Westport in Brief!

EverythingWestport.com

Thursday, March 21, 2013

photos/EverythingWestport.com

 

Quick Article Index . . .

 

Westport seniors meet the candidates.

 

Westport Free Public Library schedules host of events for National Library Week - April 16th through the 20th.

 

Westport HOPP program can provide up to $80,000 for a first time home buyer.

 

Westport seniors meet the candidates. 

EverythingWestport.com

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Photos/EverythingWestport.com

 

Click here for video of School Committee candidates’ opening remarks at the Westport Senior Center.

 

“Abandon the Middle School; expand the High School,” echoed School Committee candidates at Wednesday’s Meet and Greet the Candidates Forum sponsored by Westport’s Council on Aging.

 

Westport seniors attending a monthly soup and sandwich luncheon at the Senior Center got up close and personal with many of the candidates running for office in the upcoming April 9th election.

 

The forum was headlined by a very strong field running for two spots on the School Committee.

 

 

School Committee candidates.

School Committee Chairwoman Michelle Duarte, who is seeking her first full term after being appointed to a vacant seat in October, 2010 and winning election for that unexpired term in April 2011, spoke of her record of dealing with the issues challenging the school district.

 

Duarte will face stiff competition from two very-qualified aspirants for her job and that of current School Committee member Eric Larrivee who chose not to run for reelection.

 

Michelle Duarte is running on her record. Reading from a prepared statement Duarte said, “I am running for reelection because I want to make a difference. I am running to create a school system for School Committee that will provide all of our students with the resources and education to allow all students success, so that they may lead us into the future.”

 

“We have been faced with many challenges over the last few years,” Duarte said. “Only two short months after my election we learned of the PCB problem at the Middle School.”

 

That issue looms large, and has dogged Duarte and the School Committee to this very day. PCB contamination is a major issue both for budgeting and student safety.

 

“With sound fiscal management we have been able to decrease class sizes. We have added much needed technology giving our students the tools necessary to become college and career ready,” Duarte said.

 

    

Above, left: Michelle Duarte.  Center: Melissa Pacheco.  Right:  Nancy Pacheco.

 

Melissa Pacheco, candidate for School Committee said, “I am here today because of all of my many life experiences, both personal and professional.”

 

Pacheco believes in the accountability of the School Committee, and believes in a goal-oriented approach to manage school-based criteria and policies.

 

“As a School Committee we must have a clear vision and detailed goals for our schools, including administration and the committee itself.”

 

“The board must be responsive to the community it serves,” Pacheco said.

 

“Today I think it’s imperative that our students be educated so that they can seek additional education whether it be technical or at a university setting.”

 

Pacheco added that “Most people in town understand that budget is an important aspect of our schools and funding is very limited.”

 

“I believe we need a transparent budget that everyone understands and relate to,” Pacheco said. “We must seek to utilize all funding options and resources that are available to us.”

 

“I believe that my experience in project management, proposal development, report writing and negotiations provide a background that will prove to be an asset.”

 

Candidate for school board, Nancy Rioux, an educational psychologist in the New Bedford school system, said all students are diverse students.

 

“All children learn differently, and whether they require traditional structured or specialized instruction, I support the philosophy that every child has the capacity to learn,” Rioux said.

 

“I’m running for School Committee because I genuinely have a passion and a deep commitment to make sure that all students are able to reach their full and individual potential, and I want to make sure that they are given every opportunity to do so.”

 

“With consideration of all aspects, that the Westport school system can actually exceed its own expectations in meeting a quality education while still remaining fiscally sound,” Rioux added.

 

Abandon the Middle School.

“Abandon the Middle School; expand the High School,” echoed all the School Committee candidates when asked which of five options, discussed in the past by the School Superintendent and School Committee, would be their first choice in resolving the Middle School PCB issue:.

 

·         Abandon the Middle School and put up a new building.

·         Abandon the Middle School, Macomber Elementary and the High School. Build a new junior/senior high and expand the Westport Elementary.

·         Abandon the Middle School and build an addition to the High School to include the 6th through 8th grades. Expand and renovate Macomber and Westport Elementary schools. Turn the Middle School over to the town.

·         Renovate the Middle School and the High School.

·         Continue to monitor PCB levels at the Middle School and remediate as necessary.

Many of the uncontested candidates also made an appearance at the forum.

 

Candidates in contested elections were given three minutes for opening remarks, and then responded to previously submitted questions from the audience; each candidate was give two minutes for their answer.

 

There was limited debate by the audience regarding the Highway Surveyor question.

 

Write-in campaigns promise to dominate April 9th election.

Two surprising announcements for write-in campaigns were announced. Former Planning Board member Wayne Sunderland and current School Committee member Michael P. Sullivan announced their intentions for write-in campaigns for the Planning Board; Sunderland for the vacant five-year slot, and Sullivan to contest current Planning Board member David Cole who was recently appointed to the position vacated by John Montano, and is now running for the 3-year unexpired seat.

