Tabor Dormitory Receives Waivers

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During Marion Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane’s final regular meeting as a member, he concluded the pre-submission informal hearing for the proposed additional Tabor Academy dormitory with a unanimous vote to approve two waivers for the Spring Street project.

Lane’s concerns expressed at the previous meeting regarding the continuity with new board members were allayed by town counsel prior to the meeting.

Lane had questioned whether it was prudent with impending town elections to vote on new business with the board in transition. After consulting with town counsel, he assured the board and the public that it was not an issue.

Tabor Academy, represented at the meeting by Susan Nilson of CLE Engineering, is proposing a new dormitory to be built on Spring Street. It will house up to 24 students and four house parents.

The issue before the board on May 1 was the Form 4B requests of two waivers for the traffic study and for the environmental review of the site.

Board member Eileen Marum listed a number of questions she had regarding the project relating to traffic, parking, fire department access, and pedestrian safety. Marum’s concerns, Lane suggested, would be more appropriately addressed during the actual Site Plan approval process rather than the preliminary informal discussion.

Nilson agreed, stating, “I appreciate your concerns, and we have had preliminary discussions with the fire chief. My understanding of the purpose of the traffic study is for the impact of traffic on the street.” She continued, “The [traffic] waiver is appropriate since we are only adding students to Spring Street, and minimal cars since they cannot have cars on campus.”

As for the environmental waiver, again Marum had concerns regarding the impact of hurricanes on the site and stormwater runoff. Nilson replied, “We reviewed the FEMA maps, and the site is out of the one hundred-year flood zone; it’s in Zone X. Stormwater will be addressed in the Site Plan approval process.” She added that, as far as she knows, the site has not had any industrial use, so should not require a Phase 1 site assessment.

Board member Steve Kokkins asked if there is any reason to think they would uncover any hazardous waste issues, to which Nilson replied, “Not that we know of; however, of course, if something is uncovered, it doesn’t mean we won’t address it.”

The board concluded its discussion with a unanimous approval of Form 4B including the environmental and traffic waivers. Additionally, an escrow account will be set up with the starting amount of $3,000 to cover the hiring of G.A.F. Engineering to work with the Planning Board during the Site Plan Review process.

Marum will be the designated project coordinator and liaison between the board, the engineer, and the applicant.

In other business, Lane reported that the selectmen voted to approve the remote meeting process permanently for all departments.

At the conclusion of the meeting, town resident Ted North addressed the board to thank outgoing board members Lane and Michael Popitz for their service. He spoke eloquently as he enumerated their contributions to the town, saying, “With your great leadership and intellect, you set the bar high for the caliber of volunteers Marion needs to recruit.” He also thanked Terri Santos for diligently working with and supporting five different chairmen. This began a series of laudatory comments from the board members, to which both Lane and Popitz expressed gratitude.

Lane was congratulated on his congeniality and professionalism guiding the board through difficult discussions and especially through the long and arduous task of the development of the Town Master Plan. Lane thanked the board for all of their support for him as chairman, and he thanked Santos for her efficiency and hard work.

Popitz was thanked in particular for adding the human element to many of the board’s discussions. Popitz conveyed his appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the board, saying, “It’s been a great experience, and a job I took to heart.”

The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for May 15 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Planning Board

By Sarah French Storer

 

Ann R. Washburn

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Ann R. Washburn, 89, of Marion, died Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at her home.  She was the wife of the late Warren L. Washburn, Sr.

Born in Boston, she was the daughter of the late Charlotte (Kendall) and William Richards.  Mrs. Washburn was office manager for Washburn Electric, her family’s business, for many years.

An active resident of the Town of Marion, Mrs. Washburn served on many committees and clubs, including: Junior Monday Club, Marion Little League, Old Rochester Music Forum, Music Hall Study Committees, Marion Horse Show Committee, Marion Open Space Committee, Marion Cemetery Committee, and the Marion Town Party Committee.  She was a member and past president of V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary, Benjamin D. Cushing Post # 2425 in Marion, Sunday School teacher at the First Congregational Church, Marion, Den Mother for Cub Scout Pack 32 in Marion, and the 4th of July Parade float committee.

Survivors include her sons, Rev. Warren L. “Buddy” Washburn and his wife Mary of Marion, William “Billy” Washburn and his wife Joyce of Marion and Robert “Bob” Washburn and his partner, Cecile Bangs of Lawrence; her sisters, Carol Stepanek of Stoughton, and Susan Parker of Marion; her brother, Kendall Richards of Mansfield; 12 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.  She was predeceased by her siblings, the late Llewellyn “Bud” Richards, Lillian Olsworth, William Richards, Harry Richards, and David Richards.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit on Monday, May 8, 2017 at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Highway (Rt. 28), Wareham from 11 AM to 1 PM.  A memorial service will follow at 1 PM.  Interment will be in Little Neck Cemetery, Marion.

