George A. Jennings

on

George A. Jennings, 87, of Marion, died peacefully on April 10th at St. Luke’s Hospital.

The son of Hollis & Ruth Jennings, he was born in Norton, MA on Dec. 6, 1928 and moved to North Falmouth in 1936. George attended Falmouth schools and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1946.

In 1954 he married his high school classmate, Josephine Chase of West Falmouth. They built their home in Marion where they happily spent their lives.   He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and later served in the Mass. Army National Guard.

George went to work for AT&T in 1951 and retired after 32 years with the company. He was a Sales Manager in the New Bedford and Boston area. While employed with AT&T George became a member of the Pioneers Club. In 1984, he participated in the “Olympic Torch Relay” sponsored by the club and drove the pace car in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

He was an avid boater/fisherman; always happy to be on the water. He became harbormaster in Marion where he worked from 1986 to 1999. The boat he used for his job received “number 4 decal” from the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He received it for “maintaining a ship-shape ship.”

George leaves 3 sisters, Priscilla “Tillie” Ruud, Gladys Allen, Edith Doyle and a brother, Bill Jennings; his nieces and nephews, Debra Palmer, Lori Aviles, Steven Doyle, Diane Popovich, Debra, Tina and Janice Jennings and Bruce Allen.

His funeral service will be Monday, April 18, 2016 at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, 124 Front St., Marion at 10 AM. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery, Marion. Relatives and friends may visit at Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Highway (Rt. 28), Wareham, on Sunday, April 17 from 2 – 5 PM.

For directions and on-line guestbook visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com

Funny Not Funny

on

Just before the winter break, my kid brought home a paper titled “The Gift of Words.” It was a way for each student to “gift” each other with the positive reasons why the other kids like you. It was written in about 20 handwritings, and the list of reasons took up the entire page.

“You are awesome. You are my best friend,” read the first line.

Aww, what a sweet idea, I thought.

“You are my most funniest and jolliest friend with so much to laugh about.”

Isn’t that nice?

“Diego is smart, funny, and awesome.” “You’re very kind, funny, and a great friend.”

My heart swelled a little. My boy is funny. We laugh all the time.

“You are really funny.” “Funny and over-all great.” “You are kind and very funny.”

Wow, Diego. I guess you’re funny.

“You are very kind and very funny.” “Funny and nice.” “Nice and funny.”

Hmm, Diego, they really must think you’re funny.

“You are very funny.”

Ok, he’s funny!

“You are funny and nice.”

Ick, my smile gets crooked.

“Funny…” “…funny…”

I get it, he’s funny, but is he really that funny? Does he tell lots of jokes that I am unaware of? Does he say funny things? Does he talk funny? Is he trying to be funny, or do the kids just find him funny because the kid has no filter, wears no mask, hides nothing, delights in the squeaking of sneakers on linoleum in the middle of class and the shadow his head makes when he eclipses the overhead projector light with his head, which elicits giggles from his classmates? I wondered. Is he really being funny consciously, or does he just make them laugh?

I admit. Telling me what you want for lunch by spelling out “Celeste pizza” with dominos and knocking them down when I walk in the room is funny. The way your head got trapped inside your shirt because you couldn’t find the neck hole and you walked in saying “I’m hiding” was cute and we both laughed. That morning you told me I had yellow teeth and a mustache, I did laugh out loud. But you weren’t trying to make me laugh. You are just cute. You are just … funny.

That word gift paper sent me into a little existential examination of my life. Is autism funny? Is it supposed to be funny? Can it be funny? Should it be funny?

Few things are truer than this: you’re screwed on this autism journey without a robust sense of humor. Just like my son who can see the beauty in the swirling of a toilet flushing and the Zen of a spinning ceiling fan, I can usually find the humor in most things.

Not all hilarity is instantly apparent, though. One minute, I might be in the throes of a nervous breakdown, but later I can usually find that laughable little detail, the hint of absurdity, or the mirthful madness of a manic moment. But is it really inherently ‘funny’?

Time has passed since we first boarded the Autism Express for a train ride we could never get off. Those first miles were rough before we learned to ride those rails with style and grace – and wit.

It was far from funny to find out my 1-year-old was autistic. Through the battles with health insurance, a grueling year-long residency in Canada, and the struggle to get my emaciated 3-year old to eat enough to grow out of his 18-month-old baby clothes, we were constantly struggling at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (I do recall desperately trying to get him to eat spaghetti – so desperate once that I sprinkled rainbow Jimmies on top to get him to eat it. That is actually kind of funny. What was funnier was the look he gave me and he still wouldn’t eat it).

