Tabor Academy

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To the Editor:

            Tabor Academy is reportedly on the verge (next month) of tearing down one of Marion’s most impressive and important historic homes after deliberately letting it run down since purchasing it in 2008. 192 Front Street was designed by one of America’s foremost architects and Marion summer resident, H.H. Richardson in 1881 for the Reverend Percy Browne. It was President Grover Cleveland’s first summer home in Marion. With this house, Richardson first reused the colonial style gambrel roof and “within three years the crumpled gambrel profile was showing up everywhere and became one of the notable features of Shingle Style architecture.” Entertainingly, the house was designed and built on a bet between Rev. Browne and Richardson that the latter couldn’t design and built a house for under $2,500. Reverend Browne lost the bet.

            Rather than tearing this historically and architecturally important family residence, Tabor Academy should be restoring it and making it a campus centerpiece reflecting the best tradition of educational teaching as well as an icon of good design and respect for our town’s history. 

            Disclaimer: All views expressed are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity whatsoever with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated.

            Respectfully,

William Neville Tifft

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wandererwill 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 Wandererreserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderermay choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wandererhas the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wandereralso reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Robert Leo Lynch, Sr.

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Robert Leo Lynch, Sr., 83, of Rochester, died Oct. 15, 2019 in St. Luke’s Hospital, New Bedford.

            He was born and raised in Medford, the son of the late William Vincent and Mary (Grady) Lynch. He made his home of 45 years in Rochester. He enjoyed summers on Martha’s Vineyard where he met and married his wife, Brenda.

            After service in the Air Force, Bob was employed as a construction laborer and a member of Local 385 in Fairhaven.

            He took great pleasure in gardening, fishing, camping and spending time with his beloved family in the hot weather.

            Survivors include his loving wife of 45 years, Brenda (Worden) Lynch; his son, Robert Lynch, Jr. and his wife Pamela of Swansea; his daughter, Sara Keville and her husband David of Braintree; his stepson, Richard Combra, Jr. and his wife Jennifer of Oak Bluffs; his stepdaughter, Abby Sage and her husband Christopher of Braintree; 10 beloved grandchildren, Kiera, Niamh, Cian, Sophie, Richie, Annie, Troy, Emma, Liam and Brendan; his youngest sister, Barbara and many nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Irene, Margaret, Billy, Dottie, Milly, Arthur, Johnny, Betty & Rosemary.

            Visiting hours are from 4 to 7 pm on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019 in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham.

            His funeral will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 at the funeral home. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne. For directions and online guestbook, visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com.

BOS Supports Buying New Harbormaster Boat

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            During the October 9 working meeting held by the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen, the necessity of buying a new harbormaster’s boat was discussed.

            Coming before Selectmen Paul Silva and Jordan Collyer was Mattapoisett Harbormaster Jay McIntosh who presented outlines on staffing and equipment needs now and into the future. But the big-ticket item, a new harbormaster’s boat, one that could more effectively handle the type of work and emergency activities encountered by McIntosh and his crew, was front and center.

            McIntosh said that after meeting with the Marine Advisory Board it was clear that issues around enforcing rules and regulations for boaters would be better served with more eyes out on the water during peak seasons and an “all hands-on deck” approach to ensuring that boaters are abiding by those rules. He said that the issue of wake created by boaters towing water skiers around an area – designated as “anchorage” by the U.S. Coast Guard – required the deployment of staff to those areas of concern. He noted that the current harbormaster’s boat was inefficient for most types of work, especially anything that required pulling items out of the water. This, he explained, was most problematic during rescue efforts.

            The boat McIntosh proposed is a 26-foot Stanley Bullnose boat that would feature twin engines, removal panels, and drop-down doors for hauling in accident victims or large items from the water. McIntosh said that Marion had such a boat and that he was familiar with the serviceability of the craft. According to McIntosh, with the type of weather Buzzards Bay is known for, twin engines are a must for power and back-up in the event one engine becomes disabled.

            Town Administrator Michael Gagne commented that with a new boat, the plan would include selling the current harbormaster’s boat, a Sea Hawk, as well as a small Whaler.

            “The boat is justified,” said Collyer. “We could take a five-year note for the boat.” He added that costs associated with a new boat could be “lumped together” with wharf repairs into a larger 10-year bond.

            The selectmen and Gagne discussed options for paying down a bond, with Silva saying they might consider using $20,000 from free cash. Collyer said that was reasonable, given that expenses associated with the harbor should be shared by boaters, as well as all taxpayers.

            “This shouldn’t be born fully by waterfront earnings,” Collyer said. “Everyone uses the harbor.”

