MOSAC Makes Great Swamp Greater

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Almost half the land in Marion is protected land, and in and around that protected land are miles of trails that traverse some of the prettiest and most peaceful corners of the town.

The Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission sent two of its own over to the Great Swamp loop trail, also known as Mecke Woods, to clean up leftover storm debris and trim back the overgrowth from the roughly 1.2-mile loop and spur trail that meanders about the 75.57 acres of MOSAC-owned and managed land.

Usually only the sounds of squirrels scurrying beneath blueberry bushes and birds singing are heard echoing throughout the canopy of trees, but on the morning of Saturday, July 21, the noise of landscaping machinery interrupted the tranquility for a short spell as MOSAC Chairman John Rockwell and MOSAC member Alan Harris donated their sweat (and a few drops of blood to the mosquitos) and a few hours of their time to widen the way of the public land situated off Joanne Drive.

Acquired by the Town in the 1990s, MOSAC acquired some Community Preservation Act and state funds to spruce it up for folks, Rockwell said, “And we did some work to open it up and make it more accessible.”

The paths were overgrown, and a few trees had fallen across the way from the storms earlier this year, Harris explained, while giving his lawnmower a short break. “We want to make sure people can walk without collecting too many ticks,” said Harris.

Most of the trail is wide, open, and unobstructed by roots and rocks, making it perfect for runners, pets, families with children, and generally clumsy people to enjoy.

Those who turned out to help were treated to refreshments, including homemade gazpacho and Harris’ homemade sugarcoated donuts, which were worth every single calorie.

Parking for the trail is alongside Joanne Drive, located off Point Road. A trail map can be found by visiting www.marionma.gov/open-space-acquisition-commission and then by clicking on “Trail/Road Maps” on the menu to the left.

 

By Jean Perry

Rochester Council on Aging

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For the complete newsletter please visit us at 67 Dexter lane Rochester Ma, or visit us on our website at www.rochestermaseniorcenter.com. Also please don’t forget to follow us on Facebook by liking our page “Rochester Council on Aging” for weekly updates!

Friday’s Movie for August 3: “Where is Kira? – 2018; Rated R; Drama; Starring Michelle Pfeiffer & Keifer Sutherland.

For August we have a lot of upcoming trips so please sign up in advance for any of the trips to secure a spot on the van! A $5 donation is asked to ensure your spot on the van.

On Friday, August 3there will be a day trip to the Block Island Ferry, Point Judith, RI. Ferry cost is $22.75. Lunch will be on the island. The bus will leave at 8:00 am for 10:30 ferry. The bus will return around 5:30 pm

On Sunday, August 5there will be a day trip to the Charlestown, RI Seafood Festival with car show. The cost is $7. The bus will leave at 8:30 am and will return around 4:30 pm.

On Thursday, August 9the day trip is to Lights & Sights Cruises (14 Lighthouses and other sites) in New London, CT. The cost is $30. The cruise start at 12:30 pm and is a 2-hour cruise. The bus will leave at 8:30 am and will return around 5 pm.

We will be holding our annual Senior Picnic here at the senior center on Monday, August 1311:30 am to 2 pm. Lunch will be a buffet of BBQ items, salads, beans, and corn on the cob! Anyone is welcome, but you must sign up in advance so we can prepare enough for everyone.

Come try your luck on a Wednesday afternoons 12:30 pm – 3:00pm, or on Mondays 6 pm – 8:30 pm at the senior center with BINGO! Cards are 50 cents each; 25 cents per game. Prizes will be given out!

There is ZUMBA available on Wednesdays at 7 pm to 8 pm. Cost is $5 per person, payable directly to the instructor.

Calling all Scrabble players! Scrabble enthusiasts are playing every Tuesday morning at 9 am the senior center. Everyone is welcome to join!

SLT Summer Yoga Series at Brainard Marsh

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Sippican Lands Trust’s Summer Yoga returns to Brainard Marsh on Saturday, July 28starting at 10 am for three consecutive Saturdays. The event is free for members of the Sippican Lands Trust (SLT) and $10 for non-members. Please visit www.sippicanlandstrust.org to become an SLT member.

