Rita (Desjardins) Lemlin

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Rita (Desjardins) Lemlin, 94, died October 29, 2017 peacefully at the home of her daughter Julianne and son-in-law Roland Dufresne in Rochester, MA where she lived for the past eight years supported by her devoted caregivers.

Born in New Bedford in 1923, the daughter of the late Ludger S. and Alma (Desmarais) Desjardins, Rita joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from New Bedford High School and served as a W.A.V.E. during World War II. She worked for the Veteran’s Administration for 30 years, and enjoyed gardening, cooking, knitting, and opera. Her clam chowder and stuffed quahogs were her specialties. She was an enthusiastic traveler, having visited England, Ireland, Portugal, Japan, Holland, and Italy. She was the widow of Norman Lemlin of Lemlin’s Hardware, who died tragically in a car accident in 1953 at age 34.

She is survived by her four devoted children: Robert Lemlin and his wife Megumi of Fairfield, IA, Jacqueline Lemlin of Rochester, MA, Julianne Lemlin-Dufresne and her husband Roland Dufresne of Rochester, MA, and Jeanne Curtin and her husband Ed Curtin of Great Barrington, MA, and their extended families. She was the loving grandmother of Christian Almeida and his wife Fiona, Matthew Almeida and his fiancée Debbie Freier, Susanne Michel and her husband Keith, Daniel Lemlin Curtin, and Emma and Sara Lemlin.

She was the sister of the late Wilfred Desjardins, Roland Desjardins, Alfred Desjardins and Evelyn Paton.

Our family would like to thank Community Nurse Hospice for the wonderful care and support they provided our family.

Her Funeral Service will be held on Friday at 10 am in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. Visiting hours will be held on Thursday from 4-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Community Nurse Home Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook. please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Engineer Warned to ‘Change His Attitude’

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You can argue with the chairman of the Rochester Planning Board over how to interpret a Zoning Bylaw, but when the chairman tells you, “We wrote the God-damned thing,” chances are you will not win said argument.

An informal meeting between representatives of JC Engineering, Inc. and the Planning Board over a proposed Form B Preliminary Site Plan for a 24-lot subdivision on Rounseville Road (the field next to Plumb Corner) quickly became heated once the board told engineer Brian Wallace that he was misinterpreting the Limited Commercial District Zoning Bylaw.

Wallace said what he wanted to discuss that night was building an access road to the back of the existing lot. But Chairman Arnie Johnson was quick to point out that the dimensions Wallace had for 24 residential lots were for mixed-use Limited Commercial District Lots, not for Agricultural/Residential lots.

“The dimensions of Limited Commercial won’t work for this project,” said Johnson, adding that town counsel agreed with that determination. “This is not Agricultural/Residential. Residential use is permitted … but two-acre lots are required for a residential lot.”

Wallace said that it was his firm’s understanding that if the project was within the Limited Commercial district, then the lots in the preliminary plan would conform.

Town Counsel Blair Bailey jumped in, saying that the intent of the Limited Commercial district and its smaller lot requirements was to accommodate more mixed-use – commercial with residential apartments above – and a more village setting for commerce and residences. He paraphrased the bylaw, saying that residential-only lots would still have to conform to residential lot requirements outside the Limited Commercial district – a two-acre minimum to build.

And under a residential-only circumstance, Johnson added, there would only be enough room on that land for eight houses – not 24.

Wallace’s colleague George Churchill begged to differ, saying the bylaw was clear and the lot sizes were acceptable within the Limited Commercial district for 24 homes.

He said he didn’t know if the location would house assisted living, just homes, or what, but that it wasn’t required to state the intended use for just a pre-filing informal discussion.

Bailey told Churchill, “I’m on salary if you want to fight this out a couple years in court.”

Johnson added, “And it’s the seven of us. We’re the ones that vote.”

“Before you waste a lot of your client’s money, would you like to have a roll call vote to see what this board thinks of a twenty-four lot [subdivision at that location]?” said Johnson.

Bailey said that he and the board were just “being up front” with them, cautioning Churchill not to spend his client’s money knowing that the board would not allow the proposed 24-lot subdivision. If the intent is to put houses on those lots, Bailey said, “It’s not going to happen.”

If there are no stores slated for the site, Bailey said, then the lot requirements for houses return to a two-acre lot requirement to build.

If the engineers wanted to “play hardball,” as Planning Board member Ben Bailey put it, then the board suggested perhaps adding a notation on the approval stating that the 24 lots would be “non-buildable,” requiring a return before the board before anything could be built.

