Annual Marion Town Party

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            The Annual Marion Town Party will be held on Saturday, August 24 (rain date is Sunday, August 25) on the grounds of Silvershell Beach, Front Street.

            Festivities begin at 4:00 pm. This year the proceeds will benefit the Marion Firefighters Association and the Marion Cultural Council. There will be food and beverages for sale. There will be free activities for the kids, music and dancing and more fun.

            Donations are still being accepted. Please contact Donna Hemphill at dhemphill@marionma.gov for more information.

            We need your help. Please consider helping us out with setup, ticket sales, serving food or with clean up. Please visit the Marion Town Party page on marionma.gov to complete the volunteer form.

            We are looking forward to another amazing party at Silvershell Beach.

Academic Achievements

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Students Named to The Dean’s List at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences include: Jhett Labonte, a native of Marion, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, Physical Therapy degree and will graduate from the Worcester, Massachusetts campus in 2025 and Maura Bailey, a native of Rochester, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Premedical Health Studies degree and will graduate from the Boston, Massachusetts campus in 2027.

Heatwave Cause of Keyboard Freeze

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            As I sat at my keyboard, a blank screen staring back at me; the weather was hot, humid, muggy, and miserable. All morning, I sat trying to come up with something for this week’s column.

            Nothing!

            I refused to believe that I had used up all the different combinations of the 26 letters in the alphabet or of the 217,000 words in the English language. The Oxford English Dictionary says about 170,000 of those are in current use. Not here.

            In case you were wondering, another 47,000 are obsolete, such as overmorrow, meaning the day after tomorrow. Maybe that’s when something clever, humorous, satirical or even intelligent will come to mind. It didn’t. Or lunting, which means walking while smoking a pipe. That’s what I needed, smoke signals to show me an idea. It was about time for my afternoon walk. No, it was too hot to walk too.

            Searching the internet for some random factoid didn’t help. I thought maybe a little TV watching might do the trick. Surely something useless would spur my creativity. I did find one thing. Do you remember that commercial line “What’s in your wallet?” There you go, I thought, I’d write about what is in my wallet. Unfortunately, all I have is the prerequisite driver’s license, an insurance card, two credit cards (one expired – I’ll have to renew that one), the business card of that doctor of mine who moved away and a few bucks. I didn’t think I could squeeze enough words out of that.

            How about what’s in my junk drawer? Everyone has one, maybe that would spark an idea. Deep dive into the junk drawer it was. There were 23 keys of unknown origin, 12 pencils with broken tips, a stack of receipts for takeout food from assorted restaurants and a roll of Scotch tape which, for the life of me, I was unable to get started. There were two or three screwdrivers, a broken wristwatch and a half-dozen paper clips. But no good ideas. Forget the junk draw.

            I could write about the Olympics, but I already had. I didn’t want to repeat myself. I thought about the presidential election. No, things change too fast. The election wouldn’t do, and besides, that’s too easy to make fun of. It’s low hanging fruit as they say in politics. I do have some dignity left, you know.

            How about all the food recalls lately. Major grocery stores had pulled all their deli meats from their shelves. Cinnamon, cucumbers, green beans, ground beef and eggs have all had been recalled in recent weeks. Even chocolate, which is reported to contain heavy metals, was on the recall list. The experts say heavy metals in the bloodstream are not good. Duh! Fear not, though, it is just dark chocolate that presents the problem. So, all you chocolate addicts out there can rest assured you are safe.

            I figured I’d better skip a contaminated food column. Nobody wants to read about tainted food. And, it occurred to me, I had already written about that too.

            I gave up. It was too hot to write.

            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

Bypass Plan Gets Positive Feedback

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            Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory and Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant manager Henri Renauld held a recent call with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials regarding the bypass plan during the upcoming changeover to the new filtering system.

            “We were able to answer their questions,” said Gregory, reporting during Tuesday’s public meeting of the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission. Gregory said that permit approval was received on August 5 with conditions reviewed and considered to be “nothing unordinary.”

