Monthly Archives: October 2014

Lawrence, News

Hispanic Heritage at NECC

 

By Eduardo Souza

Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, when people recognize the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to the U.S. and celebrate Hispanic culture and heritage. 

There’s a considerable and diverse Hispanic population making their own contributions to the NECC student body.  

This fall, 37 percent of all students attending NECC are Hispanic. The Lawrence campus alone has a Hispanic population of over 61 percent. Haverhill’s hispanic population is 29 percent. 

This diverse group makes up a large portion of the NECC student body. Many are taking advantage of NECC’s resources to follow their career goals and continue their education. 

Pablo Santana, an accounting major from the Dominican Republic, is currently in his second semester at NECC and hopes to continue his education after this. 

“I think I’m going to transfer to UMASS Lowell… for their accounting program,” Santana said.

Others plan to use their education to start their own businesses. 

Edwin Checo, a computer science major from the Dominican Republic, has a different plan. “I’ll probably work part-time until I build my own [computer programming] business,” Checo said. 

Hispanic students transitioning into this environment often face many different problems that native speakers never have to worry about. 

The difference in language, culture, values can be overwhelming to students trying to acclimate to the college environment. This transition can be extremely difficult, especially at the beginning. 

Some students say that NECC can do a better job of helping non-native English speakers adapt into the college environment. 

Paula Peña, a full-time NECC student majoring in Graphic Design, has lived in Massachusetts for about four years and had a hard time adapting to her new environment. 

“I think they should offer better counseling services,” Peña said. 

“I didn’t feel I had the proper guidance to help me take advantage of my time. I sort of had to figure things out by myself when I didn’t have the slightest idea how things work here,” said Peña.

NECC does offer mental health counseling services headed by Marcia Winters who can be reached at mwinters@necc.mass.edu as well as a Student Success Center which can be reached at ssc@necc.mass.edu. 

According to the Eagle Tribune, “Northern Essex was one of only three schools in Massachusetts — and the only public campus — to receive a federal Title V grant for Hispanic Serving Institutions which helped fund a Student Success Center in Lawrence.”

This transition often impacts far beyond the school environment.

To some Hispanics and other immigrants, the difference in culture is so tremendous that it’s difficult to communicate with their peers in a way that they’ll be understood. 

It’s not only students that have a difficult time with this transition process. 

Professor Ligia Domenech teaches courses from World War II to World Civilization. Domenech moved from Puerto Rico three years ago, where she had taught at the University of Puerto Rico, and said that her transition was very difficult at times, but that the college facilitated the process. 

“They [NECC] have a program here that’s like an induction program,” Domenech said. “Throughout the whole first semester, you have two hours a week of orientation … That helped a lot.”

Domenech said any school would benefit from having foreign professors. “It’s fantastic for the school to have foreign faculty,” Domenech said. “They bring a different perspective. A different style … I think it’s important that we have more of those models for the students.” 

Domenech said she faces many hardships as a Hispanic professor at NECC. She constantly feels the pressure to do well so that NECC staff see Puerto Ricans and Hispanics in a positive light. 

“When they see me, they see how Puerto Rican professors are. I’m representing all of us,” Domenech said. “And I don’t want them to have a negative image, because then they won’t contract others.”

Features

Veterans and service person organization

 

The NECC Veterans and Service Person’s Organization held its first meeting on Friday, Oct. 3 at noon. The organization plans to meet bi-weekly in SC213 of the Behrakis One-Stop Center. Anyone is welcome to join the club. 

There are a lot of veterans and service persons attending, working or teaching at NECC that are silent about their time in the service or their involvement in it. 

A goal of this organization is to bring awareness of veterans’ presence on campus and provide a safe haven for them to talk about their experiences, both in the service and out of it, as well as their own personal college experiences at NECC.

The meeting started off by going over what the purpose of the organization is, which is to be a beneficial organization to all veterans, service persons and relatives. To provide information on benefits mandated by federal, state and private agencies, and to have group support, fellowship and comraderie. 

The constitution of the organization was review during the meeting. It states that the club is open to everyone, and that the goal is to make people aware that there are veterans on campus.

During the meeting, attendees went around and introduced themselves as either a student or staff member, and their military experience. Once the formalities were finished, the veterans shared their experiences at NECC as well as some experiences in the military. A sense of comraderie could be felt among those in the room.