Back then I was still in the I-need-to-cure-my-kid mode trying a number of different biological treatments and neither my wallet nor I was laughing and it would be months before I would discover the deliverance of the happy pill.

My “Intro to Autism is Funny 101” session came years ago when I attended an autism seminar by Dr. Barry Prizant, one of the best in the field.

Most attendees were professionals – speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and behavior specialists. There were some real-life case study videos of some adorable kids receiving sensory/behavior therapy. It was as if they were looking into the window of my own home. That boy up there on the screen was like my boy. My heart was broken watching it. Which is why when all the educators around me started laughing, I became confused.

I looked to Baby-daddy. My mouth opened to speak. My lip quivered. “Why are they laughing?” Meanwhile, the boy in the video resisted interaction, threw things, and made distressing noises. The people laughed. “It’s not funny,” I sobbed. “It’s not funny.”

What I didn’t understand yet was that these people were used to autism. They had seen it before and they laughed as if they had it all figured out. They found it cute. These people could speak the language of autism. I was still the grieving mother whose child would only look at her when he wanted to nurse or when she blew bubbles in the house for him. I couldn’t see the humor then. It wasn’t funny.

You know what else wasn’t funny? Fighting with schools. Even looking back today, I can’t find much to laugh at when it came to my child’s education. Well, except that one time when the pre-school paraprofessional came out after school and said to my non-verbal learning-to-talk son, “Diego, did you tell ya muthah you was {sic} countin’ yesterday?” (Yeah, she was gone the next day). I didn’t laugh then when it wasn’t so very funny, but I laugh about it now.

The day I made the decision to have the g-tube put in when my son was 5 years old wasn’t too funny, either. There’s nothing amusing about the medical term “failure to thrive” which I interpreted as “failure to mother.”

The two eighth-graders I recently saw walking behind my son on the way to school found Diego’s slanted skip-run rushing to school beneath the weight of an over-stuffed backpack and Chromebook slung across his shoulder funny. They amused themselves as they mocked him, thinking no one was watching. But I was. I didn’t laugh.

Most of the time it’s hard to tell where the autism ends and our life begins. Does autism make Diego funny or does he make autism funny? In the end, when Diego and I are happy and laughing, does it matter why? As long as we have plenty to laugh about, I guess we’re doing this autism thing right. I guess our senses of humor are doing what they are supposed to do.

When I pick him up from school today he will call me a spank-butt and we’ll laugh as he hits my behind. I’ll take a look at the daily digital photos taken of his school lunch – the ‘before’ photo of a steaming hot dog in a bun, the ‘after’ photo of the unrecognizable remains of a mutilated picked-apart bun that makes me chuckle. He’ll play “O Come All Ye Faithful” on the organ in April and I’ll giggle. Because autism’s funny like that.

Autism is no joke. But for us it’s a riot sometimes. (Like today when autism is a giant wall of stacked pepperoni Celeste pizzas coming down the check-out conveyor belt towards a Stop & Shop clerk who gives me a weird look and I have to laugh … and you’re free to join me).

By Jean Perry

 

Morse Re-Elected to Board of Selectmen

on

Selectman Brad Morse won the race for re-election to the Rochester Board of Selectmen on April 13, beating his opponent Michael Murphy, a former selectman and current member of the Planning Board.

“I’d like to thank the voters for supporting me for another term as a selectman,” said Morse Wednesday night. “As a whole, I’m happy with this election.”

Morse beat Murphy by 86 votes, gaining 246 to Murphy’s 160. There were two write-ins and six blank ballots, meaning a total of 416 registered voters turned out to the Rochester Senior Center for the Annual Town Election – about 11% of the town’s roughly 3,750 registered voters.

The Board of Selectmen race was the only one contested. All other candidates ran unopposed and the results are as follows:

  • Board of Assessors (one seat, three years) Diana Sherman Knapp 318
  • Highway Surveyor (one seat, three years) Jeffery Eldridge 330
  • Board of Health (one seat, three years) Glenn Lawrence 340
  • Cemetery Commission (one seat, three years) Lori Souza 329
  • Water Commission (one seat, three years) Richard Charon 313
  • Constable (two seats, three years) David Hughes 305; Lorne D. Estabrook 277
  • Park Commission (one seat, three years) David Hughes 315
  • Library Trustee (two seats, three years) Dennis Desrosiers 308; Winston Sharples 299
  • Planning Board (two seats, five years) Lee Carr 309; Gary Florindo 314
  • Rochester School Committee (one seat, three years) Sharon Hartley 296
  • ORR School Committee (one seat, two years) Cary Humphrey 307

By Jean Perry

Mattapoisett Friends Meeting

on

Mattapoisett Friends Meeting has now raised more than $187,000 towards its $245,000 goal for the restoration of its historic 1827 meetinghouse on Route 6. Work is expected to begin soon.

