Preeminent northeast sailing magazine features New Bedford as destination port

The secret is getting out!
If you have not recently docked at this historic seaport, it is well worth taking the time to visit an authentic working waterfront and explore a seaport where people have gone to sea for 250 years. That relationship continues to define New Bedford. Experience a harbor that is home to both working boats and yachts and the perfect layover-destination and a welcoming port for recreational sailors. Hidden in plain sight on the north side of Buzzards Bay, you will find everything you need from excellent marine services to restaurants with fresh seafood to the nearby National Park and Whaling Museum. With over 1,000 recreational boat slips and moorings, New Bedford Harbor is a newly-found hot-spot for recreational boating.

LOCATION
The harbor is located at the mouth of the Acushnet River, which flows south into Buzzards Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This is a deep-water port with depths up to 30 feet. The harbor features a hurricane barrier that stretches across the water from the south end of New Bedford to the town of Fairhaven. The barrier’s 150-foot opening closes during coastal storms and hurricanes. As a result, the harbor is one... [read more]
 

 Come to Summerfest this weekend!

Next weekend, downtown will be the site of one New Bedford's most popular summer attractions, the Greater New Bedford Summerfest, a weekend celebration of folk music from around the region, the nation, and the world. This year is particularly important, because it marks the 15th anniversary of the event that has continued to grow in popularity through time.

With that milestone in mind, the producers of the event will be presenting a concert Friday featuring some of the most prominent participants who have entertained Summerfest fans memorably in earlier years.

So while it is a bona fide treat for folk fans, it is also an opportunity for those who haven't been exposed to much acoustic music to get a proven, quality introduction to this form of artistry at a reasonable rate.

"Folk fans know these performers well," says Art Tebbetts, a local guitarist and singer who has been the host for Summerfest's Main Stage since it began 15 years ago. "This is an all-star lineup."

Friday's showcase will include sets from The Kennedys, Caroline Aiken, Vance Gilbert, James Keelaghan, and Little Johnny England. Inclusive jam... [read more]
 

 Despite cleanup, millions of dollars pouring into upper harbor

NEW BEDFORD — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could implement next year a new technique in the ongoing cleanup of the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site that would shave years off the project time line and potentially save millions of dollars.

The technique, known as a confined aquatic disposal, or CAD, cell, involves burying contaminated sediment in the harbor instead of disposing of it off-site, the current process.

Even with the new technique, however, at current funding levels the project is still expected to take several more decades to complete, a timeline Mayor Scott W. Lang said Friday was unfair to the people of New Bedford.

The city has moved aggressively to revitalize the Upper Harbor waterfront, attracting millions of dollars in investment over the past several years, and has recently brought a rowing program to the city that will get people out on the Acushnet River.

"The approach was: Let's find out what the limitations are and then let's work within the limitations and turn (the harbor) into an asset," he said... [read more]
 

 Boston-South Coast rail link takes step forward

BOSTON — Massachusetts has closed a $100 million deal that includes the purchase of nearly 40 miles of rail lines from CSX Transportation as part of a plan to build a commuter rail link from Boston to Fall River and New Bedford.

Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday that construction on the commuter rail will begin this summer with the rebuilding of three freight bridges in the New Bedford area.
That work is expected to create 200 to 300 jobs and should be completed by early 2012, Patrick said. It's being funded with a $20 million federal grant and $1.7 million in state money.

Under the deal, the state has acquired track running from Cotley Junction in Taunton to Fall River and New Bedford. The state now controls the tracks and will be able to run passenger trains once the South Coast line begins operation, officials said.

It also includes the purchase of about 8 miles of track in the Allston-Brighton area of Boston.

The deal is the latest in a series of steps needed to turn the estimated $1.4 billion rail project into a reality, Patrick said.

Another big step should come this fall, when the Army Corps of Engineers is expected to make recommendations for their preferred path for the rail link, Patrick said. That recommendation had initially been expected earlier this year... [read more]
 

 7,000 solar panels proposed for New Bedford Business Park in Dartmouth
By Dan McDonald

The New Bedford Business Park could be home to what would be one of the largest solar panel fields in New England before the end of the year.

Con Edison Development wants to install 7,000 solar panels, which would cover about 10 acres on the south end of the park, off Samuel Barnet Boulevard and Flaherty Drive.

The installation, according to Tom Davis, executive director of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation, would be the largest solar facility in New England, more than double the size of a 3.5-acre array in Brockton. The company could not confirm that it would be the region's largest such solar panel operation.
The proposal, which will go before the Conservation Commission and the Select Board this summer, would produce the equivalent of 2 megawatts of electricity, or enough energy to provide power to 2,000 households.

The proposed site, located near an existing energy grid, would feature crystalline silicon solar cells, a technology that has been used for more than three decades.
George Germano, the company's director of engineering and assessment management, hopes to start construction by September or October and finish the project by the end of this year. During construction, Germano says the project will employ 10 to 20 people.

Germano declined to say how much the project would cost. He also said his company plans to buy the site but has not yet done so... [read more]
 

 Lafrance family cuts ribbon for new hotel
By Brian Boyd

NEW BEDFORD — The Lafrance family formally celebrated the opening of their new downtown hotel Thursday evening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott opened for business almost a month ago, more than four decades after the city's last hotel closed. Joined by elected officials and other well-wishers, the Lafrance family officially marked the launching of the 106-room hotel.

"My family and I are just thrilled to be here this evening to celebrate the continuing resurgence of New Bedford," said Richard Lafrance, president and chief executive officer of the Lafrance Hospitality Company. "Great things have happened. Great things are happening."

In addition to the $11 million hotel, the family is finishing an adjacent conference center, which is expected to be ready by September.

Lafrance's grandchildren held up a ribbon made of $250 in $10 bills, taped together, while his mother, Rita, cut it. The money was donated to Nativity Preparatory School in New Bedford, represented at the event by two students.

Mayor Scott W. Lang praised the hotel as a great facility that supports the overall goal of revitalizing the city.... [read more]