The club is run by Jeff Williams, an army veteran who is the Veteran Service Coordinator on campus, and  Justin Merced, an English and Biology major at NECC. Merced is also an army veteran of 6, and he served in Iraq for 15 months and the infantry for 3 years. He finished his military career in the army reserves for 2 years. 

Merced decided to get involved with the club because he had been in student senate, and the student leadership developer program, but he didn’t see much available for veterans.

“I thought to myself, there’s nothing for veterans here,” said Merced. 

“I see vets walking around, and they’re silent just walking down the hallways going about their business, and I thought why not have a community where we can be ourselves, not just show up and leave.” 

“My main goal for the clubs is to create a safe space for veterans and service members to come and ultimately have a space where they can be themselves, where they can talk about their own issues.” said Merced.

One of the main points discussed in the meeting was the lack of awareness about veterans on campus. This poses a problem for the club in particular. It cannot become a registered club at NECC unless there are at least 10 signatures on the sign up sheet. 

Not only does this jeapordize the success of the club, but it contributes to the ongoing silence of veterans on campus. 

If students and staff were more aware of the presence of veterans on campus, it may make for a better overall college experience for those veterans.

“Increasing visibility of veterans on campus is also a goal of mine, so people know we’re here, and so people ultimately respect the veteran community because we are here. Like I said before, it’s an invisible population,” said Merced.

“Honestly, it’s been pretty shoddy. I’ve had instances where I was pretty open about being a veteran. After just a matter of a few weeks I really stopped sharing it because people looked down on the military, and it’s a huge issue that I’ve run into with students and staff.”

Ideas were thrown around to help the club gain more popularity, such as introducing merchandise, like challenge coins, to establish identity. 

They have a Veteran’s Appreciation Day with guest speakers. The challenge coins would be presented for academic achievement. 

The club is limited by its lack of resources. The club hopes more involvement could helo them gain available resources, both human and capital. This could provide more opportunities for veterans and service people involved. 

More funding could help provide future work study programs for veterans with the GI bill and other potential fun gatherings for veterans and their families who are a part of the club.

Another point mentioned in the meeting is that there are veterans that work full time during the day and take classes at night, so it is more difficult for them to get involved with the club if they desired to. 

Jeff Williams who is the advisor of the club, stressed that a goal of the club is make the Veteran Center, located in the Behrakis One-Stop Center SC216, a comfortable space for veterans to hang out and do homework or just unwind. 

“Don’t feel like you can’t come in there and hang out just because I’m working. The space is for the veterans on campus, and I just happen to work in there. That’s the message that we want to send. The more traffic that we get, the more it reinforces that message so that people will take advantage of the space,” said Williams.

Sports

Women’s basketball gearing up for season

 

NECC women’s basketball coach Brent Bass has been working since last winter to bring a competitive women’s basketball team to the floor for the 2014-2015 season.  Coach Bass, in his first year as the head coach, has been recruiting at high schools all over the area over the past year in hopes of bringing in new talent.

Bass spent a lot of time speaking with local high school coaches and asking about players they have who are interested in attending NECC.  High schools in Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, Haverhill and southern New Hampshire were all contacted.  Bass also attended various summer leagues and camps for high school players, hoping to scout recruits for this year and possibly the 2015-2016 season.  Over this past summer, Bass has spent time following up with many of these recruits and gauging their interest in the program.

In addition, Bass has taken advantage of the many open houses that NECC offers, and he has gotten plenty of exposure for the program, which has been an issue in the past.  Coach Bass’s goal is to make the program more visible not only around campus but also in the community.  He understands that there are other programs for these players to choose.  Bass even admits that he has lost a few recruits to nearby Middlesex Community College and other Division III basketball programs, which he says is “just a part of the game.”

“There’s a lot of options out there, so you really have to sell the NECC product to these girls.  That means education and basketball,” said Bass.

Coach Bass has plenty of work still to do with his team.  Once he has a satisfactory amount of players to commit, which he hopes will be 10-12, he has to make sure that those commitments are kept.  Bass knows that, as community college students, there are many other commitments, such as a job or a family, that can take priority over basketball.

In response to this, Bass is making an effort to make the team much more accessible for the players.  One way he is doing this is with the flexibility of practice times.  On Mondays and Wednesdays, which are known to be heavier schoolwork days, Bass runs practice later in the day at 7 p.m.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the lighter workload days, practice begins at 3 p.m.  In addition, the will be practice on Saturday mornings.

