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EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Quick Article Index . . .
Shuttered.
State Road smoke shop ordered to close for 60 days.
Westport Board of Health Notes
– July 2019
School design
committee meets with new construction managers.
Narrows Center for
the Arts Schedule of Events for August 2019
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State Road smoke shop ordered to close for
60 days. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, July 24, 2019 Photos | EverythingWestport.com
WESTPORT – State Road smoke shop ordered to close for 60 days. On a 2-0 vote with one abstention, the Board of Health after a 2 ½
hour evidentiary hearing ordered the suspension of Cedars Smoke ‘n Vape Shop
license to sell tobacco and nicotine-based products for 60 days because of
proof of underage sales at the State Road business location. A suspension requires the store to remove all such products from their
shelfs. Owner Walid T. Assi
opted to close the store rather than clear the premises of nicotine-based
products.
Multiple sting operations by a state tobacco control official and
local Westport police uncovered illegal sales of nicotine-based products to
persons as young as 12. The trial-like atmosphere at the hearing was punctuated with strong
objections by attorneys representing Walid T. Assi when former director Marilyn Edge of Tobacco Control
of Western Bristol County and Foxboro, and Westport School Resource Officer
Kyle Fernandes gave testimony of their using
confidential informants in compliance checks that revealed underage sales. Attorneys questioned whether the informants were thoroughly checked
for tobacco and vape products on their persons before entering the store, and
if the informants were properly educated and vetted, and how they were
compensated. Attorney Corey also objected to subtle hearsay evidence, but BOH Chairman Phil Weinberg reminded the attorneys “this
was a hearing for discovery, not a criminal trial.”
Officer Fernandes was alerted to the problem
when school’s students told him seniors were buying vapes and smokes from
cedars and reselling them to underage classmates at sometimes twice the cost. Inset:
Former director Marilyn Edge of Tobacco Control of Western Bristol County and
Foxboro gave testimony of using paid, 18-year-old confidential informants to
conduct compliance tests. The store was
also cited twice by FDA for violations of underage sales. Health board member Tanja Ryden upon advice
from Town Counsel recused herself from voting when she asked to be sworn in
to testify. Westport attorney Brian Corey objected to a Ryden’s
possible bias and demanded she disqualify herself from participating in the
vote for a 60-day suspension. Assi, a Fall River resident, was represented
by Attorney Corey and Fall River attorney William Flanagan.
The health board briefly considered permanently revoking the store’s
license, but BOH member Maury May was reluctant to
shutter a local business, opting instead to recommend a stiff 60-day
suspension with fines. Massachusetts state law now allows in-state residents who turned 18 on
or before December 31, 2018 to legally purchase nicotine-based products. But
towns have to adopt that provision, something Westport and most Massachusetts
towns have not done. According to Marilyn Edge, Somerset, Berkley and
Lakeville have adopted the new state regulation. Also, in an adult-only smoke and vape shop no one under the age of 21
can enter, or work or purchase nicotine-based products. It is not illegal for an individual of any age to purchase or use
nicotine-based products in Massachusetts; it is only illegal for stores to
sell the products to underage purchasers.
Above: Westport School Resource Officer Kyle Fernandes gave testimony of his using confidential
informants in compliance checks that resulted in underage purchases without
an identification check. Westport Board of Health Notes –
July 2019 EverythingWestport.com Thursday, July 25, 2019 Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport
Board of Health (BOH). The goal is to share
information with our community about local issues and projects, public health
alerts, and even fun facts about the A to Z scope of responsibility that
local boards of health manage.
Enhanced nitrogen removal systems prevent nitrogen contamination of
drinking water supplies, ponds and the Westport River. A Betterment Agreement
between the Town and an eligible homeowner may be used for all costs
necessary to repair or replace a failed septic system including engineering,
soil testing, permit and administrative fees, and construction. Homeowners
obtain the estimates and choose the contractors. The normal BOH review and permitting process is still required.
There is no credit check needed, but all municipal accounts (real estate
taxes, water bill, etc.) must be paid and up to date to be eligible for a
loan. The homeowner pays back the loan in the form of a betterment placed as
an additional line item on the real estate tax bill twice a year over a
20-year period. To start the application process or answer any questions, please
contact the Program Administrator, Nelia Williams
at williamsn@westport-ma.gov
or call 508.636.1035. The Community Septic Management Program is funded
through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Fund. Separately,
the state provides a tax credit of up to $6,000 over four years to defray the
cost of septic repairs to a primary residence. The credit cannot exceed
$1,500 in any year and may be spread out over four years. The tax credit is
limited to work done on a primary residence only. Tax Form Schedule SC is the
correct form for the tax credits. The credit is reduced if the homeowner
takes advantage of a community septic loan. On another front, as of May 1, 2019 the BOH
also is implementing a longstanding state Department of Environmental
Protection policy of “maximum feasible compliance” that applies to septic
repairs and upgrades on those properties in Westport that are subject to
nitrogen loading limitations. In order to protect drinking water systems, the
Board normally requires enhanced nitrogen removal septic systems and/or deed
restrictions on the number of bedrooms allowed on undersized lots. Standard
Title 5 septic systems are not designed to remove nitrogen compounds
contained in human sewage. The raw effluent in your septic system is
estimated to contain 38 to 70 parts per million (ppm), while the safe
drinking water standard is 10 ppm. So if your (or a neighbor’s) well is close
to the leach field or cesspool, there is an increased risk of waste nitro-gen
from the septage that leaches into the groundwater
being drawn up into your drinking water well. Copies of the policy are
available in the BOH office. Homeowners affected by
this policy may be eligible for the low interest loans described above. If you have questions you’d like answered or suggestions for future topics, please email the BOH at health@westport-ma.gov. Finally, one quick correction to June’s column: In Westport burial
permits are actually issued by the Town Clerk, not the Board of Health.