Donations in her memory may be made to: Muscular Dystrophy Assoc., 50 Federal St., 6th FL., Boston, MA 02110 OR Cystic Fibrosis, 220 North Main Street Suite 104, Natick, MA 01760.  For directions and on-line guestbook visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com

 

Martin A. Smith

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Martin A. Smith, 94, of Mattapoisett, MA formerly of Wellesley, MA, passed away on Monday, May 1, 2017 after a short illness.

He was the husband of the late Florrie (Baybutt) Smith with whom he shared 61 years of marriage.

Martin had many jobs in his life including working for Hamersley Paper Co., Forstmann Woolen Co. and State Street Bank in Boston.

Martin served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII and was a decorated veteran flying as a tail gunner in B17’s. He spent almost a year in a POW camp in Germany. He was awarded the French Legion on Honor and Grande Medal of the French State at ceremonies in France.

Martin was the father of Linda Smith of Rochester, MA and the late Karen Smith. He was the grandfather of Jeffrey M. Hester of Beloit WI and the late Sara A. Hester of Glendale AZ; and the great-grandfather of Nathan J. Hester also of Beloit WI.

Martin was very active in Mattapoisett belonging to the Land Trust and the Historical Society, he enjoyed playing cards, genealogy and was the author of several books on WWII, the Civil War and the Revolutionary War.

His Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, May 10th from 3 – 6 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6),Mattapoisett. In lien of flowers remembrances may be sent to the COA in Mattapoisett or Rochester, or the Mattapoisett Historical Society. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Maureen E. (Fay) Swanson

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Maureen E. (Fay) Swanson, 85 of Mattapoisett died May 2, 2017 at Alden Court Nursing Home.
Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late James L. and Elizabeth (Kenney) Fay, she lived in Mattapoisett most of her life.

Ms. Swanson was formerly employed by Cathay Temple as a waitress.

Her family would like to extend special thanks to the wonderful caring staff of Alden Court for the excellent care given to Maureen.

Survivors include her 2 daughters, Nancy Ferreira and her husband John of Mattapoisett and Laureen Lovering of Fairhaven; 2 brothers, Dr. James Fay and his wife Theresa of West Palm Beach, FL; and Dr. Paul Fay and his wife Virginia of North Palm Beach, FL; a sister, Gloria Varnon of Fort Worth, TX; 3 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was the mother of the late Nicholas Lawrence Swanson.

Her Funeral will be held on Monday at 8 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church at 9 AM. Visiting hours will be on Sunday from 2-5 PM. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Organ Recital Series

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The organ recital series at the First Congregational Church of Marion will continue on Sunday, May 21 at 5:00 pm with a program of music specially selected to show off the church’s historic 1883 George S. Hutchings mechanical-action organ.

Soloist Robert Jan August was educated in the Netherlands and the United States. He has toured and recorded in Europe and the United States and is currently director of music at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, Connecticut. While pursuing his doctoral degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, he served as assistant university organist at Memorial Church at Harvard University. In 2010, his doctoral thesis, An Old Look at Schumann’s Organ Works, was published in the United States and Europe, celebrating the composer’s 200th birthday.

In addition to works by Robert Schumann, J.S. Bach, and J.C.H. Rinck, Mr. August has chosen music by two towering musical figures with connections to Marion: Charles-Marie Widor and Carl Ruggles.

Widor, who was a leader in the revival of French sacred music in the late-19th century, taught harmony in the 1920s to Mary Parker Converse, later known as “Capt. Mary” after becoming an officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Her musical notebook in Widor’s hand was donated in 2015 to the prestigious Sibley Music Library at Eastman School of Music by Marion pianist Sheila Converse.

A direct descendant of the Rev. Timothy Ruggles, the church’s third minister, Ruggles was born on his grandfather’s farm in East Marion, now the golf course at The Kittansett Club. As a boy, he played violin in violin-piano duets with President Grover Cleveland’s young wife Frances, when she was a summer visitor. Often linked with Charles Ives as “an American original,” Ruggles wrote uncompromising but often beautiful and dynamic music. His evocative Angels will be played as part of “Three People in New England,” a suite that includes works by Charles Ives and John Knowles Paine.

The First Congregational Church in Marion was built in 1841. In early 1884, a new organ by noted builder George S. Hutchings was installed with the help of a gift from local philanthropist Elizabeth Taber. Since 2015, the church has presented recitals on this organ by outstanding organists, including Christa Rakich, Stephen Young, Carson Cooman, and Jeremy Bruns.

Tickets for the recitals are $10 and may be purchased at The Bookstall on Front Street in Marion and at the door. For more information and reservations, call 508-748-1053. The First Congregational Church, located at 28 Main Street at the corner of Front and Main in Marion, is handicapped accessible.

