The Marion Fire Fighters Association is having a Clam Chowder and Tuna Roll Dinner on Saturday, March 26 at 5:00 pm at the Marion VFW Hall on Route 6. Raffles, cash bar and dessert will be available. For tickets, call Ron at 774-263-2589 or Brooks at 508-728-0840. Advance ticket sales only.
The First Congregational Church of Marion proudly announces the start of a Contemporary Worship Service in South Coast. This informal, abbreviated service begins Saturday, March 5 at 5:00 pm at the Community Center, 144 Front Street (rear of parking lot). Weekly services will be led by a member of our Saturday pastoral team including Dr. Sheila Rubdi, Dale Thackeray and Gary Taylor.
Please join us for a casual Christian service with engaging contemporary Christian music, prayer time, personal reflection and weekly Communion. Young children and youth are encouraged to worship together with their families.
All are welcome. Whether you have attended church all your life or are new to church, this could be just what you are looking for. Come and see.
On Saturday, March 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity will hold the Home Dedication and Open House for their first Habitat home in Marion. The dedication will be at 1:00 pm. The address is 185 Wareham Road, and we hope you will join us. Parking is available behind Seahorse Seafood in their rear parking lot.
While the Marion Board of Selectmen was interviewing Elizabeth Howe, one of three candidates for the Council on Aging Director position to come before the board during the special meeting on February 23, she made mention of an imminent situation with the VFW building.
About a month ago, the selectmen learned that the Veterans of Foreign Wars building on Mill Street would be vacant effective June 30, and they are now considering using the building as a senior center for the Town of Marion.
Selectman Stephen Cushing said dwindling membership had forced the organization’s hand. Acting Town Administrator Judith Mooney said the VFW is currently working with their legal team to review options, one of which would be to donate the land and building to the town.
Selectman Jody Dickerson said everything was very premature, but the fire chief and the town’s facility manager had both taken a “walk-through” of the VFW building and found it to be structurally sound.
“There would need to be moderate updates and improvements,” Dickerson cautioned. Not wanting to be overly optimistic, and being mindful that the voters will have the final say, Mooney reiterated that it was too early to say much more than what had been shared.
Both selectmen noted that if all goes well, the donation will be put before the voters as soon as the spring town meeting.
Regarding Howe’s interview, she explained through a series of questions alternately put to her by the selectmen that she possesses a deep background in community involvement, social services, and program development, although it has been primarily in museum operations. Her personal experience with her elderly mother, however, had heightened her awareness of the growing needs of an aging population, one that she felt she was ready to serve.
Howe also shared through questioning that every job requires a certain amount of marketing and selling capabilities and to that end, she felt fully qualified to help the town secure expanded programs, resident involvement, and funding. Howe resides in Mattapoisett.
Cynthia Byers, another candidate for the position, is currently relocating from Connecticut to Onset. She said that when she read the job posting, she thought, “The things you are looking for I possess … compassion and the right background.”
Byers is currently working for the State of Connecticut in human services. She had been a CNA, has a degree in mental health, has worked with disabled and cognitively-impaired persons, and set-up an Alzheimer’s program.
Heather Sylvia, the third candidate, is a lifelong New Bedford resident and the past outreach coordinator for the Acushnet COA. She is currently completing her bachelor’s degree at UMD and has promised her teenage son that she will graduate in the spring “before he starts there in the fall.” She is presently working for the New Bedford Council on Aging as a coordinator. Sylvia has eight years experience working for local councils on aging.
All three candidates were asked how they would handle personnel issues, what their communication style and strengths are, and how they would deal with public scrutiny, operations and budgets, and short- and long-term planning. Each offered examples highlighting their abilities.
Each candidate also believed that with a growing aging population of seniors, services would become increasingly important. Each said that the word “senior” should be replaced with “community” when discussing a center to house COA services.
Dickerson said the selectmen would announce their choice for the position at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors.
By Marilou Newell
Join the Buzzards Bay Coalition and Mattapoisett Library on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 pm for a stargazing walk led by Carl Herzog at The Bogs in Mattapoisett. Far away from the city lights, the 200-acre Mattapoisett River Reserve offers visitors trails and a dark, expansive sky to view the stars.
