Author Archives: Mary Baker Eaton

To Chain Store or Not

To chain store or not to chain store (a conversation that has been taking place on Tom Salemi’s Blog, Newburyport Posts) would really not be the question for me. The question for me, in actuality, would be about the underlying concern in the community about Mr. Karp and New England Development.

After reading Stephen Tait’s series of articles about Mr. Karp, New England Development, Nantucket and Newburyport (a must read) in the Newburyport Daily News, December 2007, I ended up thinking, “What’s the use?” “What does it matter?”

Newburyport, MA might be lucky if we got a “tweak” in the plans. But my guess, based on that excellent piece of reporting on Mr. Tait’s part, that New England Development and Mr. Karp would do what ever they want, and there is very little, as long as the zoning requirements are within reason, that the residents or political folks could do.

Sigh.

How depressing.

So the “Chain Store Ordinance” could in someway, be a statement of rebellion. It could be a statement of a desire to be able to control some of the destiny, on some small level of Newburyport, MA. Not to leave it completely up to a large corporation, where Newburyport, it appears, could be just another jewel in New England Development’s crown.

It is could not only be about what would be best economically for Newburyport, MA, but it could also be a statement that Newburyport, MA belongs to us.

And I ask myself, what do we as residence of Newburyport have control over, if not the fate of our own downtown.

And 2 of the things that come to mind are the fate of Newburyport’s senior population (if we are lucky, we too might eventually become part of a senior population) and a vibrant and welcoming Senior Center, and the fate of our children’s education.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

A Caring Community

Why a Senior Center?

“I wake up in the morning knowing that I have somewhere to go. Retired life used to be depressing. Now it’s rich and full.”

“The Caring Community sent a man over to fix my window that wouldn’t open and he replaced a light bulb I couldn’t get to and I didn’t pay a dime.”
 
“The Caring Community also provides help fixing leaky taps, installing grab bars, insulating windows, and performing the myriad other routine apartment maintenance tasks that older adults typically cannot do alone. Thousands of tasks are performed annually for those in need of a handy, skilled friend to assist around the house.”

“The greatest problems of being homebound involve loneliness and isolation. The Telephone Reassurance program provides much-needed regular contact with a friend.”

“… During these short journeys with our volunteers, friendships are often forged and lively conversation exchanged, providing seniors with both a necessary service and enjoyable experience as beneficial as any medicine that a doctor can provide.”

“There are a lot of places I know that could use a Caring Community like the one that has helped me.”
 
“The Caring Community has been my home away from home for the last 28 years! Now as I get older, I know they will help me live independently for as long as I want to, and that means so much.”

“And what is a community if not a group of people that look out for one another in their time of need? It is this question that is at the heart of what we, The Caring Community, are all about.”

All these quotations are taken from The Caring Community’s website, thecaringcommunity.org.

And finally: “For many this is as simple as having a place to come and have a cup of coffee in the morning and talk with a friend, rather than isolating oneself at home.” (From a Senior Center in Palms Springs, CA)

Personally, I’d love it if Newburyport, MA had a caring community to be this proud of.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Sticky Dishes

In a large welcoming, bright warm room, company around a morning cup of coffee at a Senior Center.

In conversation it is mentioned that dishes feel smooth, not sticky or gummy as they do in the small two-room apartment.

Heads tilt and brows furrow. Sticky, gummy dishes.

A visit from a friendly face.

The dishes are in the drying rack next to the sink. But they are gummy and sticky with food that is dried on and never been removed.

It is remarked that a generic bar of soap and a washcloth might not work so well, washing dishes.

A light, small bottle of dishwashing liquid and a scrub sponge cut with scissors to comfortably fit a hand, is produced. The liquid is blue. It is alright, it will not leave a blue color, but clean dishes.

Every dish is plunge into warm soapy water and scrubbed with new scrub sponge, rinsed and left to dry. Instructions follow. The dishes are no longer sticky or gummy.

