Board Passes the Joint to Town Meeting

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If the Rochester Planning Board has its way, Town Meeting voters on May 22 will adopt a new zoning bylaw to place a temporary moratorium on marijuana retail sale in Rochester.

Massachusetts voters approved a referendum question to legalize the sale and use of marijuana recreationally back in November 2016.

During the public hearing for the bylaw on May 9, the Planning Board felt that Town Counsel Blair Bailey figuratively has the bylaw language rolled up tight and ready to light at the Annual Town Meeting.

The moratorium bylaw was borrowed from another town’s draft that was approved by the Attorney General’s Office.

The moratorium would allow the town to wait until the Commonwealth issues guidelines for towns and cities to craft their recreational marijuana regulations surrounding the dispensing, processing, cultivation, storage, and sale of marijuana.

The state is expected to provide these regulations in January 2018, said Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson.

“This is a moratorium which a lot of cities and towns are doing, placing a moratorium until January 2018 so that we can wait for the state to issue their guidelines and come up with guidelines of our own,” said Johnson. “The majority of the [Rochester] townspeople have expressed support for control on where it’s sold…”

Johnson will be taking the draft bylaw to the Board of Selectmen in the near future for discussion. Johnson said the selectmen appear poised to also recommend the moratorium at Town Meeting.

The Planning Board voted to recommend Town Meeting adoption of the moratorium, and Johnson said that once it is time for the Town to regulate marijuana next year, the Town would likely default to the current medicinal marijuana zoning bylaws.

In Rochester, medicinal marijuana facilities could only be allowed in the adult entertainment overlay section of the industrial zone located on Route 28.

Planning Board member Ben Bailey expressed concern over federal law versus state law pertaining to marijuana use and sales.

“I’m still curious how we’re doing this when it’s against federal law,” Bailey said. “Federal law trumps it, so it’s an interesting thing…. It’s still illegal to possess marijuana and use it federally.”

Bailey added that he personally is not comfortable approving any recreational marijuana regulations in Rochester until the federal government allows it.

Planning Board member John DeMaggio cited the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

“I think you ought to be able to do whatever you want,” said Bailey. “I think it’s horrible to regulate drugs…”

Bailey was delegated by the board to introduce the article on Town Meeting floor.

Also during the meeting, the continued public hearing for the Site Plan review for Wellspring Farms at 42 Hiller Road, applicants Holly and Jim Vogel, was continued until May 23 at the applicants’ request.

In other business, the board granted an Approval Not Required for Stephen and Sandra Hunt of 43 Featherbed Lane.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for May 23 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Planning Board

By Jean Perry

 

Mattapoisett Firefighters Climb for a Cause

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Firefighting is one of the toughest jobs one can think of. It takes a certain kind of person to choose a career that puts you in danger on a nearly daily basis. It takes a strong body just to wear the firefighter gear alone and a cool head to keep calm and focused during physical exertion. Knowing that, it makes you wonder why a firefighter would voluntarily don one hundred pounds of firefighter gear and run up 2,880 steps in one hour on his day off.

On Sunday, May 7, four Mattapoisett firefighters travelled to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro and did just that. Not for the fun of it, not for the glory, and certainly not for the exercise; they did it for charity.

Lieutenant Justin Dubois and firefighters Justin Blue, Silas Costa, and Bill Oliver participated in the S4RT (Stairs 4 Our Troops) stair climb at Gillette Stadium, with the proceeds from the fundraiser going to Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), an organization that builds specially adaptive homes for severely injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

Every year now, Mattapoisett Fire Rescue participates in a stair climb for charity. They’ve climbed the steps of a 26-story building in Providence one year, and then after that for two years they climbed the 61-story Clarendon Building in Boston – a feat that is akin to a “Boston Marathon” of all charity stair climbs of sorts. This year, though, they topped that event, with the one-hour long challenge of climbing 2,880 steps – with all their firefighting gear on to boot.

“We had just heard about it through social media,” said Dubois, “so we took the initiative and signed up for it.”

Three other fire departments in Massachusetts joined Mattapoisett – Dedham, Westwood, and Needham.

Climbing 2,880 stairs is a hard task. But with all that gear bearing down on you with every footstep up, the difference, said Dubois, is “drastic.”

“It felt like it was never going to end,” Dubois described the experience. ”It’s hard to explain, just because when you’re wearing 80 to 100 pound of extra gear, every little bit takes a toll on you.”

