Details Result in Continuances

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Rochester’s Planning Board continued until its next scheduled meeting (July 9) all three large projects on its June 25 agenda.

            The board granted a two-week extension of the Special Permit for the Braley Hill North solar facility in response to a permit-extension request that the Planning panel had debated at a previous meeting over concerns that the project has been granted one extension already.

            Chairman Arnold Johnson said Tuesday the question to be answered was whether the project applicants had sufficiently paid their performance bonds. Johnson reported the check for these bonds had only recently been received and the town’s peer-review engineer, Ken Motta, needs time to review their amounts.

            In July 2020, Braley Hill North received a permit valid for three years but requiring construction to start in two years. The applicant asked for its first extension on June 23, 2023. On June 5 of this year, the applicant’s representative, Attorney Gregory Sampson, requested another one-year permit extension.

            The board also tabled until July 9 its approval of the modified site-plan-review application for Rochester Crossroads, 22 Cranberry Highway, over questions by project developer Ken Steen.

            The modification was to replace a paved, rear access way to County Road with a gravel road. Steen, attending the meeting via Zoom, raised questions about a new condition within that modification that the road not be gated. He said the highway surveyor had led him to believe the gates are needed because this would provide road access for emergency vehicles.

            Johnson responded that emergency-exit access for residents should be “unencumbered” and not be gated. Johnson said he will speak to the highway surveyor and review the original plan.

            The board also continued until July 9 its hearing into the site-plan-review application for a four-building, self-storage facility on County Road, which is part of the Rochester Crossroad project.

            The applicant’s engineering consultant, Philip Cordeiro, reported he has only recently received and responded to Motta’s comments on the plan. Johnson said here, too, the board will first review those comments before voting.

            In other action, the board issued its only approval of the night. It signed the site-plan-review approval decision for Briggs Hobby Barn on New Bedford Road, a plan to construct two buildings to store and repair collectible automobiles, trucks and other motor vehicles that also required and received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Historic District Commission.

            The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 9, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Planning BoardBy Michael J. DeCicco

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.

            The Library will be closed Thursday July 4th in celebration of Independence Day.

            Join Elke Pierrie Tuesdays at 9:30 am for morning yoga on the library lawn.  The perfect way to start your summer days!

            Meet Sara Shukla, local author of the debut novel Pink Whales, Thursday, June 27 at 6:30 pm, at the Marion Art Center. Pink Whales has been described lauded by reviews as “A satisfying romp through a New England enclave that’s not nearly as idyllic as it seems.” Meet Sara Shukla, the author of the latest summer rom-com that will be making a splash this beach season!  Limited signed copies will be available at this event.

            Make a fuzzy felted patch with Pop up Art School, Saturday June 29, 11 am. Pick from four rainbow designs.  Use the finished piece as a patch on a jacket or frame it for a unique piece of art. Pop up Art School will show you how to use a barbed needle and wool roving to make this cool accessory.  Needle felting is fun and easier than it looks!  Spaces are limited, sign up at the library. This program is for ages 11+.

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

Marion Garden Group

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The Marion Garden Group has just installed one of their beautiful garden beds on the island at the end of Point Road and Route 6. It features an abundance of perennials that are staged to provide a show of blooms all season. One of our newly approved sprinkler systems has been added to provide the necessary water to support the new plantings.

            This project has been in the works for years. Funds were raised by the Marion Garden Group from its generous patrons and town-supported fundraisers. The project was on hold while the Beautification committee filed for Town and State authorization for its sprinkler initiative. Approval of the sprinkler systems in all of MGG’s town garden beds has been critical to sustain and support the Beautification efforts. Prior to the newly installed sprinkler systems, the Marion Garden Group members were diligently hand watering every garden bed and as well as all of the planters. The authorization for the sprinkler systems which came through last year provided the green light for the new Point Road bed as MGG was unable to install without it.

            The Marion Garden Group has installed, maintains and pays for water to five garden beds in Marion, all of which have been donated to the town. In addition, MGG has placed and maintains up to 16 strategically placed planters to enhance the area. Further, the Marion Garden Group commissioned and donated to the town both the Reader Board Sign and the Welcome to Marion Sign.

            We would like to sincerely thank our patrons and all of those who contributed their support to our fundraising efforts.

            The Marion Garden Group is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist in the enhancement of the town’s parks and landscape projects, and to further expand members’ knowledge of gardening through discussions and presentations by experts in the field. The Beautification committee, a sub committee within MGG lead by Liz Hatch, Suzy Taylor and Phyllis Partridge, continue to work hard to uphold this mission through beautification projects around the town. Support and patronage is always welcome.

