Just days after cutting the ribbon on the $45-million dollar Claire T. Carney Library renovation project, UMass Dartmouth’s Chancellor Divina Grossman announced a $15-million dollar deficit to the school’s $245 million budget. Unsurprisingly, the announcement has caused a stir in the campus community.

While stopping short of being critical of former Chancellor Jean MacCormack, Grossman placed the blame on year-to-year budget patchwork that could no longer be feasibly continued. Other major factors contributing to the budget situation include potentially inefficient and unproductive campus centers and civic engagement programs that were unfavorable to the university. The chancellor made it clear that a number of solutions are on the table, including adding and removing programs to more adequately meet the demand of existing and future students, restructuring or merging various departments, and completing a full review of existing civic engagement relationships.

The chancellor more controversially pointed to a lack of both growth in student enrollment as well as state funding. In a letter to the editor of the Fall River Herald News, the director of the UMass Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis, Clyde Barrow, dismissed this claim. Barrow stated that while student enrollment has remained relatively flat, increases in tuition and fees have produced more revenue for the school. This is reflected in the university’s budgets, which have shown revenues from tuition and fees to be on the rise since 2010 from $92 million to $103 million, and in 2013, $107 million. Additionally, Barrow reported that funds appropriated from the state have also risen since 2010. The school was allocated over $60 million by the state in 2013, a drastic rise from the nearly $43 million it received in 2010.

Some skeptics have instead suggested the university focus on restructuring and even cutting a number of administrative positions on campus. Consolidating some of these positions, which often come with heftier six-figure salaries, is seen by many to be more prudent than eliminating teaching positions or introducing an influx of cheaper, part-time lecturers. While she didn’t rule it out completely, Grossman indicated that it is unlikely UMass closes its satellite locations in nearby New Bedford and Fall River.

While many including Barrow have been critical of the news, the tenor of the campus meeting was one of cooperation. There remains ample time for discussion and debate over next year’s budget before the next fiscal year begins in July. In one of her first major appearances in the campus community, Chancellor Grossman promoted transparency and community discourse, while showing her willingness to grapple with difficult issues.

The New Bedford Superintendent Search Committee announced today the availability of an online survey through which the  public can weigh in on the selection criteria for the new superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools as well as share opinions and ideas regarding the future of the school district.  The online survey allows each community member an opportunity to convey his or her opinions and ideas to the New Bedford School Committee.

Mayor Jon Mitchell explained that the Committee and the district will benefit from the public input and perspective.  “I encourage New Bedford residents to participate in this online survey as it is an opportunity for the School Committee to learn the characteristics and qualities the public would like to see in the next Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools as well as the district’s strengths and shortcomings,” he said.

The online survey is available at the New Bedford Public Schools homepage: www.newbedford.k12.ma.us or at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NEWBEDSUR.

New Bedford High School teachers and students began the 2012-2013 school year with access to new educational technology tools in the classroom.  Twenty classrooms at New Bedford High School were outfitted with interactive white boards (Promethean boards) as well as laptop computers and interactive slate boards with the ability to communicate with the interactive boards. Teachers received training on the new technology and will use the tools to engage students in a more interactive classroom environment.

The New Bedford Public School District was able to purchase the technology after the City Council agreed to Mayor Mitchell’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Proposal to invest $1 million in additional funds for the school department which was facing a budget crisis.

The City’s unprecedented investment in the school district was used to enable the schools to purchase adequate textbooks and other education technology tools to help students succeed.  The school department’s textbook accounts had previously suffered drastic cuts in order to plug deficits in other areas.

Mayor Jon Mitchell said, “We used a mixture of new revenue and spending cuts to close the school budget gap and I am pleased that as a direct result of the cooperation of the City Council and School Committee our students will have access to new textbooks and innovative, interactive technology in the classroom.”

New Bedford City Council President Steven Martins said, “The City Council believes in providing the right tools and technology necessary to help our New Bedford students succeed.  Supporting the budget proposal, we knew it would better help our children learn and succeed. We strongly believe that in shaping the future, our children and our schools must come first.”

