Town Talks Town Meeting With Resident

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One supporter of the citizens’ petition to amend the solar bylaw at the Fall Special Town Meeting reviewed the article on October 2 with the Board of Selectmen during its meeting with the town moderator to discuss the warrant, receiving advice on how to form a motion on the town meeting floor.

Six articles appear on the warrant, with Article 6 proposing to amend the Town’s solar bylaw to prohibit large-scale, ground-mounted solar arrays within 1,000 feet of a State or Town designated scenic road “…unless existing topographic features of the landscape preclude observation of the solar arrays from the scenic road.”

The change, which would require a 2/3 vote to amend the zoning bylaw, comes as a result of abutter opposition to the pending Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. project slated for Rounseville Road at Mendell Road.

There on behalf of the over 100 supporters who had signed the citizen’s petition was Sara Johnston. “It’s me by default,” she told the board.

Town Moderator Kirby Gilmore, the selectmen, as well as Town Counsel Blair Bailey then advised Johnston on how to make a motion on the town meeting floor and the order by which steps must be taken in order to amend the article.

“If you’re not certain, I will coach you,” Gilmore assured Johnston. “If I’m not nervous, then you certainly shouldn’t be nervous.”

On Tuesday, October 10, the Planning Board will hold the public hearing for the solar bylaw amendment article.

Also featured on the Special Town Meeting Warrant: Article 1 is to accept MGL Chapter 59, Section 57A pertaining to interest on unpaid tax bills under $100; Article 2 is to appropriate $30,000 to fund the negotiated police union contract for FY 2017; Article 3 to appropriate $60,000 to supplement the police budget to fund a negotiated police union contract; Article 4 to appropriate $10,000 for the police FY 2017 budget for additional staffing; Article 5 to appropriate $2,400 into the planning board budget to hire a part-time recording secretary.

Also during the meeting, Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar broke down the nearly $1.7 million in state grants the Town will receive for the transition to the regional 911 system: $400,000 is designated for design and architectural services, $119,000 is designated for director’s salary, and $1,174,800 is for costs to upgrade the infrastructure.

The board also appointed Jeanette Castro to the Rochester Historic District Committee.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for October 16 at 7:00 pm (possibly at 6:30 pm should the weather be chilly for the cranberries, at Morse’s request) at the Rochester Town Hall. The Fall Special Town Meeting is Monday, October 23, at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Memorial School cafetorium.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

 

Auditions – It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Show

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The Marion Art Center has announced open auditions for all roles in the upcoming production of It’s a Wonderful Life, a radio-on-stage production by Tony Palermo, adapted from the beloved film by Frank Capra. It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey on Christmas Eve in 1946, and his revelation of how much he matters to his family and his community.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, October 14, at 10:00 am, and on Sunday, October 15, at 7:00 pm, at the Marion Art Center, 80 Pleasant Street (the corner of Main and Pleasant Streets), in Marion. Performances will be Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 pm.

Director Kate Fishman will be casting up to 11 males and 11 females, plus 3 children (ages 6-12). The actors will need good vocal skills and be capable of portraying several characters. Auditions will consist of a cold reading from the script and actors will be asked to voice more than one role. They may also be asked to make sound effects.

The play will be performed as a live radio broadcast in front of a studio (theater) audience, and the actors will read from scripts – no line memorization will be required. No prior acting experience is necessary; both accomplished and aspiring actors are encouraged to audition. Participants can expect 2-3 weekday rehearsals during October and November. For more information, call the Marion Art Center at 508-748-1266 or email marionartcenter@verizon.net.

The Bees’ Knees

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The warnings that bee populations are dropping, hive collapses catastrophic, and our crops at risk for lack of pollination have been widely written about and discussed over the past few years. And while much has been said, there’s very little follow-up on how things are going.

Well, things are still very tenuous – not only for bees, but for all pollinators around the globe. So what is being done to stabilize bee populations?

These questions and others for improving backyard environments to help bees make a living were expertly discussed when the Sippican Lands Trust in partnership with the Marion Garden Group hosted local beekeepers and cranberry growers Paul and Linda Rinta at the Marion Music Hall on September 30.

Linda’s presentation explored how modern agricultural practices, habitat loss, diseases, and climate change have collided, causing bees and other pollinators to suffer a mass die-off. She also gave the audience an education in apiology or the study of honeybees and their local cousin the bumblebee.

