Flu Concerns at ORR

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The flu season is once again upon the Tri-Town. Although many will feel tempted to attend school or work regardless of the severity of their symptoms, do yourself and everyone else a favor and stay home to keep from further spreading the sickness.

ORRHS has recognized the presence of the influenza in the area and has advised students to stay home if they feel sick through announcements in school and via the school website.

“If you are sick, stay home,” the message online reads. “Teachers will help you get your assignments.”

Not all signs of the flu are as serious as one might believe. The CDC lists that people may experience “fevers or feverish chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, and vomiting or diarrhea” in some cases. However, it is possible to only experience a limited amount of the listed signs; for instance, not everyone with flu will have a fever.

With the flu having already reached epidemic scale this season, it is good to take precautions against catching the virus. If you haven’t already, get the flu shot, which helps protect against 95 separate strains. Wash your hands as often as possible, get rest, and stay hydrated. Keeping these good health habits during an outbreak of sickness helps keep your immune system strong and ready to fight off the virus.

Students will have the additional benefit of February break starting soon, which helps in disrupting the spread of the virus at school. The flu still comes at an inconvenient time, though, with the March SAT, MCAS, and PARCC on the horizon.

If you do start to feel some of the symptoms, however, the best things you can do is to rest, stay hydrated, and quarantine yourself. Sending a sick child to school isn’t going to help them in the long run; they won’t be on top of their game and will also be spreading the virus along to others.

With this in mind, it is also a good idea to keep a look out for symptoms relating to the norovirus. While this virus has been slow in making an appearance in the South Coast region so far this season, many other areas across the country are suffering from its impact. Schools have even shut down temporarily to allow for their facilities to be cleansed, as the virus is most commonly contracted by touching a shared surface and then touching your mouth, according to the CDC.

The main signs of the norovirus are diarrhea, throwing up, nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache, and body aches, and can also lead to dehydration.

This is one of those times where it is important to keep yourself and others healthy by following the recommendations given by the CDC and supported by schools. During this flu season, do everyone a favor and stay home if you feel sick.

By Jo Caynon

 

Folks Befriend Wild Parrot in Rochester

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Some residents along a stretch of Neck Road in Rochester have experienced a strange sighting at their bird feeders lately. An unlikely patron of the winter buffet of various birdseeds throughout the neighborhood, one could say.

No one knows from where it came, why it is here, and how come it has not succumbed to the cold New England winter climate, but, nonetheless, he (or she, for that matter) has become a full-fledged feathered friend to Rochester resident Jane Wrightington.

“We just can’t believe he’s still here!” said Wrightington during a phone interview.

Wrightington remembers the first time she looked out her window and spotted the odd ornithological object perched in a tree off the deck.

“Jane, look at that hawk up there, he’s just sitting there,” her husband said to her back in early December.

But that was no hawk. As far as Wrightington knew, there were no hawks around here with red, yellow, and green plumage.

“I said it kind of looks like a parrot,” Wrightington said. “No. It can’t be a parrot,” she said, hearing herself and second-guessing.

But, having a pet parrot of her own, Wrightington was right the first time she spoke.

“I tried to coax him down, tried to talk to him, and he flew from one tree to the next,” Wrightington said. “You would think in that cold weather he would be interested in people, especially if he were a pet of someone’s.”

But the parrot wasn’t having it.

No, the newcomer was just fine feeding from the birdfeeder and bathing in the Wrightingtons’ heated birdbath, even on freezing 5-degree mornings when Wrightington wondered how on Earth this tropical bird was surviving under these weather conditions.

Through rain, sleet, and snow, the bird could be seen, bathing and eating like it was on winter holiday in Rochester of all places.

Wrightington did a little research and she thinks she has identified the parrot as an Eastern rosella, a bird native to Australia.

All the neighbors have been feeding him, Wrightington said, and they all now lovingly refer to him as “Rico.”

“He’s not interested in being caught at all,” she said. “He’s perfectly comfortable being up in a tree.”

It’s just plain weird, Wrightington said. And if Rico thinks he is going to find a mate around here, “He’s going to be disappointed.”