Churchill said the new owner of the land likely couldn’t even sell any lot unless a road could be built and basic infrastructure put in place. He continued to argue over the language of the bylaw, prompting Johnson to read the bylaw in its entirety.

“You can’t pick and choose the cake from all of our zoning bylaws,” said Johnson. “The most house lots you can build is eight.”

Town Counsel Bailey told Churchill, “I’m free the next couple years in Superior Court … It’s pointless to have this discussion. I’ve given them my opinion.… If you want to try and put houses there, then it’s gonna involve a fight.”

Johnson suggested Churchill present a plan to build an access road, leaving out the proposed lot lines. Ben Bailey added, “If you push this concept of dividing it up into twenty-four lots … you’re gonna wind up with a lot of resistance.”

Combine the three existing lots, the board advised Churchill. Then come back for a roadway permit. Board member Chris Silveira added, “You can draw the lot lines [after] as your customers come.”

Board member Gary Florindo suggested that Churchill change his attitude if he wanted to work productively with the board.

“It’s tough to deal with someone who’s not reading their own regulations,” Churchill shot back.

Johnson wasn’t having it.

Don’t tell me how to read that bylaw, said Johnson. “We wrote the God-damned things…” And the Attorney General backed it up, along with town counsel, added Johnson.

The person who purchased the land said he would be willing to work with the board, and hopefully come up with a plan to proceed and set a hearing date in the near future.

Also during the meeting, the board approved the Site Plan Reviews for Wellspring Farm, 42 Hiller Road; Progressive Grower, Kings Highway; and Rochester Farms, LLC, Marion Road.

For Wellspring Farm, the only change was that staff could arrive 15 minutes before opening and stay until 15 minutes after closing, instead of the proposed 30 minutes before and after business hours.

The public hearing for Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. for a large-scale solar farm slated for 453 Rounseville Road was continued until November 14.

In other matters, Town Planner Steve Starrett told the board that there are “one or two” more solar farm “opportunities’ in the works in Rochester.

“They’re called ‘projects,’ not ‘opportunities,’” said Bailey.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for November 14 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Planning Board

By Jean Perry

 

Mattapoisett Sees Uptick in Alien Abductions

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The Town of Mattapoisett and its residents have developed an increasing alien problem that not even a wall could possibly remedy.

U.F.O. sightings in Mattapoisett are not a rare occurrence. Even Elizabeth Taber from neighboring Marion made mention in her private journals of a number of instances while visiting Mattapoisett when she witnessed flying saucers hovering over town and once over Mattapoisett Harbor. She described these sightings as “fiery disks flying over the waterfront, and a humming noise so pervasive that I felt ill and nearly fainted.”

U.F.O. sightings would wax and wane over the decades, but the town’s first-ever recorded incident of a resident claiming to have been taken against his will and brought inside of an alien spaceship would come in 1953.

The year 1957 would see three more separate claims of residents being captured at night by extraterrestrial beings, brought aboard spaceships, and subjected to painful and gruesome medical procedures. But it wasn’t until 11 more of these accounts were reported in the year 1977 that the Town would start to keep a file on the so-called alien abductions of Mattapoisett residents.

Alleged alien abduction incidents remained steady for the next 39 years at one per year, but now in 2017, the Town has documented a whopping 18 alien abduction incidents, and a total of 63 reports of U.F.O. sightings – 39 of those during this October alone.

Two eyewitness’ statements about one of those sightings from October 14 describe an enormous “flying saucer” hovering for nearly 20 minutes around 9:15 pm above The Bogs off Acushnet Road before it “started to rotate slowly and without making a sound disappeared and reappeared in another spot higher up in the nighttime sky before jetting off in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a quick flash of green lightning.”

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has not gotten involved with the U.F.O. sightings or the alien abduction reports; rather, the federal government has stepped in to investigate and has set up a local FBI office inside the Mattapoisett police station.

The FBI has issued the following report to Mattapoisett citizens and those planning on visiting the seemingly quaint, quiet seaside community:

FBI Mattapoisett

October 20, 2017

Community Outreach

FBI Cautions Mattapoisett Area on Alien Abductions/Sightings

The FBI’s newly established Mattapoisett Division is warning residents about an unusual increase in localized U.F.O. sightings and compelling reports of alien abductions. It appears extraterrestrials have targeted the Mattapoisett region for unknown reasons, causing alarm to residents as well as local officials. The public is reminded that, while there is convincing support of such sightings and abductions taking place, the FBI at this time has no definitive proof of any of the incidents. The FBI cautions residents to remain vigilant, to report any suspected extraterrestrial activities directly to our office, and advises any residents who encounter any aliens to run and seek immediate shelter, lock your doors, and stay inside. To avoid becoming a victim of an alien abduction, the FBI also cautions residents to stay away from dark, wooded, and open spaces from dusk to dawn, and to keep children and pets inside at all times. Please remember, do not panic.

