News

News Articles

11:12:30 pm Water Bill Perplexes Church, Selectmen

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant to the Town Administrator Helene Craver.

In a first appointment, the Board met with Norm Hills and Bill Saltonstall of the Alternative Energy Committee (AEC). The AEC is working with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) to conduct “feasibility studies” to determine an optimum location for a wind turbine to power town buildings, like the Sippican School, the Town House and one-third of the Old Rochester Regional Schools. Mr. Saltonstall said that the town currently pays about $750,000 in electric bills per year.

“We really think that there is the possibility here for hundreds of thousands [of dollars] in savings to the town,” said Mr. Saltonstall. “Marion is in kind of a rare spot. We’ve got the wind.”

The AEC is currently collecting wind velocity data in the area of Great Hill. This feasibility study requires one year of observation, which means the AEC will know more about the possibility of proceeding with Great Hill as a location for turbines in July 2010.

Zoning by-laws in Marion currently only address residential turbines. The AEC is also exploring the potential of constructing by-laws to include commercial-grade turbines, which have recently been installed in Dartmouth, Falmouth, and Portsmouth, RI. The by-laws would address color requirements, setbacks, safety standards, sound, flicker, underground utility connections, and removal requirements.

“I have to commend you on a wise approach,” said Selectman Henry. “The right way is to do it in a way that prevents controversy.”

The minutes of the January 5, 11, and 19, 2010 meetings were approved.

In Action items, the Board quickly approved the following items:

• An appointment of Blake Wilson as an EMT-Basic.

• One-day wine and malt licenses for the Marion Art Center on March 5-7, March 11-13, July 23-25 and July 29-31, 2010.

• Permission to close Main Street to vehicles and use Bicentennial Park for the July 10 Annual Arts in the Park.

In an appointment with Ken Hanson, Fred Danhauser and Bill Saltonstall from the Marion Congregational Church, the Board heard details of the $12,000 water/sewer bill that has completely perplexed the Church.

“This has been a major problem as you can understand,” said Mr. Hanson, who said that the bill indicates that the Church has used 44,194 cubic feet of water, which equates to 75 gallons per hour for the entire half-year that the meter was running.

The Church’s 35-year-old meter was evaluated by the water department and determined to be in fine working condition, but was still subsequently replaced. The Church has an irrigation system in the summer, but according to a consultation from the company who installed the meter, the irrigation system would account for only 14,000 cubic feet of water if run constantly at maximum volume.

The representatives of the Church claimed that there have been two minor leaks: one in a toilet, one in a hot water tank, but neither so serious as to cause the large bill. The grounds have never been soggy, and the basement has never flooded.

“It is a mystery,” said Mr. Saltonstall. “It may be an accounting issue or a misreading of the meter.” Mr. Saltonstall said that he has checked weekly since receiving the bill, and the water meter on the building is currently operating correctly. At the current rate, the Church is only consuming 5 cubic feet per week.

“The Church over the years has brought a lot to the town and the village,” said Mr. Hanson. “We thought you would listen to us. It’s no secret. All churches are struggling today. The church business isn’t easy, but it’s important. I think at this point, it would be fitting to ask the town for some relief on the sewer portion of this bill.”

“We are in an uncomfortable situation here,” said Selectman Cushing. “We just don’t give abatements out. I would be willing to ask [the DPW] more questions. There’s no question – that’s a lot of money. That’s about the equivilant of the water tower being emptied.”

Questions about the construction on Front Street being the source of the inflated bill were dismissed, since the water had to pass through the Church’s meter in order to be read. Since the irrigation system has been turned off for the winter, it remains a possible source of the problem, and the Board agreed to work with the Church to investigate the water leak source. To avoid penalties and fines, the Church paid the bill in December. They hope that the town will be able to provide “relief” from that bill if some error is found.

In his Town Administrator’s report, Mr. Dawson informed that the new police station is making “considerable progress” with sheathing and a vapor barrier up. Mr. Dawson wanted the public to know that the bright blue exterior is the vapor barrier, and not the final color of the building.

Mr. Dawson informed the Board and the public that the deadline for warrants for the May 17 Annual Town Meeting is February 26.

The Town House will be receiving a new sign in front of the building, thanks to the help of Upper Cape Regional Technical Vocational School. “I expect in the next couple weeks we will have a sign, and it will be installed in spring,” said Mr. Dawson.

In Correspondence, the Board received a letter from Mattapoisett Herring Inspector Robert Martin inviting them to an Annual Town Herring Meeting at the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen’s meeting in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room on February 23 at 7:05 pm.

The Board also received a letter from Ross Perry from SRPEDD in regards to a study that is being conducted regarding 911 dispatch regionalization. There is no cost to participate in the study, and there is no obligation after the study is complete. The Board voted to participate in the study and to attend the informational meeting on Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 pm in the Dartmouth Town Hall.

The Board voted to go into executive session at 8:05 pm for the purpose of collective bargaining and litigation.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:12:10 pm Marion to Consider Wind Power By-Laws

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Planning Board was called to order by Vice Chairman Joseph Napoli at 7:20 pm on Monday, February 1, 2010 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Board Members Steve Gonsalves, Patricia McArdle, John Sweeney, Julia Crowley and Jay Ryder and Planning Board Secretary Debra Paiva. Chairman Thomas Magauran was not in attendance.

The first appointment was with Alan Minard of 123 Allen’s Point Road. Mr. Minard owns two plots of land off Allen’s Point Road and came to the Board asking to transfer one triangular portion of land from the plot he currently occupies to his other plot that he intends on selling. The size of the land to be transferred is roughly half an acre, and the purpose of the transfer would be to secure unimpeded water views for the new owner of the plot of land. After a couple of questions regarding the placement of the home that will be built on the land and driveway placement, the Board felt comfortable with the transfer and voted to approve it.

A public hearing for a special permit request under the name Shaw/Johnson at 404/406 Point Road to allow construction of an Association Pier was continued upon request and will be postponed until February 22, at 7:30 pm in the Marion Town House.

There were no bills to approve, so the Board voted to approve the minutes of the January 4 and January 11 meetings, pending a signature change on the January 11 minutes.

In a second appointment, Jill Houck of 21 Cottage Lane came to the Board asking permission to produce baked goods at her current business location at 160 Front Street, which also has frontage on Cottage Street. Ms. Houck, owner of Flour Girls Baking Company LLC, currently manufactures her baked goods from a community kitchen in Dartmouth and said that producing her goods in Marion would improve her efficiency in production.

“It would be paradise,” said Ms. Houck. “Lugging things back and forth is exhausting.”

Mr. Ryder recalled that the 300 square foot location that Ms. Houck uses as her storefront in Marion village was once the location of the Jenkins ice cream shop. “I would support [similar] usage in that building,” said Mr. Ryder.

The Board asked if the baked goods would be sold elsewhere, and Ms. Houck said that she would sell a wholesale quantity to a natural foods store in Mattapoisett, and possibly a few other locations.

Marion resident Ruth Nicolaci was in the audience at the meeting and expressed support for the bakery. “I think it would be great for Marion to have a business like this in town,” said Ms. Nicolaci.

The Board had no objection to Ms. Houck’s request and instructed her to proceed in applying for a special permit.

In a second public hearing, Attorney Jack O’Leary represented the Sardinha Family Trust in a request for a change in background color on the Dunkin’ Donuts sign at 450 Wareham Road. The request to change the sign background from Radicchio Red to Jackson Tan was approved by the Board without debate.

In an appointment with Norm Hill of the Alternative Energy Commission (AEC), the Board learned of AEC’s current efforts to facilitate by-law changes which would allow wind power in Marion’s future. AEC, which was formed five years ago, is currently researching areas in Marion that would produce enough wind for the purposes of providing energy to Marion town buildings, like the Town House and Sippican School.

“My understanding is that you are on a fact-finding mission,” said Mr. Ryder.

Architect Bill Saltonstall joined Mr. Hill in discussing the wind power effort. “We are not proposing a turbine anywhere,” said Mr. Saltonstall. “We are just looking to alter by-laws, and get them in shape.”

In addition to the Planning Board, the AEC had plans to meet with the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Board, and the Financial Committee to discuss by-law changes and the potential benefits of wind power. The by-law changes would need to be approved at Town Meeting.

Safety measures and setback requirements would be among the issues addressed in the by-laws. One of the locations being investigated by a Feasibility Study for wind power is Great Hill on Delano Road.

According to Mr. Hill, over $750,000 is spent on town electricity.

“We believe we could save the town a lot of money,” said Mr. Saltonstall, who cited the annual rise in fossil fuel cost. Mr. Saltonstall said that with new technology called “remote net metering,” the turbine could be placed in an optimal wind source and the energy could be harnessed anywhere in town.

To the tip of the blade, the turbines would stand about 450 feet high and would cost about 1.5 to 2 million per turbine.

“Do you realize that Dartmouth is currently being sued for safety involved with the blade?” asked Ms. Nicolaci. “So you are looking to bring this up at Town Meeting without knowing the safety involved?” she continued.

“The by-laws would address safety issues,” Vice Chairman Napoli responded.

According to Mr. Hill and Mr. Saltonstall, the point of the by-laws would be to make sure that safety and placement would be clearly addressed for future use of wind power.

Ms. Crowley said that Portsmouth Abbey had installed a wind turbine to power their hockey rink. “It is very quiet,” said Ms. Crowley. “I know that’s what people really wonder about.”

Mr. Minard, Chairperson of FinCom, stood and voiced his support for wind power in Marion. “Net metering will let us take energy anywhere. Net savings to the town will cut electricity way down. This is a good idea. This stands to save the town a lot of money. It’s good to get the groundwork in place,” said Mr. Minard.

“I remember when a house on Point Road had windmills for pumping water,” said Ms. Crowley. “The idea [of wind power] is not completely new to Marion.”

A memorandum of understanding with Great Hill has been drafted, and Mr. Saltonstall thought that there was a good chance that a Feasibility Study would find the location prime for wind power.

“I think this is a coming thing,” said Mr. Swift. “I applaud your group for pursuing it.”

The arrangement with Great Hill, which has not yet been detailed, would involve leasing the land or trading power for land usage. Since using private land for municipal usage is unprecedented, these details will be carefully sorted out if the town decides to go forward with the project.

In a following item of discussion, the Board received a letter from Randall Monteiro officially withdrawing his special permit application for a nursery at 454 Wareham Street. An application to use the location as a nursery has been filed by the Sardinha Family Trust with the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the public hearing will be held on Thursday, February 4 in the Marion Town House at 7:30 pm.

Ms. Nicolaci asked why the application went straight to the Zoning Board of Appeals. “If no decision was made, what is there to appeal?” she asked.

“It will be taken out of our hands,” said Vice Chairman Napoli.

The new application will withdraw a special permit application and instead will look for a change of use. The location at 454 Wareham Road is currently zoned residential.

“There seems to be some confusion about what this land is to be used for,” said Mr. Swift.

“I think there was an attempt to push the issue by doing things that were not authorized,” said Vice Chairman Napoli.

Ms. Nicolaci said that she had attended the Planning Board meeting because of the Dunkin’ Donuts sign color change hearing. She fears that the Sardinha Family Trust, owners of both 450 Wareham Road (Dunkin’ Donuts) and 454 Wareham Road (proposed nursery location) will “keep coming back” and said that 454 Wareham Road should remain residential.

In a final agenda item, the Board discussed a requested variance to the Zoning Board of Appeals in regards to “Leo’s,” a wine and cheese shop on Route 6 in Marion. The owners of the building wish to rent the apartment on the second floor of the building that currently houses the shop. The apartment would either be used as a residence or an office. After discussing concerns in regards to the parking issue at the location, the Board ultimately voted to send a letter in favor of the application to the Zoning Board. The Board felt that parking issues could be sorted out as the process goes forward.

There being no more business to attend to, the Board voted to adjourn at 8:45 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:30:49 pm Six More Weeks of Winter

Categories: Marion

Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil, the weather forecasting groundhog, saw his shadow early Tuesday morning. After emerging from his lair in Punxsutawney, Mr. Phil saw his shadow, dashing hopes for an early spring. According to tradition, this means we will enjoy another six weeks of winter.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:58:55 pm Marion Public Health Announcement

Categories: Marion

The seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines are available for free to Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester residents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children 9 years of age and younger receive two doses of H1N1 vaccine.

Please call for more information or to schedule an appointment. Marion residents call 508-748-3530; Mattapoisett residents call 508-758-4118; and Rochester residents call 508-763-5421.

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:33:50 pm K-12 Regionalization Subcommittee Considered

Categories: Marion

A scheduled meeting of the Old Rochester Regional District School and the Massachusetts School Superintendency Union #55 Joint Committee was called to order by Union Committee Chairperson Sharon Hartley and ORR District Chairperson Peter Bangs on January 28, 2010, at 6:30 pm. In addition to the members of the Joint Committee, Superintendent William Cooper, incoming Superintendent Douglas White, Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm, and School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio were all present.

In the ORR Chairperson report, Dr. Bangs reminded all of the members of the Committees that as public servants, they all must complete an ethics test as part of a new Massachusetts initiative. The results of the test, which can be taken online, must be printed out and returned to their town halls.

Dr. Bangs congratulated Rochester and Mattapoisett for choosing to participate in the Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative, but expressed regret that Marion, where his kids attend school and where his wife teaches, and Dartmouth, where Dr. Bangs teaches, did not sign on. Additionally, the ORR district that Dr. Bangs oversees as a Committee Chairperson, did not sign onto the RTTT grant.

Finally, Dr. Bangs thanked everyone who attended the retreat on January 23, 2010 retreat, which helped unify the four districts, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, and ORR, with open dialogue on strategic goals. “I hadn’t seen [the goals] in a while, I’m embarrassed to say,” said Dr. Bangs.

In the Union Chairperson’s report, Chairperson Hartley referred to the retreat as a “meaningful day” and thanked Superintendent Douglas White for attending, and thanked coordinator Glen Couture from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees for putting together such a helpful program.

Chairperson Hartley referred to Dr. Cooper’s retirement party on January 22 as a “poignant” event, and a “great celebration” of the work that Dr. Cooper has done over the years.

In his final Superintendent’s report, Dr. Cooper said that he was “blown away” by the retirement party that the school committees and the community held for him. “You are terrific people to work for,” said Dr. Cooper. “You treated [my wife and me] royally. We were properly taken aback. The book Jane [McCarthy] made was incredible. I thank you for that.”

Dr. Cooper went on to further discuss the schools. “I feel good about the condition of the schools,” said Dr. Cooper. “I feel good about the team that’s in place. I feel good about Doug White. I think you have made a wonderful choice for a new superintendent, and I wish all of you well.”

Mr. White thanked the Joint Committee for the retreat, which he described as a “tremendous opportunity to get to know everyone. [It was helpful to find out] where the district is, where it wants to go.”

The Joint Committee received an annual update from the Tri-Town Education Foundation, which is a Tri-Town endowment formed three years ago. The foundation gives grants based on the interest of the endowment. Chairperson Susan Grosart said that the endowment currently has $119,344 and that five grants were issued in September 2009, totaling $3,257, over twice the amount that was issued in 2008.

The Tri-Town Education Foundation is seeking new members, according to Ms. Grosart, and would especially appreciate help from former school committee members. They have a “Taste of the Town” event scheduled for June 18.

Ms. Grosart thanked Dr. Cooper for all of his support over the years. “I don’t think we would be here without him,” said Ms. Grosart.

An endowment such as the Tri-Town Education Foundation works on interest, and “matures” over time. Ms. Grosart said that an example of a mature foundation is the Brookline Education Foundation, which has been in existence for over 25 years, and provides grants and awards to students and teachers.

The subject of K-12 regionalization, which had been tabled at a previous meeting 18 months ago, was once-again broached at the Joint Committee meeting. The topic had been tabled because of the Rochester Memorial School project. Now that the Town of Rochester has approved the construction of a new school, the Tri-Town could once again discuss regionalizing grades K-12.

“What are the advantages and disadvantages of regionalization?” asked Dr. Bangs. “What would it look like?”

Dr. Russell suggested forming a Regionalization Subcommittee, which would consist of school committee members as well as Selectmen and members from the Financial Committees. “It should include a wide range of constituencies,” said Dr. Russell.

The members of the Joint Committee expressed strong support for the regionalization expansion. The school districts currently consist of four different committees: Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and ORR. Regionalizing the elementary school would allow the schools to pool resources and make decisions together.

The Joint Committee agreed to revisit the idea of the Regionalization Subcommittee at the March Joint Committee meeting. In the meantime, the chairpersons from the four school committee will explore the matter further and provide more information at the March meeting.

“It’s more important to do this right than quickly,” said Dr. Russell.

Next on the agenda, the Joint Committee reviewed and approved a revised Non-Resident Policy for the 4 school districts.

In a format borrowed from Acushnet, the policy requires residency in the Tri-Town area for attendance at the public schools. Several exceptions were listed, and they included the children of teachers who do not live in the district, and “extraordinary circumstances”, like when a student’s family moves mid-year and the student wishes to complete the year in the Old Rochester Regional district.

The Joint Committee also revisited the topic of a Transitional Skills program. In December, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester School Committees had been presented with the idea of an “in-house” program for three area students – one representing each town – in need of special educational services. While the Rochester School Committee had approved the measure, Marion and Mattapoisett School Committees did not.

The “in-house” program would have provided the necessary social workers, teachers, and psychiatric support to the three students in need, but ORR Committee member Joe Scott said that “soft numbers” and pressing need made it difficult for the committees to properly determine the full range of the program’s cost.

Ms. Hamm said that the three students have been placed in outer districts, but that she would still like to discuss the matter further, if the event should present itself again.

Mr. Scott said that now that the children are placed in other districts, it is the perfect opportunity for Ms. Hamm to create “hard numbers” and give a full report on what the cost-saving potential would be if they chose to create an in-house service to future children in need. Ms. Hamm agreed, and said that she would prepare a cost analysis for the March meeting.

“Would we have this issue in a regionalized district?” Mr. Gordon asked referring to the previous discussion of regionalizing K-12.

“No,” said Mr. Scott quickly. “It would be a moot point.” Since a K-12 regionalization would include pooling money for special needs students, it is likely that the Transitional Skills program would have been easier to instate if the Tri-Town schools had been fully regionalized at the time.

The Joint School Committee was then given a price list of the school’s lunch prices. It was suggested that the schools review the school lunch prices and consider an increase, but not until the 2010/2011 school year to give families time to prepare. The Joint School Committee will receive a more detailed report from Director of Food Services Suzanne Souza at the March meeting.

Union Committee member Jane McCarthy visited an informational meeting at the Carver Library concerning charter schools. According to Ms. McCarthy, the School Committees learned about the meeting from an article that they read in The Wanderer and sent a representative to the meeting to learn more about the initiative.

Ms. McCarthy said that there were 18 interested parents there, and Eric Heiser from the Sturgis Charter School in Hyannis gave a presentation on the charter schools and International Baccalaureate (IB) model. The meeting was geared towards addressing the purported benefits of charter schools, like smaller classrooms and a challenging curriculum. Charter schools typically work with a lottery system, and are funded through the local school districts when students choose to attend the charter school instead of their local public schools.

“Remember that the money doesn’t come from the state,” said Dr. Cooper. “It comes from the school districts.”

The Joint Committee was in agreement that the Old Rochester Schools are competitive and give little reason for Tri-Town students to want to go elsewhere. “It’s still important to be aware of burgeoning activity,” said Chairperson Hartley.

The Joint Committee voted to go into executive session at 8:55 pm for the purpose of contractual matters.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:35:11 pm The Caribbean Comes to Mattapoisett

Categories: Marion

If there was a nip in the air on January 28, the kids at Center and Old Hammondtown Schools were blissfully unaware.

Dressed in bright splashes of lake blue and papaya orange, decked out in tie-dye and leis, Mattapoisett grade schoolers enjoyed a summery presentation by Pan-Neubean Steel. The musical presentation included calypso, reggae, jazz and soul. In between songs, the bandleader and steel drum player, Jeff Clayton, educated the children on the music they were playing, and explained how steel drums are made.

This tropical treat was coordinated by the Mattapoisett PTA Arts and Humanities, and funded by a grant from the Mattapoisett Cultural Council. This was one of many school year supplemental activities that the PTA brings to Mattapoisett children each year.

PTA Arts and Humanities Chairperson

Debra Nettles

, dressed in tie-dye and silver jellyfish earrings, was excited about the presentation. “We asked the kids to get in the mood on a cold, January day,” said Ms. Nettles, who smiled as she looked at the room full of brightly dressed, energetic children, with some of the girls swishing in grass skirts.

“It’s so great to see them get involved,” said Ms. Nettles, whose son was among the children in the audience. The kids also helped prepare for the event by decorating the stage with tropical sea creatures.

PanNeubean Steel is a Afro-Caribbean band that has been together for over ten years, and often plays private venues – they have even opened for Kenny Chesney, Bruce Hornsby, and Jimmy Buffet. It is clear that bandleader Jeff Clayton is a music teacher, since he had an instant rapport with the children and knew how to get them up and moving to the music.

The music selection included songs that are reassuring (Every little thing is gonna be alright!), and music about making good decisions.

Upcoming PTA Arts and Humanities events will include an EthNohTec storyteller in April. The EthNohTec storytime will combine Asian traditions with lyricism, dance and movement.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:10:23 am Marion Schools May Still Qualify for Grant

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion School Committee was called to order by Chairperson Jane McCarthy at 6:30 pm in the Marion Town House. Also present were committee members Christine Winters, Jay Pateakos, Joseph Scott, and Vice Chairman Brad Gordon, Superintendent William Cooper, incoming Superintendent Doug White, School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio, Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm and Interim Principal Lyn Rivet.

Chairperson McCarthy publicly thanked departing Superintendent Dr. Cooper for his 7.5 years of service. She cited “his calm demeanor, listening skills, and time given to parents” among his admirable traits. Additionally, she noted his role in creating a popular staff newsletter, his tireless enthusiasm for school sports, and his fitness lifestyle as a healthy example for students.

“Bill listens to everyone who wants to be heard,” she said. “He is a great example of how to behave in difficult situations.” Vice Chairman Gordon added to her remarks: “You’ve given us good and fair guidance throughout all of the time I’ve been on the Committee.”

Dr. Cooper heartily thanked Chairperson McCarthy and the board for their positive comments on his service. “I think the world of folks who will volunteer on school boards and take the heat that you do, put in the hours that you do … and put your ego on the line… to serve for the good of the kids,” Dr. Cooper said. The departing Superintendent also described his replacement as “terrific” and said he expected a seamless transition. Mr. White – who already is engaged in school activities in preparation for his new role – will officially replace Dr. Cooper on February 1

Dr. Cooper also commented that the recent January 15 in-service was “terrific” and mentioned ORR girls basketball coach Bob Holmes’ accomplishment of winning 500 games last Tuesday as an “up moment” for the school.

As a gesture of thanks, Volunteers at Sippican Elementary (VASE) Chairwoman Ronia Lavranos presented Dr. Cooper with the book Skycycle. She said it was part of the Books in Celebration project for which the organization donates books to the library.

Interim Principal Ms. Rivet discussed a variety of items in her report, including the recent in-service and current activities of the Student Council. She reported that the Student Council currently is conducting a fundraiser in collaboration with Soles for Souls in the hope of distributing shoes to earthquake victims in Haiti. Ms. Rivet also reported that the council is developing a school handbook.

In addition, Ms. Rivet again addressed recent discipline issues on the school bus. She said that most buses do not have problems, but one is a “work in progress.” School officials have had discussions with affected parents and students, she said. Ms. Rivet recently sat on a school bus in an effort to discourage inappropriate behavior and plans to do so on more occasions, she said. The interim principal also talked about a plan to install video cameras to improve security.

Ms. Rivet presented a report detailing her recent site visits to other school districts. She is investigating changes to the Sippican School curriculum, in particular to mathematics, in addition to upgrading the school’s technology stock. She looked at experiences at other school districts to recommend possible new programs at Sippican. Specifically, Ms. Rivet outlined the following recommendations:

• Explore Every Day Math (EDM) pilot/adoption to replace the current mathematics curriculum, Scott Foresman.

• Look at consistent teacher support and professional development to implement EDM.

• Continue work toward consistent literacy model across grades.

• Plan for cutting-edge technology.

The EDM program would cost $32 per student for the pilot kit, according to Ms. Rivet. At the time of the meeting, she did not know the price tag for the professional development piece of EDM. Under the EDM program, schools are required to dedicate a minimum of 60 minutes per day to its mathematics curriculum. Sippican School currently devotes 40 minutes of the school day to math. It is unclear how the additional time will be carved out, but Ms. Rivet said the length of the school day would remain unchanged if Sippican adopted the program. She also noted that per feedback from other school administrators, she would recommend the program be initially rolled out in the first two or three grades.

Chairperson McCarthy commented that the adoption of EDM often takes years to cement and parents often are frustrated by the requirements of the program, such as increased homework. However, she said once the children hit fourth grade they are fluent in the program. “There is a dip before success with Every Day Math,” she said.

In response to concerns that too little time has elapsed since the Marion school last adopted a mathematics overhaul (Scott Foresman Math), Ms. Rivet cited EDM’s success in raising student performance in other school districts and the need for consistency among grades in mathematics instruction. She also said the program is less “paper-pencil” and more “concept driven” – which students find more engaging – and that “more is offered for teachers” in terms of professional enhancement.

At the tail end of her report, the interim principal acquired approval from the committee to fund a student artwork fundraiser.

Subsequently, the committee voted to approve Minutes from the December 16, 2009, meeting.

School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio then discussed budgetary issues and acquired approval to use Nutrikids as the vendor of a new cafeteria card system. Under this system, students could pay for lunch using a card in place of cash and parents could monitor their children’s lunch purchases. For a small fee, parents could increase a card’s balance online. Incoming Superintendent Doug White recommended NutriKids, which was used in districts in New Hampshire where he recently served as superintendent.

After its initial start-up cost, Ms. Isernio determined the program would cost $640 annually to maintain.

Dr. Cooper then discussed in detail the Race to the Top (RTTT) Grant, a multi-billion dollar federal government program that seeks to enhance educational achievement by utilizing comprehensive assessment tools. The government will announce which states will be included in the grant in mid-April.

Under the RTTT Grant, Dr. Cooper stated that school districts electively get 20% of Title I money. The Marion School District receives $50,000 in Title I funds, which means the district would get an additional $10,000 under RTTT. Although this money is not jaw dropping, he said the real funding potential is in the estimated $250,000 million in grants available at the state level to RTTT-participating schools.

To apply for RTTT, school districts had to receive three signatures: the superintendent; the school board chairperson; and the teachers’ union.

The Marion teachers’ union did not endorse the grant, leaving the district one signature short to submit a complete application. Dr. Cooper noted that Massachusetts is accepting grant applications with just two signatures under a memorandum of understanding agreement, but the viability of these grants remains to be seen. Both Mattapoisett and Rochester School Districts obtained three signatures; thus if Massachusetts is awarded as an RTTT state, Marion could be left out of grants available to these neighboring districts. In Massachusetts alone, 285 school districts obtained three signatures compared to 56 that submitted with only two signatures, according to Dr. Cooper.

The lack of Marion’s full participation in RTTT not only leads to less money for the district, but failure to “participate in the shape of future public education,” Dr. Cooper said. However, Dr. Cooper remained optimistic that negotiations between the school board and the union may allow Marion schools to participate in a modified manner. For instance, the merit program – which Dr. Cooper said may have discouraged teachers to be on board with RTTT – could be tweaked in the future so all parties are on board.

Both Ms. Winters and Vice Chairman Gordon expressed strong disappointment at the union’s failure to endorse RTTT. “I’m disappointed to be in the minority of districts with just two signatures,” Mr. Gordon said.

Ms. Winters said, “I’m disappointed as a board member and a parent.” She noted that RTTT would assess students in their individual progress, which she believes would be a powerful tool to enhance student achievement. “This has been a very disappointing process for me,” she said. The School Board then voted to approve to continue pursuing participation in RTTT despite the recent setbacks.

Vice Chairman Gordon gave a brief report as representative of the Building Committee. He said that despite significant problems with two coils in the Sippican School’s HVAC system, 18 inspections found that the problem is not widespread thus no comprehensive replacements are required. He said the two damper controls were replaced at a relatively low cost. The vice chairman also reported a leak in the rotunda area that resulted in minor damage to interior moldings. He said that a plywood-covered hole – intended for a donated clock that never arrived – will be adequately closed up to prevent future leaks.

In his report, Mr. Pateakos noted that the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative is providing $7,500 to consolidate special transportation needs within districts. He also reported on professional development programs for history teachers and instructors of children with English as a second language. In other news, School Board member Mr. Scott announced that the Old Rochester Regional District had reinstated the late bus.

The Marion School Committee voted to adjourn at 9:00 pm.

By Laura Pedulli

Send feedback » • Permalink

03:09:31 pm Hold-up Suspect Still Wanted in Marion

Categories: Marion

Marion Police are still looking for a suspect who is accused of robbing an employee of Bayside Insurance, on the corner of Route 6 and Creek Road on January 22, 2010. According to the eyewitness, the suspect was armed.

The employee reported that a 5’ 10” white male in his late 40’s, early 50’s entered the business at 8:00 am and demanded money. The suspect fled out the back door of the business at 242 Wareham Street and ran in the direction of Creek Road. A black pick-up truck was seen entering the parking lot prior to the suspect fleeing.

When police arrived on scene, they used a K-9 dog, which tracked some scent on Creek Road, but could not find the suspect. The Marion Police Department believes that the suspect might have gotten into a vehicle, possibly the black pick-up truck, and fled the area.

No injuries were reported from the hold-up. According to the police, the suspect was wearing jeans, and an initial report indicated that the suspect was also wearing a brown Carhartt workman jacket.

At the time of the incident, Marion residents were sent an automated communicator message from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s department. Marion police are still looking for this suspect and are now asking for the public’s help.

For more information, or if you have information, please contact Detective Scott Smith at the Marion Police Deparment, at 508-748-1212.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

05:54:35 pm Strong Wind Brings Limb Down on Prospect Rd

Categories: Marion

Heavy winds caused a large tree branch to split and land in the middle of Prospect Road in Mattapoisett around 2:45 pm on January 25, 2010. The Highway Department worked quickly with chainsaws while traffic waited to move. Photo by Anne O'Brien-Kakley.

Send feedback » • Permalink

08:54:15 am Marion Police Respond to Hold-Up

Categories: Marion

At 8:00 am this morning, the Marion Police Department responded to an armed robbery at the Bayside Insurance Agency at 242 Wareham Street, at the corner of Creek Road.

An employee of the business reported that a male subject entered the business, showed a handgun and demanded money. The suspect fled out the back door, towards Creek Road. A black pick-up truck was seen entering the parking lot, just before the robbery occurred. A State Police K-9 tracked to an area on Creek Road and was unable to locate the suspect. It is believed that the suspect may have gotten into a vehicle and fled the area.

There were no injuries as a result of the hold-up.

The suspect is described as a white male, late 40's-early 50's, 5' 10", pushed back brown hair, and was wearing jeans and a brown barn-style jacket.

Area residents were sent an automated communicator message from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Scott Smith at the Marion Police Department, 508-748-1212.

From a Marion Police Department Press Release.

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:01:33 am Homeland Security Trains over Tri-Town

Categories: News, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

The air rumbled in Mattapoisett at 7:00 pm on Wednesday night, January 20, when F15s from Westfield-Barne airport trained an "intercept and divert" procedure for the purpose of Homeland Security training.