Every day Wrightington would watch for Rico and, if a couple of days should pass, she would grow concerned. But sure enough, there he would appear, splishing and splashing at the birdbath and frolicking with the other birds at the birdfeeder as if Rico naturally belonged.

She contacted a local veterinarian who said, “There’s no way that bird is going to survive out there.”

But that was over nine weeks ago. Rico is still coming around, and here we are past the midpoint of winter.

“I don’t know whether somebody just let him out,” said Wrightington, “but if they did, he had to have been gradually acclimated to the weather. He couldn’t have escaped the winter without freezing to death.”

Or could he?

Wrightington thought about putting her own parrot, “Trouble” as he is called, out in the breezeway to talk to Rico, perhaps to communicate a little good sense into him and convince him to come inside, but Wrightington was sure that Trouble wouldn’t be able to take even a draft of winter air.

So these days, the neighbors just keep each other up to date about Rico sightings and now, well into February, the neighbors are pulling for Rico to make it to the spring.

“He’s like a pet now,” says Wrightington. “We miss him on days when he’s not there.”

By Jean Perry

Selectmen Say ‘OK’ to VFW Town House Exploration

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It’s likely that most of us inside the Marion Town House on the night of February 7 will be dead before there’s any progress on the town house renovation project, suggested Marion Board of Selectman Stephen Cushing just before acquiescing to allowing an exploration of a town house construction project at the VFW site.

The plan now is to wait and see if a citizen petition for an article on the Annual Town Meeting for $35,000 to fund a preliminary study for a new construction at the 465 Mill Road site will pan out and lead to a less expensive, more efficient, more attractive option than the option put forth that night by the Town House Building Committee.

It looked like at least two of the three selectmen might have approved moving forward that night with Option 3A to renovate the town house while reducing its current square-footage in half, until debate over the warrant article and debate from Selectman Steve Gonsalves and residents led to a ‘why not’ vote of sorts.

“We can’t say you can save a lot of money by building a new building,” said town house committee Chairman Bob Raymond. He did emphasize the historic value of the town house and its status as a fixture in the village center, as opposed to the “isolation” of relocating it to Route 6.

The 3A option at $7.9 million was the most economical, most efficient option on the table.

Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard, a staunch supporter of exploring the VFW site for a new construction, sat in the audience and scoffed at various points throughout Raymond’s presentation and at one point asked out loud, “What are they smoking?”

Results of an informal survey mailed to residents with the census returned 931 responses, with about 55% in favor of a town house renovation and 40% in favor of a VFW new construction.

Gonsalves thanked the town house committee members for their work, but then said, “I still haven’t seen really a design or a plan for the VFW property. I’m visual. I gotta see things to understand them. Words and numbers, they’re great and all, but…”

Gonsalves said he never sent his own survey back because he didn’t have enough information to make a decision.

Cushing addressed what he called the notion of a cheaper option, saying, “I don’t think it’s out there.”

Gonsalves called himself a “pennies guy,” and later also a “many voices kind of guy,” looking towards an economical option, and also one that can accommodate the curiosity of those interested in exploring the VFW site.

“I think people are not giving the residents enough credit,” said Chairman Jody Dickerson. “Personally, I think we should go forward with this and let the voters take care of it … let them decide. I think it’s time to move forward. We have to market this and go from there.”

Planning Board Chairman Bob Lane told selectmen he thought a vote to move forward with Option 3A would result in a bitterly divided town.

Some residents spoke out against moving forward without exploring a VFW site option as well, and Raymond explained as best as he could that the committee early on had already presented a ‘new build’ option, and only the building property would be changing – costs would remain relatively the same.

Discussion heated up between Gonsalves and Dickerson after Gonsalves said he thought the town had let the Town House crumble for long enough without taking action, to which Dickerson took offense. Gonsalves asked, since we’ve waited this long, what’s the big deal in waiting a little more for a VFW site option?

Dickerson said that was why the town formed a facilities department, and all the while the school had an addition added, among other large-scale projects.

