Dog Training to Resume at Fairgrounds

on

The Rochester Country Fair Committee was there to report on the progress of this year’s fair to the Rochester Board of Selectmen, but while at the June 26 meeting, Selectmen Chairman Brad Morse asked Co-Chair Dave Souza and committee member Kelly Morgado about noise complaints lodged by neighbors of the country fairgrounds over dogs barking.

For some time now, the South Coast Working Dog Club has held dog training and working dog shows at the Rochester Country Fairgrounds on Pine Street with a set schedule approved by the country fair committee. Over the course of time, some neighbors, particularly one, has called Town Hall to complain about dogs barking, which prompted Morse to interrupt the country fair update and get up to speed on the dog training.

Morse said he had been unaware that dog training was being held at the site, which led to a discussion over communication between the selectmen and the country fair committee over fairground use by outside entities.

According to Morgado, neighbor complaints started a couple of months ago, but she defended the dog training club’s usage of the grounds.

“It’s very, very beneficial for the fair to have the dog training on the site. We had a lot of vandalism before. That has since gone away.”

The money the committee generates from renting the field for the dog training also helps to significantly offset the country fair costs, Morgado said.

“From a fair perspective,” said Souza, “we would like to have that continue on site.”

The trainers and club members, said Souza, are a positive group of people and have respected the fairgrounds and the committee with every request it has made thus far.

“Man, you will never find a pile of dog poop there,” Souza said. The trainers also mow the grass and are considerate of the property, Souza added. “There are so many positive things…. We like to keep everyone happy, but as you guys know, it’s almost impossible to do that.”

Preston Costa from the South Coast Working Dog Club said the group often gets blamed for noises in the neighborhood that are not necessarily from the fairgrounds while they are using it. Costa said there is one neighbor in particular who has been the source of the bulk of the complaints.

“She will keep complaining until we’re gone,” said Costa. “It doesn’t matter what we do, what we change … she wants us gone.” Costa said the neighbor threatened to continue to complain despite mitigation efforts.

Morse took issue with the fact that the selectmen had not been aware of the fairgrounds being rented out for this use, calling it a lapse in communication.

Morgado and Souza said that when the trainers first approached them, the country fair committee spoke to the former town administrator and apparently the information never made it to the Board of Selectmen.

The board requested that the country fair committee approach the selectmen with all future requests to use the fairgrounds to give a final say on future use.

And as for the country fair?

“Going strong,” Morgado commented.

In other matters, the selectmen voted to sign the conservation restriction agreement for property on Wolf Island Road purchased by the Town of Marion for water resource protection. The land will be protected from development in perpetuity, and the land will be open to public use for passive recreation, including hunting.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is July 10 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

 

Tabor Academy Summer Program

on

On Sunday, June 25, Tabor Academy’s summer program opened its doors for another season. With over 600 day and residential campers enrolled, it is sure to be a fun-filled, engaging summer full of great opportunities. The Tabor Academy Summer Program offers fun for campers – from sports, drama, crafts and enrichment offerings, to educational training opportunities for aspiring counselors as they learn to work with children and adolescents.

The TASP staff, comprised of energetic college students, coaches, alumni, and professional teachers, arrived and began setting up for camp, learning rules and regulations, training and doing some team bonding experiences to get ready for the campers imminent arrival. The residential campers arrived on Sunday, June 25, while the day campers arrived on Monday, June 26.

TASP offerings include a 6- and 7-year-old program that is designed to offer campers a range of engaging and appropriate recreational learning opportunities; day and residential programs that are designed to offer campers a well-balanced recreational and enrichment experience; and a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) Program for past campers, ages 16-17, who are interested in gaining leadership skills through classroom work and hands-on experiences.

In addition to its traditional summer camp, Tabor Academy is also offering a day and residential specialty camp for students entering 7th through 10th grades, interested in Marine Science. This camp will utilize the oceanfront Marine and Nautical Science Center at Tabor as well as go on various field trips to area attractions such as whale watches and Woods Hole. Another program, Tabor Gateways, is a three-week residential program for ages 12-16 offering morning academics and an evening introductory Chinese language classes with Chinese student partners. Recreation and excursions are also included.

More opportunities hosted at Tabor are a specialty basketball camp, a strength and conditioning camp, and a hockey camp. Find out more at www.taboracademy.org/summer!