Even with the sunny, cool-ish, breezy weather, it was still a constant challenge for the four men, Dubois said. It was a constant battle to make it to the end of that hour.

“It was a really good time though,” said Dubois. “It was the biggest one that we’ve done so far.

As for next year? Well, this year’s climb will be pretty tough to top.

“We’re not sure where to go from this one,” said Dubois. “We always try to do the next step up,” no pun intended. “Now that we’ve hit this stage, I think we might have hit the max, so well see.”

By Jean Perry

Summer Adventures In Learning (SAIL) Program

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The Old Rochester Regional School District/Superintendency Union #55 is pleased to offer a summer enrichment program for students currently in pre-kindergarten through Grade 9 to increase student learning while having fun!

The brochure of course offerings for the SAIL Program is now available online! The course listings, online registration, and health form can be found on all of the district and school homepages at www.oldrochester.org.

The program is held at the ORR Junior/Senior High School and runs for six weeks. It is broken into two 3-week sessions. Students can enroll for Session A, Session B, or both! The tuition is $225 per 3-week session, and $450 total for the two 3-week sessions. The program will run Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 12:00 noon with the exception of the first week of Session A, which will be at those same hours on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to avoid the Independence Day holiday. Session A will run from July 5 to July 20 and Session B will run from July 25 to August 10.

Available slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. A completed registration and a check for the tuition fee must be submitted for each student by June 2, 2017. The health form is also available online and should be submitted upon registration. Confirmation of participation will be sent to each family in late June.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the SAIL Co-Directors, Charles West (charleswest@oldrochester.org) and Kyle Letendre (kyleletendre@oldrochester.org).

We look forward to an exciting, enriching, and fun-filled summer with our students!

Mattapoisett Offers Online Bill Pay

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Beginning with the recently mailed Water/Sewer Utility bills, town residents are now able to pay their Real Estate, Personal Property, Motor Vehicle and Boat Excise taxes and Water/Sewer bills with greater flexibility. The new system is secure, easy to use, and allows customers the option of paying their bills via their checking account with ACH or by using a credit/debit card. Customers are able to view their bills and make a one-time payment without registering, or, by registering, they can enjoy 24/7 access to payment history and bills. By registering, customers will also be able to pay anytime, anywhere with a mobile optimized experience, either online, on their mobile device or by text message. Other enhanced features include the ability to schedule a payment, either for the same day or a future date, or to establish an automatic payment schedule.

Paying electronically is faster and more convenient than paying with personal online banking. Paying with personal online banking results in an actual bank check mailed to the Town. Many times incorrect or missing information causes delays in payment posting. EFT/ACH payments are received and cleared faster than checks issued by banks. The Collector’s Office uploads electronic payment files, therefore improving the accuracy and timeliness of payment posting for customers. In addition to receiving email reminders when a payment is due and a confirmation email after making a payment, customers can sign up for courtesy email reminders.

Advantages of e-Billing and Payment:

– Paying online is faster than mailing a check.

– Bills and payment history are kept securely in one place.

– No worries about a bill or check getting lost in the mail.

– Paying online saves stamps, envelopes and gas.

– Pay your bill from wherever you have Internet access.

– Late fees can be avoided with scheduled or automatic payments.

Please go to www.mattapoisett.net to learn more.

Mattapoisett Library to Host Artists’ Reception

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The public is invited to enjoy original art and a reception on Tuesday, May 16 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Library’s Reading Rooms. Created by over 100 members of the community, the works have been given to Friends of the Library for their “Calling All Artists” fundraiser.

The many canvases – decorated by local artists, teens and children – are now on display and will be available for purchase beginning at the reception. One-of-a-kind 8 x 8-inch canvases can be purchased for $25 each. The proceeds benefit the Friends of the Mattapoisett Library, a nonprofit organization that supports the library’s budget needs that fall outside the town’s appropriation.

Come and enjoy hors d’oeuvres prepared by The Inn On Shipyard Park and other baked goods and soft drinks offered by the Friends.

The Mattapoisett Library is located at 7 Barstow Street.

