Westport
in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Tuesday,
June 04, 2013
photos/EverythingWestport.com
Quick
Article Index . . .
Westport Planning Board moves forward with community
priority areas.
Secretary Galvin presents 2013 Historic Preservation
Award to Stephen Willcock House, Westport.
Senator Rodrigues joins his colleagues yesterday in
passing the FY2014 Senate budget.
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Westport Planning Board moves
forward with community priority areas. 5-year plan will help protect Westport against unexpected development
due to proposed South Coast Rail project. State encourages 31 affected communities to
be proactive in protecting significant natural and cultural resources. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday,
June 05, 2013 The
five-member Westport Planning Board voted unanimously last night to approve a
town-wide plan to designate PDAs (priority development areas) and PPAs
(priority protection areas.)
Above: SPREDD representative Katie Goodrum (center) takes planning board members and town
residents through the maps that define the efforts of the group to firm up
priority development areas (PDAs) and priority protection areas (PPAs) that
more closely follow property boundary lines versus vaguely defined areas
first laid out in the 2008/2009 plan. Few town residents
attended the public meeting which was held to seek final input from them on
this very complex and far reaching process. “At the end of this
meeting we will vote to accept the plan developed by a joint-effort involving
SPREDD, the Westport Planning Board and a select committee appointed by the
board,” said Planning Board Chairman, Jim Whiten. “Tonight finalizes
this comprehensive exercise that updates the choices made in the 2008/2009
development plan,” Whiten said. The Planning Board and the Southeastern
Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SPREDD) held this final
public meeting at the Town Hall Annex to conclude a new 5-year plan update
developed to identify vital areas for protection against unwanted economic
development in significant natural and cultural resource areas including
endangered species habitats, areas critical to water supply, scenic vistas,
farms and historic districts. “A number of communities that have had the commuter
rail extended to their area have had development they didn’t want or
development in places where they didn’t want it.” - Sandy Conaty, SPREDD State
encourages PDA and PDF development plans citing potential state funding for
development. “This will be the current map for the next
five years. If the town decides to seek state funding for projects, the
state’s going to want to know if
they’re in a priority area,” said SPREDD representative Katie Goodrum.
“For example the Mass Works infrastructure
program application actually has a question which asks if the project you’re asking
for funding implements a priority area designation,” Conaty
said. “There will also be a screening program to
help us determine what of which of the local priority designations rise to a
regional area. These planning exercises were started as part of the rail
extension plan,” said Sandy Conaty, a comprehensive
planning manager for SRPEDD. “We’re coming to the end of the local
process (Westport is the last town to participate) - all of the local
designations for all 31 communities would be all put together on a very large
map and go through screening for us to be able to determine what of these local priority designations rise to the regional
scale. So which of these local designations offer opportunities for
development that would be on a larger scale, on a regional scale to serve a
regional purpose,” Conaty said. Areas where town representatives focused
their efforts where along Route 6 including the Westport Factory Village, the
intersection of Route 88 and Route 177 (The Crossroads), and the Route 6
Revitalization Area and the Route 6 Mixed Use District (see Figure 2.) The recently designated Science and
Technology Overlay District is now protected by town bylaw. Planning Board Chairman Jim Whiten made it
clear that the PDAs and PPFs designations are “a planning exercise. There are
no plans to change zoning in the town.” The five-year plan, according to SPREDD’s
Sandy Conaty, “encourages the identification of
areas the town wants to develop and areas the town wants to protect.” Zoning change recommendations in the future
could be proposed for acceptance at Town Meeting if the projected South Coast
Rail extensions pose a threat to Westport’s rural community, a concept
Planning Board member David Cole favors. “We need to protect our residential areas
and productive farms,” Cole said. A few residents in attendance picked at
some of the boundaries and questioned their legitimacy, but no substantial
changes were made to the new five-year plan. One planning board member discussed the
need for buffer zones to protect some residential development PDAs from the
many active It was pointed out that Westport is a
“right to farm community.” Whitin, echoed by Conaty,
said the PDA and PDF areas could easily be changed by the town in the future
should the need to arise. “There will be no ramifications and no zoning
