Mattapoisett Library News

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LEGOs Abound: Each Saturday at 1:00 pm, the LEGO table and thousands of LEGOs are available for play and design. Stop in and meet the weekly challenge! Photos will be taken of everyone’s creation. For youth of all ages.

Enjoying a Quiet Holiday? Books for Everyone! Dozens of new fiction, non-fiction, and audiobooks are available in the reading room. Stop by and browse the many well-reviewed titles that represent all genres. Ask the library staff for a reading suggestion or log onto the library’s website, www.mattapoisettlibrary.org, and use Novelist to search for your next great read. The library staff is happy to demonstrate this great reader’s advisory tool.

Children’s Film Screening: Take a break from the holidays on Saturday, December 28 from 2:00 to 3:45 pm and enjoy the Disney-animated film My Neighbor Totoro by award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki. Described as a magical film, it follows two sisters as they move to the countryside and meet a mysterious forest spirit who can only be seen through the eyes of a child.

All families are welcome to this free event. Free popcorn and water. Call the library at 508-758-4171 to reserve a seat.

New Scrapbooking Group to Meet Monthly: Bring your photos, papers, tools, and ideas to a new group Scrapbook Crop! The group will meet the first Friday of every month beginning on January 6 at 10:30 am in the library meeting room. Ideas for designs will be shared over coffee and tea. All skill levels are welcome.

Film and Book Discussion Series Continues: Join other film enthusiasts for a screening of The English Patient on Sunday, January 15 at 1:30 pm. The group will be discussing the film and the book, with suggested questions and free refreshments. Sign up to attend and pick up the discussion questions by emailing spizzolo@sailsinc.org or by calling the library.

Tech Help: Get a new tablet, smart phone or e-reader as a gift? Work with librarian Elizabeth Sherry to learn how to use it efficiently. Download free books from the library to enjoy any time, any place. For an appointment, call 508-758-4171.

Elizabeth Taber Library Winter Children’s Programs

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Winter Lapsit, for children birth through 23 months and their caregivers, begins January 3 and runs through February 28. Each Tuesday morning program begins at 10:30 am and includes a 20 minute “story time” followed by 20 minutes of socializing. One child per “lap,” please!

Winter Tales for Twos, for children 24-36 months, begins January 4 and runs through February 22. Children must be 2 years old by January 1, 2017 to attend and must be accompanied by enthusiastic adult companions. The half-hour of stories, finger-plays and crafts takes place at 10:30 am on Wednesday mornings.

Winter Story Time, for children between the ages of 3 and 5, begins January 9 and runs through February 27. Children are invited to enjoy stories, finger-plays and crafts on Monday mornings at 10:30 am.

Pre-registration is required for these programs; please sign up by stopping by the library, calling 508-748-1252 or by e-mailing Mrs. Grey, Children’s Librarian, at rgrey@sailsinc.org.

“…There’s money left on the table…”

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During the December 14 meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee, Selectman Paul Silva brought to the committee’s attention that many residences where public sewer service is now available never tied into the system.

“There are 149 developed lots in town that have not tied into the sewer,” Silva reported, adding, “That equals about $74,000 on the table; they aren’t paying usage fees.” While the town is paying for the capacity, those who have not tied-in are not offsetting those expenses, he explained.

Selectmen Jordan Collyer said that it’s implied “a handshake agreement,” that property owners of developed lots had two years to hook into the system but apparently enforcement was vague.

Collyer and Silva discussed that some homeowners whose private septic systems needed repair or replacement prior to sewer projects in their neighborhood spent a great deal of money so that when the public sewer system came along, “They never tied-in,” said Collyer.

FinCom members asked if there were contractual agreements that would force the homeowner to use the public system. Town Administrator Michael Gagne said there were sewer bylaws, but it seemed that an amendment would be required to enforce utilizing the public system.

Silva said, “The sewer commissioners need to look at this.”

            In other matters, Gagne stated, “I thought we should chit chat about FY18,” saying he had been meeting with town department heads discussing health care costs and long-term personnel planning. “It’s good to know who might be planning on retiring,” he said.