Five Free Concerts in July

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This year’s Buzzards Bay Musicfest will feature five very different programs and a new start time for the evening concerts – 7:30 pm. The festival will also open its doors on Wednesday afternoon, July 10 at 2:00 pm, to give everyone a chance to experience an open rehearsal. The world-class musicians that make up the Buzzards Bay Musicfest will perform a variety of repertoire, but the orchestral concerts will have a theme: Season of “Firsts.” The orchestra will explore first symphonies of Mozart, Schumann and Brahms as well as Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto with Cynthia Raim as the soloist on the Wednesday concert. On the Sunday afternoon concert, Jennifer Gunn (flute) and Rita Costanzi (harp) will be featured in the Mozart Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra. On the same program, pianist David Allen Wehr will interpret the Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra by César Franck with its fantastically exuberant ending. The orchestra concerts are Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, July 14 at 2:00 pm. The two chamber concerts will offer a uniquely intimate rendering of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvořák, Jean Françaix, Philippe Gaubert, Marjan Mozetich and David Popper. From string quartets to piano quintets to wind quartets, the eclectic collections of small ensembles lead to a wonderfully tasteful programing variety that is sure to delight. The chamber concerts are Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 pm.

            The Buzzards Bay Musicfest Swing Band will present a program of music by three prominent jazz icons of the mid-twentieth century entitled “Miles, Monk and Mingus.” This 10-piece jazz ensemble will venture into the unlimited possibilities of improvisation and written arrangements that these three masters have unleashed in an amazing collection of works. The jazz concert is Friday, July 12 at 7:30 pm.

            All concerts are free admission and will be in the Fireman Performing Arts Center at Hoyt Hall on the campus of Tabor Academy, 245 Front St., Marion, MA 02738. Please visit www.buzzardsbaymusicfest.com/ for more detailed information.

Mattapoisett Trees

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To the Editor:

            The undersigned have earned our standing as “tree-huggers” through many hours of volunteer work with the Mattapoisett Land Trust.  But we think the concerns expressed about 27 trees to be lost as part of the Town’s proposed road improvement project along Main/Water/Beacon/Marion Road are misplaced. While we too mourn the loss of these trees, the many benefits of the project greatly outweigh their loss.

            First, these roads desperately need public safety improvements. From MLT’s Munro Preserve we watch daily as kids on bikes, pedestrians, mobility-impaired folks and drivers run the gauntlet of rough pavement, limited sidewalks, few or no ADA compliant crosswalks, trees extending into the roadway, and similar hazards. With the multi-use path ending nearby at Depot Street, pedestrian and bicycle traffic have increased dramatically. Our town is very lucky not to have suffered a serious injury or fatality on these roads. Public safety should always come first. The town is accepting a significant ongoing risk to human life if we do not move ahead with the road improvement project.

            Second, the town’s storm water management system needs improvement to protect water quality in the harbor and reduce beach closure days. Drainage and storm water problems are severe at the Munro Preserve and even worse adjacent to the town beach. The road project will remedy these drainage and storm water issues at no cost to the Town’s taxpayers. We should seize this opportunity.

            Third, this project creates large future savings for Mattapoisett taxpayers. The project brings $16 million of federal and state funds, with no financial contribution from local taxpayers.  Understand that the proposed road improvements will need to be done in future years whether or not we accept this project. Going forward the existing roadway will fail, underground utilities will need repair, ADA compliance and storm water control/treatment will become required by law, and the 27 trees in question will die or be toppled by storms. Using federal and state funds available now will save Mattapoisett taxpayers hundreds of dollars per household in the future. If we do not move forward, federal and state money will be lost and the resulting tax burden will fall particularly hard on those with fixed incomes or limited financial resources.

            Back to the trees. We think it is short-sighted to plant 34 replacement trees within the Town’s narrow right-of-way where they will need to be smaller trees so as not to interfere as they grow with the improved roadway, curbing and sidewalks. We should not repeat the mistakes of our parents and grandparents who, when facing the destruction caused by the 1938 hurricane, planted replacement trees too close to the road and created the problems we see today. We encourage the town to talk with abutting property owners about siting the project’s replacement trees in their front or side yards, away from the reconstructed roadway. MLT will do this at the Munro Preserve, so a large replacement tree can be planted away from the road and survive for many generations.

            We commend the Select Board for bringing this project forward, and urge the town to move ahead with implementation.

