Academic Achievements

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Gracey Weedall of Marion graduated from Emmanuel College on Saturday, May 18, 2024, during the College’s 102nd Commencement Exercises on its campus in Boston. Weedall received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling & Health during the ceremony.

            Brielle Fernandes of Rochester has been named to the MassBay Community College President’s List. Fernandes, who studies Radiologic Technology, achieved this outstanding academic honor for the Spring 2024 Semester.

            Drew Mastovsky of Marion, Holyn Turner of Mattapoisett, and Zachary Zutaut of Rochester, have been named to the Spring 2024 Dean’s List at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. Full-time students who complete 12 or more credits per semester and earn a GPA of 3.4 or higher are placed on the Dean’s List that semester.

            Braden R. Macdonald, a graduate of Taft School in Watertown, Conn, was inducted into the Naval Academy Class of 2028 on June 27, marking the beginning of six challenging weeks of basic midshipman training during Plebe Summer.

            As defending champions in the American Society of Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Robotics Competition, Cedarville University’s team of engineering students put its title on the line when it competed in the 2024 competition in Portland, Oregon and emerged victorious. This year’s team includes team captain, Jacob Potheir of Rochester.

            Katherine Solowey, of Mattapoisett, has been named to the Dean’s List at Hamilton College for the spring 2024 semester.

Oh, to Be A Billionaire

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Save your money. You can stop throwing your hard-earned dollars away on lottery tickets. They are passé. You can skip the weekly (daily?) trip to the convenience store to place your bet. I have a surefire winning formula to become rich. Not just millionaire rich, but billionaire rich!

            It won’t cost you a penny. The government is arranging for your largesse to arrive. Here’s the deal.

            A while ago, NASA launched a space mission to capture an asteroid named 16 Psyche. It is not just any old asteroid. It is 173 miles across and 144 miles wide, which is about 64,000 square miles or the size of the state of Florida.

            Why travel 2,500,000,000 miles and wait five years until 2029 to capture this monster, you may ask? Because the scientists believe it is rich in the minerals iron, gold and nickel. They estimate its value at (are you sitting down?) $10,000,000,000,000,000,000! That’s 10 million, million, million dollars or $10 quintillion simoleons.

            If they do capture it, mine it and return the motherload back to earth, they say every person on earth would become a billionaire. Unfortunately, NASA has announced that their intention is not to mine the treasure, but only to study it. Bummer.

            There goes my get-rich-quick scheme. Still one can dream, can’t one?

            What would I do with a billion dollars? Well, I’ll tell you what I wouldn’t do, I wouldn’t buy a bunch of mansions and five vintage cars like Edwin Castro did in California. He won a billion-dollar lottery prize in 2022. His neighbors at one of his $25,000,000 mansions are Leonardo DiCaprio and Ariana Grande. I’m sure they wouldn’t want me as their neighbor … nor I them. I understand they throw big parties, and I’m not a big party guy.

            Let me see, if I splurged and spent a million dollars a day, it would take 1,000 days or 2.7 years to go broke. I’d be better off putting it in a savings account, but only $250,000 is insured so that wouldn’t be very smart. If I took the billion in ones, it would be a stack 68 miles high, too big to stash under my pillow.

            I could buy Tom Brady’s new 30,000 square-foot house. My current house is 1,400 square feet. I’d get lost in his for sure. No, that’s out. How about an island? I saw one on Google just off the coast of Greece that’s going for $43,300,000. Naw, too far away. Something a bit closer would be more to my liking. Say, one in the Caribbean that is listed for $29,000,000. I’d still need a plane to get there. I heard one rich billionaire who recently held high office is selling a 757 jet for the small sum of $100,000,000. I guess he needs the money.

            Maybe, a yacht would fit the bill. A Russian oligarch’s former boat is on the market for a cool $263,000,000. Even if I had a billion dollars, that’s too rich for me just to get to a Caribbean Island. I was brought up to be very frugal.

            It occurs to me, if NASA were to make every person on the planet a billionaire, who’d clean my mega mansion … not me! Who’d fly my jet or sail my yacht? Who’d grow our food, make our cars and clothing. Who’d make anything? Everyone would just sit around with nothing to do except count their money.

