All Around Accomplishments for ORR Sports

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Here’s an update on the Old Rochester Regional sports for this week:

            Boys’ Basketball: Due to the inclement weather, the boys’ basketball team was only able to partake in one game this week. The Bulldogs played Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech last Tuesday and managed an 80-71 point lead. Senior captain Russell Noonan led the team with a career high 39 points and eight assists. Jason Gamache followed with 15 points and seven assists. The duo worked together to stop the Bears. Bennett Fox followed adding 12 points and six assists. The strong defense and aggressive offensive ultimately set ORR apart and helped them to dominate. The Bulldogs are now tied for first in the SCC with Bourne. Their record is 12-4/11-3 SCC.

            Girls’ Basketball: The Lady Bulldogs also started their week off with a 56-43 point win over the GNB Voc-Tech Bears. The second-year senior captain, Sophia Church, led ORR with 15 points. Not far behind was co-captain, Olivia Labbe, with 12 points. Also adding to the score were Maddie Demanche with eight, Emma Collings with six, and Mary Butler with five. During their rescheduled matchup versus Wareham, the Lady Bulldogs triumphed 44-30. The game started off slow, but Collings soon took control and finished with 16 points. Church was not far behind with 10 points. At the end of the week, ORR remains in a three-way tie in the SCC with Apponequet and GNB Voc-Tech. Their record is now 14-4/12-3 SCC.

            Boys’ Hockey: The ORR/Fairhaven Ice Hockey dominated Dighton-Rehoboth with a 5-2 win. The game starts off with defenseman Landon Goguen scoring. Little did he know, he had just recorded the 100th point of his high school hockey career. It is a great accomplishment that few players achieve. The game continued with Noah Strawn hitting in two goals before the end of the first period. In the second, Goguen got another to advance the score to 4-1. Strawn finished the game with one more goal in the third. The Bulldogs continued their winning streak in their second matchup of the week against GNB Voc-Tech with a 10-1 victory. The game started out fast with one goal apiece from Ryan Labonte and Ryan Raphael. Soon the score advanced to 8-1 with the help of additional goals from Labonte and Raphael, along with Strawn, Goguen, and Sam Henrie. The Bulldogs are now 16-1.

            Boys’ and Girls’ Track: This past Saturday, both the Old Rochester Regional boys’ and girls’ track teams competed in the Indoor Track Championship against Apponequet, Bourne, Case, Dighton-Rehoboth, Fairhaven, Seekonk, Wareham, and Greater New Bedford RVTHS. The girls’ team dominated their competitors with 109 points to take the lead in their sixth straight SEC Championship. They were distantly followed by Dighton-Rehoboth, who achieved 58 points. There were first place wins by Madeline Scheub in the 600 (1:51.27), Madison Martin in the 1-mile (5:52.76), Avery Nugent in the 2-mile (12:43.54), and Brooke Santos in the 55 hurdles (9.09). The Lady Bulldogs’ 4×400 relay team also took first place (4:35.82) in the event. Danny Renwick won the 55 hurdles (7.96) and the high jump (6-foot-6). The boys’ track team placed second overall.

By Alexandra Hulsebosch

 

Neighbors Concerned Over Land Trust Plans

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During the February 13 meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission, the Mattapoisett Land Trust and Buzzards Bay Coalition sought permission for two projects that would open the way for public access on two parcels.

Representing the MLT was President Mike Huguenin accompanied by MLT member Paul Osenkowski. Representing the Buzzards Bay Coalition was Matt Spinner, land steward director.

The two applications before the commissioners were for requests for a Determination of Applicability. Such applications are generally viewed only in the context of the Wetlands Protection Act by the commission. That point became a rub as the evening wore on.

Up first was an RDA for 0 Acushnet Road submitted by the MLT. In this request, the group sought permission to clear trees, overgrown vegetation and to install a trail to the Mattapoisett River near Tinkham Chapel. They also sought to place a memorial bench at the site in memory of Lorraine Walsh whose daughter Crystal Walsh had approached the MLT regarding the idea.

Huguenin described the planned clearing as removing dead or dangerous trees within the jurisdictional riverbank area for a small trail to the water’s edge, modest clearing of invasive plants, and the bench. Chairman Bob Rogers then explained the commission’s problem with the plan.

