Come join us for the Old Rochester Winter Farmers’ Market this Saturday, April 11, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Old Rochester Regional Junior High School. This is the second to last winter farmers’ market before our summer market starts in June, and we will have some new vendors coming out of the woodwork seeing spring is starting to bloom.
The Marion Board of Selectmen recognized and congratulated the Old Rochester Regional Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team and pronounced that day, April 7, as the Old Rochester Boys’ Basketball Team Day.
ORR Bulldogs were present at the meeting, held at the Marion Music Hall to accommodate the team members and their families, and were presented certificates of recognition from selectmen.
“You have really made the Tri-Town area very proud,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Jonathan Henry. “And what you’ve done, very few schools have done.”
Selectmen later closed and approved the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on May 11, against the recommendation of Marion Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard.
After a brief summary of the Fiscal Year 2016 final budget, Minard told selectmen that neither he nor the rest of the FinCom had been given a chance to review the warrant as written, having only received it that afternoon. Three or four of the articles, said Minard, may or may not have a cost impact on the Town; however, a few articles, such as Article 41, which addresses costs pertaining to an easement grant on Bird Island to the Department of Fish and Game, might.
“I have no idea whether that means $42 to record a deed, or $420,000 to help excavate the pier and drudge the sanctuary,” said Minard.
Town Administrator Paul Dawson advised the selectman that they could still close the warrant that night without FinCom’s recommendations since that is customary, and all a vote would do is lock in the 49 Annual Town Meeting articles and five Special Town Meeting articles for the warrant.
“I would recommend that you take one of the articles out to avoid a big discussion on the floor and for no net gain,” said Minard, referring to Article 32, a Community Preservation article that would allocate $500,000 for the purpose of the design and construction of the Town House renovation.
“I believe the money can be reserved in other ways, and there needs to be further discussion before it gets reserved for (the project),” Minard said. “My guess is there’s no ill effect in postponing this for a year,” adding that the Town House Building Study Committee still has not decided how the project will look. “But I can guarantee a lengthy discussion on Town Meeting floor.”
Dawson said he understood why Minard was troubled by the article, to which Minard responded, “I’m just predicting the future. I’m not troubled by it…”
Dawson said the article was worded broadly only to allow the project to move forward without narrowly allocating the funds for specific phases of the project. “I think this article should remain in the warrant.”
“I think that will anger the taxpayer, that’s all I’m trying to say here,” said Minard. “The money isn’t going to go away and I just think it’s gonna be a waste of time on the Town Meeting floor.
We’ll take our chances with that, Henry told Minard.
Before leaving the meeting, Minard criticized this year’s budgetary process, saying that last year he made certain recommendations for a smoother budget process, having asked for the selectmen, Dawson, and the Finance Department to assist departments as they developed their budgets.
“Basically, there were no changes made over the course of the year,” said Minard, informing the selectmen that he would be forwarding them some new recommendations he would like them to support.
“Well, we look forward to receiving your recommendations,” Henry told him. Minard took a seat and then left the meeting.
In other matters, the board signed the $1.7 million bond anticipation note for the Great Hill Water Tank project, and approved and executed the town administrator’s and public health nurse’s employment contracts.
The board refrained from approving a request from the Marion Open Spaces Acquisition Commission regarding management of Goldovitz Pond after receiving an email from Conservation Commission Chairman (among other positions in town) Norman Hills persuading the board to hold off on a vote in favor.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for April 14 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry
David Henry Owen, of Rochester (formerly of Taunton), died Saturday, April 4, 2015, at Life Care of Raynham. He was 90 years old.
Born in Taunton, on December 12, 1924. He was the loving husband of the late Elizabeth R. (Ruble) Owen. The youngest of 6, Mr. Owen was a graduate of Taunton High School, The Wentworth Institute, and received his Bachelors Degree in Engineering from Brown University. He served in the United States Army during WW II as a scout/sniper with the 324 Infantry and was the recipient of several medals and commendations including the Bronze Star. He served as a Civil Engineer for the City of Taunton and was employed by the Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant for over 28 years.
Mr. Owen served as President of Brick House School, member of the Taunton Safety Committee and Commander (retired) United States Power Squardron. He was an avid gun collector, Life Time Member of the NRA and a member of the Taunton rifle and Pistol Club.
Mr. Owen is survived by his daughter, Susan Owen, with whom he resided on their farm in Rochester. He was the father of the late David C. Owen and is the father in law of Lauren Owen of North Dighton. He is the beloved grandfather of Joshua and Jacob Owen. He is also survived by his “adopted daughter” Angela Rachmaciej and his sister Christine Allen of Westport, CT. He was the brother of the late Edward, Milton, Gordon, and Ralph Owen.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Service in the Crapo-Hathaway Funeral Home, 350 Somerset Ave., (Route 138 South), Taunton, on Monday, at 11 AM. Visiting hours on Sunday from 4-7PM. Interment Mayflower Hill Cemetery.