A promise of a follow up visit to check on new dish washing approach. The generic bar of soap and washcloth are left there for familiarity. The new blue dishwashing liquid stands upright by the side of the sink.

A suggestion to wear glasses when washing dishes. Better to see what could be missed.

Relief. The dishes are smooth. Somebody cares.

Probably would not have happened without a sanctuary, where people know the kind of questions to ask, and do not laugh at or ignore, such small issues. A Senior Center.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Numbing Silence

Silence.

Except for the TV. Silence.

On warmer days a walk.

On return, check the answering machine. No calls.

Last sibling, in another state, died.

No one to check in with.

After initial condolences–nothing. No cards, no phone calls.

Pick up the phone, can’t call, not there anymore.

5 degrees out. Two small rooms. Too cold to venture forth.

Later in a big, bright, welcoming, safe space, a timid mention of no calls on the answering machine, or any ringing of the telephone at all. The defining and deafening stillness. The numbing fear that results.

Someone listens and hears about whispers of a chilling emptiness, talks to someone else, and the telephone starts to ring once a day. “Telephone Reassurance” program initiated by a Senior Center.

Something to look forward to.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Spoiled Milk

8:00 o’clock in the evening. Forgotten to eat. Look into the frig. The milk looks odd. Not sure why.

Cream colored clumps at the top of the clear plastic bottle. Don’t know.

2 eggs left. Boiling water, not a good idea. Pot is heavy. Spills and burns.

Too tired to scramble.

Too dark at night, too cold, too difficult to plan ahead. No extra money for a pizza. Box too heavy. Delivery person not like putting it on table. Unhappy, no money for a well deserved tip. What to do with the 7 other pieces?

Cereal. Don’t know about the milk. Water from the tap and Cheerios for dinner.

Losing weight.

In a large brightly lit room, warm faces fuss. Despite a lunch-time meal, look thin.

Correct.

Concern about the odd looking milk. Relief. An explanation. Don’t drink it.

A warm unknown friend comes to look at the refrigerator. Sees it empty.

A plan. A person to help.

Who would know if not for that brightly lit, welcoming, warm place. A Senior Center. Enough time to see the difference, how thin. Someone seems to know what to do.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

A Place to Go

Light bulbs.

No light bulbs.

One more lamp is dark. Confusing. Where to get light bulbs? Who would put the light bulbs in?

Going to a large, open, friendly place. Sitting down and discussing. The subject of the darkness of the small two-room apartment comes up.

Ah, a friend, understands about light bulbs. Someone comes over and discovers the two lamps that are dark, really dark, now that the winter days are short. They know how to screw in light bulbs and suddenly the tiny two rooms are no longer dark and frightening, but light and familiar once more.

Such a small thing, light bulbs, but so important.

And if there was no where to go. To a large welcoming place, filled with voices and familiar faces. Just the TV and two small rooms.

That large welcoming place, a Senior Center. A tonic against fear, loneliness and numbing boredom. Not the same as some small unwelcoming and mostly unused room in a housing facility.

In a country where families are fractured, far away from a family member, who would care, or maybe who could care less. Often there is no family member at all. And life in two small rooms often provides little sense of community, little sense of hope. A sense of abandonment, loneliness and fear.

The days are long. No community center to go to, to share even the slightest and mundane dilemma that rarely anyone would think of. Light bulbs, and what to do when they no longer work.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Central Church, Newburyport

I came across this wonderful picture of Brown Square and Central Church on the online Newburyport Archives.

Central Church
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

What is now the Garrison Inn, can be seen on the left next to the church. It looks as if there could be a glimpse of City Hall to the right (I’m not sure). And then there is the beautiful archway of trees with what is now Central Congregational Church at the end. In the Newburyport Archives it is listed as “Central Church (North).”

I thought that this image, along with all the rest of the remarkable historic photographs and prints that are now available to the public, in the public domain, through the Library of Congress and the Newburyport Archival Center, that have recently been up on the Newburyport Blog, would be a good way to wish the readers of the Newburyport Blog (who I am most grateful to), a very Happy Holiday.

