Mattapoisett Congregational Church Concert

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Duo pianists Kirk Whipple and Marilyn Morales will perform at Mattapoisett Congregational Church on Saturday,August 10at 7:00 pm in Reynard Hall. The husband and wife team of pianists, composers, and educators direct Cranberry Coast Concerts. Their annual festival is now celebrating its 14th season.

            The concert will feature the soprano Sarah Mawn and baritone Steven Tinkham. They will perform a wide variety of solo vocal selections, including songs from “Always Remember,” an original musical about the Cuban-American experience. Mawn and Tinkham will be featured actors and vocalists in the live theatrical world premiere of “Always Remember,” which will take place in Miramar, Florida in March of 2020.

            Pianist James Dolan, a student of Steve Tinkham, will join Whipple & Morales in a performance of Whipple’s “Conversation for 3 Friends / 6 Hands.” He will also perform solo selections at the piano. The concert will also feature a piano performance by outstanding young artist, Elliott Talley.

            A suggested donation of $25 per person / $20 seniors & students is requested. All are welcome. Donations will benefit Cranberry Coast Concerts and Mattapoisett Congregational Church.

The Wanderer Announces 2019 Keel Award Recipients

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We at The Wanderer were blown away by the number of submissions we received this year with the Tri-Town’s nominees for the 2019 Keel Award. We made the call and, boy, did you answer!

            The Wanderer created the Keel Award 25 years ago in 1994 and since then has recognized one (and, on rare occasions, two) dedicated person from each of the three towns whose actions exemplify the spirit of community and volunteerism. Like the keel of the ship that keeps the vessel from sinking, the recipients of the annual Keel Award are recognized for their stalwart efforts in keeping the community on an “even keel.”

            We are proud to present to you the 2019 WandererKeel Award winners – Marion’s Robert Raymond, Mattapoisett’s Lois Knight Ennis, and Rochester’s Ann Cambra.

            In Marion, it was no contest. The nominations for Bob Raymond kept coming and coming. There were so many kind words written to us about him that it’s hard to even imagine Marion without his efforts to preserve the beauty of Marion and enhance it in ways that benefit all of its residents, present and future.

            Raymond was recognized for his volunteer work in an array of areas, especially as the role of chairman for the committee to renovate the Town House, trustee of the Elizabeth Taber Library, and the extensive time and energy he put into the realization of the library’s new granite front entrance, handicap accessible ramp, and reading circle. Furthermore, his nominators recognized him for the generosity of his time and talents for the Council on Aging at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center by preparing design drawings for the room partition and the renovation of the COA and Recreation Department office space, and even by delivering to the center no longer used furniture from Brigham & Women’s Hospital where he worked as an architect, donating it to the COA.

            Raymond was also recognized for his most recent volunteer efforts in the initiative to erect the new Elizabeth Taber monument at Bicentennial Park next spring. As Priscilla Ditchfield pointed out to us, in everything Raymond does for Marion he is “thorough, patient, knowledgeable, and collaborative in his approach.”

            We don’t think we could describe Raymond’s contributions to our readers better than the ones who nominated him, so we will let them convey the message to you in their own words.

            “An ‘even keel’ approach is exactly what Bob brings to every project he is part of in Marion,” wrote Tinker and Bill Saltonstall.

            For Albert Caron, Jr., Raymond’s dedication “exemplifies that adage of ‘not giving up the ship,’ and “Raymond’s efforts epitomize his character and determination to serve the town, which will benefit Marion well into the 21st century.”

            “He is certainly a shining example of someone whose stalwart efforts have helped to keep the Marion community on an even keel,” wrote Meg Steinberg.

            Mattapoisett was quick to nominate its most deserving. Ennis is clearly deserving of the recognition for her involvement with the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club, of which she is a past president and the current treasurer, and especially for her role in the Taste of the Town event, the club’s largest annual fundraiser to provide scholarships to local students. Ennis also organizes the club’s yearbook, heads the club’s holiday luncheon and the annual meeting.

            While serving as the town clerk, she served as the president of the Massachusetts Clerk Association and was an officer of the United States Town Clerk Association. She has also served her church by holding various key positions responsible for the continued running of the church, and has served on the board of the Cushing Cemetery.

