SHS Presents: Historical What If’s

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What determines history? Is it the natural result of leaders’ decisions and longer demographic, social and economic trends? World events could have turned out very differently than they did. What would have happened if the UK had signed an armistice with Hitler in the spring of 1940? What if the United States had decided not to intervene in the World Wars? What if the Ming Dynasty had not decided to turn inward in the 1420s? What if the Greeks had been conquered by the Persians in 480 BC? In the words of the immortal Hugh Trevor Roper, “History is not merely what happened; it is what happened in the context of what might have happened.”

On Thursday, July 16 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall, Dr. Kirtland Mead will outline the key ‘what if’s’ of Western history (many more likely at the time than what actually happened), and speculate about how our world would be different if they had occurred. He will also identify that short list of leaders who stood at key inflection points of history and really did determine important outcomes. Dr. Mead is an international management consultant, researcher and executive educator, who has lectured before for the Sippican Historical Society and Elizabeth Taber Library on a variety of international historical topics.

The presentation, which is sponsored by the Sippican Historical Society, is offered free of charge, though donations are gratefully accepted. No reservations are necessary. The Marion Music Hall is located at 164 Front Street. Ample parking is available across the street at Island Wharf. For more information, please call the SHS at 508-748-1116.

MassDOT Requests More Acushnet Road Data

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Highway Surveyor Barry Denham met with the Mattapoisett Planning Board during its July 6 meeting to request approval of plans for the rebuilding of the Acushnet Road culvert. The project has been inching its way through time-consuming processes required by several state agencies. With the acceptance of the town’s plans that have been executed by Ken Motta of Field Engineering, the Planning Board was the last of local boards from which Denham needed approval.

Denham said, “The goal is to keep the site much as it is now…” in terms of the appearance of this scenic way and historic location.

Denham also told the board that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has requested additional stream flow data, but didn’t indicate that this request would hinder the forward movement of the plans through the levels of state review where it currently sits.

Also meeting with the board for an informal discussion was David McIntire regarding 32 house lots inside the Bay Club subdivision. He said, “I didn’t want to move forward, spend money if there were stumbling blocks,” as he explained changes he wishes to make to the plans.

Presently, the neighborhood in question is planned as a street containing 32 single-family house lots. Now, with the recent changes to zoning bylaws, he proposed changing those plans to 16 zero lot line condominium duplex structures. McIntire put to rest concerns that the proposed condominiums would be timeshares or rental units. He said the homeowner’s association covenants that regulate ownership inside the Bay Club do not allow rental units.

The board members saw nothing objectionable about the proposed changes to the type of housing units McIntire wishes to build.

The Mattapoisett Congregational Church, represented by Engineer Doug Schneider, presented a Form A request to section land held by them for a deeded parking space. The area is currently part of a deed for 20 Barstow Street, a property the church owns, but has historically been used by the church for parking. The change would allow the parking area to become permanently part of the church property versus part of the residential lot. The board approved the request.

The board also voted to allow the last lot held in Phase I of the Brandt Island subdivision to be released for sale. It moved that proceeds be held in escrow so that the funds could be used to make improvements and complete the construction of the Phase I roadway.

The condition of the roadway and possible irregularities in the handling of drainage systems in this subdivision have long been bones of contention between town boards and various developers over the years. Town counsel will advise the board on how the funds will be held.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for July 20 at 7:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

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Friends of the Mattapoisett Library Annual Meeting

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All are invited to the Friends of the Mattapoisett Library’s annual meeting to be held on July 21 at 6:30 pm at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, 7 Barstow Street.

After a brief business meeting, special guest Cheryl Hatch, independent journalist, photographer and professor, will present “Let This Ebola End” about her recent trip to Liberia, where she documented the humanitarian efforts by Liberians and members of the U.S. military during the Ebola outbreak, for which she received a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Her articles have been published in VICE News, Foreign Policy, San Francisco Chronicle and the LA Review of Books. Hatch has worked also worked in Somalia, Iraq, Eritrea, and Afghanistan, reporting on war and its effects on soldiers, their families, and those in the crossfire. Her photographs have been exhibited at the Smithsonian, the Sony Gallery in Cairo, Egypt and at the Leica Gallery in Solms, Germany. Her work has also been published in newspapers and magazines, including Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, and Paris Match.

Come for an enlightening talk and to hear about the benefits of Friends’ membership and what the Friends have been up to this past year.

Marion Turtle Garden Already a Success

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While we were busy with the daily routines of our lives on June 11, something was happening on a nearby beach in Marion that has happened for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. On this morning, the first female endangered diamondback terrapin returned to the site of her own birth, now the newly restored turtle habitat on the beach of the Cove, to dig three “test nests” before leaving behind her precious eggs.