A Special HALLOWEEN Report*

By Jean Perry

*Editor’s note: This is a fictional story intended for entertainment purposes only during the Halloween season. However, The Wanderer cannot prove either way that alien abductions have or have not been taking place in Mattapoisett. Any quotes from Elizabeth Taber were fictional from a fictional journal that the author cleverly made up.

Spicy Fun at Rochester Congregational Church

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Do you like chili and cornbread? The First Congregational Church of Rochester warmly invites the Tri-Town community to come taste a few chili varieties – beef, vegetarian and turkey – after our relaxed evening service at 5:00 pm on Sunday, November 12. Bring a dessert to share. The service and dinner will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 11 Constitution Way. Please contact the church office at 508-763-4314 if you have any questions or would like more information. We look forward to seeing you there. Families welcome.

Anna Elizabeth (Gifford) White

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Anna Elizabeth (Gifford) White, age 90, passed away at her residence surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of the late Ainsley Churbuck White with whom she shared 45 years of marriage.

Born in Rochester, she was the daughter of the late Maxwell and Grace May (Hartley) Gifford. Anna was a 1945 graduate of Wareham High School and worked as the Administrative Assistant to the Town of Rochester Board of Selectmen until her retirement.

Mrs. White enjoyed baking her famous apricot pies and was a member of the Rochester Historical Society, the Rochester Land Trust, the Marion Visiting Nurses and the Salvation Army. She won numerous awards for her apricot pies at the Rochester Grange.

Survivors include: 3 children, Andrew White of Norton, Thomas White and his wife Elizabeth of Navarre, FL., Melissa Reda of Lanexa VA., Five grandchildren: Neil Reda, Paul Reda, Jami Mendoza, Timothy White, Deanna Gwin, seven great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, one brother, Maurice Gifford, a brother-in-law, Thomas White, a sister-in-law, Frances Dellavalle, her oldest and dearest friend Shirley Hartley and many nephews and nieces. She was the grandmother of the late Bethany Wright and was predeceased by 6 siblings: Maxwell Gifford, Margaret Sherman, Dorothy Buckman, Priscilla Savary, Cynthia Taylor and Barbara Lamy.

Private Funeral Arrangements are in the care of Waring-Sullivan Home at Fairlawn Mortuary, 180 Washington Street, Fairhaven, MA. For tributes or online registration: www.waring-sullivan.com

Mattapoisett Library Trustees Plan Updates

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On October 24, the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen met with Mattapoisett Free Public Library Director Susan Pizzolato and several library trustees to discuss plans for improvements and upgrades to the library’s functionality.

Pizzolato explained that with the help of the trustees, she has been working with a consultant to evaluate the effective and efficient use of the interior library spaces and furnishings. One area of specific concern was the lack of meeting space for both library activities and meetings and other community groups, she said.

Pizzolato said the marine resource room, which houses one-of-a-kind research materials and historic documents, could be used for smaller group meetings if the shelves containing precious items had glass doors that could be locked. She said that donors of valuable items and future donors would be more inclined to give the library their collections if there was an added level of security. Presently, she only allows the room to be used when a library staff member can be present to ensure security of the materials in the room.

Other proposed improvements include fixtures that allow for easier tutorial activities such as computer training. Pizzolato said that the circulation desk in the children’s room is not ADA compliant and that the desk should be modified to allow the children better access to library staff, as well as those using equipment such as wheelchairs.

Pizzolato has developed a conceptual plan with the assistance of the consultant and will continue to work with the trustees and the consultant over the next few months. She hopes to have a number of line items completed over the coming 15 to 24 months.

In other matters, Town Administrator Michael Gagne said that additional shellfishing areas have been approved for opening in the Brandt Island area. This is the result of successful farming activities that took place in the Taunton River with monies received from the Bouchard oil spill settlement. The exact location of this area can be found on the Town’s website.

Regarding the next cycle of budgetary planning for the Old Rochester Regional School District, Gagne said preliminary discussions have begun between the Tri-Town administrators, at which time they will also evaluate funding potential for the videography program for high school students that are held at ORCTV studios.

This prompted Selectman Paul Silva to ask if there was any way to gauge subscriber value of the programming received from the community access system. He said that currently Comcast and Verizon cable subscribers pay a 4 percent surcharge on their cable bills for the programming available on the community access channel. Gagne said it was possible to enlist the assistance of UMass Dartmouth to perform a telephone outreach survey to capture that data directly from subscribers.