Emily Hiller Achieves Hundredth Goal Milestone

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Here is a summary of the week in sports at Old Rochester Regional:

            Girls’ Lacrosse: In their first SCC matchup last week, the Old Rochester girls’ lacrosse team thrived against Bourne, winning 20-3. Senior Emily Hiller paved the way with six goals. After her fifth goal of the game, her teammates stormed in to congratulate her because she had just scored her hundredth career goal. Madison Cooney added five goals. Maddie Demanche, Ariane Dias, Ava Ciffolillo, and Ali Hulsebosch each contributed two. Mackenzie Good added one to round off the score to an even 20 for the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Bulldogs defense played a solid game, only allowing for three goals. At the heart of the defense, sophomore Gates Tenerowicz had nine saves. This win over the Canal Women advanced Old Rochester to 9-0. Old Rochester faced the Fairhaven Blue Devils last Thursday under the lights and won 16-2. The Bulldogs worked the ball up the field with proficiency and finished with the ball in the back of the net. Normally a run-and-gun type of team, Old Rochester showed their passing capabilities. The defense held Fairhaven to five shots on net. However, Tenerowicz only let in two. Cooney had four goals and three assists and Hulsebosch had three goals and four assists. Hiller and Megan Shay both had three goals while Tayler Lee, Katherine Tracy, and Dias each earned one. This game marked the Bulldogs 10th straight win on their undefeated season. Last Saturday, Old Rochester faced Sandwich and won 16-10. The game started off slow for the Bulldogs and they were tied 7-7 at the half. Old Rochester got it together and began to pull ahead of their opponents. Cooney and Hulsebosch were the leading scorers with five goals. Hiller played an honorable game with four goals and four assists. Midfielder Shay earned two goals and four assists. After persevering through a tough start, the Bulldogs collected themselves to win yet another game and advance their record to 11-0, 8-0 SCC.

            Boys’ Lacrosse: The boys’ lacrosse team opened up their week of play with the Bourne Canalmen, and it ended with their first SEC loss. The Bulldogs fought hard to keep the game tied 6-6 throughout. However, with minutes left, the Canalmen managed an unreciprocated shot and won 7-6. Senior captain Charles Tirrell paved the way for the team with three goals. Freshman attackman Finn McCain had two goals and Parker Truesdale earned one. Old Rochester redeemed themselves later in the week with a 13-4 win over the Fairhaven Blue Devils. Again, Tirrell led the way with five goals. Not far off was Landon Goguen with four goals and one assist. McCain, PJ Saltmarsh, Tim Dix, and Patrick Kiernan each earned one goal. The Bulldog defense proved their ferociousness by forcing the Devils to take bad shots, which helped the goalie, Nate King, make 13 saves. Old Rochester is now 9-2, 7-1 SCC.

            Girls’ Tennis: The girls’ tennis team continued their undefeated record with three more wins last week. The Lady Bulldogs started off with a 5-0 win over Case. First singles player Delaney Pothier swept the competition winning 6-0, 6-2. At second singles, Danielle Nutter also won 6-4, 6-0. Charlotte Cole, who played third singles, triumphed over her Case counterparts winning 6-0, 6-4. Emma Collings and Kinsley Dickerson proved to be a strong team by winning 6-1, 6-1. Zoe Bilodeau and Grace Weedall were the 6-3, 6-1 victors at second doubles. Old Rochester faced Bourne last week and dominated 4-1. Pothier and Nutter continued their winning streak. Collings and Dickerson managed a win after coming back from a 5-1 deficit in the third set. Grace Filloramo and Delaney Soucy played at second doubles and also earned a win. In their third matchup of the week, the Lady Bulldogs shutout the Fairhaven Blue Devils, 5-0. Again, Pothier and Nutter prevailed against their Blue Devil opponents. Bilodeau earned her first singles win while playing at third singles. Both pairs at doubles won. Old Rochester advanced their record to 9-0, 7-0 SCC.

            Boys’ Tennis: The boys’ tennis team continued their undefeated record after playing Joseph Case, Bourne, and Fairhaven. Old Rochester beat Case 4-1 in their first match of last week. Sam Pasquill, at first singles, Jahn Pothier, at second singles, and Geoffrey Noonan, at third singles all managed wins over their opponents. The first doubles pair of Josh Lerman and Maxx Wolski also won. In their second match of the week, the Bulldogs won 5-0 against Bourne. Pasquill, Alex Bilodeau, and Max Asker all swept away their competition within the singles matches. Lerman and Caleb Jagoda played well together to earn yet another win for the Bulldogs. Noonan and Ray Williams also won at second doubles to maintain a shutout against Bourne. The Bulldogs played Fairhaven last Thursday and earned a 4-1 win. Unfortunately, Pothier lost at first singles to his Blue Devil opponent. However, Wolski and Colin O’Malley both won at second and third singles. Also, Jagoda and Williams played consistently hard to win first doubles. Ian Friedrichs and Justin Smith also triumphed over Fairhaven at second doubles. The Bulldogs remain undefeated with a record of 10-0, 8-0 SCC.