Tri-Town Early Childhood Program

on

The Tri-Town Early Childhood Program, located at Old Rochester Regional High School, is accepting applications for the 2017-2018 school year. The preschool program serves 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds and follows the school calendar. It is unique in that it provides a high quality early childhood education opportunity to preschoolers, while also offering high school students a chance to learn about working in the field of early childhood education. A licensed early childhood teacher and a rotation of high school students staff the classroom.

A limited number of spaces are available. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. The enrollment policy is based on a balance of 3- and 4-year-olds, a balance of boys and girls, and a balance among residents of the three member towns.

For an application or for more information, visit our website at wwworrhsprek.weebly.com or contact Aimee Fox at 508-758-3745, ext. 1612.

Easy Last Meeting For Rogers

on

At the end of a picture perfect early summer’s day with gentle evening breezes rustling through the cedars and marsh grasses, the members of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission gathered for their June 26 meeting – the last after many years of service to the Town for Chairman Bob Rogers.

And what an easy breezy meeting it was … like the best parting gift a chairman could receive considering all the meetings that were packed with technical documents, testimony, engineering plans, attorneys, contractors, and on occasion, frustrated irate citizens.

But not on this evening.

On this evening, it was smooth sailing as Rogers navigated through a calm agenda before tying up for the last time.

Coming before the commission with a Request for Determination of Acceptability was Robin Lepore, 6 Seabreeze Lane, who sought permission to do selective tree and invasive species removal. She explained that a previously approved meadow had taken root and that this current request would not involve sensitive wetland areas. Lepore received approval with a Negative Determination.

Also receiving a Negative Determination for a RDA was the Estate of Helen and Mary Dahill, 31 Shore Drive, represented by Carmelo Nicolosi of Charon & Associates Engineering.

Nicolosi explained that the filing was for the installation of a new septic system. He said that all the work would be outside the wetland buffer zone. The application received a Negative 3 Determination.

Nicolosi also represented 6 Shore Drive, LLC, 0 Shore Drive, whose application was for removal of vegetation on undeveloped lots for recreational purposes and the installation of a patio. He said a Department of Environmental Protection number had not yet been received, thus the hearing would have to be continued. Rogers asked that when Nicolosi returns to the commissioners that construction details include a profile of the materials and methods to ensure compliance with FEMA regulations. The Notice of Intent hearing was continued until July 10.

Two certificates of compliance were issued: one to the estate of Jule Austin, 2 Bay Shore Drive, and the other to 8 Dyar Road for the installation of a septic system.

The commissioners signed a grant application in support of the acquisition of the Old Hammondtown Quarry site off Mattapoisett Neck Road, land being sought by the Mattapoisett Land Trust in coordination with the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for July 10 in the town hall conference room at 6:00 pm.

By Marilou Newell

 

A Dynasty of West Point Graduates

on

In the photograph, she is flanked by family members who are all wearing West Point uniforms. She is, as would be expected, beaming with maternal pride and love. Yet her humility comes through, she’s a little uncomfortable being interviewed, saying quietly and with a smile, “Well, what do you want to know?” The Cattleys’ story begins to unfold.

Carol Cattley of Mattapoisett says that her husband Robert had worked long and hard to achieve an appointment to West Point. “One avenue of entrance is to be accepted to their prep school,” she explained. Slowly and steadily from prep school, to West Point, to Stanford University, Robert, with Carol by his side, earned an engineering degree.

Their dogged determination that began when they married in 1955 would find the young couple living in a 33-foot by 8-foot travel trailer, criss-crossing the country as Robert pursued his education and later a career. Robert would retire from the Army Reserves as a colonel.

Eventually the Cattleys, along with their young son, William, would settle in Mattapoisett in the home Carol still occupies today on Water Street.

The young couple could never have dreamed the family would one day include three generations of West Point graduates.

William would follow in his father’s footsteps, going to West Point’s prep school and then on to West Point, eventually settling in Michigan with his wife, Charlene, and their growing family.

Of her son’s career choices, Carol says, “Bill grew up with his father being in the Reserves.” Bill was undecided on a career choice, but he too entered West Point. “He did well at West Point. He went to Ranger school and flight school,” she added with a mother’s pride. William would retire from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.

William and Charlene would have three children: Jessica, Alexander, and Austin. The proverbial apples wouldn’t fall far from the family tree as each would graduate from West Point – Jessica in 2013, Alexander in 2015, and Austin in 2017.

And the influence of West Point on the family doesn’t stop there. Both Jessica and Alexander would marry West Point graduates, and Austin is engaged to a West Point graduate.