            McIntosh asked the selectmen for guidance in prioritizing wharf construction projects long discussed as necessary. He provided a list that included repairs to the timber wharf, Long Wharf, and pilings at yet another wharf. Gagne said that the Fall Special Town Meeting Warrant Article 13, while not solely addressing funding needs for wharf repairs, would provide some financing for design and engineering for wharf improvements, Long Wharf repairs, and dredging.

            They selectmen circled back to McIntosh, asking him what he believed the top priority was, to which he responded, “Middle wharf. The pilings are rotting off; it’s full of band aids now.”

            Gagne said that Article 12 of the Warrant, Funding Waterfront Improvements, asks voters to approve $50,000 from Waterfront Enterprise Funds and general fund surplus revenue for repairs and associated work to the town wharves and docks. It was further discussed that McIntosh could do some smaller repairs in-house while larger projects would require a contractor.

            This brought their conversation around to what an expanding harbormaster department would look like in the future and where it would be headquartered.

            “What’s missing is a place for you to work out of, and the tools,” said Silva.

            McIntosh said that over the next three to five years he plans to build the department up, with Silva saying that a building had to be part of any plan moving forward. “Maybe a joint location,” McIntosh suggested. Gagne interjected that the town did own land east of ORR High School and that this could be brought up at the upcoming Tri-Town Selectmen’s Meeting.

            Silva also talked about use of the Fire Department boat. He said that during an emergency, the harbormaster and his staff should be able to deploy the Fire Boat without having to wait for fire personnel to arrive.

            “We need a plan,” said Silva. “You can get out there faster than the fire department.”

            McIntosh said he’d prefer to have at least one firefighter onboard.

            On another topic, McIntosh said his department could use a small utility vehicle to move between the wharves. That prompted Highway Surveyor Barry Denham, who was in attendance, to say, “The Gator is available every weekend except the Fourth of July.”

            Silva said it was important to maximize the use of the town’s assets.

            During Denham’s meeting with the selectmen, Gagne took the lead describing road projects in Article 20, Mattapoisett Public Works Improvement Bond, that would cover cost estimates associated with the town’s share of bridge repairs on Acushnet Road, road and drainage improvements along Industrial Drive – including a new pedestrian crossing over North Street – an east entrance roadway for the new fire station, Pearl Street and Tobey Lane drainage and roadway improvements, and design and engineering for street and stormwater drainage improvements to Holly Lane, Wildwood Terrace, Knollwood Drive, North Street, and subdivisions off North Street.

            Article 20 asks voters to appropriate $2,535,000 to cover these projects with the plan that two grants totaling $1.4 million, if issued to the town, would offset a large portion of the overall costs.

            Gagne said the bond would not be executed until it is known if the grants are in hand. The town’s portion for this article is $1.665 million.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen has not yet been scheduled.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

Mattapoisett Free Public Library

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David Mello’s Family Program, “Tales Best told in the Dark” will be presented at the Mattapoisett Library. Let storyteller David Mello chill, thrill and thoroughly entertain you with a diverse collection of stories, poems, and songs from around the world using masks and shadow puppetry.  On Wednesday, October 23 at 6:30 pm at the Mattapoisett Public Library. Recommended for ages 5 and up.  No registration necessary.

            On Thursday, October 17 at 3:15 pm, sign up for our flashlight craft. Find out about positive and negative currents and make your own flashlight. For ages 8 and up. Registration required.

            On Saturday, October 19 at 10:30 am, we’ll be celebrating author David Shannon’s birthday with books, activities, crafts and birthday cake. Registration required. All ages welcome.

            Finally, on Thursday, October 24 at 3:00 pm, our monthly STEAM session will be about bats. Learn about echolocation with games and activities. Includes craft and snack. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Registration required.

            Don’t forget to visit us on Tuesday or Friday mornings at 10:30 am for our ongoing story times. This month for Halloween we’ll be having a costume parade on Friday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 29 with small treats – costumes encouraged but not required. 

            We also have “Read to Breton”, our library dog on every other Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 pm; Chess Lessons with Coach Jim on Wednesday nights from 5:00 to 7:00 pm and Sunday afternoons, 1:00 to 3:00 pm. All of these programs require registration, so please contact the library to sign up. 

            All programs are free and open to the public. If special accommodations are needed, please contact the library at 508-758-4171 for assistance. For more information on up-coming children’s programs, please visit our website at www.mattapoisettlibrary.org/childrens.