The loud noise that sounded like thunder to some residents, was actually the F15 aircrafts flying at about 2,000 feet. Ed DeWitt from the New England Regional Airport said that that was "the sound of freedom" as the pilots practiced an important procedure to intercept suspicious aircrafts and divert them to land at local airports.

Mr. DeWitt had "no comment" as to where and when further training exercises would take place, but he did confirm that there would be furthering training in the area.

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:56:17 pm Board Denies Abatement Request

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectman Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant to the Town Administrator Helene Craver. Selectman Roger Blanchette was not in attendance.

In appointments, the Board heard from Michael Mattos, a representative from E. A. Fish Corporation. Mr. Mattos presented a request for a sewer connection at Little Neck Village, the senior housing complex that is being expanded and renovated to house more residents. According to Mr. Mattos, the complex is expanding from 12 units to 48 units, and the sewer connection will accommodate 5,400 gallons a day. Mr. Dawson said that the request “falls easily within sewer commissioner regulations,” and gave support to the Board to approve the sewer connection request. The Board voted to approve the request, and subsequently voted to approve a water request to Little Neck Village as well.

The Board then voted to approve 4 property transfers in accordance with the 2009 Town Meeting regulations. All 4 transfers involving various town parcels, like Washburn Park, Town Landing, Rail Trail, Aucoot Cove and Bicentennial Park, came from the Board of Selectmen and were granted to the following committees: the Marion Parks Committee, the Marion Recreation Committee, the Marion Marine Resources Commission, and the Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission.

The Board also signed 3 letters of appreciation. The first letter was to Andrea Keene, who worked in Marion as an EMT for over thirty years. In Ms. Keene’s letter, the Board said that they were “sad to see the end of this era”, and thanked her for her “professionalism and great heart” over the years. “We salute and thank you,” said the Board to Ms. Keene.

In a letter to Reginald Foster, a member of the Affordable Housing Trust who tendered his resignation at the last Marion Selectmen Meeting, the Board thanked Mr. Foster for all his help, especially in regards to the Little Neck Village project.

In a third letter, the Board thanked Harbormaster Michael Cormier for his dedication, as noted in a January letter from the Beverly Yacht Club, and his work as an oil spill coordinator. “You and your crew have done an excellent job as caretakers,” the Board said to Mr. Cormier.

In his Town Administrator’s report, Mr. Dawson gave a brief update on the new police station’s construction. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature has not been cooperative,” said Mr. Dawson, citing the high winds and rain that the region has suffered from recently. Assuming the weather cooperates, Mr. Dawson said that construction should proceed quickly over the next couple weeks, and will hopefully include roof trusses and sheathing.

N Star wanted to inform the Board and Marion residents that they have concluded village tree work, and have left behind blue bands on trees that are on their “wish list” for removal. “Residents should not fear those blue bands,” said Mr. Dawson, since N Star will seek homeowner permission in removing any trees on private property and will respect the wishes of homeowners who do not want to lose their trees.

Mr. Dawson announced that there will be a Tri-Town Selectmen meeting in the Old Rochester Regional High School’s Media Room on Thursday, January 21, 2010.

In Correspondence, the Board heard from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School. Upper Cape informed the Board that they had elected a new representative of the member community to represent them for collective bargaining. This new representative will be Marion Selectman Chairman Stephen Cushing.

The Board also received a letter from Robert Luchetti requesting an abatement on his water meter reading. The water meter at his home at 548 Point Road had been installed backwards, which rendered a reading useless. The water bill had to be estimated based on the amount of people living in the home.

The Luchettis requested an abatement because they felt the estimate from the Water Department was too high, since the home is only used seasonally. It was revealed by Mr. Dawson that this is the second time that the water meter at this residence was found by the Water Department to be installed backwards.

“How was the meter put in backwards not once, but twice?” Selectman Cushing asked.

Mr. Dawson responded that the error was not the result of a Water Department worker. “All we can do is estimate,” said Mr. Dawson, who suggested denying the request. The Board voted to deny Mr. Luchetti’s abatement request.

The Board also received a letter of complaint from Priscilla Norton in regards to the snow removal at North Marion Cemetery. Ms. Norton was upset that the cemetery was not cleared after the December 19 and 20 blizzard. Mr. Dawson addressed this concern with the Highway Department, who responded that they had prioritized roads and had to work hard to keep the icy roads clear. The priority had been public safety, so the cemetery had to be placed on the “back burner”, as Mr. Dawson phrased it. The Highway Department, Mr. Dawson, and the Board all expressed regret to Ms. Norton over the situation, and agreed to draft a letter of understanding and apology over the matter.

The Board received a letter from ORCTV for their February/April video production camps, which will feature editing and student production classes for children ages 11-14, and will cost $100 per child. Anyone interested can call ORCTV at 508-748-1600.

There being no more business to attend to, the Board voted to adjourn at 7:41 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:01:50 pm Marion Police Investigate Auto Break-ins

Categories: Marion

Marion Police are reminding residents to keep their cars locked and portable electronics secure after they received reports of several automobile break-ins in the areas of Joanne Drive and Quail’s Crossing Road.

The break-ins occurred in the late evening hours of Saturday, January 16 and the early morning hours of Sunday, January 17. Items taken include GPS units, and other assorted “electronic accessories.”

Since all of the cars that were burglarized had been left unlocked by their owners, Marion police are asking residents to lock their cars and secure all valuable items as a precautionary measure. Items like GPS devices, iPods, cell phones and money should not be left in plain sight.

This case remains under investigation by Detective Scott Smith. Anyone with information should contact Det. Smith at the Marion Police Station: 508-748-1212.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

09:07:59 am Marion Police Investigate Auto Break-ins

Categories: Marion

Marion Police are reminding residents to keep their cars locked and portable electronics secure after they received reports of several automobile break-ins in the areas of Joanne Drive and Quail’s Crossing Road.

The break-ins occurred in the late evening hours of Saturday, January 16 and the early morning hours of Sunday, January 17. Items taken include GPS units, and other assorted “electronic accessories”.

Since all of the cars that were burglarized had been left unlocked by their owners, Marion police are asking residents to lock their cars and secure all valuable items as a precautionary measure.

This case remains under investigation by Detective Scott Smith. Anyone with information should contact Det. Smith at the Marion Police Station: 508-748-1212.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:15:18 am Andy Bobola Named Inspector of the Year

Categories: Marion

Mattapoisett Building Inspector Andrew Bobola said that he was “greatly humbled” when he was named “Inspector of the Year” at the January 13 meeting of the Southeastern Massachusetts Building Officials Association (SEMBOA) Inc, held in Taunton.

The organization, which serves building inspector professionals spanning from the Cape and the Islands to Boston, names one official for recognition of outstanding service each year. Mr. Bobola’s colleagues at Mattapoisett Town Hall all knew about the award weeks before the SEMBOA meeting, but they stayed quiet so the presentation would be a surprise. They all quietly attended the event, waiting at the back of the room until award was announced.

Mr. Bobola knew that the “Inspector of the Year” was typically announced at the January meeting. When the winner was described at the ceremony as someone who enjoys music, saltwater fishing, and had stayed a building inspector for twenty-three years at the same town, Mr. Bobola realized that they were referring to him. In that moment, Mr. Bobola said that he was “very honored”, especially when he turned around and saw all of his Town Hall colleagues, his wife and children, all there to share the moment with him.

“I just about turned twelve shades of red,” Mr. Bobola admitted.

Often a fixture at Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, and Appeals meetings, Mr. Bobola lends his expertise in matters involving buildings and contracting. He said that he tries to make his work preventative, catching problems in construction before the structure is even built. He does this by collaborating with contractors and homeowners in a cooperative way and by using his conscience in making decisions.

Mr. Bobola, who has been the building inspector in Mattapoisett since 1987, was picked from all of the building inspectors in the southeastern third of the state – by Mr. Bobola’s estimate, 300 members of SEMBOA. He is the fifteenth person to receive this honor. Besides his duties in Mattapoisett, Mr. Bobola is also a member of the Board of Directors for SEMBOA.

Although Mr. Bobola works round the clock in his public safety role, he said that his “job is made so much easier by (his) staff”. His staff includes Administrative Assistant Maria Cananzey, who he praised for her hard work and professionalism.

Melody Pacheco, Assistant to the Town Administrator, worked as Mr. Bobola’s secretary when he started in 1987. She described him as “very intelligent, personal and caring. I am very fortunate to work with him. He’s always there for you, and we are lucky to have him.”

Ms. Pacheco said that it was inspiring to see all of the respect and recognition from his building inspector colleagues, since the SEMBOA meeting reaffirmed what Mattapoisett has thought for 23 years – that Andy Bobola is a great worker.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne’ agreed with Ms. Pacheco’s assessment, and said, “It’s a really great thing. I’m not surprised at (the recognition), from seeing his abilities and attention to detail.” Mr. Gagne’ said that Mr. Bobola is always interested in keeping current in his field and receptive to state-of-the-art resources for improvement in methodology. “He’s not just a potted-plant. He’s always looking to improve himself,” said Mr. Gagne’.

Although Mr. Bobola was obviously pleased by the recognition, he remains humble, and said that the greatest honor is “being able to serve people”.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:21:22 pm ORR Committee Disappointed in "Lost Opportunity"

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Old Rochester Regional School Committee was called to order by Chairperson Peter Bangs on January 13, 2010 in the ORR Conference Room at 6:00 pm. Also in attendance were Committee members Jim O’Brien, Joseph Scott, Nick Decas, Robin Rounseville, Paula Meere, John Russell, and Virginia Beam, Superintendent William Cooper, Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm, School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio, ORR High School Principal Michael Devoll, and ORR Junior High School Principal Kevin Brogioli.

In the Chairperson’s report, Dr. Bangs informed the Committee that a “level-funded” 2010/2011 school year budget, would represent a 2.01 percent increase from the previous year’s budget. “Level-funded” means that the budget would include all the same items as the previous year’s budget with no added or removed line items.

According to Dr. Bangs, the towns in the district have indicated that they could not support more than a 2 percent increase, which means that, just to maintain status quo, the Committee will have to come up with $547,000, or consider cutting that much from next year’s budget. “We need to know what that looks like,” said Dr. Bangs, who suggested investigating alternate revenue sources for making up the difference. A preliminary budget presentation will be made to the Committee at their February meeting. “It doesn’t look pretty,” said Dr. Bangs.

As a part of his report, Dr. Bangs commended Dr. Cooper for his service as a superintendent. Dr. Cooper will be retiring this month, and this would be his last ORR Committee meeting. “You are leaving the school in a strong place, academically,” said Dr. Bangs. “You’ve been a pleasure to work with…on a personal note, you’ve inspired me.” Dr. Bangs shook hands with Dr. Cooper.

“It’s been my pleasure to serve on this Board for the past seven and a half years,” said Dr. Cooper. “I will miss it. Wonderful kids… wonderful staff.” Dr. Cooper also recognized that the success of the district was reliant on the diligent school committees and committed volunteers.

In the Superintendent report, Dr. Cooper said that there had been a car accident in front of the school on the morning of January 11. Although there were no serious injuries reported, it was still a reminder that the school entrance is unsafe and needs to be addressed before a “more serious accident occurs”. Dr. Cooper said that they would be working with Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons and the state to improve the intersection’s safety.

In a Principal’s report, Mr. Devoll said that the high school had an assembly as a “call to action” for students to do good works, especially in celebration of Martin Luther King Day. The phrase that they are encouraging among students is: “Make it a day on, not a day off”. The school assembly included speakers from Gifts to Give, the Showstoppers, and other groups who work to give back to society.

Mr. Devoll also proudly announced that the girls’ basketball team was in first place and they were anticipating a 500th win for Coach Hohne’s career on January 19 when the undefeated Lady Bulldogs played Wareham. The high school will have a spring production of Rent, and there will be a Parent Information Night at ORRHS on February 24.

In his Principal’s report, Mr. Brogioli said that ORRJHS students and faculty raised over $2,000 for local needy families. Mr. Brogioli was also pleased to announce that an investment portion of ARRA funds had allowed the school to get a school bus back, which meant students could stay later for more services without having to worry about getting a ride home.

The Committee then approved the minutes of the November 12 and December 9, 2009, meetings.

ORR Booster Club president Shaun Walsh was present to ask the Committee for support in a fundraiser that would supply the girls’ varsity soccer team with new uniforms. The uniforms that the girls are currently using have been used for 6 years, and they are only designed for 4 years of use. The seams are breaking, and the worn material is falling apart. Mr. Walsh presented the idea of a “Texas Hold ‘em” style poker tournament. The event, which would take place at a popular New Bedford nightclub, would be open to people 21 and over. A previous fundraiser for new costumes, which occurred in the spring of 2009, was held at the Knights of Columbus, but did not have a good turn-out and didn’t raise enough money for the uniforms. It is thought that the Texas Hold’em tournament will be more successful. After some reassurance that the school would be in no way legally responsible for the tournament, which would be at an alcohol-serving location, the Committee voted to approve this fundraiser.

The Committee also voted to accept scholarships and grants from:

• The Mattapoisett Lions in the amount of $600 to help pay for a new defibrillator. The Rochester Lions paid for the other half of this donation.

• A $600 donation in memory of Faith Dudgeon Glennon for ORRJHS user fees to encourage grade 7 and 8 students to participate in intramural sports.

• A $250 grant from the Alliance for Climate Education for the installation of weather stripping and other energy-saving measures at the high school.

• A $250 annual scholarship for any senior girl entering Bridgewater State College with the intention of majoring in Physical Education. Mr. Devoll presented an overview of changes that had been made in the high school’s Program of Studies for the 2010/2011 year. These changes included a new class called Introduction to Print Media, and the removal of Portuguese I due to lack of interest.

In a Financial report, Ms. Isernio said that the good news was that Governor Deval Patrick had restored the transportation budget back up to 56%, which means that the $107,000 that administration had scraped up from various line items in December would not have to be used to offset transportation costs after all.

Ms. Isernio asked the Committee to consider unfreezing the budget for the rest of the 2010 school year, since cuts are unlikely from this point on. She would still exercise caution in spending, but since the future is still bleak, they could benefit from buying some much needed supplies in bulk, which would end up benefitting the 2010/2011 budget as well.

“So you want the budget not frozen solid, but kind of slushy?” asked Dr. Bangs.

“Yes,” replied Ms. Isernio, who reiterated how careful she would be with spending.

“I would trust you,” said Dr. Bangs.

The final topic of the meeting was the “Race to the Top” initiative that has been the main topic of conversation in school departments, committees, and unions across Massachusetts over the past few weeks. “Race to the Top” is a $4 billion dollar federal initiative from which Massachusetts could receive $250 million, but schools have to opt in to the program with school committee, union, and teachers’ approval. Dr. Bangs had discussed this matter with the co-presidents of the Old Rochester Regional Professional Educators Association, Terry Dall and Colin Everett. Ms. Dall and Mr. Everett declined to sign the memorandum that would include ORR in the Title 1 money and special grants program. As representatives of ORR teachers, Ms. Dall and Mr. Everett cited philosophical opposition to the program, because they thought the Race to the Top program focused too much on collecting student performance data instead of the other intangible aspects of a student’s performance.

Dr. Bangs said that he wasn’t angry with Ms. Dall and Ms. Everett for the decision, but that he was “disappointed in the lost opportunity”. He still asked for a vote from the School Committee to sign the memorandum just in case they still had the opportunity to move forward. The Committee voted to give Dr. Bangs and Dr. Cooper authority to sign the memorandum and move forward.

Ms. Beams thanked Dr. Bangs for supporting the measure, and Dr. Russell said that Ms. Dall and Mr. Everett were suffering from “selective amnesia”, since the teachers had had no problem with the ARRA presentation on test information gathering at the beginning of the year. The "Race to the Top" money would come with strict testing requirements and student performance-based salary incentives.

The Committee voted to go into executive session at 7:50 pm for the purpose of personnel issues and labor contracts. The next scheduled meeting of the ORR School Committee is February 10, and there will be a Joint Committee meeting with the Superintendency Union #55 on January 28 at 6:30 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:36:04 pm Board of Appeals Approves Marion B & B

Categories: Marion

The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals opened a Special Hearing on January 7, 2010 at 7:30 pm. The Board members included Bob Wedge, Betsy Dunn, Demie Barros and Eric Pierce.

Appearing before the Board were Marion residents Knute and Jan Aarsheim of 305 Delano Rd. Their property lies on Plan 5, Lot 17, Residence D Zoning. The Aarsheims were asking to turn the property in question from a private residence into a small Bed and Breakfast.

Bob Wedge opened discussion by presenting feedback from the Board of Health, where the Aarsheim’s request has been considered and no issues came up.

Jan Aarsheim then approached the Board. Ms. Aarsheim stated that she has “read all the laws. We have three bedrooms, which is not too big for a Bed and Breakfast. I have a big, beautiful home and I can’t think of a nicer thing to do than invite guests in.” Ms. Aarsheim continued by expressing her experience of an “empty nest syndrome,” and how she has been keeping a nice house and is ready to have people in her home. Her plan is to open from the first of May until the first of November.

Apparently the Fire Department has already visited the house and after walking through, came up with a guideline for the Aarsheims to follow in order for the home to be up to standards. The Fire Department will then come every six months to check.

Ms. Aarsheim continued by stating that she has met with other, more seasoned bed and breakfast owners and “picked their brains.” The feedback she continues to receive is that it is generally wonderful and the various people involved love running their bed and breakfasts.

Mr. Wedge responded that Ms. Aarsheim seems to “have a lot of energy.” He then went over a list of criteria, which includes addressing whether or not the property will be good for the neighborhood, making sure only breakfast will be served, and parking.

Ms. Aarsheim responded to the issue of parking. “Fortunately, I have a long driveway. That shouldn’t be an issue at all. There would be no need to park on the street.” She also mentioned that a new septic system was put in this past May. As far as advertising, Ms. Aarsheim plans to advertise by word of mouth rather than in the newspapers.

Next, a neighbor whose property is very close to the Aarsheims, Dr. J. Walter Freiberg III, spoke about one particular concern he had. Dr. Freiberg stated: “I only have one objection… There’s a swimming pool on the [proposed bed and breakfast] property where you can hear everything, and now it’s going to be commercial.” His fear is that the pool will be a source of constant noise, which he never objected to when it was for family only, but he now anticipates it becoming a problem.

Ms. Aarsheim responded by offering to put up a fence to try and buffer some of the noise, as well as making the pool a “noise sensitive area.”

Dr. Freiberg said, “I would ask the Board to ask not to use the pool. The swimming pool is the only problem.”

The Board then made a motion to take this under advisement and the hearing was then closed at 7:55 pm.

“I don’t see any reason for not granting this,” said Mr. Wedge. “I do want to take the swimming pool right out of the equation.” The other Board members agreed.

A motion was then made by Ms. Dunn to grant the special permit for Knute and Jan Aarsheim to allow a three-bedroom bed and breakfast in an existing dwelling under the condition that the pool not be used commercially. The motion was seconded by Mr. Barros and passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting was then adjourned at 8:20pm.

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:52:13 pm Marion Supports Harbor Improvement Effort

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant to the Town Administrator Helene Craver.

The minutes of the November 17, and December 1, 2009 meetings were approved.

In their first appointment, the Board heard from Mark Rasmussen and Korrin Pearson, both of the Coalition for Buzzard’s Bay. Mr. Rasmussen and Ms. Pearson presented a concern to the Board in regards to the water quality levels within Sippican Harbor. According to Mr. Rasmussen, the quality of the Sippican Harbor had been compared to similar harbors in Mattapoisett and Onset and was significantly worse than its peers. Mr. Rasmussen described the water quality of Sippican inner harbor as among the “worst” in the region. Based on a 2008 water quality health index score, the Sippican Harbor has particularly deteriorated in the past 15 years.

“It’s a real concern,” said Mr. Rasmussen. Since the harbor isn’t easily circulated or “flushed”, it is expected that water quality will be a concern, but the level of deterioration is still out of proportion with typical water quality fluctuation.

“Sippican Harbor is deteriorating when there is no reason why it should,” said Mr. Rasmussen.

There is no glaring source of pollution, such as local industry, septic systems or waste water sources that would cause the poor water quality, so the Coalition recognizes that the problem will require sleuthing. The Coalition does not suspect that lawn and agricultural fertilizers are to blame for the decline in water quality.

“We are scratching our heads,” said Mr. Rasmussen. “What is going on here? Is there something weird going on in Marion?”

One proposed starting point for finding the nitrogen that is afflicting the harbor is the closed septage lagoons in the area of Aucoot Road, which were constructed over forty years ago and could be leeching or breeching into the water.

The Board was skeptical to this proposed source of contamination, since the lagoons are monitored by the Board of Public Works at least 5 times a week and have never posed a real problem in the past.

Water Works Superintendent Frank Cooper was present to give his “educated opinion” on the matter. Mr. Cooper was convinced that the lagoons were not the source of the pollution, but rather the chemical treatments used in maintaining lawns. In Mr. Cooper’s opinion, the Sippican Harbor was being affected by nitrogen run-off from “Chem-Lawn” and “Tru-Green”, which Mr. Cooper described as his “pet-peeve”. Mr. Cooper thought that the Mass Department of Environmental Protection has not done enough to investigate the impact of lawn fertilization on water quality levels.

Mr. Cooper did agree that the source of the problem must be found and ultimately supported the Coalition’s attempts to fix the problem. The Coalition said that their efforts would “cost the town nothing”, but they were just seeking the town’s “partnership” in finding the pollution source.

The Board voted to approve support for the Coalition’s efforts.

In the next appointment, the Board heard from Bill Madden from GAF Engineering. Mr. Madden represented his client Luba Bilentschuk, who requested a sewer tie-in in the area of Ridgewood Lane to make a buildable lot that his client would like to sell. In order to create public interest in the project, Ms. Bilentschuk offered 5 acres from the parcel of land for public use, but the Open Space Acquisition Committee (OSAC) felt that the 5-acre donation would have little benefit to the public. Instead, the OSAC suggesting designation 8 acres from the parcel of land to conservation restriction, which would limit the use of land in the future. This measure would be irreversible. The Board voted to approve the sewer tie-in based on the OSAC’s request for a conservation restriction.

In Action items, the Board:

• Signed a warrant for the January 19 special state election.

• Approved credit memos in the amounts of $424.59 and 655.02.

• Approved water service commitments.

• Approved a contract with Tara and Howard to run water mains in the area of Pleasant Street and Converse Road.

• Received letters of appreciation from Jonathan Philbrook and Kevin Paulson.

• Appointed Michael Still as an EMT-Basic.

• Appointed Interim Fire Chief Thomas Joyce to the Water Committee.

In the Town Administrator’s report, Mr. Dawson informed the Board that visual appraisal and air-quality testing had confirmed long suspicions of a “fairly serious” mold problem in the Town House on the first floor and in the basement. In the short term, HEPA filters will be used to improve air quality in the Town House while they work with OccuHealth to get quotes and plan a permanent solution since, according to Mr. Dawson, the problem “poses potential risk to people who work in the building.”

Mr. Dawson informed the Board that the new police station building development was on track and they were optimistic about the windows being installed by the end of January.

Mr. Dawson also wanted to inform the public that 2010 Privilege stickers were now available at the Town House, but that the stickers were slightly different than past years. The new stickers are placed on the inside, front windshield on the driver’s side to make identification easier for the transfer station and beach attendants.

In Correspondence, the Board received a letter of resignation from EMT Andrea Keene. Ms. Keene served Marion as an EMT for over 31 years, and Mr. Dawson described her departure as “bittersweet”. Selectman Henry fondly referred to Ms. Keene as a “real crackerjack”.

The Board also received a letter of resignation from Reginald Foster from the Marion Affordable Housing Trust. Again, the Board expressed regret over the resignation.

The Board received 6 abatement requests from Marion residents in regards to water bills. With the exception of a request from a citizen whose high water bill was partly the result of damage from town work, the abatement requests were denied.

Ray Cullum of the Beverly Yacht Club sent the Board a letter of thanks for the work that Harbormaster Michael Cormier has done for them. Mr. Cullum expressed “sincere appreciation” for Mr. Cormier’s “diligence”, especially in regards to facilitating their activities and events.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 pm. No executive session was held.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:51:59 pm Sippican Librarian Fosters Reading

Categories: Marion

The Sippican School recently hired a new librarian, Jessica Barrett. Ms. Barrett began working at the school this past August. Her work picks up where the former librarian, Ms. Marie Pimental left off after thirty-one years at the position.

Ms. Barrett is a very interactive librarian/teacher. The students spend forty minute periods with her each week, as well as extra time on “enrichment Friday” if they choose. During the library time, Ms. Barrett reads aloud to the younger students, in Kindergarten through second grade. The older students, in third though sixth grade, learn about research, using the catalogue, gathering specific information and utilizing the Internet.

The first fifteen minutes of each library session begin with going over the topic of the day, and the following twenty-five minutes are for group or individual activities. These activities make use of both the computers and the shelves. Before Christmas, the sixth graders worked on a bibliography project, which was a long-term assignment the children were able to accomplish.

When speaking about her students, Ms. Barrett seems particularly proud. She described a scenario she witnessed recently where a third-grade student of hers helped another teacher locate a book by utilizing the library system. She said, “It’s so fulfilling to be working with the kids.”

This is Ms. Barrett’s first library position in a school. She completed her Master’s degree two years ago in Chicago where she had been living and working until the job here became hers. The story of how she came to be Sippican’s librarian is an interesting one. She happened to discover the school’s ad and applied on a whim because the job and location seemed perfect. “This is exactly what I want to do,” she said, even though she lived far away and already had a job which seemed to be going well. To her surprise, “I applied for the position the day before I lost my job in Chicago.”

Fortunately, the stars aligned and “within a couple of days, they wanted me to fly out.” The East Coast dream job also meant that Ms. Barrett and her husband would be closer to family. Ms. Barrett grew up in Central Massachusetts and earned her undergraduate degree just north of Boston.

Picking up where Ms. Pimental left off was a daunting task, considering her length of time as the school’s librarian and the fact that she happened to be such “an excellent lady.” Still, the job, destined to be Ms. Barrett’s, proved a wonderful fit in the end.

One of the programs the library offers to students is called “Reading is Fundamental (RIF).” This program is designed to increase literacy in students and twice a year an RIF distribution is held where books are given to the students. There is a great amount of excitement in picking out something new, while also teaching gratitude.

Ms. Barrett’s final thoughts include “I really am enjoying this position. It’s rewarding to help the kids find just the right book they’re looking for. They blow me away with how quickly they learn.” It certainly seems as though both student and teachers involved in the Sippican Library are benefiting from the work Ms. Barrett is doing there.

By Sarah K. Taylor

1 feedback » • Permalink

11:51:53 pm Marion Nursery "Indefinitely Suspended"

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Planning Board was called to order by Chairman Tom Maguran at 7:25 pm on Monday, January 4, 2010 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Board Members Steve Gonsalves, Patricia McArdle, John Sweeney, Jay Crowley, Jay Ryder, Joseph Napoli and Planning Board Secretary Debra Paiva.

The public hearing with Randall Bear Monteiro that was scheduled for 7:30 pm did not take place, as Mr. Monteiro canceled, therefore putting the hearing into what the Board would consider “indefinite suspension.” Mr. Monteiro recently purchased the property on 454 Wareham Street, where he plans to open a flower nursery, which is allowed under the Town’s by-laws. Before being purchased by Mr. Monteiro, 454 Wareham Street was an office building and offered what is defined as a “private service,” and not retail.

Mr. Monteiro originally met with the Board on Monday, November 11, 2009 with the hopes of opening the building as a preview area for his plants, which he also sells in Rochester, in time for the holiday season. The Board voted down the holiday open house, since the location is not zoned for retail. A hearing was opened on December 7 and the case is allowed 90 days to remain open.

Chairman Maguran stated the Board needs to hear from Mr. Monteiro in writing, stating his intention to suspend the case officially. If he does not tell the Board in writing his intention to suspend the case, they will have to review it after 90 days and make a decision whether or not they should allow the nursery.

The Building Inspector sent the Board a letter of denial for a certificate of occupancy for the building on 454 Wareham Street, although Chairman Maguran said that Mr. Monteiro is free to bring his case to the Board of Appeals. Mr. Monteiro does have the application still for the nursery according to the Board. The Board approved the decision to send Mr. Monteiro a letter asking his official decision to be put in writing.

The Board approved a letter of support to be sent in their name to the Zoning Board of Appeals for the home at 305 Delano Road to be a Bed and Breakfast. Chairman Maguran said that their rates were fairly reasonable and “it would be a great place for people to stay while visiting the town.”

As the January 4 meeting was their first of the year, the Board decided on their schedule for the rest of the year. The Board will not meet again in January.

On January 12, 2009, an Affordable Housing Trust Multi-Board Workshop will be held at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room in the Town House. More information is available on the Marion Town Website: www.MarionMA.gov. The Board approved the minutes of the December 14 meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm. No executive session was held.

 

By Adam T. Silva

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

08:55:43 am Marion COA "Get Smart" Series

Categories: Marion

Susan Schwager, Director of the Marion Council on Aging announces the "Get Smart" speaker series for this month. January's topic is on Home Energy Savings. This seminar will cover key elements to reducing home energy costs such as: providing information on cheap, do-it-yourself solutions, available grants and rebates, and information on MassSave enerdy audits. Please join the Marion Council on Aging on January 6 at 1:00 pm in the Elizabeth Taber library.

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:00:29 pm Mattapoisett Museum Receives Gift

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Jordan C. Collyer on December 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm. Also in attendance were Selectmen Paul A. Silva and George Randall, Town Administrator Michael Gagne’, and Assistant to the Town Administrator Melody Pacheco.

The Board approved the minutes of the December 8 meeting, both open and executive session.

The Board received a request from Town Treasurer/Collector Brenda Herbeck for account authorization at Bristol County Savings Bank. The request was approved.

A warrant for the State Election for January 19, 2010 was signed by the Board.

In a budget preparation update for FY11, Mr. Gagne’ informed the Board that they have received budgets from all the town agencies. He has been in touch with Dr. William Cooper, Superintendent of Old Rochester Regional schools, and will receive the school budget soon. Mr. Gagne’ said that the budget process was “going along [well]. Things are right on schedule.” Mr. Gagne’ said that there will be a “first glimpse” of the budget in the third week of January.

In the first appointment of the evening, the Board conducted a hearing for an “All-Alcohol” license transfer from Cathay Temple to Ying Dynasty II at 24 County Road. Selectman Silva read the legal notice as it appeared in The Wanderer. No one was present at the meeting to contest the transfer.

Mr. Ying, who has operated a South Dartmouth restaurant with a full liquor license for 9 years, was present with his lawyer to discuss his application for the license transfer.

“This Board takes very seriously the issue of underage drinking,” said Chairman Collyer, who wanted to make sure that the owner would train wait-staff to follow all laws in regards to illegal drinking and fraudulent IDs. He said that there was only one time that a Mattapoisett liquor license was revoked, and that was for a previous restaurant at the same location as the Ying Dynasty II. If any alcohol laws are violated, Chairman Collyer warned: “the Board will take firm action.”

Since there were no comments from the public, the transfer was approved and signed by the Board. Chairman Collyer welcomed Mr. Ying to town and said he looked forward to Ying Dynasty opening.

The next appointment of the evening was with Seth Mendell of the Mattapoisett Historical Society. Mr. Mendell said that he had an “exciting announcement”, not just for the Mattapoisett Museum and Carriage House, but for the entire Town of Mattapoisett. According to Mr. Mendell, Polly Phipps of 20 Water Street has donated a large 6 by 16 foot Clifford Ashley mural to the Museum.

