Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Photos | EverythingWestport.com except as noted
Helen E. Ellis Grant 2017 Period Begins.
|
Helen E. Ellis Grant 2017
Period Begins. 2017
marks the 25th Anniversary of the Helen E. Ellis Trust Grant. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, January 21, 2017 The Westport Cultural Council is pleased to announce the opening of the
Helen E. Ellis Trust grant application period. Application forms are available online beginning February 1, 2017 at www.westportculturalcouncil.org,
the Westport Free Public Library and the Westport Town Clerk’s Office. Completed applications are due March 17, 2017.
WCC will
host an Information Session at the Westport Town Library on Saturday,
February 11, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The
public is invited to this event to meet Helen E. Ellis grant recipients, learn
about their work, and enjoy refreshments.
Council members will be available to answer questions. Helen E. Ellis (1889-1987) was a sculptor and Westport resident for over
50 years. Dedicated to arts and
culture, she was elected to the National Association of Women Artists and
Sculptors. During her life Ms. Ellis
cultivated community-wide interests and encouraged others to develop their
creative talents.
The Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust was created in her memory to fund
the Westport community’s enjoyment and personal growth through creative activities. The original and nine copies of a completed grant application must
be mailed or hand-delivered. Mailed
applications should be postmarked by March 17, 2017 and sent to the Westport
Cultural Council, P.O. Box 4089, Westport, MA 02790. Hand-delivered applications should be
brought to either the Westport Town Hall or the Westport Free Public Library
by 4:00 p.m. on March 17, 2016. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. WCC meets
on the first Wednesday of each month at the Westport Town Hall Annex. Please contact the Chairperson if you would
like to be on the agenda. For updated
priorities of the Westport Cultural Council, please visit www.westportculturalcouncil.org,
and click on Grants and Frequently
Asked Questions. Moving away from traditional medical care
facilities, ambulatory care and ambulatory surgical centers are popping up in
strip malls all across America. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, January 22, 2017 Urgent care goes retail. Moving away from
traditional medical care facilities, ambulatory care and ambulatory surgical
centers are popping up in strip malls all across America. And Southcoast Health
has followed suit, opening its third Urgent Care center at 435 State Road in
Dartmouth, next to the new Hannoush Jewelers, behind Starbucks.
Opening is scheduled for January 31st. Originally stablished in the 1970s, off-site ambulatory facilities have grown to
approximately 10,000 centers nationwide, and growing. Urgent care centers were introduced as an
alternative to expensive hospital visits and overcrowded emergency rooms. Urgent care is focused on the delivery of
ambulatory (walk-in vs. ambulance delivery) care in a dedicated medical
facility outside of a traditional emergency room environment primarily to treat
injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to
require an ER visit. In a graying America struggling with Obamacare,
this trend will continue to expand as retail locations offer a less expensive
alternative than building a costly, dedicated facility. In Westport there are now more residents over
the age of 50 then there are under 19; the baby
boomers have come of age.
Above: Southcoast Health’s
new Urgent Care Center in the Hannoush Place strip
mall, 435 State Road, across from the Dartmouth
Mall. Photo | EverythingWestport.com According to Southcoast
Health, “For quick, convenient medical care close to home, Southcoast Health Urgent Care Centers have exactly
what you and your family need to feel better fast. They are your resource for
immediate, non-emergency care, including treatment for illnesses, minor
injuries and more. Our urgent care team is led by board-certified physicians
who oversee your care and deliver the best treatment for your specific
medical needs.” No appointment necessary. But to better coordinate a visit, Southcoast Health's new location will have an online
check-in system. Patients can go to https://www.southcoast.org/urgentcare
to find out approximate wait times, and check-in online. And, they will offer a variety of urgent care services including the
treatment of the following minor injuries and illnesses: colds, infections and flu symptoms; sore
throat, earaches and sinus infections; bruises, fractures and sprains; skin conditions;
burns; animal bites; lacerations; contusions; urinary tract infections; and minor
eye injuries. Their urgent care also includes the use of the following on-site
medical services: X-rays; laboratory services; orthopedic care; gynecologic
care; minor surgical evaluation and treatments; intravenous fluids; antibiotics;
and TB Testing. The Southcoast
Health Urgent Care Center in Dartmouth will be open to the public, and you do
not need to have a Southcoast Physicians Network
doctor to visit their urgent care clinic. Massachusetts patients could soon have more surgery options outside of
traditional hospitals. Under a set of new state medical regulations
approved January 11th, existing freestanding ambulatory surgery centers will
be allowed to apply for permission to expand or offer new lines of patient
service without being affiliated with an acute care hospital. According to the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health, the new regulations lift a 20-year
moratorium on new outpatient surgical capacity, hopefully leading to easier
access for patients and lower costs. Independent ambulatory surgery centers perform
