Kids Equipment Fun Day

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Marion Recreation will once again offer Kids Equipment Fun Day on Saturday, May 12from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Washburn Park in Marion. Attendees will be able to take pictures, climb on, and sit in various trucks, tractors, and equipment. Fire trucks, ambulances, police cruisers, bulldozers, boats and more will all be on hand to get an up-close look at. New this year: Sensory Awareness Hour from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon. No sirens, horns or lights during this hour. Also, Marion Recreation will host a cookout in conjunction with this event with proceeds benefitting the Marion Recreation Financial Assistance Program. This program provides scholarships for income eligible participants to attend the many programs offered through the Recreation Department. For more information, visit www.marionma.gov/recreation-deparment or email recreation@marionma.gov.

James M. Collins

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James M. Collins, 56, of Marion died May 1, 2018 unexpectedly at Tobey Hospital.

He was the husband of Holly D. (Robbins) Collins.

Born in Boston, the son of Jeanne F. (Walsh) Collins of St. Petersburg, FL and the late James L. Collins, he lived in Dexter Beach of Marion all of his life.

He was most proud of all his children’s accomplishments and enjoyed boating, music, spending time with his friends and most of all, he enjoyed life.

Survivors include his wife; his mother; 3 daughters, Courtney, Catherine and Jennifer; a step-son, Brandon; a brother, David Collins; a sister; Denise Gabriel; a granddaughter, Claire; 2 best friends, Richard Casoni and Bradford Silva; 2 nieces and 2 nephews.

He was the brother of the late Jeannie Collins.

His visiting hours will be held on Sunday, May 20th from 1-4 pm in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Preserve Marion’s Historic Town Hous

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To the Editor:

Preserve Marion’s Historic Town House for $36/year.

Thirty-six dollars per year is the difference in additional property taxes on a $400,000 home in Marion to fund the renovation of our beautiful, historic Town House compared to building a new one on Route 6. That’s $3 per month. Is it worth it? I certainly think so.

I am proud to be a “native” Marionite – born and schooled in this special, quintessential New England town. I left to attend college and pursue my career, then after 35 years living on the west coast and elsewhere, my husband (also a Marion native) and I returned home with our family. Nowhere else we’ve lived has ever felt like home. What makes Marion so special? Our community, waterfront, and beautiful village. Travel around the country and you find many towns that have lost their hometown personality to cookie-cutter development and congestion. Marion has managed to hang onto its peaceful charm over many decades, but maintaining it for our children and grandchildren will require continued vigilance and investment.

The Town House is one of the fibers that keeps Marion’s fabric strong. When I take visitors on a tour of our town, their eyes light up when they see our beautiful, historic buildings. Might we save a few bucks by building a new town hall on the VFW property? Maybe. Will a developer see value in converting the Town House to condos or offices? Doubtful. Remediating asbestos, replacing the electrical system, and meeting building codes will likely cost more than the market price of the condos. Similar historic buildings in Fairhaven sit deteriorating as they wait for a developer to rescue them.

Like the Mastercard ad says, “A new town hall: $5,107,000. A preserved historic Town House: priceless.” Please come to Town Meeting on May 14 and vote to keep Marion’s Town Hall where it is for generations to come.

Jennifer Francis, 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.

Prudence M. “Prue” (Manley) Cormier

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Prudence M. “Prue” (Manley) Cormier, 73, of Palm Harbor, FL died May 6, 2018 at home after a brief illness.

She was the wife of the late Joseph A. Cormier.

Born in Wareham, the daughter of the late Dr. James S. Manley and Rose (O’Brien) Manley, she lived in New Bedford most of her life before moving to Palm Harbor, Florida in 1989.

Mrs. Cormier was a communicant of St. Luke’s Church in Palm Harbor.

She was a member of the New England Club of Highland Lakes.

Mrs. Cormier enjoyed golf, ceramics and puzzles.

Survivors include her 2 daughters, Christine A. and Diane R., and her husband Samuel E.; a sister-in-law, Diane Doyon of Clearwater, FL; 3 grandchildren, Vanessa M., Samuel T. and Isabelle R.; a niece, Donna Dimiceli and her husband Rich; and a great-nephew, Nicholas.

She was the sister of the late David O. Manley.

Her Funeral will be held on Tuesday, May 15th at 9 am from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett at 10 AM. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Monday, May 14th from 4-8 pm. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

The Primordial Snapping Turtle

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The warming days of May are when the female snapping turtle crawls up out of the winter waters of hibernation and heads overland as much as a half mile or more to lay her eggs for the autumnal hatching of the next generation.