Gagne said that recently there had been some difficulty hiring staff for what he called positions requiring “specialized” training and that it made sense to try and hire from within, giving staff members ample opportunity to be trained by the outgoing employee. He pointed out that the selectmen had developed a three-year plan with the clerical union that would recognize those persons who wished to move up in their departments to give them time to be trained.

“Promotion from within makes sense,” he said.

Gagne has also asked the department heads to identify any anomalies in their budgets such as fuel, salt/sand, et cetera that might blow up a level-funded functional area. He has also begun the process of running the numbers on revenue versus expenditures for a mid-January review.

Regarding state aid, Gagne said that funding in FY17 was down by 5 percent and anticipated the same for the coming year. Local receipts, he said, “have done well,” but projections for growth in 2018 showed a slowing trend.

To help understand the financial health and wellbeing of the town’s many balance sheets, Gagne said he wanted to segregate expenditures by department. Such costs as post-employment benefits, pensions, Medicare, property, as well as liability and group health insurance were all areas that he said could be pulled apart and allocated directly to departments.

Once again sounding the warning gong on rising health care costs, Gagne said that those expenses are growing at an unsustainable rate and that long-term pension assessment would make adoption of a stabilization fund reasonable. He said that the average age of the town’s employees was 50 years of age. Collyer said, “We need to take a long hard look at what other towns are doing about co-pays.”

The committee also discussed the three at-large open seats that presently exist at the conference table. They said letters of interest can be submitted to the selectmen’s office and hoped that several would be received in the coming year.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for January 11 at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

 

Wrapped With a ‘Perfect’ Bow

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If you happened to enter the Rochester Town Hall on the morning of December 20, you would have thought the public meeting room resembled something from the North Pole, like Santa’s workshop, or Santa’s kitchen, for that matter.

You would have seen Rochester Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel standing by the sun-filled window, surrounded by large gift baskets and cellophane wrapping paper, fashioning the most perfect Christmas bow one had ever seen.

It’s clearly Christmas at Town Hall, and a tradition amongst town employees and members of town boards and committees is to pool their money together to help a few families in Rochester have a merrier Christmas.

The town hall folks have always made donations this time of year to local charitable efforts at Christmas, but starting last year Daniel thought it might be worth expanding to include just a few families who might need a boost this time of year preparing a sumptuous Christmas dinner.

Last year, Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon, in charge of organizing the donations, and donation collectors Amanda Baptiste and Patrice LaForest gathered enough money to make three large gift baskets chock full of all things merry – sugar cookie mix, frosting, potatoes, carrots, stuffing, the fixings for a green bean casserole, gravy, and sparkling cider, topped off with a $100 gift card to pay for the turkey or ham and other perishables. There were even some Christmas decorations and a family board game stuffed inside the clothesbasket that contained all the goodies.

This year, though, with $1,400 in donations that will be split 50-50 between the gift basket fund and other town Christmas charities, there was enough to provide a Christmas meal for four families.

“We had some big donors on some of the committees,” said Daniel. “I really didn’t think we were going to have this much.”

Daniel contacts Rochester Memorial School Principal Derek Medeiros, who helps find the families who would benefit most from the gift baskets, and on Tuesday, Daniel was heading over to the school to drop the baskets off – that is, once he finished another three fine bows.

“He makes the best bows,” Baptiste joked about Daniel, who was concerned about his reputation with his “biker friends” once word got out that he could wrap a mean gift basket. (Don’t worry, Andrew. We’ll only tell a few people.)

“Goodness shines through,” said Daniel. “This town has some incredible people working for it. It’s the generosity of the staff that makes this happen.”

By Jean Perry

Hammond Quarry Walk Postponed

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Join the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT) on Saturday, December 31 at 1:00 pm for our second walk to the former granite quarry that was an important part of the Town’s history and early industry. Owned primarily by the Hammond family, the quarry operated from the early 1700s until the early 1900s and produced pink granite for which Mattapoisett was well known in early times. The quarry site includes one remaining granite outcrop and two abandoned pits: the larger and dry East Pit and the smaller West Pit that holds water. In addition, there are large amounts of worked granite rubble as well as some abandoned quarry equipment in and around the pits.

