Newburyport, MA

Newburyport - City of Life

I love this city. I lived in Europe for 18 years, and when I came back to live in New England, I briefly lived in my home town of Winchester before discovering Newburyport in 1999. Newburyport has all of the great qualities of a small American seaport, combined with the walkability and atmosphere of some of the European cities I have lived in. I have lived here ever since.

OK, I like good food, and Newburyport has plenty of it. There are some great restaurants in town - I think Ten Center St. is handsdown the best. It has a cozy, pub-like atmosphere in it's downstairs wine bar and an imaginative cuisine. I hear complaints about the service but have never had a bad experience there myself. The waterfront location of The Black Cow is its claim to fame; my personal feeling is that the food is mediocre, but that is not agreed to by all. Another famous waterfront location is Michael's Harborside, until recently great food, but now slipping into mediocracy also. Glenn's Bar and Grill, a great place with great food, but on a busy night it can take some time to be served. Joseph's Winter Street Cafe has great atmosphere and Chef J.P. has turned the place around from the hit-or-miss experience it used to be.

Great night life too, and it's not Boston, which is fine with me. The Thirsty Whale is a real local hangout, very popular with a very talkative crowd in the weekends. The Grog is the "nightclub", very good live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for a mostly younger crowd, with a blues band paying Sundays starting early in the evening for a great night of endless dancing, heavily populated by an older crowd and plenty of singles.

There a plenty of other good restaurants, clubs and bars that keep Newburyport alive all year long.

The Tax Credit to Stimulate

the Real Estate Market

There is one, and it's working. In February 2009 a Federal tax credit for first time home buyers of $8,000 was passed into law, and the effect has been noticeable in our part of the State.

Basically, if you haven't owned a home for the last three years and your income is within the prescribed limits, if you buy a home before Dec. 1, 2009, you can claim an $8,000 credit against your 2009 income tax return. That's a chunk of cash in your pocket to buy a home. And because the FHA is giving mortgages with as little as 3.5% down to people with reasonable credit, the barriers to buying a home are low.

So things have been happening. The demand for lower priced properties - less than $300,000 - has increased substantially. Condos are selling. Renters who never before thought they could buy their own home are finding out that now they can! And while you can't borrow your down payment, it CAN be a gift from a friend or relative.

Savvy homeowners are realizing that now is a great time to sell because of this new demand. They are catching on that now is a good time to put their starter home on the market and move on - it's a great time to move up because the homes in the $300 to $600K range are well priced and the interest rates are low.

Buyer and Seller services have never been better - the best Realtors have hung in there through the slump and are busy with the growing momentum.

This Government Stimulus is well thought out and having a beneficial and stabilizing effect on the real estate market. While no one expects prices to go back to the levels of a few years ago any time in the foreseeable future, prices are now at the 2001-2002 levels, which makes a lot more sense. Unless you bought your home or refinanced it to the max at the peak of a giddy market, when many people - including the lending industry - unfortunately chose to ignore the old adage "it's too good to be true", you are probably in good shape to thoughtfully plan your home ownership future. Once again, we do have something to look forward to!

Sign the Charter Petition, Please

Spurred on by City Councilor Ed Cameron and a bunch of other smart people seriously concerned about the future of Newburyport, someone is likely to come knocking on your door to ask for your support in establishing a formal review of the City Charter of Newburyport. Kudos to the folks who are doing this; this is a long and laborious project that few among us would have the stamina to embark on.

I'm not going to bore you with the details here. Basically, the City Charter determines the form of government, and we've been operating under the same one for thousands of years, or since the invention of the automobile, or at least since the last time the Republican Party showed a glimmer of intelligence. A long time, no matter how you look at it.

Down to the nitty-gritty, though, it needs improvement. We need to try and marry the concepts of Government and getting things done, which is no easy task. Our most obvious problem, and the only one I understand right now, is the office of Mayor.

As things stand right now, we need to find a person who is a leader with vision, who is gifted and intelligent, and who can drop whatever he or she is doing professionally for two years, work for a salary of $62,000 more or less per year, and be fortunate enough to still have a real job waiting afterwards. Step right up,folks, now's your chance. The line is forming on the peak of Mt. Lavender.

Face it. There's no job security, the pay is hardly going to attract talent, and the criticism is often harsh. If we want competent, exciting leadership to bring Newburyport forward, we need change.

