Free Job Coaching Sessions at the Mattapoisett Library

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Looking to change careers or to get back into the workforce? Executive coach Debbie Pickup is offering free one-on-one sessions over six weeks at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library.  Interested persons can sign up to meet for resume assistance, interview skill-building, and other career support by calling the library at 508-758-4171 or emailing spizzolato@sailsinc.org. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 pm beginning on January 7. Sign up for one or more sessions and receive discreet support and skill building to meet your career goals.

            Debbie Pickup has an extensive background in healthcare, human resources, and coaching. As a career coach, Debbie has helped individuals align their professional goals with personal values by building awareness and creating action plans that deliver results. Her coaching style is that of an objective listener who provides straightforward feedback encouraging individuals to view things differently in support of their goals and strategy for change. She holds a Master’s of Science degree in Management and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Salve Regina University in Newport. She was certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources and is a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner.

Making it an Early New Year’s Eve

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            Some of us stay up till midnight to ring in the New Year and some of us don’t. And the general pattern of the New Year life cycle is a seemingly common one.

            When we are very young, try as we might, the odds of making it to midnight on New Year’s Eve are against us. A little older and perhaps none the wiser, staying up until midnight is not only easy, but also fun! Welcome a baby or two into the family and nothing is worth losing precious sleep over. After a few more years, staying up for the countdown – however physically possible – often feels far too overrated. Then comes a point when it starts getting harder and harder to make it to midnight even when we want to.

            Few are the years in life when making it to midnight on New Year’s Eve is both possible and practical. This might be why these midday mock-midnight New Year’s Eve-Day parties are catching on.

            At midday at the stroke of 12:00 pm, there were at least two places in the Tri-Town holding a celebratory space for the populations that find it the hardest to stay awake to welcome the New Year: those who’ve experienced the fewest years, and those who’ve racked up the most.

            At the Elizabeth Taber Library on December 31, Children’s Librarian Rosemary Grey welcomed the youngest partygoers to a festive gathering in the children’s room with party hats and tiaras, horns, prize poppers, cookies, and a little bubbly apple juice for a “pretend it’s midnight” party.

            “Come on in; we’re having a party!” said Grey as she welcomed the steady trickling-in of guests.

            It was an intimate assembly of half-a-dozen little girls and their parents and grandparents who enjoyed some coloring, puzzles, snacks, and some books, of course.

            After a few first lessons in celebratory horn blowing, everyone gathered around the big screen for a visual countdown to the start of the unofficial 2020 New Year.

            Over in Rochester, the Council on Aging hosted its annual New Year’s Eve-Day party at the Senior Center where guests enjoyed their own version of a mock-midnight party with Chinese takeout, a round of non-alcoholic bubbly, and a barrage of noisemaker clatter all their own.

By Jean Perry

Indicted Refuse Director Ray Pickles Dies

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Former executive director of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District and Marion’s former executive secretary, town clerk, assessor, and building commissioner Ray Pickles died on December 20 just two days after turning 86, according to an obituary posted by Bartlett Funeral Home.

            Pickles was facing criminal charges that stemmed from his role as the executive director for the Carver/Marion/Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, a position he held for 28 years.

            The board that oversees the CMWRRDD terminated Pickles’ employment in February 2018 after a number of financial inconsistencies surfaced, which was followed by a civil lawsuit alleging that Pickles had stolen over $800,000 since 2012.

            Pickles was indicted by a grand jury on March 18, 2019, and charged with six counts of Grand Larceny for allegedly stealing $675,000, punishable by up to five years in state prison, a fine of up to $25,000, or imprisonment in jail for up to two years.

            Pickles was to face a trial by a jury of his peers beginning on February 24, 2020.

            A representative from Attorney General Maura Healy’s office told The Wanderer on December 30 that the office is aware of Pickles’ passing and is currently reviewing the case. The process will involve an official filing of Pickles’ death certificate with the court and will likely result in the eventual dismissal of the charges.

