Movable Signs, Immovable Objects?

Newburyport Development is putting the prime parking spots at the Fitness Factory to good use--advertising.

Two trucks were parked on the lot Monday night. One of them was the Harborside catering trucks that's seen around town. But the other sported rotating ads for Boat Club USA, the business based in the former Hilton building that houses Plum Island Roasters and Boat Camp.

Coincidentally, the City Council that night was set to discuss a bylaw that would regulate "movable signs," which would have covered both A-frame sidewalk signs and trucks sporting huge advertisements like these or the one sporting the Biofuels ad. But the council postponed the vote to settle some confusion over what version of the regulation should be discussed.

Yeah...

Got a little councilor/blogger tit-for-tat going on.

Why Not Newburyport

To steal from jabbering Red Sox hero Curt Schilling, "Why not us?


Why wouldn't Google want to set up shop here? Why shouldn't it? Honestly, I know we Newburyporters wrestle with a heightened sense of self-importance when it comes to our beloved town. But this place is perfect, exactly the setting Google should desire.


I concede the Webehemoth has been vague on the subject of exactly what it wants in the community (or likely communities) that it selects to run it ultra-high speed broadband networks. The fiber network promises to deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what we typically get.


And what does Google want us to do with this wicked pissa speed? Go here for details, but here's the big three.

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.

New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.

Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way.

I'm not necessarily sure how all that translates into everyday life so let's just tell Google what it will and won't get.


First it won't get stunts. No Google-colored balloon parties. No mayors jumping in lakes, shark tanks or the Merrimack River. We're not lamely changing our city's name to Googleburyport.


Google is getting Ron Martino's classy bit and a clever, humorous video put together by Newburyportbiz.com.


What it would get is a community that gets "it" before most. As Ron pointed out in his video intro, Newburyporters burned tea in a protest that preceded the more famous Boston Tea Party and portended the American Revolution. More recently, as we've discussed extensively here, Newburyporters turned urban development on its ear by restoring their downtown rather than tear the entire place down in favor of a shopping center.


Now, Newburyport is a model for the future of the American workforce. The city is lousy with work-at-homers who chose Newburyport when presented with the opportunity to live anywhere while working remotely.


The talent of this work-at-home bench is deep. Wall Street. State Street. High tech. International companies. All have workers in Newburyport, and they're hopefully setting an example for other companies. Remote workers lower real estate costs, reduce traffic, preserve the environment and create a healthier workforce. Last fall I attended a medical conference in San Francisco. Three of the six or seven reporters in the press room lived in the Newburyport area (and another grew up in West Newbury.)


Google's fiber network would be a huge boon to what's been an natural, organic effort. The first outsider's endorsement of this pursuit came from Steve Karp's purchase of a bulk of the downtown. Karp saw Newburyport as a model for future development, a small scale, walkable community that many builders were trying to replicate at the time (before the real estate bubble collapsed.)


This is Google's opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a model for America's future, which ironically is growing from a community deeply rich in America's past. I'm not sure how Google doesn't select Newburyport.

Newburyport Google

Nice piece of work by Ron Martino.



I still need to put more Google Fiber in my blog diet. (I always wait until the last minute.) Any suggestions are welcome.

Fiber/Diet jokes will also be accepted.

Picket Pinches Pennies

As you might have read in the Daily News this morning, the weekend's picket line at Shaw's cut deeply into this weekend's food drive, which means local families will have less assistance than in the past.

I respect the right of the strikers to picket, but the timing just stinks. Furthermore, it doesn't make a great deal of sense. As one e-mailer pointed out, the shoppers who were diverted from Shaw's probably went over to Market Basket, which the e-mailer reports is a non-union shop. I couldn't confirm that fact but that sounds right.

I like to think an informational effort would have been more appropriate. Here's another article on the strike.

Union workers have a responsibility to themselves and their families to fight for what they think is fair. I do get that. I just wanted to make the point that the local food pantries might need more help than usual this spring.

Here are the officials results:

The three-day food drive raised more than $2,600 worth of food for the five food pantries that serve Newburyport residents: Salvation Army, Community Service, Our Neighbor's Table, Community Action and Pettengill House. In addition, $416.75 was donated to the 2 Cent Grant Fund and $416.75 to Community Needs which will be donated to Community Service for non-food items. $3,433.50 is the grand total! Thank you to all who donated, volunteered and special thanks to Shaw's Supermarket and Belleville Congregational Church for their efforts and generosity.

For more information on Pennies for Poverty go here.

Notes from a Walk

Lucy the Dog was walking me down Pleasant Street an hour or so ago when I eyed a car taking a left hand turn up Green Street, an obvious no-no. I assumed the driver was inebriated or just clueless, but as I reached the intersection I noted very few clues for people to miss. I couldn't find a "No Left Turn" sign and the "Do Not Enter" sign stands behind the fence surrounding the Brown Square renewal project.

Drive the Food

Don't forget to grab a bag this weekend if you're at Shaw's.

Food Drive this Weekend

As an added perk, yours truly will be manning the table from 1 to 3 pm on Friday. Please stop by and tell me how crappy a blogger I am. (I'll only listen if you buy a bag of food.)


SPRING FOOD DRIVE
Save the Date: March 19-21

Pennies for Poverty will be having our Spring Food Drive Friday 3/19 from 8:30 AM to 6 PM and Saturday, 3/20 and Sunday, 3/21 from 9AM to 5PM at Shaw's in Newburyport to benefit the 5 area food pantries: Community Action, Community Service, Our Neighbor's Table, Pettengill House and the Salvation Army. We will also be seeking donations for the 2 Cent Grant Fund and Local Needs. The donations will be equally split between the two. The Local Needs money collected at the Spring Food Drive will be donated to Community Service for non-food necessary items such as personal care items. Please consider volunteering at the Food Drive as well as donating food to replenish the food panties and giving monetary donations to the 2 Cent Grant Fund and Local Needs Fund.

Fitness Factory to Close

An unfortunate--although not entirely surprising--piece of news on Newburyport Business. I'd heard a move to the industrial park was possible, so I thought the club would relocate rather than close.

I'd been a member--more off than on--for the past 15 years going back to their Prince Place days, so this is unfortunate. Good people.

We're number one, and quite wet

Local weather watcher Ray Whitley told New England Cable News-- home of the best morning traffic reporter in Boston--that Newburyport got 7.1 inches of rain, most in New England, according to NECN.