Rinta said 75 percent of all flowering plants require pollinators. That figure goes up when discussing fruits and vegetables produced in New England; therefore, dependence on bees to keep food production high is critical, she explained.

Delving deeper into the subject of types of bees, Rinta said honeybees were imported from Europe during the 1600s and, although that was centuries in the past, “They are not native … they are a tropical insect.”

According to Rinta, early settlers used the honey for brewing purposes, and honey has been used as a preservative and medicine for centuries.

In the small universe of the honeybee colony, there will be one queen to care for and the bees will aggressively protect her and the hive, Rinta said. “They have ‘group think’ and act as one body,” she said.

To highlight that point, she said that one time she had a small hole in her beekeeper suit. “One bee found that hole and communicated its location to the others and then they were all trying to bite me.”

She said honeybees have specialized jobs, a division of labor that is geared towards building hives or colonies larger and larger and protecting the queen.

Continuing with the history lesson, Rinta said beekeeping began around 2400 B.C. and was used in mummification processes. “It’s anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and won’t spoil.”

Of the humble bumblebee, Rinta pointed out that they are a local species. “They are cold climate insects that have evolved and adapted to our climate.” She said bumblebees don’t live in colonies, don’t communicate as one unit, and don’t winter over. “Bumblebees are more solitary and much less aggressive,” she said.

So what happened to bring these important worker bees to their knees? A perfect storm of problems, Rinta explained.

In the 1970s, farms were smaller and more diverse, Rinta said, but by the next decade the honey market had taken a dive. New pesticides were introduced, industrial farming expanded, diseases attacked colonies, and “…there were fewer and fewer migratory beekeepers.”

Add to that list the negative influences of climate change, a lack of floral diversity, and habitat loss.

“Well, bad things happen even when intentions are good…” she concluded. “In the 1990s, hives were decimated.”

Rinta said of the 4,000 different species of bees in North America, all are struggling and some have become extinct. And it’s not just the bees, she said. It’s the butterflies, too.

So what can we – the average homeowners, the average backyard gardeners – do to help endangered insects? Floral diversity.

Rinta said that by giving bees a variety of flowering plants throughout the growing season, gardeners are helping to provide bees with nutrition. She said plants considered weeds by landscapers are actually critical plants to bees, such as milkweed and golden rod. She said forests are poor environments for bees. Bees need fields and meadows with a variety of plant types in order to thrive. And, gardeners may also keep bees.

Rinta was clear that beekeeping does not have to be a large-scale endeavor. While she and her husband have eight hives that they manage year round next to their cranberry bogs, the average homeowner can install small mason bee boxes that are non-intrusive.

“Mason bees have a range of about 100 yards and fly for only 30 days, then live in tunnel nests – they are easy to manage,” she told her audience.

When selecting plants for flowerbeds, Rinta said, “Assume everything as [having] been triple sprayed with insecticides.” She said to talk to nursery owners and select plants that may have been more organically raised.

As for commercial honey consumers, honey found in chain grocery stores, Rinta cautioned, “Those are blended, heated … all the good properties have been removed. Some honey is coming from China where insecticide controls are poor… Know your beekeeper.”

One final word from Rinta regarding beekeeping: “You will get stung!”

There is plenty of help available to anyone interested in learning more about planning a more bio-diverse home garden and/or raising bees.

The Marion Garden Group is a good starting point for locals. They can provide a variety of resources for those interested in expanding their knowledge base. Kristie Marshall of MGG said the group is currently sponsoring two hives in their Bee Benefactor program.

Marshall also handed out resource cards that listed the following websites: beekeeper schools www.plymouthcountybeekeepers.org, www.bristolbee.com or www.massbee.org, along with The Xerces Society www.xerces.org, The Pollination Home Page www.pollinator.com, Pollinator Partnership www.pollinator.org, and Million Pollinator Garden Challenge www.millionpollinatorgardens.org.

Marshall also said that fall is the season for casting seeds into meadows and fields and that MGG can offer guidance on how to plan for spring and summer flowering and what types of seeds to select. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

By Marilou Newell

 

Social Media Creates Stir Over Bus Company

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Social media has been active lately, said Rochester representative of the ORR School Committee, as he raised “serious” parent and community concerns over the school district’s bus company during the September 28 joint meeting of the ORR School Committee and the combined Mattapoisett, Marion, and Rochester School Committees.