Old South, First Presbyterian Church

I came across this print of Old South, First Presbyterian Church on the Library of Congress online archives. I’d never seen this print before and I thought it was pretty amazing.

Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-10021 (b&w film copy neg.)
N.W. view of the First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

This is the entire page, and here is more of a detailed image without the writing.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Detail, First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

I also love the drawing of the original steeple, which was severely damaged by the hurricane of 1938, and in 1949 it was removed and capped with a 105-foot-tall cupola. (The New York Times, May 13, 2006)

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Detail, steeple
First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

The church hopes eventually to fully restore the steeple to its original shape. Please press here to read an earlier entry about Old South Church, and to see the comparison of what the steeple of Old South Church looks like today.

And I also love the street scene to the right of the church. The two houses in the picture, I believe still exist. As I remember it, the first house was where the famous preacher, George Whitefield lived (I have not confirmed this) when he was pastor of Old South, First Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Detail, street scene
First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Editors Note: This is a correction and clarification from an astute reader of the Newburyport Blog:

“Mary, I don’t believe George Whitefield was ever the pastor of Old South. I don’t think he ever stayed in one place long enough to become a pastor. He was a real roving evangelist.

The first house behind the church was the birthplace of William Lloyd Garrison. There is a plaque denoting that on the house.

George Whitefield was staying with the pastor in the parsonage when he died, because he was to be the guest preacher in the church the next day. The story goes that his fans surrounded the house the night before and demanded that he talk to them, so he preached from the house steps for something like six hours. He was already sick, and he didn’t survive the night.”

Too Mush and Much Snow

I ask the young lady on the other end of the phone, who has been unbelievably patient with me, if she is in “snow hell.”

She replies that yes, her office is in Boston, and she is in “snow hell.” And that she has had a “snow hell” commute.

I reply that I too am in “snow hell.”

We immediately bond. Which is a very good thing, because the transaction (not due to either of our “expertise” in the matter) takes like forever.

I try to pretend that I am in “snow denial.” But this appears to be impossible. The snow reality is just too obvious.

The minute I find out that our last remaining hardware store in Newburyport, MA gets yet another order of salt in (I’ve missed all the others), I rush over and hoard bags of salt madly. (Apparently I am not alone, since each order apparently disappears in sometimes under an hour.)

My balance, on the slippery stuff, quite frankly, “stinks.” (I was going to use a stronger word, but I decide not to.)

I look skeptically at the icicles forming off my roof. I used my roof rake so this is not supposed to happen. However, it is. I look around at my neighbor’s dwellings and everyone has dagger like icicles hanging from somewhere. We are all in icicle land together.

This is somehow comforting.

The owner of the hardware store (this is why I love my small New England city, because of things like conversing with the hardware store owner) says the same thing. He has a hardware store, and it looks like even he could be in “snow hell” (although he would never admit such a thing). That we are all in this together.

This is very reassuring as I carry my hoarded bags of salt out to my automobile, and everyone at the hardware store seems to think that this is perfectly normal.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Fruit Street

I am not a big snow lover. Ok, today’s snow was fluffy, but there was still a whole lot of it (at least on my street) again. Oy veh.

I found this warmer (it must either be early spring or late fall), snowless photograph of Fruit Street looking towards the water on the online Newburyport Archives.

Fruit Street Looking Towards the Water
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

And in the detail it looks like there is an early automobile. And there is also still, at least one hitching post for horses right above it.

Detail, Fruit Street Looking Towards the Water
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Fruit Street, Newburyport Winters

I remember when rooting around in the Archives at the Newburyport Public Library coming across a beautiful winter scene. But for the life of me, I do not remember where in the Newburyport Archival Center online I had seen it.

But then, eureka, it is discovered once again.