            Sue Osenkowski, Arthur Damaskos, Paul “Ozzie” Osenkowski, Mike Huguenin, Kathleen Urquhart, Matt Urquhart

Molly’s Cove May Be Restored

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Molly’s Cove, located off Anchorage Way and Tara Road, has been on the town’s and the Mattapoisett Land Trust’s radar for a number of years. A compromised culvert and the possible flooding issue during storms are just two of the concerns facing the water feature, but help may on the way at long last.

            MLT president Mike Huguenin came before the Select Board on June 25 to ask if the MLT could move forward seeking a grant from the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program. He explained that the grant application requires the municipal partnerships but that management of the project and preparation of the grant will fall to the MLT.

            From Huguenin’s written description, he stated that a paved section would be removed since the road is not necessary. In fact, the road alters the natural north-south flow of the original, forested wetlands.

            Grants awarded from the program range from $60,000 to $90,000. Huguenin said that, by allowing a more natural flow to return, invasive plant species could be better controlled. Plans would include preparing a report on existing conditions, followed by creation of a restoration plan and careful interfacing of restored wetlands.

            The board approved the MLT’s pursuit of a grant.

            Later in the proceedings, it was noted by resident Bonne DaSousa that the town has received a Mass Trails grant in the amount of $202,000 to be used in support of engineered plans for the next phase of the bike path.

            The agenda included discussion of the soon-to-be-created committee for the village street project. However, Select Board members wished to table the matter until the full board was seated. Absent this night was Tyler Macallister. There were questions from interested parties regarding how the new committee members will be selected and if there is a schedule for next steps.

            Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer said, “There’s nothing to discuss until the 25-percent (design) is done.” Collyer said of the town’s engineering firm, “We are overdue to have VHB come in and talk about their subpar performance.”

            A request by the Old Rochester Regional High School Alumni Association for a one-day liquor license was denied. The board was in agreement that alcohol is not allowed on school grounds.

            A request from the Lions Club to add three more Harbor Days events (a flower fundraiser, a children’s movie night, and an event from the Mattapoisett Museum) were all approved.

            The board accepted the donation of a service window from a local glass vendor. The board also heard from Kate Sousa regarding early plans for a 50th anniversary celebration of Survival at Ned’s Point sometime in August.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, at a time to be announced.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

Focus Narrowed to Fire Station

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            Citing the ongoing construction of a new harbormaster’s headquarters in the Town of Marion, Rochester Select Board member (and Marion Harbormaster) Adam Murphy invited the same architect, Tim Sawyer of Catalyst, to sit with the Rochester Public Safety Building Committee on Monday morning.

            The committee, represented Monday by Murphy, Fire Chief Scott Weigel, Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Eldridge, Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel and Interim Town Administrator/Finance Director Suzanne Szyndlar, was joined by Chairman Arnie Johnson in time for Sawyer and teammate Kurt Raber to summarize for Johnson’s benefit – and perhaps their own and the committee at large – what was accomplished.

            Rochester needs a new fire station; its present facility on Pine Street next to Rochester Memorial School is terribly outdated and in many ways only remains operational thanks to extraordinary institutional knowledge of the current department personnel.

            A Feasibility Study Committee organized last year by the Select Board originally looked into a potentially three-pronged upgrade to the town’s public-safety facilities consisting of a new main Fire Station, a significant renovation/expansion of the Police Department’s headquarters on Dexter Lane and if it could be funded, a Fire Department “substation” on the east side of town to shorten response times to a Route 28 area experiencing impactful business and residential growth.

            During that time, Cambridge-based architect designer Ted Gallant was contracted to work with the committee on its three-fold vision, but it was quickly determined that a Fire Station alone that would rival the one that the Town of Mattapoisett constructed for under $10,000,000 before COVID-related inflation struck the economy would cost Rochester more than twice that much money.

            For now, the substation is being considered a future project. The Rochester Fire Department presently has a second location on Ryder Road, where it shares space with the town’s Highway Department. The Police expansion/renovation is on hold, and the focus is on a long-awaited replacement for the main Fire Station on Pine Street.

            Its work complete, the Feasibility Study Committee was disbanded, and the Building Committee was created in its place to take next steps in enacting the process whereby the best possible design can gain taxpayer support.

            Asked by the committee, Sawyer said Catalyst has designed fire stations and rattled off some familiar Massachusetts town on Cape Cod (Barnstable, Cotuit) and on the mainland (Middleboro, East Bridgewater).

            Johnson asked Sawyer if Catalyst’s design will be based on what the Feasibility Study Committee achieved with Gallant’s guidance or on Weigel’s needs-based changes.