“What I saw and what I was hearing and what people were telling me is basically tarnishing the school’s reputation,” said Joseph Pires. Once he spoke with Superintendent Doug White about the matter, Pires said he felt compelled to take a closer look at the schools’ contracted bus company, Braga Transportation.

Pires did not provide specific details on the issue he was talking about, leaving members of other Tri-Town school committees wondering what happened.

To fill the reader in, the Facebook group “Rochester, MA” has featured several posts over the past week concerning the firing of Ralph Stinson, a bus driver formerly employed by Braga who drove Rochester’s Bus 5 for 27 years. Scores of Rochester parents, some of them past passengers of Stinson’s, have rallied their support behind Stinson, pressing for an investigation into Braga’s firing of Stinson. Hundreds of comments appear on the original post, most of them expressing shock and vehement support of Stinson, who commented on the post that he himself was never provided an adequate explanation for his firing.

Signs have started dotting the Rochester landscape along the Bus 5 route in support of Stinson, as many are still seeking answers.

“Many parents were upset about that,” said Pires, “but that’s not the issue I want to talk about.” What Pires is concerned about most, he said, is Braga’s alleged silence in response to parents’ requests for information and an investigation into Stinson’s firing.

“Parents are very, very upset. They really want to see this fixed,” said Pires. “Accountability is a really big issue with me.”

School contracts for transportation must have protocols imbedded, said Pires reading a letter he wrote to White openly before the committee members about what he called “a failure from our current bus company Braga Transportation to respond to a complaint from one of our Tri-Town parents.”

“This and other issues have now raised serious concerns and doubt on the safety of our children,” Pires stated, adding, “I question Braga … and their ability to deliver a high standard of performance and reliability and safety.”

Pires requested a task force or subcommittee be formed to investigate the bus company.

“We cannot ignore signs [and] indicators that suggest problems now and into the future with Braga Transportation,” said Pires. ”I feel as though this is a serious matter when a parent complains and it goes ignored for quite some time. I can only say, imagine if it was your child?”

Addressing the committee members, Pires said, “This committee could be part of the solution or it could be part of the problem, but we can’t ignore it.”

Pires suggested inviting a Braga representative to a future meeting.

Marion School Committee Chairman Christine Marcolini said this was the first she had heard of any problems with the transportation company.

“One child was ignored,” Pires told her, “and … my doubt or concern is, what else are they ignoring?”

ORR School Committee member Heather Burke agreed that it is important to investigate every complaint or concern, adding, “If we do form such a task force … we really have to go into it with an open mind and probe all sides…. It has to be an open and honest inquiry.”

“A parent asked something of the bus company,” said ORR School Committee Chairman Tina Rood. “This is a particular issue for Rochester.”

White said transportation contracts are a complex structure, with each individual town signing its own contract with a bus company; all Tri-Town school districts just happened to sign a contract with the same bus company.

“What may be happening in one community isn’t necessarily in another,” said White. “In our structure, it’s hard for us to figure out how the best way [to go about this] is.”

Marion School Committee member Michelle Smith said she has seen the comments on social media.

“It’s all over social media,” Smith said. “Things said about Doug, it’s disheartening. It’s very upsetting.” The social media platform might be an open forum, she said, but as a committee, “… how can we diffuse this situation?”

Burke wondered why, if so many parents were concerned, they had not attended that night’s meeting.

“Why are they not here to address their concerns with the committee?” she asked. “I know we had an issue with social media last winter that was never substantiated and it caused chaos.”

ORR School Committee member Jim Muse said he thought individual parents contacting the bus company before attempting to contact the school was the inappropriate avenue for lodging a complaint, and Pires accused Muse of “minimizing” the issue.

“Minimizing what?” said Muse.

“You’re saying that it’s a story, but it’s factual,” said Pires. “A complaint came in and it was ignored for … a year!”

Pires turned to White for affirmation. “Doug, was there a complaint?”

“There was information that was brought forward,” White said. “Our job … is to ensure that every child is being transported. That was not being met.”

Braga has certain obligations in its contract, said White, and the school districts have the authority “to ask for change if not delivering services,” White stated.

Speaking as a parent, Pires said, “There’s an uncertainty and an unsettling feeling that if I put a complaint with this bus company … that complaint’s going to that company… That company is responsible for handling that complaint. That didn’t happen. If a company can’t do its job by handling a complaint … there is a concern on legality and other issues.”

