New Owner Eyes Bakery for Empty Downtown Building

The Hamilton man who bought a building on a portion of the former Hansbury property says he is hoping to get a bakery to locate on the first floor of the building.

The new owner of a commercial building in downtown Hamilton says he is doing all he can to get a bakery to move into the building. This week Michael Pallazola of Hamilton unveiled plans to spruce up the building at 227 Willow St., which is the southern part of the former Hansbury property. The building will not be expanded upward or outward but instead given a new look on the outside. “We’re just trying to dress it up,” said Ray Guertin, an architect from Ipswich who is working on the project. New windows will be installed on the first floor and six new lightposts will be installed in the parking lot. The lightposts will be 14 foot tall "antique-style" lamps that will be "dark sky compliant." The plans show a wrap-around roof overhang …

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Where Were the Hounds in Saturday's Parade?

It was insurance concerns that kept the hounds out of Saturday's parade at the start of Harvest in the Village Marketplace.

Saturday's Harvest in the Village Marketplace in downtown Hamilton and Wenham kicked off with a parade of horses from Myopia Hunt. The parade, though, was initially billed as including both the horses but also the hounds that take part in the foxhunting. But in the end, it was insurance concerns that meant the hounds would not take place in the parade. "Despite the hard work and a lot of effort of many people, it came down to the fact that the Town's insurance company through the (Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association) was pretty vague about the coverage of unleashed dogs, and in the event something did happen, the Town's cost for insurance could have gone up dramatically," said Selectman Jeff Hubbard in response to a question …

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ADD YOUR OWN: Photos From Myopia Hunt Horse Parade and Harvest Festival

Add your own photos of Satiuday's Myopia Hunt horse parade and Harvest in the Village Marketplace in Hamilton and Wenham.

A parade of horses from the Myopia Hunt foxhunt came through downtown Hamilton to kick off Saturday's Harvest in the Village Marketplace. Do you have photos from the parade? From the festival? Add them here by clicking on the green and white button that says "upload photos and videos."

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Detour and Delays Expected Again Friday for Crossing Work

A detour for southbound traffic and delays for all drivers on Route 1A through downtown Hamilton are expected on Friday while work continues to rebuild the railroad crossing.

A detour for some drivers and delays for others are in store on Friday as repairs are scheduled to be wrapped up on the railroad crossing in downtown Hamilton. The work is being conducted two weeks after a bicyclist got her tire stuck in a rut between the road surface and rail and was flipped over her handlebars and onto the road. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital with minor injuries. Workers from Massachusetts Bay Railroad Co., which runs the commuter rail service for the MBTA, came out that day to make temporary repairs but soon afterward agreed that an entire remake was needed for the crossing. The repairs to the crossing started on Wednesday at 12 a.m. and lasted until about 3:30 p.m. While the work was originally planned to …

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15 New Trees to be Planted Along Railroad Ave. This Week

Downtown Hamilton streetscape improvement work is underway with the planting of 15 new trees.

The downtown streetscape work appoved at Hamilton Town Meeting in May is underway this week. By Friday, 15 trees will be planted along the sidewalk on Railroad Avenue. Workers this week have cut open holes in the cement sidewalk where the trees will go. Voters at Town Meeting approved $23,000 for downtown improvements - that included $15,000 to plant trees along Railroad Avenue. John Tomsaz, director of the Hamilton Department of Public Works, said the trees will all be in by Friday. The work also includes replacing the flower boxes in the median along Bay Road. Some landscaping has been done along Bay and Walnut roads, whoch is part of the project, Tomasz said.  

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Downtown Crossing to Get Fix This Week

The angled railroad crossing in downtown Hamilton has caused at least two bicycle crashes this summer. It will now be repaired.

The railroad crossing in downtown Hamilton will be repaired this week, starting Wednesday, to eliminate the danger to bicyclists. The angled crossing has caused at least two bicycle cashes in recent weeks, including one last weekend where a Beverly woman was flipped over her handlebars when her bicycle tire got caught in a gap between a ail and the road pavement. The work will begin on Wednesday morning, Sept. 19, Hamilton Police Lt. Scott Janes said in a written news release. The work will again continue on Friday, Sept. 21. The work hours each day will be 12 a.m. through 12 p.m. A variable message board has also been put up at the crossing to alert drivers to the upcoming construction. One lane on Bay Road (Route 1A) will be closed …

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Changes to Front Windows, Entrance Get Underway at Black Cow

The Black Cow restaurant closed in April to undergo renovations and this week the changes that had required town approval got underway.

Changes to the entrance and front windows at Black Cow Tap and Grill got underway this week after the restaurant renovations got an OK from the Hamilton Zoning Board of Appeals. Owner Joe Leone has said he plans to reopen the downtown Hamilton restaurant in September after renovations. It has been at its current location for 19 years and the restaurant has been largely unchanged during that time, although it was expanded from 82 seats to 101 seats in 2001. The restaurant closed in April to undergo the renovations. The plan is to make a small existing entrance on the north side of the restaurant into the main entrance and remove the existing center entrance and replace it with windows. A handicapped entrance of the side of the building will…

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'Key Question' for Mike's is Whether Used Cars Have to Be In a 'Salesroom'

Hamilton officials are grappling with the question of whether the town's zoning byalws require used cars to be sold from inside a "salesroom."

Do Hamilton’s zoning bylaws require used car lots to sell all the cars from inside a salesroom? That’s one of the important questions that member of the Hamilton Zoning Board of Appeals are grappling with as they consider an application from Mike’s Auto Repair to sell used cars at the downtown Hamilton business. “I do think it is going to be a key question,” said Bill Bowler, chairman of the ZBA as the board was hearing on Wednesday night about plans to sell used cars at Mike’s. It is the second time that the board has considered the plan – a review that began last month. “What constitutes a salesroom under Hamilton zoning bylaws?” Bowler asked, noting it is an auto salesroom that is allowed with a special permit in the downtown business …

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Anne Sweeney

12:10 am on Sunday, July 22, 2012

Ms. Get Your Facts Straight, No, not a sad day for Hamilton, a Sad day for America. When a small independent business cannot receive support from the town in which it serves. The little town of Mayberry received the support of all it's towns people and in return all the towns people supported all of the businesses of Mayberry. The Socialism and over regulation in this country is getting so bad I …   more ›