Rogers said, “In the flood zone, we can’t do anything but protect all the vegetation.” He said that due to DEP regulations governing river areas, an RDA was insufficient, that the MLT would have to submit a Notice of Intent that carried a higher degree of governmental oversight – namely, the Department of Environmental Protection. Rogers said that in fairness to everyone else living along the riverbank, the NOI was necessary.

“Because of the riverfront, we can’t condition this with an RDA,” Rogers said. “This may not be allowed by the DEP.”

Rogers’ comments were responded to by Osenkowski who said, “It’s time that a board that represents Mattapoisett tells what’s good for Mattapoisett, not Beacon Hill!” He pleaded that the application would be an improvement benefiting the community with greater access to the resource area. Rogers said, “But we can’t touch a tree within 100 feet of the river front.”

There ensued nearly an hour of discussion that included public input as Rogers and Huguenin attempted to find a middle ground.

Diane Zartman, 116 Acushnet Road, said that if the area was opened up for public use, it might encourage more vandalism, more inappropriate trash dumping than abutters presently experience. She expressed doubts regarding the wisdom of making the area welcoming without increased policing.

A middle ground was ultimately found. Rogers and the other commissioners accepted that the MLT had a right to create a trail that meandered through the woods, but that they would also have to file a NOI for tree removal and installation of the memorial bench.

A similar application from the Buzzards Bay Coalition was met with greater abutter resistance.

The location along Long Plain Road leading to the MLT’s Woodcock Preserve was another spot the Walsh family hoped to place a memorial bench for their mother. Again, the wisdom of allowing greater public access to a resource area was questioned.

Spinner described the creation of a small, four-car parking area off Long Plain Road with a trail that would connect to a vernal pool in the MLT preserve. He said that the BBC would install bog boards along the new trail.

But Kimberly Pires, whose property abuts the proposed project, was quite concerned saying, “That’s going to be a major problem.” She said that presently passersby feed her horses, causing the animals to become sick. She said that signage had not stopped the problem, and that if a parking lot was created next to her pasturelands, she expected even more problems for her animals.

“For me and my horses, this is a nightmare,” she said.

Rogers was sympathetic saying, “A positive project shouldn’t cause a negative impact for you,” but that those types of inconveniences were not within the scope of the Wetlands Protection Act. Pires questioned the point in attending the meeting if her concerns were not going to be taken into consideration. Rogers countered that she had a right to appeal their decision.

Another abutter, Amy Rose-Baptista, also spoke against the plan. She said, “We live in a rural area … I want it to stay pristine.” But Huguenin said that the MLT and BBC were lawfully obligated to provide public access.

Mike Costa, 18 Long Plain Road, worried about an increase in all-terrain vehicle use. He said that ATVs were a constant problem for residents in the area and that trails and parking would increase the nuisance. Osenkowski said that the MLT had problems with ATV use in other locations and that they tried to build in obstructions along the trails to discourage the drivers.

In the end, the RDA received a Negative 3 determination.

Also coming before the board representing several clients was Rick Charon of Charon Associates. Charon received Negative 3 determinations on RDA applications for 16 Shore Drive owned by Patricia Tortorella for a second floor addition; 13 Cove Street owned by Judith Lamson for a sewer related utility shaft; 14 Cove Street owned by Marc Brockman for a sewer related utility shaft and related sewer piping; and 11 Briar Road owned by Richard Priester for two new decks. All projects were within flood zones.

Donna McCaffery, 16 Cove Street, NOI application for the construction of a single family home on a barrier beach also represented by Charon was continued until February 27.

The final hearing of the evening was represented by Jon Connell of Field Engineering for Julie Cabucio, 3 Oyster Lane. The project is the construction of a garage within a flood zone. The NOI was conditioned to include reference to FEMA Bulletin 5 to ensure compliance to all federal regulations.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for February 27 at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

January’s Women’s Marches

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To the Editor:

Many Americans are worried about the direction our country is taking under the new administration. January’s Women’s Marches in Washington, Boston and around the country vividly demonstrated these worries and concerns, ranging from the potential loss of people’s health insurance coverage to threats to the environment. The energy flowing from these marches has fueled a broad range of follow-up actions by participants and sympathizers.

The Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee saw a challenge in supporting these follow-up actions and organized a meeting last Saturday, February 11, at the Quaker Meeting House on Route 6. While winter conditions made travel difficult, some 65 individuals from Mattapoisett and nearby towns showed up to discuss “What’s next?” A welcome message from the state Attorney General, Maura Healey, set the tone for the discussion.