            Last week, the MRV received government permission to advertise to bidders under the State Revolving Fund (SRF), the loan program that supports upgrades in water safety and infrastructure.

            Gregory told the commission he is working with the state on minor items such as allocated capital costs by member towns, information he said that the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust will use to see if the state agency can take on some principal (loan) forgiveness.

            “The fact they were looking into that was encouraging,” said Gregory, who reported activity in ironing out recent inquiries from Kovalus Separation Solutions, which in October 2023 purchased Koch Separation Solutions (the original designer of the new filtering system).

            Tata & Howard, the MRV’s contracted engineering firm, is looking to submit bid advertisements next week and the following week go out to prospective bidders. Gregory envisions bid openings at MRV Chairman Vinnie Furtado’s Fairhaven office over a three-week period for electrical bids, then a five-week period for general bidding.

            Citing Fairhaven’s highest usage among MRV member towns and lowest median income per household, Vinnie Furtado said he hopes the town can receive proportional loan forgiveness. Gregory noted that among the three major MRV member towns, Fairhaven is the only one holding state-recognized, Environmental Justice Community status.

            In Renauld’s Treasurer’s Report to the commission, he detailed monthly invoices totaling $95,182.32. The race against cost increases continues, as Renauld reported that Matheson Gas has notified the commission that oxygen and the delivery thereof are going up 10%.

            In his monthly Treatment Plant Operations Update, Renauld said the plant is doing okay.

            “We’re producing a lot of water … one of our biggest years yet,” he said, summarizing recent challenges such as the repair of compressors while ozone generators were lost and then repaired.

            Working with Fall River Electric, Renauld reports after claims for the repair of a transfer switch that the commission faces a bill of $91,000.

            Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said that the state, in response to the tornado that ripped through a section of town, including the Water Treatment Plant, sent approximately $100,000 to cover damages and indicated that he thinks the money can be allocated for the switch repair. Renauld said downed trees at the plant still need to be addressed and indicated he will huddle with Lorenco and then report back to the commission.

            Marion’s Wolf Island well is back online at 70% to 80%, according to Renauld.

            Member David Pierce asked if the drought has been as bad as in past years. Furtado said water levels are “lower than where want to be” but not as low as in some lean years. Renauld said he is watching the wells and making adjustments.

            The MRV’s computers are working well, according to Furtado, who said in answer to Pierce’s question that there was an occasion when he was out of the country during an emergency crisis and was able to operate the facility remotely.

            Tata & Howard’s construction services engineering agreement with the MRV will see Gregory huddle with Renauld and Furtado and make the agreement subject to Attorney Blair Bailey’s review. Once those details are confirmed, approval from the MRV would be next.

            Tata & Howard is targeting November 6-7 for Emergency Response Program training. Gregory publicly thanked Marion Department of Public Works engineer Meghan Davis for arranging to hold the training at the Music Hall. In putting together proposals for each member town to facilitate training, Gregory noted that after “many, many years and cost analysis,” there will be a $25 per person increase for training this year.

            As usual, the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee met first, its membership not quite overlapping the commission’s.

            One significant point of discussion was treasurer Jeff Furtado’s recommendation that, in a situation made more complex by personnel changes at Fairhaven Town Hall (Fairhaven is the managing town of the MRV), that the committee hire a secretary to collect and present financial data at the monthly meetings.

            “It would be good to find someone who could put in more time than I can,” said Jeff Furtado, who would later recommend the same to the commission. “I have no problem presenting the report, just getting the data and getting it ready to present is time-consuming for me.”

            Vinnie Furtado, also chairman of the committee, agreed. “It’d be better for us collectively, honestly,” he said, referencing a recent discovery of an old Unibank account containing money that has since been moved to Rockland Trust.

            Davis agreed to reach out to the last person considered for the job.