Welcome Wednesday

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Join Friends Academy faculty and students for Welcome Wednesday on May 17 from 8:00 to 11:00 am, and visit in classrooms to experience how Friends Academy builds student potential and passion. Katherine Gaudet, Assistant Head of School for Admissions and Community Engagement explained, “We wanted an event where prospective parents could feel the value of a Friends’ education. By inviting visitors right into classrooms, they can better appreciate and understand who we are and what we do.”

Visitors will be able to engage in a variety of activities. They can participate in an All School Meeting with performances and presentations. They will be able to see students designing houses in a Middle School math class or attend a Lower School language arts class. Visitors will also explore Friends’ grounds during a Middle School science class to examine the wonder of a vernal pool. They can check out the beehives and join students in the organic garden. Art, music and Latin/Spanish classes will be available as well as all grade levels represented PK-8.

Visitors can join the Sally Borden Program classes that provide a unique educational opportunity for children with language-based learning differences. Offerings will include an Orton-Gillingham lesson and a session of Lindamood Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension or Seeing Stars. Join a science or math lesson.

In the words of Head of School Steve Barker, “Friends Academy graduates are extremely well prepared for the challenges of high school and beyond. Come see how our teachers provide academic vigor while inspiring authentic confidence in our students.”

Tours will be given throughout the morning by current parents who will also be available to answer questions.

Founded in 1810, Friends Academy is an independent, nonprofit day school, serving boys and girls in PK-8th grades. For more information, call Katherine Gaudet, Assistant Head of School for Admissions and Community Engagement, at 508-999-1356.

Mattapoisett Recreation Summer Camp and Programs

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Seahorse Summer Explorer Camp Program runs June 27 through August 11. Seahorse Explorers is a Monday-Friday program run out of Center School. Drop off is 9:00 am – 4:00pm with early drop off and late pick up available if needed. Each day, campers will have a tennis lesson, swim lesson, do arts and crafts and play games. Each week has a theme that activities are geared around. Many weeks will involve field trips and shows. Mad Science of Southeastern MA will be doing a show and running experiment stations, and High Flying Dogs will be performing; trips to the movies and Buttonwood Park Zoo are also planned. Full-day/Full-week camp cost is $150, Half-day/ Full-week is $100, 3-Day/Full-day is $125. Visit our website www.mattrec.net to see theme weeks and more information.

One Week Camp Options:

– Shooting Stars Girls Basketball Camp, July 24-28, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at Old Hammondtown School. Open to girls in Grades 3-6. Run by Julie Letourneau. Cost is $150.

– Nature Explorers Camp, July 24-28, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Join MATTREC and the Marion Natural History Museum to explore some of Mattapoisett’s unique natural areas. Each day will be a different location and activity; have fun exploring and experimenting with Elizabeth Leidhold. Open to ages 8-11 years old. Cost is $125.

– Brian Rudolph Competitive Basketball Training Clinic, July 10-14, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at Old Rochester Regional High School. This program is geared towards competitive level basketball players in Grades 4-8. Cost is $150.

Weekly Program Offerings:

– Tennis Lessons Spring Session: Tuesdays, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, May 9 – June 13 taught by Karsten Rathlev, Willowbend tennis club pro. Summer Session: Wednesdays, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, July 5 – August 9 taught by Stevie Lake, Asst. Pro at the Casino. Cost is $80.

– Summer Golf Clinic held at the Bay Club, Wednesdays, July 12 – August 2, 5:00 – 6:00 pm Snag golf for 5-8 year olds, 6:00 – 7:00 pm for 9-12 year olds. This program is run by the Bay Club’s PGA professionals and focusses on the fundamentals of golf. Cost is $100.

– Youth Swimming Lessons: Group lessons run for three weeks on either Monday & Wednesdays or Tuesday & Thursdays. Age groups are Pre-school 11:00 – 11:30 am, Youth Beginner 10:30 – 11:00 am, Youth Intermediate 9:30 – 10:15 am. Cost is $45. Private lessons are also available.

Hammond Quarry Walk

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Join the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT) on Sunday May 7 at 1:00 pm for a guided walk to the former granite quarry that was an important part of the Town’s history and early industry. Owned primarily by the Hammond family, the quarry operated from the early 1700s until the early 1900s and produced the pink granite for which Mattapoisett was well known in early times. The quarry site includes one remaining granite outcrop and two abandoned pits: the larger and dry East Pit and the smaller West Pit that holds water. In addition, there are large amounts of worked granite rubble as well as some abandoned quarry equipment in and around the pits.

MLT is working with the Buzzards Bay Coalition to preserve 53 acres surrounding the quarry site. Over 150 town residents have visited the site to date, and Town Meeting on May 8 will consider a small grant of community preservation funds to support this acquisition. Come join us and see this special place!