 

Sunderland yielded to friends and community members pressuring him to run for the position.

 

Sullivan set the campaign tone for the by challenging Cole, saying if he so interested in serving on the Planning Board why didn’t he run for the 5-five-year seat.

 

Sullivan had originally pulled nomination papers for the seat, but failed to return them to Board of Registrars before the deadline.   

 

Acting COA Director Jennifer Wagner said an extra van driver will be available to transport seniors and disabled voters to the polls.

School Committee member Michael P. Sullivan unexpectedly announced his write-in candidacy for the 3-year Planning Board slot, sparking a mild skirmish with opponent David Cole.

 

 

 

Westport Free Public Library schedules host of events for National Library Week - April 16th through the 20th.

EverythingWestport.com

Friday, March 22, 2013

 

This is also school vacation week, so remember that the Library has Museum discounted entry fee passes which can be reserved in advance for 

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Science Museum, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

DVDs and books for all ages.

 

The Friends of Westport Library are enhancing the offerings for the week:

·         In addition to the permanent shelves of Bookstore in the Library, there will be more tables of books in the entryway including a ‘mysteries’ section, an often requested idea. Books are still $1.50 - $2.00.

·         FOWL members will be on hand for a few hours each day to chat with patrons and sign up new members.

·         Copies of Volume 1 of newsletter “@theLibrary,” a new joint venture of the Library and FOWL.

·         Thursday, April 18th at 7 p.m. - “A Celebration of Books.”  Barry Press, Director of Living Literature RI, and Anne Scurria, popular actress with Trinity Rep Theatre, will present dramatized readings observing the various roles books play in our lives. Featured authors are Ray Bradbury, David Eggars, Annie Lamott, Grace Paley, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

One quote from Annie Lamott – “Reading and books are medicine.” This is a short, charming program (about 40 minutes with Q&A) that will lift your mood. All are welcome, and there is no admission charge. 

 

Westport Public Library, 408 Old County Road, Westport. For more information please call the Library during normal working hours at 508.636.1100.

 

 

 

Westport HOPP program can provide up to $80,000 for a first time home buyer.

The application deadline for the program is Tuesday, May 28th by 3:00 p.m.

EverythingWestport.com

Sunday, March 24, 2013

 

Click here to print the Housing Opportunity Purchase Program information and application. PDF

 

Westport’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund is seeking first-time homebuyers to increase the town’s percentage of affordable housing through an innovative initiative called the Housing Opportunity Purchase Program.

 

The program, funded through state grants to the town’s Community Preservation Committee, can provide up to $80,000 for a first-time home buyer. Currently there is enough state funding to assist as many as three first-time Westport homebuyers.

 

“This is an opportunity for first-time homebuyers,” according to Elaine Ostroff, a member of the Westport Affordable Housing Trust said. “But you have to be eligible to obtain the assistance.”

 

Applicants have to be prepared to do all the leg-work themselves, according to Ostroff.

 

 

In an effort to address the increasing lack of availability of affordable housing in Massachusetts, a law was passed nearly 40 years ago to promote the construction of affordable housing throughout Massachusetts. This law, Chapter 40B of the Massachusetts General Laws, allows local zoning boards to apply more flexible rules to the new construction so long as 20-25% or more of the housing units being built are designated as affordable, and remain affordable, for the long term. The goal is to have 10% or more of a city or town's housing inventory as affordable.

Under Chapter 40B many affordable housing projects have been built which would not have been able to have been built under the traditional zoning rules. The affordable housing units which have been built include elderly-housing, single-family subdivisions which include affordable housing units, multi-family housing units and condominium units.

 

 

An informational session for those interested in the program will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, at the Macomber Primary School, 155 Gifford Road, Westport.

 

The program helps first-time income-eligible homebuyers “close the gap” between the money they have to buy a house and the money they need to buy a house.

 

An informational session for those interested in the program will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, at the Macomber Primary School, 155 Gifford Road, Westport.

 

The program is driven by state-mandates that require Westport reach 10 percent of all housing to be deemed as affordable. Westport is currently well below that percentage.

 

The HOPP program will also reimburse qualified buyers for up to $1,000 in home inspection costs.

 

Ostroff added that houses purchased with financing from the program will be deed-restricted as affordable housing.

 

Income eligibility ranges from $40,250 for a single-person to $66,700 in yearly income for a family of six. Maximum household assets are limited to $75,000.

 

The application deadline for the program is Tuesday, May 28th by 3:00 p.m.

 

An informational session for those interested in the program will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, at the Macomber Primary School, 155 Gifford Road, Westport.

 

Applications and information are available at the Westport Town Hall, 816 Main Road, and the Westport Public Library, 408 Old County Road.

 

Click here to print the Housing Opportunity Purchase Program information and application. PDF

 

 

 

 

© 2013 Community Events of Westport.  All rights reserved.

EverythingWestport.com