Clifford Ashley was a renowned Southcoast artist at the turn of the 20^th Century and was known for his paintings that depicted the area’s rich maritime past. The mural, which hung on a sloped ceiling at 20 Water Street for 90 years, was carefully removed and will be restored. It depicts the “whaling coast of 1810”, and shows the Southcoast from Connecticut River to Cape Cod and the Islands. After restoration, it will hang in the Museum.

“The amazing thing is that is went through 3 hurricanes… it weathered all three storms,” said Mr. Mendell. “This is the largest single work that Clifford Ashley ever did.”

The restoration will cost some money, but Mr. Mendell said, “I think we can raise the necessary money to put it up…it’s gonna (sic) knock your socks off.”

Mr. Mendell expressed “many thanks” to Ms. Phipps, and the Board thanked Mr. Mendell for the presentation.

Susan Nilson gave the Board a 25 percent design presentation of the proposed Bike Path that will run from Mattapoisett Neck Road to Depot Street. Bike Path Committee Chairman Steve Kelliher, who has worked with Ms. Nilson and CLE engineering, was not present for the 25% design update.

Ms. Nilson said that they are still working on ways to build the bike path through a salt marsh in a way that won’t upset the wildlife, and that they are looking to use 2 by 12 foot roll-out mats for the Barrier Beach section of the path. Massachusetts Highway wants to make sure that the easements have all been fulfilled, and wants improvements on parking definition at the Reservation Road site.

“We have a complete submission as much as we can have,” said Ms. Nilson, who wants to let the Bike Path Committee look at the plans before officially submitting them in early January. Comments on the plan will be coordinated through Mr. Gagne’ and discussion with the Board will continue after the holiday.

Selectman Randall took a moment to remind residents that it is their responsibility to shovel out their mailboxes after snow storms if they want to receive their mail. Chairman Collyer thanked Highway Surveyor Barry Dunham for clearing the roads after the December 20 nor’easter. “Compared to a lot of towns around us, we looked pretty darn good,” said Chairman Collyer.

Mr. Denham, who was present at the meeting, took the opportunity to thank his staff and the water department for all their help in clearing the roads.

Selectman Silva said he hoped that “everyone has a wonderful holiday” and Chairman Collyer wished “Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year” to Mattapoisett residents before adjourning the meeting at 7:50 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:36:01 pm Veteran’s Agent Seeks Compensation

Categories: Marion

A Meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen was called to order on Monday December 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm by Chairman Richard Nunes. Also present were Selectmen Bradford N. Morse, Selectman Naida L. Parker and Town Administrator Richard LaCamera.

The first items on the agenda were the minutes from the November 23, 2009 and the December 15, 2009 meetings, which were approved.

Under Selectmen’s Signatures, the Lakeville Animal Shelter sent an agreement that needed to be renewed by the Selectmen regarding the keeping of Rochester’s dogs. A motion was made by Selectman Morse and seconded by Selectman Parker, who added that the Shelter is mostly non-kill, for which she is glad.

Also under Selectmen’s Signatures was the Special State Election Warrant, which is scheduled for January 19, 2010. Selectman Parker motioned to hold the election on that day at the Council on Aging. The motion was approved by the rest of the Board.

Next, under the Town Administrator’s report, Mr. LaCamera spoke about the new fire engine the Town will be receiving and the low interest rate of 1.55% available now.

Mr. LaCamera also said that he’s “issued the capital plan for fiscal 2011”, and he is “anticipating an extremely difficult year”.

The Affordable Housing Plan was mentioned, and an upcoming meeting will be attended by Mr. LaCamera. The second phase will be discussed, which will include types of possible housing as well as potential regions of the Town for such housing. Mr. LaCamera will provide copies for both the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board.

Under People on the Agenda, Veteran’s Agent Barry Denham was present to speak to the Board regarding his annual salary. His position is appointed, and he works as a part-time Veteran’s Agent for both the Town of Rochester and the Town of Mattapoisett.

Mr. Denham’s concern is that his compensation for his position has been cut back, and he feels that it is not enough to cover the services he provides to the Veterans in the Town of Rochester. He asked the Board to consider raising his salary from $1,000.00 annually to $2,500.00.

Mr. Denham’s position is between Mattapoisett and Rochester, and if he discontinued working for one town, the other town would then be responsible for the difference.

Mr. Denham stated that “at $74.00 a month, after taxes, for the responsibilities I have, [I] kind of wonder is it worth it?”

It was decided that Mr. Denham would submit this proposal as part of the budget for the Selectmen to review at a later date.

Next on the Agenda, the Annie Maxim House sent notice of the donations they made to the various Town Departments this year.

Ms. Suzanne M. Bump sent notification regarding her resignation from her position in the Office of Labor and Workforce.

SEMASS payment in lieu of taxes for the month of November 2009 came to $245,289.00.

January meeting dates are currently scheduled to take place on January 4 and 25, 2010.

Selectman Parker announced that absentee ballots for the Special State Election are available as of today, and December 30, 2009 is the last day to register for the upcoming election. Also, dog licenses are now available.

There being no further matters in need of discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20pm

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:35:05 pm Marion School Committee - December 16, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion School Committee was called to order by Chairperson Jane McCarthy on December 16, 2009 at 6:30 pm in the Marion Town House. Also present were Committee members Christine Winters, Jay Pateakos, and Joseph Scott, Superintendent William Cooper, School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio, Director of Student Services, Teresa Hamm, and Interim Principal Lyn Rivet.

Visitors from Sippican School fourth grade class gave a 10-minute presentation on world-famous explorers, which included John Cabot, Neil Armstrong, Sacagawea, and Vasco Nunez de Balboa. After the presentation, teachers Debra Almeida and Sandi Rosen handed out the full-reports the children completed, a copy of the rubric used to grade the assignments, and samples of the books the children read during their unit on explorers.

“This is an example of what we expect fourth graders to be doing by mid-year,” Ms. Almeida said.

On December 17, the children celebrated their unit on explorers with an “Explorer’s Feast” at the Sippican School. After the Committee reviewed the sample assignments, Chairperson McCarthy thanked the students and the teachers for their presentation.

In the Chairperson’s report, Chairperson McCarthy gave a quick update, saying that the woodchips had been recently spread at the playgrounds, and just in time for the cold weather.

Chairperson McCarthy also listed several important dates: the first Budget Subcommittee meeting on December 21, the next meeting of the Marion School Committee which will be January 20, and the next Joint School Committee will be January 28.

In the Superintendent’s report, Dr. Cooper informed the Committee that they are in the middle of a difficult budgeting task for FY11, and the absence of ARRA grants for the upcoming fiscal year is making the future budget look bleaker by contrast. “It’s not business as usual,” Dr. Cooper said.

Dr. Cooper also informed the Committee that there had been a presentation on “Race to the Top,” which represents the next wave of stimulus money. $250 million is available to Massachusetts if enough individual school districts apply, but only half of the money would be available as Title 1 money to the schools; for Marion, this would mean an increase of 20% in Title 1 money, which does not represent a large sum. In exchange, the program would be heavily based in standardized testing and merit pay would have to be considered in participating districts. The “Race to the Top” initiative will be further discussed at a January 8 TLC meeting. Depending on ORR’s interest, an application would have to be complete by January 13.

Dr. Cooper declared the December 15 H1N1 clinic a success, saying that Public Health Nurse Amanda Stone did a great job, and surprisingly, there were doses left over.

In the Principal’s report, Ms. Rivet informed the Committee that she will conduct a Shrewsbury site visit in early January. The site visits are a part of an ongoing effort to determine what academic programs Marion could adopt to further improve their MCAS scores. So far, the site visits to places like Sandwich and Sharon have shown that high-performing districts are all using one common math program, and most are using the same reading program. They all include math and reading coaches and make large investments in professional development.

Ms. Rivet said that

Error! Contact not defined.

there are requests for volunteers for “Destination Imagination,” which would require February training for a March event. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Ms. Soucy at the Sippican School.

According to Ms. Rivet, the girl’s bullying program was “extremely well-done… enlightening and almost scary…” She described it as scary because almost half the grade school girls present admitted to accepting friend requests on website like Facebook and MySpace from people they didn’t know. As educators, Ms. Rivet said that this was something that they needed to know.

In a December 22 meeting, Ms. Rivet gave a presentation to the Sippican staff about the “Race to the Top” initiative, and shared feedback on the flex wheel.

At a School Counsel meeting, VASE member Rania Lavranos worked with the Counsel to improve communication between the two groups. They determined that they needed to improve the language in the handbook in regards to three topics: attendance, review of discipline, and harassment.

As a final item in her report, Ms. Rivet said that they needed parent volunteers for the Homework Club. Parents who have one day a week, or even one day a month, and are willing to help, should contact Ms. Rivet. Volunteers must be CORI checked.

The minutes of the November 18 meeting were approved.

In her Financial report, Ms. Isernio said that there were no transfers needed for the month of December, and informed the Committee that they were adopting a software called “Budget Sense,” which should simplify the budgeting process.

On December 29, an electrician will wire a kiln at the school, and the pottery kiln should be functional in time for the students to return to school after Christmas break. The kiln was funded through the art budget and contributions from VASE.

The Sippican School is facing several necessary repairs. The sheetrock still needs to be repaired from the last HVAC leak, the cupola on the roof leaked in the last rain storm, and the building requires $15,000 in window replacement in the third grade wing.

The Committee briefly discussed the best time to replace the windows. Dr. Cooper said that “it’s a messy job”, citing the last window replacements that were done at the Rochester Memorial School. The School Maintenance Committee will discuss these repairs further. They will also hire a subcontractor to complete the year’s maintenance work at Sippican. The position will be part-time, and short-term.

The Committee then looked at the Annual Report, which included information on Sippican School and all the people that make it function from day to day. Information in the Annual Report included Principal Edwin Fava’s November resignation, information on VASE and their work, and the Marion School Committee goals for the upcoming year. The Annual Report will be submitted to Helene Craver.

The Committee voted to accept the Annual Report, pending changes Ms. Winters wants to make.

Ms. Hamm then presented the Transitional Skills Center proposal, which would create an “in-house” education program for 3 Tri-Town students in need of special education. Since the students are from Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester respectively, the chance to keep the special education services in the Tri-Town was a “synchronistic” opportunity, where all three towns could split the cost.

The plan would be under the guidance of the Walker Partnership, and would provide a licensed social worker and a consulting psychiatrist, in addition to supplies and rent at Old Hammondtown School for the rest of the 2009/2010 school year for the three students. The cost would be $122,000 for the half year.

At a December 14 School Committee meeting, Mattapoisett did not vote to accept this measure, citing the need to review and gather more information before making a decision. At the December 15 meeting of the Rochester School Committee, they did support the idea. The opinion of the Marion School Committee was going to serve as an unofficial tie-breaker.

The Marion School Committee ultimately sided with Mattapoisett, verbalizing the same concerns that the Mattapoisett School Committee did. Ms. Winters wanted to know more about the full scope of costs, including any costs the town may incur for insurance, and what a 2010/2011 school year Walker Partnership cost plan would look like. Mr. Scott thought the plan was worth looking into further, and even saw the potential for cost-savings in the long run, but also didn’t want to make an immediate decision, since cost-savings would only come if outside districts were willing to “tuition-in” their special needs students.

Since the issue was time-sensitive, and the opportunity of three Tri-Town students being in need of the same service was unprecedented, Ms. Hamm said that the opportunity probably would not present itself again. The alternative at this point is to bus the children to surrounding districts, which to Ms. Hamm was not providing the best possible education and interpersonal experience to the children, since schooling in the community is always ideal.

“I recognize how difficult it is to make this decision,” Ms. Hamm said.

“If there are significant reservations, then we will back off,” Dr. Cooper agreed.

The Committee did not make a vote on the matter, but Ms. Hamm concluded that she would seek placement for the students in need. Mr. Scott said that it was important to continue researching the matter, in case the opportunity presented itself again. “It’s something we need to look into and explore further,” said Mr. Scott.

Chairperson McCarthy agreed, and said that it should still be discussed at a January Joint Committee meeting, and that she would contact the other two Chairpersons, Sharon Hartley of the Rochester School Committee and Grace Knox of the Mattapoisett School Committee, to discuss the matter.

After brief updates from subcommittees, the Committee voted to adjourn at 8:15 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:34:47 pm Winter Means Fun at the Art Center

Categories: News, Marion

After New Year’s Day, the nip in the air no longer provides an ambient back-drop to holiday activities. Our hands are cold, there are few outdoor activities, and cabin fever sets in. Let’s face it – we are looking at the dead of winter, and the first glimpses of spring are still months away.

When all the of the other activities are dwindling, there is plenty to do at the Marion Art Center, though.

“When times are tough, people are looking for things to do, and we want to be that outlet for them,” said Marion Art Center director Wendy Bidstrup. “Looking at paintings is one way to cheer up – at least, that’s what I think.”

The recent MAC holiday gift shop was successful, but the economy cast a shadow on the average ticket item. Of the artwork and handcrafted items available to the public, the best sellers were the small items that were $50 and under. The holiday sale included felted handbags, carved wooden birds, jewelry, paintings, fiber-arts items and much more – all were one-of-a-kind and made by over 30 area artists, and benefitted the MAC on a consignment basis. The silhouette artist was not a part of the MAC holiday festivities, due to lack of sign-ups.

Now that the hard winter is here, Ms. Bidstrup hopes that people will come into the warm, cozy art center to take their minds off the weather. A Valentine’s Family Tea Party is planned for February 6, and is a reschedule of an American Girl tea party that was supposed to occur in November. The terminology was changed a little to include the whole family. “Boys are welcome, too,” Ms. Bidstrup said. The November tea party did not occur because there weren’t enough sign-ups, and possibly because it coincided with the worst wave of H1N1 in the Tri-Town area. Ms. Bidstrup is hoping that a lot of people will be interested in the Valentine’s tea party.

One of the events that Ms. Bidstrup is really excited about is the upcoming “adult play” called Rumors by Neil Simon. Rumors is a farcical play about a group of affluent couples trying to cover up a suspicious murder. Auditions for Rumors is over, but the art center hopes the public will look forward to the March 5 – 13 performances.

The Marion Art Center will reopen after the holiday on January 5 and will resume normal hours of Tuesday through Friday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The public is welcome to sign up for pay events, or they can just enjoy the free experience of strolling through the galleries and looking at the artwork. MAC members in good standing are also welcome to submit artwork for the Winter Members Show, which will take place from January 17 to February 24.

Other winter activities include children’s dance lessons, theater classes, and a Winter Members Show reception on January 17. For more information on the Marion Art Center, or to sign up for any of the activities, call 508-748-1266.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:31:47 pm Letters to the Editor

Categories: Marion

To the Editor:

On behalf of the members of The Mattapoisett Women's Club, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Paul Bonville, President of Mattapoisett Fin Fur and Feather Club, as well as many of our members who kindly donated evergreens and holly for our Holiday decorating project.

As you visit the post office, the town hall or the library in the next weeks, keep in mind the generosity of these townspeople. It is a community-project that just seems to improve each year!

Happy Holidays to you all!

Mattapoisett Women's Club Garden Group

Claire Keene, Mattapoisett

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

08:49:31 pm ORR Schools Closed December 21

Categories: Marion

All schools in the Old Rochester Regional district will be closed on December 21, 2009.

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:21:20 am Photo Essay of Marion Fire

Categories: Marion

The Marion Fire Department responded to the fire within 4 minutes of Tom Dexter’s call on December 4, 2009, at approximately 10:00 pm. Crews were on the scene until about 1:00 am, trying to contain the flames.

Benjamin Dexter, grandfather to Thomas Dexter, was born and raised in the 1690 house at 370 Delano Road. A framed photo of Benjamin Dexter, a World War I veteran who walked in the Marion Parade until he was in his 90s, is featured in his grandson’s home.

Another picture in Thomas Dexter’s home shows the 1690 family home on Delano Road at the turn of the 20th century.

The Dexter house is on a sharp bend on Delano Road. The house, which has moved to the far corner of the lot away from its original foundation, is now partially hidden from the street. The damage from the December 4, 2009 fire is visible from the rear of the house.

A blue tarp hides the extensive roof damage the antique house on Delano Road suffered in the December 4, 2009 fire. The fire, which started in the rear right section of the house, licked up the side of the house and left a hole in the roof.

According to the Marion assessor’s database, the house was built in 1690. Other records indicate that the house suffered a fire in the early 1700’s, and was rebuilt in 1750. The extent of the rebuild is unknown. Like many 17th century homes, this house originally had a center chimney that will be completely removed with the move.

The origin of the fire was in the temporary wooden columns that the house was “parked” on. According to the state fire marshal, the fire was intentionally set, and is currently under investigation.

A view from the ground shows the damage done to the rear of the historically significant home. Captain Joshua Slocum, famous for sailing around the globe single-handedly, stayed as a boarder at the house in the early 1900s.

Although the structure suffered significant damage, Tom Dexter says that the building is still structurally sound. Susan Dexter said that, despite the damage, they are “more determined than ever” to save the building and annex it to their already-existing home at 366 Delano Road.

A large hole shows the damage from the December 4 fire. According to Tom Dexter, the fire could have been worse, but thanks to the fast response from the Marion Fire Department and the house’s insulation, the house is salvageable.

The 1690 house at 370 Delano Road, which may be the oldest standing house in Marion, was one of the houses on the Sippican Bicentennial route.

The wide pine floorboards were heavily damaged in the fire. Since floorboards like this are difficult to recreate, the Dexters will likely have to use salvaged materials to replace the floors in the fire-damaged house.

A view of the Weweantic River emptying into Buzzard’s Bay is a beautiful contrast to the burnt, raw edges of the damaged section on the house.

Wicker furniture and other antique items of varying monetary and intrinsic value, were heavily damaged or destroyed by smoke in the fire.

Tom Dexter uses a ladder to enter his 1690. Since the house is parked on temporary stilts, a ladder is the currently only way to enter the house.

Vintage wallpaper depicting Victorian scenes lines an alcove in the upstairs of the house. The wallpaper is badly damaged by soot and will probably have to be removed.

The insulation, seen here spilling out into an upstairs room, helped limit the amount of damage the house’s roof sustained. The exposed lathe and roof revealed hand-hewn beams that Mr. Dexter hopes to keep exposed in the house’s renovation.

The hole that was created in the roof from the fire would’ve been a lot worse if it hadn’t been for the Marion ladder truck and a quick-responding fire department.

Soot and insulation is smeared on every surface of the house, especially the sections closest to the fire. The Dexters are relying on the generous offers from friends and community members to clean up the house before progressing with the house move.

A piano was among the items in the house at the time of the fire. The Dexters have not yet determined if the heat from the fire has damaged the piano beyond repair.

Tom Dexter surveys the column where the fire was set on ground-level.

Little pieces of burned Oriental rug were scattered like confetti in front of the house after the December 4 fire.

Susan Dexter chased this piece of insulation before the wind took it into the Weweantic River. The fire left a mess of insulation, siding, broken glass and other debris, in close proximity to the River and Buzzard’s Bay.

The house will be temporarily parked on a corner of the Dexter’s property until they ultimate annex it onto their existing home.

This is the proposed location of the 1690 Dexter house. The Dexters tried to find another location for the house, but most of the available plots in Marion were either too expensive or land-locked.

The Dexters are trying to salvage the granite from the original foundation of the 1690 house. Bricks from a chimney are scattered at the old foundation. Susan Dexter used a metal detector to find artifacts from the site, and turned up an Indian-head penny and a couple heavily rusted items.

A full story on this fire is available in the December 17 issue. All photos were by Anne O'Brien-Kakley, except the first photo, which was courtesy of Tom and Susan Dexter.

3 feedbacks » • Permalink

07:54:31 am 3 Injured in Mattapoisett Crash

Categories: Marion

Three people were injured in a Monday night accident on Long Plain Road in Mattapoisett. The crash occurred on December 14 at 10:10 pm when operator Donald MacMullen, 28, lost control of a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria, striking a fire hydrant and then a utility pole.

Mr. MacMullen, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle, and suffered head trauma. He was transported by Mattapoisett EMS to Shaw Street in Fairhaven, and then med-flighted to Rhode Island Hospital Trauma Center, where he is listed in critical condition.

Other injured parties were Jeremy Silveira, 29, of New Bedford, and Felicia Monteiro, 29, of New Bedford. Mr. Silveira was also ejected from the vehicle and initially transported by Acushnet EMS to St. Luke’s, then transferred to Rhode Island Hospital Trauma Center. His condition is currently unknown.

Ms. Monteiro complained of head pain at the scene and was transported by Mattapoisett EMS to St. Luke’s.

Mattapoisett Sgt. Jason King is investigating the accident, and the Massachusetts State Police Accident Reconstruction team is assisting in the investigation.

The Mattapoisett Police Department and EMS received assistance from Mattapoisett Fire Department, Acushnet Police and EMS, and Fairhaven Police and Fire Departments.

From Mattapoisett Police Press Release

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:31:26 pm Marion Planning Board Meeting - December 14, 2009

Categories: Marion

The December 14, 2009 meeting of the Marion Planning Board was called to order at 7:20 pm by Chairman Thomas R. Magauran. Also in attendance were Vice Chairman Joseph Napoli, and Board Members Jay Ryder, John Sweeny, Patricia McArdle, Julia Deane Crowley, Stephen C. Gonsalves and Planning Secretary Debra Paiva.

The first order of business, the ANR Plan regarding Allen Manard at 123 Allens Point Rd. was determined incomplete at this point and the Board decided to reschedule discussion.

The next order of business, the Annual Report, was then briefly remarked upon. Chairman Magauran had e-mailed a draft to the Board members, and he welcomed comments before the next scheduled meeting on January 4, 2009.

There were no minutes or bills in need of approval at this time.

At 7:30 the public hearing was opened to address the issue of 454 Wareham St, R. Bear Monterino’s property. A special permit under Section 4 regarding a nursery in a residential zone was discussed. A letter requesting suspension of the application led the Board to make a motion to continue until January 4, 2009 at 7:30 pm. The motion passed unanimously.

An e-mail from Town Council regarding 454 Wareham St was then read by Chairman Magauran. The email read that Town Council had reviewed the materials on the property. More issues were raised and discussion will be continued.

Next, the 2015 Oversight Committee, a committee appointed by the Board of Selectmen, addressed an issue pertaining to the Planning Board budget. Chairman Magauran listed a number of reasons the Board was concerned with the latest developments in maintaining the Town of Marion adequately. The Dunkin Donuts has recently opened, and a large Cumberland Farms is possibly on its way in. In order to maintain the qualities everyone loves about the Town of Marion, there will need to be careful consideration of hiring a contractor. Currently there is $14,000.00 in place for the hiring of such a contractor, and the Planning Board and the 2015 Oversight Committee are doing their best to keep discussion open.

Chairman Magauran stated that: “It’s not as much about how it looks as how it works,” to which Board member Ms. McArdle replied: “It is about how it looks!”

The Board then voted to transfer the funds from the Planning Board to the 2015 Oversight Committee, giving them the responsibility of advertising and interviewing a potential contractor, with the hire being subject to the Planning Board’s final say. The motion passed, with one opposed vote and one abstention.

Next on the agenda, the prospective Cumberland Farms expansion was discussed. A number of concerns were addressed, from the potentially hazardous traffic situation to the large number of pumps and the impact the store would have on the other business owners in Town. Chairman Magauran reminded the Board’s duty to “not putting something in place that would result in significant damages to the Town.” A motion was made to draft these concerns in a letter for the ZBA to review at their Thursday night meeting.

There being no further matters in need of discussion the meeting was adjourned at 9:27 pm.

By Sarah K. Taylor

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:09:30 pm Mattapoisett Selectmen Meeting - December 8, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Jordan C. Collyer on December 8, 2009 at 7:00 pm. Also in attendance were Selectmen Paul A. Silva and George Randall, Town Administrator Michael Gagne’, and Assistant to the Town Administrator Melody Pacheco.

 

The minutes of the November 24, 2009 meeting were approved.

The first appointment of the evening was with the Mother’s Day Tiara Road Race Committee. The Committee was seeking the approval of the Board for their 4th annual race scheduled for May 9, 2010. The 5K family road race will experience only one change from previous years. The route will be reversed to start at Old Marion Rd, giving the chance for runners to disperse and “let the pack break up” in the area of Ned’s Point before heading out towards Route 6, which will lessen the impact on Route 6 traffic. This change is based on safety feedback from Mattapoisett police officers last spring.

“We appreciate you seeing a problem and taking action to it before we (have to),” said Chairman Collyer, in regards to the route change.

The Road Race proceeds will go to the Women’s Fund, which is a non-profit organization that supports programs that promote the “mind, body and spirit” of women. The Committee said that the Race was good publicity for Mattapoisett, since the proceeds aren’t kept for the town exclusively, but distributed to the region at large.

The Board voted to approve the 4th Annual Mother’s Day Tiara Road Race.

Town Treasurer Brenda Herbeck came before the Board to show a written financial policy guide that she had compiled. The guide contained policies that the Town had been using for years, but the guide made them more official and collective. The Board approved the financial policy guide.

Daniel Chase, Chairman of the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners and member of the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee, came before the Board of Selectmen to request their support in the Mattapoisett River Valley Committee’s plans to acquire newly-available land along the Mattapoisett River watershed by raising the assessed water value to 2 cents per 100 cubic feet, and by approving the Committee to borrow money. In the current economy, the Committee could purchase land in the watershed for a relatively low amount.

Although the Board was receptive to the idea, Selectman Silva wanted to know what the water cost increase would mean to the average resident. “There’s no question that we need to protect the watershed,” Selectman Silva said.

“I don’t think the increase will be exponential. It’s not a significant increase,” said Chairman Collyer.

No action was made, and Mr. Chase will return with more information for the Board, including the impact of the increase on the average household.

In Notes and Announcements, Ms. Pacheco announced that:

• The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will be Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall Conference Room.

• The Town Hall will be closed at noon on Thursday, December 24 and will be closed all day on Friday, December 25 for the Christmas holiday. Town Hall will be open all day on December 31 and closed all day on January 1 to celebrate the New Year.

• The new winter hours for the transfer station are: Thursday and Friday, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

In the Town Administrator’s report, Mr. Gagne’ called the Village Holiday Stroll a “tremendous success… Mel (Ms. Pacheco) and all the organizers worked very hard and we thank them,” said Mr. Gagne’.

Mr. Gagne’ also said that department heads will be ready for an annual meeting with the Board after the holidays, to present their needs and requests for budgeting purposes. “Resources will be limited,” said Mr. Gagne’, but this is the opportunity to have a “heart to heart” over what departments have accomplished over the past year and what their long term goals are.

Steve Kelliher, Chairman of the Bike Path Committee, came before the Board with Susan Nilson and Cesar Duarte of CLE Engineering to present the progress of the bike path’s Phase 1 development. Phase 1 starts with Mattapoisett Neck Road and runs across the Mattapoisett River Bridge, to a salt marsh, through the YMCA easement, through Reservation Road, across the area of Eel Pond, and will end on Depot Street.

With some of the issues surrounding the Eel Pond restoration project, the presentation from CLE Engineering wanted a back-up plan for the event that the restoration project creates a roadblock for permitting. One of the contingency plans that they presented to the Board was the possibility of Phase 1 ending at Reservation Road if there were a problem building across Eel Pond.

The Board was not receptive to this idea, and wanted the Committee and CLE to continue with the proposed plan, which ends Phase 1 of the bike path at Depot St. The area of Reservation Road already has very little parking for the quahog fishermen, and ending the bike path there, even temporarily, would create a logistical problem.

Another challenge presented to the bike path’s progress is the issue of developing the path in the marsh area to minimize impact to the wetlands wildlife. The engineers are working with the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a way to build the bike path without damaging the wetlands.

Mr. Kelliher and Ms. Nilson acknowledged the issue with safety in the area of the bike path on Mattapoisett Neck Road. Among the safety measures being considered for walkers and bikers in that section of the path are signs, light stripes, and textured surfacing, sometimes known as “rumble strips” to slow bikers down at the intersection.

The Board voted to go into executive session at 8:15 pm for the purpose of discussion relative to an interest in land.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

1 feedback » • Permalink

10:08:57 pm Marion Selectmen Sign BAN

Categories: Marion

In a December 1 meeting, the Marion Board of Selectmen signed to approve the sale of a $10 million Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) from Marion to Eastern Bank. The BAN was dated December 11, 2009, and payable December 10, 2010 with accrued interest and a $101,190 premium.

Special Police Officer Alisha Chandler was appointed to the position of a Student Officer. Special Officer Matthew Cooper was appointed a full-time police officer, effective December 13, after completing Police Academy on December 11. These appointments replaced retired and resigned police officers.

In additional appointments, Evelyn Rivet, Interim Principal at Sippican School, was appointed to the Sippican School Major Maintenance Committee.

A one-day, all-alcohol signed was granted to the Marion Social Club for a December 21 event. The Board then approved various 2010 license renewals, such as alcohol, retail package, entertainment, and Sunday package store opening licenses.

The brief meeting was followed by a Christmas party. A December 15 meeting is scheduled at the Town House at 7:00 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:14:13 pm Strong Winds Take Gangplank

Categories: Marion

Strong southeasterly winds combined with heavy rain and an usually high tide to create flooding conditions along Tri-Town coasts and marshes on the morning of December 3.

The gangplank at Mattapoisett's Barstow Wharf was swept off to sea, but no other damage was reported.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:04:59 am Marion Voters Consider Senior Center

Categories: Marion

An informational survey was distributed in November to Marion voters to determine the future of a Marion Senior Center project.

In August, Marion Council on Aging director Susan Schwager said that several people expressed to her that they would like to see a Marion Senior Center, which would be a place specially dedicated to senior activities. With Ms. Schwager’s help and encouragement, Tabitha Tripp and Planning Board member Joseph Napoli wrote a letter to the Board of Selectmen, who agreed to devote their allotted Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) hours to exploring the town’s interest in adding a senior center. A committee was formed to help determine the interests and needs of voters in regards to a senior center.

There are over 1,400 seniors in Marion, and the Council on Aging operates out of an office in the Town House. The COA has still been able to conduct some senior activities, like a monthly speaker-series, but these activities are generally planned ahead and have to be held in town buildings – like the Sippican School – large enough to accommodate the audience. With the space that a senior center would provide, there would be more options for drop-in activities.

After generating a list of questions using the SRPEDD hours, the survey was distributed to each registered voter in Marion. The questions in the survey are designed to determine whether voters are interested in a senior center, which Ms. Schwager prefers to call an “Older Adult Community Center”, and what kinds of senior center resources would appeal to them.

Ms. Schwager would like a place for seniors to have exercise, art, language, and computer classes. After visiting area senior centers, she is getting an idea of what the Marion Senior Center could look like and what it could offer to the growing rate of baby-boomer seniors. “A kitchen for Meals on Wheels would be great,” said Ms. Schwager. “Billiards… ping pong… just space enough to hold activities, either passive or active.”

Currently, there is no proposed location for a potential senior center, though there have been several suggestions, including renovating existing buildings and leasing a new building. Some have even suggested operating a senior center out of the Sippican School, but for Ms. Schwager, this would present too many logistic problems. “It’s not the best solution,” Ms. Schwager said. “There is limited parking and even more limited handicapped parking (at the Sippican School).” Other factors that would complicate putting a senior center in the school would include navigating the school security policies and the distance seniors would have to walk from the parking lot to the building.

