Groveland Water and Sewer Department Seeks Volunteer to fill Board of Water Commissioners Vacancy
GROVELAND — The Groveland Water and Sewer Department wishes to remind residents that there is a vacancy on the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners.
Groveland Town Clerk Anne Brodie Retires
GROVELAND — Longtime Town Clerk Anne Brodie is retiring today after more than 12 years in Town Hall.
Town of Groveland Receives Grant to Support Climate Change Preparedness
Finance and Personnel Director Denise Dembkoski is pleased to announce that the Town of Groveland has received a state grant to support its assessment of how climate change will impact the community.
The $25,000 grant, awarded in concert with the Commonwealth’s observance of Earth Day, will enable the town to develop a resiliency plan through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program.
The program is an effort by Governor Charlie Baker’s administration to provide municipalities with technical support, climate change data and planning tools to identify hazards and develop strategies to improve preparedness and resilience.
With the grant funding, Groveland will evaluate its own vulnerabilities related to climate change and determine its best course forward to mitigate those risks. The grant is the result of an application submitted by Town Planner Rebecca Oldham.
Groveland’s effort will include representatives from all town departments, as well as the community, as it looks inward to determine what needs to be done to defray the impacts of the projected rise in sea levels and associated flooding. With the grant money, Groveland will pursue public meeting listening sessions and workshops, as well as study the work that will be needed to make climate change-related updates to its bylaws.
“This grant will enable us to work as a community to take essential proactive steps to ensure that we are as prepared as possible to face the inevitable impacts of climate change,” Oldham said. “I’m grateful for the support of the Baker-Polito administration on this critical issue, and am looking forward to building a stronger understanding of the challenges that lie ahead for us.”
Groveland was one of 27 communities statewide to benefit from the current round of funding under this initiative.
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Groveland Police Arrest and Charge Man for Driving With a Revoked License, Giving Officers False Name
GROVELAND — Chief Jeffrey Gillen reports that the Groveland Police Department arrested a man early this morning on two charges following a traffic stop.
JUSTIN FARINATO, AGE 37, OF GROVELAND was arrested and charged with Operating a Motor Vehicle With a Revoked License (Second Offense) and Providing a False Name to a Police Officer.
Early this morning, Groveland Police investigators determined that FARINATO, who is known to police, was operating a rental car despite his license being revoked and that he allegedly provided a false name when questioned by law enforcement.
At 6:39 a.m., an officer monitoring traffic on Seven Star Road observed the gray Hyundai sedan, known to have been rented by FARINATO. Officers began to follow the vehicle and subsequently stopped it on Main Street. During their interaction, FARINATO allegedly informed officers he did not have his license and subsequently provided officers with a family member’s name as his own.
Officers confirmed his true identity and subsequently took FARINATO into custody without incident. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Haverhill District Court this morning.
This case is part of an open investigation.
These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
Groveland Police Arrest Haverhill Woman For OUI After Car Crashes into Gas Meters
National Grid on Scene Repairing Gas Leak
GROVELAND — Chief Jeffrey Gillen reports that the Groveland Police Department arrested a woman this afternoon after she crashed her vehicle into an island of gas meters, causing a gas leak.
SHELLY M. SMITH, AGE 43, OF HAVERHILL is charged with Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol.
At 2:24 p.m., Groveland Police received a 911 call that a car had crashed into an island of exposed National Grid gas meters on 7 Star Road at Broad Street.
Police, along with Groveland Fire and Trinity Ambulance, responded to the scene. An on scene investigation revealed that SMITH was traveling eastbound on Broad Street attempting to turn onto 7 Star Road when she crashed her 2015 Nissan Murano into the gas meters.
The crash caused damage to one of the pipes, resulting in a gas leak. National Grid is currently on scene repairing the leak. Some natural gas customers in the area may lose service during repairs.
SMITH was treated on scene for injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. She was then booked at the Groveland Police Department. She is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Haverhill District Court.
The incident remains under investigation by the Groveland Police Department.
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Town of Groveland Receives State Grant for Elm Square
GROVELAND — Finance and Personnel Director Denise Dembkoski is pleased to announce that the Town of Groveland has been awarded a $15,000 Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Technical Assistance Program Award.
Groveland Fire Department Debuts New Squad 1 Vehicle
GROVELAND — Interim Fire Chief Richard York is pleased to announce that the Groveland Fire Department’s new Squad 1 vehicle is now in service.
A 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe 4X4, the Squad 1 truck arrived in late December and is a registered Class V ambulance, operating at the Basic Life Support level.