The goal, Pires said, is simply to regain the trust.

“It’s unfair that the school is taking a hit really on its reputation and, if we don’t act accordingly, it’s going to be a landslide,” said Pires.

Rood said she has also requested to review the contract with Braga, adding that the discussion will likely take place during the Rochester School Committee meeting on October 12.

“I think that’s where it probably needs to begin,” said Rood.

Pires said that if people had known the topic would be discussed that night then parents would have attended the joint meeting.

Pires specified that he was not criticizing bus drivers, but rather the Braga administration. Muse went on the record to say that in all his years as a school committee member, he has known nothing but excellent service from Braga.

“I haven’t been aware of any other issues,” said Rochester School Committee member Robin Rounseville, “not to say that this doesn’t need to be investigated…” Rounseville said that taking the matter up in Rochester is the way to go.

The next meeting of the ORR and Superintendents Union joint school committees is scheduled for December 14 at 6:30 pm in the ORRJHS media room.

Joint Meeting of the School Committees

By Jean Perry

 

Special Olympics Partnership a Win-Win at Tabor

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When the Tabor Academy Special Olympics club was started by popular student Molly Bend two years ago, no one knew how it would go.

The answer? Better than anyone could have imagined.

From humble beginnings, the club now has a 10-member student board, is seeking national status, and gets so many volunteers for their Sunday training sessions that only the first 20 get accepted.

“I think it’s just something about the Tabor community,” said junior Tali O’Leary, a Marion resident and three-sport athlete at Tabor who is a member of the club board. “Once one person heard about it, it just passed by word of mouth and has just grown and grown.”

The board came up with a list of bylaws, which go toward the goal of “leadership through positive action and reinforcement,” as O’Leary puts it. “I think that sports give you something special. I know for me, it’s an emotional thing. I get stressed, I go on a run, or play soccer for my friends.”

And for the young Special Olympians, most of whom are working toward the goal of independent living as adults, “It keeps you on schedule, and I think it really builds structure,” O’Leary said.

On Friday, the school hosted a large regional Special Olympics event for young kids as well as high school athletes from unified teams at Old Rochester and other SouthCoast schools. The Special Olympians got to work on training techniques in football and basketball, run relays, and just generally have a blast as the school took the day off from classes to focus on positive community events.

            Annaliza Souza, a Tabor senior who plays basketball and tennis, is on the board, and while her role in the School Day Games was administrative, she heard a great story of bonding.

“We had a freshman who really hadn’t had a chance to get involved with much, and she was paired up with a little girl athlete for the day,” Souza said. “And at the end of it, the girl’s parents said that it was the best day of her life.”

The success of the Special Olympics club has grown from the Sunday sessions, and it now includes a Polar Plunge that last year raised about $12,000 for Special Olympics and will be repeated again this winter.

“I think the thing is that when someone gets into volunteering even once, that’s all it takes,” Souza said. “It’s just instant.”

Here is a look at what’s happening this week at Old Rochester, Old Colony and Tabor:

Old Rochester Regional High School

ORR girls’ soccer coach Jeff Lombard doesn’t want to jinx it, but …

“I would say right now, unless things dramatically change, this could be my highest scoring offense that I’ve ever had here. They’re putting up incredible numbers.”

The team is a perennial postseason player, but this year they have been scoring goals at a remarkable clip led by the terrific trio up front of Maddie Demanche (junior), Jillian Kutash (junior) and Meg Hughes (sophomore).

“All three of them would be a top scorer on a normal team, and they’re all looking for each other,” Lombard said. “It makes it difficult for teams to focus on one.”

Senior midfielders Maddie Cooney and Leah Przybyszewski, along with Mary Butler, are also key parts of the engine for the 9-0 Bulldogs.

When you’re undefeated, sometimes it’s hard for a coach to find room for improvement, but Lombard actually feels his team’s unselfishness can go too far.

“Believe it or not, a lot of goals have gone unscored because the girls are working so hard to set someone else up,” he said. “They have such great skill, and they want to get everyone involved. We’re a difficult team to match up against. The key is us playing smart.”

The boys’ soccer team led by Ben Lafrance has won four straight and is unbeaten in its last eight to go to 4-1-4 with a big win over Voc-Tech.