“West Point isn’t an easy route,” Carol pointed out. She said of her son’s family, “How special is that to have three children graduate from West Point!”

Reflecting on the early years when her son Bill was at West Point, Carol said she and Robert would visit him at school. They’d set up camp at Round Pond near the campus of West Point. She laughs at the memory. “Bill would come out to the camper with his friends, and all they wanted to do was eat and sleep. They were so tired from working so hard at school.” She beams as those memories parade before her eyes. ”Those were such festive times…. We have such good memories.”

Carol said she’s proud of her entire family that also includes son David, an electrical engineer, daughter Debbie who lives in Africa and is married to an international businessman, and eight grandchildren, she adds, “All college graduates and very accomplished people.” Oh, and one great-grandson from Jessica of whom she said, “It’s too soon to know if he’ll follow in the family footsteps.”

When the family gathers at her Water Street home for holiday celebrations, Carol says they love to take turns telling stories and sharing experiences. In the living room sits a silent witness to the familial banter: one of Carol’s many teddy bears, a nearly life-size model.

“That one is named Brewster,” Carol says nearly in a whisper. Brewster, she explained, is where she and Bob met in the early 1950s during a long-ago summer vacation, a time when they could never have imagined the West Point dynasty that awaited them.

By Marilou Newell

 

Nicholas C. Bateman

on

Nicholas C. Bateman, age 27 of Rochester, MA, lost his well-fought struggle with addiction on Saturday, July 1, 2017.

Nick was the son of proud parent’s Craig and Janice (Mello) Bateman of Rochester, a 2006 graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School and attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

He was employed with the International Laborers Union Local 22 of Malden, MA, and contributed to a number of major construction projects in Boston, MA. Nick enjoyed working out at gym, making people laugh and helping others. Each year Nick looked forward to the St. John Neumann Festival and the 5k road race in Duxbury, “A Cure in the Nick of Time”, which benefitted the Batten Disease Foundation.

In addition to his parents, Nick is survived by his two loving sisters, Jillian Bateman of Murrysville, PA and Allison Bateman of Rochester; his grandmother Janice Souza of Clearwater, FL; his caring uncles and aunts David and Charlotte Mello, Steve Mello, Edward Bateman, Gerald Bateman and Shelley Mello; and his girlfriend Renee Leblanc and her young children Halle and Lylah of Taunton, whom he adored. The matriarch of the family, the late Mary Jo Mello, will be looking forward to his arrival.

His funeral will be held on Saturday, July 8, 2017 at 9am from the Rock Funeral Home 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford, followed by his Funeral Mass at 10am in St. John Neumann Church 157 Middleboro Rd., East Freetown. Visiting hours will be Friday from 5 to 8pm. Burial will be private. Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to, A Cure in the Nick of Time, Beyond Batten Disease Foundation, Attn. Mary Beth Kiser, PO Box 50221, Austin, TX 78763 or www.acureinthenickoftime.com

For directions and online registration, please visit: www.rock-funeralhome.com

John W. Folino, Jr.

on

John W. Folino, Jr., died peacefully on June 27, 2017 with his wife and daughter by his side.

Hailing from Watertown, MA and Buzzards Bay, MA, John was known for his wry sense of humor, his kindness and his generosity. A student of Tufts University and an engineer by trade, John was the founder of Cape Building Systems, Inc. and CBS Doors, and his passion for problem solving complemented his boundless curiosity for life.

John was an avid sailor and Scrabble player, and to all who knew him, he was a bright, thoughtful man who was always happy to lend a hand.

John is survived by his wife Christine (Whalen) Ketchel, his daughter, Lauren, and Chris’ three children; step-son Nate Ketchel, wife Colleen and daughter Maera; step-daughter Morgan Twomey and her husband Shawn and two sons Michael and Noah; and step-daughter Sarah. John’s brother Greg, sister-in-law Anne, and nieces and nephews, Anne-Marie Iandoli, Karyn, Michael and Paul John Folino also survive him. He was the son of the late Mathilde and John W. Folino, Sr. In addition to his relatives, coworkers and clients – who were all like family to John – he touched the lives of many friends who are also mourning his loss.

The family will be receiving visitors in honor of John’s life at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett, on Thursday, July 6, from 4 – 8 pm. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s honor to the Mattapoisett Community Sailing Association, Inc. (post office Box 947, Mattapoisett, MA 02739, 508-758-6474, mattsailsummer@gmail.com).