Welcome to our fourth installment of New Bedford Streets; A Piece of Americana. I invite you to read up on the history behind William Street, Kempton Street and Ashley Boulevard. As usual, I’d like to re-iterate the importance of reader feedback, correction, and contributions. In the process of exploring these streets, I try to confirm or validate statements and dates by finding multiple sources. Unfortunately, if all those sources are making their statement based on an older, incorrect source, and there isn’t any dissenting information available, there’s no way to know otherwise. So by all means, please join in.

In addition, when trying to validate some statements, often there is very little to no information available. I haven’t decided which is worse – finding one source, or finding multiple sources, but not knowing if they were all based on an inaccuracy. So help from local historians, those who remember, oral histories and anecdotes handed down through the generations, people with private collections, and even know-it-alls help!

In this installment, we are going to explore a street steeped in history and importance. Not only is it one of the oldest streets in the city, it was at one time the lifeblood of the the city and a connector between Bedford Village and Oxford Village (Fairhaven): Middle Street.

Middle street wasn’t always named so. It was originally called Bridge Street, since it connected to the New Bedford/Fairhaven bridge. If you were to fly low – in let’s say a helicopter – straight along Middle street in New Bedford, you would arrive on Bridge Street in Fairhaven, the original name of Middle Street! Today where Middle street in New Bedford would have connected to the bridge is cut off by the Elm Street parking garage and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway or Route 18. After you pass the current bridge and over the causeway, this street turns into Huttleston Avenue. However, if you were to bear right before that at the Pope Island Marina and somehow drove across the water, you would eventually be driving on Bridge Street in Fairhaven.

Fairhaven/New Bedford Bridge; A slight Diversion
Today’s bridge seems to serve more as an interruption to traffic, so let’s stick with that theme and take a slight diversion at the monster responsible for the dubbing of Middle Street. The original bridge was was built under William Rotch’s direction (and assisted by many others) in 1796 and served as a toll bridge. The fare for crossing the bridge in 1800 is known since we not only have quite a few mentions of it in historical documents, but tickets can still be found. Here is what it cost in 1800 to cross the bridge:

• 4 cents for each foot passenger.
• 6 cents for a foot passenger pushing a wheelbarrow or hand cart.
• 6 additional cents for a dozen head of cattle, swine, horses, or sheep.
• 12 cents for each person and a horse.
• 18 cents for each sleigh drawn by one horse, and 6 cents for each additional horse.
• 36 cents for each coach, wagon or sled or other carriage of burden.

Keep in mind at this time, Fairhaven was still part of New Bedford. Fairhaven wouldn’t incorporate until later in 1812. In 1807, a great tide came in and swept the bridge away. Of course being a major thoroughfare a new bridge replaced the old. Alas, it lasted only 8 years before heavy winds blew it down.

On September 29, 1815 a massive storm slammed into the region and raised tides by over 10 feet. The devastation and damage was catastrophic. Hundreds of homes and businesses were wiped away, ships including the Lagoda were stove in, damaged or destroyed. The storm coincided with high tide and came in so quickly that people had to abandon their stations. This did irreparable damage in terms of the loss of historical documents, account books, logbooks, city and town records, and more. The flooding waters were said to reach all the way to County Street.

New Englanders, known for their stubbornness, thrift and industriousness licked their wounds and got to rebuilding, and simply put up a third bridge in 1819. The curse seemed to lift and the bridge got to it’s 50th birthday in 1869, before nature reared her mighty head and another gale blew the bridge down yet a fourth time! In the bridge’s fifth reincarnation it was no longer a toll bridge and it was free for all to pass.

In 1899, construction began on the bridge to modernize it, place a swivel in it’s center, and shift it slightly to the north where it connected to Fairhaven. This construction was completed in 1902. That’s the bridge we all “love” and sits there today. I know there are more than a few people who would love for a gale or epic storm to come and wash this bridge away a final time. However, keeping with the aforementioned New Englander attributes, it would simply rise from the ashes like some evil Phoenix, waiting for the moment you are pressed for time, late for an appointment, or felt like relying on the warning sign.

A new street is born out of necessity
On the New Bedford side of the Acushnet River, Bridge Street abutted the farm owned by the Kemptons. In 1788 Ephraim Kempton, son of William Kempton was the current owner of the farm. His farm lay smack dab in the middle of physical and economic progress of the two cities. After people would cross Bridge Street and enter New Bedford they typically would go north or south along the waterfront or the many markets and businesses that lay on streets like Front, Water, Rodman and Centre. It was only a matter of time before people would, out of necessity need to get to other parts of the city in a more direct manner.

