Had enough of the snow? Want to have some fun? Put down that shovel and come out to the Mattapoisett PTA’s Parents’ Night Out! fundraiser on Friday, March 27 from 7:00 – 11:00 pm at the Inn at Shipyard Park, Mattapoisett. There will be live music, 50/50 raffles, a Silent Auction, appetizers and cash bar. Tickets are $25 per person. For more information, visit www.MattapoisettPTA.org. P.S. You don’t have to be a parent to participate!
The Tri-County Symphonic Band, under the direction of Philip Sanborn, will present a vibrant program of both traditional and modern Portuguese music titled “Viva Portugal!” on Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 pm in the main auditorium of the Fireman Performing Arts Center on the campus of Tabor Academy, 235 Front St., Marion, MA. The program will feature guest conductor Fausto Moreira and fadista Cláudia Madeira.
The concert will begin with an energetic pasadoble, “Hispanico” by Nuno Osório, that highlights the nimble trumpet work of Tri-County Symphonic Band member and Somerset, MA resident Tobias Monte. The band will then play a more modern rhapsodia that is reminiscent of the Açores entitled “Ilhas de Bruma.” This piece was composed by the venerable composer and conductor Amilcar Morais. “Minho e Galiza” is a Portuguese concert march by Miguel de Oliveira that was recently edited by Brown University professor Matthew McGarrell. This march is an excellent example of the wealth of Portuguese marches in the band tradition. The first half of the program will close with a modern band piece by one of the most well known living Portuguese composers of band music, Luís Cardoso. Cardoso’s “Gaudium” is a wonderfully crafted work that uses a variety of tonal textures as well some stunning solo passages.
Fausto Moreira will conduct the second half of the program. Fausto Manuel Nunes Moreira was born in 1963 in Samel near Vilarinho do Bairro, Portugal. He began his musical studies in the school of the Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões and, in 1984, served with the Banda da Região Militar do Centro. In 1986, he matriculated in the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra where he studied clarinet and other musical disciplines while assuming the position of Artistic Director of the Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões and its Orquestra Juvenile. Under Maestro Moreira’s direction, the Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões has appeared in concerts throughout Portugal (including RTP television and radio programs), has toured to Spain, France and the United States and, in 2010, recorded its first commercial CD – available at afinaudio.com). He has continued various musical studies in pedagogy, conducting and performance, earning degrees in music from the Universidade de Aveiro. Currently, Mestre Moreira serves on the faculties of the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, the Escola de Música Municipal António de Lima Fragoso in Cantenhede, and the Escola de Música da Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões. He resides in Samel with his wife Adelaide and his daughter Inês.
The second half of the program begins with John Philip Sousa’s overture to the never staged operetta “The Irish Dragoon.” Sousa, one of the most famous Portuguese-American musicians of all time, weaved a clever assemblage of Irish jigs and lyrical song into this rarely programmed overture for band. Mr. Moreira will then lead the Tri-County Symphonic Band as they accompany Cláudia Madeira in a collection of traditional fado arranged by Matthew McGarrell. This medley, “Melodías para Sempre,” is a setting of five songs arranged especially for Ms. Madeira’s visit to the United States. Cláudia Madeira was born in 1982 in Régua, Portugal. A descendant of many generations of farm workers, Cláudia began learning music from her father as the family worked in the vineyards of the Douro River Valley. Her formal musical education began at age nine in the Colégio Salesiano, where until age 15, she sang in the church choir. In 2007, Cláudia participated in the third edition of Operação Triunfo, a RTP television production that helped rekindle national interest in Fado. This began frequent appearances on popular television shows such as Praça da Alegria and Dança na Praça. She also has performed in theaters and clubs throughout Portugal, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, China the United States and Canada. In 2013, Cláudia released her first CD, “Fado fora de Portas.”
The concert will conclude with Maestro Moreira at the podium conducting Luís Cardoso’s “Volta a Portugal.” This piece is a musical tour of the country with some of the most recognizable melodies from each region and is a fitting way to end a festive concert of exciting Portuguese music.
For more information, please visit http://tricountysymphonicband.org. Tickets are $15 for adults, students $5, children 12 and under are free. Tickets may be purchased at the Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth and The Bookstall in Marion. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door.