Firefighters will take Squad 1 to all medical calls, motor vehicle crashes and other calls for service, as needed. The truck is equipped with EpiPens, Albuterol, Narcan, glucose, glucometers, an AED, and all other necessary medical equipment.
The new Squad 1 vehicle, which was approved at last year’s Town Meeting, replaces the department’s 1995 Ford F-450.
“This vehicle is more maneuverable and will be invaluable during calls for service because it is able to get into tight areas, which we we are not able to do with our engine, ladder or former Squad 1 vehicle,” Chief York said.
The department’s new Squad 1 is its third registered Class V ambulance, along with Engine 1 and Squad 2.
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Town of Groveland to Host Series of Blood Drives
GROVELAND — Finance and Personnel Director Denise Dembkoski is pleased to announce that the Town of Groveland will hold the first of a series of blood drives in partnership with the American Red Cross this February.
WHEN:
Thursday, Feb. 28 from 1-6 p.m.
WHERE:
Town Hall, 183 Main St., Groveland, in the middle meeting room
WHAT:
The Town of Groveland will host a series of blood drives in 2019 in partnership with the American Red Cross. The first event will take place Thursday, Feb. 28.
Additional blood drives are scheduled for June 20, Aug. 15, and Oct. 31, all from 1-6 p.m., and the town will send alerts via email and social media as those dates come nearer.
According to the American Red Cross website, someone needs blood every two seconds in the United States.
To schedule an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org/give. Appointments can also be scheduled through the Red Cross Blood Donor App for mobile phones.
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Photos: Groveland Water and Sewer Dept. Works Through the Night to Repair Water Main Break at Pentucket Regional Middle and High School
GROVELAND — Superintendent Thomas Cusick reports that the workers from the Groveland Water and Sewer Department worked for nearly nine hours on Tuesday to repair a nearly 60-year-old water main that failed, resulting in a loss of water service at the Pentucket Regional Middle and High Schools.
Crews were on-scene shortly after 2 p.m. and began work to locate, expose, and isolate the break. Groveland brought in the East Coast Excavation company, and a trench was dug from the school-side of Main St. (Rt. 113) to an area near the exit of the school complex. A ring crack in an 8-inch water main dating to the 1960s was eventually located and repaired, and water service was restored to the school complex at approximately 10 p.m.
Roadway patch and repair work is expected to be completed this week.
Superintendent praised the diligent work of the Water and Sewer employees and contractors.
“While our residents prepared for the evening in the warmth of their homes, our Groveland Water and Sewer Department staff and our friends at East Coast Excavation worked outside in below freezing conditions to dig a sizable hole in the road so that they could locate and repair this break and avoid our children losing a day of school,” he said. “I am very proud of their hard work and dedication to the task at hand.”
While Pentucket Regional Middle School has long been served by the Groveland for water, the High School only began receiving water from Groveland in the past few years, after a serious failure at the High School’s connection to the West Newbury Water Department. For that reason, both schools will be without water until the break can be repaired.
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Groveland Police Follow School Buses to Ensure Safe Transports
The Groveland Police Department is shadowing school buses along their routes to ensure drivers are obeying state laws. (Courtesy Photo Georgetown Police)
GROVELAND — To ensure children are able to safely enter and exit their school buses, and that drivers are aware of the rules of the road, the Groveland Police Department is shadowing school buses along their routes.
Beginning the week of Nov. 19, after receiving complaints of cars passing buses while stopped with their flashing red lights on, officers began accompanying buses in the mornings and afternoons in marked and unmarked cruisers.
Drivers who fail to stop for a school bus with its red lights activated are subject to a $250 fine, and motorists with two or more offenses can have their licenses revoked.
Since implementing this safety campaign, two drivers have been stopped and were issued warnings.
“We want drivers to be aware that officers will be monitoring bus routes to ensure all laws are followed and children are safe,” Chief Jeffrey Gillen said. “By addressing this proactively, we hope to prevent accidents and injuries.”
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), approximately 400,000 students in the state are transported to school by bus every year.
School buses are a relatively safe form of transportation. DPH reports that the majority of related injuries occur to pedestrians who are boarding or exiting a bus and are hit by passing traffic or while in one of the bus driver’s blind spots. Children ages 4 to 7 are at the highest risk of injury.
Residents should remember that:
- State law requires drivers to stay at least 100 feet behind a school bus at all times.
- Motorists also must stop for school buses and school vans when red lights are flashing. Be on the lookout for flashing yellow and red lights, and be ready to stop.
- Never pass a school bus when its stop sign arm is down and red lights are flashing.
- Do not begin driving again until the flashing red lights are turned off, the stop sign is put back in place and the bus begins moving.