Ephraim decided to build a street going through the middle of his farm that connected to Bridge Street so as to maintain the progress of the city. Eventually the name Middle Street came into common parlance and replaced the Bridge Street name. The foresight that Ephraim had was born out as within that year Middle Street would undergo two extensions. Within 10 years it would reach County Street.

Middle Street Timeline
c1759: Granddaughter of Joseph Russel mentions an Indian Wigwam sat in the woods in what would eventually be Bridge and Middle Street.
1788: John Howland purchases property on the south side of Middle street and extends a wharf from it. Throughout the year the street would be extended two more times. First extended to meet Water Street, then to 2nd Street.
1792: Matthew Howland builds Samuel Rodman’s first house on the southwest corner of Middle and Water Streets.
1798: Middle Street is extended to County Road (now County Street.)
1799: McPherson-Bullock house built.
1804: John Avery Parker builds his first of many homes on the southeast corner of Purchase and Middle Streets.
1806: Post Office is moved to a site on Middle Street.
c1813: John Howland builds stone building for an oil manufacturing company on the corner of Middle and Water. It stood where is now the front of the Standard-Times Building on the JKF Memorial Highway.
1832: Post Office vacates it’s spot on Middle Street and locates to a small wooden building on Union Street.
1833: John Avery Parker purchases property at the foot of Middle Street and it’s called Parker Block.
1833: Sixth Street was extended from Elm Street to Middle Street. North Christian Church, designed by Russell Warren in a Greek Revival Style.
1836: The Post Office-Customs House is built.
1837: Middle Street is extended from County Street to Summer Street.
1844: Middle Street School is built.
1845: New Bedford High School built on the corner of Summer and Middle Street.
1852: Portions of Middle Street receive public sewer works.
1859: Vessel the John & Edward, 20 buildings, and 8,000 barrels of oil are burned in a fire that destroys sections of Middle Street.
1869: Possible first use of Macadam roads at Bridge Square.
1881: New Bedford Co-Operative Bank opens at 125 Middle Street.
1889: The New Bedford Co-Operative Bank becomes the Acushnet Co-Operative Bank.
1901: Main Building at Parker Block/Bridge Square torn down.
1902: The New Bedford Home for the Aged is incorporated at 396 Middle Street.
1922: North Christian Church is demolished and replaced with Sear’s Roebuck Store on corner of Middle and Purchase Streets.
1970: Explosion at 2:30 a.m. at 209 Middle Street, Sully’s Inn and Italian Spaghetti House.
1973: Urban renewal leads to the demolition of many houses.
1976: Middle Street becomes one of the boundaries for the County Street Historic District.
1980: Middle Street becomes one of the boundaries for the Central New Bedford Historic District, which includes City Hall.
2011: Hurricane Irene sends 4 boats crashing into the New Bedford/Fairhaven Bridge.

If you have any corrections, additions, advice or anecdotes to share please comment below or e-mail us at ngbarts@gmail.com.

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#01: Otis A. Sisson’s Soap Factory, 1869. Corner of N. Water and Middle Streets. By N.B. Whaling Museum.
#02: Elm Baptist Church circa 1920, Middle Street East of County. Photo by Joseph S. Martin.
#03: Christian Church circa 1870. Middle and 6th Streets with 2 children in foreground. By Stephen F. Adams.
#04: Old New Bedford Custom House Corner – Water and Middle Streets. Photo by Gifford R. Swain.
#05: Corner of Middle and Purchase Streets. Photo by N.B. Whaling Museum.
#06: New Bedford High School circa 1905 on Middle & Summer Streets. By N.B. Whaling Museum.
#07: McPherson-Bullock House on corner of Middle and North Second Streets circa 1905. By Fred W. Palmer.
#08: Parker Block/Bridge Square at the end of junction of Bridge and Middle Streets. By N.B. Whaling Museum
#09: Parker Block/Bridge Square rounding Middle Street to Front Street. By N.B. Whaling Museum.
#10: Health department – 116 Middle Street. By Spinner Publications.
#11: Looking down Middle Street 1934. By Spinner Publications.
#12: School at Middle and Summer Streets. By Spinner Publications.
#13: Northwest corner of Purchase and Middle Streets. By Spinner Publications.
#14: Purchase and Middle Street circa 1940s.