To the Editor:
My name is Jennifer Buckley and my son Jack Buckley plays on the Hanover High School Varsity Basketball team. Hanover played your Bulldogs in the playoffs, and Jack scored his 1,000th point during the game. I wanted to thank the coach and his staff for helping to make it a day we won’t forget. Your program showed a lot of class during those last moments of the game – including giving Jack the game ball to mark this milestone. It was also great how your very enthusiastic “Dog Pound” acknowledged Jack and cheered for him right along with the Hanover fans. I wanted to thank them and say how much my husband and I appreciated it – that is what makes HS sports so great. Although the outcome of the game was not what we had hoped, the day was beyond what we could have wished for. Thank you again.
Jennifer and Tim Buckley, Hanover
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.
A property owner looking to divide his property into three lots under an eventual Approval Not Required application first met with the Rochester Planning Board on Tuesday, March 10 seeking guidance on roadway alterations and safety.
Bill Goodman of 70 Parlowtown Road, a continuing gravel road at the end of Dexter Road, wants to divide his roughly 12 acres into three lots, leaving his residence with seven acres and creating two buildable lots of about two acres each.
Goodman said his 15-foot gravel drive is an ‘ancient way,’ which would be exempt from the Town’s bylaw regulating dead end roads.
Goodman’s plan includes widening the gravel way that continues after his house to accommodate the two new lots and adding a hammerhead turnaround at the end.
“The thought is that … keeping it a gravel road,” said Goodman, “would keep that backwoods-type feeling of the area. It’s very wooded and reserved back there.”
Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson said Goodman would essentially need documentation that the drive is, in fact, an ancient way and proof of the formation of a homeowners association to assign responsibility of the private road’s maintenance to the homeowners.
Goodman’s plan will also require a nod from the Fire Department for safety before the ANR application is granted. Johnson said lately the Fire Department has favored an 18-foot drive over Goodman’s existing 15-foot drive.
Johnson said he would check with town counsel as to how Goodman should proceed with a maintenance agreement for the private way so Goodman could advance in the application process.
Also during the meeting, Town Planner Mary Crain updated the board on her recent site plan technical review with Blue Wave Capital Solar for its plan to build a solar energy facility off Braley Hill Road.
Crain said a concern over rear access behind the proposed solar arrays is sending the engineers back to the drawing board to rework the plan to make improvements for emergency and fire access.
“And of course this has to go before the ZBA for change of use,” said Johnson. “They can run that application concurrently with ours as they’ve done in the past.”
The matter will not appear before the Planning Board until the snow melts for flagging of the wetlands and other aspects of Blue Wave Capital Solar’s plan.
In other matters, Crain said the mailing to invite residents living within and near the Limited Commercial District to a public forum to discuss the proposed bylaw amendments is about ready to be mailed out.
The board has set the date for Saturday, March 28. In addition to the mailing, the forum notice will be posted and publically announced in a press release in local publications.
Before adjourning, the board briefly discussed a 166-acre property on Snipatuit Road for sale with areas of the property subject to regulations under the Mattapoisett River Valley District, the Rochester Groundwater Protection District, and the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program.
The Town of Rochester has the right of first refusal on the land, which prompted Planning Board member Susan Teal to suggest forwarding the matter to the Rochester Lands Trust for consideration. The Town has 120 days to consider purchasing the land for conservation.
The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for March 23 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
Boston and the surrounding areas have experienced one of the harshest winters in years. These weather patterns have caused Tabor Academy’s administration and Plant Operations to act quickly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and campus visitors.
Tabor’s Plant Operations has been quick to act after each blizzard that left substantial amounts of snow on campus. It is estimated that 500,117 square feet (11.48 acres), which is 16% of Tabor’s campus acreage, have been cleared of snow during February.
Nate Meleo, a math teacher, and his classes calculated how much snow was cleared. According to Meleo, about 4,167,641 cubic feet of snow was cleared from Tabor this winter. In another calculation, students found that this equates to about 31,257 tons of snow, which he adds is 4,000 tons more than the weight of the Statue of Liberty. This does not even account for the roofs and stairs that were cleared for safety.
Much work is done behind the scenes before students begin to walk around campus after a snowstorm. The paths are all cleared for walking, including a few sidewalks on campus. The parking lots and surrounding roads are also all plowed. Plant Operations continues to clear snow throughout the day to ensure that students have clear pathways and can walk safely.
