Peabody City Hall Goes Wireless

Bring your laptops, tablets or smart phones with you.

If you're heading to City Hall to pay a bill or attend a public meeting, well you now can easily check your email, update your Twitter and Facebook accounts or just surf the Web while you're there. Mayor Ted Bettencourt announced today that City Hall now has free wireless Internet access for all. “We need to adapt to changing times,” Bettencourt said. “Peabody residents and others doing business at City Hall should have access to the same 21st century technology that they utilize in other areas of their lives.” Until now, employees in the building didn't even have a wireless internal network to use. According to Bettencourt, this is just the beginning of improving access to technology and streamlining the customer service experience for …

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Fire Department Moves Step Closer to Getting New Fire Engine

City Council refers Fire Chief Steve Pasdon's request for a $325,820 engine to Finance Committee.

The Peabody Fire Department got one step closer to buying a new $325,820 fire engine Thursday night after the City Council referred their request to the Finance Committee for consideration. This was an important step because intially Fire Chief Steve Pasdon and Mayor Michael Bonfanti believed the Fire Department would need the council to declare an emergency in order to waive certain public bidding requirements so a 1989 fire engine could be replaced sooner. City Councilors concluded they could refer the request to the finance panel because the Fire Department's request had already gone through a statewide bidding process administered by the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts. Pasdon said the replacement fire engine for the Tremont …

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Peabody Begins Planning for International Festival

28th annual event to be held on Sept. 18 in Peabody Square draws thousands of people from North Shore.

When Charlotte Gross and Julia Santos were asked why they volunteer their time to help Peabody stage its annual International Festival, both ladies concurred they love seeing the city's diverse ethnic cultures come together. "I like the idea of getting people together and having a community," said Santos, who has volunteered every year since former Mayor Peter A. Torigian started the event in 1983. Gross, a member of Peabody's Jewish community, has also volunteered many years during the festival's 28-year history. She enjoys seeing the number of people who attend grow each year. "I hope they keep it going," she said. On Monday night, city officials and festival organizers gathered inside the Frank Wiggin Auditorium at City Hall to thank …

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Engine Four to Close for Renovations

Built for horse drawn engines, Fire Chief Steve Pasdon says the 100-year-old Tremont Street station too narrow for today's fire trucks.

After more than 100 years of service to Ward 3 and the surrounding area, the Peabody Fire Department Engine Four Station will close for a long overdue renovation later this month. In a memo to the City Council this week, Fire Chief Steven Pasdon informed the board that the station, located at 96 Tremont St., would close May 23 for a span of two to three weeks for a renovation project primarily focused on widening the narrow entrance way and engine support platform. Built in the late 1800’s, the Engine Four Station was designed to house a horse-drawn steam engine, and while the city has made due with smaller, older pumper trucks for decades,  new emissions regulations for fire engines now dictate trucks must be much wider. As a result, the …

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Peabody Celebrates Polish Constitution Day

City officials and members of Polish American community raise Polish flag to commemorate 220th anniversary of that country's constitution.

One of the key differences between the U.S. Constitution and the Polish constitution is U.S. citizens have always been able to acknowledge it and look to it to govern this nation. Since it was signed 220 years, Polish citizens have not always been able to do that thanks to a series of occupations and wars since it was first signed on May 3, 1791. On Tuesday morning, members of Peabody's Polish American community and city officials proudly celebrated Polish Constitution Day by raising the Polish flag in front of City Hall and playing the National Anthem and Poland's National Anthem. Tony Malionek  of Beverly played the National Anthem and Poland National Anthem on his trumpet on the steps of City Hall. Mayor Michael Bonfanti pointed out the…

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Week in Review

City Woman Arrested in Heroin Bust; City Council Approves New Zoning

This week was a busy one in Peabody that culminated with the city's first GreenFest on Saturday.

The last week of April saw the city transformed by the majesty of spring with trees bursting with blosoms, green grass and even some flowers. It was also a very busy week full of progress. On Monday, city officials and members of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed the Little Italy Cafe to its new location on 46 Main St. Owner Sharon Meehan and her staff have been open for nearly two weeks and offer square Sicilian-style pizza, homemade meatballs and many other Italian dishes. Also on Monday, Peabody Little League got underway with its first games of the 2011 season. The Triple A Red Sox took on the Triple A Giants at Carroll Savage Park much to the delight of players, coaches and parents after an opening day ceremony planned for…

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GreenFest Will Offer Recycling, Investment Advice

Seminar will educate investors on placing money in green companies.

Financial advisors have always seen the world through green tinted glasses, but with a new focus on sustainability and environmentally conscious living, area investors are now being given an opportunity to "go green" in a different way. As part of the first annual Peabody GreenFest this Saturday, local financial advisor Michael Murray of Peabody Financial Services will be on hand to inform residents of ways to make sure their hard-earned cash can be invested in businesses who take a conscious approach to helping preserve the environment. “We have the ability through the Institutional Shareholders Service to weed out companies that our investors do not want to support, like tobacco, firearms, alcohol adult entertainment etc,” he said. “By …

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