MLT is working with the Buzzards Bay Coalition, Mattapoisett Historical Society and other organizations to preserve 53 acres surrounding the quarry site. Come join us and see this special place! The walk will depart across the road from 7 and 9 Mattapoisett Neck Road, just south of Route 6. Please park on the west side of Mattapoisett Neck Road. The trail is gentle, but wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.

For more information, please email us at info@mattlandtrust.org.

Chamber Series Presents “Harp Heaven”

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On January 14 and 15, the South Coast Chamber Music Series continues its 2016-2017 season with “Harp Heaven.” Artistic Director Janice Weber has put together a program sure to chase away the January doldrums, with scintillating music for harp by Ibert and Bax, plus Piston’s lively String Quartet and a smoldering Piano Trio by Smetana. Harpist Judy Saiki joins Piotr Buczek (violin), Raluca Dumitrache (violin), Don Krishnaswami (viola), Timothy Roberts (cello), and Ms. Weber (piano) for this memorable musical journey.

There will be two performances: Saturday, January 14, 4:00 pm, St. Gabriel’s Church, 124 Front Street in Marion; and Sunday, January 15, 4:00 pm, St. Peter’s Church, 351 Elm Street in South Dartmouth. Admission is $20 at the door.

You deserve a symphony in your life: the New Bedford Symphony! The NBSO is a professional orchestra that annually presents a concert series of classical and pops music with prize-winning guest artists from around the world, as well as a chamber music series. In addition, the NBSO’s innovative and nationally recognized educational programs reach 30,000 students each year. The NBSO is dedicated to building a community of music in the South Coast. Visit www.nbsymphony.org for more information.

Holiday Meals

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Rochester Boy Scout Troop 31 joined forces this past Sunday to help the Rochester Lions Club package Holiday Meals for local families in need at the Rochester Council on Aging. The Rochester Lions Club works hard each year through local fundraising efforts to provide annual services and holiday meals (at Thanksgiving and Christmas) to local families of Rochester and surrounding communities who are in need. Rochester Troop 31 is always eager to lend a helping hand whenever they are called to assist such a caring and supportive cause. Each Holiday Feast package includes a turkey, fresh potatoes, squash, onions, stuffing, and a delicious dessert. Photo courtesy of Ilana Mackin

Marion Gets its Senior Center

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It’s official. The Marion Board of Selectmen on December 20 formally voted to designate the old VFW building as the town’s senior center, dubbing it the new “Benjamin D. Cushing Senior Center/Community Center”.

Marion Council on Aging Chairman Joanne Mahoney, with COA Director Heather Silvia by her side, asked the selectmen to designate the building. Mahoney emphasized – several times – her preference for the selectmen to place the emphasis on a senior center as the principal use of the building, with her determination eliciting a few chuckles from the roomful of senior center supporters.

Selectmen in their motion specified the senior center designation primarily for a Monday through Friday schedule, leaving room for community and recreational events for weekends.

Elections would also still be held at the 465 Mill Road building.

“We need to follow the wishes of the VFW,” commented Selectman Stephen Cushing when it came time for a motion.

Marion Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard, present for the meeting, stated that funding could be squeezed from the reserve fund to get some priority upgrades completed as soon as possible, such as the electrical upgrading and the renovation of the restrooms for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Total estimated costs for all renovations of the building are well into the mid-$90,000 range, but Minard said, “I think that we could … certainly get started on the big stuff.”

Once the vote was taken, the room erupted into applause and smiles.

In other business, a roomful of Planting Island residents voiced opposition to a proposed aquaculture farm sited for a location southeast of Meadow Island.

Applicant Chris Bryant, accompanied by his two brothers Ben and Nat, faced a number of concerns and questions about impeding navigation of the channel and recreational use of the location.

After much discussion, including the possibility of moving the site slightly to further avoid obstructing the passage of boats through the 200-foot channel, selectmen continued the matter to allow Bryant and members of the planting Island Homeowners Association to meet and come to an agreement, if possible, on how to proceed to please both residents and applicants.