According to Director of Plant Operations Don Wing, “There are 155 entrances, emergency exits, entry steps, and terraces that have to be hand-shoveled and sanded every storm.” Additionally, areas that have flat roofs must be shoveled to avoid being weighed down by the large amounts of snow.
Ed Jackson supervises the maintenance crew, a small staff that has had to work non-stop over three weeks to clear this vast amount of snow over an area that equates to the size of 7.5 full-size soccer fields. They do this with limited equipment: one dump truck plow/sander, one pickup truck plow/sander, one skid-steer loader, one backhoe loader, and four snow blowers. Much of this equipment is old and/or small, making all of this clearing work more impressive. Thankfully, Steve Fielding, an outside contractor, has helped by providing heavy equipment to keep walkways and streets clear.
Along with the snow, the freezing temperatures have been a concern this winter. Headmaster John Quirk and the administration made the decision to have casual dress in order to ensure warmth on a number of school days this winter. On these days, pants, sweaters, boots, layers, hats, and gloves were strongly encouraged, given the exceptionally low temperatures. On a number of days, school was optional for day students and was delayed to a late start twice to ensure that students could arrive to campus safely.
Given the ongoing trend of such cold temperatures, Quirk created a blazer-free trial. This action was intended to encourage students to wear sweaters and girls to wear pants, which they usually are not allowed otherwise, given the blazer requirement for dress code.
Tabor’s administration and staff has acted quickly and adapted during this harsh winter in order to ensure safety throughout campus.
By Julia O’Rourke
Falmouth Academy’s Science Fair 2015 brought the scientific community into our halls for our 27th annual celebration of science.
One hundred professional scientists from the Woods Hole community and beyond judged this competition, highlighting Falmouth Academy’s signature science program. Scholarships and prizes were awarded to 65 students and more than a dozen students were invited to the regional science fair this spring.
Judging organizations included: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole Research Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Sea Education Association, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, Visiting Nurses Association, and Waquoit Bay Natural Estuarine.
Science Fair is the culmination of months of hard work by students, some of whom received guidance by professional scientists in the community. These scientists not only advised students on projects, they opened their schedules and their labs to students to aid in their work.
Support for the event – in the form of scholarships, prizes and goods – came from throughout the Falmouth community. Falmouth Academy is grateful to the mentors, judges, sponsors and faculty who guided students to set ambitious goals for themselves.
Tri-Town awards included:
First Place – Mia Beams of Mattapoisett, ‘19 – Do the Temperature, Ignition Time, and Burn Speed Vary by Wood Type?
Second Place – Grace Russell of Mattapoisett, ‘19 – Does the Ignition Time and Temperature of Burning Wood Change with Variation of Wood Density?
Honorable Mention – Seamus Fearons of Mattapoisett, ‘19 – The Friction of Different Shoe Materials on Skateboard Tape
Honorable Mention – Charlotte Van Voorhis of Mattapoisett, ‘16 – Whale Song: Analyzing the Call of the Blue Whale
Honorable Mention – Charles Tomlinson of Marion, ‘20 – The Effect of Different Light Conditions on the Growth of Slime Molds
Second Place and The Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuary First Place Middle School Award – Emma Keeler of Rochester, ‘19 – The Effect of Different Marine Paints on the Growth of Platymonas subcordiformis
Looking for a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the family? Compete in the Lucky Leprechaun Challenge at the Gleason Family YMCA on Saturday, March 14 from 12:00 – 2:00 pm. This fun fitness event is for kids and adults, with proceeds benefitting the Gleason Family YMCA Annual Campaign.
This fun day of activity begins at noon with Lucky Laces, our kid’s fitness workout. Kids ages 6-14 will be able to participate in three 20-minute workouts and obstacle courses. Workouts will be broken into the following age groups: 6-8 yrs, 9-11 yrs, 12-14 yrs. Prizes available for completing fitness challenges. Cost is $3 per person or $5 for two. Start time for the kids program is 12:00 pm.
The adult’s fitness challenge, the Shamrocker, begins at 1:00 pm and will feature two 30-minute express style boot camps – back to back. Come do one workout or challenge yourself and do both! Price is $5 per person and will include one raffle ticket for prizes at the end of the event. Additional raffle tickets will be available to purchase for $1 each. The adult workout event runs from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.
Contact the Welcome Center Desk for more information or to register for this fun family event, 508-295-9622. Gleason Family YMCA is located at 33 Charge Pond Rd., Wareham.