Ms. Schwager, who has worked for the Marion Council on Aging for eleven years, is a part-time employee. If the senior center became a reality, the position would have to be full-time in order to fully operate the center. If Marion voters express interest in a senior center, this proposal would have to progress to town meeting, although Ms. Schwager doesn’t think it will be ready in time for the next Annual Town Meeting.

A study committee led by Chairperson Tabitha Tripp helped make the survey in order to fully determine the desires and needs of Marion voters. Even though Ms. Schwager thinks a senior center would be a valuable asset to the town, she is determined to respect the wishes of the voters. “If people don’t want it, I don’t want to cram it down their throats,” Ms. Schwager said. If the survey determines that voters are not currently interested in a senior center, she would table the issue.

Ms. Tripp is hopeful that the town will be interested in the project. “We hope it will be a go,” said Ms. Tripp. “Marion residents deserve to have their own center, and some people don’t want to leave town,” she said, citing the amount of seniors who have to travel to Mattapoisett and Rochester to attend social and well-being events.

Voters who received the survey have until November 30 to complete the form and return it to one of the five designated drop-off points: the Town House, the Elizabeth Taber library, Uncle Jon’s Café, the Marion General Store or Eastern Bank.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:04:29 am Marion School Committee - November 18, 2009

Categories: Marion

A scheduled meeting of the Marion School Committee was brought to order by Chairperson Jane McCarthy on November 18, 2009 in the Town House. Also in attendance were Committee members Joe Scott, Brad Gordon, Jay Patekos, Christine Winters, Superintendent Dr. William Cooper, School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio, Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm, Interim Principal Lyn Rivet and members of Volunteers at Sippican Elementary (VASE).

In the Chairperson’s report, Ms. McCarthy informed the Committee that a letter of thanks had been sent to Interim Principal Lyn Rivet’s daughter Megan for helping clean out the Sippican School book room over the course of 40-50 volunteer hours over the summer.

Ms. McCarthy attended a program on the “Role of the School Committee Chair” at the annual Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) conference in Hyannis. The informative session included information on regionalization, special education, and “virtual high school”.

Ms. McCarthy also mentioned a meeting with the Tri-Town Administrators and members of the Financial Committee to discuss the upcoming budget season. “That was not very positive,” said Ms. McCarthy. “This upcoming year is going to be the worst.”

In his Superintendent’s report, Dr. Cooper updated the Committee on the continuing issues of sickness and absenteeism in the Sippican School and the Old Rochester Regional District at large. After absenteeism peaked with 68 students absent from Sippican School on November 20, the numbers have scaled back. According to Dr. Cooper, public health officials claim that the flu affecting Tri-Town students is “definitely H1N1. This is going to ebb and flow throughout the winter,” Dr. Cooper said, in regards to the absentee rates.

Dr. Cooper said that there was “considerable sadness” in the community over the sudden death of Steve Shiraka, Director of Facilities for the ORR region. Mr. Shiraka suffered an apparent heart attack on November 21 at the age of 54. He has held the position of Director of Facilities since 2001; prior to that, he was Head of Maintenance at ORRHS.

“He was a terrific colleague, a wonderful family man, and a very able person who knew a lot,” said Dr. Cooper. “He was very dependable. Middle-of-the-night disasters – he was the first one there.”

Brad Gordon, a member of the Sippican School building committee who worked closely with Mr. Shiraka, agreed with Dr. Cooper. “It was a pleasure to work with him and he will be missed.”

Dr. Cooper said that they have started the budget process for Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11). So far, the state aid picture is getting worse and the Tri-Town town administrators think that there will be further cuts announced in January and February for FY10. Budgeting is “an onerous task, no question,” said Dr. Cooper. “We try to prolong the process as long as possible. You need to know where the state is before you make a budget.”

In the Principal’s report, Interim Principal Lyn Rivet said she has been visiting school systems in the state that are similar to Marion – systems like Cohasset, Franklin and Sandwich – in hopes to observe trends and gain information that could help improve MCAS scores for the 2009/2010 school year. The schools observed were selected based on comparable AYP scores, and information gained from the visits will be put into a data grid for the Committee to observe in the December 16 meeting.

Ms. Rivet said that there had been a student council meeting since the Committee last met. At the Council meeting, they discussed school improvement goals and the student handbook, which has not been revised since 1992. Among several issues that Ms. Rivet would like to revisit and revise with the students is the bullying policy, especially in light of the anti-bullying bill that Massachusetts legislature is considering, which would require all schools to report instances of bullying to the state.

While the changes seemed apt, Ms. McCarthy reminded Ms. Rivet that any changes to the student handbook would have to be approved by the Committee.

Ms. Rivet continues to work on the bussing situation. The Sippican School is currently operating with one bus fewer than they need. Consequently, the crowding situation on busses is leading to misbehavior, mostly of a verbal nature. Ms. Rivet said that she has spoken with the students about acting respectfully on the problem bus. She also placed a camera on the particularly crowded, troublesome bus, to see how bad the situation is, and how it can be addressed. In serious cases of misbehavior, Ms. Rivet has sent slips home to the parents.

The minutes of the October 21, 2009 Marion School Committee were approved.

In her Financial report, Kathleen Isernio requested a simple transfer of $11,000 from Program 10 for contractual increases and personnel degree changes. The Committee voted to approve this change.

In General business, Dr. Cooper said that the school’s HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system produced another flood in the last two months. Mr. Shiraka had started the process of finding the source by contacting Bosco and received a $1,600 quote for the inspection of 18 remaining coils. What the quote would include is the assessment of the coils and determination if the floods are resulting from faulty parts or workmanship, though Ms. Isernio doesn’t think any legal recourse is likely. The assessment would also determine what work needs to be done to the HVAC system to avoid future flooding.

Bidding for the replacement of sheet rock created by one of the HVAC floods came in, with a price tag of approximately $10,000. The rooms affected by this flooding were in guidance, special needs, and reading recovery, which has caused some temporary displacement of personnel and classes. The damaged sheet rock is covered by town insurance, but the town’s deductable was not known at the time of the Committee meeting.

Dr. Cooper was especially concerned with the possibility of another coil malfunctioning and causing a flood on the top floor of the building, which could cause serious damage to all the floors below. “We need to get this fixed as quickly as we can,” said Mr. Gordon.

Unfortunately, a lot of these building issues will have to be addressed with contractors at an added cost in Mr. Shiraka’s absence.

The Committee then voted to approve the resurfacing of the front and side Sippican School playgrounds with 60 yards and 30 yards of “fortified wood fiber” respectively. There is over $4,500 left in the playground maintenance account that was started when the front playground was built, which will fund the resurfacing. The Committee will also seek quotes for the spreading of the “fortified wood fiber”, since volunteers who spread 60 yards of the product last year found the task overwhelming. 50% replacement of the wood chips at the playground is necessary every other year.

The Committee then approved the 5 School Committee goals as detailed in the October 21 meeting.

Under the Building Subcommittee update, Mr. Gordon informed the Committee that there has not been a meeting yet. There has been a little bit of a hindrance with the cafeteria swipe cards since personnel has been out with sickness and injuries, but once the necessary data is entered and personnel is trained, they will embrace the new method of payment.

In the ORR District Committee update, Mr. Scott informed the Committee that Marion resident Brian Heacox received the prestigious Superintendent’s Choice Award. “He’s an outstanding young man,” said Mr. Scott, “and an excellent representative of our town.”

In the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC) update, Mr. Patekos told the Committee that SMEC supported professional development with a program called “10 Behavioral Tip for the Trenches”.

At the end of the meeting, the Committee voted to allocate $4,400 from the rental fund to the construction of a back playground pending approval of the building subcommittee. VASE will supply the difference, $19,409, for the playground, but a decision has to be made by December 15 for VASE to accept the proposal that they want. The playground’s upkeep will be funded by rental fund, which can only be used for upkeep of existing facilities. The new playground will be installed in spring.

The Committee voted to go into executive session to discuss non-union litigation at 7:59 pm.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:03:26 am Marion Selectmen's Meeting - November 17, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver.

Selectman Cushing announced at the very beginning of the meeting that Steve Shiraka, who worked in the ORR School District, has passed away and a moment of silence was held for him. The wake will be held at The Chapman Cole and Gleason Funeral Home in Mashpee from 4:00 to 8:00 pm on Friday and the funeral will be held at the same location on Saturday at noon.

A vote was passed in which the Town shall issue a bond not to exceed $1,485,913 which goes towards the $10,400,000 current sewer project. The Town Treasurer/Collector Gary Carreiro met with the Board at 7:10 pm and presented the document, which was signed by the Clerk of the Board of Selectmen, Roger Blanchette.

Alex Kenny, from the House of Thai restaurant, located at 374 Front Street, in Marion, met with the Board at 7:25 pm to discuss the restaurant having a “bring your own beer” (BYOB) license, although Mr. Kenny stated it would be exclusive to wine. He said that the restaurant, which has only nine tables and seats nineteen, has a 50 and over age crowd and he gets asked constantly by customers if and when they can start having wine along with their meals.

Mr. Kenny stated that he was certain the restaurant would have alcohol-server insurance and spoke of possibly one day going for a beer and wine serving license, but not a hard alcohol one. “I can see this working great for people who want to relax and have a glass of wine with dinner,” said Selectman Blanchette, who discussed his love of Thai food.

Selectmen Blanchette and Cushing approved the motion to grant House of Thai a BYOB license, while Selectman Henry abstained from voting.

Selectmen Blanchette and Cushing also voted together on appointing Johnathan Sylvia as an Alternate to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Selectmen Henry, who voted against the appointing, spoke first on the matter, giving his reasons for opposing Mr. Sylvia, as he looked for someone “who is older, has more experience and has been a town resident for a longer period of time.” Selectman Blanchette responded by saying, “You don’t earn your wings unless you get the opportunity to fly. His age shouldn’t disqualify him.”

“Where exactly do you get Zoning Board of Appeals experience?” asked Selectman Blanchette. “There has to be a beginning and this is the perfect opportunity to get a young person involved in civic duty.”

“I got my start in Marion politics on the Zoning Board, where I served for four or five years, said Selectman Cushing. “It would be great to see young people stepping up in our town. He should be awarded the opportunity.”

A letter of admonishment will be sent to the Marion Art Center, as they submitted their request for one-day wine and malt liquor licenses late for November 13-15. The request was submitted on November 9. The same one-day wine and malt liquor licenses for November 19-21 for the Marion Art Center were approved.

Marion Police Officer Jonathan F. Philbrook retired from full-time duty on October 30, after 32 years of service, the past 19 in Marion. Officer Kevin E. Paulson resigned as a full-time officer as of November 7.

The Meeting was adjourned by Selectman Cushing at 8:40 pm. No executive session was held.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:03:01 am Marion Planning Board - November 16, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Planning Board was called to order by Vice Chairman Joseph Napoli on Monday, November 16, 2009 at the Marion Town House at 7:22 pm. Also in attendance were Board Members Jay Ryder, John Sweeney, Patricia McArdle, Julia Crowley, Stephen Gonsalves and Planning Secretary Debra Paiva. Chairman Tom McGoran was not in attendance.

Mr. Napoli began the meeting by stating that Marion resident Gene DiLorenzo is very ill at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and offered his prayers to his family; prayers were also offered for Marion resident David Pina, 58, who recently died. The minutes of the November 2 meeting were approved.

Randall Monteiro met with the Board at 7:30 pm in regards to land he had just purchased on 454 Wareham Street. Mr. Monteiro is looking to establish a flower nursery on the property, which is allowed under the Town’s by-laws. A retail store would not be allowed under the by-law, but a nursery under five acres where trees, shrubs and plants are sold is allowed.

Currently, 454 Wareham Street is an office building and offers what is defined as a “private service,” and not retail. Ms. McArdle stated that all applications require a public hearing, which would be scheduled at the next Planning Board Meeting. This will determine whether or not the nursery will fall under the by-laws of the town and due to the mandate of all applications needing this meeting.

Mr. Monteiro said that he was planning on having the nursery up and running for the holiday season and this would be a major setback. He suggested the idea that he could run an open house at the location, as his business in Rochester is where he would be doing the financial end of the business until he is able to open the nursery in Marion. Giving people a chance to see what is already available in Rochester and what will eventually be in Marion is what Mr. Monteiro stated his intentions were for the open house.

The Board voted down the idea, as they would have no way of “policing” the open house to ensure that no financial transactions were taking place. At approximately three quarters of the way through Mr. Monteiro’s meeting with the Board, he asked that Mr. Ryder recuse himself from the hearing, as his wife is an employee at Eden Landscapes, which Mr. Monteiro believed to be a conflict of interest in the case.

Mr. Ryder obeyed his wishes and withdrew from the hearing, which Mr. Gonsalves did at the beginning of the hearing for similar reasons. The Board needs five members to vote on these matters, which it will have even without Mr. Gonsalves or Mr. Ryder being able to partake in the hearing.

Jack O’Leary, who is part of the legal representation for the Dunkin’ Donuts project in Marion, spoke before the Board about switching the colors on the sign that will be outside of the store. The red that was supposed to go on the sign does not match red anywhere else on the inside or outside of the building.

The red paint would be changed to Yosemite Sand brown and the lettering would stay the same at gold leaf. Mr. Ryder and Mr. Sweeney agreed this would be a “better change.” The Board voted to approve the change pending approval from the Town Lawyer John Whitten that this is not “substantial deviation” from what was agreed upon originally.

The Meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm by Mr. Napoli. The next Marion Planning Board Meeting will be held on Monday, December 7 at 7:15 pm.

By Adam T. Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:39:27 am Mattapoisett Police Statement on Tallman Tragedy

Categories: Marion

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons announced that two people were found dead on Thursday, November 12, in their home in Mattapoisett. At approximately 2:09 pm, Mattapoisett Police received a call reporting that two people were found dead at 6 Tallman Street, Mattapoisett. Upon arrival at that address, Mattapoisett officers entered the home and found two people deceased inside. The scene was secured and State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office were notified and responded to the scene.

At this point, investigators have confirmed that Shirley Battistelli, 74, and her husband Joseph Battistelli, 78, were found dead inside of their home at 6 Tallman Street. Shirley Battistelli was found on the first floor of the home. Joseph Battistelli was found in the basement. He appeared to have hung himself and to have suffered a gunshot wound. There was no sign of forced entry. Autopsies will be conducted by the office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause and manner of the deaths. The case remains under investigation by the State Police Detectives assigned to the Office of District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and the Mattapoisett Police. Investigators do not believe that there is a threat to the general public.

No further information is being released at this time and no further comment will be made.

-Mattapoisett Police Department Press Release

Send feedback » • Permalink

05:21:04 pm Marion Police Help Stop Money-Throwing Suspects

Categories: Marion

Three men suspected in a Dartmouth Laundromat robbery were taken into custody in Marion on the evening of Wednesday, November 11, following a chase on I-195.

Shawn Mann, Lawrence Thompson, and Jerome Molen were arrested in the area of Marion I-195 after a pursuit that included state police.

The Dartmouth Police received a 911 call from the Dartmouth Laundromat at 403 State Road at 6:43 pm. According to the female caller, she had been robbed by two unidentified assailants who then fled in a red SUV.

After the 911 call, Officer Derek Sousa saw the suspects leaving and attempted to engage them. The red SUV stopped briefly before fleeing toward I-195.

Officer Sousa observed the suspects throwing items out the window of the SUV as it traveled north on Faunce Corner Road, before traveling eastbound onto I-195. The items thrown were later found to be dollar bills.

The pursuit continued with Dartmouth Police Officers Keith Dacosta and Scott Affonce, and the state police. The chase ended when Marion Police used stop sticks to stop the SUV in the area of exit 20.

Among other charges, Mr. Mann was charged with Unarmed Robbery, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Failure to Stop for Police, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and Speeding.

Thompson and Molen each were charged with Unarmed Robbery, Resisting Arrest, and Assault.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

04:19:08 pm Tragedy on Tallman Street

Categories: Marion

Tallman Street in Mattapoisett remains closed as the Police Department investigates two fatalities. Around 2:00 pm the police department was called to 6 Tallman Street, the State Police investigators arrived shortly after 3:30 pm. Although the Police Department has not made an official statement, they have confirmed that the situation did not involve the schools in the area in any way and presents no threat to the general public.

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:05:04 pm Old Hammondtown Thanks a Vet

Categories: Marion

While the American flag flew at half-staff throughout town for fallen veterans everywhere, including North Attleboro Marine Captain Kyle Rolf Van DeGiesen who recently died in Afghanistan, Old Hammondtown was the site of a profound and moving tribute to all of living and deceased Veterans.

The Florence Eastman Post 280, along with volunteers, Old Hammondtown chorus and band, organized the tribute. The Mattapoisett Boy and Girl Scouts, Cubs, Brownies and Daisies were all present to hold flags and assist in handing out fliers.

Although Veteran’s Day is always a solemn remembrance of lives sacrificed, this year’s ceremony was especially shrouded in sadness for the tragedy at Fort Hood in Texas on November 5, where 13 lives were taken and 30 more were injured in a shooting rampage.

After the Mattapoisett Police Department performed the Posting of the Colors, Commander Michael Lamoureux commented on the Fort Hood tragedy, saying: “Fort Hood is the nicest post in the world… what happened there is a testament to what is happening in the world right now.” Commander Lamoureux asked the audience to recognize the passing of the 13 people who died at Fort Hood with a moment of silence.

Representative William Strauss also spoke at the ceremony, saying that veterans make an “amazing sacrifice… we can’t thank them enough, but we must always try.”

After several songs from the Old Hammondtown Orchestra and Chorus, including “America” and “Thank a Vet”, Selectman and member of the Florence Eastman Post 280, George Randall, gave a moving recitation of the Gettysburg Address.

The Principal Speaker for the event was retired Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. Botelho, Mattapoisett resident and former Mattapoisett Town Administrator. Mr. Botelho wished a happy birthday to the Marine Corps, which turned 234 years old on November 10.

Mr. Botelho spoke of his service in ROTC and his service in Vietnam, a war that he says is “misreported and misremembered”. He spoke of moving 17 times to 8 different states and said his service was “a wonderful life that passed very quickly”. Mr. Botelho told the audience of when he took his children to the Iron Curtain during the Cold War at the border of West Germany and Czechoslovakia. As they looked out to the mine fields and artillery, he explained to his children that they weren’t trying so much to keep people out, but to keep their citizens in. “We are standing on the edge of freedom,” he told his children. Mr. Botelho’s speech elicited a standing ovation from the audience.

Commander Lamoureux presented LTC Michael Botelho with a certificate of appreciation from the Florence Eastman Post 280, and the Mattapoisett Police Department closed the ceremony with the Retiring of the Colors.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:45:36 pm Sippican Soiree Benefits VASE

Categories: Marion

Get your party clothes ready for the Sippican Soiree to be held at the Kittansett Club in Marion, November 14, from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm. The evening will include entertainment by a jazz trio, a silent auction, a cash bar, and a sampling of hors d'oeuvres and desserts from various Tri-Town restaurants and caterers. The soiree is the major fund-raiser for the Volunteers At Sippican Elementary (VASE).

VASE, a non-profit corporation founded with fifteen people in 1974, today has over two-hundred volunteers who provide Sippican students with enrichment beyond the classroom. VASE raises money for trips such as a hike in the White Mountains, class yearbooks, a biking trip along the Cape Cod Canal, and a sixth-grade breakfast for students and their parents.

"Most of our volunteers are Sippican parents; however, we also have grandparents, aunts and uncles who volunteer their time, whether they are working in the library or coordinating an after-school class," said Kathy Messina, chairman of the board of directors. "You don't need to have a child at Sippican to offer your help." Plans for the future of VASE include increasing the performing arts by working with teachers to bring in the right program to enrich the curriculum, and installing a new playground behind the school.

The group sponsors performers, writers and artists, coordinates field trips to the Zeiterion Theater, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and provides allowances so all classes can arrange presentations to supplement the curriculum. In the past year, the school was visited by Zoo New England and Eyes on Owls, and there were performances on Marco Polo, Ancient China, and Anne of Green Gables. On-going programs are After-Class Enrichment, providing supplies for recess and classroom "rainy-day boxes," Family Fun Nights, and Skip the Screen Week.

Volunteers are instrumental in assisting library staff and in distributing free books to all students several times each year as part of the Reading Is Fundamental grant program. VASE sponsors the annual school Reading Challenge where every child that participates is recognized and presented with a special gift.

The Braitmeyer Foundation, located in Marion, is a major benefactor to VASE. Established in 1964, this third-generation foundation has 7 members of the family directing, encouraging innovative programs to enhance the quality of education in grades K-12 throughout the U.S. They also provide professional development opportunities for teachers to encourage people of high ability to enter and remain in the profession.

The Sippican Soiree is the primary source of funds for VASE each year. "We have worked very hard to make the Soiree a success," said Ms. Messina. "Our volunteers have worked tirelessly to ensure that it will be a night to remember and share with family and friends. My thanks and appreciation go out to all the volunteers. The VASE board could not have managed without their help." More information about VASE can be found by following the links to their website hosted by O.R.R. at www.orr.mec.edu. E-mail to VASEBoard@yahoo.com or call the Sippican School at (508) 748-0100, extension 310.

By Elizabeth East

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:45:19 pm Community Open House a Success!

Categories: Marion

 

ORR hosted its Community Open House on October 29, 2009. Judging from the flurry of activity throughout the school, this event was a big success. Students volunteered to help show the community what makes ORR so special. Some teachers stayed in their rooms to meet with parents. There were three main areas of activity (the library, cafeteria, and gymnasium), but visitors were encouraged to tour the entire school and visit the different classrooms. Occasionally throughout the event, visitors were called to the auditorium for a demonstration by both the ORR cheerleading team and the ORR dance team.

In the gymnasium, students had set up booths promoting the different teams and activities that ORR offers. Most of these were the sports teams and academic clubs, but there was also a table for the National Honor Society. One of the English teachers, Mrs. Brunelle, had a table and display for her two class electives, Creative Writing and Theater. The most impressive display by far was the sailing team; they managed to get one of their boats inside the gym, next to their table. Most of these booths had plates of cookies and cupcakes for their visitors, but the debate team took this a step further. Instead of just handing out cookies, they made their visitors debate for them.

The next area of interest for visitors was the library.  Tours led by ORR students left the library every fifteen minutes or so. Mrs. Kyle, the librarian, talked to parents about the library and its resources. In one section of the library, tables were set up with ORR yearbooks. Both students and parents were allowed to peruse the copies to find their friends and relatives in the senior pages.

The cafeteria had a movie about ORR constantly playing from the projector, and most of the guidance counselors could be found in this area to talk to potential students and their parents. There was also a table of food and coffee for the visitors as they explored the high school.

In the English hallway, some of the rooms were open as demonstrations. Mr. Allain used his room to promote the film club. Across the hall, English teachers were hosting a college admissions essay workshop for parents. Parents were allowed to work with Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Dall to edit college essays and improve them.

Only a couple of rooms in the math hallway were open. Of these rooms one was Mr. Greenley's, where he had a program called Nova Net running on his computers. This program was recently adopted by ORR to help students close to dropping out or being withheld due to failed classes or long-term illnesses to keep up in their classes. Students can take classes on the computers -- some classes are supplements to ORR classes while others are actual classes that are not offered by ORR. They are allowed to use the credits for their graduation requirement. As Mr. Greenley was saying to curious parents, this program has already saved several ORR students from dropping out. Another room open in the math hallway was a calculator demonstration for parents. Because scientific calculators have greatly advanced since most parents were in high school or even college, it is often difficult for them to help their children with math homework. After the demonstration, several parents gained a basic knowledge of the functions a scientific calculator can do. Finally, representatives from Mrs. Kellum's math team had a table set up at the end of the hallway for interested students.

Upstairs, the science hallway was completely prepared for the community open house. Two teachers, Mr. Howie and Dr. Hamer, had scientific demonstrations set up for visitors. Mr. Howie's demonstration was for his chemistry classes, and Dr. Hamer's was for his physics elective. Both demonstrations allowed visitors and prospective students to familiarize themselves with ORR's science labs and equipment. But the part of the science hallway that really attracted the young students was Mrs. Cabral's decorated lab. Cobwebs hung over the door, and flickering candles placed in beakers lit the room. Scattered on lab benches and shelves, visitors could look at different preserved animals.  The ambience of the room was added to by spooky music and laughter that came from a CD player Mrs. Cabral hid on her desk. It was a good combination of science and Halloween!

In the history/language hallway, there weren't any demonstrations to watch. Instead, the history teachers had created a display of all the textbooks. These textbooks were for both the mandatory classes and the electives, which include psychology, sociology, and economics. Further down the hall, the language teachers created a similar display with their textbooks. The language classes were open to visitors, though, and decorated with the work of the honors level classes. Mrs. Ross, one of the two Latin teachers, had moved a TV into the hallway with a short PowerPoint about the value of learning Latin. She could also be found in the Language Lab, where she had a short demonstration of the technology for interested students and parents.

Teachers were happy to notice that most of the people coming to the community open house were the parents of seventh and eighth graders. By visiting ORR this early in the year, and seeing the high school students still full of high energy from homecoming week, prospective students can see the best of ORR and still have plenty of time to explore other opportunities. Mr. Devoll, who was personally welcoming the visitors, said that he was very pleased with the turnout.

By Anne Smith

 

Send feedback » • Permalink

04:59:04 pm Letters to the Editor

Categories: Marion

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Mattapoisett Community Sailing Association and its High School Sailing Team, we would like to thank the citizens of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester for their continued support of our fundraising endeavors.

We have completed another successful fall season of sailing and are looking forward to the spring season. Without the continual support of the communities, we would be unable to reach our goal of becoming a team sport at Old Rochester Regional High School.

We are in the process of fundraising, including a Knot Tying Class at Center School on Thursday, November 19, from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Our Sailing Team will also be selling candy bars for a donation and a Pizza Night at Nick's on December 2, 2009.

We hope that you will continue to support our High School Sailing Team by supporting our fund raising ventures.

Sincerely,

Jim Broadwater, coach

MCSA / ORR High School Sailing Team

The views expressed in the "Letters to the Editor" column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author's name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:22:45 pm House Arrives at Brant Beach

Categories: Marion, Mattapoisett

A 25-ton house, gifted from Rochester resident Greg Kamon to soon-to-be Mattapoisett resident Deborah Francoeur, sits on a barge at the end of Brant Beach on November 5, 2009 while workers from New England Harbor Services and Mike Reed Building Movers wait for 1:00 pm low tide to unload the house.

The house was moved from Wilbur’s Point in Fairhaven to a Fairhaven marina before being floated at high tide to the end of Brant Beach on November 5. From there, it will travel a short distance to its final destination on Brant Beach Ave.

Once N-Star arrives on the scene to ensure safety of utility lines, the house will then be hauled via truck to the 8,000 square foot lot that Ms. Francoeur purchased for $15,000. Ms. Francoeur followed the right avenues to have the plot deemed “buildable” after it was considered wetlands for years.

Photo by Paul Lopes

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:43:39 pm Marion Selectmen's Meeting - November 3, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver. The minutes of the Board of Selectmen Meetings on October 20 and 26, 2009 were approved.

The Board met with Marion Police Chief Lincoln W. Miller at 7:05 pm to appoint candidate Ryan Bernier to the position of full-time Police Officer. Born in New Bedford and raised in Dartmouth, Mr. Bernier graduated from Westfield State College with a degree in Criminal Justice and from the M.B.T.A. Police Academy. He has been a Public Safety Police Officer for the past two years. He will begin on Sunday, November 8, 2009 and will have a one-year probationary period.

In September, the Board had received a letter from Johnathan Sylvia who expressed interest in becoming an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Sylvia, who is a junior at UMass Dartmouth majoring in Accounting, moved to Marion after living in Acushnet and attending New Bedford High School. The Board met with him at 7:15 pm and will announce their decision at the next Selectmen's Meeting, which is customary in appointing these positions.

At the request of Mr. Dawson after reviewing what had been done in the past in similar situations, the Board voted to issue The Wave restaurant a written reprimand in response to alcohol license violations. At the October 6, 2009 Marion Selectmen Meeting, a hearing was held in regards to the allegations that alcohol was being consumed past 1:00 am. The Wave owners and their attorney, Stuart Grimes, convinced the Board to hold over the hearing until the next meeting.

The Wave's owners and attorney did not attend the next meeting, which took place on October 20, 2009, but sent a letter admitting to the allegations and asking for the smallest amount of punishment possible. According to Mr. Dawson, since is the restaurant's first offense under this ownership, this is the action that has been taken in the past in other similar situations.

A change order has been granted in the Marion Police Station. According to the email sent from the architect, "The Marion Police Facility project has encountered unforeseen conditions related to the soils at the project site. The presence of rock (both small and large) was evident when sitework commenced by the General Contractor. Prior to submitting a bid, this rock condition was not apparent to the General Contractor through site observations, review of geotechnical reports, or contract documents. This site condition has created additional work on the part of the General Contractor to complete his contractual obligations to the Town of Marion." The change order that was asked for and approved was $95,487.39. The contract time has been extended by 30 days to resolve all matters related to this issue.

Three one-day alcohol licenses were granted: the Board of Selectmen Holiday Party on Tuesday, December 1, the Beverly Yacht Club Holiday Party on Saturday, December 5 and a baby shower at the Marion Social Club on Saturday, November 21. Eleven vehicles owned by the Town are to be labeled as surplus and are in "beyond repair" status. Bids will go out at the end of the month.

Sally O'Leary has resigned from the role of Board of Health Secretary to spend time with her family. Debbie Paiva, who was the Planning Board Secretary, has Board of Health experience and will move into the role of Board of Health Secretary.

The Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm by Chairman Cushing. The Board went into Executive Session after the Meeting to discuss contract negotiations with non-union personnel.

By Adam Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:43:22 pm Man Injured in Marion Car Accident

Categories: Marion

The Marion Police Department responded to a single car accident on Monday, October 26 on Route 6 in the area of Creek Road at 8:35 pm.

James Gonet, 32, of Fairhaven was driving east on Route 6 in his 1993 Toyota Camry when he drove off the road, struck a utility pole and rolled back onto the roadway. The accident broke the utility pole and brought wires down into the road. Route 6 was closed in both directions for about an hour.

Mr. Gonet was transported to Tobey Hospital with serious injuries. He was then med-flighted by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital. Marion Fire, and Wareham and Rochester Police all responded to the scene. Mr. Gonet has been charged with Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol and Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

The accident remains under investigation by Officer Jeffrey Tripp.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

09:13:51 am Marion Accident Temporarily Closes Route 6

Categories: News, Marion

The Marion Police Department responded to a single car accident on Monday, October 26 on Route 6 in the area of Creek Road at 8:35 pm.

James Gonet, 32, of Fairhaven was driving east on Route 6 in his 1993 Toyota Camry when he drove off the road, struck a utility pole and rolled back onto the roadway. The accident broke the utility pole and brought wires down into the road. Route 6 was closed in both directions for about an hour.

Mr. Gonet was transported to Tobey Hospital with serious injuries. He was then med-flighted by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital. Marion Fire, and Wareham and Rochester Police all responded to the scene. Mr. Gonet has been charged with Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol and Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

The accident remains under investigation by Officer Jeffrey Tripp.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:58:26 pm Two Cruisers Hit in Marion

Categories: Marion

Two cruisers were rear-ended in an accident on Saturday, October 24 at 1:50 am. Officers Jeffrey Tripp and Anthony DiCarlo were conducting a traffic stop on Route 6 in the area of River Road when the accident occurred.

According to a preliminary investigation, a 2008 Mercedes operated by Karen Kittredge, 32, of Marco Island, FL, was travelling east on Route 6 when it rear-ended the first police cruiser. The Mercedes continued and struck the second cruiser. Both officers were not injured, as they were out of the vehicles conducting the traffic stop at the time of the accident. The vehicle stopped was also not hit or injured.

