Thelma (Briggs) Ladner’s graveside memorial service will be held Sunday, August 9, 2015, 2pm at the North Marion Cemetery, County Road, Marion, MA.
All who knew, loved and remember Thelma are invited to join us in her memory.
Swordfish Stories and Walking Tours
Join John Clark and Tom Brownell for Swordfish Stories at the Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum on Thursday, July 23 at 6:00 pm. Learn about the art of swordfishing through their personal experiences. Guests will also be able to explore our summer exhibit “From Scrimshaw to Survival: Sophia Means’ Descendants and the Town of Mattapoisett” featuring several large items from the museum’s collections newly debuted this summer, including a neoclassical wooden woman statue and a Daniel Boone weathervane. Refreshments will be provided: $5 Donation; Members Free.
On Saturday, August 1 at 2:00 pm, join Seth Mendell for a Walking Tour of the Waterfront. Learn more about the little town that built the whalers for Nantucket and New Bedford. Meet at the Mattapoisett Historical Society at 5 Church Street. Walking Tour is free with admission: $5 Adults, $2 Children (6-12), and free for members.
For more information, please visit www.mattapoisetthistoricalsociety.org or call 508-758-2844.
Academic Achievements
The following Tri-Town residents were among more than 1,123 students from Roger Williams University to receive their degrees as part of the Class of 2015:
– James Dorothy of Mattapoisett graduated with Master of Science in Construction Management
– Hannah Dupont of Rochester graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Media Communication
Noelle Johnson of Rochester received a Master of Education from American International College (AIC) in Springfield, MA. AIC awarded 550 undergraduate and graduate degrees at its 2015 commencement ceremony. More than 200 undergraduate and nearly 330 graduate degrees were awarded to students representing sixteen states and six countries.
Swimming
The anticipation of getting into the water at a beach began last February. Those long, dark, cold days and weeks of recuperation both for myself and for the land were a torture for the soul eased only by the image of swimming in July.
It wasn’t a sure thing. After all, at my age, an injury can be life changing. Thankfully, mine was not. Oh sure, months later that knee which found itself smashed and swollen for what seemed like endless weeks of hell still reminds me, “spring chicken you are not.” Being vertical is no longer taken for granted and achieved at times with those shooting, painful reminders from the knee. Swimming, the very thought of doing so, sends limitations back where they belong – mind over matter, onward and upward I go.
And so with the outside temperatures finally reaching a point where water evaporating on the skin isn’t painful, where Mattapoisett Harbor’s temperature is reasonable enough for one to plunge in, albeit decked out in a wetsuit, I did just that – carefully just beyond where the toddlers and their attentive mothers splash in the chilly surf. The first swim of the season was a victory of sorts for this ol’ gal.
Advancing into the post-Fourth of July day by way of the salt water until that thin sheen of moisture lined the interior of the suit warming my torso, oh the joy of floating and then testing the knee, testing the hip, testing the shoulders and finding all in fair working order for a little swim, I allowed myself to enjoy heaven on earth.
Looking out towards the mooring field at eye level with the painted water lines of boats vacated by a work day, I bobbed about with them in unison not unlike assembled church-goers on a Sunday morning, quietly absorbing the silence of reverential contemplation and noting the light as it sparkled and changed, dancing across the water’s surface. I was in the water and it was grand.
In the far distance from my vantage point, the marina launch moved a few people from watercraft to floating dock, their voices carried across the blue-black expanse as an inaudible chant reminding me I shared the day with others of my kind, so lost had I become to my thoughts, they returned me to myself.
Newly minted raft jumpers were practicing their ability to dive head first off the platform while the guards ensured their safety in doing so, themselves so young, so full to the brim with self-confidence. I swam closer, placing myself mid-way between toddlers testing their miniature feet’s balancing on wet beach sand and latency aged youth so I could just hear the two age levels and felt myself to be ancient by contrast. “But you are here and this is good,” I told myself as encouragement and consolation.