The yearly return of the diamondback terrapin is a time to celebrate for Don Lewis, AKA “The Turtle Guy” and his wife, Sue Wieber Nourse. And this year, there is even more reason to celebrate. The restoration of a small patch of sand that residents of Jenney Lane and the surrounding area have come together to create is now the cradle to a number of nests of terrapin eggs. These precious eggs will be protected until they hatch to ensure the ongoing survival of the terrapin in Marion.

“When we began our work in Sippican Harbor and Hammetts Cove, diamondback terrapins were on the brink of extirpation,” wrote Lewis in an email update of the project. The turtle population consisted only of aging adults with no juveniles or “recruits.” Terrapins are not migratory, which means, said Lewis, that once the estuary loses its population, “it is largely gone forever.” The main reason for the decline in the terrapin population in Massachusetts has been the loss of habitat as humans develop the coastline.

Lewis and “Team Turtle” were hoping to alter the fate of the terrapins before “forever” came to Hammetts Cove. They were hoping the new “turtle garden” would turn things around for the terrapins. Now, there is reason to hope.

On June 13, two terrapins came to the new turtle garden to explore the terrain and dig test nests before crawling back to the sea to wait for the right moment to return. Lewis and Nourse have taken turns “babysitting” the turtles as the terrapins test the new turtle garden. On June 17, the couple reported that they had their very first natural nest deposited in “Turtle Beach,” as the residents now affectionately call it.

When terrapins choose other nesting areas just outside the turtle garden, Lewis and Nourse transplant them into the sanctuary of the turtle garden, which will leave an impression on the newly hatched terrapins so they in the future will lay their eggs in the same safe location.

On June 30, Lewis and Nourse were even more excited to find a young turtle “lady” they had previously documented in April at Sippican Harbor’s main mating aggregation for terrapins, at Head of Harbor north of Burr Brothers.

“We had never before documented a turtle from Head of Harbor nesting at the Cove, which indicates that the Cove serves a larger population of Marion’s diamondback terrapin population than we had known,” said Lewis. “Of course, that makes the turtle garden even more important as critical nesting habitat for threatened diamondback terrapins in Buzzards Bay!”

As of July 7, Turtle Beach now hosts seven diamondback terrapin nests, five of which were laid naturally without prompting or “imprinting” by humans.

“The ladies are seeing the turtle garden from the creek,” said Lewis on July 6 during a phone interview. “It was put in the exact right location, which means it will be self-perpetuating. Which means that when I’m long dead and nobody remembers why the sand pit was put there, they’ll continue to go on.…”

The nesting sites are secured with a “predator excluder,” a small cage-like structure to keep the eggs and the hatchlings safe until Lewis and Nourse and Team Turtle can transport the baby terrapins safely to the sea.

The nesting period should end in about a week or so, and the eggs will incubate in the sand beneath the warm sun until about late August until early October.

Lewis and Nourse have been jointly following the diamondback terrapins in Buzzards Bay since the 1990s, some of which they have tracked for as long at 35 years.

Lewis says, if you see a diamondback terrapin or Eastern box turtle, do not hesitate to call them at 508-274-5108.

By Jean Perry

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Town Seeks Counsel on Proposed Solar Farm

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The Rochester Board of Selectmen during a July 6 meeting commiserated with a dozen residents over their fears of a 10-acre solar farm slated for the town center’s historic district.

“As a member of the Board of Selectmen, you have an opinion,” said Selectmen Chairman Richard Nunes. “My opinion is it’s a bad location…. Why that site? Where could you have put it in a more worse location?”

Nunes told residents the board is seeking assistance from town counsel, and they may consider a special town counsel to assist the Rochester Historical District Commission, Planning Board, and other concerned boards if needed throughout the permitting process for the project.

“That’s already in the works,” Town Administrator Michael McCue stated. “I don’t want to say ‘a slippery slope,’ but there’s things we need to do as a town … to make sure everything is done within the confines of the law.”

Former chairman of the Historical District Commission, Debra Ladd, voiced her support for the development of solar energy facilities in Rochester and in general, but not in the heart of the town’s historic district.

“It’s a very precious district. It’s been there for many hundreds of years and we’ve taken great pains [to protect it]. There are a lot of other places that probably could be chosen that are better,” said Ladd, adding that the purpose of establishing a historic district is to protect the characteristic, history, and nature of the district. “Certainly these panels would not do that. They would do nothing to enhance the historic district at all.”