All of the vehicles involved were damaged, with the first cruiser and the Mercedes receiving "heavy damage", according to a press release from the Marion Police Department. Route 6 was closed in both directions for about an hour.

Ms. Kittredge sustained minor injuries and was transported to Tobey Hospital by Marion EMS. Marion Fire Department, and Wareham, Mattapoisett and Rochester Police all assisted at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation by Sergeant Marshall Sadeck. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the accident. Ms. Kittredge has been charged with Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:57:30 pm Marion School Committee Meeting - October 21, 2009

Categories: Marion

A scheduled meeting of the Marion School Committee was brought to order by Chairperson Jane McCarthy on October 21, 2009 in the Town House. Also in attendance were Committee members Joe Scott, Brad Gordon, Jay Patekos, Christine Winters, Superintendent Dr. William Cooper, School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio, Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm, Interim Principal Lyn Rivet, Enrichment teacher Error! Contact not defined., and members of Volunteers at Sippican Elementary (VASE). This was the first televised meeting for the Marion School Committee.

In the Chairperson's report, Jane McCarthy started the meeting by giving an update on the Superintendent search. She wanted to inform Sippican staff and families that the search committee had voted to offer the superintendent position to Douglas White, who is currently the superintendent of the Henniker, NH district. Henniker is also a regionalized school system with several different school committees and a similar socio-economic situation to ORR. Mr. White will be visiting the ORR district soon.

Ms. McCarthy also informed the Committee that the grade 5 teachers had spent the previous Friday going through "power standards" which are a set of objectives that all students should meet by the end of their grade. The teachers looked at how the textbooks address power standards and hoped that these efforts would help grade school students' transition seamlessly into junior high, with consistent curricula knowledge. This work on power standards has been under the guidance of Marcia Kessler and has been funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

In a couple of personal notes, Ms. McCarthy wished luck to Rochester in their town meeting, which will vote the future of the Rochester Memorial School expansion project. "They are busting out at the seams," she said. She also congratulated ORR District School Committee member Dr. Peter Bangs and Bill Roseman for their performance in a Boston road race that took place on October 18 in the unseasonable snow.

Ms. McCarthy also commended the students at ORRJHS for their 50% participation level in intramural sports. She informed those present that the next Marion School Committtee will take place on November 18.

In the Superintendent's report, Dr. Cooper informed the Committee that things at Sippican School were going smoothly despite the principal's absence, thanks to the quality of the staff and the efforts of the interim principal, Ms. Rivet. Dr. Cooper thanked Ms. Rivet for her willingness to step up to the position. "She already wears about 85 hats at that school," Dr. Cooper said. "I guess one more won't hurt."

In the Principal's report, Ms. Rivet said that it's been a pleasure to step up as interim principal, and that "the staff has been wonderful... things are going on as normal." She said that they were working hard on the ARRA power standards initiative, and that the progress was great. She also said that having the Thai teachers visit was a delightful experience. "I think they enjoyed themselves," she said. "They even won some bingo prizes."

Ms. Rivet is working with Chief Miller to collaborate a fire drill, and she informed the Committee that substitute teacher Elizabeth Hutchinson will fill grade 6 teacher Erin Furfey's position while Ms. Furfey is on maternity leave. The Committee asked about Ms. Furfey's health and progress and were informed that she is well.

The Committee then voted to accept the minutes of the September 23 meeting.

In the Financial Report, Ms. Isernio requested a transfer for the copier lease agreement to cover a remaining balance. The copier agreement will be slightly changed to replace the color copier with another "workhorse," since the color copier they originally contracted for moves too slowly for the school's uses, and the school determined that they don't need the color that much.

Ms. Isernio will likely give a presentation on point-of-sale lunch systems at the next Committee meeting. The point-of-sale lunch system keeps lunch lines moving quickly and allows children to purchase lunch without always having to have cash on-hand, which helps when a child forgets his lunch money. The incoming superintendent, Mr. White, uses point-of-sale in his district, so Ms. Isernio hopes to speak with him about the plan, and she also plans to speak with other districts currently instituting the system.

In an update from VASE, the Committee received a packet detailing VASE's budget and expenditures. VASE did well on last year's wine-tasting fundraiser, and hopes to do as well this year at the Kittansett fundraiser. VASE will send another $14,400 to the Shirt Shack for "spirit gear" t-shirts. The VASE board is hoping to be able to end the year with a surplus so they don't always have to start the year off in immediate need of funding. The fundraisers that VASE is presently planning are: an NStar lightbulb drive, a box-top drive, and the Sippican Soiree planned for November 14 at the Kittansett Club. The VASE Bingo Night was also a success with each participant bringing in a dollar and a can of food for Damien's Pantry in Wareham.

The next VASE meeting will be held on November 4. Since 2-3 members of the VASE board will be retiring this year, they are hoping interested people will contact VASE to fill the vacancies. The phone number for VASE is (508) 748-0100 ext. 310, and their e-mail is VASEboard@yahoo.com.

A report on the 2009 MCAS test results was presented by Ms. Rivet and Ms. Soucy. According to Ms. Rivet, the children at Sippican School did well on multiple-choice questions, but needed some work on open response questions. Marion's MCAS scores were almost entirely above the state's standards, but Ms. Winters was concerned that the state average chart to which they were comparing the Sippican School was not taking into consideration the socio-economical implications of the state standard. Ms. Winters was hoping that they could find a way to compare to other towns that have the same socio-economic background as Marion, like Sharon and Shrewsbury.

After looking at the MCAS results, Ms. Rivet thinks that one universal weakness at the school is number sense, i.e. mathematical operations. She is hoping to improve the Sippican School's performance in the 2010 MCAS by using data to drive instruction, working on K-6 curriculum alignment and power standards, hosting an MCAS night for parents, setting up sessions with Tabor students for Needs Improvement and Warning students, enrichment lessons, and administrative site visits to comparable towns for the purpose of sculpting appropriate Marion MCAS objectives.

Joe Scott asked if teaching toward a test was a good thing. Dr. Cooper said that as long as the test is a good test, then teaching toward the test is good. He said that the MCAS test has matured greatly since its infancy stage and that it was really becoming an accurate assessment of necessary student knowledge.

Ms. Hamm informed the Committee that the school needed to dispose of some out-dated testing instruments. The Committee cannot gift the testing equipment, which is so out-dated that it is without any monetary value. Since the item had no value and would be thrown away (or possibly recycled), the Committee didn't have to take a vote.

The Committee then discussed their collective goals for the 2009/2010 school year. Included in their goals are: to be better informed of the common formative assessment and its progress, to encourage the reduction of resource consumption at Sippican, to continue trying to find a cost-effective vendor of local produce, to try and get student council updates more frequently, and to increase communication with the Marion Selectmen. Ms. McCarthy hoped that communication would be easier now that the School Committee meetings were being televised on ORCTV.

In a report from the building subcommittee, Brad Gordon said that the swipe key fobs at the Sippican School are just about operational. Dr. Cooper took the opportunity to present a concern for Mr. Gordon to relay to the building subcommittee. According to Maintenance Manager Steve Shiraka, there is a moisture problem under the tiles behind the school, and this was likely the result of run-off from the tennis courts. Dr. Cooper said that the school will most likely need a swale to prevent further moisture damage. There is also an issue with a leaking heating coil. Dr. Cooper strongly recommended the building subcommittee have a meeting to deal with these concerns.

After hearing brief updates from the ORR District, SMEC, and READS subcommittees, the Committee adjourned the public portion of the meeting and went into executive session at 8:28 pm.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:39:43 am Mattapoisett Flu Clinic Canceled

Categories: Marion

The public flu clinic for Mattapoisett residents scheduled to take place at the Mattapoisett Social and Wellness Center on October 29 has been canceled. This is the result of an unprecedented turnout at the clinic held on October 21 at Old Rochester Regional Senior High School.

Old Rochester Regional Senior High School is the state-designated Emergency Dispensing Site for the Town of Mattapoisett. Existing vaccine supplies for public clinics have been exhausted. Future clinics for Mattapoisett residents will be scheduled as soon as possible following receipt of additional vaccine from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

For assistance locating public flu clinics in the surrounding area, residents may call 211 which is the Massachusetts information line, or visit, http://flu.masspro.org.

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:59:15 pm Marion Selectmen's Meeting - October 20, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry and Town Administrator Paul Dawson. Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver, who normally records the minutes of the meetings, was not in attendance and the minutes of the meeting will be transcribed from the video recording of the meeting, provided by ORCTV.

At 7:05 pm, the Board met with the owners of The Wave restaurant, whose alcohol license violation hearing had carried over from the previous meeting on October 6, 2009. At the previous meeting, owners Todd Zell and Michael Nye, who were in attendance at the October 20 meeting, were represented by Attorney Stuart Grimes, who was not in attendance. Selectman Henry, who was not in attendance the October 6, 2009 meeting, removed himself from the hearing.

In lieu of a pleading their case against the accusation of serving alcohol past 1:00 am on Sunday, August 30, the following letter was submitted to the Board of Selectmen:

"First, we must offer our apology for not being properly prepared for the October 6, 2009 appearance in front of the Board. However, a preliminary investigation led us to believe the incident occurred on a different date than the August 30, 2009, date that appeared on the notice. The police report provided at the last meeting and our interviews with the proper employees who were on duty on August 30, 2009, led us to believe that a minor infraction did occur on August 30, 2009. In order to save the Board and further time and expense, we hereby admit to a minor violation on August 30, 2009. We have instituted new policies with our staff to ensure there will be no further infractions. We sincerely hope that the Board will consider our unblemished record from the inception of new ownership, approximately 2

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:24:39 pm Joint Committee Makes Choice for Superintendent

Categories: News, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

The Joint Committee representing Old Rochester Regional schools and the Massachusetts Superintendency Union #55 voted to appoint Douglas White as the new superintendent of the ORR district, pending contract negotiations, on Monday, October 19, 2009.

There were two candidates before the Committee for consideration. One, Dr. Mary Canole, served as a superintendent to the Newport, RI school system, and was particularly strong in the field of curriculum, leadership, and grant-writing. Mr. Douglas White of the Henniker, NH was well-versed in the challenges that ORR faces, since he currently works in a regionalized district and has experience in working with multiple communities and school boards.

Committee members Grace Knox and Jane McCarthy, Moderator Sharon Hartley and ORRJHS principal Kevin Bragioli conducted site visits of the two candidates, traveling to Henniker, NH and Newport, RI, to speak with former co-workers, community members, and elected officials who had worked with Mr. White and Dr. Canole. After visiting each district, the Committee members described a sense of elation at the idea that either highly-qualified candidate could be the next superintendent of ORR schools.

The decision was a close-call. After two hours of occasionally tense debate among the 18 joint committee members, it appeared that the Committee was divided on a decision. Selectman and Committee member Paul Silva and ORR School District Chairperson Dr. Peter Bangs were among those strongly in favor of Douglas White, whereas the Union Committee was mostly in favor of Dr. Canole.

A motion was made by Brad Gordon to appoint Douglas White as the new superintendent. The motion was voted down by the Union Committee 5 to 3, with Christine Winters abstaining from a vote because a family emergency kept her from the interviews; the ORR School Committee also entertained the same motion, and passed it 5 to 3, with Nick Decas abstaining because he also missed the interviews.

The Committee was at a standstill with two different camps supporting two different, very capable, candidates. Paula Meere of the ORR School Committee suggested inviting the two candidates back for another interview. This suggestion was met favorably by the Joint Committee, who hoped to gain more information from the candidates about their thoughts on regionalizing the lower grades, providing consistency to grade school curriculum, and addressing the needs of all children, including high-achieving children.

As the candidates were informed of the Committee’s decision, the Committee reconvened to find another date to conduct further interviews with Dr. Canole and Mr. White. In a surprising twist, a mediator informed the Committee that Dr. Canole officially withdrew her application for the position, as she did not want to accept the job unless the Committee voted unanimously in her favor.

The Committee voted to offer the Superintendent position to Douglas White, pending negotiations, and passed the motion unanimously. Despite the divided group, all of the Committee members were happy to appoint Mr. White, since he was regarded as a very qualified candidate.

“Never a dull moment,” Mr. Gordon joked, as the Committee disbanded.

Send feedback » • Permalink

02:29:30 pm Flu Outbreak at Tabor Academy

Categories: News, Marion

Tabor Academy is dealing with an early round of flu cases this season, with approximately 30 of the 504 student population falling ill with the flu in mid-October.

According to Tabor representative Merry Conway, the string of flu sicknesses on campus has not been confirmed as H1N1, and infected students will likely not be tested for the H1N1 flu strain.

So far, the school has been working on keeping infected students away from healthy students. Board students have been isolated in the Health Center, and day students have been sent home with any symptoms. Hand sanitizers have been installed all over campus, and parents have been asked to keep their sick students home until flu symptoms have abated for a full 24 hours.

Ms. Conway is hopeful that the upcoming long weekend for Tabor Academy students will help quell the spread of the flu strain on campus. She assures that they are “not seeing epidemic proportions” of the student population affected by the flu, and that Tabor is taking an “aggressive stance for the protection of students.”

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:44:45 pm Old Rochester Regional District School Committee Meeting

Categories: News, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

A scheduled meeting of the Old Rochester Regional District School Committee was called to order by Chairperson Peter Bangs at 6:01 pm on October 14, 2009. Also in attendance were 8 of the 9 Committee members, and Superintendent William Cooper. Virginia Beams was absent from the meeting.

In the Chairperson’s report, Dr. Bangs briefly updated the Committee on the superintendent search. He said that the search was down to two candidates: Dr. Mary Canole of Newport, RI, and Douglas White of Henniker, NH. Members of the Search and Screen Committee had completed site visits of the candidates’ districts, and spoke with the candidates’ co-workers. “They are two very strong candidates. Any hopes that this would’ve been an easy choice has been dashed,” said Dr. Bangs. “I’m delighted to say that it’s going to be a very difficult decision.”

In his Superintendent’s report, Dr. Cooper updated the Committee on the status of flu clinics for the school, both seasonal flu and H1N1. There will be a seasonal flu “family clinic” in the afternoon of October 28 at Old Rochester Regional High School. Students, siblings, and parents are welcome to attend. There is still not a date set for an ORR H1N1 clinic.

Dr. Cooper mentioned that there were 30 reported cases of flu among Tabor Academy students, which may indicate that the threat of H1N1 has reached the Tri-Town area. “We will push as hard as we can to get an H1N1 shot,” Dr. Cooper said.

Another issue that Dr. Cooper addressed in his report was possible state aid cuts coming for Fiscal Year 2010. In his communication with Rochester Town Administrator Richard LaCamera, Dr. Cooper heard that news concerning cuts and its effect on the region would be reported by Governor Deval Patrick within days of the meeting.

In the Principal’s Report, ORR High School Principal Devoll praised his staff for all their work in making sure that the beginning of the school year went so well. Field Hockey, Golf and Girls’ Soccer are all in first place right now, with many other ORR sports teams also doing well. Principal Devoll is hoping for a great turnout at the October 29 Open House at ORR.

On September 25, the high school launched online grade books for student and parent access. Both the school and parents are in support of this feature, and Mr. Devoll said, “it’s holding students more accountable. There’s no guesswork.” Student and parent access to the grade-books can be tracked, so the school knows if students are watching their grades.

The high school is also pod-casting a weekly show called “The Paul and Devoll Show” that reviews handbook issues in a humorous way. Principal Devoll thought that this was a fun and useful way to enforce handbook rules. One of those rules is the cell phone policy, to which the students have recommitted. This cell phone policy strictly prohibits cell phone use during the school day.

The National Honor Society will be holding a Sock and Underwear Drive to benefit Gifts to Give. New packages of socks and underwear are being collected in the school homerooms for children in need.

In Kevin Bragioli’s Principal’s Report, he informed the Committee that the Internet Safety Presentation at the ORR Junior High School was a success, and that there will be a curriculum day for structured professional development soon.

ORRJHS had testing on the summer reading book Warriors Don’t Cry, by Melba Pattillo Beals, a memoir of the author’s experiences as one of the nine black teenagers who integrated the Central High School in Little Rock, AZ. Principal Bragioli said that this book has opened a great dialogue among students, and they are scheduling a presentation with 1960s civil rights workers in November.

15 parents attended a “Coffee with the Principal”, which was an informal coffee social where parents had the opportunity to sit and chat with Mr. Bragioli.

Magazine fundraisers have concluded at the junior high school, and the school received approximately $5,000 from the fundraiser, which will benefit things like presentations and assemblies for the students.

Before the principals concluded their reports, Committee member Paul Silva asked them about the global warming assembly that the ORR students recently attended. He said he was concerned that some of the children were frightened by the nature of the assembly, which correlated human activity with global warming. Mr. Devoll said that there had been one call from a parent prior to the assembly, concerned with the agenda of the presentation, but he had not heard any negative feedback from parents or children who had been in attendance. “This presentation was morally driven, not politically driven… Climate education is part of the curriculum,” Mr. Devoll said in defense of the presentation.

Senior Class President Annie Saucier gave a proposal to the Committee for the 2010 Senior Prom. Ms. Saucier said that the Senior class was hoping to hold the prom at Lake Pearl Luciano’s in Wrentham, which is about 45 minutes from the Tri-Town. “It’s really nice. It’s not a Newport mansion, but it’s got gorgeous landscaping,” Ms. Saucier said. 2 Wrentham police will be needed at the prom, and the ratio should be 1 chaperone to fifty students. Breathalyzers will be a mandatory part of attending the prom, and the tickets will cost $49 per person as opposed to the $80 per ticket cost of the 2009 prom. This price cut is solely the result of holding the prom at a more affordable location. No other prom will occur at Lake Pearl at the same time as the ORR prom. The Committee took a vote and passed the proposed prom location. “You are welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting,” Dr. Bangs said to Ms. Saucier. “I have a lot of AP Biology homework,” Ms. Saucier said. “Good answer,” Dr. Bangs responded, and thanked Ms. Saucier for her time.

The Committee approved the minutes of the September 22 meeting.

In the Financial Report, School Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio said that “everyone is being conservative in their spending as usual.” The Committee approved 11 staff-related budget transfers totaling approximately $8,000 for longevity and degree-changes in the staff.

Ms. Isernio informed the Committee that they would have to complete a state-mandatory ethics test by April. This test is being administered to Massachusetts residents serving in some municipal capacity.

The old copiers have been replaced at ORR with new, leased copiers. The old copiers were sent to locations that made very few copies each year, and Ms. Isernio assured the Committee that the old copiers, one of which had been sent to District Facilities Manager Steve Shiraka’s office, will not be included in budgeted maintenance.

The focus of the Committee’s meeting was the MCAS presentation from Mr. Bragioli and Mr. Devoll with the results of 2009 testing for ORRJHS and ORRHS. According to the reports, ORRJHS did not achieve AYP (adequate yearly progress) in Math, and subcategories of Special Education. It is especially important for the school to achieve AYPs in these categories for the 2009/2010 school year, since two consecutive years of not achieving AYP places the school in a “needs to improve” category.

Since AYP is partially calculated by daily attendance, and since more class time is needed for low-performing students, the junior high school may need to implement a stricter attendance policy to improve 2010 MCAS scores. “If a student is failing English or Math, I question whether he should be in foreign languages,” Mr. Bragioli said. He hopes they will be able to adjust class schedules to make time for reinforcing English and Math basics.

The ORRHS fared better in their 2009 AYP results. According to the reports, the high school achieved AYP in all categories. “Pretty soon we will hit the ceiling and we won’t be able to progress any further,” said Mr. Devoll, in regards to the goals set by the state requirements. Mr. Devoll admitted achieving AYPs in Grade 10 was generally regarded as being easier than achieving AYPs in Grade 8, hence the discrepancy between the junior high and the high school AYP ratings.

Mr. Silva was interested in comparing MCAS scores to the 2009 SAT scores. Mr. Devoll said that this was something that they were working on, and would probably be available at the October 29 Open House.

After voting to sign an educational report from the Department of Education (DOE) vowing to follow the law in regards to student confidentiality and rights, the Committee then voted to approve 2 gifts to ORR. The Rochester Lions Club offered the first gift, which was a $600 donation to go to the purchase of a defibrillator at the high school. They are hoping to get a monetary donation from the Mattapoisett Lions Club to complete the defibrillator purchase. The second gift was from Joe Corrazzini, for nineteen laptops in good working condition from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA was disposing of the laptops, but the technology department determined that the PCs were more than adequate for ORR art and yearbook usage. The Committee voted to approve the gifts, both of which had been facilitated by school nurse Kim Corrazzini.

After a brief reorganization of subcommittees, Vice Chairperson Jim O’Brien added an item to the agenda. He expressed concern over the fact that the ORR football team had played in torrential downpours during a recent game and had to evacuate the field when thunder was heard. He thought perhaps the game should’ve been canceled like Field Hockey and some of the other sports that were canceled that weekend. Dr. Cooper said that he was at the game and that everyone acted quickly to move somewhere safe with the referee’s guidance. After speaking with the Committee, Mr. O’Brien’s fears that safe protocol had not been followed were put to rest.

There being no more business, the Committee voted to go into executive session for the purpose of collective bargaining at 8:51 pm

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

03:16:46 pm Marion Board of Health Flu Clinics

Categories: Marion

A Marion flu clinic will be held Monday, October 19 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Sippican School, 16 Spring Street. Park at rear of school in Park Street lot. Enter school via bus loop entrance on Park Street.

There will be a second flu clinic on Saturday, October 24 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Tabor Academy Gymnasium, 66 Spring Street. Park on Spring Street or in the lot on Front Street.

Home visits for homebound residents may be scheduled by appointment. Please call the Marion Board of Health at (508) 748-3530 to schedule a home visit.

Clinics are funded in part by Tabor Academy.

Please note: Medicare covers the cost of flu vaccination. A $5.00 suggested donation will be encouraged for all residents not covered by Medicare. This donation helps toward the cost of clinic supplies and administration. Please wear a short-sleeved shirt to the clinic and remember to bring your Medicare card, if applicable.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:30:59 am Marion Selectmen Meeting - October 6, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, October 06, 2009 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Selectman Roger Blanchette, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver. Selectman Jonathan Henry was not in attendance. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

A public hearing was called at 7:30 pm for the alleged alcohol violation of The Wave restaurant. Attorney Stuart Grimes, who represented the restaurant and is also a partial owner, asked immediately for the matter to be thrown out or at least be moved to a different date where they could obtain "police reports, memos, gather witnesses and prepare a full defense."

According to police reports made by Sergeant Marshall Sadeck and Officer Anthony DiCarlo, alcohol was being consumed after 1:00 am on Sunday, August 30, past the restaurant/bar's alcohol license. At roughly 1:20 am, Officer DiCarlo saw that the neon lights of the restaurant were still on and proceeded to go inside the establishment. Once inside, he saw beer bottles on the bar and saw that a member of the band that had been playing there that night was drinking a beer and continued to do so while he was in the restaurant.

Mr. Grimes stated that, although he was not there at the time of the incident, the female bartender must have attempted to lock the door and said it is difficult to lock all the way. He also stated that it is possible that although it was past the time it was allowed for them to be serving alcohol, the band did not purchase alcohol after 1:00 am and it would have been possible that the band to have brought their own alcohol in with them.

The Town's legal representation John Whitten established that the owners of The Wave's due process had been followed and said that the Town is not at fault for their lack of resources, as preparing for this event could have been done as the police reports are public record. He stated that "this isn't a court room" and "the Town is a licensing authority," meaning that all the Town is responsible for is the alcohol licenses.

Selectman Blanchette stated that although the owners of The Wave and their attorney have had ample time to get the information necessary, he wouldn't feel comfortable making them feel as though they have been dealt a disservice and moved that they be given until the next meeting to present their case. Selectman Cushing said although he felt they had the opportunity to have their case together, he moved to give them until the next meeting, which will take place at 7:05 pm on October 20.

The Board approved the decision to appoint Mark Gaffey as a member of the Fire Chief Study Committee. An advertisement for the position was placed in The Wanderer and Mr. Gaffey was the sole applicant for the position. Once the Marion Police Chief was added to the Committee, the Committee was at an even number, which would possibly allow for ties in voting, so the position of Citizen at Large was created for the Committee. Also on the Committee is the Harbormaster, EMS members, Fire Chief, among others.

Fire Chief Thomas Joyce reminded the Board and those in attendance of the open house at the Fire Station on Spring Street on Saturday, October 10 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Breakfast will be served from 9:00 am to noon. Rides on the antique fire truck will be offered.

The Board had received word that the Fireworks Committee, who have been struggling each year to reach their financial needs, will be asking the town to cover the cost of public safety in future years. In order for this to happen, it would have to go before the Town Meeting in May and this could potentially put 2010's fireworks display in jeopardy. Mr. Dawson said there are three options: Ask them to reconsider, opt to Town Meeting or ask the Board to discharge the Committee. Selectman Blanchette asked to wait to do anything until they receive more information from Chris Collings, the Head of the Fireworks Committee. Mr. Dawson stated that he would ask Mr. Collings to speed communications through quickly.

The Meeting was adjourned at 8:42 pm. An executive session was held to discuss litigation and contract negotiations with non-union personnel.

By Adam T. Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:30:21 am Marion Planning Board - October 5, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Planning Board was called to order by Chairman Joseph Napoli at 7:29 pm on Monday, October 5, 2009 at the Marion Town House. Also in attendance were Board Members Jay Ryder, John Sweeney, Patricia McArdle, Julia Crowley, Stephen Gonsalves and Planning Secretary Debra Paiva.

The meeting, which was scheduled to start at 7:15 pm, was delayed due to several people's expected tardiness. A 7:20 pm appointment with Christian Farland in regards to the requirements for docks and piers was cancelled and Mr. Farland asked to reschedule for another time, although no definite date was set.

The 7:30 pm continued public hearing/site plan review with Burr Brothers Boats, Inc. did not take place as well. Burr Brothers asked for an extension on the hearing and will meet with the Board two meetings from now.

Patricia McArdle presented plans and a mission statement for a Town Master Plan. The Mission Statement of the Master Plan is as follows: "The plan shall be a statement, through text, maps, illustrations or other forms of communication, that is designed to provide a basis for decision making regarding the long-term physical development of the municipality.

The plan shall be made, and may be added to or changed from time to time, by a majority vote of the planning board. The plan shall be a public record.

The Master Plan is a statement designed to provide a basis for decision making regarding the long-term physical development of the municipality, which includes, among other things, goals and policies of the planning board."

The Plan has nine elements: Goals and policies statement, land use plan, housing element, economic development element, natural and cultural resources element, open space and recreation element, services and facilities for the public element, circulation and transportation element and implementation program element.

For example, the housing element deals with elderly housing and 40B requirements and affordable housing developments. The services and facilities element could deal with future possibilities the town could venture into, such as a commuter rail, public transportation, a new DPW facility, a new Town House, and wind turbines.

Two alterations were made to the Site Plan Approval and the Special Permit Modification Approval Applications for the parcel on 450 Wareham Street, Plat 13, Lot 49/Dunkin' Donuts. Condition 10 of the Site Plan Approval read previously, "Deliveries by semi-tractor trailers will be allowed between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm only. No deliveries before 5:00 am or after 11:00 pm."

Deliveries will be allowed at 4:00 am of dough, not of baked goods. 4:30 am was discussed, but 4:00 am was given as more leeway time could be necessary in the winter. The complaint abutters of the property had was the noise, which was solved in the Special Permit Modification Application, which specifies that deliveries can only be made by box truck, not by a tractor trailer which makes the largest amount of noise.

Leo Scarry, the legal representative on behalf of Dunkin' Donuts who was on hand at the meeting, called this "a happy conclusion after six years." The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm by Chairman Napoli.

By Adam Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:30:14 am Coastal Sweep in Marion

Categories: Marion

After being postponed due to the storm on Saturday, October 3, the coastal sweep in Marion did take place the following day. At 1:00 pm on Sunday, October 04, 2009 a small group of volunteers met to pick up trash from Silvershell Beach in Marion. Gloves and trash-bags were handed out by Peter Converse, as well as instructions for what to clean up and what not to.

Peter Converse organized this year's coastal sweep in Marion. Mr. Converse has been "interested in the environment for years." He is a bay-watcher for the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, a volunteer at the Ocean Explorium in New Bedford, as well as a member of Sailors for the Sea. This is the second year that Mr. Converse has been involved with the coastal sweep in Marion.

Sunday was a sunny, beautiful day to be spent on the beach. Some Tabor Academy students and faculty arrived in the morning on Sunday to help with the clean up, and by 1:00, when the rest of the group arrived, the beach looked pretty good. Mostly cigarette butts, food wrappers and plastic were found. Data cards were filled out by the volunteers, and every item picked up was documented. This documentation helps the organization know where certain items may have come from; for instance, some debris could be leftover from picnickers, or tossed off a boat. Analyzing the data helps direct where the most effort needs to be made to inform and correct behavior that leads to the huge problem of garbage in our oceans.

The impact of trash on sea and sky creatures is enormous. Last year, the Ocean Conservancy documented four hundred and forty-three entangled animals, two-hundred of which were still alive and able to be released. Fishing related materials, such as lines and nets, as well as plastics are especially hazardous to the wildlife.

Mr. Converse spoke about an incident where a sea turtle in the Gulf of Mexico was found dead, the cause of death being a plastic bag found in its stomach. That plastic bag came from a store in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup has been picking up the world's beaches for twenty-four years. Many volunteers have organized community clean-ups in over one hundred countries and forty-two states, according to the organizations website. Last year almost 400,000 volunteers participated world-wide, picking up more than 6.8 million pounds of trash.

This coastal sweep is the biggest volunteer effort for the ocean. The website for the Ocean Conservancy is www.oceanconservancy.org/icc and much more information can be found there regarding the ocean, sea life, and how we can do our part to protect and preserve it.

We all live near the sea, and it's up to each one of us living in these coastal communities to clean up after ourselves and each other. The Ocean Conservancy and other volunteers hope to see you there next year!

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

03:04:34 pm Two More Interviews for ORR Superintendent

Categories: Marion

In a second night of interviews for the ORR superintendent position, Mark Mason, superintendent of Scituate schools, and Douglas White, superintendent of a regional school system in Henniker, NH, met with the joint school committee to discuss their qualifications on September 30.

Each candidate was read 22 questions and encouraged to give career examples of how they had approached budget writing, collective bargaining, and assessment data.

Mr. Mason was the first interview of the night, and was the most fiscally conservative of the three candidates. Mr. Mason thanked the Committee for the opportunity to interview for the position of superintendent, and thought it was especially poignant since he had completed his student-teaching at the beginning of his career at ORR.

Especially focused on providing the best possible district to taxpayers, Mr. Mason said that he would work hard to keep a lean budget in a tough economy. Despite being known as an affluent town, Scituate is no stranger to lean budgets, and its teachers voted in May 2009 to freeze their pay to avoid layoffs for the 2009/2010 school year. Mr. Mason is proud of the district for having made this decision.

If offered the position as superintendent of ORR, Mr. Mason would spend the first 60 days talking and listening to various groups in the tri-town area about where they would want to be in three years. Mr. Mason was candid in his opinions regarding the economy and its continued effect on the budget, and said that he thought the 2010/2011 school year would likely be even worse than the current school year.