“You’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts,” said Dickerson to Gonsalves.

Minard “begged” the selectmen not to go ahead with Option 3A, warning them that the issue will fail on the Town Meeting floor.

“I’m tiring of the process, I guess,” said Cushing. “It’s wearing me down.” He added, “We’re at a point that we’ve gotta do something. I’ll agree with Steve…. I’m willing to give it a second look at a new building.”

“I think it will validate all that we have done,” said Raymond, adding that he would ultimately welcome a new study on a VFW site option.

The selectmen tabled the matter until after the Annual Town Meeting in May to see if voters approve the article to appropriate $35,000 towards a VFW site exploration.

Also during the meeting, the board tabled a request from a master plan open space subcommittee chaired by Margie Baldwin to form a new committee consisting of the nine entities in town that manage open spaces.

The goal is to consolidate open space management and acquisition efforts into one formal group to communicate, share ideas, and also support each other with the individual entities’ endeavors.

Baldwin likened the idea to the Community Preservation Commission where representatives from various boards and committees unite for a common purpose, and told selectmen an open space committee she termed the Marion Stewards of Open Space would be ideally filled with reps from groups such as the Marion Open Space Acquisition Committee, the Conservation Commission, Affordable Housing Committee, the Pathways Committee, Tree & Parks, recreation, and the Sippican Lands Trust, among others, including the Trustees of Washburn Park.

“Everybody’s enthusiastic about it,” said Baldwin, all except for MOSAC Chairman John Rockwell, she pointed out. “We’ve outlined a large task for ourselves, but we think it’s an important task and a way to move the Master Plan forward.”

Rockwell objected to the idea, saying his committee had already voiced its opposition to a formation of a formal committee that would include non-town organizations such as the SLT.

An informal committee to communicate and share information sounds good, he said, but a committee that requires meeting notices for quorums instead of just informal emails and meetings would, to him and other MOSAC members, be “just another layer of bureaucracy.”

Baldwin disagreed, arguing that, as it is now, “The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing a lot of the time when it comes to what this town is doing.”

The more people – such as her proposed nine-member board – the more work that can be done.

The debate heated up between Baldwin and Rockwell until Dickerson interjected.

”I do have some concerns … about the Trustees of Washburn Park and Sippican Lands Trust since they are technically not [town organizations],” Dickerson said.

Gonsalves said he was an “all-under-one-umbrella kind of guy,” preferring to unite the nine entities as Baldwin and her subcommittee requested.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” Gonsalves said. “We just have to figure out how to make it happen, so I’m in favor of it.”

But it would be best if everyone were on board, Cushing pointed out. And since Rockwell said he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to speak with his MOSAC members before being asked to vote to join this new committee, Rockwell couldn’t support it.

“I don’t want the vote of MOSAC to kill the whole thing,” said Baldwin.

Dickerson said the matter should be tabled until Rockwell could approach his board, and the other selectmen agreed to table it until March 7.

That night the board also watched a presentation given by Danny Warren of Warren Environmental about a new and effective pipe lining the Town had expressed interest in learning more about for the municipal sewer system.

VFW and sewer staff members said the technology was impressive, and Warren offered to return for a demonstration and would provide his service to a couple of manholes in town to show the effectiveness of his product.

In other matters, Cushing announced he would not be seeking re-election this year at the end of his third term. It was a difficult decision to make, he said.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for February 21 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

 

Tabor Academy presents Grease

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Grease, one of the most performed musicals in history, comes to the Tabor Academy stage on February 16, 17, and 18 at 7:30 pm. The show is free and open to the public in Tabor’s Fireman Center for Performing Arts in Hoyt Hall at 235 Front Street, Marion.

In its original production in Chicago, Grease was a raunchy, raw, aggressive, vulgar show. Subsequent productions have sanitized and tamed the show. Grease does delve into social issues such as teenage pregnancy, peer pressure, and gang violence; its themes also explore love, friendship, teenage rebellion, sexual exploration during adolescence, and, to some extent, class consciousness/class conflict. With a cast and crew of over 50 students, the Tabor cast of Grease explores these themes with light-hearted good humor through the antics of the Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies played as endearing caricatures.

