Local Schools Present Revised Budget

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School Superintendent Douglas White, flanked by Mattapoisett local schools’ Principal Rose Bowman, Director of Student Services Michael Nelson, and Mattapoisett School Committee member James Muse, returned to the Mattapoisett Finance Committee on March 30 with a refined budget.

Selectmen and Mattapoisett Finance Committee members had asked all town departments, including school, to stay within a 2 percent budgetary increase. After another look, local schools did just that.

White presented the committee with a FY18 budget of $6,917,439 – a 1.99% increase of $135,206 from FY17.

Bowman and Nelson discussed the pressure on the schools to provide special education services to a growing population of students in need, making it necessary to provide smaller classes for kindergarten in the 2017-2018 school year.

“The decisions I’ve made are student-based,” Bowman told the committee members when asked about an increase in staffing. “The needs of children from age three and up is greater than I have ever seen in my career … we want them in our schools and this is how I plan to treat and service them,” she said.

Nelson explained that a teacher holding a BCBA (board certified behavioral analyst) degree will be moved from third grade to kindergarten in an effort to serve the incoming students with special education needs. This move means the FY18 staffing will increase by 0.4 percent.

But Finance Committee Chairman Pat Donoghue still questioned why additional staffing was needed at all when student enrollment continues to decrease.

Bowman said that students coming into the school system with IEPs (individual education plans) needed to be served in the local school versus sending them out of the district that would result in a greater economic impact to Mattapoisett.

Donoghue addressed White, saying, “We’ve got to do something about the OPEB obligation at ORR so we are looking at schools as a whole … we’ve got to get the money from somewhere.”

White responded, “There are several ORR issues, OPEB and capital expenses … the community has been very supportive … that is, supported in the high rating of K through sixth grade…. We’ve been able to maintain and sustain our students because of staffing … people need to understand that … every action has a reaction.”

Town Administrator Michael Gagne said he wanted to get the special education stabilization fund back up to $190,000, setting aside the circuit breaker funds received from the state. Of the OPEB issue he said, “Any money we can save, we are putting into ORR OPEB … it’s always hard to get started, but necessary.”

White expressed his frustration, saying, “There is thirty seven million dollars between the three towns for education. I lead four different districts, different buckets … nobody is having success in putting money aside. All districts are in the same boat.”

Donoghue said of Mattapoisett’s municipal OPEB trust fund, “When we started putting money aside, our bond rating went up.”

White placed some financial blame at the feet of the state, saying, “They are not doing what they said they were going to do [when the school district was established] … we are getting sixty-eight percent and we should be getting one hundred percent [of regional transportation cost reimbursement].”

The committee thanked White and his team for returning and explaining the revamped budget.

Earlier in the evening, the committee met with members of the Community Preservation Committee when Chairman John DeCosta and member Margaret DeMello presented the committee’s FY18 grants.

Three grants were received by the CPC. The Mattapoisett Land Trust is seeking financing to help purchase 53 acres off Mattapoisett Neck Road, the former site of the Buzzards Bay Granite Quarry. The Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum submitted a final request to complete archival preservation activities and cataloging, and Mattapoisett’s water department requested financial support to purchase a 164-acre parcel in the Mattapoisett River Valley named the Branch Brook drinking water land protection project.

In their application, the MLT noted that they have partnered with the Buzzards Bay Coalition and have done private fundraising in an effort to secure the purchase price of $600,000. The CPC proposes to allocate $37,500 from their open space category. The MLT plans on building trails on the property that will link it to the state reservation on Brandt Island Road.

The water department is partnering with the Towns of Fairhaven and Marion, along with the Buzzards Bay Coalition, to secure the purchase price of $460,000. Water & Sewer Department Superintendent Henri Renauld noted in his application that passive recreation would be allowed on the property. The CPC proposes $20,000 in funding for the Branch Brook project.

The Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum noted that once completed, the archival catalog would allow people around the globe to virtually access historical collections. CPC proposes $43,112 from their historic preservation category to complete this work.

These grants will be presented by DeCosta at the spring town meeting.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for April 6 at 6:30 pm in the town hall.