Bass hopes that this staggered practice schedule will help those players who may have work after class some days during the week, or have one day where classes run until the evening.  This way, all of the players will be able to make it to some practice over the course of the week, even if they can’t make it to every single one.

As far as the way practices are run, coach Bass has a system that he’s been using in his years as an AAU coach in the area.  He has a simple playing philosophy that he is always repeating: “defense, rebound, and run.”  In order to play this style well, Bass focuses on many different skill work drills, such as dribbling and passing, in order to help ensure ball control.  Ball control is a large part of Bass’s game plan, as well as a tight, clamp-down defense.

Bass is a big proponent of playing smart basketball.  His practices are very regimented, focused on building up players’ fundamentals and learning to execute plays.  He also knows that basketball is a game of running and jumping, so conditioning is a big part of his preparation.

“I think it’s one of the more physically taxing sports out there, and you need to be able to run,” said Bass.

Practices are fast-paced, changing between drills with little rest, and consist of various cardio-workouts and team drills.

Practice begins on Monday, Oct. 6 in the Sport and Fitness Center.  This gives the Knights just over a month to prepare for their first game against Lincoln Technical Institute on November 8.  This season, the schedule is heaviest in the months of November and January.  The Knights kick off the season with six games before Thanksgiving break, and there are 10 games in January once winter break is over.

Coach Bass uses his past experiences as a coach and instructor to help him lead the Knights this year.  Bass has been an AAU instructor and coach since 1999.  In those 15 years of experience, he has been a coach for the Bay State Blizzards programs and has also coached various ages from both genders.  Bass came to NECC in 2012 as an assistant coach, and took over the head coaching position in the summer of 2013.  He knows that the key to getting good players is selling the school as well as the program, and he’s already been doing so.

“I would love to build a program here.  It’s going to be a quality program that will represent the school well,” Bass said.

The test begins on October 6, when Bass and his new recruits begin their preparations for a great 2014-2015 season.  With a tough schedule on the horizon, the hard work is going to have to begin right away.

Lawrence

The Border of Lights Vigil

 

There was a calm and respectful silence around a row of candles resting on a ledge of the Robert Frost Fountain on the night of Oct. 3 just Lawrence City Hall. Students and teachers involved with Bread Loaf Teacher Network stood together at the Border of Lights candlelight vigil. All over the world there were people quietly raising awareness of the injustice of the events that took place on Oct. 3, 1937 between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The vigil started off at the El Taller restaurant on Essex St at 7 p.m. Students that have been a part of the Bread Loaf Teacher Company stepped forward to talk about their experiences visiting Haiti, sharing written thoughts and emotional poetry about the treatment of Haitians, as well as hope for a more civil relationship between the two countries.

On Oct. 3, 1937 a massacre took place in which thousands of Haitians were rounded up in Dominican Republic territory and massacred. Estimates of casualties have ranged from one-thousand to twenty-thousand dead.

The vigil has been held every year for the past three years to commemorate those who died and to promote peace between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Lou Bemieri is the director of Bread Loaf Teacher Network, an organization that works with Julia Alvarez, a Dominican-American author and influential public figure to organize the vigil each year.

“It raises awareness of two things: the massacre of the Haitians and the treatment of Haitians by government. It’s been hidden and buried and people don’t want to talk about it,” said Bemieri.

Nathan Baez, a Life Science major, stood in front of the room in El Taller reciting his deepest thoughts he had while in Haiti.

“We all have that idea of Haiti, you know it’s a third world country. Every day up until my departure somebody told me ‘oh be careful you’re gonna get sick or watch out you might get robbed,’ and before my trip I was kinda nervous. As soon as I landed I realized how much of a lie everything was. None of it was true, it was smiles everywhere. For the amount of poverty that goes on over there all the smiles I saw was amazing. It makes you question the poverty we face here in America.”

Baez shared his experience in prose.

“Sold me fruits in the morning, the taste of fresh pineapples and mangoes take my senses to a place only God can manifest. Yesterday was eye-opening. The linguistic workshop is proof that our written words and language hold power. As I led the journey down self expression the path is lit up by love, passion and pride of the people of Haiti. I am humbled by the culture that my grandfather was raised in and being on this island I’ve never felt more connected with my roots as a black man. I’m curious to what knowledge today will bring, what insight I may gain now open to the lessons I’ve yet to learn,” said Baez.