            Baseball: The boys’ baseball team played Joseph Case first this week and won 7-4. John Breault held Case to four runs in six of the seven innings. Breault also had eight strikeouts. Sam Henrie pitched the seventh inning and prevented their opponents from scoring. On the offensive side, Henrie scored two runs and had two RBI doubles. Will Hopkins had a double, two walks, and scored one run. Jake Asiaf had a single and added on another run for the Bulldogs. Adam Breault hit a single, had one walk, and one RBI. Michael Kenefick contributed by adding one single, two runs scored, and an RBI. The Bulldogs played Fairhaven last Thursday and won 5-1. After five innings, Kenefick only allowed the Blue Devils one unearned run scored. He walked two and struck out six of Fairhaven’s players. Henrie pitched the last two shutout innings. On offense, Breault had one hit and a triple, while Noah Strawn and Chris Labelle each recorded a hit. Henrie hit a two-run double with bases loaded to advance the Bulldogs to 4-1 in the fifth inning. Ultimately, the Bulldogs persevered and won against Fairhaven to keep their undefeated record. However, Old Rochester had their first loss to Bourne on Monday with a final score of 6-0.

            Girls’ Softball: In their first game of last week, the Lady Bulldogs softball team faced Joseph Case and won 7-6. Sophomore Avery Soares pitched for all seven innings. In the first two, she started off slow by allowing six runs. However, Soares came back and pitched five scoreless innings. She finished off the game with five strikeouts and five walks for her fifth victory of the season. The Bulldogs were down 6-4 at the beginning of the seventh inning but soon they came back. Soares’ RBI allowed Alex Sheehan to return home and advance the score to 6-5. With two bases loaded, Nicole Ochoa stepped up to hit. She swung and earned a two-run double. Ella Verzellone had three singles and two RBIs. The Lady Bulldogs lost to Fairhaven last Thursday.

By Alexandra Hulsebosch

 

Spring Honeymoon of the Primordial Horseshoe Crab

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In late spring, horseshoe crabs, which look like pieces of armor crawling along the seabed of the shallow waters of the Buzzards Bay shoreline, will soon surface. They’ll emerge from their bottom habitat to launch an extraordinary amphibious landing on sandy beaches for an annual ritual to mate, nest, and lay eggs for the next generation.

This has happened annually since almost the beginning of time, and as one of the oldest living creatures on Earth, it has earned them the prehistoric title of a primordial species.

Their impeccable timing is precisely in tune with the rising flood tide of a new or full moon that will wash them up into the intertidal area between low and high tides where the male and female interact as she digs a nest in the sand to lay up to 4,000 eggs. She endeavors to safely cover the eggs up before the next lunar heartbeat of a higher incoming wave.

The female may then breed again and nest several times up and down the beach, laying as many as 100,000 eggs before crawling back into the sea.

Scientists estimate that only one in 130,000 horseshoe crab hatchlings survives to reproduce, but Mother Nature ensures that not many will go to waste. The abundant legacy is a godsend to migratory birds throughout their long, tiring journey of their own seasonal migration because, after burning up all their energy, they find rest stops with an abundant cornucopia on which to feast and refuel their bodies, often doubling their weight.

Native Americans also valued the horseshow crab shells they found to make container bowls for liquids, and they made good use of their sharp tails fastened to the point of a spear to harvest fish.

However, the most remarkable legacy today is in modern medicine and research using fibers of their hard primitive shells called Chitlin as a substance to stitch up wounds and fill cracks of broken bones. Even more vital is their blood used in testing medicine and healing drugs by turning from red to blue to raise a flag of any bacteria or germs detrimental to human healing and health. As the increased prescribed treatment of antibiotics has proven life giving and saving for humans, it seems that the horseshoe crab has over millions of years evolved and fortified within itself powerful immunities to survive unchanged, while exposed to a very unhealthy underwater environment.

