Recycling holy images

The driver, Dennis, wasn't that sure about throwing Mary and Jesus into the truck but hey, they were out there with the recycling and I persuaded him to let me snap a photo.

My neighbor Harold put them atop the bins, by the way. They were previously on the ground, behind the bins.

Is there an accepted method for disposing of plastic renditions of the holy family?

Plot #12 is available

As you may know, my friend Elizabeth Rose and I are sharing a garden plot in the Eden Collaborative Gardens behind the First Parish Church, Newbury.

Erin Stack, who is running the whole thing, has notified us that a garden plot has become available.

If you're interested, please email Erin at erinstack@comcast.net.

It's fun! Except for the lost lettuce plants.

Damn bunnies.

More turbine talk

I hope you all are keeping up with Mary Baker Eaton's blog, The Newburyport Blog. She's kind of taken up where I left off, with "As the Turbine Turns."

Only she's a lot more forest and trees, with references to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Costa Rica ... good stuff.

I particularly enjoyed the video featuring Jay Leno - I would link to it but my browser is taking forever to load her blog.

Ignore the man behind the curtain ... (?)

I got a forwarded email just now that heralds the demise of the small and/or organic farm - or does it?

Read this, from the blog overlawed.com. Here's the beginning of it:

The panics over salmonella, E. Coli and unsafe foodstuffs from China have heightened the prospects that Congress will enact a measure known as H.R. 875, the “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″. Should the measure in its current form become law, “food establishments”, which to quote Patrick at Popehat “means anyone selling or storing food of any type for transmission to third parties via the act of commerce”*, will have to register with a new federal regulatory agency, submit to federal inspections, and, perhaps most significant, keep “copious records of sales and shipment by lot and label”. Penalties for infractions will be very, very steep.

Under H.R. 875, apparently, all participants in farmers’ markets will be forced to register or the market will be shut down as an illegal operation. Failure to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 could result in a fine of up to $1,000,000 per violation.

Here's the definition of "food establishment" directly from the proposed act:

(A) IN GENERAL- The term ‘food establishment’ means a slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.

The bill was introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) - and since late last fall, she has been vilified across the Internet. If you dig deep enough, though, you find her side of things (per the Huffington Post, via Sott.net):

"The intent of the bill is to focus on the large, industrial processes such as the peanut processing plant in Georgia that was responsible for the salmonella outbreak that killed nine people," she says. She emphasizes that the Constitution's commerce clause prevents the federal government from regulating commerce that doesn't cross state lines. DeLauro says she's open to making technical changes to the bill if any small farmers remain concerned that the bill is aimed at them.

And that is that!

Cohasset questions our methods

Thanks to Tom Salemi for pointing out this story from The Patriot Ledger ... well I didn't have quite the reaction he had ... it's about the turbine (what else?).

Friday editorial

Yesterday when I was in Gloucester, I was talking to my sister (the one that lives in Malden) and my brother (I only have the one brother - only one that that I have any connection to anyway since I barely know my birth father's sons from his second wife) about life in Newburyport.

This is the only small town in which I have ever lived as an adult. You can't count the place in Mich. where I grew up because we lived way out in the county, not in the town.

One observation I have about Newburyport is that people don't want to read about what they perceive, rightly or wrongly, as "whiners."

This includes the neighbors of the landfill, neighbors of the sewer plant and now neighbors of the turbine. And, of course, everyone on Plum Island - unless Larry McCavitt is somehow involved.

Is there any neighborhood that isn't complaining about something? The people in Ward 6, perhaps ...?

While I do know that Mark Richey had every right to erect that turbine under the city law that some say was hastily written so he could do it, and wind energy is a great thing, I don't believe that anyone can dispute that it has had an adverse effect on the people who live in the Back Bay neighborhood.

I don't buy into the argument that the people shouldn't have bought houses near the industrial park if they didn't want industrial stuff across the road from them. Some of those people lived there before the industrial park, or the train station, was there.

A city councillor said to me the other night, "It's hard to visualize 292 feet."

Well there are these thingies now called computers? And there is software for these thingies that allow you to visualize 292 feet. Not to mention good old fashioned models that just sit on a table ...

And as for the landfill neighbors -which city was it that allowed residential development of a plot of land less than a mile from what was at the time a closed dump - a dump at which where heavy metal sludge had been deposited?

Land, I might add, that I am told is all clay and every basement in the neighborhood floods regularly. They've all got pumps in their basements, apparently. A double whammy.

Who knew about that? Who let that go forward?

People, especially anonymous people commenting on the Daily News website and blogs, are always saying that they don't want government interfering in their lives ... but I can't think of much worse than having government allowing projects to go forward without due diligence because government officials are dazzled by words such as "green," "grant," "tax base" and now "stimulus money."

(I'm not talking about the sewer plant, because I believe that has been examined from every angle.)

Oh, I forgot "soccer field," which is what was apparently dangled in front of the city by the landfill owner.

