Mayor Jon Mitchell and the members of the New Bedford Public Art Committee will celebrate the installation of a new public mural on a Belleville Avenue overpass on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 at 11:30 AM. The mural is the first public art project spearheaded by the New Bedford Public Art Committee, a group of artists and organizations established as an extension of the Mitchell Administration’s graffiti prevention program, Graffiti Free NB. While Graffiti Free NB deters graffiti vandalism by making reporting options easier for citizens, it also seeks to engage local artists and encourage the appropriate use of public space for artwork.

Earlier this year, the Committee invited local artists to submit their original design proposals for the project. The winning design was created by New Bedford artist Alex Jardin, a 2007 graduate of New Bedford High School who also earned a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2013.

The design, entitled “School of Cod”, features a colorful school of Cod and Blue Fin Tuna swimming through a sea of Elm trees. Each fish was painted using a technique described as a “heavy build up of colorful paints, handstyle letterings and random designs, reminiscent of years of graffiti build up.”

CITY OF NEW BEDFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT
EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER $13.67hr – $19.93hr

Receive and process calls for assistance from various sources. Dispatch immediately such patrol cars, ambulances, fire apparatus, rescue squads or other personnel and equipment needed to handle all complaints and requests for assistance. Alert personnel responding to hazardous calls with information relating to the nature of the call.

Monitor the status and be aware of all units at all times. Immediately notify appropriate authority regarding any unusual occurrence or situation that may adversely affect the delivery of emergency services or any services required of the dispatch center.

Maintain accuracy in the recording of information related to emergency or other services required of the dispatch center.

Will not divulge, or permit any personnel to divulge, information relative to any matter or person, without the permission of appropriate authority in accordance with the provisions of all applicable policies, procedures, rules, regulations and laws.

Perform such other related duties as may be assigned by the appropriate authority.

Responsible for keeping certifications up to date. (911; APCO (Association of Public Safety Communications Officials); EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatching); LEAPS (Law Enforcement Agencies Processing Systems).

High school graduate or equivalent. Ability to speak clearly and distinctly in English with basic verbal and written communications skills. Basic knowledge of the principles involved in the operation of radio telephone, computers and related communication equipment. Ability to accurately pass a standardized typing test, scoring no less then a minimum rate of 30 words per minute. Preference will be given to applicants who have certification on NCC/LEAPS (National Communications Center/Law Enforcement Agencies Processing Systems) computer, Telecommunication certification, CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatching). Ability to communicate clearly and concisely under emergency conditions orally and in writing. Must pass an in-depth police background check.

One to three years’ experience in: general office procedures, dealing with the public, computer knowledge, public safety, beneficial but not necessary.

For application/complete job description, please visit www.newbedford-ma.gov or contact Personnel Dept., 133 William St., Room 212, 508-979-1444. Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is selected. EEO

New Bedford has a residency requirement. To apply for this position: http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/personnel/employment/employment-opportunities/

Looking for work? Edible Arrangements is looking for a part-time worker for their Dartmouth and Fall River locations. Hourly wage based on work experience. One week of paid vacation each year. Must have experience working with food and the public. Candidate must be able to work in a team setting and be available to work during the holiday season. Having your own transportation is a must to work at both locations. Send resume to JBDedible@yahoo.com.

Buttonwood Park Zoo

Open 9:00am-5:00pm, with the last admission at 4:15pm.
425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org
Daily keeper chats and animal enrichments are scheduled throughout the day. Please visit www.bpzoo.org to see our daily Keeper Chat Schedule.

Zoo Night

Friday, July 25 from 5:30pm-8:00pm
Cost: Zoo Members: free; Non-members: $4/child; $8/adult
Zoo Nights are designed to offer families an opportunity to enjoy the Zoo on cool summer nights, experience keeper chats and participate in children’s activities. Children will have the opportunity to meet Queen Elsa from 6pm-7:30pm.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

A Free Day

Sunday, July 27, 2014 Cost: Free
Please join us for a free day at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in memory of Shulamith R. Friedland. Admission will be free at the Buttonwood Park Zoo on Sunday, July 27. The Zoo will be open 9:00am-5:00pm, with the last admission at 4:15pm.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

World Elephant Day

Tuesday, August 12, from 12pm-3pm Cost: Activities are free with zoo admission Help the Buttonwood Park Zoo celebrate World Elephant Day. Find out more details at www.bpzoo.org.