For the future, water pollution and global warming possibly hold the greatest threats that we have inadvertently brought upon them that could break the link of a prehistoric chain older than that of dinosaurs and which has earned them the nickname of living fossils. We might call their annual spring ritual a honeymoon gala on the beach, but as planets in the heavens pass each other in time and space, the end of one life cycle on Earth is the beginning of another, and our observation and appreciation of it all bears testimony to its heavenly orchestration, even for the lowly horseshoe crab.

By George B. Emmons

 

Customer Service Training: Dementia

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On Thursday, May 25, the Alzheimer’s Association will conduct a Customer Service Training entitled “Care, Cause and Your Customers: Serving Individuals Living with Dementia in Your Community.” This training will be held from 9:00 – 10:00 am at the COA office, 17 Barstow Street, Mattapoisett, MA. The training is free, but pre-registration is required by May 18.

For those employees and volunteers who serve customers, it would help them to recognize when someone has dementia and to learn how to deal with the customers who are suffering from dementia.

Please request at least one or more employees attend this session. If it is feasible for only one person to attend, please have them share what they learned with others in the organization.

For any further information, contact Jacqueline Coucci, COA Director, at 508-758-4110 or coadirector@mattapoisett.net.

“Women On Target” Clinic

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The Fin, Fur, and Feather Club of Mattapoisett will host a full-day course called Women on Target on May 20. This is an instructional shooting clinic designed to introduce women to the No. 1 participatory sport in the country, namely, the shooting sports.

The day‘s schedule includes a morning session with instruction on gun safety and the Massachusetts Gun Laws. Lunch will be provided. In the afternoon, participants will be divided into small groups and assigned to four areas including archery, trap shooting, pistol range, and rifle range. Club member volunteers will serve as instructors in these areas. Each student receives one-to-one instruction.

At the end of the day, students receive their certificates of course completion. This certificate is required when applying for licenses.

The class size will be limited and tends to fill quickly. Apply early to ensure a spot!

Applications are available by contacting Linda Meredith at lindam1002@comcast.net for an application.

Tabor Opens Marine Science to Local Students

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While many of the students in the local area live within close proximity of the ocean, a much smaller number have the opportunity to learn about what exists within it and be able to be up close and personal. Last week, Tabor invited students from Our Sisters’ School in New Bedford to campus to experience the marine science programs at Tabor.

Our Sisters’ School is a tuition-free independent middle school for girls from low-income families in the New Bedford area. According to the school’s website, its mission is to “educate and inspire middle school girls from the Greater New Bedford area to reach their full potential in a safe, supportive and challenging environment.”

The visit of these students was coordinated by Tabor sophomore Kellie Navarro of Attleboro. Being both on Tabor’s community service board and highly involved in the marine sciences at Tabor, combining the two was a great opportunity for her to expose her community to something new.

Upon arriving on campus on Wednesday, the 25 students participated in several activities and workshops around campus. Several faculty and students got involved as well, including marine science teacher Elizabeth Leary who ran a workshop about seaweed farming at Tabor and senior Kat Mitchell who ran a workshop about her project revamping a coral tank.

Outside of the Marine and Nautical Science Center (MANS), the Our Sisters’ School students had the opportunity to explore campus, all the while learning about marine science. One such activity was a scavenger hunt around campus in which students searched for organisms they had seen in the MANS center’s touch tank or for the school’s mascot, Sammy the Seawolf. Additionally, students got the opportunity to go to Tabor’s docks and waterfront to get personal with the marine life they were learning about.

This partnership comes at a time when marine science is booming at Tabor. Not only are classes in the field in high demand, but recent advances and initiatives have expanded the program’s horizons.

Recently, under the leadership of faculty members Jennifer Albright and Captain David Bill, there has been a large, multi-faceted effort to start hydroponics on campus. Hydroponics is a method for growing plants, vegetables, and fruits in a controlled, soil-free environment, and faculty and students have been doing just that. Through the creation of a community garden and the integration of hydroponics into the aquaculture class, students have been able to work hands on in sustainability and marine science.

On Earth Day, the aquaculture class brought their successful creations on display for the Tabor community in a way everybody could appreciate and enjoy: food. The menu included items such as guacamole and salsa, pizza, pasta, and tomato salad, all topped off with herbs such as cilantro and basil from the hydroponic garden. The event attracted a large audience, so much so that the food supplies eventually ran out before the end of the day.

For students in the local community and even at Tabor, the marine world holds many secrets that have yet to be experienced and learned. Through programs such as these, Tabor has been able to use their location to connect the marine world to those living next to it.

By Jack Gordon