The Gateway Bantam Gladiators finished the season as champions of the Yankee Conference Bantam division! The Gladiators saved their best effort for last, as the team outskated, outhustled, and outplayed the WHK Hawks for three periods of hockey. Jake Demoranville led the Gladiator offense, scoring a hat trick, while linemates Mike Ripley and Jackson St. Don assisted. Gateway also got goals from Zachary Lovendale and Josh Smolinsky. Robert Ramsay’s goal came on his deflection of defenseman Jared Westgate’s wrister from just inside the blueline, as Noah DeMoranville and Jameson Woodward helped establish a strong forecheck. Lovendale also added an assist in the game, as did Nick Snow. Zachary Pateakos and Steven Strachan allowed just one goal each, as the defensive play of Westgate and fellow blueliners Coleby Paling, Bethany Davis, and Matt Youlden was stellar. The 6-2 victory capped a 19-4-1 season in which the team scored nearly three goals for every one allowed. The Gladiators will look to defend their title next season as nine of their thirteen skaters are set to return to Gateway as second-year Bantams.
The Rochester Women’s Club is having a paint party for children ages five and up on Saturday, May 2 from 10:00 am – 12:15 pm. This event is a fundraiser for the Raymond C. Hartley Scholarship Fund. Juice and pastries will be served, followed by a painting party with Amy King of King Designs. Amy will take the children step by step through to the finished product. They will bring home their own personally-painted canvas just in time for Mother’s Day. The cost of this event is $35; everything is included. Space and tickets are limited. Payment is required with reservations. Please call Marsha at 508-322-0998 to reserve your child’s space.
To the Editor:
I had a dream last night … an anxiety dream. I dreamt that I was living alongside Shipyard Park in Town, and I was asking the Board of Selectmen for permission to take part of the park for a vegetable garden. The anxiety came from half the Town being angry and objecting to my request. I was happy when I woke up and found that it was just a dream. Although I’m not big on dream interpretations, I couldn’t help but wonder … where the heck did that dream come from? And then it hit me … it was the pier … the pier being proposed for Goodspeed Island.
The more I thought about it, the more I was sure … yes, it was the pier. And it came from my lifelong love for the “Island.”
You see my family, including my parents and grandparents, has lived next to the Island almost my whole life. And as a kid, I was always “at the Island” with the other kids. We built forts there, went quahogging, fishing and crabbing.
I can tell you where the second train trestle was located (by the pumping station), where the bayberry and beach plum bushes were, where the best crabbing was, and where to catch shrimp for bait.
The Island gives us so much. The view from the Island is spectacular. The beach invites you to walk along the shore and hunt for shells and stones … something I did as a kid, have done with my own kids, and still do now with the grandchildren.
The waters off the beach are unique in that they are shallow for a distance out into the harbor. Being shallow, they have always leant themselves to many activities. I learned how to sail a sailfish here, scuba dive and snorkel. I went “frost fishing” with my Father along the shore in the dead of winter. I can tell you that when you walk down to the Island and come to the clearing for the beach, if you took 100 steps more from that large rock on your left, then turned and walked into the water, you’d find one of the best sandbars around.
What makes this area so great is that you can do all these things along the shore unimpeded. You can kayak and fish along the shore from one end to the other. You can fall off your sailfish or wind surfer while learning and then stand up because it is shallow. The shallow waters are safe and friendly. And in the fall, you can scallop right off the beach. Many people enjoy these same things and also enjoy just sitting or sun bathing while their kids play in the water or hunt for shells.
So now I understand my anxiety dream. It wasn’t about a garden … it was about the pier being proposed right in the middle of all this. A pier that won’t just gobble up the space it is built on, but will render useless to the rest of us a much larger area when you take into consideration the boat traffic going to and from the pier. It will break the continuity of the waterfront.
I do not know the people proposing the pier, they are probably very nice, may be a lot nicer than me. If I had their ear, I think I would ask them, “Why do you need your own pier when right next door is Shipyard Park and the wharf area with several piers that the Town works very hard to maintain for all of us?” The Town has added lighting, pump-out services, floats for dinghies and rowboats and even racks for kayaks.
I might even venture to say, “Did you ever think about withdrawing your request to build a pier. You know the harbor is not really that big and every pier, every area sectioned off for someone’s private use, is that much less that the general public can use, especially in the area of the Island.”
Someday, in the not too distant future, the Town will be looking to the Island as the main town beach. We don’t have many beaches in Town. The bike path will soon be passing all along the Island beach and access to the Island beach will be from both Depot Street and Reservation Road. And I think it’s just a matter of time before the Town lays down some more sand to make it even more inviting.
