Portsmouth pays tribute to former Mayor Evelyn Sirrell

Residents and city employees crowded the council chambers at Portsmouth City Hall on Friday, May 15, to pay tribute to former Mayor Evelyn Sirrell.

After several years of declining health, Sirrell died on May 8 at the age of 78. She served as a city councilor for four years, assistant mayor for two years and mayor of Portsmouth for eight years before retiring in December 2005. 

City Hall closed early on May 15 so that employees could attend the service at 4 p.m. The tribute included fond remembrances from Sirrell’s sons, as well as Mayor Tom Ferrini, city manager John Bohenko, city attorney Robert Sullivan and others.

Perhaps best remembered for her work to protect the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from closure, Sirrell was also a vocal opponent of the statewide property tax and a strong advocate of constructing the new Portsmouth Public Library.

Portsmouth pays tribute to former Mayor Evelyn Sirrell

Residents and city employees crowded the council chambers at Portsmouth City Hall on Friday, May 15, to pay tribute to former Mayor Evelyn Sirrell.

After several years of declining health, Sirrell died on May 8 at the age of 78. She served as a city councilor for four years, assistant mayor for two years and mayor of Portsmouth for eight years before retiring in December 2005. 

City Hall closed early on May 15 so that employees could attend the service at 4 p.m. The tribute included fond remembrances from Sirrell’s sons, as well as Mayor Tom Ferrini, city manager John Bohenko, city attorney Robert Sullivan and others.

Perhaps best remembered for her work to protect the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from closure, Sirrell was also a vocal opponent of the statewide property tax and a strong advocate of constructing the new Portsmouth Public Library.

“Evelyn Sirrell dedicated her life to serving her beloved Portsmouth. She brought her passion for the community to her public service, fighting to save the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and acting as a strong voice for the people,” Gov. John Lynch said in a prepared statement. “Her voice and her advocacy for Portsmouth, the community and its people will be missed. My wife Susan and I send our deepest sympathies to the Sirrell family.”

U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg also issued a statement about Sirrell’s death, praising the former mayor’s “effervescence and leadership.”

“Over the years, I had the opportunity to work with Evelyn on numerous projects from preserving Portsmouth’s historic architecture to protecting sensitive environmental lands, and she spearheaded each initiative with an unstoppable optimistic commitment which always resulted in success,” Gregg said.  

Mayor Ferrini ordered that Portsmouth flags be flown at half-staff on May 15 in Sirrell’s memory.

sobriety checkpoint nets four arrests

The Portsmouth Police Department conducted its first sobriety checkpoint of the season over the weekend, arresting four people late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Police set up the checkpoint on the southbound side of Lafayette Road near the intersection with Elwyn Road at 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, and stopped nearly 250 drivers by 2 a.m. on Sunday, May 17. Charges for the four arrests included driving while intoxicated, operating after suspension, disobeying an officer, transportation of marijuana and transportation of alcohol by a minor.
All four of the arrestees were released on personal recognizance bail and are scheduled to be arraigned in Portsmouth District Court on Monday, June 15 at 8:30 a.m.

In a press release regarding the weekend checkpoint, the Police Department cited 2005 statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicating that alcohol was involved in 39 percent of fatal U.S. crashes that year and resulted in 16,885 deaths.
An illustration of the problem came during the hours of the checkpoint. At about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, a 17-year-old driver crashed into a tree on Plains Avenue, shattering the vehicle’s windshield and causing both airbags to deploy. The driver was unharmed but was subsequently arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, operating without a valid license, disobeying an officer and receiving stolen property. Police allege the vehicle was stolen.

Portsmouth Police Chief Michael Magnant and other law enforcement representatives held a press conference on May 12 outlining their plans to crack down on drunk driving. The Portsmouth Police Department, along with N.H. State Police, the N.H. Liquor Commission Bureau of Enforcement, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department and other local police departments vowed to continue conducting sobriety checkpoints and other alcohol related initiatives through the summer.

The constitutionality of sobriety checkpoints has been a matter of local debate since 2005, when a Portsmouth District Court judge dismissed several DWI convictions stemming from a checkpoint. The N.H. Supreme Court later reversed that dismissal, but a superior court judge is currently reviewing a separate case from last fall.

art and sole

Rochester will get a lift this summer with “The Shoes of Rochester,” a community-art project inspired by local artists and a history of shoemaking in the city.

At a recent sneak preview event, sculptor Adam Pearson debuted the stiletto and Wellington models, decorated by artists Stephanie Piro and Susan Schwake and celebrated in poetry by Matt Jasper and Jen White. There are eight others to be revealed in a downtown celebration on June 6. The “Shoes” will remain in public places until Sept. 26.

“This is a chance to reflect on Rochester in a different way, to notice its rich history and the great amount of artists living here,” Schwake said. A full list of activities is at http://artesprit.org.