Marcia Hathaway will instruct the first yoga session at Brainard Marsh on Saturday, July 28and the last yoga session on Saturday, August 11. Marcia is a Level-1 Certified Reiki Practitioner, a certified Zumba instructor, and certified in Chi Running and Chi Walking. Marcia has been educating for over 36 years in everything from children’s fitness to Pilates to aqua aerobics.

Deb Fraine will lead the yoga session at Brainard Marsh on Saturday, August 4. Deb has been practicing yoga for 20 years and is a registered member of Yoga Alliance having completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa Flow Yoga with Donna Pagliarani.

Brainard Marsh is a 7-acre parcel of land located along Buzzards Bay in Marion and was donated to SLT by the Brainard Family. Brainard Marsh features a lovely meadow, pond, and small beachfront. Parking for Brainard Marsh is located near the corner of Bass Point Road and Delano Road (look for the Sippican Lands Trust’s Brainard Marsh sign). Parking is limited and please be careful while parking vehicle – better yet, ride your bike to Brainard Marsh and leave your car at home.

Bring your yoga mat, water, bug spray, sunscreen, and a friend, and enjoy some yoga on the beach this summer. If the event is canceled, information will be posted to SLT’s website and Facebook page. For directions or further information, visit sippicanlandstrust.org or call Sippican Lands Trust at 508-748-3080.

Rita (Esposito) Reynolds

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Rita (Esposito) Reynolds, 58, of Fairhaven passed away at home on Thursday July 19, 2018.

Born in Neptune, NJ, the daughter of Dolores J. (Morris) Cooley and the late Louis Esposito, she lived in Mattapoisett and Fairhaven for many years.

Rita had a great love for animals and enjoyed their love for her. She also liked sunning at the beach and being with friends and enjoyed activities around the house with her companion, Richard.

She is survived by her mother, Dolores; sons, Thomas J. Nicholas II and John J. Reynolds; her companion, Richard Stitt; her siblings, Linda Gencarelli, Louis Esposito, Teresa Pataky, and Mary Louise Hoak, and their spouses; and many nieces and nephews.

She was the sister of the late Joseph and Frank Esposito.

Her visitation will be held on Tuesday August 7, 2018 from 4-7 pm at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

She will be greatly missed by all.

Mary Elizabeth (Brown) Hickey

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Mary Elizabeth (Brown) Hickey of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, July 21, 2018 after a full life; she was 86. Mary “Lila” was born in Waltham, Massachusetts on August 19, 1931 to Edward and Margaret (Kelley) Brown; she was the second of ten children. Loving, patient and generous to many, Mary is survived by her children; Michael J. Hickey and wife Ruthann of Richland, Washington; James W. Hickey, Jr. of Portland, Oregon; Eileen M. Wall and husband Mike of Mattapoisett; Massachusetts, Cynthia L. Fox and husband Tim of Colorado Springs; Colorado, Carolyn F. Zaccardi of Wilmington, Massachusetts, Kathleen M. Panora of Mashpee, Massachusetts; Brian W. Hickey and wife Shari of Fort Myers, Florida; and Kevin M. Hickey and wife Joanne of Danville, VA; 20 grandchildren; her brothers and sisters, Edward Brown, Mark Brown, Margaret Vaughn, William Brown, Patricia Coyle, Virginia Delorey, John Brown, and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, sister Barbara Power and brother Michael Brown.

Along with being a wife and mother, Mary worked at New England Telephone, later AT&T. Mary was a Christian woman whose faith guided her life. She was a voracious reader, enjoyed being at the ocean, being with her family and a good cup of tea.

A Memorial Service will be celebrated at 10 am on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at Hope Evangelical Community Church, 88 Hathaway Rd., Dartmouth, MA. At her request, Mary’s ashes will be scattered. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to World Vision or Rock Creek Church in Portland, OR. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Marjorie H. (Cheltenham) Fairhurst

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Marjorie H. (Cheltenham) Fairhurst, 101, of Marion passed away Monday July 23, 2018. She was the wife of the late Robert H. Fairhurst.