When asked if he would support the restoration of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction position, Mr. Mason said that he wouldn’t support the restoration, adding: “I would be foolhardy to look you in the eye tonight and tell you that I would completely restore the district. We need to look and see that this is what we can do on very lean years in regards to curriculum and development. I’m trying to be a pragmatist.” Mr. Mason would support the efforts to restore the position in a few years, once the economy improved.

Mr. Mason’s focus was with finding a balance of what is right for the taxpayers and the children. He said in tough times, it’s important to try to find areas of budgetary overlap and stretch services as much as possible. “But I’m not all about ‘cut-cut-cut’,” he added. “I’m sure I’m not going to get the job now,” he laughed, referring to his candor in discussing his conservative views. “I’ve got 500 employees, and 19,000 taxpayers. A superintendent isn’t a CEO – he doesn’t report to a certain group looking for profits. He reports to the taxpayers.”

With extensive experience in overrides – he’s experienced three in his career, with two of those overrides being successful – Mr. Mason had a lot of input regarding the proceedings for the Rochester Memorial School expansion that Rochester taxpayers will vote on in October. He cited the importance of keeping the debate civil and focused, with both sides having the opportunity to express themselves. “Good luck with your vote,” Mr. Mason offered to the Committee. “Times are tough.”

Mr. Mason takes a no-nonsense approach to ineffective teachers, calling it “bothersome” that they should receive the same pay and protection as effective teachers without producing an equal educational experience for children. He would push to give administrators one year contracts to “keep them hungry”. Mr. Mason considers himself competitive, and wants his district to always be the best around. Scituate faces a similar situation to ORR, in that it loses students to school like Thayer Academy and B.C. High, and he recognizes the need to keep a district appealing to students trying to make the decision between private and public school.

After Mr. Mason thanked the Committee for the interview and wished them luck in finding the perfect candidate, Mr. White came in for the final interview of the evening.

Mr. White is currently the superintendent of a five-town, four-district community in Henniker, NH. From the start of his career as an educator and sports coach, Mr. White feels that his strengths have rested in multi-tasking and leadership. He noted that he received his Master’s in Educational Leadership at Fitchburg State, and has been drawn to working in regional settings for his whole educational career.

After serving for three years as the Assistant Superintendent of Henniker, Mr. White accepted the position of Superintendent in September 2008. One year later, he is hoping to move back to Plymouth, Ma., where he still has a home.

Like Dr. Canole, the first candidate interviewed for the ORR superintendent position, Mr. White supports the restoration of the Assistant Superintendent position, saying that he would consider it a “high priority” for the sake of continuity among the district schools.

Mr. White shared experience from his own district when they have utilized free and inexpensive services for enriching learning and providing resources to children with alternative needs. He is particularly an advocate for virtual learning and tutor centers. Henniker has utilized grants to provide a Chinese class and an artist-in-residence for students.

The issue of the Rochester Memorial School project was a major focus of the Committee in the interviewing process. Mr. White said that it voters didn’t elect to spend money on the school’s expansion, then they would still have to spend money to analyze the safety of the overcrowded school, which would prove costly with little investment. Mr. White has been involved in three school building projects: one in Ashburnham, one for Plymouth South Middle, and one for Henniker district’s Weare school.

The main similarity between the Henniker school district that Mr. White oversees and the ORR district is that they have four different teaching unions, and four different salary scales, which makes collective bargaining a challenge. The ORR district also has four different teacher contracts, and would need a candidate that could negotiate with several different contracts.

Like Mr. Mason, Mr. White would support performance pay if the end-result was beneficial to children and provided extra funding to the schools. “Should we stop what is good for students because of what is good for adults?” he asked rhetorically. “We can’t get stuck on one aspect of the program if the end-product is good for kids.” He added if the situation ever did present itself, that they would have to work with the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association (MTA) to ensure that merit pay was legally supported by the contracts.

In a closing statement, Mr. White thanked the Committee, saying: “I’ve worked long and hard to build skill-sets from my days as a coach. I’ve taken that with me where I’ve gone. I will be the biggest advocate for children no matter where I wind up.” In five years, Mr. White said that he hoped to be the superintendent of ORR, and even alluded to being interested in the position well beyond the five-year mark.

After visiting the school districts of the candidates and then inviting the candidates to visit the ORR schools, the Committee will vote on the next superintendent and announce their decision in the week of October 19.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:49:26 pm Former Newport Superintendent Vies for ORR Vacancy

Categories: Marion

Former Newport, RI superintendent Dr. Mary Canole interviewed for the position of superintendent for Old Rochester Regional Schools on Tuesday night, September 29. Dr. Canole gave an opening statement, then answered a series of questions from the joint school committee and members that helped narrow down the superintendent search to three candidates.

The interview process, which takes places over the course of two days, gave Dr. Canole to interview alone in the first night. Sharon Hartley, who co-chaired the screening and interview committee alongside Dr. Peter Bangs, moderated the event, while the Committee had the opportunity to ask questions and follow-up questions. The candidates did not get the opportunity to review these questions before the interview.

In an opening statement, Dr. Canole commented on the beauty of the tri-town area, saying that it possessed more tranquility than her own hometown of Newport, RI. Currently a curriculum supervisor for Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, Dr. Canole said that she had recently been contacted by a Johnson and Wales student who was also an ORR graduate. She was grateful for the correspondence with the student, and used the opportunity to learn more about the district from a student’s perspective.

Dr. Canole comes from a family of educators. Her husband is an interim principal at Block Island schools, her daughter is an 8th grade teacher, and her son is a marketing education specialist.

Despite Newport’s reputation for wealth, Dr. Canole said that being a superintendent for the Newport school system meant working with a lot of urban issues, including poverty and budget problems, with 48% of students in her district on reduced or free lunch.

Dr. Canole worked in Newport schools as a teacher for 24 years before becoming their superintendent from 2001 until 2005. Among Dr. Canole’s accomplishments was the improvement of Newport schools performance. At one point, the high school in Newport was on the brink of losing its accreditation, and seven out of the nine grade schools were rated by the state as “low performing, not improving”. At the time of her resignation, Dr. Canole’s had helped bring those “low performing, not improving” grade schools to various degrees of “performing” through professional development initiatives and addressing the sources of poor performance.

Dr. Canole left the Newport superintendent position in 2005 to become Director of Leadership Initiatives, providing support to struggling Rhode Island schools. With this position, she took a pay cut – in 2005, she earned $108,000 as Newport superintendent, and earned $100,000 in her new director position for the state. The ORR superintendent position is likely to pay between $135,000 to 146,000 yearly.

In her current position as curriculum supervisor for Johnson and Wales University, Dr. Canole says that she misses being a superintendent, and feels that her skills in creating budgets, promoting professional development among teachers, and her concern for student well-being will all be assets in her candidacy for ORR superintendent. “Everything you do in a school is for the student,” she said. “Kids need a voice, and they need to know everything they learn will help them in the future.”

If offered the superintendent position, Dr. Canole has several goals for the Old Rochester Regional District. She would “scrutinize each line of the budget”, and would insist on “making critical decisions between what we want and what we must have.” She would encourage initiatives for professional development, and would provide annual performance reviews to teachers. Dr. Canole would advocate for restoring the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction position, and would be enthusiastic about building leadership teams. She also supports the building of Rochester Memorial School addition, which will be voted on by Rochester residents at an October 26 town meeting.

Dr. Canole cited several instances in her tenure at the Newport schools when she had worked with opposing viewpoints, negotiated with union leaders, and attempted to obtain more educational funding from city council via a lawsuit. She displayed confidence in her ability to represent the best interests of ORR, and said that a lot of her experience will transfer over to this position, if offered. When asked by Committee member Joe Scott where she sees herself in 3-5 years, Dr. Canole said that she hopes to be the superintendent of ORR schools.

Interviewing continued Wednesday night, September 30, when Mark Mason and Douglas White interviewed in the Old Rochester High School library. After the three candidates visit ORR schools, the Committee will then vote in the week of October 19 to select the next superintendent.

Current superintendent Dr. William Cooper is slated to retire on December 31.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:53:35 pm Marion School Committee - September 23, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion School Committee was called to order by Chairperson Jane McCarthy at 6:30 pm on September 23, 2009 in the Sippican School Ella Hix Library. Also in attendance were Vice Chairperson Brad Gordon, Christine Winters, Jay Pateakos, Joe Scott, Principal Edwin Fava, Superintendent William Cooper and Secretary Deb Carlin.

The Committee started the meeting by recognizing the achievements of Second Grade teacher Patricia Duane, who will be retiring from her teaching position this year after 36 years of service to the school. Ms. Duane said that she is the fourth generation of her family to live in Marion, and was the last person that Ella Hix personally hired. The only other person to work at the school longer than Ms. Duane was Joseph Burke, who taught at the Sippican School for 43 years. Ms. Duane explained how she ended up becoming a teacher. As a child, she was particularly gifted in math and science, and was in a special academic program for girls. She initially thought that she would be a computer programmer, but after deciding that she wanted to work with people, she decided to become a teacher in September of 1973.

Ms. Duane gathered a lot of advice along the way, particularly from Michael Ward, who was the principal when she started at the school. He reminded all teachers that, "no matter how much they are driving you crazy, you must remember that every child is loved by someone at home". After years of service, Ms. Duane had formed her own words of advice. "There is no best way to teach," she said. "The best teachers find the best way to teach in that moment, for that child. We must let children be children. They can't be anything but that."

Chairperson McCarthy then presented Ms. Duane with a book called "Oodles of Animals" by Lois Elhert, a book that geometrically celebrates the differences in all critters, great and small. After Ms. Duane's speech on how all children are different, Chairperson McCarthy thought the book was especially appropriate. The book, which will be put into the school library's circulation, was dedicated to Ms. Duane and inscribed with the following quote from French novelist Anatole France: "The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards." After presenting Ms. Duane with the book, the Committee and all others in attendance erupted in applause for the dedicated teacher.

In the Chairman's Report, Chairperson McCarthy informed the Committee that the School Committee meetings will take place in the Town House from now on for the purpose of televising the meetings.

Chairperson McCarthy also gave a report on the superintendent search to replace William Cooper, who will be retiring December 31. The search and interview committee of 14 people, which includes teachers, parents, and Selectman Jordan Collyer, narrowed down a pool of 32 candidates to ten semi-finalists, and then three finalists: Dr. Mary Canole, a curriculum supervisor for Johnson and Wales University, Mark Mason who is the superintendent in Scituate, and Douglas White, who is currently a superintendent in Henniker, NH. Dr. Canole is scheduled to interview on September 29 at 7:00 pm, and the remaining two candidates are scheduled to interview on September 30 at 6:00 and 8:00 pm. The interviews, which will take place in the ORR conference room, are open to the public. The week after the interviews, the candidates will visit the schools within the Old Rochester district.

Several teachers from Germany, Panama and Thailand will visit the ORR school system this upcoming month, arriving on October 10 and departing on October 21. The purpose of this trip, which is organized by AFS International is for these teachers to observe American education methods, and to share their methods as well.

In the Superintendent's Report, Dr. Cooper said that the year was off to a great start, but he was concerned about two health threats. One of these threats was the continued risk of EEE. Since EEE-infected mammal-biting mosquitoes were found in Mattapoisett in September, the health risk remains relevant to tri-town students. The Marion schools were sprayed for mosquitoes early in the morning on Friday, September 25, 2009. The concern for EEE will continue until the region experiences a hard frost.

The other health concern involves the spread of H1N1. After visiting a September 21 presentation on H1N1, Dr. Cooper said that the projected path of H1N1 indicates that the flu epidemic will reach the New England area before the vaccine will. Vaccines probably won't be available to the tri-town until lat October or early November. The district is looking at a tentative date of October 15 for seasonal (non-H1N1) flu, and hopes to reveal to the public a date for the H1N1 flu soon.

Vice Chairperson Gordon voiced concern over having a contingency plan in place in case the flu does reach the school. The contingency plan involves infected children being isolated from well children and removed from the school as soon as possible if they do attend school sick with H1N1. "We need to call on the parents to cooperate to keep [sick] kids home," said Dr. Cooper, who alluded to going extra days in June if the epidemic became enough of a problem to close schools.

In the Principal's Report, Mr. Fava said that transportation was working out well, despite being down one bus. He said that they had been working for three days trying to improve the lighting in the back parking lot, and they fixed several leaking commodes in the girls' bathroom.

The school is currently benefitting from the "Enrichment Wheel," according to Mr. Fava and fifth grade teacher Karen Jacobsen, who was also present at the committee meeting. Students have been looking forward to Wednesdays and Fridays, when they get one-on-one support in various academic areas from Jessica Barrett and Erin Sullivan.

Mr. Fava said that there will be a presentation at Bridgewater State called "Girls Bullying and Girls Cyber-Bullying" on November 4. Dr. Elizabeth Langdon will speak at the meeting about the threat of girls bullying each other in the 21st century, and will especially gear the presentation to girls from grades 3 to 7. Mr. Fava is going to attend this meeting.

The Committee then approved the minutes of April 15 (with minor adjustments made to amend contract years), May 20, and June 17.

In the Financial Report, Ms. Isernio reported a positive adjustment since several new people were hired at a lower rate than allocated. Ms. Isernio will discuss the adjustment at the next school committee meeting.

The school is utilizing a new key fob system for increased security. As of September 24, the new key fob system was installed on the seven school doors. Every staff member will have a coded pass to get into the school, and their pass will either grant them complete or partial access.

On October 1, there will be point of sale vendors giving a presentation at ORR. This presentation is especially geared toward members of school committees, but parents are welcome to attend.

New phones in the classroom have been installed, and Ms. Isernio met with Frank Braga and Chief Miller to ensure that the sewer work on Front Street won't impact stop signs and safety for children.

Finally, Ms. Isernio presented the need for four new black and white copiers, and a new color copier. Ms. Isernio said that it is standard practice for many schools to lease instead of buy the copiers. The committee voted to approve the acquisition of the five copiers, which will cost $19,420 a year for the next five years. Maintenance and toner is included in the fee; paper and staples are not. The committee will contact Paul Dawson for the proper advertising and removal of old copiers.

"Now that you've done that, they're going to deliver them tonight, right?" Ms. Jacobsen laughed.

Terry Allen from VASE (Volunteers at Sippican Elementary) presented an update on the new playground, which is scheduled to be in the back of the school. The playground is eagerly awaited, since the current front playground cannot accommodate the whole school and children are often disappointed when they have "back recess." VASE has allocated $15,000 to the construction of a new playground, but an additional $8,809.29 is needed based on the estimate Ms. Allen got from Miracle, the company who also constructed the front playground. The new playground will include a tetherball and features to work on upper-body strength - a new basketball blacktop is included in the design.

The committee was very receptive of the plans, but hesitant to allocate over $8,000 without getting two more quotes from other companies for the design, which is required by law in public projects that range from $5,000-25,000. Ms. Allen will obtain the needed quotes and return to the Committee with a new total, if necessary. The $8,809.29 will either come from the Sippican School rental fund, which Dr. Cooper said is "very healthy" with over $200,000 or from the VASE budget.

Ms. Allen also hoped that the Committee would allow VASE to initiate a Shaw's gift card fundraiser. VASE will send letters home to the parents, and the parents can buy Shaw's gift cards to purchase their groceries. The cost is nothing to families who have to buy groceries either way, but VASE will get 5% of the gift card sales. The Committee voted to approve this fundraiser. Details will be revealed to parents in the letter sent home from VASE. VASE plans on another fundraiser this year on November 14 at the Kittansett Club.

Marcia Kessler then gave a presentation on the ARRA fund that is designed to strengthen student performance with standardized testing checkpoints in the school year. The testing will show weaknesses to teachers before the final MCAS testing at the end of the year, which will allow teachers to adjust curriculum "mid-stream," and will develop question-writing skills for teachers. The goal of ARRA is for all students in all grade in the tri-town area to know the same skill-set in each subject by the end of the year, so when they meet at ORRHS, their skills are on an equal level. ARRA will also address some of the district-wide underperformance in math. Math will be the first subject to be addressed in the 2009/2010 school year for grades 1-9, with science being the focus of the 2010/2011 school year. The two-year grant will expire after that point, but Ms. Kessler hopes that the skills will permanently remain with the ARRA trained staff.

The Committee voted to approve $25,000 for recovery and $125,000 for investment in the ARRA plan. Chairperson McCarthy thanked Ms. Kessler for her energetic and passionate presentation. "I could go on until 11:00," Ms. Kessler laughed.

The Committee then discussed the current policy on children who walk to school. Children who walk must currently have a consent form on file with Mr. Fava. The principal and assistant principal make all other decisions in regards to releasing children to people not on their consent form, in the event of emergencies. Notes will be an acceptable form of notification from parents who want their children to be picked up by other friends and family. The Committee approved the policy and it will be placed in the handbook.

Ms. Winters added an item to the agenda concerning the cafeteria. She hoped that the Committee would consider allowing children to have forks and spoons at lunch, even if they don't buy hot lunch. Since there was a $5,000 balance left over for the 2008/2009 school year, she thought this would be a wise use of materials.

Window replacements for the school are still planned for the summer of 2010, but with state receipts being low, the Committee fears more cuts are likely coming.

Before ending the meeting, Ms. Winters noted that her third-grader loved bringing home a dictionary. Every third-grader got to bring a free dictionary home this year, thanks to a generous donation from Sippican Pomona Grange #31.

After a brief restructuring of school sub-committees, the committee voted to go into executive session at 9:15 pm for the purpose of collective bargaining.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:43:38 pm Marion Selectmen's Meeting - September 15, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 7:00 pm by Chairman Stephen Cushing. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver.

The Board had a scheduled meeting at 7:05 pm with Dr. John Russell, who placed his bid for the Marion School Committee seat which has been vacated by Robert Nectow. Also at the meeting were Committee Members Joe Scott and Paula Meere, who supported his bid for the seat. The Board unanimously approved the decision to appoint to the Committee Dr. Russell, who had served eight years on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee. Dr. Russell did not specify when asked if he will seek the position further when the term expires in the spring.

Judith Rosbe, of The Sippican Historical Society, met with the Board at 7:20 pm. She brought forth conceptual art which displayed the plans to construct a more "traditional" bandstand and will be holding an antique show to raise money for the event. The town's original bandstand was destroyed by a hurricane in the 1960's and was rebuilt by state hurricane aid funds. The amount necessary for the bandstand is estimated to be between $100,000 and $150,000 and roughly $40,000 has been raised so far. Plans and specs would cost another $12,000 to $14,000.

Selectman Blanchette said Town Council would have to be gathered in order to discuss the matter further. If the Historical Society offers the project to the Town as a gift, it could be accepted at the Town Meeting.

A one-day all alcohol license on November 6, 2009 has been granted to the Marion Music Hall, which will be used by the Gleason Family YMCA. The owners of The Wave restaurant will be notified that they will be summoned to a Selectman's Meeting in the future due to an alleged alcohol violation.

When asked about the state of the new police station construction, Mr. Dawson stated that the construction company has been hitting more rocks than expected. He also said that although the company is experienced, he feels that they may be unaccustomed to the ways of municipalities and how to go about getting answers and go about things. There have been no submitted change orders, but "I expect that to change," said Dawson. He also said the town ambulance that was under repair should be back in service by the end of the week.

Although not on the agenda, Selectman Blanchette asked his fellow Selectmen and Mr. Dawson if a Special Town Meeting was going to be held and originally did not specify as to why. Mr. Dawson said no pressing matter was at hand, so no meeting was needed. He asked the question of "Is Dunkin' Donuts getting special treatment by getting a drive-through window when Uncle John's doesn't have one?"

Uncle John's was going through the motions of trying to get a by-law passed, but did not get their paperwork in on time. In order for this to change, the special zoning by-law will have to be on the spring election and would have to pass at a Special Town Meeting before it could even get to the election. No decisions were made and any actions would presumably start with Uncle John's. The Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:49:50 am Sewer Construction Begins in Marion Village

Categories: Marion

Sewer repairs and replacement construction will begin in Marion village will begin on South Street on September 14, and will affect homes from 10 South Street to 20 South Street. Construction will then continue up to Front Street. The town is asking residents and visitors to avoid parking in this area from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays until the work trench is paved. Residents will be able to access their driveways, except for when crews are working directly in front of their home. Emergency vehicle access and response will not be affected by this construction.

The town is asking for patience over the next few months, as certain streets may be closed and worked on more than once. The town is also informing the public that utilities, like telephone, cable, water, or electricity, could be affected by the work, and when possible, the residents will be notified in advance.

For more information on this project, please call (508) 748-3540.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:40:40 am Marion Police Station Breaks Ground

Categories: Marion

Groundbreaking for the new Marion Police Station started on Tuesday, September 8, at 4:00 pm at 550 Mill Street. The station's architect, Brian Humes, designed the building to be approximately 8,600 square feet with an additional 1,500 s.f. area for combination police training center, town emergency operations center, and town conference facility. The site, which consists of 1.37 acres, has a 300-foot frontage on Mill Street and is adjacent to Holmes Lane, and will be constructed by the winning bidder, B.C. Construction of Wakefield.

The new police station is the result of a Proposition 2 ½ override that was narrowly passed by Marion voters in May. The new station will be located on land that was donated to the town by Tabor Academy and is a scaled-down version of the first plan that was initially turned down by voters. $3.8 million dollars had to be allocated by voters for the new police station project. Marion selectmen and town administrator Paul Dawson hopes that the final cost of the station will be less than the allocated amount.

The new police station project was not without controversy. Some Marion residents expressed concern at a May town meeting about the possibility of increasing taxes and stretching an already-thin budget for the proposed station. Selectman Henry defended the proposal, saying, "Our sworn duty, if you will, is to keep this matter before the taxpayers as a compelling need."

New police station advocates have argued that this is the right time to build a new station, since the need is imminent and, because of the economy, costs for building are lower than ever.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

04:21:42 pm Gas Main Rupture on Front Street

Categories: Marion

An NStar worker ruptured a gas line on Front Street in Marion near Ryder Lane on the morning of September 2 at 10:05 am. The rupture, which resulted when a backhoe operator accidentally dug up a gas main stub near the intersection of Front Street and Route 6, created a "serious gas leak" according to the town website, and resulted in a brief evacuation.

Immediately following the leak, the fire department evacuated the home in front of the leak and Eastern Savings Bank. They also had Cumberland Farms turn off their gas pumps as an extra precaution. At 10:20 am, Fire Chief Thomas Joyce declared that the gas line had been turned off and that any serious threat to the area was over. "The good news is the pressure from the pipe was pushing the gas straight up high enough so the wind was able to dissipate it, so there wasn't any gas building up closer to the ground," Chief Joyce said as he visited the scene of the gas main rupture.

The odor of gas was still lingering as crews worked on the leak, but was expected to dissipate. Area residents were asked to open windows to ventilate their homes.

According to NStar media relations representative Caroline Allen, the gas company was responding to a customer call this morning. The customer reported that their home wasn't receiving gas. As NStar crews looked for the source of the problem, they accidently dug into the main line, creating the leak. According to Ms. Allen, the crews had the leak under control within 10 minutes of the rupture.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:30:09 am Shores Open to Shell-fishing Again

Categories: Marion, Mattapoisett

After the Department of Marine Fisheries closed all shell-fishing areas in Mattapoisett and Marion on Thursday, September 3, the Department announced on Saturday, September 5, that shores are safe for shell-fishing again.

Septic and street drainage from the storm led to unsafe bacteria levels in shell-fishing areas. According to the Mattapoisett harbormaster’s office, the shell-fishing areas were tested daily for safety.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

03:54:31 pm North Street Motor Vehicle Crash

Categories: Marion

The Mattapoisett Police and Fire Department's responded to a motor vehicle crash on North Street in the area of El Dorado Drive at 3:50pm. The vehicle involved in the crash hit a utility pole knocking down the wires and resulting in the road being closed from Crystal Springs Road northwards. The Fire Department reported that no one was trapped in the vehicle, and the Police Department ambulance did respond to evaluate the driver.

Send feedback » • Permalink

03:15:47 pm EEE Found in Mattapoisett Mosquito Sample

Categories: News, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

The Mattapoisett Board of Health announced today that EEE virus has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Mattapoisett. In 2008, 4,575 mosquito samples were tested for EEE virus, and 13 positive samples were identified in Massachusetts. Mattapoisett had two EEE virus positive mosquito samples identified in 2009.

EEE is a rare, but serious, illness spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. While EEE can infect people of all ages, people under the age of 15 or over the age of 50 are at the greatest risk for serious illness.

By taking a few commonsense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Avoid Mosquito Bites

Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours - The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. Otherwise, take extra precautions to use repellent and wear protective clothing.

Mosquito-Proof Your Home

Remove Standing Water- Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.

Repair Screens - To avoid mosquitoes coming indoors, keep tightly-fitting screens on all of your doors and windows.

Information about EEE and reports of EEE virus activity in Massachusetts during 2009 can be found on the MDPH website at www.mass.gov/dph under A for arbovirus in the Health Topics A to Z index. Recorded information about EEE is also available by calling the MDPH Public Health Information Line at 1-866-627-7968.

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:07:10 am Mattapoisett, Marion Shores Closed to Shell-fishing

Categories: Marion

The Department of Marine Fisheries has closed all shell-fishing areas in Mattapoisett and Marion due to heavy rains the area received from a close call with Tropical Storm Danny on August 29.

Septic and street drainage from the storm led to unsafe bacteria levels in shell-fishing areas. According to the Mattapoisett harbormaster’s office, the shell-fishing areas will be tested daily, and the police station will know as soon as the areas are open to fishing again.

Steamers will likely not be on the menu for Labor Day celebrations, as local fish markets have been affected by the ban. The Mattapoisett town website is carrying daily updates on the fishing ban, and will inform the public when areas are open to shell-fishing again.

Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:29:34 am Gas Main Rupture on Front Street

Categories: Marion

An NStar worker ruptured a gas line on Front Street near Ryder Lane on the morning of September 2 at 10:05 am. The rupture, which resulted when a backhoe operator accidentally dug up a gas main stub near the intersection of Front Street and Route 6, created a “serious gas leak” according to the town website, and resulted in a brief evacuation.

Immediately following the leak, the fire department evacuated the home in front of the leak and Eastern Savings Bank. They also had Cumberland Farms turn off their gas pumps as an extra precaution. At 10:20 am, Fire Chief Thomas Joyce declared that the gas line had been turned off and that any serious threat to the area was over. "The good news is the pressure from the pipe was pushing the gas straight up high enough so the wind was able to dissipate it, so there wasn't any gas building up closer to the ground," Chief Joyce said as he visited the scene of the gas main rupture.

The odor of gas was still lingering as crews worked on the leak, but was expected to dissipate. Area residents were asked to open windows to ventilate their homes.

According to NStar media relations representative Caroline Allen, the gas company was responding to a customer call this morning. The customer reported that their home wasn't receiving gas. As NStar crews looked for the source of the problem, they accidently dug into the main line, creating the leak. According to Ms. Allen, the crews had the leak under control within 10 minutes of the rupture.

"We will be working out there for the next couple hours, and we should be done in the afternoon," Ms. Allen said.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:06:34 am L'Auberge Restaurant Remembered

Categories: Marion

The restaurant last known as "L'Auberge", meaning The Inn, in Marion, has been unused for some time now. Locals can recall when the restaurant was known as "The Harbor Restaurant" and "Brown Eyed Susan's."

The building was bought on June 21, 1949 by Mrs. Shirley Jacobs of Marion from Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Perry, who had owned the restaurant for fourteen years prior to selling. Mrs. Jacobs continued to run the business, which kept the name "The Harbor Restaurant."

Copies of the Thanksgiving and Christmas menus from the year 1951 are still preserved by the Sippican Historical Society, with dinners of "roast stuffed tom turkey with giblet gravy and cranberry sauce" for $2.95, and "baked sugar cured ham with fruit sauce" for the same price. The menu advertised its "assorted home made rolls and banana bread," as well as a variety of yummy desserts, a children's menu, and a "cocktail lounge with choice liquors."

On June 5, 1959, the restaurant opened under the new management of Mr. John Pulpi. It continued to serve chicken, roasts and lobster, and advertised "businessmen's luncheons served daily for 75 to 99 cents."

Ms. Susan Roche King, mother of Susan Connor, Marion's current animal control officer, bought the restaurant in the mid-1970's and renamed it "Brown Eyed Susan's." The name came not only from both mother and daughter, but was also Ms. King's favorite flower.

Ms. King's vision of the restaurant was very elegant. She was, in the words of her daughter, "a very ahead of her time businesswoman." The downstairs was created, and entertainment was brought in, making the place a compelling destination. Ms. Connor recalls "many fond memories" from that time in their lives.

Once the look and atmosphere were achieved, the Brown Eyed Susan's restaurant eventually attracted the attention of the following owners in 1984 who named the it "L'Auberge."

L'Auberge opened as a classical French restaurant, and hired Chef Jim Gerhardt, who prepared the meals there for five years.

A Marion resident remembers spending Saturday nights at L'Auberge and marveling at its excellent menu and reasonable prices. While it seemed to have a good business, the buzz around town was that it wasn't connected with the right people, and one Saturday night, L'Auberge was closed.

Today, the building that once hosted these many memories and styles of food is gone. Those who were involved in eating, working and relaxing there can remember it at its best, whatever decade that may have been.

By Sarah K. Taylor

1 feedback » • Permalink

12:06:30 am Marion Selectmen's Meeting - September 1, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen Cushing at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver. The Board voted to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

A five percent salary increase was granted to the Marion Music Hall Coordinator, Susan O'Brien. According to Mr. Dawson, Ms. O'Brien has not received a pay increase since taking on the role in 2005 and estimates that it has been several years before then since the position's pay rate had increased. The salary comes out of the Music Hall's Trust Fund and is not affiliated with tax dollars.

Selectman Blanchette said, "It's good to note that there have never been any problems and everything seems to happen as it should. Ms. O'Brien and those who came before her have always done a good job."

A letter was received by the Board from Angela Reid, of Nashville, Tennessee in regards to a recent trip she and her family had to Silvershell Beach. According to Ms. Reid, her son had hit his head on a rock while jumping off of the dock. Once several people signaled for help, lifeguards were slow to respond. Once the lifeguard reached the boy, they did not assist the boy in swimming back to the shore. In the letter, Ms. Reid wrote "I understand that this breaks a standard rule of lifeguarding; when a swimmer sustains a head injury, it is the lifeguard's responsibility to swim them back, providing support to the neck, no matter what the person says."

Ms. Reid also wrote that the lifeguards did not offer to call an ambulance. She took her son to Tobey Hospital where he was treated for a head injury. She offered five recommendations:

1. Have properly trained lifeguards, with monthly or bi-monthly rescue and safety training.

2. All necessary resuscitative equipment should be available at each lifeguard station.

3. All lifeguards should be mobilized in a team effort for the rescue and first aid of injured swimmers.

4. Identify and mark all potential hazardous objects within the swimming and diving areas.

5. Another alternative is to ban diving completely.

The Selectmen said they would take these recommendations under advisement and said that steps have already been made to better the situation. Regardless of the severity of the situation, after all accidents, 911 must be called. Mr. Dawson said that EMT's will most likely be working with lifeguards in the future. The Selectmen noted that diving was not allowed during low tide and that several of the rocks near the dock were marked by the Harbormaster.

The grandparents of the injured boy, Joseph and Lucy Napoli, were in attendance at the meeting and Mr. Napoli spoke before the Board. He said that several changes need to be made before a major tragedy occurs and corrected the Selectmen by noting that it was high tide when the accident occurred. He suggested a follow-up meeting to his daughter's suggestions and informed the Board about his grandson, who is 18 and coincidentally a lifeguard himself back home in Tennessee.