            As a lifelong resident of Mattapoisett, Ennis’ contributions to the coming together of the community, as well as the support of its young, rising residents, clearly make her a most deserving recipient of the Keel Award.

            “Lois has given more time to volunteering than anyone else I know,” Roxanne Bungert wrote. “Whatever position she has held, she has served without expecting commendation or reward. Her demeanor is always reserved and unassuming.”

            Gale Hudson described Lois Ennis’ countless hours of arranging and planning for the Taste of the Town event, one of the events in Mattapoisett Hudson feels is one of the most “significant social event[s] for the entire community.”

            “It is my opinion that no one else deserves the Keel Award more than Lois Ennis for her many years of quiet service to any project that she has undertaken,” said Bungert.

            Rochester stays afloat, thanks to its residents like Ann Cambra who contributes directly to the benefit of the seniors of her community through her near countless hours of service at the Council on Aging.

            Cambra is a volunteer for the AARP Tax Aide Program during the months of February, March, and April over at the Senior Center, and every month she and her husband, Mike, prepare the seniors a special luncheon at the center. She is a member of the Friends of the Rochester COA, which raises funds for additional support for the COA’s operation while also promoting community involvement for Rochester’s senior citizens.

            Cambra is also a board member of the newly established non-profit Rochester Housing, Inc., created to explore affordable housing development opportunities for seniors with the goal of assisting every Rochester senior who wants to stay in Rochester find an affordable way to continue to live in Rochester.

            In 2015 Cambra won the state volunteer award from the American Association of Retired Persons, and donated the $1,500 she received from that award to a non-profit charity in Liberia that provides medical equipment and supplies to fight the Ebola epidemic in the African country.

            “Ann’s compassion and dedication to the residents of Rochester is unlimited,” said Arlene Carreiro. “She is like the Energizer Bunny… going and going and going….”

            We think Carreiro said it best when she said, “It is an honor to nominate a woman that I highly admire and respect…”

            Congratulations to the 2019 Keel Award recipients, and congratulations to each of the three towns for enjoying the fellowship of such fine examples of community servants who work tirelessly on behalf of the residents of their beloved respective towns. Thank you, Tri-Town!

Developer Unveils 40B Plan, BOS Endorses Application

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            Developer Ken Steen gave the Marion Board of Selectmen a presentation of his plan for a second 40B residential development in town, which the board voted to “endorse” on July 18 in order to allow Steen to receive approval from the state to bring the proposal forward to the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

            Although the selectmen were asked to “endorse” a project eligibility letter for the proposed Heron Cove Estates, the endorsement is simply a signature, Town Counsel Jon Whitten clarified, and not necessarily a recommendation of the project. As Whitten put it, the endorsement is simply the “ticket” Steen needs to file an application with the ZBA.

            Steen’s approach to the 40B is through the Local Initiative Project (LIP) Comprehensive Permit process, an alternative avenue Whitten referred to as a more “friendly” 40B, as opposed to the traditional 40B method of applying directly with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for that same “ticket” to the Marion ZBA.

            “That process would still allow the Board of Selectmen to weigh in,” said Whitten, and the selectmen would still be able to make comments during an allotted public comment period, “But the [DHCD] is not known for saying ‘no’,” said Whitten, adding that the DHCD “rarely listens to municipalities.”

            “Steen is giving the Town an opportunity to tailor this project (through the LIP process),” Whitten said. Between the traditional 40B process and the LIP process, Whitten said the Town should prefer the LIP.

            The board listened to the presentation put on by Steen and his associates, including civil engineer Phil Cordeiro from Allen & Major Associates; architect James Gilmore; Vice President of Steen Realty and Development Corporation and Project Manager Ian Steen; and Judy Barrett, a 40B consultant providing planning and community development to Steen Realty Development Corporation.

            The project, slated for 78 Wareham Road (Route 6), 13 acres adjacent to the Weweantic River, will feature 34 buildings, including a community center, and offer 96 units – 84 two-bedroom and 12 three-bedroom units. Twenty-four units will be designated as affordable housing, totaling 25 percent of the units. Six one-story units are reserved as handicap accessible units.