And yes, the historic photograph most certainly is charming and captures not only the feel of Newburyport, for goodness sakes how many years ago, but also, in my mind, the charm and feel of Newburyport’s neighborhoods today.

Fruit Street, Looking up towards High Street
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

And one of the reasons Fruit Street has a similar feel in the year 2007, is because the architecture of the street is basically the same. And a lot of that would be due to just plain “dumb luck,” since The National Architectural Trust says that we have lost one third of our historic housing stock since 1984. But, Fruit Street is now the one street in Newburyport, MA that is protected. Because this year Fruit Street became Newburyport, MA’s first Local Historic District.

Detail, Fruit Street, Looking up towards High Street
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

And looking at the photograph closer, I enjoy the horse and buggy (yet another horse and buggy) coming down Fruit Street, the little boy at the side, and what looks like folks shoveling (no snow blowers here) further up the street. And I wonder, how in the world back then did they plow the streets. I have no idea.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Charming New England Winters

Winter in New England is often described as “charming.”

This winter scene from c. 1860 of Green Street from the Newburyport Archives would certainly be considered “charming.”

Green Street c. 1860
Courtesy Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

And this beautiful detail of the same photograph. The church in the background I believe is the church on Green Street that has been made into a restaurant.

Detail, Green Street c. 1860
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

Ah, but so often the realities in Newburyport MA look and feel much more like this:

A winter storm
Wikipedia.org

Stephen Tait in the Newburyport Daily News wrote, what in my mind was a fairly “scary” article on what Mr. Karp and the “super-wealthy” have done to Nantucket. (After reading Mr. Tait’s article, “High-End Homogenization” to me seems “quaint.”)

“… it (Nantucket) has lost its innocence..” “I think Karp is going the wrong direction. He wants everything to be upscale and sophisticated…”

“…the island attracting the wealthy, the middle and upper middle class families are no longer traveling to the island for vacation because it is too expensive…”

“.. the super rich don’t necessarily add to the local economy since they fly in their own chefs, their own staff and host parties at their residences…” (Newburyport Daily News, December 17, 2007, by Stephen Tait. Read the whole thing. In fact, it’s a “must read”.)

And the charm of Newburyport, which attracts and has attracted so many, may well be only for a chosen few. And in my mind that would wipe out the “charming” image of Green Street, and replace it with the image of the winter storm.

Ouch.

New England Driveway Snowdrifts

Because of where my dwelling is located and how it is built, I find I am prone to snowdrifts, as in snowdrifts blocking my front door (and my heating vent, see earlier entry).

Snowdrifts, Wikipedia.org
GNU Free Documentation License

No, not quite that bad.

An habitual planner and often obsessive “can I solve this,” attempting problem solver, I set my mind this summer, to the dilemma of New England snowdrifts, particularly, my snowdrifts.

I Google “snow drifts,” and learn all about snow and wind patterns. Who knew. Actually, all interesting stuff.

I decide that, “ah ha,” it would be good to have something at an angle to my dwelling, to direct all those northeasterly winds away from my residence.

I then massively research stationary and possible portable snow-fences.

But then I have this idea. My neighbors park in my driveway. What if we put our cars at an angle and use the automobiles as snowdrift, wind directories, channeling the wind, snow and sleet away from my abode.

My neighbors and fellow driveway dwellers, are obliging.

Sunday, after many, many inches of snow and lots of northeasterly wind, another possible “eureka.” No wild drifts up against my doorway.

My first nor’easter, testing trial. But as in any good “scientific” experiment, this would only be a first good indicator. Fingers crossed and automobiles angled.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, E. Ross Carriage Work

The lone horse and buggy in the photo of the Chain Bridge (see earlier entry) sent me searching in the Archives of the Newburyport Public Library.

And I found this wonderful (and warm) photograph of E. Ross Carriage Work.

E. Ross Carriage Work
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

It also goes back to my thoughts about the different mix of people and places that added color, interest and vibrancy to Newburyport, MA. I am thinking, once again, of New England Development, Mr. Karp and “High-End Homogenization.”