Tabor Academy Shares Tenbrook House Decision

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After many years of ownership and study, Tabor Academy has decided to remove the structure at 192 Front Street, a property commonly referred to as the Tenbrook House. According to John Quirk, Head of School, the school purchased the house in 2008 and almost three acres of land, extending from the harbor to Spring Street, in order to consolidate the campus and provide options for growth in facilities, as has come to pass. After the purchase, the trustees began to assess the home on the property, holding many discussions about its possible use over the years. The home has been used most recently as a faculty residence for some years as ideas were considered. 

            Quirk said, “Since Tabor Academy took possession of the Tenbrook property a little more than a decade ago, there has been ample consideration of the viability of renovation or restoration of the house on the site. These efforts have been conducted by balancing the competing interests of the home’s historical value, its extremely poor condition at acquisition, the manner in which the original building has been altered over the years, its physical presence along Front Street, and a wish shared by all to mesh the building’s past with the school’s discovery of a suitable purpose for it within its program. At one point, the school developed preliminary plans to incorporate some part of a renovation of Tenbrook House into what eventually became a free-standing dormitory nearby. This idea was set aside, however, when it became clear that a disproportionate part of the cost would be tied up in the renovation portion of the project, as opposed to the dormitory space that was to be the focus of the building.”

            “As it has become sadly evident that a renovation of the building is feasible neither from a fiscal nor physical standpoint – meaning that it would be quite costly to restore the building and would result in a building of only very modest programmatic value to Tabor – the school has recently determined that it is most appropriate to take the building down. The Sippican Historical Society has been a major proponent of saving the building given its cultural value as the product of famed American architect H.H. Richardson. Members of that group have also recently explored alternative options, such as moving the building to a different site. Regrettably, no feasible alternative options have been discovered at this time.”

            With no alternative solutions in sight, the school has decided to take the building down, and the permitting and scheduling of this process are underway.  While firm timelines have not been established, it is expected that the project could be completed in the early winter.

            “I know some members of the Town will be sad to see the building go, especially as Mrs. Tenbrook and her family were such valued members of the community. I am saddened by this, too, and aware that the loss of Tenbrook House will feel for many like the loss of a friend along Front Street. That said, the sensibility and practicality of other options are severely limited, and it feels appropriate to make this difficult decision and move forward before further deterioration of the structure makes the building truly unsafe,” said Quirk. 

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club

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The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is meeting on October 17at Reynard Hall of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church (27 Church Street) beginning at 11:00 am. MWC members arrive for a social half-hour, after which there is a short meeting if there is a matter requiring a vote. Around noon, there is a luncheon provided by the monthly tea committee, and guest speakers present after the lunch.

            Ms. Susan Pizzolato of the Mattapoisett Library is this month’s speaker. Her presentation is “Steer Clear of Clickbait or How to Wade Through All the Information That’s Thrown at You on a Daily Basis”.  She will discuss how to make sure that you know what these websites are and understand that all media has a different frame and has different standards for newsworthiness.  The creation of fake news continues to generate a lot of discussion and it’s no surprise that “post-truth” was Oxford English Dictionary’s 2016 Word of the Year.

            Please consider joining MWC.  You are welcome to come to any of our meetings.  If you would like additional information or want to let us know that you are planning to come, please contact Christine Voss at 508-758-3348.

Church of The Good Shepherd Rummage Sale

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Church of The Good Shepherd, 74 High Street, Wareham is having its annual fall rummage sale on Saturday, October 26from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Items include clothing, coats, shoes, books, puzzles, games, toys, small furnishings, domestic and white elephant items. All proceeds to benefit the many outreach programs for the community and beyond.

Rochester Farms Solar Set for Approval

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            It won’t be long now before the large-scale solar farm proposed for the large open space on Marion Road owned by Craig Canning, Rochester Farms, LLC, is approved.

            The Rochester Planning Board on October 8 gave a nod to Sarah Rosenblat of SWEB Development USA, LLC before wrapping up the public hearing and bringing it to a close.

            Since the last meeting in September, SWEB had managed to work closely with the board’s peer review engineer Ken Motta and address his list of concerns one by one in time for Tuesday’s meeting.

            Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson kept himself up to date as the information was submitted to the town planner over the past week or so, and Motta stated that SWEB has indeed worked out all the remaining technical issues now, with the exception of one minor change that can be completed just prior to the board members signing the Mylars.

            Johnson read the list of waivers before the board approved them all, which included one pertaining to gross floor area of buildings, of which there are none proposed, one for screening details for trash containers (none proposed beyond construction), a lighting waiver (no outdoor lighting proposed), and one to waive any pre-treatment of stormwater runoff since there will be no impervious surfaces.