Newburyport is not going to have a reputation as good place to live, green initiatives or not, if the city keeps letting development go unchecked and city officials continue to get stars in their eyes from shiny baubles dangled by developers and others who know they can get away with it.

Chick-a-boom

I returned a while ago from the turbine hearing at City Hall.

I'm really tired so I'll just say it was well attended by very civil and polite people.

Turbine hearing

Checking my gmail and found this:

The Committee and the Committee of the Whole agenda for tonight (7 p.m.) will be the Wind Energy Conversion Ordinance.

The format for the meeting will be as follows:

* There will be a signup sheet for public comment

* Speakers will be taken in order with a time limit on each speakerspeakers should state the specific change(s) they are proposing to the ordinance or that they support leaving the ordinance as is.

* Speakers should give the reasoning behind their request

* Comments will be directed to the chair, not to other participants written comments will also be accepted and an additional meeting will be scheduled if necessary

Thank you,
Councillor Ed Cameron

A long day's journey into night

Another great post today by Mary Baker Eaton.

As Mary concludes:

I would urge our Newburyport City Council to rethink a long term Newburyport wind energy policy, and not be wedded to an “either-or” approach, but in future, to urge citizens and business to take a more tempered and balanced direction.

Funny that Congressman John Tierney said basically the same thing about governing: how things in the last administration were presented as "either-or" with no middle (as in no regulation of Wall Street or total regulation).

I had only seen Tierney once before, when he came to the CNC (owner of the Current) offices last year for a press conference-type meeting. I was impressed today with how he answered the questions that were sometimes hurled at him.

The consummate politician, he also deftly avoided the raised hands in the line of protesters standing in the back ...

Got the time tick-tick-tickin in my head*

Another busy day today for Brenda Starr ... well, a vastly watered down version of the comic strip heroine, at any rate.

But I used to follow her adventures, which probably explains why I'm a reporter and why I'm attracted by mysterious people (like a moth to a flame - and unlike Brenda, I always get burned). Hey, her mysterious man has the same surname I was born with ...

Anyway, I got a stop at the soon-to-be reborn Taffy's, a stop at Brown Square to check out the Repubs' "'Tea Party" (shouldn't it be on the waterfront?) and a longer stay across the street at City Hall for Congressman Tierney (a Dem).

No need to say "probably" when I say those last 2 locations are connected, which makes my question about the waterfront moot.

Speaking of Tierney ... his office complained about the brief that was in the paper connecting his visit with Earth Hour (that's tonight, people) ... good grief, soon none of them will be talking to me (Sen. Baddour still hasn't returned my calls, even after telling me at the turbine ribbon cutting to call him on Thursday).

But I wasn't done babbling about my day ... the next task on my agenda is pleasure. My friend Elizabeth and I are going to check out plants for our veggie garden behind First Parish Church.

We're trekking up to the Herb Farmacy in Salisbury, a place I highly recommend.

* Joe Jackson, Got The Time

Richey turbine on the grid

I forgot that I picked up an info sheet of green initiatives at Mark Richey Woodworking yesterday.

I only just got around to reading it, while I was writing up my story.

Here's what it says:

Did you know?

That our wind turbine provides nearly all of the electricity needed to power our building and when we're not using power, the excess electricity flows into the grid.

You don't want to know the rest of the list, do you? My fingers are tired ...

As the turbine turns (final episode)

I just returned from the ribbon cutting at Mark Richey Woodworking.

Man it's cold out there!

I don't really have much to say about it, except that I thought there might be some protesters - but there weren't.

And since the turbine is now officially here to stay, the saga "As the turbine turns" has come to an end.

It's here, there's nothing to be done about it - and unless it falls over, I'm done talking about it.

I felt the earth move, under my feet

Yesterday, prior to going to Port Plaza for lunch at Hana Japan, I was at the First Parish Church of Newbury for many, many hours, staking out my claim.

There was a whole bunch of us there, setting up our individual gardens in the community garden they have set up behind the church. My friend Elizabeth and I are sharing a plot.

Much like how things go when I'm with my sister Helen (the one who lives in Malden), it was an adventure.

Our little rectangle of earth is between 2 others to the north and south, so we helped Pat, our new neighbor to the south, measure out her 2 plots. Then we did ours.

Unfortunately, when Jane to our north was finished with hers, we had lost 3.5 feet in ours.

Oh but we were all so good at working with others that we found the problem, it was fixed and Elizabeth and I weren't squeezed out of however many square feet of garden 3.5 feet by 9 feet is.

I've never been good at math.

I'm looking forward to munching garden-fresh veggies all summer ...

Message from Ed Cameron

I just got this from City Councillor Ed Cameron:

Please be advised that a Planning and Development Committee/Committee of the Whole has been posted for Tuesday, March 31 at 7pm, City Hall Auditorium.

The primary topic will be Wind Energy and the City's Wind Energy Conversion ordinance.

Thanks, Ed.

As the turbine turns (a continuing saga)

Check this out.

It may amuse some people.

School Committe grants permission

It's good to see (or not) that things haven't changed much on the School Committee.