This program is free and will last about an hour. Participants should meet by the parking area at 138 Acushnet Road, Mattapoisett, and dress for the weather.
This walk is part of the Coalition’s Bay Adventures series, which are programs designed for explorers of all ages to get outside and discover Buzzards Bay. To learn more about all our upcoming Bay Adventures, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/bayadventures.
Registration is required for all Bay Adventures. To RSVP online, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/bayadventures or contact the Buzzards Bay Coalition at 508-999-6363 ext. 219.
Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is pleased to offer four $1,000 scholarship awards to Mattapoisett residents who are high school seniors graduating in June 2016. Those who are re-entering the academic world after graduating prior to 2016 and are in pursuit of a post-secondary degree program will also be considered for one of these awards.
The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is a philanthropic organization that plans and executes fundraising events to help generate the revenue for these scholarships and other charitable donations. In offering these scholarships, the club supports educational leadership and helps to gives back to the community which has partnered with the club in its fundraising efforts.
To apply and obtain the scholarship applications, contact the Guidance offices at the local high schools or preparatory schools. Both applications will be available. You must be a Mattapoisett resident. Deadline for returning the completed application is April 30, 2016.
The following schools will be participating:
The scholarship winners will be announced at the schools’ awards night prior to graduation.
Final deadline for returning completed applications is April 30, 2016. No one will be considered after this date.
The money is sent directly to the student’s college and the scholarship will be granted after the first successfully completed semester in college.
If you have any further questions, you may contact the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club at P.O. Box 1444, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.
The Marion Republican Town Committee will conduct its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 1 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street, Marion. Please join us. The public and new members are welcome. Also on Tuesday, March 1, don’t forget to vote on Election Day. In doing so, please consider supporting our current Republican state committee representatives Mark Townsend and Kim Palmer.
An annual gift to the Town of Rochester for $10,000 recently offered by Covanta Energy, owners of SEMASS, will benefit the Rochester Country Fair this year after the Board of Selectmen approved the allocation of $5,000 of the sum to help cover costs of this year’s event.
Waste Manager at Covanta met with selectmen on February 22 to formally present the funds, which are in addition to a previous $10,000 the company donated to the Town to help cover the cost of the town’s new fire truck.
“We consider it a privilege,” said O’Connor of the funding contribution. “You people have always been very supportive of our project and we appreciate that.”
SEMASS, off Cranberry Highway, is located on 95 acres in the northeast part of Rochester. It is the largest of seven waste-to-energy combustion facilities in Massachusetts, processing about 1.2 million tons of waste annually and generating, in turn, about 650,000 megawatt hours of electricity every year. Covanta owns four of the state’s waste-to-energy combustion facilities.
“It’s all working out quite well, and we enjoy a great working relationship with you,” Town Administrator Michael McCue told O’ Connor. “We look forward to working with you for many … years to come.”
The board also awarded the Rochester Lions Club with $700, or the total cost of the police detail, for its upcoming Leprechaun Race on March 12.
Also during the meeting, Selectman and Town Clerk Naida Parker said voter registration has increased significantly, and she anticipates a high turnout for the March 1 presidential primary.
Parker said another roughly 200 residents have registered to vote since the last annual election, calling that “unheard of” here in Rochester. There are now 4,250 registered voters in Rochester.
Parker said she has also processed a surprisingly high number of absentee ballots for this primary election, which she said, will likely show a high voter turnout.
“This one I think is going to be a surprise,” Parker said.
In other matters, McCue told the board it may likely be a moot point holding a Special Town Meeting, given that it likely would not be held until the end of April, as long as the special legislation the Town is seeking to ratify the last Annual Town Meeting is approved. The Annual was held without a quorum.
McCue said he expects the 2016 Annual Town Meeting to be held in either May or June, and holding off the special until the annual could save money.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for February 29 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
Tucked away in the southeast corner of Massachusetts, quietly nestled in pine forests and rich with antique homes, the agrarian town of Rochester is a true gem in an otherwise bustling world.
