Dorothy Desroches Perry

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Dorothy Desroches Perry, age 92, of Dartmouth, MA passed on April 24, 2018 at Charlton Memorial Hospital surrounded by her loving family. Dorothy was the wife of the late Raymond O. Desroches and the late Justin Perry, Jr. Born in Acushnet, MA she was the daughter of the late Edwin and Mabel (Whitaker) Beaumont.

Dorothy was a longtime resident of Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. Later in life, she moved to Port Charlotte, FL with her husband Justin. She returned to the area in 2016 living in Dartmouth with her daughter Renee and two granddaughters. In her youth, Dorothy worked at Frem’s Jewelers in New Bedford. She always worked part time in retail and upon the sudden and early death of her husband Raymond and with three young children at home she went to work fulltime for Mars Bargain Land as a jewelry buyer, later successfully working for other businesses in a similar capacity.

Dorothy was an independent, fun-loving woman who loved her family and times spent with them. She knew the names and ages of all 18 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, but occasionally she mixed up the names of her six children, especially if she was try to call one in a hurry. Dorothy loved her family, friends, dancing, travelling and playing cards. She especially loved her family. She was a woman of unlimited forgiveness, compassion, and love. She was not judgmental, however if asked she was more than willing to give free advice.

Dorothy is survived by her sons, Dr. Stephen R. Desroches and wife Gail, Randall R. Desroches and wife Jody, Gregory N. Desroches and wife Linda, Ronald Perry and husband David Sisson; her daughters, Cynthia A. Levesque and husband Roger and Renee Desroches; sisters, Barbara Davis and Annice Smith; eighteen grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Dorothy was the sister of the late William Beaumont, Walter Beaumont, Edwin Beaumont, Jr. and Ada Coleman.

A celebration of her life will be Monday, May 7, 2018 starting at 9:45 am in the Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford followed by a funeral service at 10:15 am. Burial will be in River-Side Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday 4-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institution in memory of Dorothy Perry, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or www.dana-farber.org/gift. For online tribute/directions www.rock-funeralhome.com.

New Housing Proposed Off Route 6

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On April 23, the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission began the process of reviewing a multi-structure project proposed off Marion Road/Route 6 by Stingray City Realty Corporation, William Bachant, for a parcel owned by Rahim Aghai.

Representing the applicant in the Notice of Intent hearing was Robert Rego, River Hawk Environmental, who presented the project described as one single-family dwelling and one two-family structure.

Rego said the project consists of 3.75 acres on the south side of Marion Road with a perennial stream bisecting the property. He said that construction would involve 200 feet of the riverfront area and would totally involve the 100-foot buffer zone with 10 percent of the area being developed.

Regarding sewer access, Rego said the project included three pump chambers that would move sewage to the public sewer service available to the site and that public water was also planned.

Stormwater and drainage management was described by Rego as including collection of roof runoff to surface chambers that would move the water to discharge basins.

It was noted from current photographs that the site had already been disturbed and evidenced dumping in jurisdictional areas.

Rego said that before construction, a permanent fence along the wetlands boundary could be installed and debris cleared.

Conservation Agent Elizabeth Leidhold offered suggestions that included terracing of a severe slope to minimize runoff into wetlands, a pre-construction meeting and subsequent regular updates throughout duration of construction, and monitoring of the site during heavy rain events to avoid and mitigate erosion. She also asked the commissioners to consider whether or not a peer review consultant might be needed.

Chairman Mike King said, “I hope that your project won’t add to sediment flow.” He also said that dumping of construction materials, a problem the commission has had to deal with on other projects, could not be an issue on this one saying, “…That concerns us.” He also said he’d like to see firm start and completion dates for the project.

Commissioner Trevor Francis said he needed time to study the project and the potential for a peer review consultant.

King said, “Personally, I don’t think a consultant will give us anything more.” He asked if the Department of Environmental Protection had “weighed-in” on the project. Leidhold said they had not. “There’s no question we need housing stock in Mattapoisett,” King added.

The hearing was continued until May 15 at which time Rego will return with updated drawings based on the commission’s comments.