The Newburyport Daily News has an excellent story today, December 17, 2007, by Stephen Tait, about the possible future of Newburyport, MA, judging by how Nantucket, another one of Mr. Karp’s outposts, has evolved.

“Whitey Wilauer, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said he often hears complaints from retailers, mostly regarding the ever-rising rents.

“He (Karp) is very sophisticated in his approach,” he said. “He has a staff down here, and they are looking at each property and trying to determine if they are profitable or not profitable. He is trying to bring profitable outfits into the town. That’s what happens when you have investors to please; the actual cultural aspects aren’t paid much attention to…”  

“They just have that attitude that they don’t care: either pay it or they’ll find somebody else who can,” Brownell said…” (Newburyport Daily News, December 17, 2007, by Stephen Tait)

And here is a close up of the group of men standing in front of Mr. Ross’ establishment.

Detail, E. Ross Carriage Work
Newburyport Archival Center
Courtesy of the Newburyport Public Library

One of the things I also love about this photograph is the advertising on the roofs. Obviously an era long before modern billboards.

What an ingenious way to market a product. I’ve seen “advertisements” painted on existing brick walls, and on brick walls in old photographs of Newburyport, MA. But this is the first time I’ve ever noticed advertising on roofs.

Detail, Roofs
E. Ross Carriage Work
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

(And the fact the roofs are snow and ice free, today, December 17, 2007, is also quite enjoyable.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

New England Snow and Rain, Nor’easter

What an odd day today, Sunday, December 16, 2007 in Newburyport, MA.

The weather folks seem to be so happy when there is the potential of a major storm. Top of the hour or half hour, instead of the last of the show. Sometimes almost the entire hour.

Snow On Trees, wikipedia.org
Creative Commons Attribution

Me, I bless the computer. I check weather.com or weatherperhour.com, sometimes, even more reliable, to find out the vagaries of snow, wind, sleet and rain.

It looked like another good foot of snow on our small New England Street. And before the sleet and rain started, the neighborhood came out to shovel and snow-blow. My neighbor’s snow blower is named “Betsy.” The snow blower, in all honesty looks like a “Betsy.” Well named and much appreciated.

We all manage to get most of the snow moved off driveways and cars before the sleet and rain started. And my neighbor is right, it ends up raining hard.

I feel virtuous having checked the weather on my trusted computer. And now I’m out in the rain trying to make room in the slushy street, so that the water from the driveway can find its way beyond my dwelling to some hopeful municipal water depository.

I feel like a small girl again, playing in the trickles of waterways, in upstate New York, as my father takes his beloved fly rod and heads up stream to find a willing brown trout.

I have one of these heater vents that looks like a nipple, that sticks out from the side of the house.

And when it snows, yes, my heating vent, like so many side heating vents all over New England, gets covered with snow.

After fretting about what to do for it, it seems like forever, I might actually have come up with a solution. A sheet of metal, corrugated roof, cut to six feet, lined with duck tape to make the edges less sharp, is propped up against the side of the house at an angle, and weighted down with a four bricks, so as not to blow away.

I actually sleep through the night, not worried about the nipple vent being covered with snow. And go out in the morning, with great pride, to inspect my so far, un-snowed in heating vent. A possible “eureka.”

My neighbor seems as impressed and pleased as I am at this possible “solution,” knowing my frustrations over the years. A suggestion is made to “patent” the idea. But I’m not sure that corrugated, roofing sheet metal, sold almost everywhere, could be patented. Alas.

And I go out in the rain with my roof-rake, bought in some previous New England winter. I discovered that removing a mere 1-2 feet of snow towards the edge of the roof, somehow allows possible appropriate melting, and few icicles or possible ice backup. So I’m happy to go out in the rain and send soaking snow, plopping down from the roof.