If you would like more photos like those in the gallery, both Spinner Publications and the New Bedford Whaling Museum have Flickr accounts with thousands of images.

New Bedford’s Abraham Lincoln Elementary School was recognized along with five other schools in the Commonwealth for its sustainable “green” design elements.  The school was one of five schools in the Commonwealth honored by the “Green Schools Organization” as a green learning environment.  Mayor Mitchell presented the award to the Lincoln School today and spoke about the building’s energy efficient design features as well as efficiency measures implemented in other school buildings throughout the district.

“This project proves that while there are many costs that government incurs that are beyond our ability to control, with just a little bit of effort, we can sharply reduce the cost of heat and electricity that we consume,” said Mayor Mitchell.

The City of New Bedford worked with Daedalus Projects Inc., MVG Architects and their consultant team to design and develop a school that provides students with a 21^st Century learning environment.  The 93,833 square foot elementary school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.  It features an auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, library/media center, classroom spaces, and a recreation area which includes a synthetic turf field and resilient track.  The facility contains high efficiency systems and meets or exceeds all Massachusetts Collaborative for High Performance Schools requirements.

The Lincoln School’s green design features include:

• Light colored membrane on roof surfaces to reduce the heat island effect.
• School is sited in a central location within close proximity to public transportation basic services, pedestrian and bike access.
• Synthetic playfield for student and public use eliminates potable water irrigation.
• Contains on-site alternative energy sources for electricity production through installation of a 80kwh Photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof.
• High efficient mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems which exceed the MA Building Energy code by 30%; the majority of the classrooms are designed without air conditioning.
• Recycles 90% of the waste generated by the school Diverted 90% of construction and demolition waste to recycling plant in lieu of a landfill.
• Environmentally-friendly materials including recycled content, salvaged and certified wood materials were utilized.
• Classrooms are designed with access to views and natural day lighting.
• Protects students and staff health during occupancy by specifying walk-off mats, low-emitting materials, and high efficiency HVAC filters.
• Created a school maintenance plan of all equipment for preventive and maintenance needs and adopt the Anti-Idling policy to reduce emissions.
• The new school was built on the existing school site. The reuse of this site, promotes “Smart Growth” which protects undeveloped land and allows for the re-use of existing infrastructure, including: site utilities and roads.

The Abraham Lincoln School has also been designated a Model School by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Model School Program. The designation allows other communities to re-use the Abraham Lincoln Elementary School design as a model for their own school buildings.  Model school buildings are chosen by the MSBA for their optimal classroom space, efficiency, ease of maintenance, capacity, and their incorporation of sustainable “green” design elements.

In addition to the Lincoln School, the City maintains close to one-hundred buildings, including nearly thirty schools, and major water and wastewater facilities.  Many of the municipal buildings are antiquated and are costly to heat and cool.  Mayor Mitchell’s Fiscal Year 2013 City Budget includes funding for an Office of Energy Efficiency at the Department of Public Infrastructure.

The City has already implemented energy efficiency measures at several school buildings including Alfred J. Gomes Elementary, Hayden McFadden Elementary, Casmir Pulaski Elementary, Carney Academy, and Roosevelt Middle School. Such efficiency measures include:

• Upgraded lighting
• Hot water circulation pumps
• Variable frequency drives (power electronics conversion device used to control air conditioner motor)
  • Motors
  • Upgrades to existing energy management systems (EMS)
  • Occupancy sensors
  • De-stratification fans (helps equalize building’s internal temperature)
  • Demand control ventilation (ventilation based on occupancy and actual activity)
  • Controls on exhaust fans, air handlers, unit ventilators and zones
  • Conversion from oil natural gas for heat

New Bedford’s Energy Director, Scott Durkee, estimates that efficiency measures adopted in school buildings to date have resulted in savings totaling over $400,000.00.

Mayor Mitchell added, “Being energy conscious is not just environmentally friendly, it is financially imperative.  New energy conservation measures implemented by DPI’s Energy Efficiency Office when put in place today will help us hold down our property tax bills tomorrow.”

Welcome to the second installment of New Bedford Streets: A Piece of Americana. If you missed the inaugural article, please read, as that article sets up the entire series and covers William Street. I’d like to reiterate the importance of reader feedback, correction, and contributions. By all means, let us make this an open discussion.