ORR’s football team also keeps cruising, at 4-0 after a solid second half keyed a 30-14 road win over Dighton-Rehoboth. The Bulldogs are averaging 35.5 points per game; they host Somerset Berkley on Friday night in what should be a great test as Somerset is 3-0 and has only allowed six points all year.

Old Colony

The gameplan has changed this year for the Old Colony football team, and that’s resulted in three straight wins and another winning season on the horizon.

The Cougars are 3-1 heading into Friday night’s game at Bristol-Plymouth (7:00 pm), and they’re doing it with a run-first approach that’s a shift from the passing attack they employed with QB Jack Murphy behind center the past two years.

“We are much more run-oriented,” said Coach Brandon Mendez. “We’ve been 55-45 percent pass to run, but it’s definitely more run heavy. I think we’re a lot more physical. We knew what type of team we had, and we’re building around it.”

The No. 1 building block is senior Jarred Gagne, who is the main ballcarrier on offense as the tailback and calls the signals as the defensive leader.

“I said earlier in the year, he’d have to touch the ball 20-25 times a game, and he’s earned it,” Mendez said. “The kid works hard, he’s in phenomenal shape, he’s just a real good kid, someone you feel good about having on your team.”

Gagne had over 200 yards on 29 carries in the 28-8 win over South Shore Voke. Sophomore QB Matt Bumpus is more of a running threat than Murphy was, while Brad Plissey also gets touches in the run-and-pass game as the slot back.

On defense, Gagne, Bumpus and Plissey all contribute, but it’s the defensive line of a “dominant” Ronnie Frates and versatile Joe Weigel that leads the way.

The boys’ soccer team stood at 5-3 after a pair of big wins, 9-1 over Bristol Aggie and 2-0 over Tri-County, with Josh Vinagre and Hunter Soares notching goals.

The girls’ volleyball team has been extremely good, running out to an 8-2 record in its first 10 games and looking like a lock for the tournament.

Tabor Academy

The move to the Independent Schools League this year has meant adjustments across the program, but it’s also meant opportunities.

One of those came last weekend with Tabor’s participation in a boys’ soccer collegiate showcase geared toward giving college coaches a bulk look at the league’s players. All 16 league members played at the same facility, and Tabor (1-4) put together one of their best efforts of the year in a 2-1 loss to unbeaten Belmont Hill.

Boys’ soccer coach Ian Patrick said the Seawolves didn’t show any nerves.

“If there was pressure of playing for their potential college coaches, I wouldn’t say it was added pressure, it was a great opportunity,” he said. “A couple of the kids definitely want to play college soccer, and this is a great chance to show what they can do.”

It was the second straight week the team took part in a college showcase, having traveled to Connecticut previously.

Tabor now has 11 boys’ soccer alumni playing in college, all at the Division 3 and Division 2 level, and senior Charlie Widing is likely to be added to that list next year.

“We’re working toward getting some Division 1 players,” Patrick said, “and joining this league will help us attract athletes while also pushing us to get better to keep pace.”

The Tabor girls are 1-1-2, and Cat Berry is tied for the ISL scoring lead with 14 points. After a 5-5-2 season last year, they are looking to recapture the first-place magic of the 2015 season.

Tabor’s football team was expecting some ups and downs in the adjustment to tougher competition in the ISL, and that came to pass last Friday with a 48-18 home loss to St. Sebastian’s. The Seawolves (1-1) host Belmont Hill at 2:00 pm on Saturday.

By Jonathan Comey

 

The Native Brook Trout

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The colorful brook trout is an indigenous cold water fish in New England streams such as our local Mattapoisett and Sippican Rivers, true to the heritage of their Native American names. As a biological member of the northern char family, the brook trout spawns in autumn rather than in spring like many other aquatic species.

As it becomes even more colorful to match the autumn foliage as the shorter days and colder nights cut off the supply of chlorophyll to trees of deciduous leaves of the maples, oaks, aspen, and sumac, Mother Nature similarly and simultaneously paints the bellies of the trout a flaming red as they swell with roe and morph their backs with green and blue worm-like markings of contrasting ceremonial regalia, as in my illustration, to dance to the Indian Summer celestial drum beat of reproduction.

Sportsmen have affectionately call it “Brookie” as one of their favorite angling rewards with a voracious appetite and fighting fury when hooked after dashing out from the back eddy of a streamside boulder to bite at almost any reasonably presented dry or wet fly, or even by a youngster dangling a terrestrial squirming worm for the thrill of landing such a beautiful prize.

