October 4 Vote Non-Binding

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            With a packed training room at the Fire Station, the Mattapoisett Select Board announced the date and time of the Special Town Meeting: Saturday, October 4 at 1:00 pm, to be held in Old Rochester Regional High School’s gymnasium. They opened and closed the warrant that contains one article, an article that if passed at the Special Town Meeting would be a non-binding referendum with no impact on the Citizen Petition that passed by a majority at the fall Town Meeting.

            That petition was authored by Nikki Demakis who, in advocating for an expansion of the Select Board from three members to five, cited a need to bring more qualified residents into the decision-making process and more efficiently expedite the business of the Select Board.

            But others believed that the current board configuration wasn’t broke, so why fix it? The Demakis petition was moved through confirmation, becoming a ratified vote of the town. Thusly, the second Citizen Petition, which received adequate signatures to be placed before the voters in a Special Town Meeting, was an attempt to undo the Demakis petition.

            Select Board Chair Tyler Macallister declared that, if the Special Town Meeting passes this single-warrant article, the only impact would be its history as a non-binding referendum.

            Some members of the public were against the town being obligated to hold the Special Town Meeting, especially given the $3,500 expense to do so. Questions to the board regarding what the latest group of petitioners hope to accomplish were not addressed, as the board held that they simply were following Massachusetts General Law in this matter.

            The matter of the Select Board appointing a temporary Board of Health member was tabled when that board failed to achieve a quorum necessary to hold a dual meeting on this night.

            At the August 26 board meeting, the Select Board attempted to appoint Douglas Schneider for an open position, but public sentiment ran high that there were other qualified residents, possibly bringing other skill sets that might be a better fit. The board continued the matter to the September 9 meeting.

            Board of Health member Michelle Bernier asked the Select Board to consider offering the short-term posting to a resident with a public-health background, identifying Kathy Eklund as a highly qualified public-health professional. There ensued debate over the Select Board’s responsibility to fill vacated elected positions until an election is held and the lack of transparency in selecting a temporary replacement.

            Without a quorum, the Select Board moved to table the matter until their next meeting. In the meantime, Macallister said the public is welcome to contact the board mail or email if they wish to comment on the process or people involved in this matter.

            In other matters, nearly eclipsed due to other agenda items, was the vote taken to approve the General Obligation Municipal Purpose Loan (bond) in the amount of $6,580,000 purchased by Bancroft Capital.

            Macallister said that Mattapoisett continues to have a strong “Triple A” rating, which allowed the bond to be generated with a low interest rate of only 4%. The bond will be used to pay for projects previously approved by voters; those projects are Industrial Drive (a road project); engineering and design for the Main Street TIP project; Oakland Street Sewer Main Replacement; Oakland and Pearl Street Road Improvements; and Highway Department building renovations and improvements.

            In the matter of a complaint filed by Donald Fleming with the state ethics board, an Open Meeting complaint, the board said it was formulating its response.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco announced that Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School will be giving a presentation on Tuesday, September 23, to share its plan for a new school in accordance with MSBA, Massachusetts School Building Authority. The school is planning a large renovation and expansion project, the costs of which will be shared by the member towns. Mattapoisett currently has 30 students enrolled at the school. Cost burdens will be calculated based on enrollment, he said.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

National Overdose Awareness Day

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To the Editor;

            It is with sincere appreciation that we thank Police Chief Justin King, Principal Michael Devoll, Town Manager Michael Lorenco, and Village Signs for their support in raising awareness on National Overdose Awareness Day last week.

            Overdoses affect every community – including ours. With the guidance, generosity, and leadership of these individuals and organizations, we were able to share the message: “It happens here too.”

            We encourage parents and guardians to talk openly with their children. By fostering education, compassion, and understanding, we can continue working together to reduce overdoses. This is a time not only to act, but also to remember that every overdose is someone’s child. For us, two of them were our sons.

            From,

            Beth D. Oleson and Carol Lareau

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. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Mattapoisett Yacht Club

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Odyssey Wins Phoenix Cup – September 3 – MYC sailors raced their final Wednesday night race, the Phoenix Cup, last night in an interclub battle between Ensign racers and PHRF racers. Twelve boats, all sizes, took part on a beautiful night with handicap times given to all boats.

            Restless was the first boat to cross the finish line however it was Odyssey taking home the 1st place trophy on corrected time. Another Ensign, Black Ice finished second on corrected time with No Quarter Given placing third.

            The last scheduled race for this season is the MYC Fall Round the Bay Race is Saturday, September 13.