Feast in the Wild

Thursday, August 14, 2014 from 6:00pm-10:00pm
Ticket Information: Zoo Members: $65/person; Non-Members: $75/person
Feast on local restaurants’ specials while strolling through the Zoo. Enjoy entertainment and animal encounters at the Zoo’s wildest night of the year. Live entertainment by El Caribe Steel Drum Band and Gary James Farias. The 2014 Feast in the Wild sponsors include: BayCoast Bank, Cove Pediatrics, Hawthorn Medical Associates, JS Data Forms, Sylvia & Company Insurance Agency, Inc. (Rain date is Friday, August 15th). Tickets can be purchased at www.bpzoo.org. 21+ event. Proceeds from Feast in the Wild go to support the Zoo’s mission.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

Zoo Night

August 22 from 5:30pm-8:00pm
Cost: Zoo Members: free; Non-members: $4/child; $8/adult
Zoo Nights are designed to offer families an opportunity to enjoy the Zoo on cool summer nights, experience keeper chats and participate in children’s activities. Look for further details at www.bpzoo.org.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

Free Fun Friday

Friday, August 29 from 9:00am-5:00pm, with the last admission at 4:15pm
Cost: Free admission

The Zoo will be open free to the public on Friday, August 29, thanks to the Highland Street Foundation Free Fun Friday program. The Zoo will be open regular hours with last entry at 4:15pm. Train and Carousel rides will be available for standard ticket prices. Visit www.bpzoo.org for further information on the Highland Street Foundation and the Free Fun Friday program.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

Weekly Favorites

Toe Jam Puppet Band

Every Monday at 10:00am & 11:30am
Cost: Zoo admission + $5/family
Sing, dance and play the hour away with New Bedford’s favorite, the Toe Jam Puppet Band at the Buttonwood Park Zoo every Monday morning.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

Toddler Tales

Every Thursday at 10:30am
Cost: Free with zoo admission
Enjoy a zooper fun story time at the zoo! Includes a snack and a craft/activity. Recommended for ages 3-5. Please note there is no Toddler Tales on Thursday, August 14.

• Location: Buttonwood Park Zoo
• 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
• Phone: (508) 991-6178 | Website: www.bpzoo.org

Edaville USA is creating an amazing experience for rail fans of all ages at our Jr Conductor Camp the weekend of July 26th and 27th. Edaville is proud to introduce our first ever Jr. Conductor’s Camp. A full weekend of learning what it means to work on the railroad. Meet the train conductor, tour the steam engine, and have a great time doing lots of train activities all through the park.

Don’t forget to sign up for our first ever Edaville Engineer Experience! This package includes park admission for two, a ride on the engine, an engineer hat, a special talk with the engineer, a special gift bag, and an Edaville Engineer certificate!

All rides and attractions are included in general park admission, so guests will be able to visit Dinoland and also enjoy unlimited use of all park amusements. Tickets for the engineer experience are $80, and include full park admission for 1 adult and 1 child. General admission will be $20, with free entrance to guests under the age of 2, and $17 for seniors. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.edaville.com or at the park entrance.

About Edaville USA:
Edaville USA is a family fun amusement park located in South Carver, Mass. The park features train rides through picturesque cranberry bogs, vintage amusement rides, indoor and outdoor play spaces, and new attractions such as Dinoland and newly acquired modern rides. Edaville USA also hosts different events throughout the fall and winter, such as Pumpkins Aglow and an Annual Christmas festival of Lights. For more information and to keep an eye out for upcoming events, exciting offers and updates, find Edaville USA on Facebook, or visit the website at www.edaville.com.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control launched its Tips from Former Smokers Campaign, a series of new commercials that started airing across the United States on July 7. Each of the seven commercials features the story of a former smoker and their journey to quitting. In one particularly hard-hitting commercial, former smoker Amanda tells the story of how smoking led to the premature delivery of her daughter.

In New Bedford alone, the rate of smoking during pregnancy is 126% higher than the statewide average. Smoking during pregnancy can cause serious health problems for both a mother and her baby. Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy have a higher chance of being born too early, having a birth defect, or dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Simply being around secondhand cigarette smoke can cause health issues for a mother and her baby.

For more information on the TIPS campaign and to see Amanda’s story, visit www.cdc.gov/features/smokers-tips-2014-july. To quit smoking and greatly reduce your risk for disease and early death, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569).

If you’re feeling cramped and like you don’t get to spend enough time outside, you’re not the only one. Increasing numbers of people do not spend time outside on a daily basis and of those who do, almost half spend less than 30 minutes in the fresh air according to a new survey released by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Various research studies are confirming that community parks, green space and time outdoors is critical for creating healthy, active and sustainable communities. You can experience the benefits of being outdoors by visiting your community parks and open spaces any time of the year, and especially during Park and Recreation Month.