June Robbins sent a letter of resignation to the Board in regards to her role as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Andrew Elkins, of 27 Cottage St., was denied an abatement request of his most recent water and sewer bill. His claim was that although he knew his home had a toilet leak, but the repair was delayed due to the home being seasonal. Special one-day alcohol licenses were granted to the VFW Post #2425 on Saturday, September 12 and the Marion Social Club on Saturday, September 26. Jay Ryder was named as the Marion representative on the Commuter Rail Task Force. The meeting was adjourned at 8:02 pm. An executive session was held after the meeting. The next Marion Board of Selectmen Meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 15.

By Adam Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:06:18 am Animal Complaints in Marion

Categories: Marion

The end of August has seen a string of animal complaint calls in Marion. The heat, in combination with the weather, contributed to the 11 animal complaint calls made to Marion Animal Officer Susan Connor from August 16 - 22.

The calls concerned both domestic and wild animals. Officer Connor says that residents should still be mindful of the heat and weather and its effect on pets. The car can act as an oven, and pets should be given a cool place with plenty of circulation while owners are away. This means ventilating your car while doing errands, leaving pets in a cool home with plenty of water when the weather gets too hot, and being careful to secure fearful dogs during thunderstorms. Residents should also pay attention to leash laws, even when on the beach.

As far as wild animals go, Officer Connor says that we are entering a time of year when wild offspring are learning to get their food. Several neighborhood cats have gone missing as the result of wild animals in the area. Residents should not feed stray animals, since feeding strays contributes to wild animal populations as well. Officer Connor says that Massachusetts's law automatically makes residents legally responsible for the animals they feed; those legal responsibilities include vaccinating.

Officer Connor noted that residents who trap wild animals should be mindful of the laws concerning trap and release. The state's fine for trapping and releasing in a different area is $5,000. The only legal ways to trap wildlife is to humanely dispose of the animal on the property, release the animal on the property that it was trapped, or contact an exterminator with the appropriate permits.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:36:01 am Marion Block Party Rescheduled

Categories: Marion

The Town Block Party, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed due to the forecast for inclement weather.
The event will be instead be held on Sunday, August 30, 2009 from 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm in front of the Town House and the Library on Spring St.

This annual event is a wonderful opportunity to visit with friends and neighbors, renew old acquaintances, and make new friends. Join your Marion neighbors for food and fun on Sunday.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:01:10 am Letters to the Editor

Categories: Marion

To the Editor:

The Elizabeth Taber Library wrapped up this summer's program for children, "Starship Adventure", on Thursday, August 6 with an End-of-Summer Ice Cream Social.

Children ages 2-12 years old enjoyed storytimes, crafts, reading games, a puppet show, a magic show, a t-shirt decorating workshop, a puppet-making workshop, and drop-in activities over the course of seven weeks. Attendance for the summer program totaled 1573. It was especially exciting, with the help of donations from Eastern Bank and Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc., to "Read for a Good Cause". Each hour that participants spent reading equaled $1 of support to the work of Heifer International. Our readers were able to purchase two goats, a llama, a flock of chickens, a flock of ducks, a trio of rabbits, honeybees and a hive to help needy families become self-sufficient.

I would like to thank all of the participants (and parents, and grandparents, and babysitters and nannies!) involved in our program, along with our thirteen junior volunteers: Colleen Packard, David Friedman, Alex Friedman, Maura Lonergan, Bitsy Lonergan, Jessica Keegan, Kayla Spark, Megan Holmes, Kelly Fox, Russell Noonan, Bailey Sweet, Rachel Chandler, and LuLu Russell, as well as our ever-enthusiastic Library Director, Judith Kleven, and staff members Donna Ohlman and Peg Riley, and Elizabeth Leidhold of the Marion Natural History Museum.

Several agencies and businesses in town lent their kind support to the library's summer reading program. They include the Marion Cultural Council, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, and Lockheed Martin Sippican, Inc.

I hope everyone enjoyed the library's summer program and the delights of summer reading as much as I did!

Rosemary Grey

Children's Librarian

Elizabeth Taber Library

To the Editor:

The Rochester Land Trust would like to thank everyone involved in our Annual Pig Roast, recently held at the Rochester Country Fair.

We especially want to thank the local merchants and supporters who donated items to both the silent auction and raffle. Their support each year is much appreciated and greatly adds to the total of this, our largest yearly fundraiser.

Next, we would like to thank all of our members and friends who come each year to enjoy the delicious meal put on by 'Pig Pickins' with additions of local veggies and deserts as well as the camaraderie and general good times they all come to expect from this event. The wonderful entertainment supplied by Tiffany Rozenas and her family also deserves a special mention.

Finally, we want to thank all of the tireless workers from the Board of Directors and their families and friends who give so much time and energy to make this event a success every year.

Watch for further great news as the RLT continues to work tirelessly to balance preservation of special places in Rochester with development of our wonderful town.

Thank you all again,

Russ Keeler, President

The views expressed in the "Letters to the Editor" column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author's name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:00:20 am Beverly Yacht Club Bull's Eyes

Categories: Marion

Six Marion based Bull's Eyes competed in the 48th Annual Bull's Eye National Regatta in Rockport MA on August 1 and 2. All Beverly Yacht Club Bull's Eyes' placed in the top half of this eighteen-boat event. The Marion Bull's Eye Results are: Chris and Kathryn Collings placed first for the second time in a row and are again the National Champions. Will Tifft with his crew Anna and Axel Tifft lead after day one and placed second overall. Wendy and Gordon Goodwin placed 4th, and Joan and Ed Tiffany placed 5th. The current Bull's Eye Association president Chris Memoli with crew Kym Lee and Nicholas Memoli were 6th and Jody Smith with her crew, Kristina McDavid and Cheryl Greenfield were 8th.

The racing on Saturday was held outside the Rockport breakwater, North of Thacher Island, in a slew of current. In light breezes the Race Committee managed to get in two windward leeward twice around races and one Olympic. On Sunday the breeze was stronger, and we raced two races within Sandy Bay where the wind died and then built up again.

The Marion racers wish to thank the Rockport fleet for well run races in the wake of all that current, the fantastic housing, meals, and the best camaraderie around. The 49h Annual Bull's Eye Nationals will be held in Key Largo Florida March 18-20, 2010.

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:23:13 am Mardi Gras at the Rochester Country Fair

Categories: Marion

The Tenth Annual Rochester Country Fair delighted both young and old this year with its many booths, activities and parades. The Fair spanned three days: Friday August 21 through Sunday, August 23, 2009. The weather stayed sunny and hot, and the lemonade flowed. The theme for this year was Mardi Gras, and the atmosphere was festive. Most of the children who walked in the children's parade on Saturday dressed up, and even the Wanderer's Aardvark donned a giant feathered mask and beads.

This year's scarecrow contest had three categories; "Best Traditional Scarecrow," "Most Original/Unique Scarecrow," and "Best Mardi Gras Theme." The first place winner in the "Traditional Scarecrow" category was Bea Renauld's scarecrow, first place "Most Original" was the "Tribute to the American Worker" scarecrow from "Leo's Machine," and the "Best Mardi Gras Scarecrow" was a small, fancy scarecrow without a sign.

One of the Saturday events was a petting zoo, with a llama, a pony, a goat, a sheep, bunnies, guinea pigs, a snake, turtles, and more. Once the children found this destination, it was difficult for them to leave and find others.

Live music was played by the group Next of Kin, and many tunes were well-known and able to be sung along to. The music tent provided shade as well, and sweating, overheated people could relax at a picnic table and enjoy the nice band.

The children's Mardi Gras themed costume parade entailed masses of children, some dressed colorfully with feathers, beads, masks and face-paint, and others in their regular clothes, dancing along to be part of the fun.

A frog derby required participants to catch and bring their own frogs. Three circles were drawn on cardboard signs to measure frog size; big, medium and small.

In between these loud and fun activities, J and J's Famous Fried Dough and Clam Cakes stand sold goodies, the Rochester Lions Club sold hot-dogs and burgers, and other booths sold food. Hawaiian ice, cotton-candy, and candy apples were being devoured throughout the fairgrounds.

A large list of other activities in the Main Events area included hula hooping, bead tossing, sack, and 3 legged races.

The afternoon held even more: a pie-eating contest, a pie bake-off, a lawn-mower race, a pig roast, and then an evening of dancing and a bonfire. The bonfire was sponsored by the Rochester Fire Department and the Rochester Highway Department.

On Sunday, August 23, the big, Mardi Gras-themed parade took place. Many decorated floats tossed candy and played music, tractors and old cars drove slowly past, and the fire trucks wrapped up the parade with their ear-drum-bursting sirens.

The final afternoon held giant bubbles and a "running with scissors" race.

In addition to the fun and games, a Blood Drive was held on Saturday at the Southcoast Hospital Blood Mobile, as well as free children's fingerprinting and ID-ing provided by the Plymouth County Sheriffs Department.

The Rochester Country Fair marks one of the last big events of the summer before school begins for most children. It was a busy and exciting weekend, with many memories to remind them of how they'd rather be there than sitting in the classroom.

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:01:42 am Mattapoisett Man Arrested in Dartmouth

Categories: Marion

Dartmouth officers responded to a call at 351 Highland Ave in Dartmouth, Ma on Sunday, August 23 around 6:45 pm. A 20-year old Marshfield woman was screaming for help when officers arrived to find her being held against her will by Jeffrey Bradley, 26, of 42 Main Street in Mattapoisett.

Bradley was arraigned in New Bedford District Court on several charges, including kidnapping, domestic assault, indecent assault and battery, and assault with intent to commit a felony.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:52:11 pm Hurricane Season is Here

Categories: Marion

It’s late August, and that means one thing to the East Coast: hurricane season. They can come with sweet names like Claudette, or ironic names like Grace – either way, they pack a wallop each year, both with their destruction and clean-up costs.

As a level 2 Hurricane Bill skirts along the waters near the Cape and Islands, we are reminded more than ever to prepare for hurricane season. In the event of a tropical storm or a hurricane, Marion shellfish officer Isaac Perry advises recreational boat owners to check their boats and make sure that their moorings are secure. In the event of a serious storm, he advises all citizens to check NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for storm tracking. NOAA.gov has off-shore buoys that provide real-time data, making their information reliable and relevant to boaters and land-dwellers alike.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:47:26 pm Marion Fire Department Feels the Heat

Categories: Marion

Starting August 20 at 12:36 am, the Marion fire department responded to a series of calls that were likely related to the heat.

The first call came from 145 Front Street, where electrical equipment had shorted out. Marion Fire Chief Thomas Joyce said that the heat of the day “could’ve contributed” to the electrical short that the fire department disconnected after a forced entry. The responding team stayed at the Front Street location to ventilate until 2:05 am.

The next call came from the Kittansett Country Club on Point Road. Possibly the result of humidity and high temperatures, a defective detector set off the alarm and the Marion fire department responded at 1:42 pm.

Coming back from the Kittansett call at 1:56 pm, the fire department responded to a call from Old Rochester Regional Junior High, where a contractor had set off alarms by generating a cloud of concrete dust.

Another alarm at the Congregational Church on Main Street occurred on August 21, at 12:16 pm. The cause of the call was another faulty alarm.

Mattapoisett also responded to a couple of possibly heat-related minor incidents on Thursday, and on Friday responded to a Fire Alarm activation that may have been caused by the high humidity according to Chief Murray.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:04:26 am Marion Selectmen Seek Fire Chief, Superintendant

Categories: News, Marion

Marion Selectmen's Meeting - August 4, 2009

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Stephen M. Cushing on August 4 at 7:00 pm. Also in attendance were Selectmen Jonathan F. Henry and Roger F. Blanchette, Town Administrator Paul F. Dawson, and Administrative Assistant Helene Craver. The minutes of the July 7 meeting was approved by the Board.

The first appointment of the evening was with Fire Chief Thomas Joyce in regards to fire personnel. Chief Joyce sought the Board's approval of his appointment of four new firefighters: Ryan Bukre, Burleigh King, David Shaw, and Eric Fichtenmayer. The Board noted that this was Chief Joyce's decision and that he was free to make the move without their approval. Chief Joyce agreed, but said that he wanted to seek approval as a "courtesy" to the Board. Selectman Blanchette thought the additions to the fire department were "terrific and wonderful", and all members of the Board were pleased by the new firefighters. Chief Joyce said that the department was still reviewing applications for new on-call firefighters, and that the department was looking forward to having "young blood augmenting" the already seasoned firefighters. Selectmen Blanchette noted that large on-call pools for firefighters were beneficial to the town since the firefighters are only paid per call, and a larger pool means more people to pick from.

The Board thanked Chief Joyce for his work, and for considering the Board's opinion in his decision.

The next appointment was with Ray E. Pickles, who presented a concern regarding the Marion town stickers that town residents place on their car bumpers. Mr. Pickle suggested changing the size and location of the stickers, to be smaller and be located on the lower left-hand side of the windshield. This makes recognizing the sticker easier for beach and transfer station attendants.

Selectman Blanchett's main concern with changing the Marion stickers would be accountability for vehicle owners. He cited Rochester as an example of a town that didn't sufficiently reinforce registration numbers clearly written on town stickers. Selectman Blanchett said that a windshield sticker would have adhesive on the text side, making it difficult to write registration numbers on the sticker. He noted that in the past, the police preferred the town sticker on the back bumper. Mr. Pickles said that Police Chief Miller doesn't have a problem with a sticker change. Mr. Dawson said that some towns have starting using pre-numbered stickers that can be recorded along with a registration number for accountability.

Chairman Cushing resolved that the matter would have to be explored further, and that the registry would need to be consulted, since a windshield sticker could affect visibility.

Mr. Pickles was then joined by Hamish Gravem on the topic of a Marion Senior Center. Mr. Pickles said that there were 5,302 Marion residents, and 28% of those citizens are 60 and over, with that number being closer to one third of the town when considering seasonal residents. Mr. Gravem hoped that the BOS would assist in sending out communication to ascertain an interest in a Marion Senior Center from the citizens in town that were 60 and older. Mr. Pickles and Mr. Gravem were especially interested in having a questionnaire prepared for the town. Since items like the bike path were tied up do to land issues and funding, there are more Selectmen hours available for the Senior Center project. Selectman Henry moved to give all 20 hours to the progress of Marion Senior Center literature and research, and the motion was unanimously passed.

Next on the agenda was the approval of temporary alcohol licenses. The Marion Art Center sought approval to serve wine at their upcoming play, the VFW post sought approval to have a town block party and clam bake, and the Marion Social Club needed a license for a wedding reception. All licenses were passed without issue.

Mr. Gary Buckminster Jr. was appointed as Assistant to the Harbormaster/Shellfish officer to fill an opening. Mr. Buckminster is the current Assistant Harbormaster in Wareham, and was recently in the news for his attempted rescue of Edward Baker, who was fatally wounded in a jet-ski accident on July 13 near the mouth of the Wareham River. The Board unanimously accepted his appointment.

In accordance with 30B, a declaration of surplus material at the Sippican School was presented, but Mr. Dawson noted that most of these items were outdated VHS tapes or water-damaged books, and were most likely not useful to anyone.

An annual request to use the Silvershell Beach parking lot for a reception for Congresswoman Niki Tsongas at the home of John and Shelley Keith was unanimously accepted by the Board.

After hearing all testimony, the Board decided to accept the suggestion of Town Counsel Jon Witten, who presided as the hearing officer in the case of The Caz. The Caz, a nightclub located off Point Road, was found in violation of liquor laws by serving after hours on two separate occasions: April 26 and May 17. Mr. Witten suggested two separate liquor suspensions, to last three days each and to run concurrently. The proposed days are: August 15, 16, and 17. The Board accepted this proposal, and passed it unanimously. The Caz supporters in the audience did not have a comment.

The Board then discussed the appointment of a new Fire Chief to take over for the Interim Fire Chief Thomas Joyce. Since Chief Joyce has not expressed an urgent need for relief, Chairman Cushing said that they had some time to build a list of criteria and come to a decision. Selectman Henry said that an ideal candidate search committee would consist of a fire department member, a member of the 25/15, a selectman, the harbormaster, and an EMS member.

The BOS heard an update from Mr. Dawson concerning the status of the Police station project. Although the BOS has worked hard to ensure all loopholes are covered in the event of a change order, Mr. Dawson said the BOS should be directly in charge of any changes larger than $25,000. Selectman Henry said that it was important for the BOS to stay closely involved, and to make sure that the work comes in below the appropriated amount so taxpayers can save money. A motion was accepted to adopt Mr. Dawson's terms.

The Board discussed the agenda and possible dates for a Tri-Town selectmen meeting in the span of August 10-17. The Board agreed on an ideal date of August 11, and during that meeting, will be discussing the topic of a search committee to find a candidate to replace Old Rochester Regional School Superintendent Cooper. Mr. Cooper will not be returning to his post.

The Board also received an update on the A2 ambulance that was involved in an accident on July 22. Mr. Dawson said that an insurance appraisal has indicated that the ambulance can be fixed, and although it received considerable front-end damage, the frame was not affected by the crash. Chairman Cushing said that he wanted confirmation from a frame machine appraisal to confirm that the ambulance frame was undamaged before accepting a visual appraisal. Mr. Dawson agreed, and said that if the damage is confined to the front-end, that the ambulance should be back within two weeks.

The town hall had a minor electrical incident on August 3 when the electrical service coming into the building short-circuited and knocked out power. There was no damage, and no equipment lost. Since NStar is already scheduled to replace old lines, there will be no cost to the town for the incident.

The Board then heard correspondence for the evening. The first item was a letter of resignation from ORR School Committee Chairperson Robert Nectow. The Board seeks applications from Marion residents to fill in for Mr. Nectow's position until the next election. Dr. John Russell has already sent a letter to the Selectmen expressing interest in the vacancy, though the Board encourages more applicants.

Mr. Dawson said that the Board had been invited to attend the South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Plan meeting in New Bedford on August 5, which Mr. Dawson plans on attending, possibly with Selectman Blanchette.

The Board went into executive session to discuss contract negotiations with non-union personnel at 8:45 pm.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:04:13 am Marion Art Center Presents Gold in the Hills

Categories: Marion

"Fine feathers do not make fine birds, and all that glitters is not gold."

Have you ever gotten the feeling that a moustache-twirling villain was secretly plotting against you and your family? Here's your chance to boo and hiss at that dastardly villain. The Marion Art Center will be producing Gold in the Hills: or, The Dead Sister's Secret, an early 20th century melodrama written by J. Frank Davis, on August 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, and 15 at 8:00 pm.

Gold in the Hills is directed by Rex McGraw and features music by Nancy Sparklin. It takes place in the 1890's, and tells the story of heroine Nell Stanley (played by Kimberly Teves), who is torn between loving the hero, a "flannel-shirted farmer" named John Dalton (played by Kevin Halligan) and loving the villain, Richard Murgatroyd (played by Paul Kandarian). Nell is blinded by the villain's wealth and silky promises, and agrees to elope with him if he can prove that her salt-of-the-earth suitor, John, is not the honorable man she thinks he is.

What drama! Soon our hero is arrested when his mother's locket is found under a murdered body, and Nell has to make good on her promise. The diabolical Richard stops at nothing to pilfer lovely young Nell from her humble, Christian home, and even convinces her to smoke a cigarette. Will Nell return home? Will our hero John be vindicated? Will the villain receive his comeuppance? What is the "dead sister's secret"? You'll have to check out the play and find out.

Since the play is in the style of the old-fashioned melodramas that were popular at the turn of the 20th century, it is a timepiece that will sweep viewers away to a time of Victorian trials and tribulations. This community theater troupe has worked hard to create the Victorian ambiance, with needlepoint side chairs, lace-covered tables, and a fireplace mantle covered in assorted knickknacks. The costumes have all been purchased and fitted in area consignment shops.

Melodramas like Gold in the Hills became popular during the Depression when audiences were especially in need of distraction and cathartic release. Audiences would cheer the hero, and boo at the villain, making the production an interactive experience. In keeping with this tradition, Mr. McGraw and Art Director Wendy Bidstrup encourage the audience to be a part of the production with lots of cheering, clapping, and villain hissing.

With exaggerated movements and overwrought statements, expect laugh-out-loud entertainment. This melodrama comes in three acts, with Vaudeville singing numbers to entertain the audience during set changes. Nell's "long-suffering" father, Hiram Stanley, states: "Fine feathers do not make fine birds, and all that glitters is not gold." This reflects the theme of Gold in the Hills: that being honorable but poor is better than being wealthy and morally bankrupt. This is a play that prides itself on being wholesome and upstanding, with nary a mention of that unspeakable "sex appeal." Audiences of all ages will be delighted by this production.

Don't tie your corsets too tight for this event - you are likely to be shocked by the heinous acts of the evil Richard Murgatroyd. Tickets are $12.50 for members, $15.00 for genereal admission. Light refreshments, like wine and soda, will be offered. Since there are only 65 seats available, reservations are encouraged. Call the Marion Art Center at (508) 748-1266 for questions and tickets. The theater is located within the Art Center at 80 Pleasant Street, in Marion village.

By Anne O'Brien Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

07:37:56 am Volunteers Blaze a New Trail

Categories: Marion

On a bright July morning, volunteers clad in comfortable hiking shoes and light clothing collected in a small circle at the mouth of an undeveloped trail in Marion. The volunteers chatted lightly, many recognizing each other from the last tri-town conservation project. Bracing themselves for a long day, they clipped plastic water bottles onto their belts and sprayed multiple layers of Deep Woods Off onto their exposed skin and clothing. Their mission for the day was to blaze a new trail that will come to be known as Eastover South.

Eastover South will start on County Road in Marion, will run alongside Hales Brook, through a 200-acre preserve in Marion, and will eventually connect to the Eastover property in Rochester.

Mr. Harrington described the trail as currently overgrown and wet. He warned the volunteers to use plenty of bug spray to avoid mosquito bites, and opened up a house at the entrance so the volunteers would have access to running water.

Since the proposed trail includes wetlands and bogs, some of the trail will be boardwalk. Mr. Harrington stressed the importance of blazing the path in a way that would not upset the wildlife. There are many vernal pools and swamps in the area, so it is important to introduce a trail that won't negatively affect the ecosystem's delicate balance.

The trail project is being organized and led by the Trustees of Reservations, a statewide group dedicated to preserving Massachusetts' natural resources. Education Coordinator Linton Harrington and Maintenance Foreman Jesse Ferreira were present Saturday, July 25 to coach the small group of volunteers on the goals of the Eastover trail project. In addition, Mr. Harrington and Mr. Ferreira educated the volunteers on the overall goal of the Trustees of Reservations as an organization - to protect Massachusetts' natural beauty and to preserve wildlife from overdevelopment.

Volunteers proceeded to collect their tools from a large trunk. Hand-saws, gloves, and snippers were all needed to cut through the brambles and overgrowth. Mr. Ferreira told the volunteers that they could catch glimpses of wild turkeys as they worked, and that there were plenty of abandoned cranberry bogs on the path that still produced fruit.

The Eastover South trail will require a small parking area at the entrance, a sign for visibility, and a bulletin board. The Trustees group worked with Marion Open Space Conservation to make the Eastover South trail possible.

According to Mr. Harrington, "there is a lot of conservation work to be done in Massachusetts." Ecologically-minded volunteers, in conjunction with organizations like Trustees of Reservations, are working tirelessly to preserve the natural wonder of Massachusetts' coastlines, woods, and wetlands. Readers can contribute to these ongoing efforts by supporting the Trustees of Reservations efforts. For more information, visit the Trustees website: www.ttor.org.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

04:13:43 pm Marion Ambulance in Accident

Categories: Marion

A Marion ambulance out on a test run was involved in a serious accident on Wednesday, July 22 at the intersection of Route 6 and Spring St.

According to the accident report, the incident involved Mr. Dale Jones, who was driving the new Rescue 394 A1 ambulance, and Mr. Michael A. Delk of Rochester. Mr. Delk's 2004 Dodge pick-up truck was totaled in the accident.

Both parties were not seriously injured. Mr. Delk said that he was travelling eastbound on Route 6 when the ambulance driver attempted a left-hand turn onto Spring St, resulting in a head-on collision. The accident is still under investigation.

The ambulance, which is parked behind the Marion Police/Fire Department, shows serious front-end damage and a blown right front tire. According to Town Administrator Paul Dawson, the ambulance is "likely to be repaired but it is yet to be determined". A preliminary assessment for damage was done July 24 at noon. The extent of the damage is not yet known.

EMS Director Jeff Habicht could not be reached for comment.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

01:57:52 pm Marion Ambulance in Accident

Categories: Marion

A Marion ambulance out on a test run was involved in a serious accident on Wednesday, July 22 at the intersection of Route 6 and Spring St.

According to the accident report, the incident involved Mr. Dale Jones, who was driving the new Rescue 394 A1 ambulance, and Mr. Michael A. Delk of Rochester. Mr. Delk's 2004 Dodge pick-up truck was totaled in the accident.

Both parties were not seriously injured. Mr. Delk said that he was travelling eastbound on Route 6 when the ambulance driver attempted a left-hand turn onto Spring St, resulting in a head-on collision. The accident is still under investigation.

The ambulance, which is parked behind the Marion Police/Fire Department, shows serious front-end damage and a blown right front tire. According to Town Administrator Paul Dawson, the ambulance is "likely to be repaired but it is yet to be determined". A preliminary assessment for damage was done July 24 at noon. The extent of the damage is not yet known.

EMS Director Jeff Habicht could not be reached for comment.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

1 feedback » • Permalink

09:01:22 am ORR School Committee Chairman to Step Down

Categories: News, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

At the July 13, 2009 meeting of the Old Rochester School Committee, the School Committee Chairman, Robert Nectow of Marion, announced to the School Committee members and the school’s administrative staffers that he was submitting his resignation from the School Committee effective September 30. Citing increasing pressures from his professional commitments, Mr. Nectow indicated that it has become increasingly difficult to devote the time required to fulfill his School Committee responsibilities.
“It has been an honor to represent the Town of Marion for the past five and a half years on the School Committee. For the past four, I have been given the great honor of being the Chair and working with eight professionals who have been focused on providing the best educational experience available within our means. It has been through our collaborative approach with all three towns that we have improved the overall experience for all who have entered the doors at the Junior and Senior High Schools.
I have selected this date so the Committee can plan appropriately during its annual re-organization and so the Town of Marion can start a search for a new representative.”
ORR Superintendent, Bill Cooper, thanked Mr. Nectow for his outstanding leadership of the School District during the past four years and for his generous contribution of civic service to the Tri Town region.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:34:14 am Gardens by the Sea - Enjoying Mother Nature in Marion

Categories: Marion

The Seventh Annual Gardens by the Sea took place on Friday, July 10 from 10:30 to 4:30 pm all across Marion. Seven private gardens were toured at the viewer's leisure and the event was sponsored by St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Marion. Tickets for the event were $40 for the tour and a luncheon at Kittansett Club and $20 for the tour only.

"It started out as an obligation that St. Gabriel's had," said Grace Bolton, one of the event's organizers. "The obligation was to help several members of the congregation go to camp each year. With the money raised from Gardens by the Sea, we comfortably made the money necessary for the church's obligations. Now that it's become so successful, we have been able to use that money for scholarships as well."

Different gardens have been featured in each of the five years. This year, the private gardens on display were at Converse Point, 208 Converse Road, 72 Water Street, 146 Allen's Point, 26 Delano Road, 404 Point Road and 43 Piney Point Road.

One of the more interesting stories behind the immaculately kept estate at Converse Point is the history of some of the buildings. According to Sue Bouley, the gardener of the estate, the estate's carriage house was once an inn and pub brought over from New Hampshire over a century ago. While touring this landscaped masterpiece, tranquil music coming from the treehouse (for the owner's grandchildren) could be heard as to further set the calming mood of the estate with the ocean as its backyard.

Also on the estate's sprawling nine acres is a hedge maze, raspberry patch, basketball court, croquet court, vegetable and herb garden, guest house and horseshoe pit.

By Adam Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:34:07 am A Beautiful Day in the Park

Categories: Marion

The third annual Marion "Arts in the Park" festival took place Saturday, July 11 in the village's Bicentennial Park from 10:00 to 4:00 pm. Wendy Bidstrup, executive director of the Marion Arts Center and coordinator of the show, rejoiced over the mild, sunny day that greeted the yearly event.

Forty local artists and artisans gathered in the park to display and discuss their crafts. Talents included scrimshaw art, pottery, painted outdoor furniture, glass and metal jewelry, felted and fleece clothing, scarves, and much more. Some artists even demonstrated their abilities - Carol Lebreaux produced hand-cut silhouette heirlooms from her tent.

Thanks to Michelle Letourneau, director of Art Start and volunteer for the gallery, the basement of the art center building was filled with fun activities for young, budding artists. Children enjoyed face-painting and making keepsake boxes. Letourneau described the successful art event as being the result of Ms. Bidstrup's "magic" in preparation and vision.

The two Marion Art Center galleries, the Cecil Clark Davis gallery and the Patsy Francis gallery, were open to the public. Local artist, Charlie Parsons, donated a painting to raffle with the art center receiving the proceeds. The winner of the raffle was Virginia Barry.

According to Ms. Letourneau, the festival was a "huge success" and raised some much-needed money for the center's activities.

By Anne O'Brien-Kakley

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:24:07 am Marion Selectmen's Meeting - July 7, 2009

Categories: Marion

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order on Tuesday, July 07, 2009 at 7:00 pm by Chairman Stephen Cushing. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Jonathan Henry, Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver. The Board approved the minutes of the June 16 Selectman's Meeting at 7:02 pm.

The Board continued the alcohol license hearing on The Caz bar, which had been postponed from June 16 Meeting. The Caz's alcohol license is in question due to police reports that claim the bar has been serving alcohol past 1:00 am, which is the latest the bar can legally serve and any patron can be drinking according to the license. The Caz owner, George Ferry, was represented by Attorney Therese Gomes, who conducted questioning at the Meeting similar to a courthouse style.

Marion Police Chief Lincoln Miller read the police reports that were collected on April 26 and May 17 by Marion Police Officers Jeffrey Tripp and Kevin Paulson, who were in attendance and were questioned by Ms. Gomes. Marion Police Sergeant Marshall Sadeck was also questioned.

Officer Tripp stated that on April 26, he was on his patrol, which includes checking the three bars in Marion, The Caz, Gilda's Stone Rooster and The Wave, when he saw two men outside the bar yelling at each other, bumping chests and both having clenched fists and were nearing a fight several minutes after 1:00 am. The fight was broken up and Officer Tripp entered the bar and saw that a woman had been punched in the face. The abuser of the woman was later arrested.

Officer Paulson stated that on May 17, he was on patrol and saw that at 1:25 am, people were still inside of the bar and lights were still on. Officer Paulson stood at the doorway of the bar and noticed that there was one bottle of beer and several cups on a table. Mr. Ferry stated that a party was thrown at the bar for his family and several people had stayed behind to help clean up. Anne Gifford and Lisa Nickerson, both of Wareham, were bartending that night and were questioned by Ms. Gomes. Mr. Ferry, Ms. Gifford and Ms. Nickerson all stated that "last call" was administered at 12:45 am, no alcohol was imbibed by anyone in the bar past 1:00 am and that all bottles and cups were on the bar waiting to be disposed of or washed.

The Board agreed to take the decision under advisement at 8:10 pm. Ms. Gomes asked the Board that if any action be taken against the bar, that it be a monetary fine and not the loss of their license. The Board did not disclose when they would announce their decision.