            Steen’s plan showed the boulevard-style driveway leading directly to a community center building with clubhouse complete with workout room and swimming pool, with the entire “community campus-style” site surrounded by trees and woods that obstruct the view of the development from Route 6.

            Other amenities include a dog park, as pets will be allowed to occupy the units, a playground, and a main sales and rental office. The housing buildings will line the perimeter of the site with plenty of green space as buffers to area residences, and each unit will be fitted with a deck or patio. Garages are also located at various points; an offering Steen said would be an additional option for occupants.

            The selectmen were pleased by Steen’s plan to provide as many units as possible that feature a first-floor master bedroom, something that Selectman John Waterman said many aging Marion residents are looking for and would be a selling point for Steen.

            Steen called the design a “pedestrian-based project” with sidewalks throughout and safe vehicular passage and would keep within the character of Marion.

            Although the design is still evolving, “I think we’re 85 percent of the way there,” Steen said.

            “We just don’t want them to look like ‘McMansions’,” commented Selectman Norm Hills.

            Steen said the “wish list” timeline for the project is for all permits to be granted by April 2020, with construction to begin in May 2020, and he hopes to start marketing the units by August that year and complete construction of all units by August 2021. He expects initial occupancy to begin in January 2021.

            The 24 affordable housing units will put Marion’s affordable housing inventory at 12.5 percent, above the state’s 10-percent minimum relative to the 2010 census.

            Steen will own and operate Heron Cove Estates. “Everything will be handled by us,” Steen said. “The town won’t absorb any headaches.” The road will remain private, he added.

            Steen said he would fund a $50,000 study to determine any impacts of tapping into the town’s water and sewer as the project is expected to consume roughly 22,000 gallons of water per day.

            “We know the town has a huge challenge with sewer and water, and we certainly recognize that … but obviously we’d like to [connect] this project into the town’s sewer and waster system.”

            The project is also expecting to generate about $150,000 in permitting fees for the town, and $340,000 in water/sewer hookups.

            The board had no further comments or questions for Steen, and voted in favor of endorsing the conceptual plan, with the condition that 96 would be the maximum number of units allowed, and no more or fewer than 16 acres could be developed. Furthermore, the endorsement would be null and void should the DCHD or the ZBA deny the project, and endorsement will expire on January 30, 2020.

            “You don’t know what will happen to this project,” Whitten told the selectmen. Steen could change his mind about moving forward, he said, or the project could be denied. Furthermore, the board, as well as other town boards, will be able to weigh in on the project as it moves through the proverbial pipeline.

            “This is not the last time you will see or influence the outcome (of this project),” Whitten said. “You will have the same ability to influence the [ZBA] as other boards.”

            The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for August 6 at 7:00 pm at the Marion police station.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

Feasting with Your Instant Pot

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The instant pot craze is here, are you on board? For many, the instant pot is patiently waiting to be used. Whether yours is tucked away in a cupboard or still in the box, it’s time to take out your electric pressure cooker and put it to use. Join Chef Liz Barbour at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Tuesday, August 13from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm for a discussion and cooking class that will help take the mystery out of this amazing, time-saving kitchen tool. Barbour will demonstrate two recipes that you can recreate at home. Following her demonstration, Barbour will offer tasty samples for everyone to enjoy and the recipes to bring home. The program is free and open to the public.

            Please register for this event by calling 508-758-4171 or emailing rsmith@sailsinc.org, providing the number of people attending and contact information. The Library is located at 7 Barstow Street and is handicapped accessible.

Brad Barrows Memorial Bike Run

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The 2018 Bike Run had a very good turnout and a broad donor support base. We were able to donate $1,000.00 to each of the Marion Recreational Department and Mattapoisett Recreational Department. We also donated $500.00 to the ORR Youth Football. The funds were used for participation fees, equipment, and other ways for the departments to provide activities to many children. 

            The next Brad Barrows Memorial Bike Run will be the 10th annual run. It is the 10th Anniversary of the passing of a friend very near and dear to our hearts. It will be held on September 21. Rain date is September 22. More information is on Brad Barrows Memorial facebook page.

            We anticipate an even better turnout, which will enable us to provide more funding for next year. Thank you for your support.