Along her traditional route of this annual pilgrimage, often to the same location, she may appear at the edge getting ready to cross a country road. Then, in less than a single day, she will lay thirty to forty eggs and bury them in the warm sands of a sunny slope as illustrated. When this reproductive duty is done, she promptly retraces her steps along the same route, returning to the muddy bottoms of aquatic habitat. This unfortunately leaves her eggs in a predictable location often to be found by hungry skunks, raccoons, and crows.

Terrestrial egg laying is a reptilian reproduction ritual for snapping turtles classified as the Chelydra Serpentina. The serpent symbol that often surfaces in the mind of mortal man is of course the scheming reptile alluding to temptation for reproduction in the biblical Garden of Eden. The so-called ‘snapper’ also seems to be evil when confronted on land by mankind. It has a similarly tricky combative disposition with powerful jaws and sharp edges of a tail not to be twisted. As an underworld aquatic demon, they have a reputation and are known to grab the feet of waterfowl ducklings and goslings and pull them under to be eaten.

When the young turtles hatch in August, they are only about half an inch long with faces only a mother could love. Immediately after hatching, they head off as a group, tracing their mother’s direction to the nearest water before predators can snatch them up. They were of course brought into life by a very selective parent. After breeding on land, she was able to store the sperm of her mate for a long waiting period until she sensed by instinct her reproductive system and environmental conditions were favorable.

Snapping turtles also have the most astounding temperature-dependent sex determination. Scientific tests prove that eggs incubated at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit produce only females, 70 to 72 degrees both males and females, and 73 to 78 degrees only males. They emerge from the leathery containers by using a small egg tooth to break the shells. Once they get bigger and their shells harden, their chances of living as long as ten years will greatly improve. But throughout their early lives, the odds are stacked against them and less than ten percent of eggs laid grow to maturity. Yet they are said to be primordial, a term meaning reproducing in their original form and re-enacted unchanged over millions of years.

We learned at an early age in science class that the first emergence of living forms on Earth crawled up out of a sea best described as a fertile source of a primordial soup. On a warm day in May, your casual route of travel may cross paths with a snapping turtle’s re-enactment of this ancient reproductive journey. May I suggest you do not judge your cause to disrupt or interfere in any way. Coming to light and unfolding across a country road for all to see is a moving link in the unbroken chain of survival renewed since the beginning of time on Earth.

By George B. Emmons

Electronics and Household Appliances Recycling Day

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The Mattapoisett Lions Club, Inc. will sponsor its 4th Electronics and Household Appliance Recycling Day on Saturday, May 19between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. The event will be held next to the former Bowl-Mor Bowling Alley, 22 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett.

This event presents a great opportunity to clear out all that unwanted clutter that’s accumulated over the years in and around the house or office. All are encouraged to sort through their basement, attic, office, and garage for any electronic or electric devices, and any household appliances (large and small) just collecting dust and no longer needed. Bring them to the event and for a nominal fee have them recycled and disposed of once and for all! Pick-ups considered for disabled citizens. Recycling Donations (Tax Deductible):

$35 ea. Wood Console & Projection TVs

$30 ea. All other TVs

$20 ea. All Computer Monitors (CRT & Flat Screen)

$10 ea. Misc. Electronics: laptops, computers, CPUs, keyboards, speakers, video games, camera/video/audio equipment, fax/copy/scanner machines, printers, hard drives, memory cards, servers, computer parts, and much more

$10 ea. Household Appliances: refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, stoves, dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, toasters, toaster ovens, microwave ovens, coffee makers, and much more

$10 ea. Metal Items: poles (less than 8 ft), desks, barbecue grills (no propane tanks)

$5 ea. Misc. Small Household Items: irons, hairdryers, cell phones, telephones, mice, plugs, wires, lamps, pots, pans, and much more

$40 max. Maximum per car load (TVs & Monitors extra at above fees)

All donations to benefit Lions Club Charities and are tax deductible as may be allowed by law.

Mattapoisett Lions Club, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved public charity. For more information, contact Lion Bob Saunders at 508-758-4675.

Open Table Right on Schedule

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This Friday, May 11, Open Table is serving another delicious meal at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church and everyone is welcome! Doors open at 4:30 pm and supper is served at 5:00 pm. Spring is definitely here and the meal is guaranteed to light up your taste buds! We hope you will invite a friend or neighbor to join you. There’s nothing like a good meal and fellowship to make the day brighter. There is no charge for supper, although donations are gratefully accepted.

If you like game shows and you’re familiar with TV’s Family Feud, you might want to stay afterwards because MCC is hosting its own version of the show and it’s bound to be loads of fun.

No need to be part of a team; just sit back, enjoy and have a few laughs.

Mattapoisett Election and Town Meeting

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The Town of Mattapoisett’s Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 14. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm in the Old Rochester Regional High School Auditorium, 135 Marion Road. There are 35 warrant articles to be voted on. A copy of the warrant is available on the Town website (www.mattapoisett.net). Copies are also available at the Mattapoisett Town Clerk’s Office, 16 Main Street.

