Old H Students Triumph over Teachers

on March 26, 2015

They are the future Bulldogs of ORR, and they showed a remarkable display of teamwork and enthusiasm Friday night, March 20, when they beat the teachers during the Old Hammondtown School students versus teachers basketball game, 41-40.

Up and down the ORR High School basketball court they dribbled, fellow sixth-graders on the edge of their bleachers cheering on their classmates until it was their group’s turn to take to the court, as the student groups rotated to give each one a chance to play.

Rumor had it that the staff team was going to up their game this year, but it was apparent at the end that it just wasn’t upped quite enough to match the students’ efforts.

We never do know who will come out on top from year to year but it was, as Center School and Old Hammondtown School Principal Rose Bowman put it, a wonderful family night for all.

“The staff is so involved, and you can see the teamwork and the camaraderie amongst the students. And you can see the family support,” Bowman said, motioning to the hundreds sitting in the bleachers. “It doesn’t get any better than this. I think this is a night that will live on in their memories forever.”

By Jean Perry

Some Contest in Marion Annual Election

on March 26, 2015

The deadline to return nomination papers passed on Monday, March 23 and the official 2015 Annual Election ballot has taken shape, which will also feature one referendum question for voters.

Some key elected positions will be contested in this 2015 annual election, most notably the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, and School Committee.

William Dale Jones has challenged incumbent Selectman Jonathan “Jody” Dickerson for the three-year term seat on the Board of Selectmen. Jones vied against Selectman Stephen Cushing for his seat during last year’s election, but lost to Cushing. Jones also ran for selectman back in 2013, but lost to incumbent Selectman Jonathan Henry. Dickerson, also the director of the Recreation Department, has served on the Board of Selectmen since 2012 and served as selectman in the 1990s.

There are four contenders for two seats on the Marion Planning Board, a board that has seen some discord amongst its members lately, as well as some controversial issues to tackle, most notably the much talked about proposed CVS project and the recently shelved proposed zoning bylaw amendment aimed at restricting large businesses from setting up shop in town.

Incumbents Stephen Gonsalves, a member of nine years, and current Chairman Stephen Kokkins will be challenged by newcomers Jennifer Francis and Todd Richens. Both Planning Board terms are for three years.

There are three candidates for two three-year seats on the Marion School Committee, with former Marion School Committee member Michelle Ouellette, now also a member of the ZBA, back to reclaim a seat on the committee after losing last year by a narrow margin. Candidates David MacDonald and Jessica Harris, vying for the seats left vacant by Jay Pateakos and committee Chairman Joseph Scott, who both announced they would not seek reelection, join Ouellette on the ballot.

There is a fourth contested race for town moderator, now that long-term Moderator David Titus chose not to seek reelection. Patricia MacArdle and Matthew Nowick are the two choices for town moderator, a one-year term.

Uncontested races are as follows: Reelection candidate Ray Pickles for assessor, Board of Health reelection candidate John Howard, and there are no candidates running for the one available seat on the Open Space Acquisition Commission.

The yes or no referendum question is “Shall the town vote to accept the provisions of section six C of chapter forty of the General Laws, which authorize cities and towns to appropriate money for the removal of snow and ice from private ways therein open to public use?”

The 2015 Marion Annual Election is May 15. The polling station is the VFW Hall at 465 Mill Road. Polls open at 8:00 am and close at 8:00 pm.

By Jean Perry

School on Good Friday?

on March 26, 2015

An extra school day has students and teachers talking at Old Rochester Regional High School this month.

It was roughly a year ago when the Joint School Committee voted that Tri-Town schools would be in session on Good Friday of this year (April 3, 2015). When that announcement was made, a discussion emerged on the ethics behind the decision and received extensive coverage in the press.

After dying down for the last 11 months, the dialogue has re-emerged on the topic. The school day will go on as planned and excused absences will be allowed for students to take the day off for religious reasons.

A survey conducted of roughly 30 students (evenly split male and female, representing all grades) indicated that the vast majority prefers not to have school on Good Friday. Some will chalk this up to the general feeling among high school students that any day off of school is a good one. However, most students backed up their statements by saying that Good Friday should be an optional school day or that excused absences should be allowed.

The majority of surveyed students also plan to come to school on that day, regardless of their personal feelings on the matter. A few students, as well as two teachers and Principal Mike Devoll, were interviewed in greater depth on the matter.

