Gloucester Daily Times
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/
Published: January 27, 2007
Murray: State will help city get river dredged
By Jason Simpson
Staff writer
In his first official trip to Gloucester, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray promised yesterday the state will help get the Annisquam River dredged, a project the Coast Guard says will help save lives.
Murray, in the city for the keynote speech at the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau's Tourism Breakfast at the Gloucester House yesterday, also said he and new Gov. Deval Patrick will help with reconstruction of parts of the Blynman Canal and Jodrey Fish Pier.
The Annisquam dredging project was a priority for Kerry Healey, the former lieutenant governor and chairwoman of the state Seaport Council, which last year said it was funding the project. Healey lost to Patrick in the gubernatorial race.
Officials yesterday said they expect the project to begin this spring.
The shoal outside the mouth of the Annisquam River at times befuddles recreational boaters and deters the Coast Guard and commercial fishing boats.
The Coast Guard has been pressing the Army Corps for many years to remove the shoal, but the removal has been held up at the state and federal level. In a January 2003 letter to the corps, the Coast Guard said deepening the channel was "of utmost importance to us due to the time it saves our rescue boats."
The last dredging of the river mouth was in the 1970s, Harbormaster James Caulkett said.
Mayor John Bell said yesterday the country's oldest seaport is "400 years old and getting better each day," and the partnership between the Patrick-Murray administration, the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the city will help build Gloucester's infrastructure.
Yesterday, Murray also boasted about Gloucester's involvement in the cruise industry.
He lauded the state Seaport Council's new Historic Ports of Massachusetts Cruise Initiative, which visits Gloucester for one of its five stops. He said it will make Gloucester even more of a tourist destination, as well as alleviate road traffic to the historic venues, which also include Boston, Fall River, Bedford and Salem.
"Partnership is really what it's all about," Murray said. "You will see an active and physical presence of this administration in the coming years."
State Rep. John Keenan, D-Salem, a member of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, said yesterday the "cultural history" of the state's cities and towns can't be forgotten.
The breakfast also featured the presentation of the visitors bureau's Tourism Grants, which have awarded more than $892,600 to nonprofit, membership or city- and town-based organizations to help spur economic development through tourism since its inception in 1994.
Among this year's recipients:
* The Chamber of Commerce of Marblehead, Salisbury, Rockport and Cape Ann.
* Peabody Essex Museum.
* Montserrat College of Art.
* The Society for the Encouragement of the Art.
* Gloucester Stage Company.
* Gloucester Tourism Commission.
* Ipswich Visitor Center.
* Topsfield Fair.
* Lighthouse Preservation Society.
* Destination Salem.
* Essex National Heritage Commission.
Sara Young, economic development manager of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, received the first grant award to use in order to produce the Cape Ann Visitor Guide, of which the Chamber produces 250,000 copies to promote Cape Ann as a tourist destination.
The Gloucester Tourism Commission and Rockport Chamber of Commerce also received awards for promotional literature of the area. Gloucester Stage Company will use its grant money to promote its 2007 season with a brochure, and the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, or seARTS, will produce an event calendar this year with its funding.
"Whether the funding is used for printing updates visitors guides, brochures and maps, or hosting an event or exhibition, the Grant Program assists these talented organizations with their marketing efforts and strengthens the NBCVB's mission to encourage tourism in Essex County," said Julie McConchie, the visitors bureau's executive director. "Visitor spending benefits the region as a whole. It is crucial that we offer the resources visitors need to plan their trips and explore all we have to offer North of Boston."