            Surprise Wins Buzzards Yc Round The Bay Race – Charles Churchill and the crew on Surprise captured first place in the Cruising Class held at Buzzards YC on August 16. This race is part of the Buzzards Bay Trophy Series held each year. Three more round the bay races will be held to complete the series. Quissett YC on September 6, MYC on September 13, and Beverly YC on September 20.

            Phoenix Cup Final Results: 1- Odyssey, 2- Black Ice., 3- No Quarter Given., 4- Restless., 5-Coconuts., 6-Uncle Fester, 7- Kinsail, 8- Lindisfarne, 9-Chickadee, 10- Fir Na Tine, 11- Brass Monkey, 12- Little Dipper

            MYC will hold its Annual Awards Dinner on October 18, at Salerno’s in Onset.

ORR Bulldog Pride Alumni Association

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To celebrate the alumni of ORR, the ORR Bulldog Pride Alumni Association (BPAA)–for the third consecutive year–will organize alumni events around the annual Homecoming game. The parallel events will be held on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18.

            The program of events is open to all ORRJHS and ORRHS alumni and friends of ORR… an inclusive experience that hopes to bring together the common alumni experience spanning over seven decades from the Class of ’64 to the Class of ’24.

            Save the dates:

            Friday, October 17 – “ORRHS Homecoming Football Game”, kickoff 6:30 pm.

Join us at a dedicated alumni area behind the end zone. Gather to learn about what you can do for the ORR community through the efforts of the BPAA. Please note that to enter the grounds, all attendees are required to purchase a ticket. The BPAA is not involved in ticket sales for the game.

            “Friday Night Lights” Social – Join us to celebrate the Bulldogs at The Stowaway in Mattapoisett, an alumni-owned business. The event starts immediately following the game. Complimentary light refreshments will be served. Special cocktails will be on the menu, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the BPAA. A 50/50 raffle will be held, including a silent auction. No entrance fee.

            Saturday, October 18 – “BPAA 3rd Annual Alumni Homecoming Celebration”, 7:00 pm. Saturday’s celebration is to be held at alumni-owned The Bitter End in Fairhaven, featuring live music by Dave Dunn. Complimentary refreshments will be served. A 50/50 raffle will be held, including a silent auction. No entrance fee.

            Local businesses and alumni have contributed to help us in our fundraising efforts to demonstrate our school pride for ORR. For the Class of 2024, the ORR BPAA sponsored three awards, totaling $5,000. For 2025, the BPAA is committed to not only awarding a similar amount but also plans to launch a grant program for student groups, totaling over $7,000 in financial gifts from small and large donations, earned primarily through the fundraising efforts during Alumni Weekend. This will allow BPAA funds to reach the wider ORR community by supporting projects and experiences for students.

            Homecoming and Alumni Weekend 2025 is an opportunity for past students and graduates of ORRJHS and ORRHS to gather in proud support of our schools, and to establish an outlet for alumni and friends to volunteer and contribute resources in service to students, teachers, and staff. School pride is the nexus for our efforts, and we know that graduates of ORR are immensely proud of their bulldog experience.

            For further inquiries, reach out to the BPAA at bulldogpridealumassoc@gmail.com. Go Bulldogs.

            The ORR BPAA is a recognized charitable organization in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and operates as a section 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations to the BPAA are tax-deductible.

Upcoming Events at the Elizabeth Taber Library

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Take and Make crafts are back. Grab our autumn paper wreath kits while supplies last.

            The Cozy Cup Book Club will meet on Wednesday September 24 at 11:00 am to discuss Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber. Please call the library to register.

            Did you participate in any of our grant year workshops, or create something in our new makerspace?

            Consider loaning one of your projects to the library to display in September and join us to celebrate the conclusion of our craft year on Thursday September 25 at 6:00 pm.

            Kids grades K-6 are invited to join us for Maker Monday. Once a month we’ll be exploring materials and tools from Marion Makers – the library’s new makerspace. On Monday, September 15 at 3:00 pm we’ll be learning about the Cricut machine and making vinyl banners.

            Do you want to learn about dog safety? Join us and Plymouth County 4-H for a Dog Safety Workshop on Wednesday, September 17 at 3 pm to meet dog safety therapy dog Merida and learn more about dogs.

            Students in grades 7-12 are invited to create papercrafts at our YA Open Makerspace Hours, Thursday September 18 from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

            Kids ages 8+ can register for our needle felting class that will be held on Friday, September 19 at 3:00 pm. Pop Up Art School will teach the basics of needle felting and participants will needle felt a squirrel. Space is limited, so call the library today to register.