            Criminal charges against former Carver Health Agent and former CMWRRDD Board Chairman Robert Tinkham, Jr., however, will still move ahead.

            Tinkham faces one count of Grand Larceny and one count of Presentation of False Claims.

            Pickles is survived by how wife, Diane Bondi-Pickles, 67, who is also named as a defendant in the CMWRRDD’s civil suit.

            Bondi-Pickles was listed as the president of the now-defunct Moss Hollow Management, Inc., the corporate entity under which Pickles operated and was paid since 2000, even after June of 2017 when it was involuntarily dissolved by the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division.

            As far as the CMWRRDD Board’s civil suit against Pickles, Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 228, Section 7 states that if a defendant in a personal action dies before final judgment, “…the action may be prosecuted by the surviving… defendant, as the case may be. If all… defendants die, the action may be… defended by or against the executor or administrator of the last surviving… defendant, respectively.”

            Pickles, a Marion resident, was still serving as town clerk when the civil suit was filed, and the Board of Selectmen asked Pickles to resign from his town clerk position back in April 2019 after criminal charges were filed.

            Town Meeting subsequently voted to de-fund the town clerk position for the 2020 fiscal year, and Pickles eventually resigned on September 3, 2019, due to health issues.

By Jean Perry

Route 6 Corridor Study Meeting

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The Southeastern Regional Planning Economic Development District (SRPEDD) will hold a public session to present and discuss the completed traffic analysis and gather input from Marion residents and business owners on possible designs and future improvements for the Route 6 corridor. The meeting will be held on January 6 at 6:00 pm in the Sippican School Auditorium, 16 Spring Street in Marion.

            The study, initiated by Marion’s Transportation and Circulation Task Force, in cooperation with the towns of Marion, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Wareham and MassDOT District 5, is examining the existing conditions on Route 6 and determining what future improvements can be considered for a safer and more inviting roadway for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists.

            The Route 6 corridor runs approximately 13 miles from Route 240 in Fairhaven to High Street in Wareham. 

            Phase 2 of the Route 6 study, which focused on possibilities for future improvement, is now complete. The design alternatives will attempt to balance the need to accommodate future traffic and improve safety while providing better features and safer access for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

            Phase 1, which collected data on existing conditions and gathered general input from community members regarding their concerns, was completed in November 2018.

            For more information on the project, please visit the Town of Marion’s website or the SRPEDD Route 6 Corridor Study Home Page.

Mattapoisett Recreation Winter Program Openings

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There are still openings in the following MATTREC programs starting after the new year.

            Finger Knitting on Tuesdays at Center School starting February 4, is open to Grades 1-6.  Yoga on Thursdays at Center School open to Grades K-3 starts January 9. Author’s Workshop is on Tuesdays at Center School and begins on January 7. Center School Robotics is on Thursday afternoons and OHS Robotics is on Tuesdays – both have limited spots available. A new program, Creative Clay, is on Mondays at Center School and is open to Grades K-3 starting January 13. More information and online registration is available at www.mattrec.net

Tri-Town: A Year in Headlines…

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            Another year has passed and everything in Tri-Town – the streets, the houses, the historic landmarks, trees, and the residents – is another year older. On the personal level, our year ultimately unfolded in uniquely different ways from one another’s, making for a 2019 that is as individual as we each are.

            Then there is the collective year we share as a community – which, again, is unique to each of the three towns given how distinctively different Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester are from each other. But, as a Tri-Town, inextricably linked by its common history originating from the one Old Rochester, there is another level of a shared collective experience.

            At the end of every year, we review every edition of The Wanderer to revisit the last 12 months and recall the events that defined a year. Having said that, Tri-Town: behold your 2019…

Marion

            “Marion Designated as Green Community”: Marion entered the New Year a little greener and with $132,672 more in funds to pursue further energy-saving endeavors.