By Marilou Newell

 

Transportation Reimbursement

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Dear Editor:

As an ORR School Committee member this year, I have learned first-hand how passionate our townspeople are about the quality education at our junior and senior high schools. At the recent FY2018 Budget Public Hearing, many people spoke out about the positive impact teachers and programs are having, or have had, on their lives. We also talked about the nuts and bolts of school funding at this meeting and how it is a mix of state funds, local funds, and self-generated revenue, such as the fee the high school must charge students to participate in athletics ($225 per sport, with family caps).

Within that discussion we touched on the broken promise on the part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to fund regional transportation. Participants asked for more information on this topic and the school district’s administration has pulled together key points and posted them on the District website (http://www.oldrochester.org/pages/ORR).

Essentially, when the Tri-Towns decided to regionalize, the State’s promise of reimbursing regional districts for the cost of transportation beyond 1.5 miles was a key incentive to participate. However, the State didn’t follow through and now only reimburses about 68-70% of the cost. This lack of full funding means that the ORR operating budget must cover over $200,000 in transportation costs. If Beacon Hill does not alter this funding for next year, we will have to pay even more since transportation costs are going up and the State’s transportation reimbursement fund will be spread over more regionalized districts.

I think we can all agree that when the State does live up to their end of the bargain puts tremendous pressure on our local junior and senior high schools’ budgets. Imagine the technology upgrades, the social-emotional supports, and the facility improvements we could make with those funds! We would be able to bring our stated five-year plans to fruition.

What can be done? Currently the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS) is pushing hard to increase the rate of transportation reimbursement and they need your help! Take just a few minutes to reach out to your state officials and the governor and let them know that they need to follow through on the promise to reimburse regional district transportation. Like every School Committee member has done, let your representatives know that making up this shortfall puts tremendous pressure on local budgets. Tell them that education is important to you and a key driver for the future of Massachusetts! You can find contact information for your state officials at the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts’ website, https://lwvma.org/.

Thank you for your continued support of the ORR Junior and Senior High Schools.

Sincerely,

Heather Burke, Marion

 

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.

Woman Arrested, Bucket List Now Shorter

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A woman was “arrested” on Thursday, March 30, by two obliging officers who, in the spirit of public service, community journalism, and public awareness, pulled her over on the side of a quiet country road in Rochester, cuffed her, and hauled her butt into the station after a short ride in the backseat of a cruiser.

According to the police report written by Officer Sean Crook, “…At approximately 1200 hours, I assisted Officer [Robert] Nordahl on a motor vehicle stop in the area of 38 Deerfield Terrace…. Officer Nordahl subsequently arrested the operator, Jean Perry … for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. Officer Nordahl placed Perry into handcuffs and transported her back to the Rochester Police Department for processing. I followed Officer Nordahl … and conducted the booking process. Perry was checked by matron Knight and subsequently placed into Cell 1, pending transport to Wareham District Court.”

By now, the reader has likely noticed that the “arrestee” is also the author, who will now attempt the smoothest transition possible from third-person narrative to first-person.

This statement is now false: I’ve never been arrested. The following statement is 100 percent true: I have experienced the mortification of being handcuffed by police on the side of the road and witnessed by the probing eyes of a passing UPS driver. Also true, I have felt the wrist-skin-pinching steel of handcuffs being crushed by my own back against the hard plastic seats of a police cruiser – and I did it all for you.

Ever scrolled through your Facebook feed to see a friend’s ‘cut and paste’ post about checking off a bucket list of life experiences? Things like, have you ever climbed a mountain, seen someone give birth, seen someone die, saved someone’s life, lived in a hut in the jungle, participated in a Cuban voodoo ceremony, ridden through the Andes mountains in the back of an open air truck like a farm animal.… Reading through the various lists, I could see myself saying yes to almost everything on them, or possibly saying yes to a couple in the near future. But the one, ‘have you ever been arrested’ was one I couldn’t say yes to, and likely never would, and on some irrational level, it bothered me.

The average person must watch at least one arrest on TV every day – whether fictional or on the news – but what does it feel like to be arrested? What’s it like to be powerless and under the control of a law enforcement officer, taken away from your vehicle and brought to the police station? What happens next? What’s going on outside while I’m inside a holding cell? How long is this going to take? I really wanted to find all that out.