            In his Treasurer’s Report to the committee, Jeff Furtado played catch-up on June and July, detailing invoices including a Tata & Howard invoice for $2,175.44. The ending balance reported was $87,274.26. Combined with the $100,859 in a Certificate of Deposit, the committee has access to $188,133.54.

            Jeff Furtado also summarized FY24 expenses, including $600 to Bailey for legal work, $2,550 to Megan McCarthy for graph work, $28,911.42 to Tata & Howard for its engineering services and $3,020.64 to Dave Watling for his level logging efforts, totaling $35,082.06.

            Total deposits to Rockland Trust approximated $387,000.

            Total assessments for FY24 to individual member towns were $72,015.17, including $18,862 to Marion and $14,320.60 to Mattapoisett.

            The committee held two unanimous votes that approved Jeff Furtado’s report and to authorize Vinnie Furtado roll the CD over for another four months. Jeff Furtado confirmed that it will yield the same interest rate.

            Another item brought by Davis reminded members to check on the expiration dates of their appointments to the committee and commission and report back next month. Marion representatives now expire in 2026.

            The committee would like to hold another regional meeting of water officials and will soon propose a date and issue an invitation to surrounding towns’ representatives.

            An Approval Not Required plan before the Rochester Planning Board (a subdivision with construction filed by Walter Hartley) that was sent to the MRV Water Protection Advisory Committee for its consideration, was determined not to cause any interference to jurisdictional areas. The committee voted to authorize Vinnie Furtado to write a letter confirming the MRV’s approval to the Rochester Planning Board.

            Gregory reported that within the next few months, Tata & Howard representation will accompany Watling in the field to clear some of the data in the level loggers to preserve their efficiency. Gregory also reported working with McCarthy on missing graphs from April and May.

            The next meeting of the MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10, at 3:30 pm (committee) and 4:00 pm (commission).

MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo

Bulldog Pride Alumni Association

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The ORR Bulldog Pride Alumni Association (BPAA) announces Alumni Weekend 2024. All events will be organized around the annual Homecoming game. The parallel events will run from Friday, October 25 through Sunday, October 27.

            The program of events is open to all ORRJHS and ORRHS alumni and friends, an inclusive experience that hopes to bring together the common alumni experience spanning seven decades from the Class of ’64 to the Class of ’24.

            Save the dates:

            Friday, October 25, ORRHS Homecoming Football Game, kickoff 6:30 pm Join us at a dedicated alumni area behind the end zone. Gather to learn about what you can do for the ORR community through the efforts of the BPAA.

            Friday Night Lights Social, Join us to celebrate the Bulldogs. We’ll be gathering at a local watering hole to get to know alumni from all classes after halftime. Location TBA.

            Saturday, October 26, BPAA Annual Alumni Homecoming Celebration, 7:00 pm. A dedicated area has been reserved at Brew Fish in Marion to celebrate the alumni of ORR.

            Sunday, October 27, “Bulldog Brunch”, 11:00 am. Join us at Brew Fish for a full brunch and more.

            Quarterly Executive Committee Meeting, 1 pm. Stay for the meeting to follow. See how your contributions are managed and what work the BPAA is doing to contribute to ORR students, faculty, staff and the broader ORR community. All alumni are welcome to attend free of charge and will be given an opportunity to offer feedback and ask questions from the officers and directors.

            Homecoming and Alumni Weekend 2024 is an opportunity for past students and graduates of ORRJHS and ORRHS to reconvene in support of our schools, and to establish an outlet for alumni and friends to volunteer and contribute resources in service to students, teachers, and staff.

            The ORR BPAA is a recognized charitable organization in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and operates as a section 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations to the BPAA are tax-deductible. Funds are currently earmarked for scholarship awards and a new grant program will be kicking off from fall 2024. This will allow BPAA funds to reach the wider ORR community by supporting projects and experiences for students.