            “Developer Sues Over Solar Farm Denial”: The denial of a solar farm at 78 Wareham Road in 2018 came back to haunt the Planning Board for the first half of 2019 after solar developer ZPT Energy Solutions LLC filed a complaint with the Land Court.

            Marion’s solar bylaw gave no clear definition to the phrase “large-scale” when it comes to the clear-cutting of trees. ZPT’s argued the clear-cutting of 86 percent of the land did not constitute large-scale. That suit was later dropped, which segues us to our next headline:

            “Solar Farm denial Clears the Way for Second 40B”: Developer Ken Steen seized on the opportunity to take 78 Wareham Road and create a second 40B community in Marion, a project that is nearing completion in the state permitting process and is slated to enter the local permitting process in 2020.

            “Capital Project Faces Potential $1 Million Shortfall”: Marion faced some tough financial challenges this year: first with its engineer, CDM Smith, announcing a significant shortfall in the financing of the estimated $2.5 million wastewater lagoon project to the tune of $1,135,000. That estimated shortfall turned out to be way off once bids came in for the project. The lowest bid came in at $4,668,000, which was double CDM Smith’s shortfall estimate.

            To say the selectmen were displeased would be an understatement. During a February 19, the board signed a strongly-worded letter to the engineering firm, and then later went face to face with reps from CDM Smith with its displeasure while the engineers apologized.

            “Town Stuck with Failing Trash Truck”: For the first half of 2019, Marion scurried to find a solution to its curbside trash truck that seemed like it was always breaking down and costing the town tens of thousands in futile repairs. The town was faced with very few options as the certainty of the future of its regionalized trash district hung in limbo: keep slogging by with an aging truck, buy a new truck, or just pay someone else with their own trucks to haul the town’s trash away. Town Meeting voters opted for option 3, and eventually signed on with Waste Management. After a slow start, the social media outrage of residents finally seems to be dying down as we enter 2020.

            “Town Clerk Indicted on Criminal Larceny Charges”: After the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District filed a civil suit against its former executive director Ray Pickles, who also served as the town clerk until his resignation on September 3, it was only a matter of time before criminal charges followed. Pickles was indicted by a grand jury in March on six counts of Grand Larceny. Pickles pleaded ‘not guilty’.

            The sad end to Pickles’ ordeal comes with another headline in this edition of The Wanderer: “Indicted Refuse Director Ray Pickles Dies”.

            “TA Postpones Retirement as Finalists Drop Out”: He was supposed to be out of there by March 15, but Town Administrator Paul Dawson stuck it out long enough for the selectmen to appoint his successor after the two finalists both dropped out of the running right before their final interviews in March.

            Selectmen picked James “Jay” McGrail in April while Dawson assisted him until McGrail’s first official day on the job: the May 13 Annual Town Meeting.

            “Marion Moves to Dispose of Regional Trash District”: With a bleak future for the CMWRRDD, Marion started planning its ‘Mexit’ for 2020 by asking Special Town Meeting voters in October to allow that process to proceed. Voters agreed it was the right thing to do. Marion is in negotiations with the CMWRRDD over Mexit conditions.

            “Recreational Cannabis Proposal Presented”: Will this be the newest headline hot topic for Marion in 2020? A group of entrepreneurs attended the Board of Selectmen’s final meeting of 2019 with a proposal for a recreational adult-use marijuana dispensary at the site of the former Christie’s on Route 6.

Mattapoisett

            “Engineering Begins for New Fire House”: The Town chose its engineer in January to construct the new fire station and the associated work for the new site on Route 6 beside the police station. Voters approved a $9.25 million debt exclusion, and the town hopes to break ground in March of 2020.

            “Gagne Announces Retirement”: Town Administrator Michael Gagne announced on February 26 that he would be retiring on October 15, 2019. Unfortunately for Gagne, he’ll still be the Mattapoisett town administrator when the clock hits midnight on New Year’s Eve and into the second month of 2020, when the town will finally select his replacement.