On Thursday, March 23, I met with Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee at the station. Sure, my request was a strange one, but the chief reassured me that it wasn’t crazy at all. In fact, he liked the idea of staging a mock arrest to describe to readers the process and what it’s like to people who have never experienced it.

I signed a waiver. We scheduled a date and time. Thursday, March 30, at noon. I was to drive down Mary’s Pond Road and take a left onto Deerfield Terrace and somewhere along the route a cruiser would be waiting to pull me over. It was a legit scenario. And when I passed that cop car and he turned out behind me, followed me turning left onto Deerfield and flashed his lights, adrenalin was pulsing through my veins.

Officer Nordahl approached my window, followed by Officer Crook who arrived right behind him. I was nervous, and so was my photographer Colin (who has also never been arrested). We played out the fictional arrest like actors on a slightly awkward stage.

With the pretend ‘suspended license’ return on my name, Officer Nordahl asked me to step out of the vehicle, put my hands behind my back, and thus began the adventure of getting arrested.

It was a calm, cooperative arrest. No resistance from me. The officers were professional and as courteous as possible, which, I presume, is how most people would want their first arrest experience to be like. After a quick general pat-down, the officer assisted me into the backseat of the cruiser, extended the obligatory hand-guiding of the head so as not to bump it, and we drove towards Dexter Lane, into the ‘authorized vehicles only’ entrance at the station and then slowly into sally port A to be securely unloaded and ushered into the booking room.

The sally port was like a cave. It was instantly nighttime beneath synthetic streetlamp lighting, almost. I had a sense that for a police officer, given a different, perhaps more threatening offender to unload, it could be a few tense moments to pass through.

The booking room is a bright, basic, white cement block room with a fingerprinting machine, a wooden bench, and a cubicle behind which the booking officer stands at a computer to enter the offender’s information.

My left hand is shackled to the bench and the officer stands before me, reading me the Miranda Warning slowly and calmly. I sign my name acknowledging my understanding of my rights and then I answer a series of questions that Crook emphasizes are not “joke questions.”

Have you consumed any alcohol today? Do you feel hopeless? Do you want to harm yourself? Are you suicidal? No, no, no, and no. There were other questions, (of course, with a shackled wrist and no pen and pad to note them all down), but this gave the officer an idea as to whether or not I might try to hurt myself in the cell. I surrendered my belongings, my jewelry (except for my nose ring, which would have had to come out were I truly being arrested, but not worth the pain for a fictitious arrest), and my boots.

Fingerprinting was tedious, awkward, and required my full cooperation. I was amazed at how something so mundane as a series of fingerprints at a police station could appear as an intricate, delicate artwork, black swirls and white sways inside squares. As Nordahl controlled the movement of my fingers, I learned to bend and twist along with him, getting better at it with each following fingerprint.

And of course, there were the arrest photos. Like the other shots Colin took of me, it was hard keeping a serious, stoic face throughout. But I think I managed to look rather unpleased and with a little “attitude” as Crook described my facial expression.

Matron on duty Patricia Knight came in to give me a more thorough, matter-of-fact pat down and body search. She found nothing, of course, and I was led into the holding cell for about 15 minutes of captive contemplation.

Cold, hard, but pretty darn clean (smelling of cleaning solution), the holding cell was about 4 by 8 feet, containing only a solid wooden bed (no mattress) attached to the floor, and a stainless steel toilet with a small airplane bathroom-type stainless steel sink mounted behind it. With cameras aimed from more than one angle, I didn’t use the toilet. I sat, alone, with a gray, recycled, wool army-style blanket as my only comfort, aside from the reassurance that I would be released in only a short while, my arrest record wiped from the record, and my belongings returned to me.

No bail, no arraignment, no having to explain to my employer, family and friends where I was all afternoon.

“How’d it go? Did the prisoner give you any trouble?” the chief asked, poking his head in after I was released from the cell. I was a model detainee, one of the officers told him. And, of course, I returned the compliment, saying I was impressed with the poised professionalism of some of Rochester’s finest.