Above: The Middle/ High School façade has been
institutionalized by the architect to save $1.2 million. School design committee meets with
new construction managers. Full steam ahead as the school
steering committee puts the joint venture of the Agostini
– Bacon Construction team to work. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, July 27, 2019 Photos |
EverythingWestport.com
Special to EverythingWestport.com The Westport School Building Committee’s design subcommittee met with
the town’s newly-hired construction management team for the first time on
July 22, and put their new employees right to work. The building committee voted to hire the company and pay a
pre-construction fee of almost $96,000. The district needs the construction price to come in under $75 million
to stay within the allotted $97 million that both town meeting and town
election approved in early 2018. The new building will feature grades 5 through 12 and will be situated
at the site of the former middle school on Old County Road. Earlier this
year, the contaminated middle school was demolished and removed. The project
was approved in 2015 by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, making
approximately 40 percent of all costs reimbursable. The subcommittee charged with making recommendations for cost-cutting
options for the planned co-located junior/senior high school on Old County
Road handed the team from the Agostini – Bacon
Construction joint venture the revised 90 percent complete plans for the new
school, and asked them to review the site and building plans in detail.
Inset:
The SBC steering committee (left) meets with the joint venture of Agostini – Bacon Construction team (right). Subcommittee member Jeffrey Wade said the number of cuts and changes
made “may have been more than we needed to make the budget” match the next
round of bids. “Some of the things we cut, we didn’t want to
take away,” and the construction managers may recommend that
they not be implemented. If some elements of the original plans need to be restored, that
should be done, he suggested. The end result, he stressed, is “we want the
best school that we can get, for the money we promised it would be.” The experts from Agostini – Bacon joint
venture will study the 90 percent plans and
tell the volunteer committee whether the recommended cuts will produce the
savings expected, and whether there are some suggested changes in plans that shouldn’t
be made because they might impact the building’s life span or long-term
maintenance costs. “Some of the things we cut, we didn’t want to take away. The
construction managers may recommend that they not be implemented. If some elements of the original plans need to be restored, that
should be done. We want the best
school that we can get, for the money we promised it would be.” – School Committee member Jeff Wade And, design subcommittee member and Town Planner James Hartnett
suggested to the management consultants, “If you see other areas we can save
some money, let us know.” One of the new management team did that immediately, noting that
changing the veneers for most interior doors to a slightly lower grade of wood
would save thousands of dollars, and be just as durable as the more expensive
grade called for in the building specs. “I feel confident that they are going
to build a school for the cost and I don’t think we will have to skimp on the
quality.” - SBC Steering
Committee Chairman Tony Viveiros. The subcommittee will have a better handle on projected costs on
August 2nd, when independent estimates of real costs based on the
specifications will be delivered by Agostini and
another firm. The two estimates will then be “reconciled” into a final best
estimate of construction bids that should be received, and consensus reached
on finalized plans for the building and site. The new estimates will be reviewed by the full School Building
Committee on August 8th, which will make its suggestions for final changes in
specifications to be supplied to selectmen, the school committee, and the
town’s financial partner, the Mass. School Building Authority. Initial changes to the building specs included things like eliminating
custom millwork, using special glass and glazing specs, and the custom
fabrication of components for the pre-manufactured gymnasium space. The
design subcommittee also recommended a slight reduction in the size of the
oversized gym, but kept a promised indoor walking track in the plans because
of past promises to voters supporting funding for the new school. In 2018 both the annual town meeting and town election approved $97
million in 2018, and to meet that budget the construction costs need to stay
under $75 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)
authorized the project in 2015 and agreed to pay 40% of the reimbursable
costs. Athletic fields, relocation of the tennis courts and some other site
costs are not reimbursable by the state authority. The new building will feature grades 5 through 12 and will be situated
at the site of the former middle school on Old County Road. Earlier this
year, the contaminated middle school was demolished and removed. The project
was approved in 2015 by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, making
approximately 40 percent of all costs reimbursable.
Above: Projected levels of activity by the CM
to get to the PreConstruction period schedule for
October 15, 2019. Narrows Center for the Arts Schedule of Events for August 2019 EverythingWestport.com Sunday, July 28, 2019 FALL RIVER, July 28, 2019 - The Narrows Center offers another great
roster of events during the month of August. For a full list, visit their website at www.narrowscenter.org.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and shows start at 8:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Sat, Aug 3. The Conjuring – Mysterious Items of the Occult.