            Last year, the BPAA surpassed its fundraising goal of $3,500, thanks to the generosity of ORR alumni. Following on its successful fundraising campaign during Alumni Weekend 2023, the BPAA recognized a graduating senior of the Class of 2024 as the first recipient of the Bulldog Pride Award with a $1,000 scholarship. The award will be granted to a graduating senior each year through 2028. The award recognizes a graduating senior whose accomplishments have been achieved in service to fellow students and the school through leadership, scholarship, athletic and community service roles.

            All former students and graduates of ORRJHS and ORRHS, as well as parents of alumni and current students, are invited to register as founding members of the ORR BPAA. Membership is free and is the best way to stay abreast of Alumni Weekend 2024 activities as well as to learn about the BPAA scholarship and grant programs. Register online at tinyurl.com/BPAAMembershipForm.

            The fundraising goal for Alumni Weekend 2024 is $4,000. The ORR BPAA will be selling event tickets and collecting donations via their online platform soon.

            More detailed information to follow. For inquiries, reach out to the BPAA at bulldogpridealumassoc@gmail.com. Go Bulldogs.

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club 2024 Scholarship Winners

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The MWC Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that Mattapoisett residents Rylie Coughlin and Jaymison Gunschel are the winners of the 2024 MWC scholarships awarded to graduating high school seniors. Rosemary Williams is the recipient of the continuing education scholarship, reserved for a Mattapoisett resident who is re-entering the academic world in pursuit of a postsecondary degree or certification.

            Rylie is a 2024 graduate from ORR High School. She plans to attend the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and will be majoring in English. Jaymison is also a 2024 graduate from ORR High School. He plans to attend American University in Washington, D.C. with a major in Political Science. Both students were standout candidates based on their community involvement, commitment to volunteerism, academics and future aspirations.

            Rosemary is currently attending Simmons University working towards a master’s degree in social work. She is entering her final semester and will be finishing her degree this December. She is a mother of 3 and a certified music therapist.

            We thank the community for their continued support of our MWC fundraisers benefiting our annual scholarship fund. For questions or membership in the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club, go to www.mattapoisettwomansclub.org/info.

St. Philip’s Church

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The Rev. William Locke, Assisting Priest St. Stephen’s, Providence, RI will conduct 8:00 am and 10:00 am services at St. Philip’s Church, next to the Mattapoisett Town Beach, on Sunday, August 18. Each service will be using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. St. Philip’s will conclude their 140th Summer Season of visiting clergy on September 1. All are welcome to attend.

‘Survival’ Evokes Memories of Empowerment

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            Famed Massachusetts philosopher Henry David Thoreau spent two years living in the woods to “live deliberately” and “suck the marrow” out of life.

            These words from the 1840s and this philosophy for the last 50 years have rung true for generations of Old Rochester Regional students. In 1973, a “survival” camping trip for ORR Junior High students was instituted to teach them to commune with nature, learn survival skills and develop a new sense of life.

            The “founding fathers” of this program and many alumni will gather for a 50-year reunion this Saturday, August 17, at 4:00 pm at Ned’s Point in Mattapoisett, according to Kristen Boucher, the media liaison for the event and a 1990 participant of the program.

            Since its 1973 inception, the program has called on seventh graders to prepare for a one-week camping trip. According to Boucher and other alumni, the experience was life changing.

            According to a Wanderer article that commemorated the 45-year anniversary, Carleton Vaughn and Jim Hubbard, two ORRJH science teachers inspired by Euell Gibbons (author of “Stalking the Wild Asparagus”) and stories from former students about the Outward Bound program, started the Survival program in 1973.

            The educators were looking for ways to supplement the science curriculum by studying plants, flora, as well as learning about the great outdoors and all nature has to offer. From physical education to survival skills to social/emotional learning – a familiar phrase at ORR – the program touches upon all aspects of student learning and growth.

            According to the Wanderer article, the number of participants has fluctuated throughout the years, averaging 100 students at a time. The participants are broken into two groups, each staying in basecamp while the other is sent out on a three-day hiking trip.

            The students spend the spring at school preparing for this experience, learning about building emergency shelters, learning about wild plants and other survival and outdoor skills, also according to the article.