Senior Lucy Saltonstall of Marion plays Sandy, the spunky ingénue who transforms herself into a Pink Lady by play’s end. Senior Aurelia Reynolds of Sandwich plays Betty Rizzo, the sarcastic, tough Leader of the Pink Ladies. Junior Zoe Boardman of Falmouth portrays Marty, the “beauty” of the Pink Ladies. Harding Daniel of Chatham steps up to play Kenickie, second in command of the Burger Palace Boys. Megan Carchidi from Falmouth portrays the bubbly cheerleader, Patty Simcox, while Matt Carvalho of Mattapoisett plays Doody, the boyish Burger Palace boy with a disarming smile. Other local students include Charlie Dineen of Marion as Teen Angel; Tayler Rogers of Falmouth as a Lead Pink Lady; Cam Baer of Sandwich as Eugene Florczyk, the nerdy class valedictorian; and Marc Millette of Marion as a greaser.

Other principle roles include: Connor Cook of Colorado as Danny Zuko, the leader of the Burger Palace Boys; Kate Marshall of New York as Frenchy; Katie Bresnahan of Beverly, MA, as Jan; Brian Lee of Seoul, Korea, as Roger; Lachlan Hyatt of Colorado as Vince Fontaine; Tenzin Chodak of Newark, NJ, as Johnny Casino; Hannah Rolighed of Winnetka, IL, as Miss Lynch; Amber Harris of Fairburn, GA, as Cha-Cha DiGregorio.

John M. Heavey is the director, and David Horne is the musical director. The choreographer is Danielle LaTullippe. Richard Van Voris is the technical director assisted ably by Susan Kistler. Junior Maddy Kistler of Marion is the lighting designer while Senior Jack Gordon, also of Marion, is the stage manager. Junior April Mihalovich of Buzzards Bay is the associate stage manager. Annemarie Fredericks and Kate Hill head up the costume design team.

Admission is free and seating is open; no tickets are required.

Elks Student of the Month

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The Elks of Wareham Lodge No. 1548 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools. The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school and community service, industry and farming.

We congratulate junior Alyssa Perry for being named Student of the Month for January. Alyssa not only works hard in class, but is a thinker, carefully weighing whatever she contributes. She also is helpful to others in class and contributes to classroom discussions. Alyssa is involved in the drama club as well. She is well rounded, works hard and is kind, considerate, thoughtful and positive.

Florence Eastman Post 280

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The monthly meeting of the Florence Eastman Post 280 will be held at the Post Hall on February 15 at 7:00 pm. This meeting will cover the normal reports and will also review the current status of the House Committee’s research into the repair estimates for the hall that are all now in process.

Bring your ideas for these endeavors as we cannot function without our members support and, obviously, the support of the great folks in our area who always patronize our efforts. Please mention this meeting to members you may know as everyone should be involved with the subject matters. The Hall is still available for rental. Just contact one of our members or call Mike at 508-758-9311.

Town House Building Committee

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To the Editor:

I am in full agreement with the arguments laid out by John Waterman in his published letter and to the Marion Selectmen. The Town House Building Committee has put in a lot of work, imagination, and expertise in finding a way to make the Town House safe (after demolishing the 1890 addition) and to shoehorn the existing offices and facilities into the remaining space at the lowest cost possible. However, they have not put anywhere near the same effort into elaborating a “new construction” alternative. This is understandable; the funding that paid for the professional design and costing experts they have been using was specifically restricted to support the “historical preservation” option. There are no funds authorized for design and planning of the alternative “new build” (on former VFW land) option.

The THBC documents distributed last week after the public workshop do not fully recognize the economies that accompany the “new building” option, including those listed in Mr. Waterman’s letter. Besides costing less to build and finance, that option eliminates the substantial cost of a “transition” period when the town offices would have to be housed in rented spaces, with communications rerouted and rewired. Furthermore, as needs in the future change, there is almost no ability to revise or expand the Town House – it will already be tightly packed – except at great expense. A new building, on the other hand, could be designed from the start for flexibility, to maximize the efficiencies of modern technology, and to meet future needs.