Andrew P. Joseph, of Cumberland, RI, has sent a letter of complaint to the Town of Marion over the handicapped-parking situation at Silvershell Beach. In the letter he states, "Silvershell Beach is a public beach, but has resident parking only. Residents are allowed parking access via a season sticker. Non-residents (i.e. the public) must access the beach via foot. Silvershell Beach, and thus the Town of Marion, discriminates against handicapped individuals. Individuals who do not have the capability of walking onto the beach from the street are not able to visit this public beach. I am one of those individuals."

The Board stated that they will move forward making a "reasonable accommodation," which would allow for a temporary 20-minute handicapped parking spot near the handicap spot, which is only allowed for those with a Town of Marion sticker. No immediate action was taken at the Meeting.

Under the advisement of the Town Administrator and the Police Station Building Committee, the Board has decided on a firm for the building of the new Police Station. The B.C. Firm from Wakefield, MA has put in the bid of $2,773,835, which is seven percent lower than the next bidder and ten percent lower than the third lowest bidder. The winning bid was fourteen percent lower than the average bids.

The Board granted two one day, all-alcohol licenses for the VFW Post #2425 for July 18 and 19. The Board accepted the resignation of Richard Kemp from the Finance Committee. The First Congregational Church of Marion is having their Annual Summer Fair on Sunday, July 25 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The town has granted permission to close off traffic on Main Street from School Street to the intersection of Main and Front Street from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Marion Police Chief Miller received a thank you letter from the Taunton Police Department, as he aided with the search and recovery of a drowning victim in the Taunton River.

The Meeting was adjourned by Selectman Blanchette at 9:33 pm.

Send feedback » • Permalink

08:59:41 pm Marion Bermuda Race - And the Winner Is...

Categories: Marion

When Martin Jacobson and his crew received the news that they were the winners of the 2009 Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race, they were surprised and amazed. The captain and crew of Crescendo, a Swan 44 MkII Class B boat from Newport, Rhode Island, had sailed by celestial navigation, and were unaware of their lead position in the race. While sailing by the stars can be a challenge during the best of times, it becomes even more so when the stars are covered up by storm clouds. This year's race was, according to Marketing Chairman for the Marion Bermuda Race Organizing Committee Ray Cullum, "brutal." Somehow they managed.

Crescendo crossed the finish line at St. David's lighthouse in Bermuda on Wednesday, June 24, at 5:47:13 ADT with an elapsed time of 111h:32m:13s. Crescendo's crew includes Aaron Eddington from Shinagawa, Tokyo, Caroline Honorowski, Jacobson's daughter from New York, NY, James Wolmot from Newport, RI, Jeremy Whitty from Sydney, New South Wales, Jonathan Whitty also from Sydney, New South Wales, Marcus Spillane from Fountainstown, Ireland, and Paul Atkins from Bagowlah, New South Wales.

The Awards Ceremony and Gala dinner was held on Saturday night, at the Royal Navy Dockyard in Bermuda. The last of the ships, Ron Wisner's boat Hotspur from Marion, MA, rolled in at 8:22 pm Friday night. Hotspur, the last boat in class D, will receive a Cook's Trophy, as is the tradition for all the final boats in each class for the Marion-Bermuda race.

The Class A boat's winners are;

*First Place: Cetacea, a Hinckley 59, skippered by Christopher Culver from NYC

*Second Place: Whisper, a Canning 48, skippered by Sheldon Brotman from Pittsfield, MA

*Third Place: Sirena Bella, a J44, skippered by Joe Murli from Mystic, CT

*Cook's Trophy: the cook of Ocean Jasper, a Sundeer 60.

The Class B boat's winners are:

*First Place: "The Kaplan Memorial Min Ron III Trophy" will be awarded to the winner in class B-Crescendo, a Swan 44, skippered by Martin Jacobson from Greenwich, CT. (Home port for Crescendo is Newport, RI.)

*Second Place: Defiance, a Navy 44, skippered by Robert King from Annapolis, MD.

*Third Place: Triple Lindy, a Swan 44, skippered by Joseph Mele from NYC.

*Cook's Trophy: the cook of Voyager, an Oceanis 461.

The Class C boat's winners are:

*First Place: "The Gibson Memorial Blue Water Trophy" will be awarded to the winner of class C-Seeadler, a Tartan 37, skippered by Bill Read from Gladwyne, PA.

*Second Place: Avalon, a Baltic 43, skippered by Barry Feldman from Newton, MA.

*Third Place: Katrinka, a custom Yawl, skippered by Noah Evans from NYC.

*Cook's Trophy: the cook of Experience, a custom Alden Schooner.

The Class D boat's winners are:

*First Place: "The Joel B. Sykes Memorial Trophy" will be awarded to the winner of class D-Silhouette, a Cherubini 44, skippered by David Caso from Duxbury, MA.

*Second Place: Windsong II, a Halberg Rassy 352, skippered by Lou Roberts from Woodbridge, CT.

*Third Place: Thai Hot, an Island Packet 40, skippered by Robert Fleno from Sterling, NJ.

*Cook's Trophy: the cook of Hotspur, a Rhodes 41.

Many other specialized trophies were awarded to the brave participants of this year's race, and can be found at their website, www.marionbermuda.com.

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

08:59:36 pm Marion Village 5K Run 2009

Categories: Marion

After more consecutive cloudy and rainy days than anyone in the Tri-Towns cared to count, area runners awoke to picture perfect conditions Saturday morning June 27 for the Thirteenth Annual Marion Village 5K run. With the sun shining and race time temperatures in the upper sixties, the conditions were set for one of the quicker finish times in the history of the Marion 5K.

Organizers were pleased with another strong turnout as more than 400 runners and walkers turned out for this past weekend's event. While a few runners said that they would not have minded if the sun had waited a few more hours before it made a rare showing on Saturday morning, most were pleased to bask in the light of day as opposed to having to settle, once more, for the clouds and gray skies that have become a South Coast fixture of late.

Finishing first overall was 29 year old Eric Narcisi of Charlestown, MA who finished the race in 15:44, over one minute ahead of the next closest runner, Marion and Old Rochester Regional High School's own Dana Dourdeville who completed the course in a time of 17:00. Narcisi's winning time was considerably quicker than the time of 2008 winner Matt Sullivan, who finished the race with a time of 16:46 a bit slower than most area 5k times due to last year's hot and humid conditions.

On the women's side JoAnn Mathews won for the second time in three years, having also taken the top honors in the 2007 Marion Village 5k. Ms. Mathews of Dartmouth finished well ahead of the other women in the field as she broke the tape in a time of 18:46, forty-four seconds in front of runner up Anne Preisig of Falmouth.

The race was more than just a day for the winners however, as many of the participants came out just to be a part of an event that helps to raise funds for the Marion Recreation Committee. In many cases several family generations ran together in groups with mothers and fathers often jogging with their little ones in strollers while running side by side with their older children, encouraging one another to complete the course.

The Marion Recreation Committee has a number of events scheduled for the summer that encourage the residents of the town to take advantage of New England's fair climate and beautiful coastline. If you would like to find out more or look at a calendar of upcoming activities you can log onto the Committee's website at www.marionrec.org.

This race was just one of many that will be held throughout the region this summer and runners can find out more about upcoming events by going to the website of local race coordinator JB's Road Race Management at www.jbrace.com where you can also find a complete list of times for each of the participants in this and past year's Marion Village 5k race.

By Robert Chiarito

Send feedback » • Permalink

07:08:08 am Crescendo First to Reach Bermuda

Categories: Marion

First across the line early morning Wednesday June 24 in the Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race was Crescendo, Martin Jacobson’s Swan 44 MkII in Class B followed by Cetacea, Chris Culver’s Souwester 59 in Class A.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:21:25 am A Windy Weekend for the Marion-Bermuda Race

Categories: Marion

After days of rough sailing, the ships who set out last Friday, June 19, from Marion, have still not reached Bermuda as of midnight on Tuesday. Thirteen of the forty-eight boats were already out of the race, due to the windy, rainy weather on the open sea. Before departing on Friday, weatherman Dane Clark announced that the weather would be "dynamic", more so than he had ever seen during this race in previous years. After hearing this news, four boats; Paul Hubbard's Bermuda Oyster, Stefano Pacini's Galileo, Mark Monwood's Por Dos and David Kingsbury's Shooting Star opted to stay close to dry land and save the racing for another, milder, year.

Still, most have persevered, and while the race has taken a little longer than past years to complete, the boats still on track will have many stormy tales to tell. The sailor's will likely kiss the ground when they make it the 645 miles to Bermuda.

Some of the ships are using only celestial navigation, while others rely on their electronic devices. Those bravely going by the stars receive a 2% rating credit.

Jonathan Brewin of Warwick, Bermuda's boat Big Bear, a J160, maintained a lead position in the race starting Sunday up until the afternoon on Tuesday, June 23. After calling in to report technical difficulties, Big Bear finally had to give up their position due to a ripped mainsail. Big Bear's crew included Bermudian's Alan Williams, Buddy Rego, Mark Hannebereger, Michael Carey, Peter Shrubb, Somers Kempe, and from London, Kieron O'Connell. After the thrill of keeping ahead of the rest, and battling the stormy weather, this is an unfortunate last-minute blow for Bermuda.

Close behind Big Bear, and hen taking the lead of the rest was Martin Jacobson's ship Crescendo, a Swan 44 MkII from Newport, Rhode Island. Crescendo, a Class B boat, surprised everyone by taking the lead last Saturday, breezing by the Class A boats. Crescendo's crew includes Aaron Eddington from Shinagawa, Tokyo, Caroline Honorowski from New York, NY, James Wolmot from Newport, RI, Jeremy Whitty from Sydney, New South Whales, Jonathan Whitty also from Sydney, New South Whales, Marcus Spillane from Fountainstown, Ireland, and Paul Atkins from Bagowlah, New South Whales.

Also close behind, on Tuesday, was Cetacea, Chris Culver's Souwester 59 from Newport, RI. Other Class A and B ships were also within 100 miles of Bermuda, with Barry Feldman's Avalon from Newton Centre, MA leading the Class C's, and David Caso's Silhouette from Duxbury, MA leading the D's.

As those of us on dry land continue to complain about the never-ending rain, perhaps we can think of all the determined sailors out at sea and decide to be a little more grateful to have warm, dry beds to sleep on. No doubt the sailors will be thrilled to make it to their destination, regardless of their place in the race this year. The festivities in Bermuda, along with many eager family members and friends await their arrival.

This year's race has been organized by The Beverly Yacht Club, The Blue Water Sailing Club and The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club for the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association.

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:20:32 am Book Review - Marion in the Golden Age

Categories: Marion

For those of you searching for a good read this summer while you lounge in the backyard hammock or cool your toes in the water along the shore, you might want to pick up a copy of Judith Westlund Rosbe's new work Marion in the Golden Age. The book, which chronicles Marion during the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, is a fascinating and insightful look into a different age when the shores of the Sippican River and Buzzards Bay played summer host to the rich and famous, not to mention, the highest office holder in the land.

Beginning in 1871 and continuing through 1911, Marion was the home and part-time home to many of America's most revered writers, actors and even a president, the twenty second and twenty fourth president, Grover Cleveland. Other notable Marion residents and visitors of the time included artist Charles Dana Gibson, famous for his elegant Gibson Girls pen and ink drawings, The Century Magazine editor Richard Watson Gilder and painter Cecil Clark Davis whose works can be seen on display to this day at the Marion Art Center. Charmed by the beautiful summer light, abundant fishing grounds and the steady, perfect sailing winds of Buzzards Bay, Marion attracted droves of sportsmen and artists during the period covered in Ms. Rosbe's book.

Through this work Marion's storied past is recounted in nine chapters beginning in the time period just after the Civil War when Marion was transformed from a fishing village that was home to many of the days finest sea captains into the summer destination it has become. With chapters dedicated to writers, political figures, architecture, artists, musicians, the clergy and the stage, Marion in the Golden Age captures the imagination with its who's who list of former Marion residents from these many intriguing walks of life.

Ms. Rosbe, a Marion Resident for over thirty years, is the president of the Sippican Historical Society. Her writing style is like an invitation to a great event that is not to be missed as the author paints a bright, colorful and broad landscape of this gilded age while leaving no detail behind. Using letters, archived newspaper articles and period photographs, Ms. Rosbe fleshes out the lives of her subjects making it easy for one to imagine the grand hotels, the shore line cottages and the mansions that once stood on the banks of the Sippican River all providing an inviting environment to some of America's most prominent citizens in the time period between the Civil War and the First World War.

Taken in parts or read as a whole in one sitting, the book is a wonderfully told story of how Marion rose to prominence long before other area destinations as the place for the well-heeled and well-connected to spend their summers. Marion in the Golden Age is Ms. Rosbe's fifth book dedicated to the history of Marion with each of the five volumes dedicated to one of her grandchildren.

By Robert Chiarito

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:28:05 pm Attack Falsely Reported in Marion

Categories: Marion

At 4:27 am on June 15, 2009, the Marion Police Department received a call from Tobey Hospital reporting they had a male party who was seeking medical treatment for injuries allegedly sustained in an attack on the Route 195 westbound off ramp in Marion. Officers Kevin Paulson and Anthony DiCarlo were dispatched to the Tobey Hospital Emergency Room to investigate the incident.

The male, age 25, reported to offers he was traveling on Route 195 westbound. The male exited the highway via exit 20 to Route 105 in Marion. As the male negotiated the off ramp, his vehicle as struck from behind by a dark colored pickup truck. When the male got out of his vehicle, he was reportedly approached by the driver of the pickup truck who demanded money from the male. The driver of the pickup truck then reportedly attacked the male and stabbed him in the back with what the male believed to be a broken bottle. The male was able to escape to his vehicle and drive to Tobey Hospital. Officers noted that the male did have superficial wounds to his back.

In subsequent interview with Det. Scott Smith and Sgt. Richard Nighelli, the male subject admitted that he had fabricated the story and the wounds were self-inflicted.

Charges may be pending against the male for false reporting of a crime.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:43:28 am Marion Fireworks Fund Still Short

Categories: Marion

Marion Selectmen's Meeting - June 16, 2009

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was held at the Marion Town House on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 and was called to order by Selectman Jonathan Henry at 7:00 pm. Also in attendance were Selectmen Roger Blanchette and Stephen Cushing, Town Administrator Paul F. Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver. The Board approved the minutes of the May 5, 2009 meeting at 7:02 pm. The alcohol license hearing for The Caz did not take place as scheduled, but will be continued at the Tuesday, July 7 meeting. No representative was present for the Verizon/Nstar pole hearing, which dealt with power lines on Benson Brook Road.

The Board voted to reorganize themselves, appointing Selectman Cushing to the position of Chairman, Selectman Henry to the position of Vice Chairman and Selectman Blanchette to the position of Clerk. Selectman Cushing was also appointed to the position of Music Hall Advisory Committee, Police Station Building Committee, the Clerical Union Liaison and the CMW Landfill Representative. Selectman Henry was appointed to the Plymouth County Advisory Board, the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District Selectman's Representative and Police Union Liaison. Selectman Blanchette was appointed to the position of Town Parking Clerk, Buzzards Bay Action Committee, DPW Union Liaison and School Committee Liaison.

Newly-appointed Interim Fire Chief Thomas Joyce gave an introduction before the Board, detailing his years as the Wareham Fire Chief for over 20 years. His role as Chief became official Sunday June 14 at 12:01 am.

The lowest bidder for the Marion Police Station refurbishment contract was named. Cape Ann Equipment, LLC., of North Andover submitted the $707,604 bid. The Board will officially name them to the project at the upcoming Tuesday, July 7 meeting.

Chris Collins, head of the Fireworks Committee, along with the Finance Committee, met with the Board to discuss monetary issues for the Silvershell Beach Fourth of July Fireworks. The Fireworks Committee presented their budget for the upcoming fireworks show, which came to be $45,110. The amount that the Fireworks Committee had raised was $37,680. Mr. Collins and Selectman Blanchette agreed that there had been a considerable amount of talk in the town that the fireworks would not happen this year, and that people who normally donate were reluctant to do so, which is why they believed they were short of their goal. Selectman Blanchette stated that for several years, donations are made shortly after the fireworks show for the following year.

Mr. Dawson alerted the Board and both Committees that if any transference of funds did take place, it would be under Fiscal Year 2010. Lee Vulgaris, a member of the Finance Committee, took the financial burden upon himself by declaring that he would front the monetary difference in order to be sure that the event would take place. Mr. Vulgaris is the owner of the Reliable Trust Company in New Bedford.

Three different water abatements were presented before the Board, asking to be relieved of bills concerning the usage of water they claimed they were not responsible for. The Division of Marine Fisheries has established that Sippican Inner Harbor is a "No Shellfishing" zone from June 1 - October 31. The Town House will be closed on Friday, July 3. Selectman Henry sent out a personal thank you to the Marion EMS who brought him to Boston. His flu, which he claimed he had not had since the 1970's, had progressed into meningitis and he had a 103.9 degree fever.

By Adam Silva

2 feedbacks » • Permalink

12:43:19 am 2009 Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race

Categories: Marion

Friday, June 19, 2009 will kick off the seventeenth annual Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race. This race has been in place for thirty-two years, departing from Marion on the odd years, and from Newport, RI on the even years.

Fifty boats, with three hundred and fifty sailors will be participating in this year's race. While the boat's span from thirty-two to eighty feet in length, they are balanced by an ORR (Offshore Racing Rule) handicap, so that everyone has an equal opportunity to win.

Many of the participants in this race live in New England and Long Island, but many also travel from as far as Chesapeake, VA to attend this race. The age range for participants is between thirty-three and seventy-eight, with a median age of forty-eight. There will be six boats racing out of the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, which was built in 1872 and is one of the oldest clubs in the Country. The boats and skippers are; Kathleen, with skipper Jim Feeney, Vivaldi, with skipper Gian Luca Fiori, Corsair, with skipper David Risch, Galileo, with skipper Stefano Pachini, Nigtwind, with skipper Tom Bowler and Freestyle, with skipper Don Cody.

The sailor's and their families begin arriving in Marion about a week or so before the race is to start. Many residents of Marion graciously open their homes to house these visitors during their time here, and the local Bed and Breakfasts are utilized as well.

The festivities for this year's race begin on Wednesday, June 17 with the Beverly Yacht Club hosting a Bermudian Welcome dinner and dancing. On Thursday, June 18, the Beverly Yacht Club hosts the Goslings Dark and Stormy Party, which is for the captains and crew. This year, for the first time, the Honorable Ewart F. Brown, Premier of Bermuda, will be attending the festivities on Thursday, and then seeing the boats off on Friday morning.

According to Raymond Cullum, Marketing Chairman for the Marion-Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, there are about 10 significant Ocean races in the World, and the Marion-Bermuda Race is one of them. This race is considered an ISAF category 1, with the only category higher being a race around the World.

Mr. Cullum described his experience racing, as he has been participating in the Marion-Bermuda Race since 1999. "It's a terrific race, and I really like that it's family oriented." He explained that while this is a fun and exciting experience, it is also strenuous. Offshore sailing presents many challenges, and adding the pressure of racing can tucker out the best of them. The atmosphere before the race begins is one of serious preparation and anticipation, which changes drastically once the sailors have made it to Bermuda, where they can finally relax and reminisce.

This year's race can be tracked online, at www.iboattrack.com. There will be large monitors set up for public viewing at the Royal Hamilton Dinghy Club in Bermuda.

After the race is complete, and all the boats have arrived at their destination, there are activities at the Dinghy Club and the New Flip-Flop Bar and Grill, with entertainment provided for sailors, family and friends. The award ceremony will be held the following Saturday at the Royal Navy Dockyards.

By Sarah K. Taylor

4 feedbacks » • Permalink

12:43:12 am Marion Appoints Thomas Joyce Interim Fire Chief

Categories: Marion

At midnight on June 13, 2009 Thomas Joyce officially retired as Chief of the Wareham Police Department, and one minute later he took the helm as Interim Fire Chief for the town of Marion.

During a special meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen held on Wednesday, June 10 the board discussed the need to appoint an Interim Chief for the Marion Fire Department. After considerable discussion it was moved by Mr. Blanchette and seconded by Mr. Cushing to appoint Thomas Joyce of Wareham to the position of Interim Fire Chief. The Board stressed the need to appoint a person on an interim basis who has experience both as a firefighter and as an administrator. It was the consensus of the Board that Mr. Joyce best fit that need. Mr. Henry joined his colleagues in support and the appointment was unanimous. Joyce has been with the Wareham Police Department for 39 years and with the Onset Fire Department for 37 years.

When asked about his retirement from the Wareham Police Department Joyce stated that, "the political issues had started to affect his family and the situation was not very effective for the Police Department or town." He mentioned that he was already a year past maxing out his retirement, so his departure did not impact his retirement plans.

Joyce will be serving as Interim Fire Chief while the Marion Selectmen and Town Administrator put together a plan for hiring the next Fire Chief. When asked if he would apply to fill the position Joyce stated that taking a full time chief's position would negatively impact his retirement funding and that he, "cares deeply about the fire service and hopes to work with the town to best determine the needs for the position."

This past Sunday a meeting was held with the entire fire department to begin the transition. Joyce said the enthusiastic and professional staff that exists impressed him, and he hopes to build on the excellent reputation of the Marion Fire Department. "Members of the department are always volunteering to help and constantly working around at the station. I want everyone in Marion to know what an excellent and dedicated staff they have here," said Chief Joyce.

Joyce stated that his main goal is to, "work with the staff to develop a stable base for a new Chief to step onto when the time comes."

By Paul Lopes

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:42:48 am Special Flag Raising at Sippican Healthcare

Categories: Marion

A special ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at the Sippican Healthcare Center in Marion to commemorate the flying of an American flag that was raised at the White House for fifteen minutes on May 8, 2009. The flag was given to Sippican Healthcare Center by the Office of Rep. Barney Frank in New Bedford.

Kenneth F. Cegelski, the Administrator of the Sippican Healthcare Center, stood before the residents, staff and volunteers of the Center to share the thanks not only for the flag, but for the veterans as well.

"Today, we are celebrating a very special gift: this American flag," said Mr. Cegelski. "This flag is flown in the honor of the veteran residents of the Sippican Healthcare Center. We would also like to thank the members of the Benjamin D. Cushing VFW Post #2425 here in Marion, who were instrumental in organizing this event with us."

After hearing Marion resident George DeCosta sing "The Star Spangled Banner," Mr. Cegelski said, "I consider myself a very patriotic man and every time I hear our National Anthem played, it brings a tear to my eye. On behalf of the residents and staff, we are honored to accept this gift, which is a symbol of freedom, liberty and justice that our veterans have fought so hard for, so that all of us can enjoy the freedom of living here in the United States of America."

The men who raised the flag were volunteers to the Center who were veterans as well. Demi Barrows served in the Navy SeaBees in the Vietnam War, John Robarge served in the Air Force 5th Tactical Division in the Vietnam War, Gardner McWilliams served in the 245th Tank Batallion in the Korean War, and Leroy Jackson served in the Army in the 707 Ordinance of the 7th Infantry Division. A reception for the residents, staff and volunteers of the Center was held after the flag was raised and an American flag cake was served.

By Adam Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

11:07:45 am Marion Appoints Thomas Joyce Interim Fire Chief

Categories: Marion

During a special meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen held on Wednesday, June 10 at 4:30pm the Selectmen met in executive session to discuss collective bargaining agreements for the town. At the conclusion of the executive session the board discussed the need to appoint an Interim Chief for the Marion Fire Department. After considerable discussion it was moved by Mr. Blanchette and seconded by Mr. Cushing to appoint Thomas Joyce of Wareham to the position of Interim Fire Chief. The Board stressed the need to appoint a person on an interim basis who has experience both as a firefighter and as an administrator. It was the consensus of the Board that Mr. Joyce best fit that need. Mr. Henry joined his colleagues in support and the appointment was unanimous. Thomas Joyce served as Police Chief in Wareham and he is also a firefighter in Onset.

Also discussed was the shortfall in the funding for the upcoming July 4th fireworks, which will be held on July 3rd. Currently there is a deficit of about $15,000. The Board has requested to meet with the Finance Committee and with the Fireworks Committee at the Selectmen's meeting to be held on June 16.

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:03:50 am Robbins Turns Down Interim Chief's Position

Categories: Marion

Marion Selectmen's Meeting - June 2, 2009

A regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:00 pm by Selectman Roger Blanchette on Tuesday, June 02, 2009. Also in attendance were Selectman Stephen Cushing, Town Administrator Paul F. Dawson and Assistant Town Administrator Helene Craver. Selectman Jonathan Henry was not in attendance due to health problems. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved at 7:02 pm.

The Board approved five Action Items. The first is granting a one-day, all-alcohol license to the VFW Post #2425 on Saturday, June 20, 2009. The second was the final reading of the water commitment, which was valued at $603.85. The third was three credit memos, valued at $115.47, $487.55 and $575. The fourth was the request from Town Administrator Dawson to carry over ten vacation days into the Fiscal Year of 2010. The fifth item was to appoint Michael Botelho as Assistant Warden of Elections.

Due to the retiring of Marion Fire Chief Richard Guerzoni, the Town named Steven Robbins as Interim Fire Chief. Mr. Robbins has declined the role, after a "lot of soul-searching," according to Selectman Blanchette. Alan Denham is next in line to fill the role of Fire Chief, although nothing official has been announced. Mr. Dawson said, "Steve's love is as a firefighter," and "The Chief commands a different role than a firefighter."

Bids were submitted from two different companies for the Harbormaster workboat contract. A company from Ontario, Canada submitted a bid of $61,856, while a Washington-based company placed their bid at $108,645. Mr. Dawson said he would be in touch with the Canadian company soon.

The Board began their correspondence session by announcing that the dog owner involved in the dog bites on November 4, 2008 at the Point Road Playground has been identified. The owner has been told not to bring her dogs back to the playground. A letter submitted by Marion resident Holly Ainslie was discussed. Ms. Ainslie has asked the Board to consider changing the policy on when even numbered houses are allowed to water their yards during the summer. The Board said that they will consult with the Town Water Commission and will discuss this further at the next meeting.

Richard Arthur, of 17 Moorings Road, Marion has asked the Board to be appointed to be on the Cemetery Commission. Selectman Blanchette said that "Richard is one of the most respectable residents in Marion" and the Board plans to add his appointing to the Action Items at the next Selectman's Meeting. At the next meeting, the Board will announce their decision if William A. Jones will become a member of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals. The Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Robert Wedge, has recommended him.

The Board agreed to follow the recommendation of the Marion Sewer Department and allow for the amount of $3,275.42 to taken off of the water bill of Frederick and Judy Jones, of 84 Converse Road. A pipe burst in their home in January, which they don't live in during the winter, and they felt they had made every necessary precaution to avoid this from happening.

The Meeting adjourned at 7:55 pm. An Executive Session was held after the Meeting to discuss contract negotiations for non-union personnel and to discuss town-owned property.

By Adam Silva

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:03:14 am Outrageous Animals Visit Sippican School

Categories: Marion

On Friday, May 29, Jim Fowler, host of Mutual of Omaha's Animal Kingdom visited the Sippican Elementary School. Mr. Fowler brought with him a variety of animals. The children weren't told what types of animals to expect, and there was a hushed excitement as they were taken into the auditorium. Many large boxes and crates with air-holes surrounded the stage-area, where Mr. Fowler and Grant Kemmerer, another animal man, sat waiting for the show to begin.

Local representative for Mutual of Omaha, Andy Rodriguez of Rochester, introduced Mr. Fowler and Mr. Kemmerer. Mr. Fowler began by heightening the crowd's excitement with "I have worked with animals all over the world. You're going to see some things that are a little unusual." He then explained to the children about the importance of forests and why outdoor sports such as camping, hiking and fishing shouldn't be regarded as scary activities, but rather that once you know about different animals, they become less scary. He said that "animals don't want to hurt us."

Mr. Fowler told stories to the children about working with tigers, and how once a person has worked with a tiger they will "never forget it and they will help save it." He talked about an eighteen foot snake he once forgot in a hotel room, and a cheetah named Arthur who would fall asleep in the back of his station wagon. He recalled a time where he spoke to an audience of fourteen hundred 4th graders and to capture their attention he put hissing cockroaches into his pocket, only to discover one forgotten there later at a fancy dinner party.

The children listened intently, but also seemed more and more excited to see what exactly was in those boxes.

The first animal to appear was a five pound Marine toad from South America. This toad was bigger than any I'd ever seen.

After the toad came a snake-necked turtle. This turtle's neck was long and curved and instead of retracting its head into its body, it curved around next to its shell. The snake-necked turtle comes from Asia, New Guinea and Hawaii.

The next animal was a two-week old ground-hog named Chip. This sweet little animal entertained the children by drinking from an itty-bitty bottle, and a volunteer from the audience was allowed to feed him. Chip is on his way to becoming a movie star, as he will be in an opening shot of a film starring Brendan Fraser next year.

Right after this sweet image came a much bigger animal, a long and large anaconda snake. Seven children came to the front to hold the snake and "stretch it out" for everyone to see. After the children were sent back to their seats, Mr. Fowler asked that the students choose three teachers to put the snake back into its box. Amazingly, four teachers appeared to gently lift the giant snake back into its temporary living quarters.

Another two-week old animal, a baby African Crested Porcupine, appeared after the snake. While tiny now, it will eventually grow to be as big as a dog.

The final two animals were a giant Eagle Owl and a tiny, four year old alligator. Both creatures continued to mesmerize the students.

Mr. Fowler finished his animal presentation by talking about what it meant to be a spokesperson for the natural world, and how the children can learn to care for the outdoors. His ultimate goal in being here in Marion, and in his work every day, is to encourage communication. As long as we're thinking and talking about the animals, we will continue to do our best to protect them.

By Sarah K. Taylor

Send feedback » • Permalink

10:25:20 am Marion Fire Chief Announces Retirement

Categories: Marion

During a special meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen held on Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 4:30pm Fire Chief Richard Guerzoni announced that he would be retiring effective at the end of his shift on Friday, May 29th. Until the position is filled permanently, the Selectmen have appointed Captain Steven Robbins as Interim Fire Chief.

According to Town Administrator Paul Dawson exact details of how the town will go about searching for a new Fire Chief have not yet been put together as there are many details that will need to be worked out. Dawson also said the he and the Board, "are grateful to the Chief for his many years of service to the town."

When asked about his sudden decision to retire, Chief Guerzoni only comment was, “I’ve just decided to retire.”

Send feedback » • Permalink

12:36:26 am Unsung Heroes - Sixteenth Annual Wanderer Keel Awards

Categories: Marion

The Wanderer is once again pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of our sixteenth annual "Wanderer Keel Awards." This yearly community service honor, which is presented to one resident from each of the three central towns in our circulation area, is given to those who have contributed in some way to the overall benefit of the community, either directly to town residents, or indirectly through efforts in promoting town activities, or working to keep the wheels of local government well-oiled. The only restriction is that these persons cannot benefit from their efforts in any other way, either financially or politically (hence, sitting elected officials are not eligible).

In doing this each year, we hope to applaud those who are rarely recognized for their countless hours of service and focus on the many people "behind the scenes" who remain otherwise anonymous but provide crucial support to many town functions. Like the keel of a ship which keeps the vessel from capsizing, the recipients of the Annual Wanderer Keel Award are recognized for their stalwart efforts in keeping their respective community on an "even keel." We hope you'll join us in congratulating this year's recipients and celebrating their contributions to the tri-town communities.

* 2009 MATTAPOISETT KEEL AWARD: Dr. David Spenser Jenney, Beacon St.

Born and raised in Mattapoisett, Dr. David Jenney returned to his hometown upon his retirement, after a long and distinguished career as a mechanical e