changes to effect any five-year plan changes,” Conaty
said. Inset: SPREDD’s Comprehensive Planning Manager,
Sandy Conaty, easily fielded questions about the
plan’s process, and the need for all 31 communities to participate to effect
regional development plans in the South Coast Rail corridor. Some Massachusetts
legislators doubt the South Coast Rail will be built. To be sure, the South Coast Rail project
has its detractors, and there are real possibilities it will not be funded
under the current Devol Patrick administration, which failed to get the $1.8
billion investment capital for its education and infrastructure expansion
plans. “There is a fear that South Coast Rail will never be
built if it’s not funded,” said Kristina Egan, director of Transportation for
Massachusetts, a social advocacy group. “Whatever happens now in
transportation is going to be seen as a solution for the next decade, so it’s
very unlikely that a big funding fix will be considered in the next few
years.” Both of Westport’s legislators, State
Representative Paul Schmid and State Senator
Michael Rodrigues are confident the rail project will move forward with
terminals in New Bedford and Fall River. But according to a recent Boston Globe
story, proponents of the decades-old plan that
would connect Southeastern Massachusetts communities with Boston by commuter
rail are encouraged that the project is conversation on Beacon Hill, but
worry that if it’s not funded this year, it might never get done. A $500 million transportation bill passed
by the House in April lists South Coast Rail among the projects that should
receive funds, but no direct source was attached to it. “There is a fear that South Coast Rail will
never be built if it’s not funded,” said Kristina Egan, director of
Transportation for Massachusetts, a social advocacy group. “Whatever happens
now in transportation is going to be seen as a solution for the next decade,
so it’s very unlikely that a big funding fix will be considered in the next
few years.” Some critics have been skeptical about the
South Coast Rail because funding sources have never been identified, and a
timetable for construction has not yet been set. According to Conaty,
the need arose to protect vital lands from unforeseen development in towns
“that will either have a commuter rail station or are within a 20 minute
drive of a town that does if rail is extended through Fall River to New
Bedford.” The Westport Planning Board has used the
five-year update exercise to create a map showing that the town wants to
encourage development along Route 6 and Route 177, while avoiding development
near wetlands or the river as well as near residences, selected farmland
(farm block and scenic road PPAs,) and historic inventory.
Whitin pointed out that this preferred
development area has less of a wetlands issue than Route 6. Inset, from the left: SPREDD’s Katie Goodrum, Westport Planning Board members Bill Raus, chairman Jim Whitin, newly elected member Wayne
Sunderland, and Westport’s new Planner Jim Hartnett, When questioned from the audience, Conaty said “This is not zoning, but a planning
exercise.” The exercise, being done by the 31
Massachusetts cities and towns who will be impacted by commuter rail to Fall
River and New Bedford, produced color-shaded maps for each community,
indicating that community’s development preferences. Last night, Westport became the 31st
community to finish and adopt theirs. Click on the images below to enlarge. They
are large files so be patient.
Figure
1
Figure 2
Secretary Galvin presents 2013 Historic Preservation
Award to Stephen Willcock House, Westport. EverythingWestport.com Monday, June 3, 2013 Submitted photos Secretary of the Commonwealth William
Francis Galvin, Chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission,
announced the selection of the Stephen Willcock
House in Westport, also known as the Westport Town Farm, to receive a 2013
Massachusetts Historical Commission Historic Preservation Award. “The Massachusetts Historical Commission is
proud to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of this year’s
awardees,” said Secretary Galvin. “The projects the Commission is recognizing
this year are particularly diverse and represent the many creative ways that
significant historic resources are being preserved across the Commonwealth.
The restoration of the Stephen Willcock House has
preserved not only the building, but also the property is nearly 300 years of
associations with agricultural activity in Westport.”
The team addressed universal access with a
new, accessible route into the building including parking, entry, and a
bathroom. The south apartment of the farmhouse was adapted into office space
for The Trustees of Reservations and the Westport Conservation Land Trust,
and a 99-year lease from the town ensures that the property will no longer be
vulnerable to changes in the economy or municipal budget. The Trustees of Reservations established
public access and a trail network and opened a community garden on the
property, which has contributed hundreds of pounds of food to local food
banks since 2008. In the summer, the Conservation Youth Corps
program hires Westport youth to work the farm and engage in learning and
recreational activities.
