Celebrate Summer with...
The Town Common
PRST STD. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
NEWBURYPORT, MA PERMIT NO. 51
____________
POSTAL CUSTOMER
LARGEST INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NORTH SHORE OF MASS & COASTAL NH www.thetowncommon.com
WHAT'S INSIDE Groveland's Saint James Episcopal Church New Steeple Page 5 Ladies Flag Football Page 5 Fundamentals of Birdwatching Page 7 Footsteps of Heroes Page 7 55th Yankee Homecoming Celebration Page 8 National Night Out Page 12
FREE Local Pharmacies Thrive By Innovating
July 25 - 31, 2012 • Vol. 8, No. 38
Open Waterfront Battle Waged Again By Stewart Lytle, Reporter –––––––––––––––––
Photo by Stewart Lytle
New yard signs have sprouted this summer advocating an open waterfront. NEWBURYPORT – Yard signs and bumper stickers have popped up here recently, urging residents to rally to stop the NRA. In light of the last week's shootings at a Colorado movie theater, the casual viewer might assume this is another lobbying campaign against gun ownership and the National Rifle Association. But no. It is a different NRA, but a familiar, old issue that still riles the passions of residents of this historic river and seaport city, maybe even more than getting guns off the streets. It is the battle over the city's Merrimack River waterfront. In recent weeks the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority, with Mayor Donna Holaday's backing, has proposed a new plan for the four acres on the waterfront that the NRA owns. It calls for expanding the berm along the riverside walkway to allow for more landscaping. The plan envisions paving the dirt parking lots. And more controversial, the plan would have the NRA sell off parcels of the land to developers to build three-story buildings to house about 30 residential units and retail space that might be leased for shops or coffee houses. Proponents argue that the plan would increase the park space on the riverfront by 100 percent. It would create commercial
By Stewart Lytle, Reporter –––––––––––––––––
REGIONAL – Gene 1,000 independent drugstores Regnier recently joined his in Massachusetts. Today, father-in-law, Bill MacDonald, only about 140 independents at the Rowley Pharmacy on statewide have survived. The Route 1A after working for pharmacy industry association several years in one of the large estimates that for every independent that closes, 25 chain drug stores. new chain stores open. Regnier said he is much happier filling prescriptions But the independents in a drug store that has been who have survived are big serving Rowley residents since business. Two years ago, more than 23,000 independent 1962 and is located not in an pharmacies nationwide ever-expanding new box store, but in the Ezekiel Northend dispensed about 1.5 billion House, which was built before prescriptions. That is almost 1721. 40 percent of the retail prescriptions. And it appears “I enjoy getting to know our Photo by Stewart Lytle that their business is improving customers face to face,” he said Bill MacDonald (left) and Gene Regnier show off the old from behind the counter where in part because of the aging soda fountain sign that once hung in the store. he was filling a prescription. Baby Boomer population and Most pundits would have predicted even Wal Mart. despite the growing competition from that Regnier's career path would have But Regnier could not be happier in the large chains and mail order pharmacies. gone in the opposite direction, leaving slower paced, more personal environment The average independent community the independent pharmacy for a position offered at Rowley Pharmacy. pharmacy dispensed 64,169 prescriptions on the staff of a CVS or Walgreen's or Continued on page 3 In the 1960s, there were more than
Plovers Keep Plum Island Beaches Off-Limits By Maggie Gore, Correspondent –––––––––––––––––
typical response you will hear if you attempt to head out to use the refuge’s beaches. What separates this year from past seasons was the storm that hit earlier in the season, which Photo by Maggie Gore undesirably washed Refuge Beaches Closed Posting at Parker River National out a lot of Piping Wildlife Refuge. Plover’s nests. The PLUM ISLAND—Officially, for the Plovers have nested a second time to first time in 11 years, the Parker River restart their egg-laying cycle. Now, since National Wildlife Refuge (PRNWR) the Plovers have stretched north, the unavoidably had to ban all public access property is now completely closed with to the beaches. All the beaches are the exception of Sandy Point, which is closed. operated under a separate jurisdiction. “There are only five spots left at Sandy With the recent closure, confusion has Point,” said one of the park rangers to a arisen over regulations regarding access car at the gate of the Plum Island National to Sandy Point and as a result, several Continued on page 3 Wildlife Refuge. Currently, this is the violations have occurred. While access to
the Sandy Point State Park is free, there are only fifty parking spaces available. People are not only entering the refuge without paying but also proceeding to park in the closed areas. A number of people have also been disobeying the refuge’s twentyfive miles per hour speed limit. In most cases, the vehicles pulled over are those racing down to Sandy Point to chase down a parking space. This past weekend alone, two people were ticketed for going over forty-five miles per hour. Some have also been misinformed that there is a ‘right of way’ to Sandy Point. The solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior clarifies that when Sandy Point was privately owned, a direct access route to the point existed but when the state government acquired the property, it was terminated. “It’s a challenging situation having Sandy Point next to the refuge, but we Continued on page 3
You'll "flip" over the digital edition at www.TheTownCommon.com towncommon.20 year.6.25_Layout 1 6/25/2012 12:38 PM Page 1
Introducing Dr. Jane Kerr, Dr. Mary Chang and Dr. Christannah Waters for expert OB/GYN care now in Georgetown.
Welcoming New Patients Newburyport Haverhill Georgetown 978-556-0100 www.ajh.org/obgyn
Big loan. Little Rate. Loans up to $1 million. 20-Year Fixed Rate Residential Mortgage No points!*
3 3
.500%
Call us at 978-462-2344 or apply online at institutionforsavingsloans.com.
Interest rate*
.565% APR*
978-462-3106 • institutionforsavings.com * APR denotes Annual Percentage Rate as of 6/25/2012 and is based on a $165,000 purchase loan with 80% LTV ratio and a minimum credit score of 700. Unit cost per $1,000 borrowed is $5.80 . Minimum loan amount is $100,000; maximum loan amount is $650,000. Purchase money loans and refinance loans with a maximum LTV ratio of 80%. 1-4 family owner-occupied residences only. Offer subject to credit approval. Property insurance required. Monthly payment examples do not include escrow amounts for real estate taxes and/or insurance, if applicable. is may increase payment Member FDIC Member DIF amount. Rate is subject to change without notice. Other terms and conditions may apply.