The total amount raised includes the town of Mattapoisett’s contribution of $82,000 from the Community Preservation Fund for which the Friends are grateful.

The next fundraising event is a Spring Sale planned from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm on Saturday, April 30. Donations from the public would be helpful, but electronics can not be accepted. For those who wish to take part in the sale for their own benefit, reservations for an indoor table ($20) or outdoor space ($10) can be made by calling Alan Harris at 508-748-0098.

The church’s Quaker Missions Stamp Project will be involved in another fundraiser in August. The Fall River Stamp Club has asked the project to assemble a 200-lot auction of stamps, covers and ephemera to be held on August 20 in conjunction with its summer show. Ninety percent of sales will go to the church, 10 percent to the club.

Please call Brad Hathaway at 508-758-3579 if you have donations for either event or if you have any questions.

Revisit Days

on

Last week, Tabor Academy welcomed future Seawolves to campus in three annual Revisit Days. These days are a chance for admitted students to return to campus or see it for the first time, and they help these students decide where they will spend the next four school years.

Unlike tours, Revisit Days offer students opportunities to fully experience life at Tabor. They sit in on classes, attend chapel, sit at panels, attend an activities fair, and meet teachers, students and coaches.

Anne Gardiner, chair of the History Department and the faculty member in charge of the chapel, notes that Revisit Days are part of the “second phase” of students selecting schools.

After receiving all of their acceptances, the eighth graders who visit Tabor are trying to discern which school is best for them.

“When you initially tour Tabor,” said Gardiner, “you hear someone describe our facilities and our programs and you are dependent upon your guide’s interpretation of what you are seeing.”

This is, of course, a good first step, but Revisit Days “allow you to embed yourself in the Tabor experience.” It helps prospective students decide if the community is right for them as they meet the kinds of students and the people they’d be living with at Tabor and experience the classes they’d be taking.

“Revisit Days show off our best Tabor,” said Conan Leary, a history and economics teacher. “It allows prospective students to see the community in full action.”

In the end, Leary said, it’s all about the Tabor students and how “helpful, sociable, and welcoming” they were to new students.

Lulu Ward, a senior and Head Tour Guide, agreed. She was on a panel about student life and said that sharing all her favorite parts of Tabor was “incredibly fun.”

Students were in charge of much of the day, as each visiting eighth grader was assigned a freshman or sophomore host. Head tour guides helped organize the day, show families around, and take groups from place to place. All captains or club leaders were present at the Activities Fair, helping students learn about the extracurricular activities that Tabor offers.

What is often not so apparent is how much Revisit Days does for current Tabor students and faculty. Revisit days are a way to “articulate who we are and why we love being together,” said Gardiner.

“We are undergoing cycles of change,” said Gardiner. “The current freshmen were new to Tabor months ago, and now they’re welcoming the future class in. You can already see how much they’ve grown in one year.”

As the seniors prepare to leave and prospective students decide if Tabor is right for them, the school continues the constant process of growth and change.

By Madeleine Gregory

 

Free Equipment Fun Day for Kids

on

Marion Recreation will once again offer Kids Equipment Fun Day on Saturday, May 7 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Washburn Park in Marion. Attendees will be able to take pictures, climb on, and sit in various trucks, tractors, and equipment. Fire trucks, ambulances, police cruisers, bulldozers and more will all be on hand to get an up-close look. Free cookout for all attendees and free hard hats distributed to all attendees 13 and under.

Archeological Dig Pauses Solar Project Progress

on

The Rochester Planning Board continued the public hearing for Renewable Energy LLC, developers of a large-scale solar farm slated for the historic center of Rochester, after the state ordered an archeological exploration of the property before approval of the project.

The Massachusetts Historic Commission, in a letter to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs dated March 1, requested an archeological study be performed at the site that it deems an archeologically-sensitive area rich in history and likely peppered with artifacts and unmarked graves.

According to the letter, the property – once the location of the town’s first meeting house and an ancient Native American trail – is recorded and interpreted as an ancient Native American village.

Before the site plan review and permitting process can continue, the project must clear the state’s archeological survey, and the applicant requested a continuance of the public hearing, which the Planning Board scheduled for April 26.