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In this installment, we will swing 180 degrees and go from being unsure why the street was named, to being positive of its origin. Kempton Street is one of the most trafficked streets in the city, and the Kempton family name is one of that goes back to the very origins of New Bedford and the arrival of the first Europeans in the New World.

The first mention of a Kempton in the historical record is from 1623. The names Manasses/Mannasseh and Ephraim Kempton (though other documents suggest he came later) are mentioned as arriving on the ship Anne, or possibly on the Little James, vessels that were contemporaneous with the Mayflower. Both were born in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England of parents George Kempton and Mary Jersey.

Mannasses’ soon-to-be wife Juliana (nee Carpenter) Morton, recently widowed, was also aboard the vessel, as was Ephraim’s two-year-old son Ephraim. Ephraim Sr.’s wife Elizabeth nee Wilson had already passed away so father and son made the journey without. A two-year-old surviving the journey across the Atlantic is a minor miracle unto itself, perhaps one could say he was destined to a future in the New World. They were some of the very first inhabitants of Plymouth Bay Colony or New Plymouth.

Mannasses Kempton (1589-1663)
By 1627 Mannasses married Juliana, and while they had no children of their own, Mannasses had five stepchildren to rear. Mannasses shared in the division of cattle, and by 1633 became a Freeman, eventually serving as deputy to the Plymouth General Court.

He was also one of the original proprietors of Old Dartmouth spearheaded by William Bradford. The land purchased in 1652 was from “the west side of Acoughcusse to a river called Accusshaneck and three miles to the eastward of the same, with all islands, meadows, woods, waters, rivers, creeks, and all appurtenances, thereunto belonging…” or in today’s parlance the land on the west side of the Acushnet River, beginning at Clark’s Point and following the County Road to the head of the River. The original group broke up the territories purchased from Wamsutta and Massasoit into 34 shares, and Mannasses Kempton owned one full share.

Ephraim Kempton Sr. & Jr. (1591-1645)
Ephraim Kempton, Sr. a tailor, and his son Ephraim Jr., eventually moved onto land owned by Mannasses in Scituate by 1640. Ephraim Sr. had other children, John who stayed behind in England, Mannaseh and Lettice who did emigrate, and Annis of whom very little is known. There were rumors of other children, most likely daughters, however. there are scant records to confirm this.

Ephraim Jr. married Joanna Rowlins in 1646, and they had six children, two Joannas (one had passed away within a year), Patience, Ephraim III, Mannasseh, and Ruth. After wife Joanna died, Ephraim re-married Sarah Maddox in 1656, and they had two sons Nathaniel and Thomas. Ephraim was a prominent figure in the region and held many positions. He served on the grand jury, was a surveyor, town committee official, constable, and deputy to the general court, before becoming a freeman himself in 1631.

These Kemptons were the very first Kemptons in the New World that our Kempton Street was named after. By the time of the first U.S. Census in 1790 , thirteen Kemptons are named as residents in New Bedford. The census also lists the number of children of these thirteen residents, effectively raising the number to over a hundred. Thus are the humble beginnings of the Kempton Family, that would leave an indelible mark on New Bedford’s history.

Street Name Origins
Kempton Street was originally called Smith Mills Road, a road that led from Westport to New Bedford and passed through a village of the same name, that is now North Dartmouth. It included Rockdale Avenue and Hathaway Road. One of the region’s earliest settlements, the village was the home of many shipowners, had a large general store, two blacksmiths, and stone-grist and sawmills. This is a road that most people in the region travel often, as it is now called the Grand Army Highway or State Road (Route 6).

The mills were powered by the Paskamansett River, which can be seen off of State Road between Rose & Vicki’s and Midas Brake and Muffler. On the site now sits Paskamansett Landing, a small historic park, picnic area, and canoe launch. There are anecdotes that the village was dubbed Smith Mills Village when Elisha Smith (1680 -1766) purchased the property, mill and water rights in 1706. However, I have been unable to corroborate this. I have come across mention that it was named because of the two Blacksmiths that utilized the mill and river to work, or that it was named after any other number of important “Smiths” that lived in the region. The latter is true.