On my way home, I thought, I’m lucky to have been brought up in a decent family (and a cop’s daughter, to boot), and thankful that I’ve managed to avoid any trouble with the law during my life. I’m excited to be in a unique position where it’s possible to opt into my “arrest” so that I can experience it, write about it, laugh at the photographs, and have fun with it without lasting consequences. But it is a humbling experience, nonetheless.

I think now, should that bucket list come ’round Facebook again, I could check off “been arrested” and move on over to skydiving or something else I haven’t done. But for now, all I keep thinking is, I hope the UPS driver is reading this.

By Jean Perry

Senior Group Exercise Class

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May 3 starts a new 10-week session of Senior Group Exercise and Fitness with Janet Memoli, every Wednesday and Friday, 9:30 – 10:30 am at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street. Sponsored by the Marion Council on Aging and Gleason Family YMCA, this class is $35 for 10 weeks and free for members of the YMCA.

Use light hand weights, chairs, bands and your own weight for an overall, full-body work out. Call 508-748-3570 for more information. Comfortable clothing, water bottle and good sense of humor are recommended for the class. Open to the community.

Gateway Youth Hockey

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Pee Wees: Gateway Gladiator Pee Wees faced off against K P Walpole on Saturday for their final game in the Yankee Conference playoffs. In the first period, Matthew Paling started the scoring off with an assist by Ty Rebeiro. In the second period, Rebeiro added an unassisted goal, Nathan Ribeiro tallied thanks to an assist from Rebeiro, and Rebeiro added his second goal of the period assisted by Ribeiro and Joe Urnek. In the final frame, Rebeiro completed his hat trick with an assist by Jacob Hebbel, and then Rebeiro finished the night with an unassisted goal – his fourth on the day – to secure the 6-2 win for Gateway with great efforts from the whole team. Pee Wees are headed to the Championship game this Sunday, April 2, in Pembroke. Time TBD.

Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path

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There will be a Friends of the Bike Path meeting at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Tuesday, April 4 at 6:00 pm. Come learn about what’s happening.

Academic Achievements

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Rachel J. Scheub of Rochester was awarded Faculty Honors for the fall 2016 semester at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

ORCTV Annual Meeting

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ORCTV will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, April 29. The annual meeting will begin at noon and will include the election of new officers to the Old Rochester Community Television Board of Directors. All current ORCTV members are invited and encouraged to attend.

The nominees for 2017 are: Membership seat: Elaine Botelho – 1 year; Mattapoisett seat: Patricia McArdle – 2 years; Marion seat: Chris Charyk – 2 years; and Rochester seat: Tom Bretto – 2 years.

Loranger Condo Still Facing Opposition

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The plan for a condominium at 426 Front Street has been reduced from a six-unit, 11-bedroom complex to a five-unit, 11-bedroom one, although the footprint of the building will remain the same.

Developer Christian Loranger is seeking Marion Zoning Board of Appeals approval for the razing of an existing three-story historic home and the reconstruction and expansion of a new condominium complex that Loranger and his attorney John Mathieu maintain is a grandfathered use of the property.

Neighbors and abutters oppose the expansion of the building, saying the 35-foot high (plus three feet more for an elevator shaft), 3,972 square-foot building is outside the character of the existing neighborhood and would dwarf the surrounding houses, lowering property values.

On March 23, Loranger decided to drop the number of units to five. And now, Attorney Mathieu argues that, having been a multi-family since 1958 with three affidavits from subsequent owners who also used the property as a multi-family, the multi-family use is grandfathered and allowable under the bylaw.

“The building,” said Mathieu, “we’re trying to bring this property as much into compliance as possible.” The new structure would be pushed back from its current location, eliminating setback issues.

Mathieu reviewed plans to reduce the driveway, while constructing a rear parking lot from gravel and planting arborvitae along the property lines to provide some screening for abutters. Several other matters were addressed, and Mathieu pointed out that the project now complies with the bylaws and is allowable.