            Monthly Memoir Writing workshops at the library start Thursday, September 18 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Call the library to register.

            For more information on the Elizabeth Taber Library visit us at www.ElizabethTaberLibrary.org or email the library at ETLibrary@sailsinc.org.

Kevin W. Taylor

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Kevin W. Taylor, 59, of Rochester, passed away after battling a long illness on Monday, September 8, 2025. He was the loving husband of Louise (Mattos) Taylor for 37 years.

            Born in New Bedford, son of the late Muriel Taylor, he lived in Rochester most of his life.

            Kevin was a strong, dependable, and loving husband and father who devoted his life to his family. He was always there when you needed him-whether it was fixing something around the house, offering wise advice, or teaching his sons life lessons that will stay with them forever. Kevin had an off the cuff sense of humor that those close to him could appreciate. His quick wit often brought joy, laughter, and unforgettable moments to his family and friends. Family meant everything to Kevin. Every year, he hosted Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition that brought everyone together and filled the home with love, laughter, and gratitude. He found joy in the simple things-time spent camping, talking on his CB radio, and pursuing his passion as an avid gun collector.

            For nearly 30 years, Kevin worked at Onset Bay Marina, where his unmatched ability to fix anything made him not only a trusted worker but also a friend to many. His hard work, steady presence, and willingness to help others reflected a life lived with purpose.

            Though Kevin will be deeply missed, we take comfort in God’s promises: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). And we find hope in the words of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). Kevin’s legacy of love, strength, and devotion will live on in his family and in the countless lives he touched. He has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Until we are reunited, his memory will forever be a blessing to us all.

            Survivors include his wife, Louise; his children, Joel Taylor and his fiancée Muriel Carle of Acushnet, Jeffrey Taylor and his wife Kate of Fairhaven, and Ryan Taylor of Rochester; his brother, Christopher Taylor and his wife Rebecca; his grandchildren, Wesson Taylor and Liam Taylor; his best friend Mike Cifuni; many nieces and nephews; and his loyal dog Snoopy.

            His visiting hours will be held on Monday September 15, 2025 from 4-7:30 pm in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. His Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday at 10:30 am in the funeral home. Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com

‘Aquaman’ on Beat

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            The newest town employee has been nicknamed “Aquaman” by the Marion Select Board. However, new Police Officer James Cuoco, a champion high school swimmer, will likely take his abilities to land instead.

            At the September 3 Select Board meeting at the Marion Police Station, Cuoco, a former state champion in swimming for Old Rochester Regional High School, was appointed to the department. As a Fairhaven resident with experience in another department, he has returned to his home region.

            Select Board members joked that Cuoco should instead work with the Harbormaster’s office, but Cuoco, who graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and completed police academy work, said he stays in shape with running these days.

            In a night of good news for the town, Grant Administrator Amy Jackson-Grove, hired in April, reported that she and the town secured 10 grants last month. She said approximately $1,400,000 are federal grants, including American Rescue Act funds for the town.

            Jackson-Grove said that many believe the grants had dried up after the pandemic but that there was some funding available to update town infrastructure, including road and other updates. She said the town also secured state grants, and almost every department in town has received some assistance, including but not limited to the Sippican School receiving a new generator, money for the Mass Trail projects for easements to extend the trail from the Mattapoisett line through town, transportation service money for the Council on Aging, as well as arts and other programming for the library.

            Jackson-Grove said the town is applying for other grants, including a $250,000 grant to ensure that the new Marion Town House is American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. The town is applying for a grant to help the Council on Aging educate resident seniors on internet literacy.

            The board also agreed to a new policy: Non-voting residents can apply to be on the 250th Anniversary Fireworks Committee. The town’s historical birthday is coming up in 2027, and it is agreed that non-taxpayers can join this planning committee as long as they do not vote on matters pertaining to the use of town funds.

            Board members invited all the help to celebrate this milestone for Marion.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Select Board

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

Michelle Kirby & Andres Hammerman

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            The recipients of the Wanderer’s 30th Annual Keel Award for the Town of Rochester are Michelle Kirby and Andres Hammerman, the main drivers behind the effort to preserve the health and water quality of Snows Pond.

            Kirby, who is president of the Snows Pond Association, and her husband Andy were nominated in a letter from association Vice President Erin Lawrence for “devoting countless hours toward the protection, stewardship, and enjoyment of one of our community’s most cherished natural resources.” The organization has been active since 2018, with volunteer work that has included monitoring and testing the pond’s water quality and employing the consulting services of a part-time “Lake Manager.”