John Smith (1618-1691) was born in England and was apprenticed to an Edward Doty. He attained Freeman status in 1633, built a home and began to acquire land in the area. A tract of land that he purchased from Edward Doty Jr. came to be called Smith’s Neck. His son, Eliashub Smith bought land and “all mill interests” from Abraham Tucker on May 4th, 1707 and from this Smith, was the name Smith Mills adopted.

As the Kempton family grew in prominence and significance, and the villages grew into towns and cities Smith Mills Road became Kempton Street as it crossed into New Bedford and became what it is today.

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Kempton Street Timeline
1769: Thomas Kempton leaves his homestead between what would be Kempton and Hillman Streets to his son Ephraim.
c1775: Ephraim Kempton house is built on the northwest corner of County and Kempton streets, where the Haven Baptist Church is today.
1778: Smith Mills Road officially becomes Kempton Street as it cross the New Bedford and Dartmouth town lines. It is opened for the first time as a “traveled lane” and served and as a division property line for brothers William and Thomas Kempton. William Kempton wills the section between Elm and Kempton streets to three other sons, Benjamin, Manasseh and Ephraim.
1826: In the “Hard Dig” neighborhood a body is discovered by some boys picking huckleberries just west of what was to later become a baseball park. Sgt Wm H Carney Academy‎? When they alerted adults and returned, the body was gone and a mob was formed and began to burn down houses.
1842: Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is built.
1845: First documented mention of Cannonville Village which is located at the intersection of Kempton Street and Rockdale Avenue, to the east on Kempton St.
1855: Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is destroyed by fire.
1868: Benjamin Butler is born at the old Ephraim Kempton house.
1898: West End Police Station is erected on the corner of Kempton Street and Cedar Street.
1904: Station 3 is located at the corner of Kempton and Reed Streets.
1907: West End Library opens above the West End Police Station.
1923: St Mary’s Church is founded.
c1925: A building modeled after the Butler Flats Lighthouse is built on the corner of Mill and Kempton and used as a headquarters for Pacific Oil Company for a gas station.
c1928: Table Talk Bakery, based in Worcester opens a facility.
1929: Battery Park, a minor league baseball park is built where Kempton Street runs into Route 6 in front of the old Silverstein’s.
1950: West End Library moves to a building on the southeast corner of Kempton Street and Rockdale Avenue, and later becomes a pharmacy and T-Mobile Store.
1951: United House of Prayer For All People is built and the church organized by Bishop Charles M. Grace.
1953: Angelo’s Orchard Diner opens up on the corner of Kempton Street and Rockdale Avenue.
1960: The St. Ambrose African Orthodox Church on 416 Kempton Street has a wall completely destroyed after a condemned 4 story building that is being torn down by the J.J. England Construction Company accidentally strikes the church. No one is injured.
c1961 Coca-Cola opens a bottling and canning plant and operates it through the 60s.
1970: Race Riots broke out here and over much of the West End. Details go beyond the scope of this article. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) building is erected.
1973: Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is purchased and demolished by the Redevelopment Authority.
1979: North Bedford Historic District which is roughly bounded by Summer, Park, Pleasant and Kempton Streets is placed on the National Historic Register.
1980: Construction of Routes 195 & Route 18 cause the loss of 122 blocks of houses and businesses. Memorial Square Plaque is erected by the 20th Century Club in memory of African-American men and women who contributed to the civic, cultural, and social life of the community. Corner of Cedar and Kempton.
1985: The St. Mary’s building is transformed into the Eastern Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center.
1991: Fire Station 3 is disbanded and the building temporarily houses the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
1995: Rescue Company No. 1 is organized as a specialized “Special Hazards” unit and was stationed in Engine 3’s former quarters at the corner of Reed and Kempton Streets.
2000: Buttonwood Park is added to the National Historic Register
2002: Rescue Company No. 1 is disbanded. Today the New Bedford Emergency Management Agency and New Bedford Animal Control use the building.

If you have any corrections, additions, advice or anecdotes to share please comment below or e-mail us at ngbarts@gmail.com.

A man willing to work, and unable to find work, is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune’s inequality exhibits under this sun.  ~Thomas Carlyle

There’s no doubt that it can be hard to find a job in today’s tough economic conditions. If you live in New Bedford, it’s even tougher to find a job than in the rest of the state of Massachusetts. According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, as of January 2012, the New Bedford unemployment rate stood at 14.3%. This means 6,208 of the 43,556 people in the New Bedford labor force are looking for work. The Massachusets unemployment rate stands at 7.7%, which means New Bedford’s unemployment rate is twice the the state average.