I don’t think those proposing the pier know that before there were any houses on the Island, Dan Mahoney stood up at the town meeting and asked us to give him a right of way so his family and friends could drive from Depot Street to his new house on the Island. That’s all he wanted, plain and simple … no pier, nothing that would intrude on the public’s use of the Island, just a simple right of way. He had nothing else in mind.
But I don’t have their ear, so I won’t be telling them all these things.
I apologize for rambling. I just felt that if I didn’t speak up, I’d be letting my old friend, the Island, down. The Island is a wonderful retreat. She gives us a lot and will continue to welcome us to hunt for shells and enjoy the sandbars and soft tides, if we are just willing to protect her for everyone’s use.
You might ask, “How does this concern me?” Well, the Island beach doesn’t have a voice, so it’s up to us to speak for her and for our children, grandchildren and many, many unborn children who years from now would thank us for taking the time to save the Island so they, too, could enjoy the beach, the unbroken waters and the views.
Thank you for listening.
Bob Moore, 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 Marion School Committee on April 1 opted out of the school choice program for another school year, mostly because of uncertainty over the population of school children that the 40B housing at Marion Village Estates will likely bring to the district.
Superintendent of Schools Doug White recommended the committee forego participating in school choice for the 2015/2016 school year because of limited space and rising class sizes, something which White said is “very important to us” at Sippican School.
Information about potential new students moving into the district through the affordable housing is unavailable and unlikely will be available for some time.
“And hopefully we’ll have a better understanding moving forward in the future,” White said. “The current budget supports the current enrollment at this time.”
When it came time for a motion, it was followed by one resounding unanimous ‘aye.’
In other matters, Fiscal Year 2016 budget talks between the Marion School District and the Marion Finance Committee have concluded, and a budget that supports the restoration of the full-time enrichment teacher as well as an increase from part-time to a full-time vice-principal, totals $5,634,987, up a mere half percent from the FY15 budget.
White said the budget includes the use of $140,000 in circuit breaker funds, state money reimbursed to the town for individual students’ special education costs that exceed a certain threshold. The Finance Committee asked the budget subcommittee to use the funds to help offset the budget, which White said was not an issue since $60,000 remains in the district’s circuit breaker account with an approximate $90,000 still to come.
The committee approved the FY16 budget.
Also during the meeting, White apologized for a technology mix-up last week on March 23 when parents throughout all the Tri-Town school districts received an automated call saying their child was marked absent that day. White said the snafu happened while the schools were switching over to a new district-wide emergency alert system, and the action was unintentional.
“A lot of parents were concerned that afternoon,” said White. “My sincere apology for that.”
White told the committee, “We know exactly what button was hit.” He said they realize now that the phone system district-wide would be overwhelmed and would shut down again in the event of an emergency should parents call the schools all at once like they did Monday.
In other news, the committee approved the new elementary school library curriculum after a presentation by Sippican School Librarian Jessica Barrett. The curriculum is based on the contemporary ‘library commons’ idea of more of a media learning center, which Barrett said “is not your grandmother’s library.”
The library is a place for students to research, evaluate, and collaborate, said Barrett.
“It is an active place; it is not a place you’re going to walk into and hear me shushing the kids,” said Barrett. “If it looks like a hands-on children’s museum, then we’re moving in the right direction.”
The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for May 6 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry
No one on the Joint School Committee could foresee what Good Friday would look like this year now that it has been designated as a full school day, but the final attendance numbers for students and staff from the six schools reflect a significant difference in attendance from any other regular day of school.
Old Rochester Regional High School, although it had the least amount of staff members absent, four total, had the highest number of absent students in the district, which soared to 21 percent of students out on April 3.
ORRHS Principal Michael Devoll declined to comment on the rate of absent students; however, the usual number of students absent on an average school day is roughly four to six-percent, as it is in most schools, according to ORR Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Diana Russo.
ORR Junior High School saw six staff members absent, a number that ORRJHS Principal Kevin Brogioli said was like any average day, yet 20 percent of students stayed home on Good Friday, a significant difference from the usual four percent.
When asked if he would like to see Good Friday remain a school day next year, Brogioli replied, “I believe that a school district should try to understand and reflect the norms of its community around matters such as religious observances.” He continued, “I always thought it would be a good idea to move our spring break to the week before Easter, which would make this a non-issue.”
The elementary school principals did not respond for comment; however, Rochester Memorial School saw 11 staff members absent on Good Friday and 10 percent of students stayed home.
Center School and Old Hammondtown School both had eight staff members absent and 12 percent of students out, while Sippican School had nine of its staff members out and 13 percent absent.
Superintendent Doug White did not respond for comment.