            That would get boring fast.

            Hey NASA, go ahead keep your asteroid. I am happy buying lottery tickets even if I never win.

            Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and happily retired writer. His newspaper columns appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

Plant Project Waiting on DEP

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Asked during Tuesday’s public meeting by Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission member Nick Nicholson to characterize the overall progress of the long-awaited filtering-systems upgrade at the Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant, Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory indicated that the MRV is waiting on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

            “As soon as we have DEP approval, we’re going to go out to bid,” said Gregory, telling the commissioners that the project is at a 95% stage of design. “It’s just a question of procurement … I hope we’ll know a lot more at the next meeting (August 13) where we are with all of that. They (DEP) have everything for review.”

            The designer of the new filtering system, Koch Separation Systems, has been taken over by a company named Kovalus; the MRV is staying the course.

            Commission Chairman Vinnie Furtado offered a sketch of funding history, noting that the MRV was originally denied on its loan application but that Representative William Straus stepped in to advocate for the project with a positive result. A lack of borrowing history since approximately 2006 factored in the delay.

            “It’s just been a litany of things,” said Furtado, who joked that the state is waiting until he retires before allowing the MRV to upgrade the plant that serves four member communities, including Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester.

            Asked by commissioner David Pierce regarding production of the new filters, Gregory said that the last time he was in touch with the manufacturer, the project was on schedule. There was “a slight issue” regarding the availability of high-density polyethylene pipe. “Construction will stay on schedule for those filters, as far as we know,” said Gregory.

            In his monthly Tata & Howard report, Gregory told the commission that FY25 chemical bids were opened in June, but that the MRV received no bids for liquid oxygen (bids were received for three other items). The good news, he reported, was that costs for the other items are down from FY24, especially citric acid which has fallen from $1.69 per pound in FY24 to a current price of $0.90 per pound.

            Where it concerns equipment procurement and SRF funding, Gregory anticipates a $987,750 reimbursement from MassDEP.

            In his Treatment Plant Operations Update, Henri Renauld discussed a compressor repair and said the facility ran on power from a generator while running a test for a switch. He said Fall River Electric repaired subsequent issues.

            “We’re moving a lot of water … everything’s holding up fairly well,” said Renauld, referencing issues with the control board but noting that “everything seems to be working well.”

            The MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee, which meets for a half-hour before the MRV Water District Commission – the separate entities’ memberships overlap almost entirely – plans to reach out and offer data and assistance to Michelle Tinger, principal environmental planner at the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) regarding her June 28 letter to the committee.

            SRPEDD is involved in a grant-funded Groundwater Modeling Study of the Mattapoisett River Watershed. As the letter explains, the agency received funding from the state Division of Ecological Restoration to begin preliminary work to better understand how groundwater and surface water flow between the neighboring Mattapoisett River and Assawompset Ponds Complex (APC) watersheds.

            Described by Gregory as a preliminary modeling tool primarily focused on Snipatuit Pond’s waterflow dynamics, presumably a key to understanding the divide between the two watersheds. Rochester-based engineer Rick Charon explained that SRPEDD’s involvement was requested by Rochester Town Planner Nancy Durfee.

            “They’re trying to figure out if there is contribution from the Snipatuit Pond into the Quittacas (ponds),” said Charon, indicating that there is some dredging going on. He noted that the pond enjoyed a productive herring run this year and that SRPEDD is trying to encourage the herring migration.

            MRV counsel Blair Bailey said that depending on the people and residencies one talks to, the water flows in both directions. Identifying a main concern that any research conducted without the MRV’s tends to get used without important background information and historical data. He suggested the MRV reach out to SRPEDD and offer to help. “You’re better to be in the loop than out of it, is my point,” he said.

            Vinnie Furtado proposed reach out to Tinger to offer MRV data and assistance.

            The commission heard a report from Renauld of paid invoices totaling $123,991.08 and voted to approve chemical bills totaling $43,728.04 and two other invoices, including Hub Insurance at slightly over $30,000 and $150 for legal counsel. Renauld said the commission has approximately $91,000 in insurance claims related to a repaired transfer switch at the water treatment plant.

            MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee Treasurer Jeff Furtado was unavailable to attend Tuesday’s meeting because he was attending to water-main break in Fairhaven. Invoices approved for payment included a $1,506.45 invoice from Tata & Howard for water-monitoring services.

            In his Tata & Howard report to the committee, Gregory said he is waiting on additional graphs from Megan McCarthy and that there are no issues with river-monitoring equipment. Gregory said a 2023 Hydrologic River Monitoring Report should be ready in August.

            The next meeting of the MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, at 3:30 pm (committee) and 4:00 pm (commission).

MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo

Upcoming Events at the Elizabeth Taber Library

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Join us for all ages story times all summer long, every Saturday at 10:30 am, and for Yoga for all ages every Tuesday at 9:30 am.

            Meet some farm animals up close with Pine Meadows petting zoo Thursday, July 11 at 2 pm on the Library Lawn. All welcome.

            Learn about the weird, silly, gross, (but scientific) world of poop with Sally Maguire’s renowned Poop Museum, Monday July 15 at 3 pm at the library. At The Poop Museum everyone learns amazing and fun facts about human, animal and insect poop.

            Join us for Puppets, Paul & Mary Puppet Show at the Marion Music Hall Wednesday July 31 at 2 pm. “You, Me, Trees & the Sea” with Puppets, Paul & Mary, is a musical and interactive puppet variety show sure to entertain children and adults from 2-100 years old. Songs, stories, and audience participation will keep you and your littles entertained through the entire show. This program is supported by a grant from the Marion Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

            For more information on the Elizabeth Taber Library  visit us at www.ElizabethTaberLibrary.org or call us at 508-748-1252

Upcoming Fun Summer Events at Plumb Library

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Do you like pirates? Do you like solving mysteries? Sign up now on our online Events Calendar for Blackbeard’s Bounty on Thursday, July 11 at 6:00 pm. This program is recommended for ages 12 and up but we have opened some spots for ages 10 and 11.

            Come meet Mindy LaBranche, ecologist, and Michelle Kirby, Chair of the Snow’s Pond Association, for a guided nature hike at Church’s Field (86 Mattapoisett Road, Rochester) on Saturday, July 13 from 10:30-11:30 am. This trail passes through a mixed hardwood forest and wetlands and includes the Mattapoisett River. Dress for a hike in the woods – good walking shoes and pants. Bring your tick/insect repellent and binoculars if you have them. This program is for ages 10 and up. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants.

            The Wareham Gatemen are coming back on Saturday, July 20 from 10:15-11:00 am, and no registration for this event is required. Stop by to listen to several Wareham Gatemen read a story, share their own stories, and answer questions. Weather permitting, this event will be held outdoors and players will play catch with attendees. Bring your glove and something to autograph.

            Find out more by following us on Facebook or Instagram, or visit our website: www.plumblibrary.com/whats-happening

Turning Point

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Turning Point, the day resource center of the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless (WACH), celebrated the opening of their “new” location for Baby Point last Thursday. A Turning Point service that helps young families in need, Baby Point’s “new” location is actually just a set of stairs away from its former location at 3 Viking Drive. The expanded area fills much of the lower level of the Turning Point facility with shelves of products for babies, including areas for clothing and shoe donations. “While it’s still a ‘work in progress’, says Chuck McCullough, WACH President, “it gives us more space to organize and accommodate the increase of client families seeking assistance for Baby Point services in this challenging economy.” A bonus for WACH is that the space that formerly housed Baby Point will now accommodate additional workstations in support of the ongoing growth of the organization. “It allows enhanced privacy for everyone involved”, comments McCullough. An additional benefit is that the new Baby Point headquarters can be accessed by driving around the back of the building, eliminating the need to use stairs. “We’re pleased to be able to accommodate a growing need in our community safely and efficiently,’ adds McCullough.