Academic Achievements

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Inspired to excel, 897 members of the Class of 2019 were awarded a Bryant Universitydegree at the 156th Commencement ceremony on May 18, 2019. Included in the graduation class were Alex Aruri of Mattapoisett who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Team & Project Management and Seijal Parajuli of Marion who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Mathematics.

            Approximately 5,500 students received bachelor’s degrees in over 100 majors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Undergraduate Commencement on May 10, 2019 at the McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The following Tri-Town students were among the graduating class. 

From Marion: Alysha Cote, Matthew Johnston Lee, and Laura Mary-Elizabeth McCoy. From Mattapoisett: Mitchell William Midwood and Michael J Pellegrino. From Rochester: Natasha Dalton, Caroline Reusch, and Angela Jean Weigel

The Mystical Firefly

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The sparkling, flashing nightlight glow of the fireflies now illuminates the midsummer meadows of our backyards. Although it is also most often referred to as the ‘lighting bug’, it is actually a beetle that lives in the ground and only comes out at dusk. Then we can watch it perform a mating dance by ‘talking’ to other fireflies to find a mate using an invisible chemical to get their message across like a secret code of quick flashes of communication. In New England there three main groups of this species. One is a small, one-half-inch long that produces a yellow-green flash.  The second is larger with a raised ridge running down its head shield. The last is as big as a paper clip with long, slender legs and a bright stripe running down its torso.

            The male firefly, when courting, flashes three or four or five quick signals and then waits for six seconds before repeating. The female stays in the grass and gives her own answering signal of one, two, or three flashes, then waits two seconds to repeat. That is how fireflies find their mates.

            In only two places in the world do they possess a simultaneous bioluminescent ability to light up at exactly the same time all night long. The only place it can happen in this country is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

            On the underside of the abdomen is where the insect produces its light. It does so with a fatty network of nerves and passage tubes through which oxygen is converted making a cool, but bright energy of light shine. In Japan, fireflies are gathered together to make a charming decorative outdoor lantern. They also have a legend there that they are spirits of the dead warriors who fell in battle.

            In tropical cultures, natives collect the fireflies in net bags tied to each ankle and used as a flashlight of sorts to find their way along jungle paths in the dark. Fireflies also appear in Native American folklore in which the trickster fox tries to steal their fire and sets his own tail on fire.

            Going back in literary history, Shakespeare in the year 1600 wrote a play called A Midsummer Night’s Dream, about love and fairies. His firefly symbolizes that “love is an act of nature.” Robert Frost in 1928 wrote a poem called “Fireflies in the Garden.” He portrayed them as decorative stars sent down from heaven. Taking poetic license from these masterful observations of environmental awareness, allow me to depict and title my evaluation of the firefly as a very mystical wonder of the natural world.

By George B. Emmons

ZBA OKs Pool Ahead of Final Design

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            Darren and Cathy Doane were seeking setback relief from the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals to build an in-ground pool at their 28 Pine Island Road, but only had with them a preliminary design for a pool they weren’t certain would be built to spec. On July 18, their public hearing for the Special Permit was almost continued in order for the couple to refine their plan and provide the ZBA with specific information about the size and location of the pool and the “tanning ledge” on the non-conforming lot, but the board decided to place a maximum on the pool size and tanning ledge size instead.

            “We need to be able to get a special permit that allows us to encroach on the property line … at a minimum six feet,” said Mrs. Doane, adding that she had spoken with the abutters whose property nearest to the lot line only contained a vacant “meadow” near where the pool would be situated. That neighbor submitted an email in support of the Doanes’ application and voiced no objections.

            Building Commissioner Andy Bobola asked Doane to make a few needed changes to the application which had an incorrect box checked, and then hashed out the fuzzy details of the proposed pool.

            Doane said the pool design submitted to the board that day wasn’t the final design, and the application only requested a 12-by-20-foot pool with a 10-by-10-foot tanning ledge. She was unsure, though, whether the shape of the pool would change, and whether the tanning ledge might be relocated to allow for a larger pool. As a result, she asked the board to approve a special permit for a 12-by-40-foot pool “to give us some flexibility.”