Baez’s experience in Haiti made a  permanent positive mark on him as a student and person. “It’s an essence of remembrance, an event to remember what happened at the massacre of the Haitian people by the Dominicans. I mean, I’m part Haitian, actually being there changed my perspective on my culture, my skin,” said Baez.

Baez illustrated how profound of an effect being immersed in Haitian culture had on him in a poem titled “Who Am I.”

“I am the one who brings light from my dark vessel. I am the palm trees dancing in the wind, in the homeland of my ancestors. I am peace, personified in my daily actions. I am water, flowing through the rivers of change, nourishing the land and people who tend to it. Human like you, but unique like the codes of my DNA,” said Baez.

The way Baez expressed himself and his thoughts while in Haiti was reflective in his writing.

“I wouldn’t say improve, it just inspired new ways of thinking, new concepts to work into some of my writing, new perspective on my history. Before going to Haiti, I didn’t think it was possible that my family had ties to slavery. It [hit] home knowing that my grandfather’s great-great grandfather was a slave. At the same time, the slaves of Haiti liberated themselves. They took their freedom back. That’s the most inspiring thing about it.”

Another student who stood the speak was Marquis Victor, who shared a room with Baez in Haiti. His deep poetic thoughts earned snaps and a hushed silence as he spun his poetry into vivid stories of his experiences while in Haiti.

“Paradox. Internally combats switching sides, to use privilege, oblige use acceptance, oblige as gunpowder two punks sawed off and blast back like when the oppressor lined up dark skinned rebels with my bloodline. Sunshine shines on dry patches of red. In my head, I could be mahogany, ebony, a touch of burgundy.”

In my head, I could be a potato farmer yawning in the morning on the Irish countryside, pale skin spotted porcelain sent to the ghetto of New York, drinking ocean. Deep, thralling poverty like bad medicine inundated, sedated by the Anglican. Who am I but this ravenous history stirred in a pot. Who am I but the dark and the light reflected through a prison?” said Victor

Other students such as Mary Lozardo, who identified herself as a Dominican from Lawrence, shared her thoughts with the room from her experiences in Haiti.

“I will say, that I am shocked at how little we, and I do include myself in this because I still have so much to learn, my place, culture and people who are so close,” said Lozardo.

“I am nowhere near ready to say goodbye so see you soon. (in regards to Haiti) Last night I had to say goodbye to Christina and of course, I started to cry. I know this wouldn’t be our last time plus I keep it with me wherever I go but it’s still a bittersweet moment. She’s left in my heart. I still have so much to learn, I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am, all the education I’ve taken with me.”

Such opportunities for students to visit Haiti and experience such an empowering and educational experience is made possible through the Bread Loaf Teacher Network. The organization is based out of Pennsylvania  with meetings held all over the country and world to make trips like this possible, as well as advocate social justice and promote education.

“We’re an educational network but we are really driven by social justice,” said Bemieri.

This particular vigil was held in Lawrence through both Bemieri and Richard Gorham, associate director of Bread Loaf Teacher Network and English Chair of Lawrence High School. Although the organization does not get a ton of funding, it still makes trips like this and educational experiences possible for students.

After both students and teachers spoke to the small crowd sitting in El Taller, they made their way with candles down Essex street to City Hall to hold the candlelight vigil in front of the Robert Frost Fountain. They took pictures and shared memories of Haiti while remembering those who lost their lives in the massacre.

Opinion

People ponder parking passes

 

By Henry Brewster, Correspondent

Despite the initial oppositions that many students and faculty presented a year ago when the parking passes became mandatory, people are generally now accommodating of the $8.50 ∑it costs to park on NECC’s campus.

 There are still outliers who refuse to pay for parking sheerly on principle, one anonymous student stating, “it’s too much to keep track of: books, tuition, supplies, parking. They should put it all under one bill.” This is a luxury that even most private schools don’t enjoy.

 Parking passes helped fund the sanding of the parking lots during the winter, a necessary action, due to restrictions on using salt as an ice deterrent because of water-body proximity issues.

 “It’s not that big a deal as long as it’s helping keep students safe” said Luke Miller, 22, a current student at NECC.

Parking pass payments also helped to fund repairs in the pavement.

 For new pupils, the parking pass doesn’t come as much of a shock, particularly since many other schools, such as UMass Lowell, or North Shore also require paid passes to park on campus.

“I was finishing my last semester when they began issuing parking passes, and I was a little peeved there was yet another thing I had to pay for,” said Coty Markee, 23, alumni of NECC. 

When parking passes became required, students were frustrated that there were no free lots available close to campus. 

