on that day starting at 10 a.m. You can also contact Heather Fitzgerald at hjfitz@cox.net
or 401.635.4499 to order a T-shirt. Please include your name, number of
shirts, sizes and your phone number and address in your email or voice mail
message. Please make your check payable to Wilbur
McMahon School and send it to Heather Fitzgerald, 21 Colebrook Road, Little Compton, RI 02837. Payment is due at the time of
the order. Cash is also welcome. The T-shirts are a great gift for any age –
they also make wonderful souvenirs. And if you’re someone who is always
dashing around at the last minute before the holidays looking for the perfect
present, why not save yourself a whole lot of time and stock up on LC T-shirts
now! All proceeds from the sales will be used to
fund the annual eighth-grade class trip to Washington, D.C., yearbook,
semi-formal dance and other activities. Thank you from the Wilbur McMahon School
Class of 2013. New state budget increases Westport’s
local aid. EverythingWestport.com Friday, July 27, 2012 Westport’s State Senator Michael Rodrigues
announced today that Governor
Deval Patrick has signed a $32.5 billion fiscal year
2013 (FY13) budget that makes record investments in K-12 education and puts
community colleges at the center of the state's workforce development
strategy. In addition to prioritizing education and job creation, the budget
invests in health care cost containment and youth violence prevention. Westport will receive
$4,221,997 in Chapter 70 local aid, a
$67,400 increase over Fiscal Year 2012. The increase, although modest, is a
welcome increase for the town’s cash strapped coffers. Rodrigues said there would be no new taxes
or fees, and that the new budget updates the state's Community Preservation
Act to make it easier for cities and towns to use the program in support of
the projects that are right for them. It also directs $25M of the FY 2013
budget surplus to support the program. Westport will also receive $1,029,055 in
unrestricted, general government aid, an increase of $74,405. Major
Budget Highlights: Withdraws $50M less from the stabilization
fund than did House 2. NO new taxes
or fees. Improves the state's ability to investigate
and reduce public benefit fraud and prohibits the purchase of items such as
firearms and tattoos with public cash assistance. Updates the state's Community Preservation
Act to make it easier for cities and towns to use the program in support of
the projects that are right for them It also directs $25M of the FY 2013 budget
surplus to support the program. Provides substantial increases for major
Senate priorities, including: $20M for a new Human Service Salary Reserve,
and a $30M increase for nursing homes. Protects access to long term mental health
services for Southeastern Massachusetts by preserving beds at Taunton State
Hospital, as well as commissions a comprehensive independent analysis of mental
health services across the Commonwealth, including public, private, inpatient
and community-based services. Removes long-existing barriers and provides
patient access to co-pay assistance and coupon discount programs to help
consumers offset high out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. Education: This budget continues the commitment to
improving public higher education resources and connecting those resources to
workforce needs across the state. The budget calls for improvements to community
colleges, incorporating input from community college Presidents, industry
officials and vocational-technical schools to ensure they are best equipped
to adapt to the changing job opportunities in the Commonwealth. All told, the Conference report provides
$11.2M in new funds dedicated to community college reform, including: $2.3M
for Rapid Response Grants; $3.3M for High Demand Scholarships; $5M in new
funding for Performance Incentive Grants; and $400K for a new higher
education Office of Coordination. Other major education highlights include:
$241.9M for SPED Circuit Breaker, a $28.8 increase over FY 2012; and $45.5M
for Regional School Transportation, a $2M increase over FY 2012. Public Safety: In the wake of years of fiscal challenges
and reduction in services, municipalities have faced a myriad of obstacles
and public safety has remained at the top of that list. Some of the budget
highlights relating to public safety include: ·
$4,000,000 was
allocated for municipal police staffing in cities with the highest crime
rates where violent crime have increased as police staffing has decreased. This
includes Fall River! ·
Shannon Grants, which
were increased by $750,000. They are awarded to help maintain partnerships at
the local level to address the root causes of gang violence. ·
5% funding increases
for all DA's. ·
Support for a new
state police class, which would come online in FY 2014. ·
$6.25M for Shannon
Grants. The budget also makes strides to address
homelessness and move toward a common goal to reduce reliance on the shelter
system as the primary response to housing instability. The plan focuses on
reallocating resources to other proven housing programs and reversing years
of over-reliance on hotels and motels. ·
$28.5M in new funding
for housing and housing support programs. ·
Policy changes to
direct needy families to housing supports while maintaining a strong shelter
system for those who need it. Lincoln Park’s Comet takes a final bow. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, July 29, 2012 The last vestiges of the once-popular
Lincoln Park were swept away by demolition excavators July 11th, ending the
dying rein of the last, turn-of-the-century amusement park that centerpieced the Comet, a thrilling, wooden roller
coaster. And the iconic Comet is no more.