            “This is totally not what the board generally does,” said Bobola. “They want from you locked-in size, dimensions, and setback.”

            Doane then asked if the board would grant the special permit and allow for a 12-by-30-foot pool, and the ledge would be fit in within the final design.

            The board debated whether to continue the hearing or to place restrictions on the special permit, while Doane stated that she was not sure exactly where the pool would ultimately be placed within the proposed area.

            The board granted the special permit allowing for a 12-by-20-foot pool and a 10-by-10-foot tanning ledge that wouldn’t exceed the requested setback relief.

            “Then you could just put it wherever it goes,” said ZBA Chairman Susan Akin.

            “That’ll work,” Bobola said.

            Also during the meeting, Lisa Segalas, 11 Bay Road, was granted a Special Permit to demolish an existing house and rebuild a single-family house according to FEMA specifications on an 11-foot high column foundation. The house was shifted slightly away from two property lines, lessening the existing setback non-conformance by doubling the setback to 10.5 feet.

            The board granted a Special Permit to 20 Ned’s Point, LLC to renovate an existing home by adding two new porches and a small addition. With no change in the setback, Bobola recommended approval, saying, “This is very, very straightforward – minor in nature.”

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for August 15 at 6:00 pm at the Mattapoisett Town Hall.

Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals

By Jean Perry

Marion FinCom

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To the Editor:

            I read in last week’s Wandererthat the Marion FinCom has had issues with the Old Rochester Regional School budget. After following Tri-Town meetings, it is a well-known fact that all three towns would like our Regional School District to be more proactive and transparent in their communication of long term and short term budgetary planning. It is a fact that financial planning is essential for capital expenditures and managing debt.

            What concerned me is FinCom member Karen Kevelsen’s remarks about students getting a “mediocre education”, and her claims that parents she doesn’t even know have complained to her. I’m a parent who has been involved in many school activities and had the pleasure of watching four of my children grow up in the Tri-Town. Three of them attended ORR. One attended a private school, so I have that additional perspective. All three who attended Old Rochester were provided with the skills to succeed, and were prepared for higher education with the availability of honors and AP classes. These are facts from a “named parent”.

            Further well-known facts about Old Rochester; 28% of the seniors this year were inducted into the National Honor Society, there are 28 clubs for students to participate in, there has been a 9% increase in graduates attending highly selective universities since 2017. This year there were 70 AP scholars and 16 AP scholars with distinction. I could go on about the facts pertaining to the outstanding athletic department and drama club achievements over the recent years, but I think you get the point.

            Maybe Ms. Kevelson’s negative third party statements were made to influence her peers. Regardless, the statement was uncalled for and irrelevant when the real facts are that we should be building communication with the administration, not smearing the entire institution.

            Respectfully

Anthony M. Days, Marion

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.

What’s Happening at the Elizabeth Taber Library?

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Books at the Beach. Join the library at Silvershell Beach to buy or borrow summer reading materials every Tuesday from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm. 

            Film screening of award-winning documentary STRAWS. Join us for a film screening and reusable materials fair. View the award-winning film and help start a conversation about single use plastics in our community. Tuesday,August 6from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

            Outdoor yoga with Heather Hobler. Heather Hobler will lead outdoor yoga sessions. These sessions will coincide with our Thursday Lunch Bunch sessions and parents are welcome to attend. Sign up at the library. Please bring your yoga mat. Thursdays July 11, 18, 25, and August 1from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. 

            The Annual Summer Book Sale. Add to your library with our giant sale of pre-loved books, audiobooks, puzzles, CDs, DVDs, and more. Fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books available. Friday,July 26from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, and Sunday 9:00 am – 11:00 am at the Marion Music Hall. Donations of gently used materials are still welcome at the library.

            Art for Your Mind – Massachusetts’ Art Revealed. Jill Sandford from Art for Your Mind presents Massachusetts’ Art Revealed, a collection of images from the Pilgrims landing to modern skylines. Massachusetts’ famous people, events, architecture, landforms and industries are represented in surprising and interesting ways through a variety of art styles. Join us for an enjoyable hour of challenging yourself to see in new ways on Tuesday, July 30 at6:00 pm.