The solar farm would require the clear-cutting of 10 acres of wooded land at the site of the old Gibbs dairy farm between New Bedford Road and Dexter Lane, abutting several residences and the historic cemetery.

Current Historical District Commission member Laurie Vincent was concerned that developer NextSun Energy’s plans have changed several times since the company first approached the commission back in January. According to Vincent, the developer’s plans once showed a 60-foot wooded buffer zone surrounding the solar arrays, but now the plan reflects only a 20-foot buffer. She also opposed the latest plan to cut down trees within that buffer zone that exceed 20 feet in height to prevent shadowing on the arrays.

“There is no solar array anywhere in the State of Massachusetts in a historic district,” said Vincent. She said she hopes this will serve as a precedent for the town to prevent such a solar farm from being built within their historic district.

Abutter to the proposed project, Matthew Monteiro, whom the selectmen had earlier approved for appointment to the Historical District Commission, said he had a few major concerns, including, “It’s very close to the wetlands…. It’s going to change the drainage and affect the wetlands.” Monteiro also brought up declining property values.

“We’re not saying you can’t put a solar farm in Rochester,” said Ladd. “We’re just saying, be a little bit more careful of where you choose to put it.”

Selectman Brad Morse, seeing that most of the concerns were outside the purview of the Board of Selectmen, suggested to residents that they allow the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission to oversee the process and address residents’ concerns.

Town Meeting members had recently passed a zoning bylaw amendment allowing for mixed-use within the limited commercial district zone in the center of town, with the intent of permitting development of shops and offices or apartments, mentioned Nunes.

“Like a village effect, where people can live and purchase things from stores,” said Nunes. “And I don’t really see how a solar farm in an area where you’re trying to develop a village district is going to encourage something that you just passed. And yet, right next door you have a solar farm.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” replied Selectman Naida Parker. Parker upheld the town’s support for solar, but stressed that location is key. She said the town should look toward the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the local Historical District Commission as the “biggest gun or stick” in the fight to protect the historical town center from the development of a solar farm.

Parker said that although in the past she has not always agreed with the commission, “This is one of those times when I firmly support the Historical District [Commission’s] preservation of the center.”

Nunes continued with his opposition to the location of the proposed solar farm.

“You’re basically taking ten acres of property that is connected to the downtown area,” said Nunes, “in a place where you just zoned for mixed-use … and you’re making it absolutely non-usable to the public.” Even if they put up a berm for screening, said Nunes, “Is that the answer? Simply hiding it?”

McCue told residents he would keep in contact with them as the process unfolds and alert them of upcoming board and commission meetings pertaining to the solar farm.

Also during the meeting, the board approved a contract with Comcast, but after a brief discussion continued from the last selectmen’s’ meeting, they board decided not to pursue the installation of a live feed hub at the police station.

Nunes had long advocated for making a deal with Comcast to pay for half of the $16,000 it would cost to install the hub, but Morse and Parker agreed that the service was not worth the cost to the taxpayers and the cable consumers.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for July 20 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

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St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

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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 July 12, The Rev. Alexander S. Daley, Retired Rector, St. Paul’s Church, North Andover, MA will officiate. All are welcome to attend.

Mattapoisett Road Race

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July 4th celebrations in Mattapoisett began with the successful 45th annual Road Race! The cloudy, cool weather aided the approximately 1200 runners – ages 8 years to 81 years – who journeyed to Shipyard Park from all over New England and beyond to compete.

Congratulations to Jay McMahon of Swansea, the overall winner, with a time of 26:21 and to Megan O’Brien of Chicago, first female runner, with a time of 30:19. Jay and Megan both repeated their wins from last year! Daniel Appleton was the first Mattapoisett resident to finish with a time of 30:26. Complete results can be found on racewire.com.

Runners were treated to an enthusiastic display of spectator spirit throughout the five-mile run. This year’s “most spirited site” is awarded to the Schlitzer family on North Street for their varied decorations and music. Once again the Harpoon Harmonizers energized the crowd at the Park prior to the race.

The Race Committee, chaired by Bill Tilden, would like to express a special thank you to the community, to the many generous sponsors and to the over 100 volunteers who helped make this day so successful.

Rochester a Sunny Spot for Solar

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Another solar energy production facility is on track now for Rochester, making its first appearance before the Rochester Conservation Commission on July 7 for approval of the wetlands line.

A private solar farm, property owners Lynn and Gerald Poineau of 410 Neck Road propose the installation of two 44-foot by 12-foot ground mounted solar arrays on their property within the 100-foot buffer zone to a bordering vegetated wetland.

The 1,056 square-foot solar project is being developed under the management of Direct Energy Solar, and representative Michael Whalen, without copies of the spec sheet or site plan that evening, secured a negative determination, giving the project the go ahead without the requirement of a Notice of Intent application.