            Turning Point Day Resource Center is an all-volunteer organization committed to helping this area’s neighbors most in need. Turning Point Wareham is a social service agency that provides supportive services to individuals and families who are facing various life challenges and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. In addition to housing assistance, Turning Point also helps with heat and utility bills, access to emergency food and clothing, essential baby items, employment information, referrals to treatment centers and more. In addition to holiday outreach programs, Turning Point also manages Baby Point. The Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless (WACH), a 501c3 nonprofit organization d/b/a/Turning Point, serves homeless and near homeless people in the communities of Wareham, Carver, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Middleboro and Buzzards Bay.

Sucker Punched

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Oh sweet summer. Flowers bloom throughout the land and bird song fills the air. Plants forgotten over the long, cold, winter months (well chilly winter at least) burst forth in their own version of the Hallelujah Chorus, as we attempt to stem the weeds. Forget that the deer are also enjoying the fruits of our labor. Forget the caterpillars and snails that feast upon it all. This is summer and we love it. But wait. In every blue sky, there is a dark cloud.

            Recently I woke up feeling less than chipper. As the day progressed, I was sinking deeper into some sort of malaise. I called the doc’s office, explained the nasal congestion and overall rotten feeling now accompanied by a fever of 100. “Must be a sinus infection,” I tell the nurse. She asks me to come into the office but to arrive at the back door used for suspected Covid cases. Covid?!#$@

            My husband helps me into the back-door lobby area as my legs do their best not to buckle. Good grief, this sucks.

            The nurse confirms the fever and does the other necessary stuff, asking, “Have you been around anyone with Covid recently?” There it is again, Covid. No, I haven’t been around anyone, except at the grocery store, other doc offices, library, committee meetings, garden centers and restaurants. I haven’t traveled outside southern Plymouth County in weeks.

            The nurse swabs my nasal passages, which is rather uncomfortable, and 30 minutes later, time spent discussing everything under the sun, except politics with my husband, the verdict is in – Covid.

            I’m incensed! I have faithfully received every booster vaccine available and in a timely manner. Up until recently, I washed down canned goods and cleaned doorknobs. How could I possibly have had my body invaded by those viral goonies? The physician assistant explains that Covid is a very fast-mutating contagion. Like a shape shifter, it outsmarts vaccines upon first taste and wins through its superior speed. Winner and still champion, I can now attest.

            I’m crestfallen. On the way home after receiving a script for Pavlovic, said to decrease Covid symptoms, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised (another blow to my eroding sense of being in command of my ship, you know the body), I slowly accept this latest sucker punch.

            By the way, I took only one dose of that medication before declaring it “foul as drinking gasoline.” I’m assuming that, of course, having never really tasted the stuff.

            Living with chronic pain and other discomforts is a way of life, and many reading this I’m sure can relate. But illnesses are a different breed of troublemaker. Illnesses swim around inside the host, the human body, taking whatever it wants while you use up a box of tissues and flip through the 1,000 bits of programing available on cable TV but finding nothing, save reruns from the Dick Van Dyke show.

            I tried reading one of the books from one of the stacks I have stashed throughout the house. I think, “Use this setback to read that book your cousin sent you three years ago.” As I read the introduction, I’m drifting into the first of several naps this rotten bug demands.

            In the dream that follows, I’m flying above a gathering crowd assembled to hear my message – “wash your hands – don’t stand so close to me (yes, I hear Sting singing in the background) – stay away from crowded places.”

            Upon coming to from that dream state, I think of those early Covid days. I was washing and spraying bleach on everything that came through the front door, including canned goods and one husband. One day as I was telling him to wash his hands, he reeled back and hollered “I can’t take this anymore!” I quietly gave him space. It was tense times, and we were all doing the best we could.

            Covid brought out the best and the worst in people and it politized healthcare. Either you were labeled a liberal for following Dr. Fauci’s recommendations or you were a Trump supporter. It was, I believe, the beginning of a huge divide in communities across the country. The very nation was split in two. While the virus did its worst, we all struggled to try and live with some sort of normalcy. We did manage, but others were lost forever, both figuratively and in reality.

            Now as I sequester myself, roaming amongst the flowers in my yard nourishing my soul, I’m reminded “this too shall pass,” and for me, “this is not a problem.” The virus is now in a mellow form, more nuisance than killer. And it’s just another reminder, try to avoid a sucker punch – don’t forget to “wash your hands.”