Ruth B. (Deterra) Sylvia

on

Ruth B. (Deterra) Sylvia, 100, of Marion, passed away Friday, June 30, 2017, at the Sippican Healthcare Center, in Marion. She was the wife of the late Manuel F. Sylvia of Mattapoisett.

Born and raised in Fairhaven, she was the daughter of the late Manuel and Ethel (Sylvia) Deterra. Ruth was a proud graduate of Fairhaven High School, Class of 1934, where she was a star athlete. She enjoyed her memories of Fairhaven and her lifelong friends from high school.

After her marriage to Manny “Man well” Sylvia, Ruth settled in Mattapoisett where she spent many happy years as a homemaker. She enjoyed cooking, gardening and the times that she spent with her family.

She is survived by her devoted son, David A. Sylvia and his wife Ellen of Mattapoisett; her daughter, Jacqueline Sylvia Wheaton of Trenton, Maine; three grandchildren, Benjamin, Patrick and Heather Wheaton of Maine and three great grandchildren, Malia, Kate and Olivia Wheaton. Mrs. Sylvia was the sister of the late Ethel Dubois, Lucille Sylvia and Arnold DeTerra.

A graveside service will be held Wednesday, July 5, 2017, at 10:30am, in River-Side Cemetery, Fairhaven.

Arrangements are by the Fairhaven Funeral Home, 117 Main Street, Fairhaven.

Gerald H. Cardoza

on

Gerald H. Cardoza, 80, of Mattapoisett, died Saturday, July 1, 2017 at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. He was the husband of Georgia P. Ameia Yen-Patton.

Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Eva (Roderick) and Henry Cardoza. Mr. Cardoza graduated from Florida A & M University on a full football scholarship graduating on the Honor Roll and received his Master of Education in Guidance at Bridgewater State University.

Gerald Cardoza was recognized by the Massachusetts House of Legislation and Senate for his 34 years of distinguished service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Cardoza was an administrator at Taunton State Hospital as Director of Environment and Safety and developed educational programs for Massachusetts Multicultural Affairs in issues of ethnicity and pharmacology, gerontology and mental illness.

Previously, he taught physical education for Bourne Public Schools for 14 years. He developed gymnastics programs for children with special needs and innovative teaching programs to enhance education in the classroom. He developed educational programs for Bridgewater prison inmates to improve their mind and outlook on life. Mr. Cardoza also used music and agriculture as therapeutic interventions for Westborough patients with mental health challenges. He was certified in gerontology as well as more than 50 other areas of education.

He and his brother Wilson Cardoza were a formidable team in golf winning many trophies across the country providing scholarships for young students.

He was a kind loving and devoted son, brother, uncle, husband, father and friend.

He was compassionate and passionate in helping others become better human beings.

He was an all-around athlete which included baseball, football, and track.

He is survived by his wife, Ameia Yen-Patton; his children, Lisa Field and Robin Cardoza both of West Palm Beach, FL, and Brian Cardoza of San Francisco, CA; his step-son, Peter Yen Patton of Mattapoisett; his brother Ronald Cardoza and only sister Marie Elena Cardoza, both of Sun City Center, FL; three grandchildren, Austin, Christian and Danielle, and two great grandchildren in Florida. He was predeceased by his daughter, the late Theresa Cardoza, his mother Eva Roderick Cardoza and his brothers, Dennis A. Cardoza and Wilson E. Cardoza.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday., July 13, 2017 at 11:00 am at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Tihonet Road, Wareham. Visiting hours have been omitted.

Sippican Woman’s Club Scholarships

on

Since 1947, the Sippican Woman’s Club has awarded scholarships to Marion students. The scholarships are funded by proceeds from the club’s Annual Holiday House Tour held in December. Any Marion resident who is currently a high school senior and will attend an accredited college or university to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in the coming year is eligible. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, community service and need.

In addition, two special scholarships are awarded: 1) The Lu Chevrier Scholarship is awarded to a high school senior with a particularly outstanding record of community service; and 2) the Alice Ryder Book Award is presented to the highest ranking English student in the middle school graduating class.

ORR Regional High School: Jacob Cafarella; Emma Collings; Emma Gelson; Hannah Guard – Lu Chevrier Award; Kylie Hayden; Russell Noonan; Aly Taylor

Continuing Education Students: Samantha Barrett; Hayli Marshall; Nicole Mattson; Laura McCoy; Kristina Sauerbrey; Patrick Tracy

Alice Ryder Book Award: Olivia Claire Gowell