School Community Forum Postponed

The Community Forum originally scheduled for 12:00 PM on January 31 at Amesbury High School has been postponed. The School Committee is working on rescheduling for a later date in February. We will let you know as soon as a new date has been confirmed.

Snow Emergency/State of Emergency

I have declared a Snow Emergency in the City of Amesbury effective from 7:00 PM on January 26 until 12:00 PM on January 28. All City facilities will be closed to the public beginning on January 26 at 5:00 PM, and will remain closed to the public on January 27 and January 28. Please see the press release at the bottom of this blog post for more information related to the Snow Emergency.

Governor Baker has declared a State of Emergency effective immediately, and a travel ban effective beginning at 12:00 AM on January 27 until 12:00 PM on January 28. For live updates from the Commonwealth, please visit: Mass.Gov Alerts

For a full description of the Governor's authority under a State of Emergency, click here: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/what-is-a-gubernatorial-state-of-emergency.html.

Latest storm-related updates:

• The Amesbury Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, January 27 and Wednesday, January 28. This includes the cancellation of all evening school events on both dates.
• There will be no trash or recycling collection on Tuesday, January 27 or Wednesday, January 28. Residents scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday collection are advised to hold all trash and recycling until Tuesday, February 3 or Wednesday, February 4. On February 3 and February 4, residents will be exempt from the garbage container limit, and will be allowed to place more than one garbage container out for collection.
• The MVRTA will be closed on Tuesday, January 27. For more information, please call 978-469-6878. The following services will not be provided:
• Fixed Route
• Boston Commuter Service
• E-Z Trans
• Ring/Ride
• Ring/Ride Rt. 28
• Boston/Peabody Medi-ride
• Verizon telecommunications customers can report any service-related issue by calling 1-800-837-4966 or visiting www.verizon.com/outage.
• National Grid customers can report power outages by calling 1-800-867-5222.

We will continue to update this blog post with new information regarding notices, cancellations, and adjustments related to public services as it becomes available. I would encourage residents to stay tuned to this blog post to see the latest information related to this storm's impact on city services.

Be safe!

Ken

FIRST Robotics Program at Amesbury High School

You can click here to read Jim Sullivan's article in today's edition of the Newburyport Daily News about the new FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics program at Amesbury High School.

I am very excited to bring this program to our schools, and I want to thank MIT engineer and Amesbury resident Mark Obremski, AHS teacher Mark Casto, and the school administration for working hard to help us get this STEM-based initiative started in Amesbury.

I also want to thank Dan Healey, Rick Bartley, and the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce for continuing to lend their support.

Good luck to the members of Carriagetown Robotics in their rookie year as contestants in the FIRST Robotics Competition!

Ken

House Fire in Amesbury

As many of you already know, there was a house fire on Tuesday evening in Amesbury. While our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrible event, we are also proud of the Amesbury Fire Department and the Amesbury Police Department for their quick response and control of the situation. Their efforts ensured that lives were not lost.



Shortly after news of the blaze broke, I was pleased to hear that many residents had already taken up the cause to help any victim in need. We’ve received many inquiries from residents asking how they can support any victims of this fire, so, below you will find a statement from the Pettengill House identifying the best ways to contribute to that cause.



In addition, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the public safety teams in Newburyport, Merrimac, Salisbury, West Newbury, Exeter, and Seabrook for their assistance fighting this fire. Thank you all for looking out for our community.



Ken



From the Pettengill House:



“The Pettengill House Inc. is now accepting monetary donations on behalf of the Amesbury family who were burned out of their home last night.  100% of all donations will be used to directly support the family.  Donations can be made out to The Pettengill House Inc.,  and sent to Pettengill Family Resource Center, 21 Water Street, Suite 4A, Amesbury, MA. 01913.  Donations can also be made through The Pettengill House Paypal Account on our website at www.pettengillhouse.org.  Please note: Amesbury Fire Victims Fund.  Donations are tax deductible.”