In the spirit of coming together, especially in these winter months of social distancing, a group of Manchester residents organized by Sylvia Vriesendorp have crafted a simple program called “Asked & Offered,” a give-and-take community bulletin matching people with skills and services w…
Starting on July 23, Gloucester-based non-profit, Seaside Sustainability, will host a virtual auction full of fun and unique items.
A lasting benefit of the 2019 Essex Bicentennial celebration is the professional repair, cleaning, and straightening of old gravestones in the Old Burial Ground. Last winter, local mason, Mark Haskell, volunteered to repair the tomb of Colonel Jonathan Cogswell, Jr. Soon, it will be enclos…
When he returned to Manchester for the Fourth of July as he does every year, Tom Schanley was happy to be free of COVID-restrictions and able to visit with friends and family in his hometown. But this visit offered another connection for the busy actor of film, theater and television. A per…
Public interest paused a planned demolition Sunday of a historic tea house on the campus of the Landmark School in Manchester. The school, lacking funds but eager for a solution, said it would halt movement on its plans to raze the dilapidated, circular structure while those expressing inte…
Attention Democrats: Every year each town in the Commonwealth elects delegates from among registered Democrats through caucuses to participate in the annual Massachusetts Democratic Convention. Last year, both the caucus and the Convention were cancelled due to the pandemic. This year the p…
Water and Sewer Rates Set: The Board of Selectmen approved a standard 2.25 percent increase to water rates and a 2 percent increase for sewer rates for FY2022. These new rates will be reflected in the next bill issued in August.
On Monday in person on the third-floor auditorium of the Essex Town Hall, 99-year-old resident Bonnie Jean Malcolm-Brown was honored as the town’s eldest resident. As tradition calls, she was presented with the 14-carat gold and mahogany Boston Post Cane.
Patrick Thorpe, President and CEO of BankGloucester has been elected to the 20-member Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) at its Annual Meeting in June.
As a small community we do not have a large staff of paid professionals. Thus, we rely heavily on residents to serve as volunteers on many different boards and committees. We have openings to fill and you are encouraged to see how you can contribute to the running of the Town. You get to …
Henry Richard, a member of Manchester Essex Regional High School’s most recent graduating class, will depart his hometown of Essex in one month to begin U.S. Navy basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Ill.
Board and Committee Vacancies: Get involved in local government and join a board or committee. Vacancies for FY2022 are posted on the Town website.
Another year of COVID adjustments for July 4th celebrations resulted in a much loved home decorating contest in place of a parade. Instead of floats and marchers, the Town of Manchester hosted the second annual Fourth of July House Decorating Contest. The judging was tough, according to Manc…
After so much time separate, safe and indoors, the exuberance of being together, face to face, is back. And while safety is still on our minds, the summer weather and so much emphasis on the outdoors is making it possible to breathe a sigh of connection. With that, last week’s Fourth of Ju…
A fire broke out at a home on Old Essex Road in Manchester from an apparent lightening strike Thursday evening, as intense weather passed through Cape Ann.
It was a hot, uncomfortable public workshop at the Manchester Essex Regional High School cafeteria Tuesday for residents to review technical, comprehensive details on a plan to rehabilitate and develop 174 units on four sites in Manchester.
James Wendell, a 2021 graduate of Manchester Essex Regional High School, told me calmly of his post-secondary plan to join the U.S. Marine Corps as his friends sorted out a run-in between a pole and their RV in a Washington campground. His voice was steady, his plans for the future unwaverin…
Town Hall will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of the July 4 holiday. We wish you and your family a safe and happy Fourth of July!
The Town operates on a Fiscal Year that runs from July 1 through June 30. The budgets just approved at last week’s Annual Town Meeting are for the new fiscal year beginning now. The start of the new fiscal year is also a time for the Board of Selectmen (BOS) to reflect on the past year and…
Cape Ann Savings Bank recently announced that Donald Wallaga will join the private regional bank as its Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
It's Town Hall Notebook, a running preview of items of interest with municipal business in Manchester and Essex. This week, it's the BOS in Essex, the Manchester Planning Board and the Open Space & Recreational Committee.
The Salem native organization, Root, was chosen as one of 590 organizations during a competitive review process. It is one of the 140 local nonprofits to be chosen for grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 through the Cummings Foundation $25 million grant program. During the span of the n…
The outdoor 2021 Manchester Annual Town Meeting (ATM) went off Monday without a hitch, although before the two-hour meeting ended the temperature dropped significantly, with dark clouds descending, and the 268 registered voters (of 4,359 total in town) seemed happy to keep the agenda moving …
Phase I of mosquito virus testing began in Manchester on June 15 and will continue until August 1, and Phase II will last from August 1 to October 1. Essex will not opt out of the state mosquito control plan for 2021. If a documented public health threat arises in or near Essex, which could …
My appreciation of the importance of local governance always gets a boost after a town meeting. I am always grateful to those who can attend and participate in our open town meeting proceedings. I love seeing the community gather to conduct the business needed to run the town and hearing r…
This report was presented by Essex Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki at this week’s Board of Selectmen meeting on June 21, and it covers topics of interest for town business from June 5 to June 18.
Join the Affordable Housing Trust and Manchester Housing Authority for a public workshop on June 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Manchester Essex Regional High School Cafeteria. The AHT and MHA will present and discuss the findings of the recent Site Feasibility Study.
The academic year is feeling different this year for local students who are “off” at college or university (or even boarding schools). But we’re happy to see reporting that shows many are doing well and have achieved academic honors.
Salem nonprofit receives 10 years of funding from Cummings Foundation.
The first weekend in June on the other hand, felt like mid-July! Beach goers were anxious to get on the beach and enjoy some much anticipated relax time without the worry of masks. Beach staff were thrown into mid-season craziness with early season experience. The staff handled things ver…
In this week's Town Hall Notebook, we're covering Seaside One's new paint job, a focus on safer routes to school, Manchester's mosquito control plan, and the Sustainability Committee's push for less plastic use.
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