Also coming before the commission was David Davignon of N. Douglas Schneider & Associates for Timothy Eilertsen, 0 Brant Island Road, for the construction of a single-family home.

The lot had previous been conditioned for construction by the commission, but now with a new owner the proposed residence and surrounding area had been changed. Eilertsen’s project would include adding fill and grading within the buffer zone to create a landscaped lawn space up to 5-feet along the 50-foot no-touch zone.

Davignon said that Natural Heritage’s April letter indicated no adverse impact from the project and that a permanent rail and post fence along the no touch zone would be installed. The Notice of Intent filing received standard conditioning by the commission and was green-lighted for development.

Davignon also represented Tom Jackivicz and Pamela Pierce for a vacant recreational lot located adjacent to 17 Third Street. The applicants proposed adding fill to the center of the lot to eliminate ponding during rain events, and construction of a patio and fire pit.

King said the patio would have to conform with standards for construction in a coastal zone; therefore, the patio would have to be dry-block versus poured concrete. The Request for Determination of Applicability filing received a Negative 3 determination.

Upgraded sewer projects filed under Requests for Determination of Applicability were approved for Diane and Susan Zartman, 116 Acushnet Road, and Patrick Diggings, 2 Bay Shore Drive.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for May 15 at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

 

Addition Approved For Ailing Patriarch

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For one family, the April 18 meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals was like a Christmas morning, waking up to find you received what you had been dreaming of.

Representing the 6R North Street Nominee Trust, Thomas Dugan, was Doug Schneider of N. Douglas Schneider & Associates, Inc. as they sought a Special Permit to build a small single-story addition to create a first-floor master bedroom suite to an existing home.

Previously the project had been described to the Conservation Commission as necessary in allowing the property owner to remain at home as health issues made accessing bedrooms and the only bathroom in the home on the second floor impossible. By creating a first floor suite, Dugan could remain in the home.

Schneider said the addition would be constructed on the north side of the existing dwelling with a 22-foot setback.

Representing several abutters whose property is located along Captain’s Lane was Attorney Peter Paul.

He identified his client as Vera Gibbons who he said extended her welcome to the returning family while sharing that the Gibbons wanted to be good neighbors and “…Are in favor of the project.” However, the issue of a drainage ditch came up again as it had during the Conservation Commission hearing the previous month.

Paul asked for assurances that the construction as proposed would not negatively impact the drainage along Captain’s Lane and that the Dugan family would maintain the ditch in good operating condition.

Schneider said construction did not include changes to the topography of the property, no grading was planned, and that Dugan had agreed to maintain the drainage ditch.

“Doug’s word is as good as gold,” Paul said, but he did ask that the ditch maintenance be memorialized in any decision made by the board.

Coming forward to speak in favor of the project was Daniel Briggs of 3 North Street who said historic drainage issues plagued the area, but that he didn’t see a problem with the project.

The project was approved with the drainage maintenance condition.

Also coming before the board was Carlton Veeder Construction for his client Robert Trudeau, 34 River Road, for the construction of a small 4-foot by 6-foot bump out to allow for a washing machine and dryer. The Special Permit was approved.

Finally, also seeking a Special Permit was Andrew Perkins for property owned by Byron Crampton, 10 Union Avenue. Perkins has been hired by the owners to construct a cantilevered deck addition to an existing home on stilts. He said the 4-foot addition would allow the family space to enjoy the home’s views. The request was approved as proposed.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for May 17 at 6:00 pm at the Town Hall.

Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals

By Marilou Newell

 

Dear Tri-Town Community

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Dear Tri-Town Community:

Last year, together we were able to raise $1,905 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through my Pan-Mass Challenge ride. This year, I am seriously upping the ante and will be riding in a 163-mile course in the PMC on Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5. My goal this year is to raise over $4,900 for this charity.

The PMC’s mission is to raise money through their annual bike-a-thon for life-saving cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The PMC donates 100% of every rider-raised dollar directly to the DFCI and The Jimmy Fund.

If you are able to generously donate a gift, no matter how small, please visit my PMC page at profile.pmc.org/KL0231 or visit pmc.org, click on donate, and type in my name.

