Emily Roseman, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Roseman of Rochester, graduated magna cum laude after majoring in politics at Bates. She is a 2011 graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School. She graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious liberal arts honor society.
ORRHS student Maxx Wolski of Mattapoisett soloing on the vibraphone while performing with the Massachusetts Music Educators Association All-State Jazz Band at the Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday, August 1. The MMEA Jazz Band opened the day’s performances on the Harbor Stage with a 45 minute set which included classics like; Counter Blocking by Thad Jones, Rumpus in Richmond by Duke Ellington and Soul Vaccination by Tower of Power, to name a few. The MMEA Jazz Band is comprised of the states top high-school jazz musicians. Maxx attained the All-State honor as the sole vibraphonist for the jazz band during his sophomore year. The jazz band also performed earlier in the year at Boston Symphony Hall in the MMEA All-State Music Festival.
Once again, coming before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission were applicants Jay and Julie Duker of 112 Aucoot Road with their Notice of Intent to build a private recreational pier extending across a barrier beach and into Aucoot Cove. David Davignon of N. Douglas Schneider & Associates, representing the Dukers, provided the last pieces of information the commission requested – that all beaches shown on the plans were labeled as “barrier beaches” and that the pier may only be used for watercraft drafting 12-inches or less of water.
Before the hearing was opened for public comment, commission member Mike King said, “I am sympathetic to abutters, given the dynamic environment, but the design meets the wetlands act, so it can be permitted.”
Commission member Peter Newton added, “The applicant addressed questions.”
Chairman Bob Rogers looked into the audience and said, “We’ve been as methodical as you can on this project. In DEP’s eyes, this is a project that can be permitted.” He continued, “I’d like to see the issue of draft carried over to Chapter 91 plans.” He gave a nod to objections raised by abutters during previous meetings on this application saying, “It will be unfortunate someday when this thing gets hit by a storm.” He concluded, “We’ve got all the information we asked for; I’m prepared to close the public hearing.”
Rogers then acknowledged abutter Jane Hathaway and gave her an opportunity to state her concerns.
“Twelve-inch draft can be a pretty big boat,” said Hathaway. “We are concerned they were talking about small watercraft … I’d ask the Order of Conditions to specify the type of craft.”
But Newton responded, “We are going beyond restrictions imposed on other piers in town.”
Rogers shrugged and told Hathaway, “We are trying to do the best we can knowing we can’t straight out deny this.”
To the other commission members, Rogers said they would prepare a list of special conditions that they will provide to the applicants at the next meeting. Those special conditions will deal primarily with construction procedures and protections required to ensure eelgrass and beaches will not sustain damage during the building of the pier.
Brad Hathaway asked what the next steps might be for those objecting to the project.
Rogers replied that there is a 10-day period where objections based on the Wetlands Protection Act may be filed and that Hathaway should also approach the DEP. The Dukers still need to secure a Chapter 91 license from the DEP.
Moving on to other agenda items, the commissioners discussed how to go about closing actions and files now that conservation compliance has been received from Leisure Shores Marina. Rogers said he would discuss the matter with town counsel.
It came to light that Marylou Kelliher would also be leaving the Conservation Commission due to a change in her work schedule. With the departure of Tom Copps a few weeks ago, two seats are now open. Kelliher was thanked for her contributions to the commission, and she expressed a desire to return in the future.
ConCom then met with Edward Camara, another candidate for a seat on the commission. Camara was invited to share his interest in the opening and his background. He told the commissioners that he has been a resident for 40 years, has a background in biology and tidal zone ecology, had taught marine ecology, and that he might be able to provide a different viewpoint. Camara has also served as a member on the Marine Advisory Board.
The five candidates are Camara, Richard Francis, Dianne Tsitos, Mike DuBuc, and Joan Belknap.
The commission then cast a secret scoring ballot that produced names to present to the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen for their consideration.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for August 24 at 6:30 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.
By Marilou Newell
To the Editor:
It sounded like the famous lines from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Mr. Bumble says, “Well? What do you want, boy?” Oliver holds up his bowl, his voice shaking. “If you please, sir, I … I want some more.” That was food.
I didn’t attend the Mattapoisett Planning Board meeting which addressed a request from the residents of the Village at Mattapoisett condominium cluster housing site. They asked that the contract they signed when purchasing units in the complex be amended so they will not have to pay for trash collection. They do pay town taxes.
The ABC Disposal contract with the town says “…all persons residing in the town shall be entitled … to public trash collection.”
Your story in the August 6, 2015 edition of The Wanderer quotes Paul Osenkowski, a town resident, as “voicing his concerns that to allow this request would be heading towards a ‘slippery slope,’ noting the possibility that, maybe, in the future, they would be asking for snow plowing and road maintenance.”
Maybe they’ll ask for more!!!! Maybe ask for more? How dare they!