From left: Jennifer Dubois, Land
Conservation Director, Trustees of Reservations; Brona
Simon, Executive Director Mass Historical Commission; Jim Younger, Director
of Structures and IT, The Trustees of
Reservations; Jennifer Lynch, Administrative Assistant, Westport Land
Conservation Trust. This is the 35th year of MHC’s Preservation
Awards program. Projects are considered annually for awards in the categories
of Rehabilitation and Restoration, Adaptive Reuse, Education and Outreach,
Archaeology, Stewardship, and Landscape Preservation. Individuals are
considered in the categories of Individual Lifetime Achievement and Local
Preservationist. Secretary Galvin serves as the chair of the 17-member Massachusetts
Historical Commission. Senator
Rodrigues joins his colleagues yesterday in passing the FY2014 Senate budget.
Critical aid for Massachusetts cities and
towns to increase by $5.3 million. EverythingWestport.com Monday, June 3, 2013 Letter to
the editor from Senator Michael J. Rodrigues: I joined my colleagues yesterday in passing
the FY2014 Senate budget. The Senate’s spending plan closes a $1.2
billion budget gap, while investing in essential services. The plan demonstrates
the Senate’s commitment to fiscal responsibility while meeting the needs of
citizens through restoration of vital funding to core services and increasing
support for economic and workforce development. I am very proud of the budget we passed last
night. While there are always difficult decisions to be made, this budget
makes smart investments to targeted areas that will spur economic and job
growth throughout the Commonwealth. With increased aid to cities and towns,
greater funding for human services, and an emphasis on youth programs, this
budget supports our core values and allows us to address the needs of our
citizens. The final Senate budget increases critical
aid for Massachusetts cities and towns by $5.3 million. The plan boosts
Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) funding by $21.5 million through a
transfer from a surplus from FY13. Efforts to ensure funding for programs
critical to the South Coast were largely successful. I was able to get $3
million allocated toward the fiscal stability for the town of Somerset. This
one-time reimbursement will help offset a dramatic reduction in property tax
revenue caused by the closure of Montaup and
reduced capacity of Brayton Point. Looking forward, I have co-sponsored a
bipartisan amendment which provides $100,000 to conduct site assessments of
coal-fired electric generation power plants so that host communities can
better plan for the inevitable decommissioning of these plants. I was also integral in getting funding for
important public safety programs. I worked to successfully amend the budget
to include an additional $4 million in direct funding for municipal police
staffing grants, which has supported the hiring of new police officers in
communities like Fall River, Lawrence, and other communities dealing with
violent crime. This budget allocated $7 million in funding for Shannon
Grants, which provide support to communities hardest hit by gang crime and
violence and provided $4 million toward the Safe and Successful Youth
Initiative. Both of these programs are vital for the City of Fall River in
reducing crimes and improving public safety. Additionally, my colleagues and
I were successful in providing $200,000 for the Children’s Advocacy Center of
Bristol County, which provides vital services to child victims of abuse. The Senate budget was not solely a success
in its funding of vital services, but also its dedication to improving
governance. An amendment to reform sex offender registry laws was passed
unanimously. The proposal strengthens the procedures for classifying
convicted sex offenders and ensures that the Sex Offender Registry Board has
the information it needs to protect our children and communities. The spending plan also included $11.5
million for the child care salary reserve, increasing the reimbursement rates
for state-subsidized childcare providers; and another $11.5 million for the
human service salary reserve for underpaid direct care personnel, including
highly qualified social workers, speech therapists, and clinicians, who
provide services and support to our most vulnerable residents. The Senate budget also promotes targeted
investments in the area of health and human services by funding sustainable
programs that provide long term solutions. The proposal maintains $11.3
million in new funding for Elder Affairs programs and funds councils on aging
at the highest level of state support ever. The Senate’s plan will eliminate
existing wait lists for home care services and will increase funding for
Foster Care and Adopted Fee Waivers to ensure that the Commonwealth fully
reimburses institutions for the tuition and fees for children in foster care
or who are adopted regardless of family circumstance and adds $1 million for
the Turning 22 program that funds the first-year of services for individuals
with intellectual disabilities transitioning out of special education into
adult services. The Senate’s budget for FY14 prioritizes
resources for vital programs that help people, families, and communities,
including significant increases for mental health services and for
sustainable housing. Although Massachusetts continues to recover from
the recession at a rate faster than most states, many programs that offer key
services still have not seen funding levels restored to before the economic
downturn. This budget targets many of those investments key to
continuing the state’s recovery and confronts remaining challenges. © 2013 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