Such a magnificent aquatic performance has inspired conservation-minded sportsmen, especially fly fishermen, to gradually customize the practice of “catch and release,” deserving of at least one curtain call at a later time and bigger size, or even for someone else. This concept of release is gaining in popularity almost everywhere in the sporting world.

The species goes back in historical time and place to the cold water habitat of pristine pools of runoff of the melting of the Wisconsin glacier some 25,000 years ago. Their adaptation to such cold water gave them constitutional survival capacity all over Northern New England, except in the late 19th century when fir trees that shaded streams we cut down by tanneries for turpentine to cure hides. Unfortunately, these were buffalo hides that came in an unending stream of railroad freight cars from the western plains, almost wiping out buffalo from the face of the Earth. Simultaneously, the lack of shade on trout waters increased the temperature, diminishing the brook trout population in most New England States.

Now the brook trout has recovered from near extinction and, as we speak, move upstream by falling water temperatures to select a pristine bed of loose gravel and a good supply of oxygen.

In reproduction once again, they are ceremoniously completing an unbroken circle of their kind, traditional to the original period of natural post-glacial global warming which hopefully will be followed by another cycle of eventual cooling in keeping with the unending orbit of planets in the sky. Then Mother Earth may herself recover from all that we have done to her, but as in my tale of the brook trout, not without our help.

By George B. Emmons

Tabor Academy Hosts Pulitzer Prize Winning Author

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On October 10, Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford will spend the day with Tabor Academy students and faculty, sharing his craft as a visiting author. He will present a formal reading of his work for the Tabor Community and the public at 6:30 pm that evening.

The day has been in the works for some time, planned by English faculty member and Wareham resident, Mark Howland. “The opportunity for budding writers to meet someone so accomplished is really formative,” said Howland. “It has been a dream of mine to be able to have someone of this caliber come to campus for some time.” In order to create the most meaningful interaction, Howland has crafted a day that allows students with the most interest in creative writing some uninterrupted and unscripted time with the author over lunch, while the entire school will have a chance to hear about his life and inspiration at their weekly school meeting.

To prepare for the day, the school required summer readings from Ford’s Rock Springs, a collection of his short stories. In order to get a feel for his writing, the younger students in Grades 9 and 10 read the story “Rock Springs” and another story of their choosing, while upperclassmen read “Communist” and a second story of their choosing. Further, Howland is teaching a senior elective called Oates & Ford (Joyce Carol Oates and Richard Ford) that is exploring the writers’ short story styles and themes in depth. This class of seniors, as well as other AP and Honors English classes, will have dedicated time with Mr. Ford in the afternoon to hear a reading and to talk in depth about various styles he uses, how he informs his work, and what his greatest influences have been.

Ford has just completed his first work of non-fiction, a memoir called Between Them, which is about his parents and the life they led before his arrival as their only child. His titles, available to students at Tabor’s Charles Hayden Library, include Let Me Be Frank With You, The Sportswriter, A Multitude of Sins, Canada, The Lay of the Land, Independence Day, and A Piece of My Heart.

The formal reading by Richard Ford will take place at 6:30 pm in Tabor’s Lyndon South Auditorium, Stroud Academic Center, 232 Front Street, Marion. The event is free and open to the public, though the school requires a simple pre-registration in order to plan appropriate seating: taboracademy.org/richardford.

Better Streetlights, Big Savings for Marion

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Over 40 Massachusetts towns are in the process of converting their streetlights to LEDs (energy-sipping light-emitting diodes), and Marion aims to join the list. Our state offers grants to help towns convert old fixtures, which will save us over $18,000 per year in electricity and maintenance costs. In only about 4.3 years, these savings will pay for the conversion, after which the money will go straight to the plus side of the Town’s budget.

At the October 23 Fall Town Meeting, the Energy Management Committee will ask Marion’s residents to support an article that will provide $105,408 to convert our 330 streetlights to LEDs. This initial investment is required to be eligible for the state rebates. Once the conversion is completed, the state will reimburse us about $34,000, leaving approximately $78,000 to be paid back by the savings. Not only will we save money after the pay-back period, but the new LEDs are more reliable, improve visibility, reduce light pollution, and offer “smart” controls such as dimming and remote control.