The Board of Selectmen must assure that they – and we – get to see two equally well-formed, well thought-out, and accurate options, so that when the question comes before Town Meeting to put our money where our mouth is, both options have been given a fair hearing.

Edmund P. OConnell, 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.

Family Fun at the Plumb Library

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On Saturday, February 4, the Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library in Rochester hosted its 6th annual Take Your Child To The Library Day (TYCTTLD) from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The family-friendly event included two interactive music and movement sessions with SongShine Music of Somerset, a scavenger hunt with prizes, a meet-and-greet with Amos, the “read-to-me” greyhound, a demonstration of the library’s telescope, and free books and refreshments.

Lisa Fuller, the children’s librarian, said “I try to have programming for families, and it’s free and it’s fun.”

The first of two SongShine Music sessions, for ages 18 months to 3 years, began at 10:30 am. Lisa Kelly, or “Miss Lisa,” started things rolling with a catchy little song about mangoes as she produced colorful maracas from her Wizard of Oz-like bag of props. Next were colorful ribbons to sweep and swirl, plastic hoops to lift and lower, and even a multi-colored parachute to billow and shake. Some of the children were a bit reticent at first, but Miss Lisa got them up and moving in no time with her enthusiasm and energy.

This is the first year the library has had Kelly come to their event.

Librarians “network,” Fuller explained, and another librarian had recommended Kelly to her. “I’ve never had her, so I’m happy [with] how it’s going,” she said, watching the children crowd around Miss Lisa.

A second SongShine Music session, for ages 4 through 8, followed at 11:30 am.

For all of the kid-centric activities, TYCTTLD is actually more about getting parents to come to the library, said Library Director Gail Roberts.

“It’s a family fun day, to show what the library has for the entire family,” Roberts said. “Families think the library is just for the kids, and when the kids stop coming, they stop coming.”

            Members of the Friends of the Library, Library Trustees, the Library Book Clubs and the library staff were on hand to greet and talk with families.

Members of the Junior Friends of the Library sat by the door to greet families as they entered.

A table was set up to show the wealth of online services the library offers, like OverDrive, which “allows you to download free ebooks and audio books and in some cases videos,” Roberts said.

OverDrive and NoveList, which recommends your next book to read, are offered by all the libraries in the SAILS network, while other “in house” services are purchased by individual libraries.

For example, Plumb Library offers freegal, which allows you to download music to keep, and zinio, which allows you to download magazines, also to keep.

Universal Class offers over 500 free online, noncredit, continuing education classes. “I’m always amazed at how many classes they offer,” Roberts said. “You’re working with a real person, emailing back and forth. You get a certificate at the end, and teachers get professional points for taking these classes.”

Transparent Language offers free language classes in over 100 languages, from Afrikaans to Zulu. Unlike Universal Class, which runs for a set number of weeks, Transparent Language allows you to learn at your own pace by downloading the app to your phone or other device.

The Tumble Book Library offers online books for children from preschool to grade 5, Roberts said. “It’s good for children learning to read.”

And the list continues.

TYCTTLD was started in 2012 by librarians in Connecticut to promote “community awareness about the importance of the library in the life of a child, and … library services and programs for children and families,” according to the Connecticut Library Consortium website. It is held on the first Saturday in February at libraries throughout the United States and Canada.

By Deina Zartman

Mea Culpa From Decas Project Manager

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Scott Hannula, Decas Cranberry Company, Inc. project manager for the tailwater recovery pond project located at 109 Neck Road, along with Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering, came before the Rochester Conservation Commission on February 7 to explain how and why the project has run afoul of its permit.

Chairman Michael Conway read the public notice citing “violation” and then, looking at the two representatives, said “Explain to us why you are here.”

Grady outlined in broad strokes that, after an on-site visit by Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon, irregularities were noted. Somehow the depth of the pond was 8 feet lower than the commission had permitted.