The participants agreed that the most important priority for the near future was to stem the damage done to policies and institutions of American democracy. For the time being, they saw resistance as calling for a firm “No” on Executive Orders and appointments that undermine the progress achieved over the last generation and beyond.

Some stressed the need to keep it local, focusing on issues that directly concern all. Given the make-up of the state’s representation at the national level, with Democrats at the helm, progressives need to combine the defensive posture with positive reinforcement for efforts undertaken by elected officials to fight our fights.

Participants agreed that the defense of the nation’s gains under President Obama should not lead the Democrats to become the “Party of No.” Several contributors to the discussion stressed progressive ideas as positive building blocks for the future. And the message has to be clear – distinctive and memorable sound bites.

There was agreement that priorities were needed to allow people to focus on specific issues, perhaps even on a rotating basis.

Only a few young people were in attendance, and several participants challenged the group to find ways to build on the energy and enthusiasm generated by young people in the Women’s Marches and in the election campaign. The group agreed that meetings like this one are not enough, and social media will need to play a bigger role.

There were also calls for more traditional ways of communicating, including stand outs, call-in to radio shows, or writing letters to the editor of newspapers.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to follow up on the various actions. The next MDTC meeting will be held on March 25 to choose delegates for the state Convention. A major Town Hall Meeting with the state Attorney General, Maura Healey, is scheduled for April 5; the event will be held at the First Unitarian Church, 71 8th Street, New Bedford at 7:00 pm.

Ulrich Ernst, Co-Chair

Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee

 

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.

Pancake Supper to Benefit ORRJHS Students

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February 28 is Shrove Tuesday, the last day before the Lenten season begins and the day when the Mattapoisett Congregational Church (MCC) traditionally hosts its pancake supper. Not only will pancakes be served, but also sausage, special toppings, desserts and drinks. Serving the piping hot pancakes beginning at 5:30 pm will be members of the choir and students from Old Rochester Regional Junior High School (ORRJHS).

Although the MCC has hosted pancake suppers on Shrove Tuesday for many years, this one is particularly special. The Church Council agreed to donate 100% of the proceeds to students from ORRJHS who will soon embark on a school-sponsored trip called “The Holocaust Tour.” Approximately 25 kids and chaperones will visit the Netherlands, Germany and Poland as they study the “greatest crimes against humanity” that is part of the English curriculum.

A ‘free will’ offering will be collected. So mark your calendar. Please come and celebrate Shrove Tuesday with your family and friends in Reynard Hall at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church on February 28. Everyone is welcome.

Applicant Wants to Build in Wetlands No-Build Zone

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Marion Conservation Commission members appeared a bit taken aback on February 8 when an applicant requested the commission vote on the spot rather than continue the public hearing, seemingly aware that the commission would deny the Notice of Intent.

After the commission referred to the placement of a swimming pool and pool house planned for the no-build zone close to wetlands as “a stumbling block” and reiterating that building cannot take place within a no-touch zone, property owner Christian Loranger said he preferred the commission simply vote that evening so he could “move on.”

The public hearing was continued from the last meeting so that soil testing by a wetlands specialist could be undertaken. The commission also requested roof drains and some buffer zone lines added to the plan.

Engineer Jamie Bissonnette said the latest plan reflected a reduction in the size of the pool slated for the no-touch zone, as well as some minimalizing of grading at the location.

Conservation Commission member Norm Hills reckoned the hearing would have to be continued since the information was only just received by the commission and needed an additional site visit. He then went on to address the pool and pool house.

“The pool and pool house are where we really don’t see [they] should be,” said Hills. “We commented last time and you really said nothing about it.”

But it is just the way it has to be, according to Bissonnette.

Bissonnette pointed out that for years a barn stood on the spot of the proposed pool, within that very no-touch zone, but the commission was not satisfied with that argument.

“That’s fine,” said Hills, “but the problem is that existed a long time ago. We’re talking about a clean sheet of paper and this is not a good start for a clean sheet of paper.”

Chairman Cynthia Callow asked why the pool and pool house had to be on the site of the old barn.

”I’m not really sure where else we could put it on the site,” said Bissonnette.

The proposed pool house is 24 feet by 26 feet, which the commission noted was more the size of a two-car garage than a ‘pool house.’