Also during the meeting, Minard and Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane, present as individuals not representing their respective boards, addressed the selectmen regarding a new approach to the Town House renovation matter.

The men proposed exploring the VFW property as a possible site for a new town hall campus-style building, in hopes that this would be favorable to the townspeople since it could be a more cost-effective way to satisfy the needs of the Town.

Minard and Lane proposed an independent committee to study just the VFW property option so the town could compare “an apple and an orange” when weighing the benefits to each proposal.

Selectmen agreed to allow a committee of five to form, and asked Minard and Lane to submit a formal proposal and purpose statement for the committee before the Board of Selectmen appoint any members.

In other matters, the board authorized the transfer of an aquaculture license held by Catherine Brodeur to Shea Doonan. When asked by selectmen if she had simply had enough of the business, Brodeur quietly replied, “No, I’m not feeling too well.”

Attorney Patricia McArtle also introduced an article on behalf of her client for placement on the Spring Annual Town Meeting in 2017 proposing a zoning change for a prospective development site currently zoned as commercial/light industrial. The change, if adopted by town meeting voters, would change the zoning to a ‘Residential E’ zone.

A hearing pertaining to an alleged attack by a dog owned by Gregory Silva was continued at the defendant’s request until the next meeting.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 3, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

 

Bulldog Brew Café Serving Up More Than Coffee

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There is something brewing at Old Rochester Regional High School, and it doesn’t just stop at coffee and cocoa. The new Bulldog Brew Café is serving up more than hot beverages and snacks to the staff at ORR; it is also providing students in the school’s new Transition Special Education Program with real life skills, confidence, and a new way to espresso themselves.

OK, perhaps espresso isn’t yet on the menu, but coffee, tea, cocoa, and cold brew coffee are – and the addition of the Bulldog Café has been a welcome addition to the school for faculty members like Diana Setera who dropped by for a hot cup of cinnamon apple spice tea on December.

“May I help you please?” barista-in-training Chris Hathaway asked with a smile from behind a large wooden café cart. Taking the dollar bill from Setera’s hand, Hathaway replaced the money with a paper cup of hot tea and another big smile.

Fellow students Dennis Reynolds and Grace Costa-Medeiros were on-hand with smiles of their own, eager to assist Hathaway with the transaction.

Each student offers up their own expertise, with Costa-Medeiros using her design skills to create flyers with weekly specials, as well as the menu typed to perfection and hung with care.

It was the brainchild of teacher Mark Pereira, or “Mr. P” as he is known in certain circles, and it is Pereira’s snack cart that is the centerpiece of the café (aside from the students’ smiles, of course). He had it lying around in his garage and thought it would be the perfect addition to create that real café feeling.

“We would really like this program to be something that lasts,” Pereira said. The skills of measuring out ingredients, counting change, as well as making the coffee are real-life work skills the students can use when they transition out of high school and into adulthood. “And just that social piece of communicating with others,” added Pereira.

In charge of the pilot transition program is Rebecca Okolita, an ORR graduate from the year 1998. She is running the new special education program.

“We’re really trying to be a part of the community and keep covering basic skills that will last into the rest of their lives,” Okolita said. “I think we’re doing great becoming a part of the community as a whole.”

The transitional program incorporates many pre-vocational, language, and community/social skills, Okolita said.

“My students have really improved on communicating with one another and new people and customers,” Okolita said. “One of my students that uses an AAC (communication device) has learned to navigate his AAC to speak directly to customers.”

The students count all their earnings for the day as profits and all of it goes to a student account to help fund outings into the community.

“I want my students to associate hard work with rewarding activities,” said Okolita.

In addition to the café, students travel outside school for community outings to help out at local charities like Gifts to Give, go shopping, and equip themselves with essentials such as personal identification cards from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The students even got the chance to sneak in a visit with Santa Claus at the mall recently, which delighted Hathaway who bellowed out a laugh when he looked at the picture of him posing with Santa.

“There’s always a reason for the place we go and the skills needed,” said Pereira. “Becky’s got a lot of ideas and a lot of vision for what she wants to see these kids become.”