The day before, my friend had visited, proving once again her strength of character and will to live in spite of cancer and the cure’s aftermath. There is no cure, but the purchase of precious time has been bought as her skin and eyes testify while that twinkle of mischief remains intact to delight the observer in me. I love her and will not allow myself to miss her – not now. There will be time for that, but not today.
Pushing that thought out instead, I think of her laughter the day I brought a cake to her house for a party, it must have been 1973. Thinking myself so clever, I had frosted a smiley face on the surface in orange icing on a yellow background. Silly now, but rather en vogue at the time, her laughter peeled upon my presentation of the dessert. I hear it still.
I paddle right then left, towards the raft and back towards the shore. The knee is sending a small but insistent message, “we’ll be heading out of the water shortly so best enjoy this moment.” I am. I am happy to find myself in high tide’s ebbing, frog paddling around and being rewarded by the effort. I’m happy about my life, the things I do, my loved ones, friends and family. I am content at this moment in the water swimming, more simply because I can than the fact that I am.
When I came over the finish line at the 4th of July Road Race, falling into my husband’s waiting arms, thrilled to have completed the course once again I thought, “I did it for you.” Of course, I did it for myself to prove to myself I could. Yet, throughout the hour and sixteen minutes, I walked as fast as I possibly could through the village streets and I thought of her.
We’ll always walk together as we did in my garden the following day supporting her weight against my shoulder. And today, I took her swimming with me. The people we love stay with us always – don’t they?
By Marilou Newell
Marion Natural History Museum’s Coastal Explorations
The Marion Natural History Museum’s Coastal Explorations group wishes to thank wildlife tracker Jennifer Carlino for showing us a little about different types of wildlife sign. Burrows, tracks, pellets, and scat were all inspected to determine what types of wildlife use Washburn park as their habitat. Photo courtesy Elizabeth Leidhold
Rochester Solar Farm Scope Reduced by Half
Residents living near the proposed solar farm slated for the center of Rochester were surprised to hear July 20 that the developer has scaled down the size of the project by 50 percent – from a 10-acre solar farm to a 5-acre one.
The Rochester Board of Selectmen, although not a party to the permitting process for the project, was included in the conversation as a courtesy, said NextSun Energy Project Manager Amelia Tracy, after the community responded with concerns over screening. Concerns focused on the selective cutting of older, taller trees along the initially proposed 20-foot buffer around the site to be clear-cut to make way for solar arrays.
“We decreased the size of the project in an effort to screen it out more,” said Tracy. “We had a completely different-shaped project before.” She called this latest plan a “less impactful project.”
Tracy said the project was scaled down in size to provide for a wider buffer of 80 feet along the perimeter instead of the 20 feet. The developer also proposes placing a conservation restriction for the 25-year duration of the project on a portion of the property NextSun is purchasing, the old Gibbs dairy farm between Dexter Lane and New Bedford Road.
“I know there’s been a lot of buzz about [the project],” said Tracy. For this reason, the company provided an early rendering of the view of the solar farm from the abutting historic cemetery. Low-lying vegetation would be left alone and only the selective cutting of trees that would cast a shade on the panels would be carried out. Additional trees and shrubs for further screening would be added.
“Our project, as we see it, is going to be completely screened from New Bedford Road,” said Tracy. She said only one 20-foot wide access road would be visible from the road, with no view of the solar arrays. From the cemetery, said NextSun Energy President Jacob Laskin, a faint line of the solar arrays would be visible.
Abutter to the project, Matthew Monteiro, said, “So if I am standing in the historic district, I can see the solar panels.” Tracy reminded Monteiro that the company has yet to file any applications with the Town. According to Laskin, NextSun attempted to file with the Planning Board without success, but will again file in the near future for a site plan review.
“We do feel it’s a good use [of the land],” said Tracy. “We do feel we would be a good neighbor.” For example, she said, the project would contribute to the town’s tax base without drawing on municipal services.