Bissonnette said it would be more like a two-family situation with the addition, which was then described as more of an in-law suite with a kitchen, which would also be used as a ‘pool house.’

“It’s almost completely inside the no-build zone,” said commission member Jeffrey Doubrava.

When Hills said the hearing would have to be continued at least, Loranger responded, saying, “I’d rather not continue it. I’d rather just take the vote now.”

“Okay,” said Hills. “Basically what you’re saying is you have no intent on changing.”

Loranger said he reduced the size of the pool and that was that.

“From my point of view, I think we should deny this,” Hills said. He said it goes far into the no-touch zone and argued that the pool house no longer appeared as simply a pool house.

“There’s more than that that we’re going to have to put down [in the written decision] because this is going to be appealed and will go before DEP.”

The consensus of the commission was to deny it, but the commission refrained from voting until it could word the decision properly.

The commission chose to hold a special meeting just for this item on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 pm.

Loranger asked if this was usual, saying he thought the commission would have to take the vote that night.

“Normally we do, but this is a case that we’re going to take an extra week to get the wording proper,” said Hills.

Loranger went on about how much money he has already spent on the property and his eagerness to proceed.

“But if it goes to appeal, it’s going to take even longer,” said Hills.

“Well, it is what it is,” said Loranger. “You’re going to deny me and we’ll go from there.”

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission will be February 23 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

 

The Statuesque Great Blue Heron

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The shoreline view from my new residence in Fairhaven on the west side of Sconticut Neck looking across to Mattapoisett Neck encompasses a 180-degree panorama for bird watching, including waterfowl such as swans, egrets, and especially the eye-catching sentinel of a great blue heron stealthily wading in shallow water. Its 3-feet long torso of long leg and neck compressed into an S-shaped coil spring are ready to unleash the sudden dagger of a bill to spear an underwater quarry.

A member of the wading family, the great blue heron is classified in the heron family Ardeidae along with local bitterns and egrets.

At the turn of the century, their numbers decreased from use of pesticides, industrial chemicals in the food chain, wetland draining, nesting tree cutting, and housing developments.

Today, they have rebounded to be abundant here year round and across New England in fresh water ponds, lakes, and streams.

Their stealthy predation acumen includes taking frogs, snakes, salamanders, turtles, and small birds, all fed to their young by regurgitation.

They usually nest in trees with large platforms of sticks used several years in a row. They breed in colonies with ceremonial mating displays by ruffling feathers and stretching necks upward with beak pointing to the sky after flying in circles around each other while snapping their bills to get attention.

Feeding a family is a two-partner effort, and at the Berkshire Hatchery where I volunteered before moving to Buzzards Bay, great blue herons were frequent daily visitors to find a hand out of fresh trout, a vital tasty source of iron and protein for growing offspring.

One morning, our manager was feeding our avian friends when members of the Micmac Indian tribe appeared. When they saw the herons they felt rewarded, as herons were sacred symbols of most inland tribes known together as Algonquin native culture. The great blue heron earned the title of ‘spirit of the waters.’

Looking out at dawn from the picture window of my new living room, the sight of this familiar, stately and statuesque figurine brings back memories and inspires me to share the creative inspiration with you in the first light of day at my new location.

By George B. Emmons

New Town House Planning

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To the Editor:

Much discussion and letters from John Waterman and Joe McDonough continually push for a new building so that the Town House can be privately developed. The current Town House Building Committee has reduced the renovation project and costs by eliminating the large meeting room, to bring the square footage down to 11,225 square feet and developed a new building option with estimated costs. That being said, the petition that the above mentioned presented to the Board of Selectmen states they want $35,000 to form a new committee to develop an alternative Town House of approximately 5,000 to 7,000 square feet. Joe McDonough quotes The General Services Administration’s Workspace Utilization and Allocation Benchmark of 222 square foot per person. To work with that footprint would mean the Town House will be nothing more than a field of low partitions and cubicles, which is what is shown in the manual. He also makes mention of Foxboro Town Hall and how they reduced space. The town hall reduced space is 15,990 square feet and costs being in the neighborhood of $10,200,000 for hard and soft costs. The $6.6 million mentioned by Joe McDonough at the Town House Committee’s open house was an estimate in 2015. The petition also states the following: “The Board of Selectmen is directed to reorganize and appoint a committee for New Town House Planning consisting of five members which shall include a member from the Planning Board and member of the Finance Committee. The three-remaining members at large shall have backgrounds from either business, finance, development, construction or architecture. No Town employee shall be a member of the committee.” (Italics is my emphasis.) It is clear the intent is not to think about preserving the Town House for its intended use for the town but to push for developing the property for real estate gains. Also restricting a town employee seems to imply secrecy and no transparency in the proposed design process of the committee. The current Town House Building Committee has the town’s facilities manager, a non-voting member, to be a part of the process as he will be managing the property no matter which option is selected.