Silva also asked if it was possible to find a way to give the ORR School District guidance as they begin the budgetary process. Gagne will follow-up.

Gagne reported that the town is moving forward in pursuit of a grant from the state dubbed a Boating Improvement Grant from monies collected by the state on marine and related fuel taxes. Managed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and part of the U.S. Fishing & Wildlife Services/Sports Fishing Restoration Program, the grant allows for the construction of transient boater wharf facilities. Gagne said that construction of the visitor addition is currently proposed for the end of Long Wharf and would also include a floating dock.

Gagne said that any boater, including Mattapoisett residents who trailer their boats, would be allowed to use these spaces for periods of time to enjoy the village commercial offerings. He said he wanted to start the permitting process in January 2018 with the hope of being ready for a 2019 construction cycle. The grant would be in the amount of $180,000 with an additional 25 percent coming from the town. A Town Meeting warrant article may be presented to the voters during the 2018 Spring Town Meeting.

Gagne said he has been working with SRPEDD to review the issues and challenges along the Route 6 corridor from the Stop & Shop in Fairhaven to Main Street in Wareham. He said he is also working with the regional planning agency on smaller projects specific to Mattapoisett from Main Street to North Street, such as street striping. Gagne extended an invitation to all businesses encouraging owners to participate in discussions.

The town has received a grant, thanks to the efforts of Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger, to have an archivist work with the Clerk’s Office to understand the needs of the community’s archives and how to preserve historic records. The grant was awarded by the Massachusetts State Historic Records Administration Board and the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.

Gagne also mentioned that the Council on Aging will be holding an informational seminar on effective communication between caregivers and those suffering from dementia-related illnesses. The presentation will take place at the C.O.A. located in Center School on November 7 at 10:00 am.

A Medicare Open Enrollment workshop will also be held at the C.O.A. on October 26 at 4:00 pm. The program will be videotaped and uploaded to the Town’s website.

Community Preservation Act grant applications are now being accepted. Deadline for submission is November 15. All approved grants will be prepared for inclusion in the spring 2018 Annual Town Meeting. Additional information and applications are available on the Town’s webpage.

To access the Town of Mattapoisett website, go to www.mattapoisett.net.

And last, but not least, Gagne reminded everyone that the annual Halloween Parade will step off from Center School on Tuesday, October 31 at 6:00 pm.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for November 14 at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

 

1st Annual Bells of Remembrance

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The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is proud to announce the first annual ringing of the Bells of Remembrance in the Tri-Town area and beyond. In honor of Veterans Day, this event will take place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Area churches and organizations have, at this time, verbally consented to be part of this audible celebration of our veterans. The bells are set to ring for one full minute in the following places:

– The Mattapoisett Congregational Church

– Center School in Mattapoisett

– The Marion Congregational Church

– The Rochester Congregational Church

– The Universalist Church in Fairhaven

– The Fairhaven Congregational Church

The Fairhaven Town Hall is currently pending participation upon the approval of the Board of Selectman at the end of the month.

Upon the ringing of the bells, it is a time to acknowledge and reflect on the role that veteran servicemen and women have, and have had, in protecting our country. It is a time to remember and reflect on our great fortune as Americans. If you are within earshot of one of these magnificent buildings on November 11, take a minute and listen.

The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is working to bring back this tradition in our area. It was originally celebrated in order to commemorate the signing of the Armistice Treaty of Versailles which signified the end of World War I in 1918. This tradition is currently celebrated in a handful of communities across our nation and is currently celebrated for varying causes. We simply want to remember our veterans.

The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is working to make this an annual tradition in the entire southcoast area that includes 14 communities. This year is just the beginning, and we are so grateful for the cooperation and support of this year’s first participants.

If you know of any organization that would like to be part of this new tradition, please don’t hesitate to contact The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club. Please contact Lori Bardwell at 508-758-2164 or Mary O’Keefe at 508-758-2801.

Three Facets of the Immortal Beethoven

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Join the South Coast Chamber Music Series for “Total Beethoven” on November 18 in Marion and November 19 in South Dartmouth. This concert offers a refresher course in genius, courtesy of Ludwig van Beethoven. The delightful “Spring” Sonata for violin and piano presents his playful side, while the Cello Sonata in A Major ranks as one of the most passionate dialogs between piano and cello ever written. The program ends with the transcendent String Quartet in A Minor, Beethoven’s masterwork traversing the gamut of human experience. Musicians include South Coast Chamber Artistic Director Janice Weber, piano; Piotr Buczek, violin; EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks, violin; Don Krishnaswami, viola; and Timothy Roberts, cello.