            The first round of resumes proved unsuccessful for the search committee, which ultimately had to hire an experienced municipal recruiter to help the town secure some quality candidates, which leads us to our next headline:

            “Macallister Resigns, Applies for Town Administrator Job”: This one is pretty self-explanatory, although he, like everyone else, will have to go through the hiring process led by the same consultant that assisted Marion in its search for a new TA, Bernie Lynch.

            “Marijuana Cultivation Proposed for Mattapoisett”: Two business partners went before the Planning Board in March seeking to establish a marijuana growing facility on Industrial Drive. The business proposal included a clause for wholesale sales.

            The cultivation and commercial sale of recreational adult-use cannabis-containing products is prohibited in Mattapoisett, so Gagne stated that the bylaw would have to be amended. Voters at the May 13 Annual Town Meeting rejected an article to allow recreational marijuana, and then again rejected the notion during a Special Town Meeting on November 4 to allow the cultivation of recreational marijuana.

            “Groundbreaking Marks Start of Bike Path Project”: Dozens arrived at the end of Reservation Road on April 25 to witness the ceremonial groundbreaking of Phase 1B of the Mattapoisett Bike Path, which adds an additional 1.28 miles to the existing bike path.

            The headline “Solar Array Planned for Bowman Road” from the August 26 Conservation Commission meeting looked promising for solar developer NextGrid, LLC, especially after it received the commission’s approval to move forward. But after a Zoning Board of Appeals denial on November 21, the most current headline from December is “Solar Developer Sues Mattapoisett ZBA Over Denial”.

Rochester

            “Rumors Prompt Info Session on Pending 40R Housing”: Rochester started the year 2019 with a new word in its local lexicon: 40R.

            Referred to as a “friendly 40B,” resident concerns (and subsequent rumors) about an overwhelming influx in population led to a public info session on January 3, 2019, when public officials and citizens were introduced to developer Ken Steen and his plan for a 208-unit residential development on Cranberry Highway.

            The 40R is different from a 40B in that the town, in addition to being included in the planning process throughout permitting, is eligible to receive funding to reimburse the town for increasing demands on municipal services such as police and fire and schools.

            The development will include affordable housing, which will put Rochester above the state-mandated 10 percent affordable housing minimum, a deterrent for any potential 40B developments. 

            As 2019 came to a close, Steen presented his project to the Conservation Commission at its final meeting of the year, and he expects to officially file with the Planning Board within the first few weeks of 2020.

            “Solar to Replace Appealed Farmers Market Project”: Instead of a farmer’s market and café on a piece of Craig Canning’s massive swath of agricultural land on Marion Road, Rochester found itself having to welcome another solar farm into the neighborhood.

            A contentious appeal process with a resistant abutter cast a permanent shadow on Canning’s first project, prompting him to look to the sun to brighten his economic horizon.

            After many months, the 4-megawatt solar array farm received final approval before tearing the final page from the 2019 calendar.

            “’Prize Patrol’ Surprises Local Sweepstakes Winner”: 2019 was unforgettable for Rochester resident John Hall who experienced what we would all love to have happen to us one day – opening the door to a camera crew behind a smiling well-dressed man holding out a giant $50,000 check written in your name. Yes, it’s true – it does sometimes pay to enter into the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. Just ask John Hall!

            “Weigel Sworn-in as First Full-time Fore Chief”: Rochester continues to grow, which is why Fire Chief Scott Weigel officially went from part-time status to full-time on May 6. He was sworn-in by the town clerk during a Board of Selectmen meeting and then escorted off to celebrate with the sirens and lights of accompanying fire trucks.

            “Massive Solar Farms in Rochester Pipeline”: To the dismay of many Rochester residents, it looks like 2020 will be another productive year for solar energy proliferation.

            Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson explained on December 9 that 60 of 100 acres will be clear-cut to make way for a 10-megawatt solar farm, a project that is slated as number one of five that are in the works for 2020.

            The five large-scale solar farms will be almost completely contiguous across hundreds of acres spanning along Braley Hill Road from Tabor Lane to Featherbed Lane and all the way across to Snipatuit Road abutting Trailside Estates.

The Tri-Town

            “EEE Threat Incites Concern, Spraying“: The critical risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis affected us all during the second half of the summer of 2019 and throughout the fall until that first major frost. The EEE threat canceled some of the highlighting annual summer events, such as the Marion Town Party and the evening events at the Rochester Country Fair, which was shortened considerably.

            The first human case of EEE was in Rochester in early August, which heightened the awareness and severity of the EEE situation for the Tri-Town, particularly.

            The EEE prognosis for 2020 isn’t looking any better, either, so we should expect some similar occurrences and upsets this summer – but hopefully without any further victims.

            “Selectmen Ready to Talk T.U.R.F.”: The T.U.R.F. ORR athletic field upgrade project conversation was reignited early in 2019, well ahead of the three town meetings. The project garnered minimal support from the finance committees, boards of selectmen, and town administrators from each of the towns, but a downscaled version of the project that included new stage lighting for the auditorium won the support of the town meeting voters in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester. The prospect of the project coming to fruition seemed within reach when Mattapoisett and Marion voters at the polls threw their support behind the project; alas, Rochester voters rejected the project during their July 10 special election in a 575-689 vote.

            The superintendent for the four Tri-Town school districts announced that this would be his final school year before he retires in June of 2020. The school committees have united to get the process of finding a new superintendent going with a timeline that will hopefully result in a final candidate come March.

            “Tri-Town Teen Nicotine Withdrawal Prompts Concern”: Teen electronic cigarette use increased everywhere in the country, including in the Tri-Town. But when suspected vaping-induced lung diseases started to go up, Governor Charlie Baker responded by banning all e-cigarette and vaping products in the state. Marion Public Health Nurse Kathleen Downey sounded the alarm about teen nicotine withdrawal happening in the region after she said parents had started calling her with their own concerns about kids and nicotine withdrawal in light of the diminished supply of vape products.

            The e-cigarette ban persists into 2020, although some regulated THC-containing vape product sales have been allowed to resume.

By Jean Perry

ORRJH Students of the Month

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Silas D. Coellner, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announces the following Students of the Month for November 2019:

            •Green Team: Cattarinha Nunes and Andrew Porter

            •Orange Team: Hanna Whalley and Felix Watt

            •Blue Team: Colton Churchill and Katherine McIlmail

            •Red Team: Patricia Spillane-Frates and Nicholas Huaco

            •Special Areas: Ella Charron and Nolan Bushnell

Young Players Lead OC Girls Basketball

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Old Colony girls basketball is once again leaning on its youth.

            Three players. That’s all Old Colony varsity girls basketball has leftover from its 2018-19 team: Savanna Halle, Isabel Souza, and senior captain Kat Kirby. Lauren McGowan, Hannah L’Heureux, Lauren Patnaude, and Mackenzie Vieiraare all gone, leaving Old Colony coach Craig Lincoln to look to players from last year’s junior varsity team, as well as freshmen, to help carry the load.

            “We’ve always been young and small. No different this year,” he said. “We’re taking our early-season growing pains.”

            But Lincoln still has his captain, Kirby, who he can lean on. From the start, the senior has helped show Old Colony’s younger players how to approach things the right way.

            “She’s made the transition from a great volleyball season,” Lincoln said. “Like Savanna, she was at all the pre-season conditioning workouts and all that stuff and doing what she needs to do to lead the new group.”

            In the early going, Lincoln has turned to three freshmen. Hailey Hathawayand Olivia Perryare starting guards for the Cougars, while Allison Bumpusis making contributions off the bench.

            Through the first three games of the year, Hathaway has caught Old Colony’s opposition off guard. She leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game, while Halle is second (9.7), Kirby is third (7.3) and Souza is fourth (4.0).

            But all three freshmen still have plenty to learn. Luckily for the trio, Lincoln is used to working with freshmen at the varsity level.

            “As a coach, it’s about being patient and letting them understand how we run things within the program, and what’s expected at the high school level. How it’s a little different than playing youth basketball and AAU even is different from what we do,” Lincoln said. “So, getting them systematically ready for our program and letting them understand how we’re going to run things and how every day works. And it’s difficult sometimes because they’re used to doing things a certain way and we’re trying to break them into the Old Colony way.”

            And Lincoln has no doubt his new additions to the varsity squad, which also include Katherine Ashleyand Dakota Richard, will grow and understand the system, based on what he has seen to this point in the year.

            “I’m pleased with where we’re at so far in the season,” Lincoln said. “We’re just going to keep working. As long as they keep showing up with an open mind and great effort every day, we’ll be where I want by the end of the season.”

Tabor Academy

            Tabor Academy’s girls hockey took care of business at this year’s Taft tournament, surrendering only two goals in their four wins. Both goals came in the 6-2 win over the Taft school. The Seawolves also knocked off Phillips Andover academy 3-0, Coate Rosemary Hall 4-0 and Kent 2-0 in the final game of the tournament.

            Tabor remains undefeated at 8-0. They are off until January 11 when they host Williston Northhampton at Travis Roy Rink.

Old Rochester Regional

            Old Rochester Regional boys hockey dropped another tough game in their match-up against Bishop Stang. The Bulldogs, who co-op with Fairhaven, lost 6-0.

High School Sports Update

By Nick Friar

NBSO Presents All John Williams

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On Saturday, January 11, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Yaniv Dinur present All John Williams, a pops concert featuring the iconic music of one of the greatest film composers of our time. For over 60 years, the legendary John Williams has been writing unforgettable music for films such as Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and so many more. The NBSO will celebrate his genius in a live performance of some of the most recognizable and popular pieces from his more than 100 film scores. 

            The concert will take place on January 11 at 7:30 pm in the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in downtown New Bedford. Please join us before the performance for Music Director Yaniv Dinur’s pre-concert conversation at 6:30 pm in the Penler Space (adjoining The Z), free and open to the public. 

            Tickets are $10, $30, $55, $65 online at www.nbsymphony.org or through The Z box office, 508-994-2900; $5 tickets for children and students under age 22 are available at the box office. Convenient concert parking is available in the Z garage for a $4 cash fee. 

            The NBSO is a professional orchestra that annually presents a concert series of classical and pops music with internationally acclaimed guest artists, as well as an outstanding chamber music series. In addition, the NBSO’s innovative and nationally recognized educational programs reach 8,000 students each year. The NBSO is dedicated to building a community of music on the South Coast. Visit www.nbsymphony.org today!

Roseanne Pittsley

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Roseanne Pittsley, 57 of Bourne formerly of Marion passed away on Monday December 16, 2019. Roseanne was born in Wareham the daughter of the late Robert and Rose Marie (Masterson), Pittsley, Sr. She was the loving companion of Stephen Lussier of Bourne.

            She attended the Old Rochester Regional School District. She also enjoyed music, cats, birds and gaming. Rosanne was never afraid to get her hands dirty and was always ready to help repair any car.

            She was the mother of Kevin Pittsley of East Wareham, Timothy Pittsley of Wareham and Travis Pittsley of Bourne. She was the sister of Robert Pittsley, Jr. of Maine, Russell Pittsley of Marion, Raymond Pittsley of Marion and Ramona Pittsley. She was the grandmother of Riley Pittsley and she was also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

            A celebration of her life will be held at later date to be announced. To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit www.warehamvillagefuneralhome.com Arrangements by Wareham Village Funeral Home 5 Center Street Wareham, MA 02571.