Further, Grady pointed out that earth removal operations conducted by a private contractor had hauled 7% more dirt off the site, also a permit violation. And finally, Grady said that the storage of some 35,000 yards of material that was subsequently used to rehabilitate bogs at the location had not been included in the original Notice of Intent filing.

Grady said, “In hindsight, we should have come to the soil board and commission … that’s why we are here now.”

Commissioners Daniel Gagne and Laurene Gerrior questioned Grady’s math as it related to the actual amount of soil that had been hauled off site, with Gagne asking for an as-built survey. But Grady pushed back, saying that it wasn’t safe to send his crew to the bottom of the hole.

Gagne countered, “There are other ways to do it.” Grady had estimated that 200,960 yards, rather than the 200,409 that were permitted, had been removed.

Grady offered to present records from the trucking contractor, but Gagne and others felt that would just be restating what had already been presented. The commissioners wanted more.

Farinon said, “I agree with Dan.” She said, “The only true way to know how much material was taken is to get it surveyed.” She also told the commissioners that they would have to amend the Order of Conditions to take the violation into consideration.

Farinon said that at the time the project was being proposed, members of the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Protection Advisory Committee had verbalized concerns that surrounding ponds such as Snow’s, Black and Snipatuit would be adversely affected.

Conway held his gaze and said, “I don’t understand how you can manage a project and not know where you are. Was no one paying attention?”

Hannula responded, “It’s an unfortunate mistake I made.” He continued, offering a mea culpa, “I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should. It rests solely on my shoulders.”

He continued, “This isn’t a haphazard project,” he said in defense but admitted, “I did not check throughout the project.” Hannula pled, “We are close to the end; we’d like to finish.”

Hannula asked if they could stop the dewatering portion of the project and let the nearly completed pond fill up. He said it was very expensive to run the pumps and with further delays due to a cease and desist order that was now in place, it looked like a month would go by with no work taking place.

The commissioners were not moved to agree.

Gagne said he wanted full-time on-site engineering professionals overseeing the balance of the project to “tell us the truth.”

Farinon cautioned the commissioners that the applicants would be meeting with the soil board regarding the matter; thus, she didn’t want the commission to do anything that might run counter to their decision.

Commissioner Kevin Cassidy said, “Just continue pumping for now.”

Hannula left with a new to-do list that included preparing an as-built plan in the next ten days with surveyed results for the pond in its current state and accurate figures on the amount of material that has been removed. The public meeting was continued until March 7.

Also running into violation territory with the issuance of an enforcement order were Lorraine and William Hawkes, 591 Neck Road.

Farinon reported that an abutter had observed landscaping activities on the Hawkes’ property along the bordering vegetated wetlands of Snipatuit Pond. She said that she conducted a site visit and instructed the landscape contractor to contact the Hawkes who are presently in Florida. Farinon spoke to the Hawkes and advised them of the violation.

The commissioners voted to proceed with the violation enforcement order that will include analysis by a wetland scientist, delineation of wetlands, replanting in disturbed areas and a plan for rehabilitation. The Hawkes were given until April 28 to produce the plan and begin work to restore the area.

The next meeting of the Rochester Conversation Commission is scheduled for February 21 at 7:00 pm in the town hall meeting room.

By Marilou Newell

 

League of Women Voters Blue Book

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A new edition of The Blue Book is in the works. The 2017-18 phone directory, to be published by the Tri-Town League of Women Voters, will be mailed free of charge to every postal patron in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester in early July. The book contains the names, addresses and phone numbers of each town’s residents and businesses as well as advertisements by area businesses and professionals for their products and services. An online version of the book contains the residential listings and the classified business listings, and can be found at lwvmmr.org/phonebook.

The only printed residential phone book in this area, The Blue Book is highly popular, providing an important communication tool for the three towns. To make the book as accurate as possible, residents can submit additions, deletions and corrections to their listings by email at lwvphonebook@comcast.net or by postal mail to LWV-MMR, P.O. Box 812, Marion, MA 02738. Advertising information can be requested using the same addresses.

The League is proud of this community service and appreciates the support of the advertisers who help to make this book possible.