            “’Survival’ changed my life in ways I never imagined, both as a student experiencing it in 1990 and as an adult coming in with new, yet very nostalgic eyes in 2024,” said Boucher, who later went on to become a chaperone and a nurse for the trip. “As a student, I found the personal growth I experienced to be the most profound outcome – doing and surviving some of the most challenging physical, emotional, and environmental things I’d ever encountered and coming out of it stronger than ever, was incredibly empowering.”

            Boucher noted that participants came from three different towns – Rochester, Marion and Mattapoisett. Many of the students were involved in different activities, interests and circles of friends.

            Some of those borders – both physical and metaphorical – faded away during that time in the woods. Some of those borders were completely erased, and unlikely friendships thrived throughout the years.

            “We were all in it together – doing something that bonded us for life. It was really powerful,” said Boucher.

            A member of Generation X, Boucher reached out to a millennial who had attended the program in 2005. She also reached out to one of the first participants. Both talked about their experience and how it changed them.

            Though these people represent different generations, their insights about the program and its impact are identical.

            “Survival is one week out of your 13-year-old life where nothing outside of that mountain and those trails really matters. Everyone is dirty, everyone’s hair is a mess, you’re all in this together. It’s a chance for you to meet new people and bond over things that you never would’ve talked about otherwise,” says Kayley Hartley. “Something that I think about often is that sometimes when you get ‘lost,’ it might really be an opportunity to spend a little bit more time on the trail you wouldn’t have chosen, and sometimes we all need that.”

            Hartley echoed some of Boucher’s comments. Unlikely friendships often develop from the event, and years later, survival participants greet each other with a “wave” when they see each other, Hartley says.

            “I enjoy seeing other survival people out and about and giving a little wave, knowing exactly what they went through without knowing they went through it personally. That’s one of the beauties of ‘Survival,’ everyone’s experience is completely different,” Hartley said.

            Kate Souza recalls being a shy seventh-grader in 1973, but that all changed after being part of the first group to participate.

            “Not being with my friends helped me to come out of my shell, communicate and to work with people I didn’t know well,” Souza said. “Hiking, I learned to work with other people that I would not have done before, being so shy. I was out of my comfort zone; survival helped me to overcome some of my shyness.

            “As a teenager, young adult, and now at my present age, I have the tools to work with people that I don’t know or barely know and to advocate for myself and other people that may need help.”

            Boucher, Souza and Hartley struggled to pinpoint their fondest memory of the trip – there were too many to recall. Boucher, however, still remembers the words to 90 percent of the campfire and bus songs that students sang together.

            “After very long days in very challenging environments, we’d gather around the fire with Rory McFee (the director at that time) playing his guitar. We’d sing songs and make up skits … and all egos were left behind – everyone participated and no one cared about what they looked or sounded like,” she said.

            Boucher also has fond memories of the homecoming when students returned from the trip.

            “It still gives me chills, recalling the moment the buses rolled back into town on Saturday, the kids singing and chanting at the top of their lungs down Route 6, and the excitement and reunions with families when their kids got off those buses,” Boucher said. “Even just talking about it now chokes me up because so many of these kids returned as completely different, far more independent and empowered individuals.”

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

Town Happy with Protection Clause

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            Rochester’s Planning Board Tuesday approved a one-year extension of the amended special permits for a proposed Large-Scale Photovoltaic Installation in a Ground Water Protection district on a Scenic Highway (Route 105) on Braley Hill Road.

            At the Planning Board’s last meeting, the applicant’s attorney, Gregory Sampson, was instructed to return with the standard language for an insurance contract that protects the town as well as the applicant from insurance liability. On August 13, Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson was happy with Sampson’s response, that the applicant’s insurance policy will protect the town from damages as well.

            Sampson also noted good news regarding how much damage can occur should the glass panels shatter in a severe storm. The panels are on a slant, he said, so the shards will collect at their bottom end, not on the ground. Johnson concluded by asking that an approval letter be drafted that the board will sign at its next (August 27) meeting.

            Next, another project overseen by Sampson was not so successful. A public hearing to amend and extend the special permits for a proposed solar-energy installation on 128 acres at 529, 523 and 0 Snipatuit Road and Featherbed Lane within the Mattapoisett River Valley Watershed and Groundwater Protection district received a continuance to August 27 without a decision.

            As was the case with the Braley Hill project, Johnson said, the board must await Field Engineering’s word on how performance-bond amounts will be changed with the extension.

            The board then went back into approval mode. It endorsed the Site Plan Review modification request for Rochester Crossroads, 22 Cranberry Highway, wherein the applicant proposed replacing a paved rear-access way to County Road with a gravel road.

            The panel’s last meeting on the plan yielded discussion over whether to place a gate at the end of that road. On August 13, Johnson and the board approved the specifications on the kind of gate being approved for that road. It will be one that will open automatically to parties exiting the property and tied to the Fire Department’s fire-suppression system.

            The board also endorsed an Approval Not Required application filed by the Buzzards Bay Coalition for 84 New Bedford Road. Coalition representative Rick Charon explained a 35-acre parcel is being split into two lots. One lot will measure 7.5 acres to include a Form A lot with a greenhouse that will be up for sale, and the other will be a 27-acre field for agricultural purposes.

            In other action, the board continued until August 27 the Site Plan Review application for a self-storage facility off County Road that was filed by Highland Development Ventures and proposes four buildings, one of which would be multistory.

            The board signed the Mylar plans for the JPF Development self-storage facility on County Road and the BriggsBraims LLC hobby barn project on New Bedford Road.

            Johnson said the rectified battery-storage bylaw approved at the spring Town Meeting left out pieces of the new bylaw that should have been included. The board approved placing a new version of this bylaw that includes those missing pieces on the October 21 Special Town Meeting warrant.

            The board reviewed the Neck Road solar project’s screening from Snipatuit Pond. Board members said the screening is inadequate. The applicant’s representative said they are willing to do more but not erect a fence, as the property’s owner would not approve. Johnson concluded the board should schedule a site visit.

            The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 27, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Planning Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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Part of our current exhibit is devoted to dolls, which are one of the oldest of playthings for children. Making the way through the exhibit, you can learn of the many roles that dolls have had in different times and different cultures. One of the dolls in our display has an interesting local story of its own.

            Lisa Gurney Walbridge told us about the small China doll which she has loaned to the museum. She was about to turn eight-years old when her grandmother, Annie Hartley Gurney, asked her what she would like for her birthday. Lisa asked for a China doll (a request that she acknowledges was not a typical one).

            After a moment of silence, her grandmother went upstairs and came back with a bundle wrapped in an old dishcloth. Inside was a small China doll in a crocheted outfit that reflected what a girl would have worn around 1910. Her grandmother gave her the doll for her birthday and she told Lisa that her mother, Lisa’s great grandmother, had given her this same doll for her eighth birthday.

            I remember Lisa’s grandmother as Aunt Annie who was named after her mother, Annie Louisa Snell Hartley. The elder Annie was the mother of 15 children with 13 of them surviving to adulthood. She can be seen in the picture in front of the doll. Needless to say, she was the actual grandmother of many and over the years, also became known as Grandma Hartley to generations of Rochester residents. She was my great-grandmother and also Lisa’s.

            Now back to Lisa’s doll. Her current dress as well as the teddy bear were handmade by Lisa, and she is in remarkably good condition for having been owned by two little girls.

            There are many more dolls and other items in the current exhibit that show how we’ve entertained ourselves in Rochester for over 300 years. The exhibit will be open to the public on Sept. 28 during our annual Cranberry Bake Sale. As always, we will arrange to open the museum by appointment.

            I want to thank Herb, Alton and Art for their help with last week’s article and Lisa for her help with this one. It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child and sometimes it seems, it takes one to preserve and share a town’s history.

By Connie Eshbach