The Town of Marion now receives a check for about $7,000 each month from Con Ed Solutions, a refund for obtaining our municipal power from wind turbines in Plymouth. So far, Marion has saved about $78,000 from this arrangement. The EMC proposes that these savings be reinvested by paying the up-front costs of the LED conversion program, which will add handsomely to the Town’s energy savings.

Many of our neighboring towns are already taking advantage of this opportunity to save money and have better street lighting: Westport, Bourne, Falmouth, New Bedford, and Middleborough, to name only a few. It’s time for Marion to join this enlightened list. Please come to Fall Town Meeting on October 23 (6:45 pm at Sippican School) and approve Article S3.

Bill Saltonstall and Jennifer Francis

 

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.

Tabor Academy Fall Service Day

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Tabor Academy is looking forward to its Fall Service Day on the morning of Friday, September 29, where students and faculty will once again lend a hand to nonprofit groups across the region.

Half of the Tabor community will host Special Olympics MA on the Tabor campus for School Day Games, a program organized by the student-run Tabor Special Olympics Club, began last spring in concert with Special Olympics MA. This fall’s event will feature Special Olympians from across the SouthCoast, Carver, New Bedford, Dartmouth, and some new teams from Wareham and the ORR School District. Tabor students and visiting athletes will participate in various games together such as bocce ball, relay races, basketball, football, and more. Before the games begin, all the students and athletes will come together for the traditional Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, including the Athlete’s Oath, while sharing thanks and appreciation for being together.

While all that is happening on Tabor’s campus, the rest of the Tabor community will be hitting the road! Over 300 students and faculty will be loading busses headed out to help cut and maintain walking and biking trails or assist with seasonal clean up at area nonprofits in Marion, Wareham, and Dartmouth. Some will help students at the Schwartz Center School – a school for children with special needs – enjoy their field day, while others will help bring in the harvest for families in need at Share the Harvest Farm in Dartmouth. Still more will help deliver furniture to area families through My Brother’s Keeper, or share in creating the excitement and surprise the Message of Hope Foundation provides through their thoughtful gift bags for children affected by the recent hurricanes.

“While these days certainly help strengthen our own community bond, our main goal is for our students to learn that Tabor’s mission to foster care for others and committed citizenship extends beyond our campus and beyond their years at Tabor. As we step outside the confines of our campus, our students can test their skills while learning from our neighbors and area community organizations that serve myriad needs,” said Amelia Wright, faculty organizer.

Tri-County Symphonic Band 56th Concert Season

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The Tri-County Symphonic Band, under the direction of Philip Sanborn, will begin its 56th season on October 22, 2017 with a cleverly themed concert in the Fireman Auditorium at Tabor Academy that has nothing to do with football. Instead, “Giants, Cowboys and Patriots” has music that reflects these three images and includes a tribute to King Kong and Godzilla. The soloist is Adam Frey, euphonium virtuoso, who has garnered international fame with his dynamic performances.

Once again, the TCSB will offer its Annual Children’s Christmas Concert, free of charge, at the Sippican School on December 10, 2017 with the help of the Sippican School Concert Choir under the direction of Patricia Richard.

The Tri-County Symphonic Band returns to the acoustically friendly environs of the Dartmouth High School Auditorium on February 11, 2018 with a program of Italian music entitled “All Italia!” From an operatic overture to a sonic retelling of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius to the iconic Pines of Rome, this concert is certain to bring a bit of the Italian culture to the Southcoast for an afternoon of fun and great band music.

The March 18, 2018 program, “March Mania,” will be a concert featuring pieces that have a connection with the month of March. The TCSB is thrilled to have the award-winning Resurgam Saxophone Quartet as guest soloists in the Fireman Auditorium at Tabor Academy and they will be premiering a work written especially for the group by composer Ted King Smith.

The 16th Annual Benefit Pops Concert will be held at Tabor Academy on June 10, 2018 at 2:00 pm in a grand tent, and will include music from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Join the TCSB for a program called “The British Invasion” as all proceeds from this event benefit the John R. Pandolfi Scholarship Fund.

The 2017-2018 concert season, the Tri-County Symphonic Band’s fifty-sixth, is an eclectic offering of some of the finest symphonic band music ever written. The band is excited for all of the people (musicians, audience, friends and family) that will be part of our tradition of bringing the community high quality symphonic band music and outstanding soloists. The band invites everyone to share the “Tri-County experience” that has delighted audiences for over 56 years.

For more detailed information and ticket sales, visit: http://tricountysymphonicband.org.