My family grew up in Mattapoisett. We moved here in 1967 for summers and in 1971, we became year-rounders. Five Wordens attended Old Rochester Regional High School where each received a fine education with caring faculty and dedicated staff. This summer, they were delighted to return and embrace the beauty of the bike path and the Nasketucket Shaw Farm Trail along our splendid coast.
Hundreds of somebodies asked for a great school and protected woodlands, coastal wetlands, and upland meadows. Mattapoisetters listen. A better school? Trails for walkers and bikers?
Some of us create slippery slopes, embrace them, and help others to share the ride!
Mary Worden, Mattapoisett
The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.
On Saturday, August 15, the Rochester Grange will hold its 105th Agricultural Fair. Doors will open at 1:30 pm. Admission is free. A Ham & Bean Supper will be served at 6:00 pm. Tickets, which are $7 for adults and $3 for children under 10, can be purchased at the door. At 7:15 pm, there will be an auction of vegetables etc. from the fair.
Work on the fair begins in the spring with putting together the Premium Book. In these books you will find the rules for entering the fair, suggestions on entries, as well as ads from businesses who have continually supported our organization over the years. We thank them for their continued support. These books have been out and about the Tri-Town area since early July.
With the help of Boy Scout Troop #31, set-up of the hall began on Monday night. Displays both of interest and pleasing to the eye are our goals while showing off the many kinds of vegetables, handcrafts, baking, etc. entered by young and old from the community.
Entries for the Fair will be accepted Friday afternoon between 2:00 and 4:00 pm and again from 7:00 to 8:30 pm with judging of entries to follow. Anyone, of any age, is eligible to enter. If you wish to enter and have a premium book, please be sure to read the information pertaining to entering. If you have grown or made something not listed in the book, that is OK. You can still enter the item. Anyone who does not have a book but would like to enter, please contact Herb or Sue LaFleur at 508-295-8908 or sash48@comcast.net for information.
We know many of you will be busy going from here to there enjoying the summer weather and all the activities that go along with that. Should you find yourself on Hartley Road (we hope you are) and passing by, stop and take a few minutes to check out our little fair. See what your neighbors have been growing in their backyards or handcrafted through the winter. Competition among friends is always fun as they look to beating out one another and winning the blue ribbon for their entry. There will also be a baked-goods table with lots of goodies to purchase. Your sweet-tooth will thank you.
We look forward to many of you stopping by and saying ‘Hi.’ Remember, the Fair is Saturday, August 15, beginning at 1:30 pm.
The Joseph H. Plumb Library has received a donation that is out of this world.
By the end of August, the Plumb Library will be the first library in Southeastern Massachusetts to offer its patrons the opportunity to check out a telescope in the same way one would check out a book, a DVD, or a My Own Back Yard (MOBY) backpack.
Donated by John Jawor, in honor of his parents and in memory of the Aldrich Astronomical Society, the Orion 4.5-inch Starblast telescope, valued at $350, will be available for checkout for a week at a time. The telescope kit will include three books on stars, instructions on how to use the telescope, a red LED headlamp, and a small red LED flashlight all packed into a totebag.
The tabletop telescope has been altered so the eyepiece will not fall out, and anything that can be removed or misplaced has been permanently affixed so it will not come off. Green dots will mark all the knobs and buttons the user will need to use to fine-tune the telescope and, essentially, as Plumb Library Director Gail Roberts put it, “They’ve done everything. It’s got everything.”
Roberts said she herself brought the telescope home recently to try it out in her own backyard. She was not disappointed.
“We saw the rings of Saturn, we saw the International Space Station, you can see quite a bit,” said Roberts.
On Monday, August 24 at 7:30 pm, the library is hosting a presentation and throwing a “star party” where guests will learn about the telescope through a presentation conducted by Roberts, followed by a hands-on learning opportunity outside after the gathering. The library has invited Jawor to attend the event.
“We’re very honored … and very excited about how we’re going to catalog this and get it together,” said Roberts. “Check it out, try it out, and bring it back.”
It is that simple, said Roberts.
“It’s a very cool thing,” Roberts said. “We’re very honored to have this – to be the first library in the area to have this.”
By Jean Perry
The notorious dog kennel that has been driving the North Avenue neighborhood nuts for the last two years had its kennel licenses revoked by the Rochester Board of Selectmen on August 9 after a long process of issuing conditions, appeals, complaints, inspections, and now criminal and imminent civil charges against Melinda and Liberal Teixeira have so far failed to curtail incessant dog barking at the 368 North Avenue property.
The Teixeiras were not present for their hearing, but about a half dozen neighbors were, expressing pessimism and exhaustion over the current situation and asking Town Counsel Blair Bailey if the dogs will finally be confiscated.
“I would, at this point, suggest to the board that there be a motion that the kennel license be revoked and I will proceed … with an action in civil court along with the criminal action,” said Bailey.
The board voted in favor of the motion, meaning that as of August 9, the presence of dogs on the premises is now a violation. The police chief has filed criminal charges against the Teixeiras, and the hearing is scheduled for August 25 at the Wareham District Court.