The Town of Mattapoisett’s Annual Town Election will be held on Tuesday, May 22at Old Hammondtown School, which is located at 20 Shaw Street. The polls will be open from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm. All registered voters are invited to cast their ballots. Absentee ballots are now available for those who are eligible to receive one. A specimen ballot is posted on the town website. Please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-758-4100 ext. 2 if you have any questions relating to either of these very important events.

Elephants, Transparency, and Action

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Marion voters on May 3 met the candidates for the 2018 Annual Town Election during the League of Women Voters annual candidates’ night at the Marion Music Hall.

Two races are contested this year – one for a seat on the Board of Assessors with an emphasis on transparency, and the other for a seat on the Board of Selectmen for a one-year term determined by which of the four candidates will take action instead of ‘kicking the can further down the road.’

Current assessor Ray Pickles faces opposition this year from former assessor George “TJ” Walker who didn’t hold back on Thursday night when it came to addressing matters of transparency and the proverbial “elephant in the room.”

“I was surprised that the elephant in the room wasn’t addressed,” said Walker during his closing remarks.

Walker was referring to the January firing of Pickles as the executive director of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District for mismanagement. The CMWRRDD Committee and the three towns’ town administrators are still struggling to piece together five years of missing financial records and no annual audits since 2012.

“It’s a real issue,” said Walker.

In addition to the CMWRRDD controversy, Walker said he recently requested information from the Town Clerk’s Office – Pickles has been the town clerk since 2006 – including the registered voting list dating back three to five years, saying the Town Clerk’s Office imposed a $100 fee, and records dating further back would cost $500. Walker said he went to the town administrator who said those fees were inappropriate.

“These things happen … people trying to shade things, and I think it’s wrong,” Walker said. “And it’s no big secret that the district attorney is investigating…. I think it reflects poorly on all of us…”

Pickles ignored Walker’s allegations during his own closing remarks, saying only, “I’ve enjoyed the job as assessor; I believe that the assessors’ office is … run very smoothly. We have little controversy, and I have enjoyed it immensely.” He added that the current Board of Assessors has “done well for many years.”

There were residents who also questioned the transparency of the Assessors’ Office, including Allan Ditchfield who explored the availability of the minutes of the assessors’ weekly meetings. Pickles said minutes are kept in the Assessors’ Office and the public is allowed to request them. Ditchfield asked if the minutes are ever published, to which Pickles replied, “No.”

“I don’t see the reason why the Town should publish the minutes from the assessors’ meetings,” said Pickles, adding that the minutes are also filed in the Town Clerk’s Office.

The topic of the three-year reevaluation was brought up, along with the Assessors’ Office relying on an outside firm to perform the assessments of residents’ properties and the cost.

Walker said the cost to hire assessment contractor Vision Government Solutions is $38,400, adding, “…And we’re (the Board of Assessors) doing less and less of the work ourselves.” He said there is an active contract for $38,000 with Vision that was dated 2017, but questioned the validity of the contract that was executed by Pickles as chairman of the board. Walker said the contract he viewed was not signed by town counsel or the contractor.

“So I don’t know if we have a contract or not,” Walker said.

“The answer is yes, we have a contract,” said Pickles.

Walker later stated that as he was doing his “homework” for the election, some records he requested were not “available,” adding, “I think we can do a better job.”

Pickles was Marion’s town administrator from 1972 until he retired in 2005. Since then, he has served as the town clerk and assessor, for which he is currently certified.

“I’d appreciate your vote for assessor,” said Pickles.

Walker has a law degree, and he has served for one term as an assessor and three terms on the Planning Board.

“I am certified, I’ve passed all the course work and examinations, and I can start on day one,” Walker said.

For the Board of Selectmen, Randy Parker is the only candidate running for the open three-year term seat, while four vie for the remaining one year of Steve Gonsalves’ term after he resigned in February. Each candidate had three minutes for an opening statement followed by questions from the public.

Parker has lived in Marion most of his life, operates his own business in town, and currently serves on the Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission. He said he understands that personalities and points of view may differ, but he is confident he can work as a team member to achieve common goals on the board.

“I’m a ‘salt of the earth’ type of person,” Parker said. “I’m able to approach matters with common sense and an open mind,” and added that he has a strong work ethic, is fiscally conservative, and all for full disclosure. “I assure you that no stone will be left unturned … and attention to detail will be crucial and vital as the board faces new and complicated issues ahead.”

For his three minutes, one-year term candidate William “Dale” Jones placed his emphasis on his education, career, boards and committees he’s served on, and his volunteer work and accomplishments, saying that he had a degree from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, was an engineering officer for the Merchant Marine, and worked for Raytheon as an engineer.