As for being detrimental to the neighborhood as some neighbors claim, Mathieu said, “Look around the neighborhood.” All parcels near the property, he said, contain businesses. It is close to the biggest intersection in town, he said, with gas stations, convenience stores, a realtor, a massage studio, and “the biggest boatyard in town.”

“The neighborhood here is mixed at best,” said Mathieu. “We’re asking for one additional unit in a multi-family structure.”

The current structure has four units, 11 bedrooms.

Mathieu says the new high-end condominiums would bring new tax revenue up to an additional $40,000 a year.

The determination that the board really needs to make, said Mathieu, is whether granting this special permit would be more detrimental to the town or the neighborhood? “And I argue that Mr. Loranger has a track record here. You can see the quality of work that he’s done [at 16 Cottage Street].”

Mathieu continued, “We feel this project met all the requirements … and this project is fitting,” taking transient rentals to ownership, increasing the value of the neighborhood and the tax base.

The project would still require approval for an additional unit for sewer service, Building Inspector Scott Shippey added.

ZBA member Michelle Smith commented that Mathieu’s presentation was “very thorough.”

A number of abutters present read from prepared statements and letters from neighbors who could not be present that night. They all believe the proposed building is too large for the neighborhood and their property values would decrease as a result.

Loranger said that, during the planning stages of the project, he reached out to Peter Douglas at 326 Front Street, an abutter who has been vocal in his opposition to the project, but Loranger said Douglas was unwilling to meet with him, as were other neighbors Loranger approached.

“I love this town,” said Loranger, “and I’ve worked very, very hard to be able to live in this town and raise my family in this town … and I want the best for this town.”

The hearing was continued until the next scheduled meeting on April 13 at 7:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

 

Robert Monroe Walter

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Robert Monroe Walter, longtime resident of Mattapoisett, MA passed away Thursday, March 30, 2017 while on his daily walk home from the post office. He leaves behind his loving wife Patricia of 56 years, his son, Brad and Laura Walter and grandson Christopher of Dover, MA, son, Chris Walter of Foxboro, MA and son, Dale and Tracy Walter of Jaffrey, NH as well as his brother Jack Walter and family of Brewster, MA and several nieces and nephews throughout the country.

He was born on March 7, 1930 in Chicago, IL, the son of Esther and Monroe Walter and later moved to Newton, MA with his mother and brother where he graduated from Newton High School in 1948. He also resided in Wellesley, MA, Wayland, MA, Winthrop, ME, West Dover, VT and Sherborn, MA where he and Pat raised their family. He received his Bachelors degree from Babson College and his Masters degree from Boston University. He proudly served his country as an Army Sergeant in Korea receiving several awards and citations including the Bronze Star.

Along with his brother Jack, he started the Yankee Box Company in the late 50’s and thrived as CFO until his retirement in the early 90’s. Along with Jack and later Bart Kennedy, he grew the company significantly throughout the years and was very proud of his many employees and salespeople.

Upon retirement he volunteered with many local organizations including the Mattapoisett Library Building Committee, the Council on Aging and the Mattapoisett Land Trust. A long time skier of many mountains but especially Sugarloaf, Pat’s Peak and Mount Snow, where on his 80th birthday he insisted on taking his last run with his sons and grandson. He also loved sailing, hiking and in his later years his daily walk through Mattapoisett Village and out to Neds Point and was known to many around town as “the guy with the ski poles”. He was also an avid gardener, tomato specialist and took specific pride in trimming the perfect hedge which was a focal point of the property. Since childhood he had a tremendous wanderlust and extensively traveled New England, the United States and the world with his wife, his sons and later in life taking many solo walkabouts throughout the western and Alaskan National Parks which he was a great supporter and fan of.

He was the perfect example of “walking to the beat of a different drummer” and was known to many as “Fashionable Bob” for his eclectic fashion statements and was widely thought to be one of the early pioneers of today’s Hipster Movement. He was kind and thoughtful and had many friends throughout Mattapoisett and beyond and will be missed but never forgotten.

His remains will be interred at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne MA with honors on Friday June 16 and the Walter family will be hosting a memorial gathering for all who knew him at their home in Mattapoisett on Saturday June 17 at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in his name to the Friends of Mattapoisett Library at P. O. Box 1146, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.