Selectman Naida Parker turned to Bailey and asked him what she should do if the Teixeiras come into the Town Clerk’s Office to individually license five dogs, to which Bailey replied, “[They have shown] their inability to be a good neighbor, and anything they want to do at that property would have to come back before the board.”
Bailey said six non-criminal citations have been handed to the Teixeiras, each for $50, and court costs could be added to that should the matter move to court for collection. Bailey also said a lien can be placed on the property.
According to Bailey, an animal control officer inspected the property on August 3, but Bailey has received no report. He also thinks an additional inspection was performed since then, but, again, he has received no report. Bailey said the last inspection on which he did receive a report showed a total of six adult dogs and ten puppies at the kennel.
Once the kennel licenses were revoked, some neighbors wondered, what now? What does this all mean?
“What I’m trying to do is make sure I’ve done everything the bylaw tells me to do,” said Bailey. Where it stands now, he said, there is no kennel license. The Teixeiras no longer have the right to have the dogs on the property. “I’m trying to make sure we follow the right path…. They have no license to operate anything at that property.”
Currently, Bailey pointed out, there is no ACO for the Town of Rochester, so the Town has had to work with the ACOs of Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. He said Tuesday he would be contacting them to coordinate a time to arrive at the Teixeira property to physically remove the dogs and relocate them to the animal shelter in Lakeville.
“They’ve had all this time to move these dogs,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard Nunes. “Enough is enough with this already.”
Parker said there are several dog kennels in town, and the Teixeira kennel has been the only one with any complaints by abutters and neighbors.
“This is not acceptable,” said Parker. “Most people who have these licenses respect the others….”
In the meantime, said Bailey, the citations and fines will continue until the dogs are confiscated.
“Now it’s illegal to have them on the property,” said Parker.
The board encouraged Bailey to stay on top of the citations and continue to remain in contact with the ACOs until the matter is resolved, once and for all.
“I have no intention of dropping it,” said Bailey.
Neighbors present that night expressed pessimism, wondering if the ACO would be able to complete the task of physically removing the dogs since the Teixeiras are never home when the ACO or police chief comes knocking. One neighbor said the Teixeiras leave the property five minutes before the police cruiser arrives, and return five minutes after it leaves. One neighbor said she recently called the police because the dogs’ barking woke her up at 4:45 am. Another called the police last Saturday when the dogs barked for an hour starting at 6:00 am.
“You guys have been amazingly patient,” Parker told them.
In other matters, Bailey reported that Representative William Straus has been authorized by the selectmen to move forward with the introduction of special legislation to uphold the Annual Town Meeting from June 8, after it was discovered that there was no quorum.
Bailey said Straus and State Senator Michael Rodrigues are seeking guidance from the Attorney General’s Office, and the matter will move forward once Bailey receives a response from the Attorney General Municipal Law Unit.
Also during the meeting, resident Greenwood “Woody” Hartley asked selectmen when they were going to bring the town’s website into the 21st century. He suggested the town should post meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, and other important information on the website like neighboring towns already do.
Hartley said posting the meetings outside the Town Hall worked in the past when people had to walk by every day to buy their milk, “But that’s not how we do business anymore,” Hartley said.
“I agree with you wholeheartedly,” said Town Administrator Michael McCue. McCue said the new assistant he hired to replace Veronica Lafreniere has experience in website maintenance and upkeep and will be taking on the responsibility, eventually.
McCue said that when he first started his work with the Town of Rochester roughly a year ago, there was no funding for the endeavor. Once the new assistant starts, McCue said the town will no longer have to outsource for website maintenance.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for August 24 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
Visiting clergy will conduct services at “the Church by the Town Beach” in Mattapoisett, St. Philip’s Episcopal, from July 5 to September 6. Services using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer are at 8:00 am and 10:00 am.
On August 16, The Rev. Philip C. Jacobs III, Rector, Trinity Church, Canton, MA will officiate. All are welcome to attend.
To the Editor:
How glorious, “The Star Spangled Banner” starting off the concert on Wednesday evening always brings a lump to my throat. Looking up at our most beautiful symbol of freedom, people singing with hands over hearts.
Looking out over our beautiful harbor on Wednesday evening, sailboats skimming over the water, full moon casting a magical beam, breeze sweet in a most soothing rhythm flowing with the orchestra.
How lucky we are!
Little children, joyous and carefree, circling the bandstand, parents and grandparents trying to keep up with the momentum. This is small town America at its very best.
Please support our Wednesday evening band concerts by your attendance; don’t let this tradition fade away.
THIS IS small town America at its best, may God bless us all forever and ever and may it never end.
Joyce Almeida, Mattapoisett
The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.
The Mattapoisett Historical Museum, in partnership with the Mattapoisett Land Trust, presented an afternoon of fun and discovery with a scavenger hunt on August 6, which started and ended at the Munro Preserve. Photos by Marilou Newell