And the rain is letting up, and maybe the street and sidewalks will drain a little before the weather gets cold again, setting mushy watery stuff, into solid ice.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Chain Bridge

Finding the photographs of the clam shacks yesterday had me rooting around in the archives of the Library of Congress too, trying to find photographs that have not been on the Newburyport Blog.

I found this image of the Chain Bridge that I do not remember seeing before.

Since yesterday was so stressful for so many folks, with all the snow and the unbelievably bad commute for some, I thought I would put up this calm, serene and warm photograph of the Merrimac River and the Chain Bridge on the Newburyport Blog.

Chain Bridge, bridge spanning water, Newburyport, MA
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Frances Loeb Library, Gund Hall, Cambridge MA
Reproduction Number: 119600

And I also love this detail of the horse and buggy crossing the Chain Bridge from the same photograph.

Detail, Chain Bridge Newburyport, MA
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Frances Loeb Library
Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport Clam Shacks

When I was in the Newburyport Archival Center this week, at the Newburyport Public Library, low and behold my favorite photograph of the men shucking clams in front of the clam shacks was there. Eureka.

Clam Shack Workers
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

“Images capturing the men at work, with the small shacks at their backs, were some of the most popular and recognized photographs of Newburyport… “It was like the motif No. 1″..” (Newburyport Daily News, August 23, 2007, by Steven Tait)

And in thinking about the “flavor” or “color,” the “spirit and essence,” the “diversity” of Newburyport, MA on the Newburyport Blog for the last 10 days or so, the image of the men clamming at Joppa kept coming to mind.

…”the clam shacks that once lined the north side of Water Street helped to define an era in Newburyport and distinguished a neighborhood that instilled a sense of pride in its residents that lasts to this day.” (Newburyport Daily News, August 23, 2007, by Steven Tait)

The clam shacks, one is still left, were located where Union and Water Street meet in Newburyport’s South End.

And In the Newburyport Archival Center I also found this photograph of the “clam houses.”

Clam Houses
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

Detail, Clam Houses
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

Mary Baker Eaton
Newburyport

This story is also now on the new website that coordinates with the interactive history map, HistoryNewburyport.com.

History ~ Newburyport, a new Website about Newburyport’s stories

The story on the Clam Shacks can be found here at the new website History ~ Newburyport HistoryNewburyport.com along with a fun jigsaw puzzle.

Story on the Clam Shacks on the new website, History ~ Newburyport

Holiday Photographs

Ben Laing was an early contributor to the Newburyport Blog and has always been wonderfully supportive. And I appreciate that so much. Among other things Ben is currently a photographer for the Newburyport Daily News.

Ben took a wonderful photograph which he graciously allowed the Newburyport Blog to use, and I’ve been trying to figure out how best to utilize it all this time.

With all the rain in Newburyport last night and all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, this photograph of Market Square in downtown Newburyport seems incredibly appropriate.

Ben also took this wonderful photograph of the Firehouse Center for the Arts. Although it has been used before on the Newburyport Blog, it is also seems wonderfully appropriate for this holiday season.

Many thanks to Ben Laing and Benjamin Laing Photography.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport’s Master Plan

One of my frustrations, although it is interesting, is that there seems to be a pattern, that with new influx of folks, that there is often a push for the goals for Newburyport to change.

One of the things I like about the Newburyport Master Plan is it’s supposed to be a long term guide that was developed in a super-duper democratic process. And to repeat myself (see previous post), folks like John Moak, Ann Lagasse and Jim Stiles contributed to the Master Plan’s existence. And it was voted on by the Newburyport City Council to boot.

One of the things the Master Plan assumes is that Newburyport’s Central Waterfront would be mostly park, and that parking would be found somewhere else.

I understand Mayor John Moak’s frustration of wanting to get the parking thing done once and for all. But aside from the fact that it goes against all the surveys from the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority since 2000, it also goes against the tenet of the Newburyport Master Plan.

And all this chit chat about having more development down on the Central Waterfront. Well that is addressed in the Newburyport Master Plan as well. The answer is “No.”

