Gloucester, Lynn and the North Shore
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Last Monday, October 19th, my co-chair, Senator Michael Moore, and I hosted the next stop on our Committee’s statewide listening tour. The Committee on Community Development and Small Business went to the North Shore (Gloucester, Lynn, Beverly, and Danvers) to meet with a variety of small business owners to discuss their major concerns and challenges.
We visited quite a few employers in the area, including The Capitol Diner in downtown Lynn, owned by State Representative Rob Fennell. We were able to sit down and enjoy a great breakfast while hearing a bit about the diner’s 60+ years of history.
An especially interesting stop on the tour was our meeting with Fran and Al Dichner, husband and wife team that owns and runs a staffing agency, R&L Associates, in Beverly. R&L Associates has been around for 30 years and is now suffering during these hard times. This was the first time we had sat down with a business that specializes in staffing, and they brought to our attention some very pertinent issues affecting them and their industry, that we had not been made aware of previously. There was much to talk about, and since we were on a tight schedule, my staff and I are working on setting up a second meeting to further discuss how current legislation and state aid programs might be able to support R&L Associates during this particularly difficult time.
A great highlight of the trip was the opportunity to take a boat tour of Gloucester Harbor led by Gloucester Harbormaster, Jim Caulkett. Gloucester’s Senator Bruce Tarr and State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante were able to join us, providing insightful commentary, and pointing out specific examples of where the harbor has suffered due to state and federal regulations. It was fascinating to see the Gloucester Harbor and witness first hand all of the opportunities for harbor development that are restricted under the current regulations. This highlighted the importance of finding a way to balance harbor preservation and mixed use development.
Also part of our tour was Ryan and Wood Distillery in Gloucester, a stop at the North Shore Community College, Danvers Campus for a round table discussion, and dinner at the Beverly Depot- a former working train station and nationally registered historic landmark. Take a look at “latest images” to see pictures from our stops!