            Kirby has lived in Rochester her entire life and has frequented Snows Pond since childhood. She and Andy were married on a raft on the pond that floated to shore as part of the ceremony. Another spark that got her and her husband involved in protecting Snows’ water resources came from Andy’s mother, who was very involved where she lived on a New Hampshire pond that benefits from a strong lake-protection organization supported by the state.

            When she and her husband started noticing diminishing water quality and the growth of water-choking invasive weeds where they lived at Snows Pond, she reached out to the then Rochester Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon, who suggested Kirby should start a group to advocate for the pond.

            “‘You need a united front,’ she told me, so I reached out to Town Hall for the list of Snows Pond’s residents,” Kirby recalled of advice from Farinon, who would be recognized following her retirement with the 2021 Keel Award for Rochester.

            The result was the formation of the Snows Pond Association in 2018, with 11 members out of the 15 property owners around the pond. “It’s been wonderful,” Kirby said. “It’s gotten everybody closer. We watch out for each other. If we see a stray boat or strange plants in the pond, we can ask each other. We protect each other and the pond.”

            To reach its more concrete goals, members test the water quality on a weekly basis, looking at oxygen levels and temperature through the water column and water clarity. Once a month they send samples to the University of Rhode Island for nutrient testing. With funds collected from annual dues and donations, they’ve hired a part-time lake manager to consult on matters such as invasive species growth. That consultant, Hillary Kenyon from Applied Watershed Sciences, LLC, recently joined them at the pond to do an aquatic weed survey. They’ve also been trained by the URI Watershed Watch Program on how to monitor and take water samples.

            The association’s overall goal, Kirby said, is to preserve and protect the pond “for generations to come.”
            What does it have to be protected from? The answers are: invasive weeds, chemical pollutants, and especially nutrient overload from human sources (septic systems, lawn fertilizer, household cleaning products, pet waste and stormwater runoff).

            That’s why the testing is important, Andy Hammerman said. “Without data, we can’t know why the changes are happening,” he said. Harmful algal blooms in the water are his biggest fear. If they occur in Snows Pond, they are toxic to swimmers and pets. The pond would have to be closed down.

            So, what do they feel they’ve accomplished? Since the association started, Kirby said, the community around the pond has been united, strengthening the protection of the pond. In concrete terms, they’ve hosted community outreach to advance community awareness, including a “Library Loves Lakes” summer youth program and workshop trainings on how to identify aquatic weeds that grow in freshwater ponds. They’ve also distributed signs educating people about best practices on the pond. The signs are reminders to residents and visitors about what they should and should not do on the pond. Because Snows Pond is a glacial kettle pond with no stream going in or out, they created a motto, “What Goes in the Pond, Stays in the Pond.”

            And now the association has over five years of monitoring data that will help it protect the pond’s future, Hammerman said. “We’re not in this for any other reason than our love of the pond,” Kirby added. Her future goal? “I’m hoping more pond communities can get involved and join forces,” she said. “We’re not the only pond in town that needs help.”

By Michael J. DeCicco

Navigating Dementia by Dr. Edward Hoffer

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Join Dr. Edward Hoffer at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library at 7 Barstow Street on Tuesday, September 23 at 6:30 pm as he discusses Navigating Dementia: what it is, when to suspect it, the tests your doctor should perform to investigate it, the available therapies, and how to prevent it.

            Dr. Hoffer resides on the SouthCoast. He earned his undergraduate degree at MIT, received his MD from Harvard, and completed his residency and cardiology fellowship at Mass General Hospital. He was in private practice for 40 years, combined with research on medical informatics at MGH. Dr. Hoffer continues to work part-time at the MGH Lab of Computer Science on AI, aiming to assist doctors in making more accurate diagnoses. He is the author of the book “Prescription for Bankruptcy” and a frequent contributor of topical and helpful medical articles to The Wanderer.

            This program is free and open to all.

Marion Cultural Council

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Marion Cultural Council is excited to receive online grant applications for individuals and organizations for art and STEM-related projects that will help to enrich the Marion community beginning September 2, 2025. The Mass Cultural Council has set an October 16 deadline for organizations, schools, and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities and proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs in the community. These grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Marion– including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, or performances in schools, workshops, and lectures.

            The Marion Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

            For questions regarding the Marion Cultural Council, contact marionculturalcouncil@gmail.com Online application forms, a full list of priorities and guidelines and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program and a list of the council’s priorities are available online at www.mass-culture.org/Marion