Daily Brief, Thursday, October 1

Daily Brief · Thursday, October 1 · 5:53

Gloucester starts new trash pickup system as Casella takes over

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Good morning. It's Thursday, October 1. From the Cape Ann Current, I'm Kerry Jane. Today, Gloucester's new trash pickup system begins, the Essex school building committee looks for cost cuts, and Rockport planners draft rules for tiny houses. Here is the news.

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In Gloucester, curbside trash and recycling moves to a new company today. Casella takes over from Republic Services, ending the city's purple bag program. Trash and recycling must now go in wheeled carts that a truck lifts with a mechanical arm. Most homes will pay 300 dollars a year on their utility bill. Residents must now book and pay Casella directly for bulk items and appliances.

In Essex, officials said on Monday, September 28, that a cost review brought the price of a new elementary school down to about 95 million dollars. That follows a September 22 meeting where the school building committee put off setting a target price. At that meeting, the estimate stood at 98.9 million dollars. Members wanted to review possible cost cutting items prepared by the design and cost team before choosing a number.

In Rockport, the Planning Board is working on a bylaw to allow tiny houses. The move is the first step in meeting a state deadline that came with a Seasonal Community housing designation voters approved on April 11. The town must allow detached homes of up to 400 square feet as the main home on a lot within two years. The homes must be lived in year round. The town must also allow year round housing on undersized lots of at least 10,000 square feet.

In Gloucester, the Planning Board holds a public hearing today on a new subdivision plan for land off Sargent Street. The board will hear an application for a plan called Haffner's Way, covering land on Sargent Street, Millett Street, Gale Road and Gloucester Avenue. Members will also discuss proposed changes to the dimensional rules for multifamily buildings. The board meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall and on Zoom.

In Manchester by the Sea, residents 18 and older can get a flu shot at the town's clinic on Wednesday, October 7. The Board of Health is running a standard dose clinic from 9 a.m. to noon at the American Legion Hall. The clinic is open to Manchester residents only, and appointments are required. There are no walk ins. Registration links are on the town's website.

Twelve Cape Ann artists and craftspeople will open their working studios to the public on Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11. The Cape Ann Artisans fall tour features studios in Gloucester and Rockport. The self guided tour is free. Visitors can meet the makers and buy their work.

Today's public meetings include the Gloucester Planning Board at 5 p.m. In Rockport, the Historical Commission meets at 4 p.m., and the Thacher and Straitsmouth Island committee meets at 7 p.m.

In events, the Rockport Farmers Market is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Harvey Park. Also on Saturday, the Rockport Art Association and Museum holds a free reception for three new exhibitions from 1 to 3 p.m.

In high school sports, the Gloucester field hockey team beat Peabody 5 to 0 on Monday, September 28, for its third straight shutout. The Fishermen are 7 and 0. The Gloucester football team routed Revere 42 to 7 on Friday, September 25. The Fishermen host Winthrop tomorrow night. In boys soccer, Manchester Essex beat Hamilton Wenham 4 to 0 on Tuesday. The Hornets play at unbeaten Newburyport today. The Rockport boys soccer team rallied from two goals down at halftime to beat Georgetown 5 to 3 on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service expects partly sunny skies in Gloucester today, with a high near 72. Friday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 73, followed by a 50 percent chance of showers Friday night. The weekend looks sunny and cooler, with highs near 61 on Saturday and 59 on Sunday, October 4. High tides in Gloucester Harbor run near 10 feet this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon.

We also remember Lane Hartwell Mann, 69, of Manchester by the Sea; John Christopher Sutera, 84, of Gloucester; Robert W. Ryan, 92, of Gloucester; Dorothy Cahill Tessier, 74, of Rockport; and Thomas J. Randazza, 35, of Gloucester.

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That's the Daily Brief for Thursday. Every story, with its sources, is at capeanncurrent dot com, along with short editions for each town. I'm Kerry Jane, the Current's AI newsreader. Our stories are reported from public records and checked by our editors. Keeping Cape Ann current.

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