But not so fast – Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon said she visited the site and found everything looking in order, but noted the presence of salamanders and a considerable amount of salamander larvae at the site. She also saw what she thought was likely a vernal pool. Farinon had to contact the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program to identify the salamander species in case it was endangered and is awaiting a reply.

Some members of the commission had questions, such as why the site couldn’t be moved further away from the wetlands and away from the buffer zone.

“At a certain point, we sacrifice our quality due to shading,” said Whalen, pointing out that an existing garage lies at the site which could inhibit sunlight if the arrays were moved toward it.

“It’s outside the 25-foot no touch zone,” said Chairman Rosemary Smith. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to make any more disturbance than what’s already been done there.”

The commission issued the negative determination with the stipulation that Farinon be notified two weeks before work begins.

Also during the meeting, the Lalli brothers, facing an Enforcement Order for unpermitted activities within wetlands, did not have what the commission requested from the last meeting, but their attorney, Andrea McKnight, gave a number of excuses as to why the Lallis have yet to produce a name of a botanist to survey the wetlands in question at the High Street property.

McKnight said Travis and Dustin Lalli contacted eight of the botanists from a list given to them by Farinon, but one of them declined, one’s quote was too expensive, and five others promised quotes for later next week. Another, said McKnight, wanted to speak to Farinon before issuing the men a quote. McKnight also said Farinon being away on vacation, along with the 4th of July weekend, slowed the process down for the Lallis.

“I did touch base with that office [today],” said Farinon. “All they wanted was a copy of the Enforcement Order.” Farinon continued, “I said, did you ask the property owner for that, and she said they were told they didn’t have it.”

So that had nothing to do with it, said Farinon. She said the Lallis had plenty of copies of the Enforcement Order to provide to the botanist.

McKnight branded it a miscommunication, saying if that was all the botanist needed, she could have emailed it or faxed it to them.

Commission member Michael Conway was unconvinced.

“What seems to be going on here is another delay tactic,” said Conway. Conway said the commission still needed a date for when a botanist would issue ConCom a report. “Otherwise, we have to push the Enforcement Order.”

McKnight told the commission, “We’re not dragging our feet; we have eight different names … I assure you this is not a delay tactic. It’s Fourth of July weekend. A lot of people go on vacation.”

ConCom member Kevin Cassidy sternly told McKnight that the commission could not keep extending the time frame for the Lallis to hire a botanist.

“I think it’s time we put our foot down and say you have to have it by then, and if we don’t, we’re going to contact the DEP.”

But unfortunately, as Town Counsel Blair Bailey pointed out, whether the commission goes to the DEP or whether it orders Bailey to proceed with legal action in Superior Court, “it’s not a heck of a lot faster than getting done what you want to get done.” And that is, waiting for the Lallis to produce a name. Bailey suggested issuing a “drop dead date” as a deadline for the Lallis to hire a botanist.

“Your patience is thin, mine is … everybody who’s been involved,” said Bailey. “But if you can make steps to get down to that final determination, it makes sense to me to get to it that way…”

The commission decided on a drop dead date of August 18 for a botanist to generate a report. Smith asked McKnight if that date was agreeable or realistic for her and her clients.

“I am optimistic that one of those [botanists] will be able to get us a report by then,” said McKnight. “Can I swear it on my first-born child? No.” Because, who knows? The botanist could die the day before issuing the report. A couple pairs of eyes rolled from the conference room table.

The commission voted in favor of allowing the Lallis to move forward with pushing the earth they moved to dig a trench back into the trench within one week, and allowed the matter to be continued until the September 1 meeting with the stipulation that McKnight provide the commission with biweekly updates to discuss during the meetings leading up to September.

“We’re going to push forward with this,” warned Conway. “We’re not going to let this slide.”

The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for July 21 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

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How Did This Happen?

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To the Editor:

How did this happen??!!

More than 100 years ago, a handful of Townspeople gathered and constructed the present-day Acushnet Road culvert at Tinkham Pond. It’s been suggested that this group of hard working residents might have constructed the culvert over a long weekend. Since construction, animal and motor vehicle traffic has moved across the culvert unimpeded, water has flowed freely through the culvert, fish have swam and spawned in the pond, and vegetation in the area has flourished. This undertaking is another example of a job well done by those who came before us.