Wayne A. Mattson PE, Marion

Mattapoisett Cultural Council

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Are you interested in supporting community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences in Mattapoisett? Each year, Mattapoisett Cultural Council awards funds for public cultural events such as plays and concerts, arts in the schools, community arts and cultural organizations, field trips for students to museums and performances, and more. These programs promote the availability of rich cultural experiences for Mattapoisett residents.

Council members are municipally-appointed volunteers who help determine how to disburse available funds to individuals, schools, and cultural organizations who apply for project support. Mattapoisett Cultural Council is seeking several new volunteers interested in serving as voting members to work together to allocate funding. Information about the local cultural council program is available at http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/programs/lccgrants.asp.

If you are interested or have questions about becoming a member, please contact kcdamaskos@gmail.com or Cultural Council, Town of Mattapoisett, P.O. Box 435, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Deadline March 1, 2017.

A Romantic Art Colony: Marion, Massachusetts

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Nancy Dyer Mitton will speak on February 23 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall about her book, A Romantic Art Colony: Marion, Massachusetts. Nancy’s book explores the development of Marion as a haven for Romantic artists during the late nineteenth century and the works of art that were produced in the town during the period.

Nancy Dyer Mitton, a painter and Marion resident, has a BFA in painting from The Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where she also studied American Art History. Born in Longbranch, New Jersey, she moved to Marion with her family in her early youth. She lived in the Old Stone Studio, formerly known as the Gilder Studio, in Marion during the mid-1970s. Her paintings have been in gallery exhibitions in Boston, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, throughout the east coast and at the Museum of Rochefort-en-Terre in Brittany, France, where she was awarded an artist residency by the Maryland Institute of Baltimore in 1995. She is a member of the Artists Fellowship and the National Arts Club in New York City. Her paintings are included in the permanent collections of the National Arts Club in NYC, Readers’ Digest in Pleasantville, NY, and Fidelity Company in Boston.

‘Sweet’ Home Mattapoisett

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We know that those who live in Mattapoisett love Mattapoisett, so what better way to show Mattapoisett you love it than to send it a Valentine?

That’s precisely what the fifth-graders at Old Hammondtown School did on February 14 to show their appreciation for the town and those who manage it, serve it, and protect it.

About 20 town hall employees and first responders arrived at the Old Hammondtown cafetorium just after noontime to be greeted by fifth-grade teachers, students, and Assistant Principal Kevin Tavares who stood beside a long table toppling with gift bags and baskets brimming with red and pink handmade cards, sweets, and shiny heart-shaped balloons.

One by one, each department was called forth. The Mattapoisett Police, selectmen’s office, school committee, treasurer’s office, town clerk, highway department, you name it – they were all there, subjects of the ‘sweet’ sentiments of the students at Old Hamm.

Fifth-grade teachers Stacey Barrows, Rachel Arruda, Amy Casi, and Kristen Sunde came up with the idea as a team and discussed it with the students who were enthusiastic participants that morning, cutting out cards and decorating them for their guests.

“We were looking for the chance to recognize all the ways these people make our community and our town special,” said Casi.

Tavares echoed that very sentiment as he introduced the guests.

“Today we are here to celebrate all the people that keep us safe and make this a special place,” said Tavares.

For Police Chief Mary Lyons, it was the perfect way for the children of Mattapoisett to see all the town employees together.

“And a great opportunity for possible future employment!” Chief Lyons added.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne said all the town hall employees were excited to receive the invitation.

“Everyone thought, ‘That is just so nice that they’re going to recognize the town employees,’” said Gagne. “Everybody was just really excited to come over.”

Parent volunteer Monika Whalley, who assisted the students in making the gifts that morning, said, “We feel so lucky to be here and we always have so much support from the town.”

By Jean Perry