This Mattapoisett Life

By Marilou Newell

Water Access Worries Aired

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Coming before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission on July 9 was Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering, representing applicant Daniel McCarthy for a Notice of Intent filing. The continued public meeting brought out several property owners.

            The scope of the project located at 12, 14, 16 and 18 Ocean View Avenue is rather straightforward, to replace and repair 300 feet of a vertical, stone-and-mortar, sloped revetment damaged by seasonal storms. What was unclear was whether or not abutters and others in this Brandt Beach coastal neighborhood maintain easement rights.

            Two weeks prior when the NOI was first brought before the commission, member David Nicolosi wondered aloud if the residents in the area were onboard with the plans, calling the parcel part of an area once known as “The Reservation.”

            Grady had explained that Mattapoisett’s assessing office found no such place, nor did its records identify a property owner. The filing was continued pending determination not of this matter but comments from the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species office.

            On this night, several property owners explained their concerns that the planned repairs would cut off their beach access, access they say was noted in their property deeds at least as far back as the 1950s.

            Attending the meeting via Zoom, McCarthy said he had no intention of limiting the historical access but was primarily concerned with making the revetment safe.

            Commission Chairman Mike King suggested to the residents that they contact a land-court lawyer to untangle the easement issue, but that the commission has no jurisdiction in those matters.

            The filing was conditioned and will be granted plan of record modification if, in the future, McCarthy wishes to add stairs down to the water’s edge.

            In other business, conditions were issued to NOI filings by Livingstone Plymouth Nominee Trust and Michael Livingstone for two lots off Whalers Way.

            A new plan of record for 7 Shipyard Lane for repairs to an existing seawall was accepted.

            A Negative 2 decision was granted for a Request for Determination of Applicability filed by John and Ruthanne Igoe, 5 Avenue A, for a second-floor addition in a jurisdictional area.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, July 22, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

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This Sunday at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, next to the Town Beach in Mattapoisett, the visiting clergy will be The Rev. William Locke, Assisting Priest of St. Stephen’s in Providence, RI. Services using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer will be held at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. The 140-year-old tradition of inviting clergy at St. Philip’s continues through Labor Day. All are welcome to attend.

Rules for Wearing a Life Jacket

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Wearing a life jacket/Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while on the water is crucial for ensuring safety and can be a life-saving decision in the event of an accident. Life jackets (PFD’s) provide essential buoyancy that helps keep individuals afloat, even if they are unconscious or exhausted.

            This is particularly important in unexpected situations such as sudden capsizing, strong currents, or rough waters, which can often be the case in Buzzards Bay when being a good swimmer might not be sufficient for survival.

            Additionally, life jackets (PFD’s) are designed to keep the wearer’s head above water, reducing the risk of drowning. They also often come in bright colors, making it easier for rescuers to spot individuals in distress. By wearing a life jacket (PFD), boaters and swimmers can significantly increase their chances of survival and prevent tragic accidents, making it a non-negotiable part of water safety protocol.

            In Massachusetts, the rules for wearing life jackets are as follows:

            1. Children under 12 years old: Must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while on a vessel, unless they are in an enclosed cabin.

            2. Personal Watercraft (PWC): Anyone operating or riding on a personal watercraft must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times.

            3. Towed Water Sports: Anyone being towed behind a vessel (such as water-skiing, tubing, etc.) must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

            4. Certain Vessels and Conditions: A. All canoeists and kayakers must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket between September 15 and May 15; B. All boaters on any type of vessel must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket during the same period (September 15 to May 15) when waters are typically colder and the risk of hypothermia is higher.

            5. Accessibility: There must be a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket readily accessible for each person on board any vessel at all times, regardless of the vessel type or time of year.

            It’s essential to ensure that life jackets are in good condition, appropriately sized for the wearer, and suitable for the type of boating activity.

            Editor’s note: This is the first of two public-safety messages from the Marion Marine Resources Commission. Next week the MRC will focus on kayak safety.