Residents living around 7 River St. may be wondering what is going on with the condemned house, a sad sight on the street near the luxury Riverwalk Condominiums. The town-owned land, part of a tax-taking several years ago, will be reinspected in the coming months as town building inspector Denis Nadeau is concerned about the roof.

"It's pretty gross, and we may need to do something before winter," Nadeau said, noting the home was condemned for several reasons, two of which being the home was filled with starving cats and buckets of human waste. "We will have to review it and look at it again in the next couple of months."

Mayor Thatcher Kezer said the town is watching the property and will, at some point, unload the land.

"The way the market is right now, it's not a hot sales item," Kezer said. "We will keep an eye on it, and when conditions warrant, take care of it."

If the roof needs repair before the town can sell or auction the property, the expense will come out of town coffers, Kezer said.

"We get what we sell it for," he said.

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Rob Ouellete, uncle of the late 1st Lt. Derek Hines, after whom the Hines bridge is named, stood and spoke of his nephew at the public meeting last week, helping bring some perspective to the sacrifice locals would be making regarding the bridge. "Local people know the story and the name and what Derek stood for," Ouellete said. "We look forward to the bridge being done for all in the area."

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The "Fall Art Festival," a mixed media art and fine crafts festival will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a rain date on Sunday, in front of the Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery, 32 Elm St. There will be a barbecue and live Celtic harp music. The event is free and open to the public. For more information and directions go to www.riverwalkbeads.com and click on "Events" or call 978-388-3499.

At the festival, "The Vanishing Cultures Foundation" will raffle off a Peruvian poncho and will have handmade Peruvian jewelry, rattles and woven items to sell to benefit the foundation. Additional specifics about the art and fine crafts that will be for sale are available on the Web site.

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On Thursday, Oct. 23, from 5 to 6 p.m., the Amesbury Public Library is hosting a portrait unveiling of Director Marc Lankin who passed away July 5, 2007. The portrait, painted by Scott Jackson of Newburyport, was donated by an anonymous donor and will be hung in the main-floor area of the library. Friends, co-workers and members of community programs and committees Lankin served on are welcome, and this event is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

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The first part of a lecture series titled, "Our Changing World: 90 minute forums on energy, the economy, environment and community" will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Amesbury Middle School auditorium. The first talk will feature speaker Anthony Flint of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The topic will include discussion on rising energy and transportation costs and the changes taking place regarding how and where people are choosing to live and work. For more information contact Bruce Keller at 978-388-8110 ext. 313.

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Mayor Thatcher Kezer is spending $10,000 to get the codes and ordinances in Amesbury online. Using a company called "General Code." the town clerk's office is working to compile and clean up all ordinances and town bylaws since 1996. Kezer hopes the rules and regulations are all online in the coming months and the service will add more transparency to local government.

"We are compiling all the documents and putting them in a consistent format, cleaning them up, identifying any conflicts or vague language," Kezer said. "This was a goal I set when I was elected. Every citizen will be able to go online and see everything."

After the $10,000 fee to put everything online, the town will be assessed an annual fee.

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On Oct. 25 at 12:30 p.m., Seabrook Station will sound their warning alarms as part of a drill. Code Red will be used to alert residents. To sign up or update contact information for the Code Red system, log on to the Town of Amesbury Web site.

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Due to lack of interest, the Amesbury Citizens Police Academy has been canceled. A session will be held in the spring.

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In cooperation with the Amesbury Council on Aging, the Amesbury Public Library will reinstate its delivery service to homebound residents. This service will be available later this fall to residents of all ages who are permanently or temporarily homebound and who have no other way to get materials from the library. Those interested and in need of this service may contact assistant library director Patty DiTullio at 978-388-8148, ext. 612, or e-mail pditullio@mvlc.org.

The library is also looking for volunteers to help with the program. Anyone with a few hours to help per month can attend a training session tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the library. Call to register.

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There will be a public rosary in front of the Mary statue at St. Joseph's Church at the corner of School and Sparhawk Street at noon on Saturday. The gathering will commemorate the miracle at Fatima in 1917. Bring a rosary and lawn chair. For more information, contact Mary at 978-388-5560.

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All veterans returning home are encouraged to contact the Veterans' Service Agent to process their Welcome Home Bonus and sign up for VA Healthcare. Contact Kristen LaRue, Amesbury VSO, 978-388-8136.

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To kick off the fall season, the Friends of the Amesbury Public Library will be hosting a fundraising event at Flatbread Co., Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 5 p.m. to closing. The Flatbread Company is supporting the library through purchases of take-out or dine-in pizza. Over the years the "Friends" have funded the Library's Museum pass program, the Children's and the Young Adult Summer Reading Programs, the Community Action: Literacy Program, adult , young adult and children's programs, to name only a few. Contact Laurie Pierce at the Amesbury Public Library with questions at 978-388-8148 ext. 5.

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The following meetings are scheduled for this week:

Tonight

Amesbury High School Boosters Meeting, 7 p.m., Amesbury High School library

Cultural Council, 7 p.m., Cultural Center

Wednesday

Grad Night Meeting, 7 p.m., Amesbury High School library

Thursday

Amesbury High School School Council, 6:30 p.m., Amesbury High School library