That’s why this July, Parks Recreation & Beaches, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and NRPA are challenging everyone to get outside for Park and Recreation Month.

Join us Sat., July 19, 2014 for the Fourth Annual Great Outdoors Day at Buttonwood Park from 10-2 pm to learn about the many opportunities to get outdoors and be active in the City and surrounding area. Organizations will be providing hands on activities for families and youth as well as providing information on local outdoor programming. Many local organizations will be on hand including Buzzards Bay Coalition, New Bedford Rowing Center, Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass., Mass in Motion New Bedford, and more. You can try your hand at rowing, create cheater s’mores, get a close up look at birds and bugs, play traditional games of old, and more.

This year’s theme, “OUT is IN,” encourages individuals, families, friends and coworkers to do something outside everyday that they would normally do inside. From picnicking in the park instead of sitting inside at a table to sending an email or even holding a meeting outside, there are small ways you can make going OUT part of your daily routine. Discover the many local opportunities to go OUTside, get INspired, change your OUTlook and get INvolved.

On Saturday July 19th, Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter’s office will conduct a free tennis clinic for area youth.  The clinic will mark a total of 68 free youth sports clinic offered by District Attorney Sutter since the program’s launch in 2007. To date, more than 4,500 total youth have been served.

The free tennis clinics are a collaboration between the District Attorney’s Office and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Tennis Teams and Athletic Department. Participating youth will be instructed by District Attorney Sutter himself. Sutter played tennis while he was a student at Brown University and later played professionally and taught all over the world before heading back to the United States to attend law school. Sutter’s father was also an elite-level professional, once ranked as third in the world. In addition to instruction by District Attorney Sutter, members of his office will be present to serve as mentors to youth in attendance.

District Attorney Sutter’s free sports clinic program is managed by former Boston Red Sox pitcher, Brian Rose. Rose presently works for the District Attorney’s Office in its Community Affairs Division acting as Volunteer Coordinator, Free Youth Sports Clinic Director, and Neighborhood Liaison.

Saturday’s clinic will take place on Saturday July 19 at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth tennis courts, located at 285 Old Westport Rd, North Dartmouth, MA 02747. Youth ages 6-9 should attend from 9:00am – 10:00am and youth ages 10-14 should attend from 10:15am – 11:15am. Participation is open to boys and girls. All levels welcome. No experience necessary. Equipment will be provided.

For more information please contact Brian Rose, Program Manager for the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office at 508-961-1972 or by email at Brian.Rose@state.ma.us. Registration is also available online at www.bristolda.com.

The New Bedford Health Department has announced all of New Bedford’s beaches have been reopened for swimming today.  Testing was conducted and the results of water samples collected yesterday from all municipal beaches indicate that water quality has returned to a level safe for swimming to resume at all New Bedford beaches.

The New Bedford Health Department closed sections of East Beach located along East Rodney French Boulevard and West Beach located along West Rodney French Boulevard on Thursday, July 17, 2014 due to elevated bacteria levels which stemmed from storm water runoff.

City health officials will continue to monitor the water quality at all municipal beaches for any significant changes.

For more information, please contact the New Bedford Health Department at (508) 991-6199.

Southcoast Health recently donated $15,000 to Friends of Buttonwood Park to support the construction of three new basketball courts. Their contribution to the all-volunteer nonprofit has earned them a Champion sponsorship title, which includes partners who have made a $15,000–20,000 donation to the cause.

Construction for the new basketball courts began this spring and Friends hope to complete the project by early August. The group’s efforts spring from their Buttonwood on the Move initiative, which aims to encourage exercise in the park and reduce obesity rates in SouthCoast Massachusetts. The group chose to rebuild the basketball courts, which have not been updated in over 30 years, as their first fitness-themed project.

“A vital part of our mission at Southcoast is to improve the health and wellness of our communities,” said Keith Hovan, President and CEO of Southcoast Health. “Our parks, particularly our urban parks, provide opportunities for local residents to take part in free, healthy activities. Parks are a prescription for the community’s good health and we are proud to support these much needed renovations at Buttonwood Park.”

Friends of Buttonwood Park president Anne Eades remarked, “We are so grateful for the generous support of Southcoast Health. We started Buttonwood on the Move to promote fitness, so it’s wonderful to partner with a group like Southcoast, who shares our goal of making our community healthier—and happier.”

The organization has raised additional funds through in-kind and monetary donations from various groups and individuals within the community. To learn more about Buttonwood on the Move, including donation and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.buttonwoodpark.org or email us at friends@buttonwoodpark.org.