 As a result of the parking passes, traffic through the back lot at the Science Building has significantly increased, security reports. 

Due to the ticketing program and threats of being towed, students who still refuse to purchase passes have now found themselves parking on the opposite side of the Haverhill campus from most classrooms, saving their eight dollars and walking a little farther to class.

Opinion

Opinion: Transition

 

UMass Amherst is so different.

I attended NECC for three years. For two, I was on staff at the Observer. 

During those two years, those four semesters, I met people from all walks of life. I worked in Athletics, did orientations for Student Engagement, was friendly with Public Relations. I knew almost everyone.

Fast forward three months since graduation, and it’s like starting all over again.

I came to the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Aug. 29. I was terrified to start over again. I didn’t have any friends that came here, I didn’t know anyone here beforehand and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was afraid of class difficulty. I was afraid to fail.

As it turns out, those were silly fears. Let me say one thing about the transition to a living at a four-year school: if you try hard at Northern Essex, really try, classes are no different.

NECC helped me skip a required 300-level course. The journalism program, Mary Jo Shafer especially, prepared me as well as anyone could have. 

I’m taking four journalism classes and so far everything we’ve gone over, Mary Jo has already taught me.

While the academic side of school is similar, the social aspect is where everything gets crazy.

Living at school is such a different experience than attending a community college. 

At NECC, I had my share of friends around campus. It’s such a small school that having two or three people in the same few classes isn’t uncommon.

While my biggest class is only 30 people, all of my suitemates are in the large lecture-style classes that can boast higher than 200. 

For someone who had around 25 students in every class for three years, that boggled my mind.

Transferring in also unfortunately puts students at a disadvantage. Everyone in my year has had two years of getting to know each other. 

Whether they met in class, at a game, or at a party, it seems like everyone in journalism knows everyone else. In a way, it’s the same thing at NECC. But trying to break in and show them what you have is harder.

It’s been a month, and I’m enjoying it. I miss Northern Essex. 

I learned a lot there and made many friends that I still cherish. But the challenges of UMass Amherst are something I welcome with each passing day.

NECC taught me how to break apart and excel. In a month, I’ve found an on-campus job, an internship and started writing for the campus magazine.

If you’re patient, NECC will teach you to do it too.

 

Uncategorized

MyNECC update will close site

 

NECC is upgrading myNECC in order to bring you increased functionality and access to student accounts. In order to do so, tech will be taking down myNECC starting at approximately 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 6. Service should be back up by Friday, Oct.10 and may return sooner. 
Information in myNECC will still be accessible; there will be providing a page of helpful links in place of the myNECC login.

 

Lawrence

Scooptopia opens in Lawrence

and  
This is a wide shot of Scooptopia and the owner.
Scooptopia has a barn theme and serves many frozen treats. | NECC Observer

 As you walk in through Entrance K at NECC’s campus at Riverwalk, just down the hall is the newly opened Scooptopia. Greeted by bright colors and an outdoorsy theme, Scooptopia offers a variety of ice creams, gelato, and sorbetto all homemade!

Owners’ Karen Small and her husband Frank opened Scooptopia in 2011 where it originated in Downtown Java Joe’s at Methuen Square in Methuen, Mass. 

They had a one year lease in Downtown Java Joe’s, and left when the lease was up and the shop then became Gemma’s Cafe.

Since they left, Karen and Frank never stopped looking for a place to reopen their business. 

“We never left the business, we just had no place to go. We had all of our equipment, and were just keeping our options open,” says Karen.

Karen came upon the space where the Coffee Cann used to be. It was a decent size area, and had the amenities that could fit their equipment.

“I saw the space, talked to my husband, then contacted The Riverwalk to lease the space,” says Small.

Right away Karen and her husband got to work, and construction went underway in January. 

“My husband sketched out what we wanted. A farm theme with green grass,” says Small.

They hired an architect who helped to find a tin roof and reclaimed wood. They put it together and it turned out the way Karen and Frank wanted it to be. 

When first walking into Scooptopia the customer is greeted by the counter in the form of a barn with the tin roof stretching outward,  and with  wood above. 

Surrounding the walls is wood, and to the left is what appears to be a barn window. To the right is a mural of an ice cream sundae floating down a chocolate river with mint chocolate chip grasses. 

Above the barn is blue paint to represent the sky, and green tile to represent grass. A cheerful and happy atmosphere.