By Jean Perry
Selectman Naida Parker has won the only contested race in the 2015 Rochester Town Election on April 8, beating out current Town Moderator Greenwood “Woody” Hartley, and current ZBA Chairman and former selectman Richard Cutler.
As the polls closed Wednesday night at 8:00pm, Parker, Cutler, and Hartley, surrounded by family, stood quietly on along the perimeter of the Rochester Senior Center banquet hall awaiting the results.
Parker was the first name read, with 302 votes. Cutler received 206 voted, and Hartley had 269 votes.
Among the relative silence, one person in the room, upon hearing the results, whispered, “Oh good!”
Parker, who is also the Rochester town clerk, abstained from her usual duties on Election Day as the votes were tallied, for obvious reasons.
A total of 778 of Rochester’s registered voters made it to the polls today, with an 18.9% voter turnout.
After the other two candidates left without much noise, Parker had this to say about this year’s election and the quality of her running mates: “This was one of those races that the town wasn’t going to lose.”
The winners of the other uncontested races are:
By Jean Perry
It’s the first time in a long time that Rochester voters have actually had a choice in the election, commented Richard Cutler, candidate for the Rochester Board of Selectmen on April 2 during the Candidate’s Forum hosted by the Rochester Senior Center.
The three candidates – Cutler, Greenwald “Woody” Hartley, and incumbent Selectman Naida Parker – had a chance to talk directly to the voters about their priorities and aspirations if elected or reelected.
Cutler said he was a selectman from 1996 to 2002 and decided not to run for a third term to make way for some new energy to join the board – a board he says is tasked with providing the Town with coordination and leadership for other boards and committees. He criticized the lack of dialog between selectmen and other boards.
“Without the energy to engage,” said Cutler, “it leaves a great deal of frustration.”
Cutler, the current Zoning Board of Appeals chairman and a member of the Zoning Bylaw Subcommittee, stressed the importance of the article on the Town Meeting Warrant to change the zoning bylaw and said the lack of action from the selectmen has “stymied” the effort.
More houses are being built in Rochester, stressed Cutler, which will require increased services – more services than what the average citizen funds through taxes, Cutler said, adding that zoning bylaw restructuring to accommodate a growing business tax base in town was needed.
“Even though the town’s population is growing, we have few people willing to put in the time (to serve on boards and committees),” said Cutler. He also emphasized the importance of the upkeep of the town’s assets, such as the Rochester Memorial School building.
“The budget needs careful review by people who know what they’re looking for,” said Cutler.
Hartley, the current town moderator, said his years of experience as a project manager along with his negotiation, organizing, and planning skills make him qualified for the Board of Selectmen.
“I like to think of myself as a leader, an organizer, a planner – but I most like to think of myself as a communicator. A leader,” said Hartley.
He highlighted his contribution toward transforming the old bothersome campground in Rochester into The Pines at Hathaway Pond, which he said brings the Town $250,000 in tax revenue annually.
“That wasn’t just an accident, that happening like that,” said Hartley. “I thought about that…. Our Board of Selectmen needs to be doing things that they have not been doing.”
The board needs to lead he said, instead of asking other boards and committees to attend selectmen meetings to “update them on what they’ve been doing.”
“I have been unifying … for years,” said Hartley. “I feel we’ve been going backwards in town-wide coordination and cooperation.”
Hartley said it was time to move forward with new leadership and new ideas.
“I believe many have lost confidence in our board. I can restore confidence,” said Hartley. “I have the skills. I have the expertise. I have the time and energy to lead Rochester into the future.”
Parker, also the town clerk, focused on the work she has done as a selectman for years, recalling when she served with Cutler while he was on the board, and turned to the Rochester Police Station and the overrides to build it. She cited the timing of the RMS building construction, which she said benefitted the Town because of a stagnant economy that drove down the cost of borrowing and the cost of construction. Parker, like Cutler, stressed the importance of quarterly inspections of the buildings in town to keep future repair costs low.
“If we’re not in that building on a regular basis … then we are not going to be aware of what needs to be done with it.”
Parker cited her contribution to the renovations of Town Hall and the efforts to preserve the historical charm of the building, without needing a Proposition 2 ½ override to fund it. She also pointed out that, as selectman, she saw the basic ambulance service grow to an advanced life system EMS and enhanced 911 services.
“So, we do talk on a regular business,” said Parker. “The selectmen need to be involved in these conversations. And if we haven’t done our homework, then we are not prepared.”
Parker said she and the other two selectmen are currently moving forward with development of County Road, the new Rochester Crossing retail development, and enticing new businesses into town.
“I would like the opportunity to continue to serve,” said Parker. “And I hope that you all realize and appreciate that this town has my full commitment and will continue to have my full commitment.”
By Jean Perry