outpatient surgeries, providing an alternative to hospital care. Types of
procedures typically offered in ambulatory settings include cataract surgery,
joint surgeries, colonoscopies, biopsies, orthopedic procedures and
diagnostic care. CRE-HAB
program offers grants for home repairs WESTPORT – The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund is accepting
applications from Westport homeowners for a new housing rehabilitation
program, called CRE-HAB. A public information
session explaining the program’s guidelines will be held in early February. The Trust has nearly $190,000 in funds recovered from repayment of
loans generated through the town’s former Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing rehab program to finance grant awards of up
to $25,000 to help owners of properties assessed up to $250,000 to repair and
rehabilitate qualifying existing homes in Westport. The town’s former CDBG housing rehab programs
have helped more than 40 property owners make needed repairs to their homes
in Westport, and most of those housing units are still included on the town's
Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). As the participating housing units are
sold, the town's SHI percentage decreases, so the reinstatement of the
program is among the Trust's strategies to maintain and increase the town's
SHI numbers to meet the state mandate that 10 percent of every community's
housing inventory should be affordable. Like the old rehab program, the new CRE-HAB
grant program is designed to provide direct financial assistance to low and
moderate income households in Westport in order to improve general housing
conditions and eliminate building code violations. The financial assistance (up to $25,000 per unit) will be given in exchange
for a 15-year affordable housing deed restriction on the property. The deed
restriction requires that upon any resale during the 15-year restriction
period, the home must be conveyed to an income and asset eligible household
through an affirmative fair marketing, non-discriminatory process according
to Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
guidelines. In addition to the grants, the Trust is also reimbursing successful
applicants up to $500 toward initial home inspections or other inspections
that may be required for homes taking part in the program. Any newly
restricted housing units would be counted on the town's Subsidized Housing
Inventory (SHI) for the 15-year life of the restriction. The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund has CRE-HAB
information and application packages on the CRE-HAB
program available in the information rack on the second floor of Westport
Town Hall, 816 Main Road; at the Westport Free Public Library, 408 Old County
Road. For more information on the program, contact Housing Specialist Leonardi Aray via e-mail to: Leonardi@larayarchitects.com, or by calling (617) 270-3912.
The Westport Affordable Trust Fund’s housing assistance office in Town Hall
is open Wednesdays from 10-4, and can be reached by e-mail to WestportHousing@outlook.com or calling (774) 264-5126. Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund Housing Opportunity Purchase Program APPLICATIONS DUE BY MARCH 7, 2017 WESTPORT – The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund is currently
accepting applications for another grant through the Housing Opportunity
Purchase Program (HOPP). In this funding round, the
Trust will offer a grant of up to $125,000 to an income and asset qualified
household for the purpose of “buying down” the selling price of a two or
three bedroom existing market rate house in Westport. In addition, the
program will reimburse each buyer up to $1,000 toward initial home
inspections and any additional inspections required under this program. To qualify for the HOPP program, households
must be eligible under the Department of Housing and Community Development
Local Initiative Program Guidelines as summarized below. To be eligible, the
combined gross annual income for all household members, from all sources in
the household must be at or below 80% of the Providence-Fall River Metro Area
Median Income (AMI) as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD). The homes purchased through this program will be subject to a deed
rider that will permanently restrict the value of the home and will require
that upon resale, the home be conveyed to an income and asset eligible
household through an affirmative fair marketing/non-discriminatory process
according to DHCD guidelines. The unit will be
eligible for inclusion on the town’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) list.
One qualified applicant will be eligible for the grant funds. Eligible
participants must be approved by the state Department of Housing and
Community Development and get financing pre-approval from a qualified lender.
Buyers should be aware that sellers must be willing to work with potential
purchasers and the DHCD to complete the process
required to complete such subsidized sales. A public information session outlining the program and application
process will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 9 at the Macomber
School, Gifford Road, Westport. Application
packages are available in the information rack on the second floor of Town
Hall, 816 Main Street, Westport, and at the Westport Free Public Library, 408
Old County Road, Westport. The information and application package is also
available online (http://www.westport-ma.com/affordable-housing-trust-fund) or can be requested by e-mail to WestportHousing@outlook.com, by
calling 774-264-5126; or by calling Housing Specialist Leonardi
Aray at (617) 270-3912, or e-mail to Leonardi@lararyarchitects.com.
The deadline for filing applications is 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. © 2017 Community Events of
Westport. All rights reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