Speaking of solar farms in the historic district of Rochester Center, Planning Board member Ben Bailey proposed the board work on an amendment to the Limited Commercial District bylaw that would essentially restrict any future large-scale ground-mounted solar farms from the Limited Commercial District, which lies within the Historic District. Bailey said he would like to get started so the bylaw amendment could appear on the June 8 Annual Town Meeting warrant.

The proposed amendment could seek to limit the energy production output of any proposed solar energy production installations to 25,000 kilowatts for the district and eliminate ground-mounted solar arrays.

“I don’t think you’ll get anybody in town who would say no to that,” said Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson.

Bailey, after consulting with town counsel, said the bylaw would have to avoid any limitations that could be construed as prohibiting solar farms in the town.

Johnson cautioned the board during a brief legal discussion on the matter, saying it is best to fully vet ideas and concerns with town counsel to avoid any “knee-jerk” proposals within the bylaw amendment that would not be lawful in the end.

Also during the meeting, the board opened the public hearing for Meadowatt, LLC, owner of 188-190 Marion Road, and its application to build a large-scale solar farm at the site.

The project requires a number of applications, including a Special Permit, a Scenic Highway Special Permit, and a Groundwater Protection District Special Permit.

The board held off on the waiver list, preferring to wait until the next hearing so the board could have time to review a report sent to them that day by the town’s contracted engineer, Ken Motta.

Engineer Robert Bersin went over the most recent plan that evening before abutters had a chance to ask questions.

There will be minimal tree cutting involved, with a select couple of “pretty poor” and “mangled” trees to be felled near the road. An existing residential house will remain if the Zoning Board of Appeals allows. The entire site will be fenced in using a plastic resin-based “stonewall,” and a gravel access road from the street will circle the perimeter of the solar arrays.

Johnson said some specifics must be addressed moving forward, such as stormwater and decommissioning of the site. Johnson also stipulated that, for the groundwater district permit, the plan must note specifics such as organic fertilizers can only be used, and no sludge-based fertilizer is permitted, which can contain heavy metals.

The chairman also referenced two waivers on Bersin’s list – the requirement of a detailed landscaping plan drafted by a landscape architect and a detailed maintenance plan, which Johnson said the board already denied during the applicant’s initial pre-submission informal conference.

“I think we’ll just hold the whole [waiver list] instead of breaking it down tonight,” said Johnson.

After noting the need to reconsider the planting materials, Bailey suggested the board come up with a handout for applicants to recommend trees and shrubs and other vegetation that are more deer-resistant and preferable to the board, to which the other board members agreed.

Planning Board member Chris Silveira asked Bersin to find some locations where the proposed fence was already in use so he could see it in real life.

“And there’s a ton of spelling and grammar errors in here,” Johnson said, adding that if he didn’t bring it up his grandmother would haunt him from the grave. “I would like to see them cleaned up, please.”

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for April 26 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

 

Academic Achievements

on

Phillips Exeter Academy is delighted to share that the following Tri-Town student has achieved academic honors during the winter 2016 term. Ty A. Deery, grade 10, of Mattapoisett earned Honors for the winter 2016 term. To qualify for the honor roll, students must maintain an overall average of B, or a grade between 8.0-8.9 on an 11-point scale. High Honors are given for grades 9.0-9.9 (B+). Highest Honors are given for grades 10.0-11 (A‑).

Forrest Cote of Rochester was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Cote was initiated at Westfield State University.

Teams Await First Full Week of Games

on

Most teams continued practices or just started scrimmages this week; however, the boys’ lacrosse team had an official game against Natick on Saturday, which they lost 15-6. Things will really start to speed up next week when all other teams have had their debuts.

Baseball: To get their season started and work out the kinks, the Bulldogs played a scrimmage against Dartmouth High last Tuesday. Their season officially begins this week with an away game against Coyle-Cassidy on Monday and a home game against Bourne on Friday afternoon.

Softball: The Lady Bulldogs begin their season with a busy week: at home on Monday against Coyle-Cassidy, at home against non-conference Bishop Stang on Wednesday, and finally, a trip to Bourne to play the Lady Canalmen on Friday afternoon.

Boys’ Lacrosse: Lacrosse was the first ORR team to have an official game this spring, as they went up to Natick High for a game on Saturday afternoon. They fell to the tough non-conference competitor 15-6 to begin their season. The boys return home to face the Dartmouth Indians in another out-of-conference game on Wednesday.

Girls’ Lacrosse: The girls start off at non-conference Dartmouth High on Wednesday and will come back home to play another out-of-conference team, Bishop Stang, on Friday.

Boys’ Track: The boys will have their opening meet at home this week against Wareham on Thursday. A Monday meet against Case was canceled due to inclement weather; it was postponed to an undetermined date.