            “A little bit of both,” said Sawyer, who acknowledged a “stick-built” station would cost the town over $24,000,000 and said there will be “significant savings with a prebuild” construction process. Sawyer said that he will start out using a prebuild such as a Morton or Cape Builders construction as the assumption. There will be no reinventing the wheel.

            Sawyer acknowledged that “the numbers that are in there are scary. … We’re seeing projects that we used to build that were $400 a foot that are now $600 … the market is not coming down.” He also said, “You want it to be that rebust building that’s going to stand for a long time … but you can do that in a pre-engineered metal or wood building. There’s a way to be practical.”

            Weigel is not interested in a new station being “all beautiful” but “one that fits all our needs.” Housing expensive equipment and keeping it out of the elements when not in use is a priority.

            The committee hopes it can get a practical, sturdy building for approximately $12,000,000.

            According to the Building Committee, Rochester has fulfilled its obligations to Gallant and is free to move on to another designer. The idea in bringing in Sawyer wasn’t to reinvent the floor plan but to mobilizing the process.

            “We need to ramp this up and push it forward,” said Murphy. “Yes, we have (cost) targets, but we have to get the project right.”

            For under $30,000 (to be paid with leftover budget from the Feasibility Study Committee and possibly ARPA funding), Catalyst will put together a draft proposal and come back to the town for feedback that will presumably be tweaked by the Building Committee before Catalyst goes before the Select Board. For legal reasons, Catalyst’s costs cannot exceed $30,000 without triggering a bidding process that Rochester can avoid for now.

            Sawyer explained that by taking the work accomplished by the town with Gallant and adjusting from that, Rochester can achieve a “targeted cost” design study that will focus on the Fire Station with details such as building elevations on a cost estimate tied to a specific design.

            “At the end of it, you’re going to know where you’re at,” said Sawyer.

            Because a “debt exclusion” (loan) will be required for construction, Sawyer suggested offering imagery of the design that the public can access before casting its votes at Town Meeting and on a ballot question at the ensuing Town Election.

            Szyndlar said the town could try to target the special Fall Town Meeting and add a Town Election, but the committee and Sawyer were less than optimistic the project can be ready in time.

            “We have to have a big education campaign,” said Johnson.

            Marion used an informational campaign involving multiple open houses at its existing Department of Public Works facilities on Route 6 in a successful bid to get taxpayer support for a new DPW operations center to be built near the Benson Brook landfill and the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

            Eldridge suggested upon adjournment that Sawyer and Raber join the committee for a walk-through of the current Fire Station on Pine Street. They were given a tour that may become available to the public before long.

Rochester Public Safety Building Committee

By Mick Colageo

Music at the MAC

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The Marion Art Center is pleased to welcome the return of David Mitton to the MAC Stage with his band The Nomadic Trio, featuring Stefano Battaglia on bass and Miki Matsuki on drums. The concert is scheduled Friday, June 28 at 7:30 pm (doors at 7:00). Tickets, $20 for MAC members and $23 for nonmembers, are available now at marionartcenter.org/events.

            Mitton is a saxophonist and composer, and as a member of multiple bands has been playing throughout the local region for the last decade. He has recorded three instrumental albums as The David Mitton Project, with music consisting of sound ideas that he has chosen to document. Mitton’s compositional style is a dynamic combination of composed and improvised music. He draws from influences like Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Eric Dolphy, Woody Shaw, Dave Holland, Charles Mingus and many more. David is a graduate of Longy in Cambridge, MA, where he earned a degree as a master of Modern American Music in 2010.

            Stefano Battaglia is an Italian double bass player and composer based in New York. He performed with artists like George Garzone, Kenny Werner, Dave Kikoski, Francisco Mela, Bob Moses, Leo Genovese, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Jonathan Kreisberg, Logan Richardson, Jason Palmer, Bruce Ditmas, Benito Gonzalez, Terry Riley, Ludus Gravis. He has performed in Newport, Toronto, Roma, Buenos Aires, Dominican Republic jazz festivals, Lincoln Center NY, Carnegie Hall. Battaglia is on recordings for ECM, Wergo, Philology, Auditorium Parco Della Musica. He graduated at Berklee College of Music of Boston, USA, at Conservatorio Santa Cecilia of Roma, Italy and he completed a master program at Berklee Global Jazz Institute of Boston.