We have options. A four year term for Mayor and decent compensation is one. Another is a combination of Mayor and a new City Manager position. The City Manager would be the hired gun who runs the city and outlives the Mayoral politics. The Mayor would be our Guru, the guy with the ideas, the leader, our visionary. Maybe he's got another day job, maybe he doesn't, but his job could focus on the future and not the details of daily management. Maybe something exciting would happen. Maybe at least something would happen to move us beyond the indecisive quagmire we find ourselves in.

I know this is a pretty simplistic analysis, and there is a heck of a lot more involved, but hey, let the Charter Review folks look at the details and give us some clear choices. So sign the petition. Let something happen.

Recent customer is both surprised and relieved when she learns that there is nothing wrong with her clothes dryer; it's the dryer duct and vent assembly

Newburyport, MA - Webb Dickson, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard was recently acknowledged by a happy customer who called him to fix her clothes dryer. She was unaware that she had called a dryer vent cleaning company; not an appliance repair service. As it turned out, dryer vent cleaning was exactly what she needed to have done; there was nothing wrong with the clothes dryer.

At a recent interview, Webb said, "My customer thought she needed a new dryer because hers was taking longer to dry clothes and it seemed to be running much hotter. There was no doubt in my mind that the dryer ducts were obstructed and the dryer was not venting properly."

Webb was pleased to see that the existing dryer duct was short and almost straight; only one slight bend, and it was metal; not plastic or vinyl. "When I took it apart, I did find lint build-up and I was disappointed to see that the parts were joined with screws that protruded to the inside of the duct, easily catching lint. The inside of the duct should be smooth; parts should not be joined with screws."

Webb talked about how he explains to all of his customers how the dryer duct and vent system works and why air-flow is necessary to keep it working safely and efficiently. "My service is not complete until my customer understands the importance of proper maintenance between my annual visits," said Webb. "Not only was my customer happy to learn that she did not need an expensive repair job on her dryer; she was also thankful that we corrected the problem before she had a fire."

As the interview concluded, Webb said, "There are several things that can cause a dryer vent system to be inefficient. We do a complete inspection and make the necessary corrections to be sure the dryer gets the maximum air-flow it needs to function properly."

Webb Dickson is the owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of New Hampshire, Essex County and Middlesex County, Massachusetts. DVW professionally inspects, cleans, repairs and installs dryer duct and vent systems for homeowners and commercial buildings. Visit http://www.massdryervent.com to learn more.

Are you considering purchasing a new clothes dryer just because the one you have seems to be working less efficiently? Did you recently notice that it takes more than one cycle to dry a load? Do clothes feel hot when you remove them or do they have a moldy smell?

All these are signs that point to an air-flow and venting problem, not the clothes dryer. There isn't a lot that can go wrong with a dryer as long as it has a proper dryer duct and vent system, free from lint build-up. Venting and air-flow are the most essential items needed for a dryer to perform efficiently.

Proper venting prevents overheating as the heat escapes to the vent outdoors. Dryer lint is the culprit when air-flow is restricted. When the dryer ducts become clogged with lint, heat and moisture have no where to go; therefore, cannot escape the dryer drum which is full of your wet laundry.

Before replacing the clothes dryer, check your dryer vent system. It probably needs a good cleaning. Chances are, it will need to be replaced if it is not one that meets today's safety standards. Manufacturers recommend semi-rigid metal instead of the vinyl and plastic type that was used in the past.

Another commonly made mistake is joining different sections of venting with screws that protrude to the inside, catching lint. The inside of the dryer vent system should be very smooth, to help prevent lint from sticking. Of course, all dryer vents require cleaning at least once a year to remove lint before it builds up.

When the dryer ducts are clogged with lint, the system over heats, the dryer labors and eventually, you could have a fire. The lint adds fuel to a rapidly spreading fire.

Dryer vent cleaning and proper installation of the dryer duct and exhaust system will ensure optimum air-flow for your clothes dryer to operate safely and efficiently. A properly vented dryer will not strain and over-work to do its job; therefore, saving energy and preventing a dryer fire.

This article was written by Webb Dickson, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard. Webb professionally inspects and cleans dryer vents for homeowners and in commercially-owned buildings. Poorly maintained dryer vents are fire hazards and cause clothes dryers to cost substantially more to operate. Learn more at http://www.massdryervent.com/