Chris Guertin of
Fall River said he “was never a fan of the Comet.” He recalled how a single
ride he took on the wooden coaster was a shaky one. "The one time I
went, I said never again." Dartmouth’s Lincoln Park was closed in
1987, not able to compete with newer entertainment complexes such as
Disneyworld and Six Flags. The Comet, built in the early 1940s, was
responsible for one death and many injuries. It finally joined its departed
brethren from such parks as White City (Shrewsbury,) Whalom
Park, and Revere Beach. The public and the press were invited to
the final annihilation of the park’s last remaining artifact; many of those
came to share memories. A group of over 40 watched in silence when one of the
two excavators took its first bite of the Comet’s upper railing. The Comet, which stood 65 feet high, was
3000 feet long and had a top speed of 55 mph, was a shriveled corpse when the
excavators came, its bleached bones were overshadowed by taller shade trees
that overtook the deserted parkway. “My father and mother ran the concession
stands at Lincoln Park,” said businessman Charlie McConnell, who works with
his sister, Pat Brost of Westport’s Sisters of the Wool. “My brothers and
sisters all worked there. We all learned how to run small businesses from
those childhood experiences.” Developer Joseph Delgado of Midway Realty
LLC plans to build 57 single-family homes on the 42-acre site, along with
three apartment buildings featuring a total of 120 units. Plans for the
Village at Lincoln Park call for commercial space in a to-be-determined
number of buildings, according to Jay Williams, who is developing the
property with Delgado, Curtis Mello and Raymond Quintin. The area where the Comet stood will be open
space, Williams said, and developers are also planning a small park for the
property. The wooden coaster was made of Douglas fir, a strong structural timber used for its excellent nail and plate-holding ability, and enjoys a
superior performance against strong forces resulting from natural phenomena
such as winds, storms and earthquakes.
"Lincoln Park memorabilia goes for
pretty good money on EBay and it seems like it's got a pretty loyal and die
hard following. So hopefully the non-profits can make something out of
this," said Williams. Inset: Up until the late 90s, this is how the
Comet’s cars sat in the station, evidence of plain neglect. Thanks to Todd
Long for the Picture. “Many happy memories here at Lincoln Park. It's like
the end of an era. An era that will never be again," said Rita and
Kenneth Piper. The Pipers first met near the comet, 45 years ago. The tallest, fastest and second longest wooden roller
coaster in the world, the “Son of Beast,” is soon to be torn down, beginning
this year. The Mason, Ohio amusement park said that “After a
lengthy evaluation of all alternatives, Kings Island announced today the
decision has been made to remove the Son of Beast roller coaster to make room
for future park expansion. The dismantling of the ride, which last operated
in 2009, will begin later this summer.” The ride was shut down in 2009 after a woman filed a
lawsuit, claiming she was hurt on the ride. “Son of Beast” opened in 2000 and has been standing but
not operating since June of 2009. The ride was a sequel of sorts to world
renowned “The Beast,” built in 1979. “Son of Beast” set out to crush nearly
ever world record concerning wooden roller coasters, except one. As “The Beast” held the record for world’s longest
wooden roller coaster, the designers opted to keep “Son of Beast” shorter,
allowing its predecessor to remain a record-holder. “Son of Beast” was also
the first wooden coaster to include a loop, but the loop was removed
following an accident in 2006. At 218 feet, it is the world’s tallest wooden coaster.
Its top speed of 78.4 miles per hour made it the fastest wooden coaster ever
built as well. Jared Ghioto,
21, of Yarmouth said in an interview with the Hathaway
News Service that he became “fascinated by Lincoln Park long after it closed
in 1987.” “It was definitely part of America
that kind of died in this town ... and this is kind of the climax of that
today," said Ghioto. In addition to
collaborating on a film at the site when he was a teenager, Ghioto runs a Comet fan-site with Peter
Flaherty of Sandwich, featuring pictures of Lincoln Park and its history. “The park was a central part of
this area and this region back in the glory days ... and now it's being torn
down and redeveloped just like everything else is," Ghioto
said, while standing in the crowd of about 40 onlookers, workers and media.
Day before the demolition. Photo/EverythingWestport.com
Two excavators begin to salvage the metal rails and
timber from the once mighty Comet. Photo by www.LPComet.com
The day after the demolition.
Photo/EverythingWestport.com
With the razing and removal of the Comet’s corpse, the
site of the Lincoln Park is now under full development as of July 30,
2012. Photo/EverythingWestport.com Click here to view
enlarged photo. © 2012 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