The key to getting a job in this tough, competitive environment is to know where to look. Simply looking in the Standard Times or randomly filling out job applications is not enough. Here is a list of resources for anyone looking for work in the New Bedford area or throughout the state.

1. The New Bedford Guide Jobs Portal/Map – Our jobs portal adds 500-1,000 jobs daily and allows you search jobs on a map. Jobs are posted within 50 miles of New Bedford: http://www.newbedfordguide.com/map-page#pm_jobs_tab.

2. The City of New Bedford Job Board – The City of New Bedford’s website provides a list of city jobs. There are typically a dozen or more jobs available at any time. It is no secret that city government jobs pay well and provide great benefits like medical, life insurance, a retirement pension plan, paid vacations, holidays, sick and personal days. If you are a New Bedford resident start here.

3. New Directions Southcoast New Bedford Job Listing – Located in New Bedford, New Directions is a non-profit that not only provides job listings, they provide assistance and training for job seekers. From their website, “New Directions Southcoast, Inc. is the 501(C)3 non-profit corporation that operates the federally funded One Stop Career Centers in New Bedford and Wareham Massachusetts. We provide workforce development and training services for job seekers and employers throughout southeastern Massachusetts. Our professional staff works side by side with State job specialists to ensure our customers are afforded the individual assistance they need to meet their employment and training goals.”

4. TopUSAJobs.com New Bedford Search – Last I looked (March 21st, 2012), the New Bedford search on this website resulted in 14,396 jobs within 50 miles or 2,781 jobs within 25 miles of New Bedford, MA.

5. The Standard Times – South Coast Job Mart – The Standard Times provides a job search tool that job seekers can search by job title and region. You can also use their advanced search tool to narrow down your search. Last I looked (March 21st, 2012), there were 775 jobs listed in their database.

6. Monster.com, New Bedford Search – There were over 1,000 jobs listed on Monster.com within 20 miles of New Bedford.

7. southcoast.craigslist.org – I’ve heard of people getting jobs through Craigslist, but I’d recommend it as a last resort. While there may be tons of valid jobs listed, Craigslist is know for having lots of scams. I’ve found Craig’s List to be useful in hiring short-term, temporary jobs. If that’s what you are looking for, search through the jobs section of the southcoast.craigslist.org portion of craigslist.org.

The key to finding a good job is to leave no rock unturned. Hopefully, this list provides a valuable resource in your job search. If you know of a good resource that i should add to this list post a reply. If you find a job due to this article, I drink coffee and I’m available for a “thank you coffee” anytime.

It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.  ~Harry S Truman

Nationally-renowned author and environmental advocate Richard Louv will give a major presentation in New Bedford on “The Nature Principle and The New Nature Movement.”  Louv’s lecture will focus on the diminishing human connection with nature and how communities and individuals can work together to change that. The program will be held on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. at Tifereth Israel Congregation, adjacent to Buttonwood Park in New Bedford. The program is free and open to the public.  Copies of Louv’s latest book, “The Nature Principle” will be available for purchase, courtesy of Baker Books, and Louv will on hand to sign them following his presentation.

The Louv lecture is sponsored by the newly- formed Southcoast Outdoor Network, a regional coalition of organizations connecting individuals, families and communities with the natural world here on the South Coast.  “As the director of an urban national park, I can’t emphasize enough the interesting outdoor spaces available to explore right here in urban New Bedford,” stated Jennifer Nersesian, Park Superintendent and one of the founding members of the coalition.  “Our group reflects the breadth and diversity of our natural world here on the South Coast and we are excited to be able to bring an internationally acclaimed speaker right here to our region.”

Author of eight books, including “The Nature Principle” and “Last Child in the Woods,” Louv’s works have been translated into ten languages and published in fifteen countries. He is the founding chairman of the Children and Nature Network, (www.childrenandnature.org) an organization connecting today’s children and future generations to the natural world.  Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder’ which has become the defining phrase for the increasing disconnection between children and the natural world around them.  Louv has also written for a number of national newspapers, has appeared on network television to discuss Nature Deficit Disorder, and has addressed the U.S. Congress regarding his work. He has been recognized with the national  Audubon Award as well as many other prestigious honors.