Kyle C. Letendre

kyleletendre@oldrochester.org

 

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 may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Mattapoisett Area Artists

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The Mattapoisett Area Artists would like to invite you to watch a free movie calledLoving Vincenton May 16at 5:30 pm in the meeting room at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library.

Loving Vincentreveals the life and controversial death of Vincent Gogh as told by his paintings and the characters that inhabit them. The intrigue unfolds through interviews with the characters closest to Vincent and through dynamic reconstruction of the events leading to his death. The film features 120 of van Gogh’s greatest paintings. The plot, drawn from the 800 letters written by the painter himself, leads us to the significant people and events in the time prior to his unexpected death. Every shot is painted just as Vincent himself painted.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dave Englund at denglund603@gmail.com or Becky McCann at ramcann@aol.com.

South Coast Children’s Chorus

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The South Coast Children’s Chorus finishes off their 2017-2018 concert season with a spring performance. The concert will take place on Sunday, May 6at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion at 4:00 pm.

Admission prices are $10 for general, $7 for students/seniors, and anyone 6 years and under are free. Admission can be paid at the door on the evening of the event.

The chorus will also be hosting a friends & family night on May 8 during the regular rehearsal time (5:30 – 7:00 pm) at the Unitarian Church in Fairhaven.

This program is specifically supported in part by a grant from the Marion Arts Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The arts councils of Mattapoisett, Rochester, Fairhaven, Acushnet and New Bedford have also supported this program this season.

For more information contact: SCCCsings@gmail.com also, visit our website at www.singsouthcoast.org, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/southcoastchildrenschorus.

911 Transition On Track for May

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The Town’s new regionalized 911 emergency response system will likely be online before the May 21 Annual Town Meeting, expected to start on May 15 as the newest participant in the Regional Old Colony Communications Center in Duxbury.

In preparation for the switchover, ROCCC dispatchers have gone on over 20 ‘ride-alongs’ with Rochester officers to learn the various areas of Rochester and the landmarks and features unique to each part of Town.

Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar told the Rochester Board of Selectmen on April 23 that Rochester emergency responders have been meeting regularly with ROCCC representatives in Rochester for training and operations and protocol review sessions, and also to hold a meet-and-greet event to familiarize the staff from the Town and the ROCCC as they work closely together, even if remotely.

Szyndlar asked the board to attend any of the upcoming meetings as well to make for a more cohesive Town presence, and Szyndlar said she would be posting these meetings as selectmen meetings in case more than one arrives, constituting a quorum.

Also during the meeting, Szyndlar announced that the residents of the Annie Maxim House, a senior assisted living center, made a $400 donation to the Town in gratitude for making them feel “safe and sound.” The donation will be divided equally amongst the Fire, Highway, Police, and Ambulance Departments.

“That’s very kind of the residents at Annie Maxim,” said Selectmen Chairman Greenwood Hartley. “I’m sure each department will put that to good use.”

Although it was on the agenda, the Old Colony R.V.T.H.S District Committee Appointing Authority rescheduled for a separate special meeting with the selectmen for committee appointments on Thursday, April 26 at 6:00 pm at the Town Hall.

The next regular meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen will be May 7 at 6:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

 

The Nursery: The Story of Vernal Pools

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On a rare and recent sun-drenched spring afternoon, Gary Johnson of the Mattapoisett Land Trust pulled on his waders, picked up his insect net, and led a group of nature-starved humans into the woods at the Woodcock Preserve.

This property, which has been owned by the MLT since the early 1970s, had been hard to access until more recently when the Town of Mattapoisett, in partnership with the Buzzards Bay Coalition, acquired what is now called the Tinkham Woods situated off Long Plain Road.

With entry now easily available to those longing to connect with Mother Nature, the Woodcock Preserve is home to an amazing nursery in the form of a certified vernal pool. On this day, young and old alike would learn from Johnson not only how important this wetland is to the future of some of the most endangered species in New England, but also how to go about the vernal pool certification process.