Resident, former town moderator, and former candidate for selectman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley asked what the value of the project would be, which NextSun representatives said would be about $1.75 million. Hartley urged selectmen and abutters to consider, as opposed to a strip mall moving in, there would be no nighttime light pollution or noise.
“This is a passive neighbor once it’s done,” said Hartley. “I’d just hate to see us shut it out…”
But it is the neighbors who would experience the most impact, said Town Counsel Blair Bailey. “They’re going to want to know if you can or cannot see it from a public way. From a neighbor’s standpoint, that’s going to come up with the Planning Board.”
Also during the meeting, selectmen and Bailey discussed their strategy to get Melinda and Liberal Teixeira of 386 North Avenue to comply with the board’s August 2014 orders to either build a proper shelter for their kennel dogs or cease the kennel’s operation.
According to Bailey, the Teixeiras appealed the board’s decision in District Court and then did not appear at the hearing, thus subjecting themselves to the order to comply by default. Since then, the animal control officer has issued a number of violation tickets, and selectmen urged the ACO to continue to issue fines of $50 and $100 per violation every day. The police chief has also filed criminal charges against the couple. The Teixeiras are now operating a kennel without a permit.
“Hopefully we end up in court this week with some sort of court order,” Bailey said. “That’s (the tickets and the criminal complaint) literally the only teeth we have.” He said, frankly, he hopes to move forward with the criminal complaint.
“Then it becomes a warrant and that is a serious thing,” said Bailey.
According to Bailey, the Teixeiras have approached the police chief with concern about the tickets.
“Hopefully we’ve gotten their attention,” said Bailey. “But I don’t want to give anybody any false hope,” Bailey said to neighbors of the Teixeiras present in the room. “We’re doing what we can to ramp up the pressure.” He then suggested neighbors contact the ACO when they observe the Teixeiras at home so the ACO can appear to inspect the premises. Bailey said the ACO has not had luck finding anyone at home, and, without a warrant, the ACO is unable to enter the property to inspect.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard Nunes asked if anything had changed at all on the property since the Teixeiras’ initial appeal.
“No,” said Bailey. “The ACO actually said, from the time that she went out in that 14 days … she actually counted more dogs [than counted in the past.]” He said he would like to see the Teixeiras ticketed every day. “It’s a nuisance and it’s also a violation of the Town bylaws. It’s a fine and it’s enforceable in District Court, and, ultimately, Superior Court.”
“We’re hitting it at as many angles as we can,” said Selectman Naida Parker.
In other matters, Rochester’s water commissioners attended to update selectmen on the status of the renewal of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s 20-year Water Management Act Permit, which regulates the quantity of water towns and districts can withdraw from waterways and water sources.
Water commissioner Fred Underhill said the DEP would reduce the amount of water Rochester and other surrounding towns could draw, which, he said, would be a problem.
“Our 50 percent would be reduced,” said Underhill. “The 200 plus Rochester water residents will see an increase in cost, and probably a reduction in what they’ll be able to use.”
Underhill said he would keep the board updated as the process unfolds.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for August 10 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
Henry R. Briggs
Henry R. Briggs, 76, of Marion died July 26, 2015 at the Oaks Nursing Home after a long illness.
He was the husband of the late Margaret (Russell) Briggs.
Born in Marion, the son of the late Edwin L. and Marilda (Willett) Briggs, he lived in Marion all of his life.
Mr. Briggs was formerly employed as a heavy equipment operator with several local construction companies for many years.
He served in the U.S. Army.
Mr. Briggs enjoyed Marion harbor, shell fishing and the company of his friends.
Survivors include his brother, Raymond M. Briggs and his wife Kathleen of Mattapoisett; several in-laws, Beatrice Briggs, George and Mary Lou Blair, James and Ella Russell and Jack Russell; and several nieces, nephews and Godchildren.
He was the brother of the late Shirley Briggs Guess and Edwin L. Briggs, Jr.