            Drummer Miki Matsuki was born in Matsuyama, Japan. She moved to the United States to study jazz at the Berklee College of Music in 1996. During her school years, Ms. Matsuki’s band was selected “Best of Berklee” in 2000. Since graduating from Berklee, she has performed and recorded in various musical settings including soundtrack work, the performances at the radio and television broadcasting stations, a tour of Korea, etc. Ms. Matsuki has performed with great musicians, including Wynton Marsalis, Joanne Brackeen, George Garzone, John Tchicai, Darren Barrett, Frank Lacy, Cecil Brooks, Dave Bryant, Stan Strickland and many others. She received her MM and GPD in Modern American Music Performance from the Longy School of Music with full scholarship and the award.

Marion Natural History Museum Summer Programs

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The Marion Natural History Museum’s summer program, Coastal Explorations, runs for one week in July and again in August. You’re welcome to sign your child up for the whole week or a day at a time. Each day we will be heading out to new locations to explore our shoreline, including a variety of beaches and salt marshes. We will also be exploring our fresh water areas including ponds, riverbanks, bogs and upland forest. This a half-day program involving hands-on investigations, games and journaling.

            In addition, we have a number of summer programs coming up, including a Butterfly Walk on July 3 at 10:30 and “Amazing Animal Ambassadors” with live animals on July 10 at one. Please check out our listing of upcoming events at the museum’s website: www.marionmuseum.org. Happy summer.

Skidmore’s Legacy Honored

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John Excellent’s Juneteenth address in Mattapoisett celebrated Tri-Town Against Racism’s dedication of a Little Free Diverse Library in honor of Abraham Skidmore.

            As Janice Johnson noted following her reading of a portion of the Emancipation Proclamation and General Order Number 3 that came in its wake, a historical dive into the life of Abraham Skidmore revealed him as the son of slaves who, after fighting in the Civil War, embraced his generation’s newfound freedom, calling Mattapoisett home for several decades.

            Skidmore was known to many in town for his barber shop and the music bands and parades he organized and led. Johnson said it is shameful that 70 years after Skidmore’s passing, June 19, 2024, became the first occasion for Skidmore to be thusly remembered.

            Tri-Town Against Racism president Alison Noyce welcomed attendees and encouraged them to take home a book from the Abraham Skidmore Little Free Diverse Library and thanked Jessica DeCicco-Carey for her work on the project. The gathering was sweetened by red-velvet cupcakes, strawberry Rhubarb pie and strawberry soda, all traditional Juneteenth treats in the color of red.

            The following is John Excellent’s address:

            Good afternoon, everyone.

            I want to thank our previous speakers.

            It is a beautiful day today and a beautiful day to commemorate this free library to Abraham (Skidmore), and like you said, may his memory long live in this town. And may streets and buildings be named after him.

            I want to talk to you today about Juneteenth.

            Just one year after General Gordon Granger and his regiment arrived in Galveston, Texas, one year later, black Texas celebrated together, the first … jubilee to mark the event of year prior.

            However, due to segregation laws back then, they did not congregate on grounds like this, okay? They were forbidden to. So, for the next year’s celebration, they got together, purchased 4 acres of land to continue the tradition.

            As of today, Juneteenth is one of six state-specific holidays that we celebrate in our great country. It’s the first federal holiday since (Martin Luther King Jr.) Day in 1986, it is a resilient holiday, and it celebrates the resilience of those African Americans … in Texas.

            The history of lagging in law enforcement marks the African American experience.

            As noted before, it was about two to three years after the Emancipation Proclamation that this news made it to the enslaved people of Texas. And our history is littered with controversial decisions by our Supreme Court, followed maybe by correction by the Supreme Court and then followed by decades to put together the right plan to undo these wrongs.

            So we gather today to commemorate Juneteenth. It’s a pivotal moment in American history.

            Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, a celebration of strength, it’s a reminder that the enduring fight to end racial injustice and equality continues to this day.

            The legacy of Juneteenth calls each one of us to commit to the principles of freedom, equality and justice for all.

            We recognize the achievements and progress made, while also acknowledging that many challenges remain. This day is a call to action for us, to continue the work of building a society where everyone, regardless of race, can live with dignity and respect.

            Juneteenth also commemorates solidarity. Let’s educate ourselves about the true history of our nation, good or bad. Let us stand against racism and prejudice and discrimination in all forms.

            Let us work to ensure that the promise of freedom and equality continues to be a reality today and for future generations.

            In the spirit of Juneteenth, let’s inspire each other to create a future that truly reflects the ideals of liberty and justice for all. Let us honor the past by building a more, better, inclusive and equitable future for future generations.

Tri-Town Against Racism

By Mick Colageo