Driving along its scenic roadways past farms and stonewalls, ponds and streams, one gets a sense of what life might have been like 100 or even 200 years ago.
As you roll through the center of town, whether you’ve done so your entire life or are new to the area, your eyes are immediately drawn to the striking white buildings that prominently declare the age of the community. The church and town hall are beautiful examples of early American architecture. The library, built in 1976, complements the older structures with its understated country charm.
Today’s town hall was built in 1892. Originally constructed as a town meeting place, the first floor of the building was once a single large room with a stage situated at the back. As you face what is now the town clerk’s office, the two steps that lead to Naida Parker’s office led to a stage area.
“Prior to the 1970s, there weren’t any offices in here,” said Parker. She explained that the town’s business was conducted in the homes of those serving in various capacities. She said Hoyt Demoranville was the first selectman to have an office in what is now a fully operational town office building.
“There wasn’t any indoor plumbing!” Parker exclaimed. She said an outhouse had been in use until her predecessor was hired. Then a small area immediately to the right of the front hallway became indoor restrooms much to the joy of those who by then were beavering away in offices sectioned out of the once grand hall.
There are intriguing hints everywhere you look. An intricate scrolling cornice, a red brick fire place, high thick wainscoting, creaking old wooden floors, and a second floor complete with a balcony. From the balcony, residents could watch the dancing taking place below. Yes, the town hall served as a town meeting hall, dance hall, theater, and even the public library at one point.
According to the Massachusetts Historical Commission report, the first meetinghouse was the First Parish built in 1790 at the same location. A second town hall building was constructed in 1811 and then in 1892, the commission report notes, the town hall we see on the green today was constructed.
Rochester, like its tri-town sisters Marion and Mattapoisett, is faced with the growing needs of a modern population. Old town hall buildings are no longer financially feasible as repairs and upgrades outpace budgets. Each town has asked its residents to consider options for building new town halls or rehabilitating them. Everyone agrees, however, that something will need to be done to relieve the stress on these historic buildings.
And what would a future look like for Rochester’s town hall if made obsolete? My guess is that it will be returned to its former glory to serve another century as a vital part of the community.
By Marilou Newell
On February 5 during a snow event, a FedEx truck careened off Route 28 in Rochester spilling 25 gallons of fuel on the highway shoulder and ditch leading towards sensitive wetlands and a nearby perennial stream.
The spill needed immediate attention.
FedEx hired Common Sense Environmental to perform the clean up and asked Rochester’s Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon for an emergency certification to remove the contaminated soils.
Farinon provided the certification then walked it back through the February 16 Rochester Conservation Commission meeting for their official approval.
After providing the commission with the background on the event and photographic evidence she took on the day of the incident, commission member Michael Conway questioned if Farinon really had authority to grant such permissions.
“Should you be given blanket authority to sign emergency certifications in the future?” asked Conway.
Farinon felt that the current bylaw language was sufficient in granting her authority to act on behalf of the commission in emergency situations.
Conway elected to make a motion anyway, a motion that would give Farinon official permission from the commission for future emergency events. The commissioners obliged the motion that was unanimously approved.
The commission also ratified the emergency certification for the fuel spill clean up activity that had been completed.
The other hearing for the evening was a Notice of Intent filed by A.D. Makepeace Company for their property located off High Street for the construction of a tailwater irrigation pond to serve 38 acres of existing cranberry bogs and to build an access road in a staging area on the property.
Representing the applicant, Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering gave the details of the project to the commission. Grady said the tailwater pond would be a small water feature to allow the bogs’ irrigation system to function more efficiently without the need for flooding bogs in order to fill irrigation ditches.
Grady said the project was exempt from DEP oversight and that the access road in the plans was already in a disturbed area being used as a road; therefore, no trees or other vegetation would be removed.
The project is located within 100 feet of the Sippican River, requiring review and permissions from the Conservation Commission.
Farinon told the commission that a letter from the DEP indicated that no wildlife would be negatively affected by the project and suggested they provide a positive Order of Conditions in favor of the project. It was unanimously approved.
The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for March 15 in the Rochester Town Hall meeting room at 7:00 pm.
By Marilou Newell