The north end of Acushnet Road is a very quiet, scenic, back country road and I suspect that many in Town have never driven over the culvert and many may not know where it is. This past October, the culvert was deemed to be “unsafe” and while the Massachusetts Department of Transportation did not condemn the culvert, they did recommend that it be closed to vehicle traffic for safety concerns. For reasons I’m not sure of, no attempt was made to temporarily repair or shore up the culvert to extend its useful life or to keep it open until a more permanent solution to the problems was identified and implemented. The culvert itself is roughly 25-feet by 20-feet, smaller than some rooms in some of the buildings around Town. We’re told that the permanent fix is still four months away – and perhaps longer if we get hit with an early winter. We have learned that the project is estimated to cost at least $600,000 – perhaps $700,000 by the time all is said and done. I’m sure that everyone will agree that this is excessive – and please remain mindful that these monies will need to come from our collective pockets –and as far as I know we don’t even get to vote on this costly project! We are fortunate that this Town has a pool of very talented and capable designers, engineers and construction professionals and that we are a community known for being good stewards of our waterways and natural surroundings– not unlike the group of Town’s people that built the culvert 100 plus years ago. We have within our community the expertise and energy to fix the culvert. So why after nine months isn’t this project behind us?

What’s different now is government overreach – as a public project, the reconstruction of the Acushnet Road culvert requires the review, comment and signoff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Fish and Game, Mass Department of Transportation, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, Mass Department of Environmental Protection, the Mass Historical Commission, along with review and signoff from at least four Mattapoisett Boards and Commissions. (I’m sure I’ve missed one or two entities – my apologies!) Every stop along the way results in another suggestion or requirement or recommendation or idea that must then be incorporated into the plan – a plan that now includes sidewalks, a widening of the road, the reconstruction of the road before and after the culvert, wetlands remediation and on and on – and this results in rising costs and a delay in the reopening of the culvert – the main objective that I think has been lost in the discussion. The project to reconstruct and reopen the culvert is no longer the focus of the “project” – the initial design and engineering was done months ago; the “project” has become the review (project add-ons), oversight and management of the approval process to begin construction! At a recent meeting, Selectmen board member Jordan Collyer, expressing frustration, made mention that the delay with this project wouldn’t happen in the private sector – and I agree with him. More often than not, we have private projects underway in this Town that are more detailed, larger in scope, more complex and more expensive than the Acushnet Road culvert project – and in most cases, with the approval of our local Boards and Commissions coupled with project reviews by qualified and skilled Town inspection employees, these private projects proceed in a timely, transparent fashion where the current market dictates the project cost. Without question this expanded public project process has more than doubled (maybe tripled!!) the cost for the culvert replacement – an extra $300,000 (or more) that I think would be better spent in our schools or perhaps could be used as a down payment to construct our much needed Fire Station.

How did this happen? We did it to ourselves – we have allowed all levels of “government” to add more and more regulations to an already burdened system – we, the citizens, haven’t pushed back hard enough and we haven’t asked the tough questions particularly as they relate to the intrinsic value of each and every regulation. Well intentioned regulations, perhaps– but together, the bucket of rules and regulations has pushed common sense aside along with financial accountability. All across this great nation, our infrastructure is falling apart (a National embarrassment) and every day the risk of another major disaster increases. We’re told by our public leaders that we, the taxpayers, haven’t provided enough funding to address the problem – I argue that it’s not a funding problem but an over spending, out of control management problem, a problem of overreach – let’s move the public officials from a management role to an advisory role and let’s allow private industry and the trade professionals to manage the revitalization of our infrastructure in a cost effective and timely manner. If we did this, we would be able to complete twice as many public projects with the same dollars now required for one project. We’re spending more money than we need to with no discernible return on our investment.

To borrow a line from a movie I viewed many years ago – I think it’s time to “open our windows and shout out I’M MAD – and I’m not going to take it any longer.” How about you?

Chuck McCullough

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.

Movie and TV Themes

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On Friday, July 10, the Marion Concert Band will open its Friday evening concert series with a program featuring music from movies and TV shows. The program, which includes soundtrack music from some major motion pictures, is as follows:

The Trombone King – K. L. King

Rhapsodic Celebration – R. Sheldon

The Sounds of Hollywood – J. Higgins

Jurassic Park Soundtrack Highlights – J. Williams

Theme from The Summer of ‘42 – M. Legrand

Star Trek Through the Years – J. Moss

Bond…James Bond – arr. S. Bulla

Prime Time Toon Revue – arr. T. Ricketts

Star Wars Medley – J. Williams

Batman Theme – N. Hefti

Hooray for Hollywood – arr. W. Barker

Bombasto – O. R. Farrar

The concert will be held at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand, Island Wharf off Front Street in Marion. The program, under the direction of Tobias Monte, will begin at 7:00 pm. All concerts are free and open to the public.