I hear rumblings of municipal politicians wanting to “redo” the Master Plan.

Yes, the Newburyport Master Plan is a “living document.” And I do understand that folks who have moved here since 2001 might not be aware of the Newburyport Master Plan.

But, good grief, can’t we make up our mind to stick with a decision/guide and just get on with it?

It may not be perfect. Nothing is perfect. But if we as a city want to change our municipal goals every 2-5 years, how frustrating and exhausting.

And maybe, it could be a good idea to trust the judgment and the wisdom of a huge diverse number of folks who came up with the Newburyport Master Plan, even though everyone might not agree with everything that could be in there. That document is as close to a consensus as I have seen in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

For those who are really, really interested, the Newburyport Master Plan can be found at:
http://www.cityofnewburyport.com/Master%20Plan.pdf.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport Master Plan–Not High-End

When the Newburyport Master Plan was taking shape, I gotta admit that I didn’t get it, or sadly, appreciate its value to the community of Newburyport, MA.

I sure do now.

And one of the remarkable things about the Newburyport Master Plan is the wide variety of folks who contributed to it, including, among many others, Ann Lagasee, John Moak and Jim Stiles.

The Newburyport Master Plan is dated September 2001, but as I remember it, the document took a good year and a half to come together.

And one of the things that I find so interesting, as Newburyport, MA evolves, is that new influxes of folks have differing ideas. This seems to have been true ever since I moved here more than 25 years ago.

I happen to think that the Newburyport Master Plan is an incredible document, one to be used as an overall guide. And is as applicable today as it was in September 2001.

In the year 2000 when the Newburyport Master Plan was taking shape, Newburyport, MA seemed to be at a “place” where it was “balanced,” politically and in its socio-economic make up, which the Master Plan reflects.

And there were a lot of amazingly smart and thoughtful people involved in the Master Plan’s creation.

It was also pre-Karp and pre-New England Development.

Two of its “Guiding Principles” are:

Economic Vitality: “Ensure that growth is balanced and measured….”

Social Equity: “Foster and respect Newburyport’s socioeconomic diversity, giving consideration to the needs of lower-income and fixed-income residents.” (Page 7)

And on the previous page:

“The City’s traditional neighborhoods around the central core will continue to be revitalized, while preserving the diversity that makes them interesting and inviting places to live–a diversity of people as well as of physical structures.” (Page 6)

And one of the themes of the pre-Karp Newburyport Master Plan is an emphasis on economic diversity to make Newburyport “interesting and inviting.”

And when it comes to the Merrimac River itself, there is no mention of high-end marinas. Instead the emphasis is to, “Reinvigorate marine industries such as commercial fishing and boat building and repair.” (Page 28)

“High-End Homogenization” (see two previous entries) appears to be to me the antithesis of the Newburyport Master Plan.

One could argue that the values of the Master Plan would not be applicable to businesses. But I would feel that since a land-holder of New England Development’s magnitude would effect the future of Newburyport, MA physically, economically, socially and environmentally, that that it would be a good idea to take the Newburyport Master Plan into consideration, when making any economic plans for Newburyport, MA.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

The Newburyport Blog

About Newburyport, MA, 35 miles northeast of Boston on the mouth of the Merrimac River

Author Archives: Mary Baker Eaton

To Chain Store or Not

A Caring Community

Sticky Dishes

Numbing Silence

Spoiled Milk

A Place to Go

Central Church, Newburyport

Old South, First Presbyterian Church

Too Mush and Much Snow

Newburyport, Fruit Street

Fruit Street, Newburyport Winters

Charming New England Winters

New England Driveway Snowdrifts

Newburyport, E. Ross Carriage Work

New England Snow and Rain, Nor’easter

Newburyport, Chain Bridge

Newburyport Clam Shacks

Holiday Photographs

Newburyport’s Master Plan

Newburyport Master Plan–Not High-End