The walk will depart across the road from 7 and 9 Mattapoisett Neck Road, just south of Route 6. Please park on the west side of Mattapoisett Neck Road. The trail is gentle, but wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.

For more information, please email us at info@mattlandtrust.org.

Bay Club Final Build-Out Planning

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It’s been nearly two decades in the making, but with a healthy real estate market for high-end residences regaining momentum, the prime movers – that is, sellers and developers at The Bay Club properties – are looking at final plans.

The massive subdivision has seen its fair share of fits and starts since it first broke ground. As the changing landscape of residential construction has soared and plummeted, original permitting at the subdivision has had to be reviewed and refreshed.

On May 1, David McIntire accompanied by Walter Mirrione, an attorney from Northland Residential Corporation, was back before the Mattapoisett Planning Board to discuss one piece of the landmark jigsaw puzzle – bonds.

As McIntire is preparing to sell off a neighborhood of house lots known as Shagbark Circle to Northland Residential Corporation, there has been some document housekeeping to clean up.

In previous meetings, it was issues related to infrastructure build-out and lot conveyances. On this night, it was the price of the surety bond.

McIntire along with his partners had secured cost estimates for infrastructure in the Shagbark neighborhood, currently land that has been prepared by clearing trees and plowing up dirt, but little else. Mirrione noted that cost estimates ranged between $850,000 and $950,000, helping to set the price for a bond agreement between the developer and the town.

However, the town’s consultant Ken Motta of Field Engineering produced an estimate closer to $1.5 million, surprising the McIntire team.

Mirrione and McIntire asked for time to re-evaluate the cost estimates and to return to the Planning Board with a figure they hoped would be agreeable to all parties concerned. Mirrione said, “We need to work the number down.”

Also coming before the board in matters related to The Bay Club and its many neighborhoods was David Andrews, Bay Club Real Estate Trust and Community Association director.

Andrews presented the Planning Board with a map color coded to help indicate the status of all parcels and lots within the subdivision, including the status of roadways. He said that while the roadways inside The Bay Club et al. are private, they were and will be constructed to the town’s specifications.

Speaking on behalf of the homeowners’ associations, Andrews said that roadway topcoats had not been applied due to potential sewer excavations by the town, saying, “There’s no point in putting a final topcoat if it’s going to be ripped up.”

On this matter of roadways conditions, Andrews said Field Engineering would complete a study, as private roads would soon be conveyed to the homeowners’ association.

Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain said members of the board were invited to visit the site, and all agreed that would be beneficial. Plans to visit were discussed and will take place prior to the May 15 meeting.

Also on May 15 agenda, Crain said she had invited Northland, McIntire, Ted Goudy of Aerie Homes, the developer of the Fieldstone neighborhood, and Andrews to discuss final build-out expectations and plans with the Planning Board.

The conversation was continued until that time.

Also coming before the board was Bob Field of Field Engineering, representing Polly Phipps, 96 Mattapoisett Neck Road. Phipps sought and received approval for a Form A Approval Not Required that will allow her to rearrange lot lines and convey a 3.6-acre parcel to her daughter.

Confusion is ongoing, according to Gail Carlson, Planning Board member and resident of Brandt Point Village, regarding who is holding capital funds. Carlson said that “somewhere” there is $7,200 being held in escrow, but no one seemed to know in what account or under whose name. “With each conveyance, $1,200 goes into it,” she said. Crain said she would look into the matter.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for May 15 at 7:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

A Midspring Night’s Delight at RMS

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Year after year, Rochester Memorial School students have delighted their audiences with their annual Shakespeare productions. This year’s presentation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, like the many RMS Shakespeare plays before it, is certain to have the crowds rolling enough to make the old bard himself proud.

On Tuesday, April 25, the stage was set for a dress rehearsal as students transformed themselves into their characters before the attentive eyes of their director Danni Kleiman. Kleiman has directed the annual RMS Shakespeare play for 31 years, and, sadly for us but perhaps a little more fortunate for her, Kleiman will retire as a teacher from RMS and pass the theatrical torch to someone else, who has yet to be determined.

“It’s a lot of hard work, and it’s a lot of fun, and it’s well worth it. I have enjoyed it,” said Kleiman. “I think theater is magical for a lot of kids.”

The play, a comedy, rallies around the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, who was once the queen of the Amazons. It’s got a little of everything Shakespearian – comedy, tragedy, love, unrequited love, forbidden love, beautiful fairies, mischievous elves, and, of course, magic.

“I started with this play, and I wanted to end with it,” said Kleiman.

RMS’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Friday, May 5, at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Memorial School cafetorium.

The play stars Jacob Maxwell as Theseus, Brooke Seim as Hippolyta, Josephine Eleniefsky as Hermia, Jaffrey Radek as Lysander, Aidan Silk as Demetrius, Jessica Beaulieu as Helena, and Storm Lanzoni as Puck.

By Jean Perry