And having sat through several meetings now on approving bond orders for wastewater treatment facilities when the approval for the spending hasn't yet been approved, it was no surprise when Steve Cole started voicing his objections and it was revealed that the board didn't even have full information about the condition of the roof.

But they took Superintendent Kevin Lyons' recommendation and voted 8-1 (with Cole being the lone 'nay') to allow the mayor to go ahead with his solar panel deal.

For all I bitch, I believe in delegating and selecting advisors in whom you have trust. But god help the mayor if this does not work.

I wonder how many of the SC had even read the contract? We'll never know, will we? All we know is, Steve Cole did. And I'm assuming from his comments, Kevin Lyons did - or someone he trusts did.

And they still have 4-hr. meetings! I can't believe I watched the whole thing ...

News flash

Oh for cryin' out loud ... they never fixed the roof on the middle school prior to negotiating contracts for solar panels?

Does no one remember the MCAS tests that were destroyed a couple of years ago by the leaky roof? Yes, the roof came down and tore them to shreds ... but seriously, I thought for sure they would have fixed all that by now.

I don't know why I thought that, but I did. I haven't been to a School Committee meeting in more than a year.

Don't fall over in a dead faint, but ...

Good reporting by Lynne Hendricks of the Daily News.

And a hearty 'Huzzah!' to School Committee member Steve Cole for reading the whole contract. When were the rest of them going to read it, I wonder?

Though some were reluctant to weigh in until they'd thoroughly read through the 64-page, 20-year agreement, one clause pertaining to the age and health of a "leaking" Nock roof has caught the eye of School Committee member Steve Cole, and he says he plans to bring his concerns up for discussion tonight.

Guess I'll be watching the meeting tonight, but from home, thank-you-very-much.

Wind power

I was reading with interest the various editorials and comments on the DN website, relating to the Richey turbine (I guess I have to call it that, if there are going to be more of them).

The comments on this one in particular, from Robert Germinara, caught my attention.

Germinara has the fuel oil business across the street from the Richey property. I believe those are the only 2 industrial-type businesses on that stretch of the road, but they are in the industrial park. Why the industrial park extends that far is another issue I have, but that's another post.

I don't disagree with what Germinara is saying because I don't necessarily disagree with wind power. If we got wind, use it.

But I do believe that the way these things work, in order to get grants from the state, is that the windmill generates power that goes onto the grid. Then the meter at the business in effect runs backwards to reflect the power that the device is putting onto the grid.

I could be wrong in this instance, but I know that's the way it works at Cider Hill Farm - having done several stories on the turbines there.

This is from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative website:

A project is eligible for funding if it is located at a commercial, industrial, institutional, or public site, and if the electric system will be served by a Massachusetts investor-owned electric utility company or a Municipal Light Plant Department that pays into the Renewable Energy Trust.

Richey got a grant from the Collaborative, so ...

The problem they were having at Cider Hill (Amesbury) was that the energy company was making it so that the high-energy usage months and the low-energy usage months were cancelling each other out.

In other words, the energy generated and used in months their buildings are shut down (like now) was not helping with their energy bills in the months they are up and running.

You didn't think that anything was "free," did you?

So I'm not clear about how the Richey turbine is not hooked into the grid and how not everyone who uses electricity is getting some benefit from it.

This explains everything

As I was driving up Rte. 1 today, and there was the (still) turbine, I was reminded of a conversation I had with someone in the planning office.

We were talking about why the turbine was not spinning, as I reported the other day.

"So much for not being able to see it," I said. "I can see it from Plum Island!"

"I don't believe anyone ever said you wouldn't be able to see it," the person responded.

I then said that there was discussion before ZBA about how the trees would block it from being seen ...

"Well they do block it from being seen from downtown ... because the ridge blocks it from view ..." (or words to that effect).

Oh, so now I see.

It didn't matter who else could see it as long as it couldn't be seen from downtown.

What a joke.

Earth Hour

The City Council is also on Monday going to take up the issue of designating 8:30-9:30 p.m. on March 28 (a Saturday) as Earth Hour.

All citizens, businesses, non-commercial establishments and government agencies will be asked to turn off non-essential lighting for the hour.

This is "in order to conserve energy and raise awareness about global climate change."

Does "lighting" include TV sets?

Because I know last year, I turned out all my lights and my TV and unplugged stuff that winks and blinks at me all day and all night ... I've got a Comcast router that has a dozen or so blinking green lights, a digital cable box with a red light and a digital time display, a red light on the cordless phone, orange lights on two surge protectors, blue lights on my laptop that stay on, even when it's turned off ...

There's so much light in here when I turn off the lights that I sometimes wonder why I bother with incandescent lighting at all.

I think it would have been a whole lot more amusing if they were to designate 12:30-1:30 p.m. as the time (although it would be broad daylight) because that's when Congressman John Tierney will be at City Hall to ... talk to us, I guess.

(Actually, he's scheduled to be here until 2 p.m., but that would make it Earth Hour-and-a-Half.)