His Funeral Service will be held on Thursday at 10 AM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6) Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in the North Marion Cemetery. Visiting Hours Wednesday from 4-8 PM. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 101A First Ave., Waltham, MA 02451. For directions and guestbook, please www.saundersdwyer.com.
National Night Out 2015
On Tuesday, August 4, the Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester Police Departments will celebrate the annual National Night Out Against Crime. The event will take place on the grounds of the Old Rochester Regional High School from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. We will be joined by the Tri-Town Fire and EMS departments, the Marion Harbormaster Department and Marion Recreation Department. The Southeastern Law Enforcement Council (S.E.M.L.E.C.) will have representation from their Search and Rescue and SWAT divisions.
National Night Out is a crime and drug prevention event that is designed to encourage camaraderie between citizens and local first responders. This event is designed to produce an opportunity for local residents and law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies to come together and strengthen the relationships with each other.
Admission is free. There will be free face painting by Handi Mandi Face Painting and an inflatable moonwalk for the children. Limited food and beverages are being provided by local vendors in collaboration with the hosting departments. Special thanks go to other sponsors of this year’s event: Tedeschi Food Mart, On the Go, Perry’s Ice Cream, and First Citizens Federal Credit Union.
This year there will also be a raffle for a pair of Boston Red Sox tickets being donated by Disaster Specialists.
Thank You for Your Support
The Friends of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging thanks everyone who joined us last Sunday at Harbor Days. The FMCoA is the fundraising arm of the Council. The sales help support the free luncheons that are given three times a year to about 100 seniors. We also provide free, first-run movies each month. In addition, we supply the senior center with coffee, tea, and cocoa, as well as support activities such as bingo, scrabble, mah-jongg, crafts, and knitting.
We’re in the midst of our mid-year recruiting campaign. Come sign up online. You can get an application online at http://www.mattapoisett.net/Pages/MattapoisettMA_COA/FOEApplication.pdf or at the Senior Center. We welcome your support and assistance in accomplishing our mission. You are invited to come to our business meeting at the Senior Center at 3:00 pm on the first Monday of each month. Consider volunteering and becoming a Friend.
Smart about Star Wars
While many were out in Mattapoisett enjoying Harbor Days on Saturday, July 17, about a dozen or so young Star Wars fans gathered in a galaxy far, far away – Rochester, at the First Congregational Church, actually – for a chance to discuss all things Star Wars with each other and Star Wars expert Peter Struzziero.
Struzziero, a librarian in Belmont, has hosted just about 200 Star Wars symposiums for children and their families over the past five years, schooling them on the Force, the characters, the plotlines of the films, among other things about which non-Star Wars fanatics are clueless. (That includes me).
There was no hesitation from the group during a few trivia games Struzziero played with the lively and knowledgeable bunch. When it came to naming the characters and answering obscure questions, these kids’ arms shot up like lightsabers to answer the question first.
“Wow, these kids are good, man!” exclaimed Plumb Library Assistant for Children’s Services Lisa Fuller, keeping score while wearing her blue Star Wars tank top. The game seemed to turn into a game of “Stump Ryan Farias” of Mattapoisett, who won first place in the trivia contest. This kid knew everything.
The kids enjoyed some spoof Star Wars videos, like “Jedi Kitten with the Force,” and a dog-lover and Lego version of the movies, as well. The kids and Struzziero also brought in tablesful of memorabilia and Star Wars collectibles for a show and tell of sorts.
The kids posed for some photos with the life-size ewok, and then whipped out their lightsabers and chased each other around, pretending to fight and losing themselves in their imaginations.
“These symposiums are a way that I stay involved with children’s programming,” said Struzziero. He said, in addition to the six movies, there are over 6,000 Star Wars books ranging from beginner level to adult novels. “Sometimes the smaller crowds are better,” like the one in Rochester that morning, said Struzziero. “You never know how many may show up.” It could be 12, said Struzziero, or it could be 100.
“I’m just a nerd,” said Struzziero. “And I love Star Wars.” And that’s good enough for these like-minded young Jedis.
By Jean Perry