The students are currently raising funds for a school garden for next year by returning bottles and cans for recycling, which they welcome from the community. Okolita has also started up a GoFundMe page, which will help, hopefully, along with a $500 grant.

“I am very blessed to have a talented group of students that are eager to help and try new things,” said Okolita. “We are excited about learning new skills and giving back to our community.”

Pereira can vouch for Okolita’s enthusiasm.

“Big dreams,” said Pereira. “That’s what she has.”

Pereira loves his job at the school working with the transition program, he said.

“It’s so rewarding. It’s very rewarding to me,’ said Pereira. “It’s a great program and they have a lot to offer … and it’s going to grow.”

For donations of cans, bottles, or to contribute to the garden fund, Rebecca Okolita can be reached at rebeccaokolita@oldrochester.org.

By Jean Perry

Gateway Youth Hockey

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Squirts: On Saturday, the Squirts faced off against WHK in a battle of the top two teams in the division. WHK jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Gladiators fought back for a 7-3 win. In net, Nate Wilson was tested early and often, stopping 26 of 29 shots for the win. The Gladiator defense proved to be the difference in the game, holding the blue line in the offensive zone and clearing the puck in the defensive zone while contributing on five of seven goals. Patrick Tripp led the effort with one goal and two assists, Bree Killion added two assists and John Goll and Mike Brown each added an assist. The offense was led by Tommy Clavell with four goals, Brayden Cannon with one goal and three assists, and Ben Hebbel with one goal and one assist. The great fore-checking of Liz Kilpatrick, Brayden Hathon and Kevin Place helped spur the Gladiators to a great team win.

On Sunday, the Squirts were matched up with Duxbury. Mike Brown got the Gladiators on the board early in the first period with his first goal of the season coming from a wrist shot. Hebbel added his first of two later in the first and Tripp added one more late in the first to give the Gladiators a 3-0 lead after one period. The second period started slowly for the Gladiators, but after giving up one goal the team got going with a Cannon goal to regain the three-goal lead. In the third period, Hebbel added his second of the game followed by Hathon’s first of the game on a feed from Killion. In net, Wilson played strong, stopping 12 of 13 shots faced.

Pee Wees: Gateway Gladiators Pee Wees dominated Duxbury on Saturday. In the first period, Nathan Ribeiro put Gateway on the board early with an assist from Ty Rebeiro. Rebeiro added an unassisted point. Thomas Leger put in an unassisted followed by Matthew Paling with an unassisted. Connor MacLeod put one in with assists from Paling and Leger. The second period was just as consistent as the first. MacLeod added his second of the game assisted by Ribeiro. Rebeiro came in with another goal assisted by Ribeiro. Joe Urnek slid in a nice one with assist from Ribeiro. Ribeiro then came in with a quick one, clearing the goalie and getting the point assisted by Rebeiro. Rebeiro then completed his hat trick, unassisted. In the third, Duxbury added the pressure, but Ribeiro was able to get one more in for Gateway with an assist from Leger and Urnek ending the game 11- 0 and giving goalie Ryker King the shut-out.

Bantams: In the spirit of the holidays, the Gladiators Bantam team donned their ugly holiday sweaters to their game this weekend against Plymouth. They skated away with a 6-1 victory as well. The scoring started early in the first period when Quirino doCanto made a couple of nice dekes on the defenseman and the goalie, putting home his first of the day; assisting on the play were Tyler Lovendale and Will Goldman. Jack Martins found the back of the net less than a minute later on a feed from Matt Cadieux. The score remained that way until early in the second period when Cadieux took a pass from fellow blue liner, Steven Old, and beat the goalie with a wrist shot. Plymouth scored shortly after that, making it 3-1, until Lovendale took a feed from doCanto and finished with a backhand shot, as he was falling to the ice. Just 15 seconds later, doCanto scored his second goal, assisted by Robert Maloney and Lovendale. With the score 4-1 early in the third period, doCanto finished the hat trick, beating the goalie with a wrist shot over his shoulder. Martins finished the scoring one minute later, stealing a pass and putting it by the goalie, with a hard wrist shot. Alex DeMarco played well in net for the Gladiators, stopping 19 of 20 shots he faced.