“We wanted to bring the outside indoors, and it was lots of fun designing and putting it all together,” says Small.

Scooptopia finally opened in the beginning of summer in June. The hours of operation as of right now are Monday through Friday noon to 8 p.m.

“In the future, we hope to expand to the weekend, but as of right now we are holding steady,” says Small.

Scooptopia offers many different flavors of ice creams, sorbetto, and gelatos. The flavors are always changing month to month to keep it fresh, but will always have the basics such as chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. 

There are also specials during the months. This October, Scooptopia is offering Caramel Apple,Candy Corn, Pumpkin Whoopie Pie, Sweet Potato Marshmallow, and possibly Roasted Garlic.

“We are working on a Surprise Trick-O-Treat Bag flavor. It will be everything you would normally get in a trick-o-treat bag such as Hershey’s, Kit Kat, M&M’s, Milky Way, and so on. It is just finding the right flavors with it not being too much,” explains Small.

Scooptopia gets their ingredients locally, and internationally. 

“We get our whoopie pies, and fruits from Mann’s Orchard, for the sorbetto and our whoopie pie flavor. The rest of our gelato material is imported from Italy,” says Small.

Many people do not know the difference between the three frozen treats. Ice cream is made with cream, unlike gelato which is made with milk. 

Some people believe that sorbet, and sorbetto are the same thing, but they are not. Sorbet is made with milk, and sorbetto is fat free and dairy free, made with water and fruit. The menu offers gluten free treats which are marked by a pink star next to the name of the flavor.

The prices are reasonable for students, staff, and outside patrons who come in. A small gelato priced at $3.50 and a small ice cream, or sorbetto priced at $4.25. With reasonable quantities, they offer a small sample spoon to try out their different flavors.

“I want this shop to be different. I want to stand out, that’s why I’m always trying to make new different flavors such as Roasted Garlic, Biscotti, and Dill Pickle.  It’s a unique process, but it is a lot of trial and error,” says Small.

Reopening Scooptopia, has been a fun process for Karen and Frank. It took lots of effort, but they’re now being rewarded for the hard work.

“I love owning the shop, seeing the customers, and catering to their needs,” says Small. 

Scooptopia is located in the Riverwalk at Entrance K down a short hallway.

News

NECC maintenance prepares for winter

 

By Rachael Sarcione

It may seem as though fall has just begun but the Maintenance Department at NECCs Haverhill campus has already begun preparing for winter.

Keeping the NECC campus safe for students, faculty and staff is a year-round job that requires careful planning and considerations for the surrounding area.

 Steve Shepard has spent many hours clearing low-hanging tree branches that would eventually become covered with heavy snow and ice. 

Meanwhile, his co-workers are getting the leaf-blowers and shovels lined up.

“Once we get the leaves sorted out, it’s full march ahead for winter. It’s definitely a team effort,” said Shepard.

There is one detail about ice removal at NECC that is different than in other areas of Haverhill. The signs on Kenoza Street that say “Salt Restricted Area.”

 Due to its close proximity to Kenoza Lake, the Haverhill campus is considered a salt restricted area which prohibits the use of rock salt for the purpose of melting ice.

Rock salt contains small bits of  gravel, which is extremely hard and can become lodged in the paws of animals.

Besides the wildlife which inhabit the wooded area that surrounds it, Kenoza Lake is home to many species of fish. It is also the source of Haverhill’s drinking water. The chemistry of the lake would become dangerously altered by allowing the use of rock salt on roads and walkways nearby.

 “I love going fishing there,” said Ashley Jacobson of Newburyport. “I’m glad NECC is doing their part to protect the environment.” Jacobson, 29, is an architect who frequently works in Essex County. 

She is familiar with salt restricted areas and usually advises homeowners to use animal-safe products for melting ice on their property.

Robert Donna, a Home Depot associate is already stocking the shelves with alternative products for melting ice and is ready to educate his customers on the importance of choosing a product that is safe for the environment and pets.

“Ice-Melt is the most popular one and we almost ran out completely last winter. Had to get some shipped down from Maine,” said Donna.

Ice-Melt is a non-salt product containing Calcium Chloride and is engineered to generate heat.

The NECC maintenance crew has a lot of experience with Ice-Melt and is prepared to keep plenty of it within reach this winter. And by the way it sounds, we are in store for a messy one.

“We’ll be clearing snow at 4 a.m. if we need to,” said Shepard.

Maintenance will do what it takes to keep us all safe this winter.