From www.mass.gov/vernal-pools, we learn that “Vernal pools … are temporary woodland ponds.” They are temporary because many dry up during the summer months. During the fall and winter seasons, these topological depressions fill with water from precipitation and rising groundwater. The pools, or ponds depending on their size, are the critical beginnings – the incubators – for salamanders, frogs, and invertebrates that rely on these small temporary bodies of water to lay their eggs.

Johnson told his rapt audience that frogs and salamanders live in uplands and dry wooded areas, but must breed in these pools absent of fish that would eat the eggs. Standing thigh-high in the Woodcock vernal pool, Johnson pointed out salamander egg sags that clung to fallen tree branches along the water’s edge. Iridescent, nay, resplendent in the spring sunlight, the eggs were shades of ivory and blue with dark interiors that promised new life to come.

Johnson said salamanders breed all at once in a single night known as “the big night,” whereas wood frogs breed over a series of days. All come to the vernal pools where the cycle of life begins anew each season.

Certification of vernal pools requires the effort of people who appreciate the importance of these natural features to ensure future generations of these small creatures, many of which are endangered, threatened, or of special concern. These are the categories assigned to nearly all salamanders.

Johnson distributed vernal pool field observation forms that are readily available from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MDFW) along with a checklist of common aquatic invertebrates with wonderfully evocative names such as whirligig beetle, water scorpion, water penny, and water strider. Oh, and the much less thrilling mosquito larva was also listed.

On the bank of the pool Johnson scooped up two shallow containers of pool water so we, the newly baptized vernal pool protectors, could observe various types of larva and nymphs. The containers were full of wiggling things, a world normally hidden from our view.

Johnson said that in order to have a vernal pool certified by the state – a step necessary in protecting them from human activity such as construction development – you must find at least five egg sags. The MDFW also requires specific details on the location, dates of observation, maps, photographs, and property owner of record. It then evaluates the data and determines whether or not the pool may be classified and noted on state maps.

As Johnson hauled himself out of the pool he said, “Well, I have a leak in my left boot,” and the group chuckled in unison and headed back to the parking area for cider and cookies.

From the MLT website you can find a number of walking trails where nature in all its glory is on full display. And maybe you’ll come across a vernal pool and notice the beginning of new life at the water’s edge. Visit www.mattlandtrust.org. You may also access complete details on vernal pools and animals dependent on them at www.mass.gov.

By Marilou Newell

Alewives Anonymous Meeting and Chowder Supper

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Alewives Anonymous, Inc. (AA) will host its annual meeting and quahog chowder supper for members, guests and others interested in the world of alewives (herring) on Sunday,April 29at 5:00 pm at the Rochester Grange Hall, 205 Hartley Road, Rochester. After the annual meeting, a number of short videos of our local river’s Herring Runs will be presented. Please make your reservations with Arthur F. Benner, telephone 508-763-2024, email artbenner@comcast.net.

There is no charge for the supper for members whose dues are paid up, members who re-new their annual dues ($10) or new members joining ($10); otherwise, the charge is $5 per person. New members are always welcomed.

AA, The Herring Helpers, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and increase of the alewife fishery resources in the Mattapoisett River and the Sippican River in the towns of Rochester, Marion and Mattapoisett. Alewives Anonymous, Inc. is also involved with monitoring the alewives population using electronic fish counting equipment and other efforts and projects to enhance their numbers and to improve their environment.

We invite you to please join and help support our efforts.

Tabor Students Take Steps Toward Action

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In response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and in memory of those lost in past school shootings, Tabor students organized a walk out on Friday, April 20, in solidarity with students across the country recognizing the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

After placing 18 empty chairs in the Stroud Academic Center Courtyard to represent the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting, plus one to symbolize the many others affected by these events, students gathered in the Stroud Lobby of the Academic Center to take part in a silent walk around the turf field during meeting block for 17 minutes, one for each of the 17 victims in Florida.

Student organizers, Owen and Lydia, explained, “While for many participants the day is likely about gun control legislation, we thought others might like to participate to call attention to the tragedy of school shootings or mourn and remember victims in Florida or other schools who suffered.” The students publicly shared instructions in advance for involvement in order to share their vision and to set the tone that this would be a “serious and somber demonstration.”