Michelle Ouellette Smith is a special education teacher and currently serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals, Marion School Committee, and ORR School Committee.

“The same issues are still haunting our town,” said Smith, including the Town House, union contract negotiations, sidewalks, roads, and sluggish small business growth. “Decisions must be based on sound judgment…. I am the candidate that will move us forward…”

John Waterman said, “Why am I running for this position? I bring the skillset to the position … not offered by the other candidates.”

“I will make an effort to get along and work with everyone…. I don’t think you get anywhere if you don’t … work closely as a team.”

As a financial analyst, Waterman said he’s familiar with the financial implications of the wastewater treatment facilities and other money matters facing the town. He said he would donate his selectmen’s salary to the Marion fireworks fund each each year he is on the board, eliciting applause.

Joseph Zora went right into the issues, saying, “I think the Town House should be preserved…” but said, “The biggest, scariest thing in this community is our wastewater treatment facility.” He opposes connecting residents of Aucoot Cove and Mattapoisett and is against regionalizing sewer service because of the high costs, $6.8 million and $40 million, respectively, according to Zora. Zora had trouble keeping within time allotted, and several times continued his diatribes beyond the time limit.

Waterman said he wrote a piece on wastewater and suggested looking at failed septic systems in addition to the treatment plant for nitrogen pollution. “It has to be a much broader, more comprehensive approach.”

Ouellette agreed, and added, “We have to really figure out a plan now because every day that we don’t have a plan costs us more and more money down the road.”

“I worked with the EPA, the DEP,” said Jones, “…I know I can work with them really well. I know we can solve the problems we have in the town.”

Parker, who joined the panel although he is running unopposed, said all the details are spelled out in the Order of Conditions the Town has already been issued. “It has to be taken care of.”

“If we ignore everything else but just talk about the water,” said Ouellette. “Stop talking about everything, it’s time to fix it and move forward…. We need to do something about it now before [the town] crumbles around us.”

Jones said he opposed regionalizing the sewer service. “The cost is going to be increased and we lose all control of what were doing…. If they set their rates way up, then were gonna have to deal with that.”

Waterman said, “It would be nice as a town if we could afford to do everything we want to do. We can’t.” With a $6.9 million Town House renovation and an added $3.6 million in interest, according to Waterman, debt will be increased to 41percent.

“We better get started in these things,” said Parker, but which ones and how the town spreads them out, he didn’t know. “We’ve got to get some projects squared away.”

Resident Bob Raymond thought the Town has a habit of “kicking the can down the road,” for example, for 50 years the Town House was not maintained. “Now we have a big problem,” he said.

Jones thought it’s human nature to keep kicking the can. “Everybody loves spending somebody else’s money; we have to control that… And I’ll work day and night to make sure that it’s done properly.”

Parker said he checked The Wanderer and for the past five years and the same issues were still being discussed that night. He beseeched the Finance Committee, saying, “Please allow us to get some things done…. I really want to get something done for you and for the taxpayers and for the future of Marion.”

The last point the panel discussed was multiple positions – all candidates said they would resign from their current elected and appointed positions and serve only as selectman – except Jones, who said he would keep his position as deputy of Emergency Management.

Ouellette, who is also running for School Committee unopposed, said she would resign from the School Committee and the ZBA.

In closing, it was Zora who elicited the laughter when he said, “I will make my voice known and if I get voted down I can move on. I’m not a bad guy, I’m just fed up.”

The following candidates are running unopposed: Planning Board (two seats) Andrew Daniel and Kristen Saint Don-Campbell; Board of Health incumbent John Howard; Town Moderator incumbent Brad Gordon; Open Space Acquisition Commission Alan Harris; and Marion School Committee (two seats) incumbent Michelle Ouellette Smith and April Rios. There are no ORR School Committee candidates.

Marion’s Annual Town Election is Friday, May 18. Polls at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center, 465 Mill Street, are open 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

By Jean Perry

 

Academic Achievements

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Daniel P. Fealy ‘20, a resident of Mattapoisett, was awarded the Lisska Book Award on April 26. Fealy is a philosophy major and a theology minor at Providence College.

Daniel Fealy is a member of Schola Cantorum, Liturgical Ministries, and Habitat for Humanity. He is also a Frassati Devotions Group Co-Leader.

The Lisska Book Award was endowed at the College by the generosity of Tony Lisska ’63. He is currently a Maria Theresa Barney Professor of Philosophy at Denison University. The award of $225 for the purchase of books is conferred annually for the best essay written in philosophy by a student at Providence College. A jury selects the winner from a group of finalists who are nominated by the professors of the philosophy department.