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 New
Bedford eyed as Cape Wind construction base
 The
developers of the newly approved Cape Wind project are
eyeing New Bedford as one of two possible home ports for
the project, a project official confirmed Thursday.
"We're taking a very close and interested look in New
Bedford," said Mark Rodgers, communications director for
Cape Wind.
The other port under consideration is Quonset Point in
Rhode Island, according to Rodgers.
The proposal by Cape Wind Associates LLC to build 130
wind turbines over a 25-mile stretch of Nantucket Sound
was approved Wednesday by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar.
Rodgers said project officials had considered about six
ports and had originally intended to use Quonset Point.
However, over the past two years, the developers have
become more and more interested in New Bedford, he said.
"Part of it is just that it's closer," Rodgers said.
"Part of it is that it's nice that it's in Massachusetts
since the project will be offshore Massachusetts... [read more]
NBEDC,
community leaders step in to breathe life into under-funded
tourism effort
 Faced
with a crippling cut to the city tourism department's
budget last year, Mayor Scott W. Lang had two choices:
Let various tourism efforts stall for lack of resources
or find another way to get the work done.
"It would be absolutely ridiculous in the city of New
Bedford today to think that tourism is a throwaway item
or concept," said Lang. "It was not a matter of, 'Well,
we'll just do without this' ... We needed to fill that
vacuum."
Lang approached the board of the New Bedford Economic
Development Council, which felt as the mayor did:
tourism is a critical component to both the economic
foundation and the continued economic development of the
city.
The NBEDC agreed to step into a facilitator role, and
the city's tourism task force — a collaboration of
public and private organizations that all have an
interest in seeing the city continue to generate
momentum on tourism — was born.
Just six months later, participants and observers said
the group has already achieved concrete progress,
including the recent launch of a new "Destination New
Bedford" website promoting the city and its attractions,
and plans for a series of digital walking tours of the
city that could be implemented this summer... [read more]
'Momentum
along the river' snags another developer
 Cliftex
North is the latest mill in the city's Upper Harbor
district to be slated for redevelopment after two
Cambridge-based investors closed on the property earlier
this month.
Bart Bussink and Michael DeVos purchased the Riverside
Avenue mill building for $1.1 million on April 1 through
their limited liability company, Boston Common
Investments.
"We're excited about it," Bussink said. "We think it's a
great building."
Bussink said the plan is to renovate the building for a
mix of purposes — some light commercial uses in part of
the mill and between 30 and 60 residential units facing
the water — while preserving the historic character of
the mill.
"I'm very glad to see that project is going to go
forward," said Mayor Scott W. Lang. "It will continue to
generate the momentum along the Acushnet River."
Planning for the project is still in the early stages,
but Bussink said he expected significant construction
activity to start within three to six months with the
goal of having people in the building in 12 to 18 months... [read more]
Agreement
reached to clear way for demolition of old Aerovox mill
 After
nearly two years of negotiations, a $13 million
settlement agreement has been reached that clears the
way for the old Aerovox mill to be razed by next year.
The Environmental Protection Agency and AVX Corp., which
owns the Belleville Avenue lot on which the
PCB-contaminated mill is located, announced the
agreement Tuesday.
The settlement requires AVX to monitor the air and water
at the site, cap it and remove hazardous materials such
as asbestos and mercury before the mill is demolished.
Once the mill has been demolished and the property
cleaned up to the satisfaction of federal, state and
city officials, the 10-acre site will be turned over to
the city, according to terms of the agreement.
The Army Corps of Engineers will team with the EPA to
inspect and oversee the work.
AVX has assured the state and the city that the site
will be cleaned up under the state's hazardous waste
site cleanup program before the property is turned over
to the city... [read more]
PBS
highlights New Bedford in program “American Experience”
 The
PBS program “American Experience” features New Bedford
in its look at the history of American whaling industry
from its 17th Century origins in drift-and-shore whaling
off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the
golden age of deep ocean whaling, and on to its demise
in the decades following the Civil War. The program airs
May 9, 2010 on PBS.
http://video.pbs.org/search/new%20bedford
City's
rebirth featured in Bank of America film
 The
city and its ongoing revitalization efforts will be
showcased tonight at 9 [with future replays] on national
television through a mini-documentary created by Bank of
America to air during a new series on The History
Channel.
The two-minute-long mini-documentary — one of 12 created
by Bank of America as part of its sponsorship of the
series "America The Story of Us" — will talk about the
bank's efforts to help revitalize city neighborhoods
through real estate development, mortgage and small
business loans.
Mayor Scott W. Lang said he was surprised and flattered
that Bank of America had chosen to highlight New
Bedford.
"I think it will be great for the city ... The timing
couldn't be better," said Lang, who said he was
interviewed for the piece but was not sure if his
material would be included.
"There's an awful lot of things (happening) that having
some national exposure certainly will be very, very
helpful."... [read more]
New
Bedford Whaling museum unveils $350k art gallery expansion
 The
New Bedford Whaling Museum is undertaking its largest
expansion in more than a decade, converting what used to
be storage space into about 2,000 square-feet of museum
gallery.
The project, which is part of the Old Dartmouth
Historical Society's nearly $4 million investment in the
Johnny Cake Hill block in 2009 and 2010, is estimated to
cost about $350,000, said James Russell, the museum's
president.
Russell expects the space to display local fine and
decorative art for at least the next few years.
"You'll see less of a concentration on whaling materials
and artifacts. It will concentrate more on the art that
is produced in the area," he said.
Russell hopes the project will boost tourism and foot
traffic in the downtown.
The gallery will allow the museum to exhibit more of its
collection at one time than at any other point in its
107-year history, according to a museum statement... [read more]
Sea & Ice exhibit opens at New Bedford Explorium
 An exhibit chronicling
one of the chillier chapters in the saga of the Schooner
Ernestina, formerly Effie M. Morrissey, opened Saturday
at the Ocean Explorium on Union Street.
The 116-year-old Ernestina has survived hurricanes, was
once scuttled after a fire, and for numerous years
weathered trips to the arctic, said Abbey Spargo, the
organization's education programs coordinator.
It is one of two arctic schooners still in existence,
said Spargo.
"Her stories are stories of determination and grit,"
said Laura Pires-Hester, who is involved with the
Schooner Ernestina Commission. "And she has many more
stories to tell."
Saturday, the Explorium, mere blocks away from where the
Ernestina is docked, opened its exhibit titled "Sea &
Ice: The Extraordinary Life of Captain Bob Bartlett."
Bartlett, a Newfoundland native and well-known arctic
explorer during the early parts of the 20th century,
owned the Effie M. Morrissey, now known as the
Ernestina, from 1926 to 1946. He made annual scientific
expeditions and anthropological studies of the arctic.
His trips were often funded by the National Geographic,
the Smithsonian Institution, and the Museum of Natural
History.
His adventures form the basis of the exhibit.... [read more]
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