Born in Boston, the daughter of the late Tolson Cheltenham and Ella (Reid) Boney, she lived in Newton, Waltham, and Needham, before moving to the New Bedford area in 2012.

Mrs. Fairhurst was formerly employed as a case worker for the Department of Public Welfare in Boston for 30 years. She was a member of the Second Church in Newton, where she was a member of the Ecumenical Group. She enjoyed gardening and vacationing at York Beach, Maine.

She is survived by her son Robert G. Fairhurst and his wife Rosalie Pina-Fairhurst of New Bedford, and several nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.

She was the sister of the late Edmund and Herbert Cheltenham, and Evelyn English.

Her Funeral Service will be held on Monday July 30, 2018 at 11 am at the Second Church in Newton, 60 Highland St., West Newton, with visitation at Church 10-11 am prior to the service. Burial will follow in Newton Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Alice G. (Muir) Giammalvo

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Alice G. (Muir) Giammalvo, 91, of New Bedford died July 25, 2018 peacefully at Sippican Healthcare Center.

She was the wife of the late James J. Giammalvo.

Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Philippe and Marianne (Boucher) Muir, she lived in New Bedford all of her life summering in Mattapoisett.

Mrs. Giammalvo was a communicant of Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.

She helped her late husband and her sons at the family business, Giammalvo’s Market.

Mrs. Giammalvo enjoyed entertaining family and friends at her summer home in Mattapoisett, crocheting, music and she had a wonderful sense of humor.

Her family would like to thank the staff at Sippican Healthcare Center for the wonderful care that Alice received.

Survivors include her 4 sons, Richard Giammalvo and his wife Lynette of Hawaii, Paul Giammalvo and his wife Susan of Dartmouth, Dennis Giammalvo and his wife Shirley of New Bedford and David Giammalvo of Mattapoisett; a daughter-in-law, Sandra Giammalvo of New Bedford; 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was the mother of the late James A. Giammalvo and the sister of the late Renee Muir, Henri Muir, Omer Muir, Armand Muir, Albert Muir, George Muir and Yvonne Audette.

Her Funeral will be held on Monday at 8 am from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by her Funeral Mass at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church at 9 am. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Visiting hours Sunday from 4-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the James A. Giammalvo Scholarship Fund. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdywer.com.

55+ Housing Hinges on Drainage Solution

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An age-restricted housing development slated for the vacant lot beside Plumb Corner Mall is essentially at a standstill after some drainage issues from 30 years ago resurfaced during a Conservation Commission meeting last month, and as Rochester Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson pointed out on July 24, “You guys are kind of stuck for the time being.”

As Attorney Peter Paul described the situation during an informal discussion with the board, the property is going to need some work before the subdivision can be finalized and the 55+ housing development built.

“It may seem like we’ve been dragging our feet on this, but there’s been lots of work trying to find a solution,” Paul said. The problem: “lack of cooperation” from the owner of Plumb Corner Mall, as Paul put it.

A pre-existing drainage issue originates on that property, Paul said, and the developer and his engineer are trying to come up with a cost-effective way of dealing with it, but as Paul reported to the board, “…She’s basically said, ‘I’m not gonna be part of the planning and solution – go ahead and fix it – and by the way, I don’t want to pay for it.’

“We need her input in order to get this job done,” said Paul.

The plan, though, will have to satisfy both the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission in order to proceed. For the Conservation Commission, an un-discharged Order of Conditions from about 30 years ago is still out there, which the developer knew nothing about when he began his plan for the housing development.

“We need a Certificate of Compliance to get this project back on track,” said Paul. “My client is willing to go the extra mile … halfway to help out with the cost – and [developer] Mike LaCava has been very cooperative … but we need some input from the owner of Plumb Corner in order to … make peace with [the Conservation Commission].”

According to Paul, the property owner of the land slated for subdivision, Gibbs Bray, wants to get this problem solved, get the subdivision built, and get the drainage fixed.