Girls’ Track: The girls open their season at home against Wareham on Thursday due to the postponement of their Monday meet against Case.

Boys’ Tennis: The boys had their first scrimmage at home against Tabor Academy on Saturday afternoon. This week, the Bulldogs officially begin their season at home versus Pope John Paul II on Wednesday.

Girls’ Tennis: The Lady Bulldogs kicked things off by scrimmaging Tabor Academy on the road on Saturday afternoon. The real matches start on Wednesday when the girls travel down the Cape to take on Pope John Paul II. They’ll be back at home to play non-conference Bishop Stang on Friday afternoon.

Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of April 3.

Baseball: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Softball: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Boys’ Track: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Girls’ Track: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Boys’ Sailing: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Girls’ Sailing: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (0-1-0)(0-0-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (0-0-0)(0-0-0); Girls’ Tennis: (0-0-0)(0-0-0).

By Patrick Briand

 

Mattapoisett FY17 Working Budget Reviewed

on

April 4 may have held weather surprises with falling snow and growling plows outside town hall, but inside everything was by the numbers. Town Administrator Michael Gagne was meeting with the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen to discuss and review the working fiscal year 2017 budget.

The budget’s bottom line stands at just slightly north of $24 million, a modest increase over FY16. Gagne said most departments were level-funded and that he anticipates getting the same state funds as last year, with municipal growth estimated at $150,000.

Gagne lauded the efforts of the Board of Health in securing an agreement with SEMASS that includes a clause allowing the town to receive a lower rate if another community secures a lower rate, like a “price guarantee,” he said. The present per-ton rate of $26 will more than double to $59 as of September 1, he noted.

Another trash-related increase expected to accrue to the town, $14,000, comes from several subdivisions receiving curbside trash collection based on covenant modifications written and approved by the Planning Board and Board of Health this year. The selectmen were in agreement that the subdivisions’ requests were acceptable.

Continuing on the theme of rubbish, Gagne said that for the first time in many years the town’s landfill receipts were ahead of the previous year.

The looming specter, “other post-employment benefits” known as OPEB, was then discussed.

Gagne said that he and Selectman Paul Silva had lobbied hard for OPEB funding during budget discussions with ORR School District committee, saying, “We fought to fund it, but it was not carried.” He said that the last time the school district was audited, the OPEB obligation was $13 million. Today it stands at $15 million.

He said that he approached the town’s investment advisor, Bartholomew & Associates, and discussed the possibility of establishing a trust for Mattapoisett’s portion of the ORR School District OPEB obligation.

“You can’t bury your head in the sand … you can’t do that in good conscience,” Gagne said. He also explained that he had reviewed the budget and recommended starting the new trust with $25,000. “I’ve worked the budget … it’s good financial planning.”

The town, on the other hand, has meanwhile been planning for its municipal OPEB expenses by allocating funds to a trust. The municipal obligation remaining to be funded is $6 million, down $4 million over the past six years, Gagne asserted. Due to savings from Medex 3, the town’s personnel health insurance plan, there is $60,000 in savings which, Gagne stated, will go into the OPEB fund.

Bartholomew & Associates also suggested setting up OPEB trusts for the Water and Sewer Enterprise funds.

Five thousand dollars will be earmarked for maintenance of town buildings, Gagne pointed out, and he also suggested setting aside a small reserve for fuel costs.

On a positive note, a small line item may have generous payback to the community as the Barnstable County Cooperative Extension program will assist in seeding the local waters with quahogs.

Gagne said he had had a good meeting with the group regarding restoration of shellfish beds and is organizing a partnership between volunteers from the town and the county.

“I think it’s going to be a great project,” he told the selectmen.

The cleanliness of the town’s sidewalks and pathways is not being overlooked either, with $1,645 tucked into the Natural Resources budget for direct mailings to residents about the bylaw for picking up dog ‘waste.’

The tree warden will receive a small uptick in funding due to the possibility of treatments needed to protect trees on town property from damaging caterpillar infestations in the coming months.

Other highlights from the working budget are: the police department $1,989,621 up $37,667; fire department $450,517 up $31,287; and ambulance service $365,012 up $15,672.

The school budgets are: local schools $6,888,488 up $197,762; ORR School District $5,223,589 up $284,869; and Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School $561,941 up $82,000.

Gagne reminded the audience that, with pending union and non-union wage negotiations, the budget was not finalized.

Gagne will meet with the Finance Committee, Capitol Planning Committee and the Community Preservation Committee on Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room. Voters will get a chance to voice their decisions regarding the budget during the annual spring town meeting scheduled for Monday, May 9.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell