After the Philias Verrette Memorial was dedicated in Mack Park alongside Mason Street, organizers spearheading its creation discovered their fundraising efforts had been successful enough to collect funds in excess of the memorial's costs. On November 16, Verrette Memorial organizers presented the project's remaining funding, a donation of $832, to Roger Leger, Commander of the Salem Veteran's Council. From left to right: MPNA chairperson Rose Mary O'Connor, Salem Veteran's Council Commander Roger Leger, Verrette Memorial Fundraiser Chairperson Richard Brennan, Salem Veteran's Council City Council Liaison Councilor Michael Sosnowski, and Ward 6 Councilor Paul Prevey.

You may remember Anne, a frequent attender of our monthly meetings. Not afraid to address neighborhood concerns, Anne was instrumental in resolving safety issues in the Mason Street area. The demolition of the burned house at the corner of Mason and Friend Street, was a visibly positive change the neighborhood experienced as a direct result of Anne’s involvement.

For more than 16 years, Anne Bergstrom’s family walked in the North Shore Medical Center Cancer Walk. Anne captained this “Team of Hope,” consisting of her siblings, their octogenarian mother Margaret Taddeo, grandchildren and other family members. Cancer struck their family not once, but twice, killing her sister, Mary Geary, and her brother, Carl Bergstrom, when they were in their 50s.

Visiting hours:
Thursday, 4 to 8 p.m.
Murphy Funeral Home
85 Federal Street (at the corner of North Street)
Salem, MA

Funeral:
Friday, 9:15 a.m.
Murphy Funeral Home
85 Federal Street (at the corner of North Street)
Salem, MA

Funeral Mass:
Friday, 10 a.m.
St. James Church
Federal Street
Salem, MA

Those who wish may make memorial contributions to:

North Shore Cancer Walk Team of Hope
c/o NSMC Development Fund
81 Highland Avenue
Salem, MA 01970.

For online guest book or additional information please call 978 744 0497 or visit http://www.MurphyFuneralHome.com.

Anne’s obituary can be read in today’s Salem News.

Candidates, at Candidates-at-Large Forum

Incumbent participants Joan Lovely, Steven Pinto, Arthur Sargent, and Tom Furey defended their opinions and positions on topics provided by the largely residential audience, while challengers seeking to possess one of the four Councilor-at-Large seats, Teasie Riley-Goggin, Darek Barcikowski, Kevin Carr, Matthew Fraser and Matthew Richard, introduced the audience to their solutions and opinions.

Audience at Councilor-at-Large Forum

Some common themes were echoed among the candidates – Salem’s development into a more robust destination, environmental concerns such as utilizing green technologies and reducing negative environmental impacts, and encouraging development of the city without adversely impacting its residential neighborhoods.

Raffle table at Councilor-at-Large Forum

Now that the candidates have aired their opinions, it’s up to the voters to decide who fills the city’s four Councilor-at-Large chairs. Quoting challenger Teasie Riley-Goggin, “You have a privilege, people, and you’re not using it. Get out and vote.”

The event was covered by the Salem Patch, Salem News, and Salem Access Television (SATV).

If you were unable to attend the Councilor-at-Large Forum on Tuesday night, SATV will be broadcasting it tonight (10.22.2011) at 4:00pm on channel 16.

Media Coverage

SATV (streaming video)
http://cc.satvonline.org/Cablecast/Public/Show.aspx?ChannelID=1&ShowID=2845

Salem Patch (live blog replay)
http://salem.patch.com/articles/live-blog-at-large-candidates-forum

Salem News
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x859488376/Salem-councilor-at-large-candidates-speak-minds-at-forum

http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1184194130/City-hosts-a-first-a-potluck-political-forum

Websites

Teasie Riley-Goggin
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teasie%20Riley-Goggin/#!/pages/Teasie-Riley-Goggin/266942476675491/
Website: http://www.teasieforsalem.com or http://teasieforsalem.wordpress.com

Darek Barcikowski
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darekforsalem”
Website: http://darekforcouncilor.com/

Steven Pinto
No website is available.

Matthew Richard
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Richard-for-Salem-Councilor-at-Large/204656006272923
Website: http://votemattrichardsalem.com

Joan Lovely
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Councillor-Joan-B-Lovely/167921721853?sk=info

Matthew Fraser
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SalemLanguages?sk=wall
Website: http://www.ideasforamerica.org/

Thomas Furey
No website available.

Kevin Carr
Facebook: “http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elect-Kevin-Carr-Salem-City-Council-At-Large/140651252667669?sk=info
Website: http://electkevincarr.com/

Arthur Sargent III.
No website available.

Left to right: MPNA Chairperson Rose Mary O'Connor, John Dionne of Dionne's Cabinetry, and Joan Lovely Councillor-at- Large.

Donated to the Salem City council by Dionne’s Cabinetry of Salem, May 2011

The Mack Park Neighborhood Association is holding its second annual yard sale on Saturday, June 18, from 8:30-3:30 at Mack Park in Salem (entrances on Tremont and Grove Streets).

All proceeds from the sale will help provide refreshments for the the Mack Park Neighborhood Association’s monthly meetings, and help with its ongoing neighborhood improvement initiatives.

We welcome your donated items for sale. If you’d like to donate, please check the list below, to ensure we’re able to accept your items.

Items may be dropped off on Sat. morning between 7:am and 8:am. A possible Friday night drop off may be announced.

If you have questions, contact Mary Janard at 978 766-6837 after 5:pm, or email her during the day.

We’re able to accept the following items:

Clean Women’s, Men’s, Baby’s and Children’s Clothing
Hats, coats, sweaters, vests, shirts, blouses, pants, jeans, shorts, dresses, skirts, PJs, nightgowns, robes, shoes and slippers.

Entertainment Items
Books, records, board games, DVDs, CDs, VCR and cassette tapes.

Linens
Sheets, pillowcases, curtains, blankets, bedspreads, throw rugs, tablecloths, towels, bureau scarves.

Household Items
Pots and pans, dishes, baking pans, knickknacks, glasses, serving platters, cups and saucers, lamps, pictures,silverware and utensils, clocks.

Furniture
Tables, end tables, bureaus, chairs, coffee tables, night tables, beds.

Miscellaneous – unlisted items in good condition
Yard tools,holiday decor, sporting goods, carpenter tools, children’s toys, pocketbooks, mechanical tools, bikes and riding toys, jewelry.

Unfortunately we cannot accept the following items, unless you can to retake them if they are not sold

Appliances, microwaves, computers, used tires, paint.

Philias J. Verrette Memoral

“The neighborhood knows the history — the great war veteran he was,” Rose Mary O’Connor, chairman of Mack Park group, said of Verrette. “He was a friendly, nice man. He did a lot through the veterans organizations.”

Once the idea for a tribute was developed, members of the Mack Park association began working with the Verrette family and city officials. City Councilor Mike Sosnowski, veterans’ liaison, got involved and his experience with memorials of this sort helped make the monument possible, O’Connor said.

Verrette died on Oct. 26, 2009, at age 87. He was raking leaves outside his Mason Street home when he was killed by a car driven by Apostolos Bakolas of Woburn. Bakolas told investigators the sun’s glare was in his eyes and he did not see Verrette. Last year a judge found that no criminal charges were warranted.

Verrette accrued extensive combat experience as a sergeant in the European campaign, participating in the Battle of the Bulge and the D-Day invasion. His honors included the Silver Star — which is the third-highest military award for valor — the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Good Conduct Medal.

Mack Park members and other residents made donations that allowed for the purchase of the $2,600 stone, which includes engravings of the three major medals he earned and the phrase “His loyal dedication to his country, family and friends will not be forgotten and remain forever in our hearts.”

Support from the community was overwhelming, O’Connor said.

After the dedication ceremony, a reception was held at the Moose on Grove Street, where Verrette was a member.

Once the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission approved the stone for Mack Park, Richard Brennan, a member of the Mack Park Neighborhood Association, did the work to install the stone. A Salem firefighter who owns K & B Excavating, Brennan did the work pro bono.

O’Connor said Kimball Memorials, which created the memorial stone, was also instrumental in making the tribute possible.

O’Connor said she was hoping to see local families bring teenagers to the ceremony.

“It would be great for kids to see — this is a hero, we have to memorialize him,” she said, “because you don’t see much of that these days.”

Read more: Two veterans’ tributes planned – Salem, Massachusetts – Salem Gazette http://www.wickedlocal.com/salem/archive/x1539863019/Two-veterans-tributes-planned#ixzz1Nx19X12y

Read more about the tribute on the Salem Gazette’s website.

Salem Chamber Speaker's Podium - designed and donated by John Dionne of Dionne’s Cabinetry.

A long-standing challenge for Salem has been accommodating speakers addressing City Council.

While microphones were erected before open meetings to amplify the voices of council addressees, the setup was less than optimal for speakers, who often brought extensive arrays of meeting minutes, photographs and notes for reference and inclusion into the city record.

Having addressed City Council at numerous open meetings, Mack Park Neighborhood Association Chairwoman RoseMary O’Connor recognized the need for a more speaker-friendly solution. Last fall she mentioned this need to John Dionne, Salem cabinet-maker and owner of Dionne’s Cabinetry, who volunteered to design, build and donate a custom-crafted podium to the city.

Dionne visited the city’s council chamber to examine its furniture, woodwork and furnishings, to ensure his design’s quality, construction and color would match the chamber’s existing historic treatments.

His completed design saw its first use at the regular meeting of the council on March 24, a date that marks the first time throughout its long history that Salem’s council chamber employed a podium for public speakers. Dionne’s generous gift of fine craftsmanship is a welcomed addition that will undoubtedly make it much easier for members of the public and city officials to address the council.

Read more: City receives podium for council chamber – Salem, Massachusetts on the Salem Gazette.

Reprinted from the Salem Gazette.

In March, the Moose Lodge was presented with a television, from the MPNA, as a thank you for their support and help.

 
MPNA Chairperson Rose Mary O’Connor and Ward 6 Councilor Paul Prevey presented Mr. John Boress, Governor of the Salem Moose Lodge, with the television on March 8th, at the MPNA’s monthly Marhc meeting, in appreciation of the Lodge’s support.