Come take the challenge and wear something green!
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. With five branch sites serving more than 37,000 people, YMCA SOUTHCOAST has been working to meet the needs of our community for over 150 years. The Y engages people of all ages – regardless of income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Everyone is welcome at the Y and financial assistance is available. For more information about YMCA SOUTHCOAST or to donate, visit one of the branches in Dartmouth, Fall River, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, and Wareham or online at ymcasouthcoast.org.
The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals on February 26 denied the Planning Board’s request to rescind the building permit Building Inspector Scott Shippey already issued for the Briggs’ solar farm slated for County Road.
Referencing a decision written by Town Counsel Jon Witten for the ZBA, Chairman Eric Pierce said a minor site plan review was not required because the square footage of the solar energy facility is less than 500 feet and there is no need for 10 or more parking spaces, the two triggers for site plan review.
The majority of Planning Board members voted last December to appeal the building permit to force the project to undergo a site plan review before the Planning Board.
“Robert Lane (Planning Board member) gave a compelling argument,” said Pierce. Some members of the Planning Board implored the ZBA to overturn the building inspector’s decision, arguing that the square footage of the project exceeded the threshold if one counts the solar arrays as gross floor area, contrary to town counsel’s finding.
In his decision, Witten addressed Section 9.1 of the Zoning Bylaw pertaining to total gross floor area, calling for 500 square feet as the threshold for minor site plan review. He underlined the section of the bylaw where ‘gross floor area’ is defined as the sum of the horizontal areas of the “floors of a building.”
“An additional issue,” reads Witten’s letter, “is whether the Planning Board has the standing … to maintain this appeal.” Witten wrote that, without waiving its right to raise lack of standing, the ZBA believes that the Planning Board “brought the appeal in good faith” and is entitled to a decision from the ZBA “on the merits of the appeal.”
Pierce said the board entertained the appeal “because we do want to be as cooperative as we can.”
Lane, during the January 22 meeting, was concerned the ZBA would be setting a precedent if it did not rescind the building permit and allow for site plan review. Pierce asserted that the ZBA makes no precedents.
“We don’t set precedents,” said Pierce. “And this one was unique in its own way.”
Pierce made the motion to accept Witten’s letter as the official decision of the board, and the vote was unanimous.
“I think they had to rattle their sabers,” said Pierce.
The next meeting of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for March 12 at 7:30 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry
Hilda (Rapoza) Days, 86, of Mattapoisett died March 9, 2015 at St. Luke’s Hospital.
She was the wife of the late Edward W. Days, Jr.
Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Mariano and Francesca (Borges) Rapoza, she lived in Mattapoisett most of her life.
She was a communicant of St. Anthony’s Church.
She was the beloved mother of Edward “Chuck” Days, III, Mary Ellen Silva and her companion Steve Methia all of Mattapoisett, Susan Days-Cardoza and her husband Steve of New Bedford and Anthony Days and his wife Meredith of Marion. She is also survived by her sister, Helen Couto of Mattapoisett; 9 grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and Godchildren.
She was the sister of the late Antone Rapoza, Manuel Rapoza, John Rapoza, Mariano Rapoza, Olivia Martin, Georgiana Nobre and Mary Gomes.
Her Funeral will be held on Friday at 9 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6) Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church at 10 AM. Burial will follow in Cushing Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Thursday from 3-7 PM. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
The Ladies’ Branch of the New Bedford Port Society is accepting applications for its annual scholarships.
The board awards scholarships based on need and merit, giving first consideration to descendants of seamen.
Applicants must be residents of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Westport, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Marion or Rochester.
All of these requirements must be met in order to be eligible for consideration:
– Show financial need. Include a written summary of the size of your family residing at home, number currently enrolled in college, and any other financial circumstances.
– Provide transcript of grades from the school currently attending.
– Meet one or more of the following criteria: document family ties to the sea, such as whaling forebears, fishing, merchant marine, or maritime service; acceptance letter from a maritime academy; or plans to major in marine science.
– Submit a typed or neatly handwritten educational resume of no fewer than 100 words describing future career intentions, areas of study, and college acceptances.
Applications must be postmarked no later than April 7 and must be mailed to: The Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, Attn: Ladies’ Branch Scholarship Application, 30 Cornell St., New Bedford MA 02740.
Inquiries can be made directly to ladies.branchnbps@gmail.com.