            The board also approved waiving a traffic study since no additional traffic will result form the solar farm, and one for common open space requirements since there is no ‘open space’ proposed.

            “The farm will still be there,” said Johnson, “so that’s open space.

            “I would probably say that we can close the public hearing on this and move forward with it,” said Johnson.

            The board will vote for final approval on the project during a special meeting it scheduled for October 31.

            “Thank you very much,” Canning said from the back of the meeting room. “I appreciate everyone’s efforts.”

            Now, as Johnson put it, “We can get this out of the way.”

            Also during the meeting, the board voted in favor of an Approval Not Required application for 565 and 0 Rounseville Road, which is associated with the Special Residential Development Special Permit application filed by REpurpose Properties, LLC, for an age-restricted residential development off Rounseville Road next to Plumb Corner.

            REpurpose requested a continuance until the next meeting, but Johnson had some questions and comments for Brian Wallace of JC Engineering regarding some information still missing from the submittal.

            In particular, Johnson was interested in some updated architectural drawings and a schedule for construction. He also asked Wallace for a larger-print edition of the plan to save Johnson a trip to the pharmacy for a stronger set of cheaters.

            The hearing was continued until October 22 at the request of the applicant.

            Also during the meeting, the board viewed some photos from the Snipatuit Road solar farm, displaying various landscaping no-nos the board had repeatedly asked solar developer IGS Solar to rectify.

            During the last meeting, the board voted to call in the developer’s landscaping bond, an escrow account the town required to ensure compliance in landscaping, and chose to put Requests for Proposals out to bid and get the work done itself.

            Although some mowing had been done as requested and some trash and metal debris has been removed, there are still 15 dead trees and shrubs and 12 trees tipped over that still need to be addressed. About 100 feet of barbed wire fence still needs to be mended and tightened.

            Town Planner Steve Starrett said he thought the developer had been responsive and asked the board if it wanted to still pursue the bond taking and issue the RFP.

            “Keep working on the RFP,” Johnson said. “Keep their feet to the fire.”

            The total of the landscaping bond is $75,000, Starrett said. “We won’t use anything near that.”

            The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for October 22 at 7:00 pm at Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Planning Board

By Jean Perry

Abel M. Grace

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Abel M. Grace, 95, a lifelong resident of Mattapoisett died unexpectedly on Wednesday October 9, 2019. 

            A World War II Marine Corps veteran, Abel Grace was a part of Montford Point’s first black Marine regiment and saw combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, including Guam, Saipan, and Okinawa. 

            Abel returned from the Marines to work with his father in the family garbage disposal business in Mattapoisett and then was employed by Revere Copper and Brass for 35 years as a crane operator. He also owned a fishing boat the Seldon2 that he used for ground fishing for 20 years. He worked for many local cranberry companies before and after his retirement. 

            In the 1960’s, Abel was a renowned golfer, winning multiple trophies throughout the area and in Connecticut. 

            Abel is survived by his wife of 71 years, Libania Grace, his son, Abel Grace Jr. and his wife Lauren, two grandchildren, Sara and Spencer Grace, and a great-grandson, Dexter Bowman. 

            His visitation will be held on Wednesday October 16, 2019 from 2-6 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett, followed by his Funeral Service at 6 PM. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Rochester Council on Aging

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The full monthly newsletter and calendar are available at www.rochestermaseniorcenter.com. Events and photographs are also posted on the library Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Rochestercoa. 

            The Rochester Council on Aging Board of Directors is seeking a few Rochester seniors to serve on its Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is responsible for the implementation and evaluation of programs offered at the Rochester Senior Center. If you are interested in volunteering for the Advisory Council, please contact Director Cheryl Randall-Mach. Ms. Mach can be reached by phone: 508-763-8723, or by email: Crandall-mach@townofrochester.com.

            The Rochester Senior Center is now offering trips to Fieldstone’s Farm Market in Marion every Wednesday at 10:00 am starting October 16. You will receive a 10 percent discount when you show your COA scan card. Please call the Senior Center in advance to reserve a seat on the van. 

            The monthly Senior Book Club will meet on Tuesday, October 15at 10:15 am. This group is lead by the library director and is held at the Senior Center. October’s book is The Woman in the Window, written by A.J. Finn. 

            The Friend’s of the Rochester Senior Center are holding a fundraising event on Thursday, October 24at 5:30 pm at the Senior Center. This event is a meatloaf supper and is $10 per adult and $5 per child. Please contact Lorraine Thompson in advance, at 508-763-8723 to purchase a ticket for this event. Proceeds will be used for the future construction of the Adult Day Center.