“As engineers, we’re sort of at a stalemate here,” said John Churchill of JC Engineering. For now, he was simply looking for guidance from the Planning Board on how to solve the problem of stormwater discharge being directed into an isolated wetland on the property. That solution could include catch basins and retention ponds along with a couple waivers from the board. But without permission from the Plumb Corner property owner, nothing like that can happen.

There wasn’t much input Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon could give the engineer either, she said, at least not without first presenting the new proposal to the commission.

“We can’t give you any advice on this for two reasons,” said Johnson. First, he said, the board’s peer review engineer can’t review a plan for someone else’s property. Second, it’s not their property and there is no written authority giving the engineer permission to devise a plan.

“You might as well be saying you’re talking about doing some work at Ben’s house right now,” said Johnson referring to board member Ben Bailey. “I will say that the cover’s off the box. It doesn’t matter whether or not your project happens or doesn’t happen,” Johnson said. That drainage will have to be addressed. Furthermore, the board has no money in an escrow account to pay their peer review engineer to look at it, “So he can’t work on that drainage thing until the applicant comes in, which is the person who owns that property,” Johnson clarified.

“You can’t back up stormwater onto someone else’s property, which essentially is what it is…. That’s something that we can’t even entertain,” said Johnson. “And we’re not gonna do easements – easements are a headache further down the road.”

“Convoluted and confusing” is how Johnson summarized the situation.

It’s unlikely that the developer will have a viable plan before the next meeting, so for now, the Planning Board will wait to hear whether Bray wants to start an escrow account in order to provide funding for the board’s engineer to review possible plans.

“That would actually keep the ball rolling on this while you work out the legal thing, because right now he owns that property,” suggested Johnson.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for August 14 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Planning Board

By Jean Perry

Young People’s Concert

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The Marion Concert Band continues its Friday evening concert series with a Young People’s Concert on Friday, July 27. The concert will include a euphonium soloist, as well as an opportunity for children in the audience to play rhythm instruments with the band and “guest conduct” the band. The program is as follows:

Children’s March – E. F. Goldman

Looney Tunes Overture – B. Holcombe

A Disney Spectacular – arr. J. Moss

Morceau Symphonique – A. Guilmant

Tobias Monte, euphonium

Pixar Movie Magic – arr. M. Brown

The Waltzing Cat – L. Anderson

Journey to the Lion’s Castle – R. Galante

The Thunderer – J. P. Sousa

The Candy Man (from Willie Wonka) – A. Newley

The Wizard of Oz Fantasy – H. Arlen

Walt Disney Overture – J. Christensen

Shrek Dance Party – arr. P. Murtha

Tobias Monte, euphonium soloist, has performed with the Massachusetts All-State Band, the UMass Dartmouth Wind Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra, the Tri-County Symphonic Band, and the New Bedford Symphony Youth Orchestra.  He has been a member of the Marion Concert Band since 2011.

The concert, under the direction of Tobias Monte, will begin at 7 pm at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand at Island Wharf off Front Street in Marion. All concerts are free and open to the public. “Like” us on Facebook at “Marion Town Band” for up-to-date announcements and rain cancellation notices.

Last Call for The Great Community Picnic

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Buy your table on or before Friday, July 27for The 3rdAnnual Great Community Picnic to be held on Thursday evening, August 2, from 5:30 to 8:30pm at Munro Preserve, adjacent to the Town Wharf.

Mattapoisett Land Trust and Mattapoisett Historical Society, the event hosts, will provide tables, chairs, tablecloths, and lighting. Bring your own food, utensils, and plates. Creatively transform your table with flowers, napkins, etc. There will be great live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and fresh local oysters. Tables are available for four ($100), six ($150), eight ($200), or 10 ($250) diners. Buy a table and invite your friends, or get your friends to pitch in for a fun and memorable event for the community. Time is limited – buy a table until Friday, July 27. Call the Mattapoisett Historical Society at 508-758-2844, or visit the Town Wharf General Store, 10 Water Street. Make plans now!