Supported by groundbreaking research, anecdotal evidence, and compelling personal stories, Louv identifies seven basic concepts that can help us reshape our lives. By tapping into the restorative powers of nature, Louv argues, we can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds. “The Nature Principle”, according to Louv,  is “about the power of living in nature—not with it, but in it. We are entering the most creative period in history. The twenty-first century will be the century of human restoration in the natural world.”

“As many organizations strive to promote a healthier environment for families through policy, activities and opportunities for learning, representatives of the Southcoast Outdoor Network believe Richard Louv’s message needs to be shared,” noted  Southcoast Hospitals Community Benefits Manager Kerry Mello.

“Our children are becoming estranged from the natural world in part because of contemporary trends, online activity, and social habits. They are missing some of the best lessons childhood has to offer,” said Mattapoisett Public Library Director Susan Pizzolato.

The Southcoast Outdoor Network represents health care, educational, recreational, environmental and other organizations in the region. Participating organizations will have free information about their programs and events available in the lobby the evening of the program. The coalition will also work to create and provide ongoing information about outdoor opportunities that are readily available on the South Coast – in our cities, our towns, on our ponds and bays and even in our backyards. Sponsors of the program, and founding members of the Southcoast Outdoor Network include:

• Bristol Community College, The Institute for Sustainability and Post-Carbon Education
• Buzzards Bay Coalition
• City of New Bedford, Department of Parks and Recreation
• Greater Fall River Partners for a Healthier Community
• Greater New Bedford Allies for Health and Wellness
• Lloyd Center for the Environment
• MASS Audubon
• MassinMotion
• Mattapoisett Free Public Library
• Mattapoisett Land Trust
• New Bedford Community Rowing
• New Bedford Whaling Historical National Park
• Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District
• Southcoast Hospitals Group, Inc.
• The Stifler Family Foundation
• Trustees of Reservations
• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Sustainability Initiative
• Voices for a Healthy Southcoast
• Wareham Land Trust
• Whaling History Alliance
• YMCA Southcoast

The Ocean Explorium now has an “Explorer in Residence.” A native of New Bedford, Rhonda Moniz is an underwater cinematographer, a diving safety officer and a pilot and engineer for Remotely- Operated Vehicles (ROV).

Ms. Moniz is founder and Director of Operations for Benthic Exploration, a company specializing in marine technology including ROV, AUV, Side scan, and sub-bottom profiling technology. Ms. Moniz has been involved in a number of expeditions around the world, including several with Dr. Robert Ballard. She has also served as lead science diver and underwater cinematographer for the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology and for the University of Rhode Island.

Ms. Moniz will share her work with the Ocean Explorium, including access to ongoing marine research projects via online blog, still and video photography, and occasional public presentations. Ms. Moniz and the Ocean Explorium will also collaborate on high-level videos for display on the Ocean Explorium’s Science on a Sphere® exhibit.

“I am fortunate to have a job that I love, and I look forward to sharing my work with the New Bedford community” Ms. Moniz said. “A lot of amazing things are happening right now in marine science and technology. Where better than in New Bedford to showcase these explorations and discoveries?”

“The Ocean Explorium is thrilled to have Rhonda Moniz as its Explorer in Residence” said Abbey Spargo, Education Programs Coordinator. “We hope that the community will join us in welcoming Rhonda this Thursday, March 1, for the first night of the annual Girls Interested in Real Life Science (GIRLS) speaker series.”

The Ocean Explorium is located at 174 Union Street in downtown New Bedford and is handicap accessible via the rear entrance. Call 508.994.5400 for after-hours access.

For further information, contact Abbey Spargo at aspargo@oceanexplorium.org or 508.994.5400, or visit the Ocean Explorium website at www.oceanexplorium.org.

Have you ever wondered what the Seamen’s Bethel really is? Have you wondered why it was built to begin with? The Port Society, in conjunction with New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, is proud to announce special Seamen’s Bethel tours each Monday afternoon.

The tours start at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park visitor center, 33 William Street, downtown New Bedford, where, beginning promptly at 1:00pm, a Port Society volunteer will offer a guided tour of this historic and much-photographed New Bedford building. No tickets are required, and admission is free.

You can also read more about the Seamen’s Bethel here.