This special event will be hosted by Tony Spera,
Director of the New England Society for Psychic Research and son-in-law of
paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren. Are you a fan of "The
Conjuring" and "Annabelle" films? Are you interested in the
mysterious and sometimes terrifying realm of the supernatural that inspired
these films? Do you want to know more about the case files of famed
paranormal researchers Ed & Lorraine Warren? If you answered yes to any
of these questions, then join us at the Narrows on August 3rd for an event
like no other. $15 Advance. $20 Day of Show. Wed, Aug 7. Shawn Colvin. Singer, songwriter and author
Shawn Colvin won her first GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album with
her debut album, "Steady On." She has been a mainstay of the
singer-songwriter genre ever since, releasing twelve superlative albums and
establishing herself as one of America's greatest live performers. She
triumphed at the 1998 GRAMMY Awards, winning both Record and Song of the Year
for the Top 10 hit "Sunny Came Home," from the platinum-selling
album "A Few Small Repairs." $55 Advance. $60 Day of Show.
$135 VIP Package. Thurs, Aug 8 & Fri, Aug 9*. Tab Benoit. You've tried the
rest, now try the best! Tab Benoit's amazing new "Medicine," 100%
pure musical snake-oil. A melodic potion that provides immediate and
satisfying relief for all aches and pain. Benoit's "Medicine" is a
guaranteed cure for heartache. It's the genuine article this Medicine is for
whatever ails you. Advance $42. Day of Show $47. *Friday, August 9 is sold
out. Wed, Aug 14. Robert Earl Keen. "The road goes on
forever..." It's not always easy to sum up a career -- let alone a
life's ambition -- so succinctly, but those five words from Robert Earl
Keen's calling-card anthem just about do it. Some people take up a life of
playing music with the goal of someday reaching a destination of fame and
fortune; but from the get-go, Keen just wanted to write and sing his own
songs, and to keep writing and singing them for as long as possible. Rolling
Stone has dubbed Keen "a country and Americana cult hero." $62
Advance. $67 Day of Show. Thurs, Aug 15. 6th Annual Comedy Night ft. Jimmy Dunn. The
Angie Dolan Memorial Foundation brings back their Comedy Night fundraiser for
the sixth year in a row! This year's entertainment features Bostonian Jimmy
Dunn, an actor and comedian most recognized from the CBS sitcom, The McCarthys, where he co-starred as Sean McCarthy. Proceeds
will benefit the Angie Dolan Memorial Foundation. $50 Tickets Fri, Aug 16. Walter Trout. No ordinary artist. No
ordinary covers album. From the day he conceived the project to the moment he
counted off the first song in the studio, Walter Trout had a bolder plan for Survivor
Blues. "I'm riding in my car sometimes," says the US blues
titan. "I've got a blues station on – and here's another band doing 'Got
My Mojo Workin.'" And there’s a little voice
in me that says, 'Does the world need another version of that song?' I didn’t
want to do "Stormy Monday" or "Messin'
With The Kid." I didn’t want to do the blues greatest hits. I wanted to
do old, obscure songs that have hardly been covered. And that's how Survivor
Blues started…" $32 Advance. $37 Day of Show.
Thurs, Aug 22. Blue Öyster Cult. For
over four decades, BÖC has been thrilling fans of
intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic
songs. Indeed, the Long Island, New York-based band is revered within the
hard rock and heavy metal scene for its pioneering work. The band has been
praised for its catchy-yet-heavy music and lyrics that could be provocative,
terrifying, funny or ambiguous, often all in the same song. BÖC's canon includes the stone-cold classic songs that
will waft through the cosmos long after the sun has burned out: The truly
haunting "(Don't Fear) The Reaper, the pummeling "Godzilla,"
and the hypnotically melodic "Burnin' for
You." $70 Advance. $75 Day of Show. Fri, Aug 23. The Who's
"Tommy" – The 50th Anniversary Concert. This special
event features The Collective, a Berkshires-based rock and stage ensemble
including Bo Diddley alum and Entrain founder Tom
Major on power drums, as well as Broadway, Joe Jackson, Beatlemania alum Tom Teeley, bringing to life the iconic Rock Opera with a
blend on the incendiary 1969 era live Who performances, alongside all the
nuance and instrumentation of the original recording. $27 Advance. $30 Day
of Show. Tue, Aug 27. The Zombies with Special Guest Ninet
Tayeb. After a sold out show in 2014
at the Narrows, iconic British psychedelic rock legends The Zombies return to
celebrate their long-awaited induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Zombies scored U.S. hits in the mid- and late-1960s
with "Time of the Season," "She's Not There,"
and "Tell Her No." The band's live performances are
described by Rolling Stone as "absolutely triumphant." $65
Advance. $70 Day of Show.
For more information on these upcoming events, contact Meaghan Corse at
508.324.1926 or email boxoffice@narrowscenter.org. - - - - - End - - - - - ©
2019 Community Events of Westport
All rights reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