Tickets are $20 at the door. The venue for Saturday’s concert is St. Gabriel’s Church, 124 Front Street, Marion, while Sunday’s concert will take place at St. Peter’s Church, 351 Elm Street, South Dartmouth. Concert time at both locations is 4:00 pm.

“Frog-Man” Sightings at Aucoot Cove

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Town of Marion officials aren’t quite sure what to do with the nearly two-dozen reports from residents around Aucoot Cove alleging that they have seen what appears to be a frog-like man swimming in the water.

Five reports were called into the Harbormaster’s Office, while 18 were made with the Police Department.

The first report was filed the morning of October 18 by an Aucoot Avenue resident (anonymous complaint) who said he was walking his dog by the water when a splash caught his attention. In the report, the witness’ statement reads, “I saw the splash and right then my dog starting growling. A few seconds later, a lump broke through the surface and whatever it was started swimming towards an exposed rock.” Then, the witness reported, “The lump emerged from the water, and it was clearly the head of a large frog. I saw its bulging eyes on the side of its head and as it rose up out of the water, I could see shoulders and a hunched over back and then two human legs. The thing was standing like a human, but the top looked exactly like a frog.”

When the frog-like creature looked at him, the witness further stated, “[It] crouched forward and leapt back into the water before I could grab my phone out and take a selfie with it.”

Other reports used words like “swamp man,” “person with webbed hands,” and “fish dude” to describe what they saw, but by far the most commonly used phrase was “frogman.”

Perhaps the most interesting of the reports was one dated October 23, in which the witness claims at around sunset he watched from his kayak behind a clump of phragmites as the frogman metamorphosed into a human man, walked out of the water onto the shore, got into a Town of Marion electric vehicle and drove off.

Last year when the Town of Marion applied for and received grants for four electric cars to add to the town’s fleet, the Town determined that the departments that would predominantly utilize the electric vehicles would be the Recreation Department, Building Department, Council on Aging, and Department of Public Works. None of these department heads could be reached for comment by deadline.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson would not comment on the alleged incident, saying that he did not have enough information to answer any questions.

Aucoot Cove is a picturesque residential and marine recreational area, and a popular spot for shellfishing. It is also the site of the outfall for Marion’s municipally treated sewer wastewater that empties into Aucoot Cove via Effluent Brook, which starts at the Benson Brook Road sewer wastewater treatment facility and runs down into Aucoot Cove.

Aucoot Cove water quality tests in the past have shown high levels of nitrogen pollution in the inner cove area.

After some online research, The Wanderer found other incidents where sightings of a frogman-like creature were allegedly seen, but never proven. The most widely featured was the Loveland Frogmen, first reported in May of 1955 outside Loveland, Ohio, which evolved into a local legend of sorts.

The Wanderer will continue to investigate the frogman sightings and provide the public with further information as it becomes available.

A Special HALLOWEEN Report*

By Jean Perry

*Editor’s note: This story, like the Rochester haunting story, is a fictional news report created solely for the Halloween season. However, we cannot prove either way that a frogman does or does not actually exist at Aucoot Cove.

Natalie Mae (Silsby) Sullivan

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Natalie Mae (Silsby) Sullivan, 90, of Marion, died unexpectedly, Oct. 27, 2017 at Tobey Hospital, Wareham. She was the widow of the late James E. Sullivan and the daughter of the late Frederick W.and Helen M.(Buffington) Silsby.

She was born in Fall River and lived in Fairhaven, Swansea, Lexington and Mattapoisett before moving to Marion in 1952. She worked at the Mattapoisett Town Hall as a clerk, first in the Treasurer’s Office and then the Assessor’s Office for more than 30 years. She then retired and was able to have another 30 years enjoying herself.

Natalie was a long time member of the Sippican Seniors and served as both Treasurer and President. In addition, her love of travel led her to coordinate the club bus trips for many years. She loved making her travelers comfortable and happy as they rolled along. She also enjoyed line dancing, going to casinos, gardening, musical theatre and knitting. After the need for dialysis forced her to stay close to home, she loved eating out, visits with great grandchildren and her beloved cat, Muffin.

Survivors include her daughter, Janet M. Howes and her husband, Merton of Rochester; 2 grandchildren, Nathan I.Howes and his wife, Jodi of Warwick, NY and Abigail M. Clark and her husband, Michael, of Coventry, RI; 5 great grandchildren, Jonah and Molly Howes, and Owen, Timothy, and Elizabeth Clark.

Her graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017 in Cushing Cemetery, Mendell Rd., Mattapoisett. Visiting hours are from 3-6 p.m. on Thursday at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham. For directions and online guestbook, visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com.