Science teacher Heidi Graser agrees with a position taken by several surveyed students – excused absences make sense.

“I think it’s fair,” she said, adding that most people have to work on Good Friday.

In reference to having the day before Thanksgiving off, which was acknowledged as a concession for having school on Good Friday, Graser said she was happy to have that day off.

“The students are so excited [for the holiday weekend], but not much gets done,” she said.

Another point brought up by Graser was that the extra day was helpful for teachers like her, who teach Advanced Placement (AP) classes. However, she respects the decision of those students who will excuse themselves, explaining, “If you need to excuse yourself for religious reasons, you should.”

Math teacher Benjamin Tilton said the decision didn’t faze him, and that “180 days is 180 days.” His opinion isn’t affected by all the snow days, and he added that he believes having no school on the day before Thanksgiving was a “fair exchange.”

Principal Mike Devoll said that excused absences will be allowed on Good Friday and explained that the decision to keep school in session on Good Friday was out of religious fairness.

Defending the decision made a year prior, Devoll explained, “We don’t take the Jewish holidays off, and Good Friday is not a holy day of obligation during the school hours,” meaning that Catholic students can attend Mass later in the day. He added, “It will be interesting to see our attendance rate for that day.”

Senior Owen Lee takes the decision to have school with a grain of salt and provided a fresh opinion on the subject.

“I mourn the loss of a wonderful vacation day, but I don’t have a true opinion,” Lee said. “It’s pretty fair,” he continued, “as long as the status quo of the schedule [180 days] is maintained.”

Lee also said the abundance of snow days carried no weight in his opinion, and he projected that while some students will not attend school, rampant truancy would probably not be a problem.

“I’m sure some students won’t be happy with this decision,” he said, but he expects most students to be in classes that day, saying, “Not many students generally skip school very often.”

However, junior Jared Wheeler would have liked to see Good Friday maintained as a vacation day rather than the day before Thanksgiving, because as he put it, “Good Friday is a significant religious holiday.”

In the end, Good Friday is only one day of school, and the school day itself is unlikely to be any different from your normal school day. As Mr. Devoll said, the most interesting development of the day will be to see if there is some change, if any, in student and teacher attendance.

By Patrick Briand

Academic Achievements

on March 26, 2015

Colbey Stabell, a resident of Marion, MA was named to the Dean’s List at Fairfield University for the fall 2014 semester.

Marion resident and Azusa Pacific University student Shannon Frink made the academic Dean’s List at APU. A Liberal Studies Major, Frink is honored for a fall semester 2014 academic standing of 3.5 or better grade-point average. Frink is joined by 1,983 other students receiving the same honor.

Good Friday

on March 25, 2015

To the Editor:

It is unfortunate that for the first time in recent memory, students, teachers, and other employees in our local school district will be working this year on Good Friday.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We can all stay home on Good Friday and show the ORR school committee that this day is still an important observance for our families and for our community. In addition to observing the historical and personal meaning of the day, many will be traveling and making preparations for Easter.

The observance of Good Friday has a deep historical significance to our country and to our local area. And our nation has long recognized the secular importance of its religious traditions, such as when President Ulysses S. Grant declared Christmas a federal holiday in 1870.

It is notable that Cuba – a country which officially outlawed all religious observances and practices for decades – declared just last year that Good Friday should be a national holiday every year in its country.

Meanwhile, at almost the very same time that Cuba was making its historic reversal, the ORR School Committee was embracing a far different and darker policy – similar to that in Havana back in 1959. The paradox is unsettling.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act clearly prohibits any form of negative repercussion or discrimination against an employee who stays home from work on Good Friday. We should trust that the ORR school district will strictly adhere to the spirit and letter of this law.

To students, parents, teachers, administrators, office workers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians who observe Good Friday: Let’s stay home from school and work on this day so the committee will reverse its decision.

David F. Pierre, Jr., 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.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

on March 25, 2015

The Mattapoisett Lions Club will not be having the annual Easter Egg Hunt this year. The conditions at the lighthouse are not good for safety reasons. We will host a “Spring Saturday” when the conditions improve and we will have activities and giveaways.

Toe Jam Puppet Band

on March 25, 2015

The Toe Jam Puppet Band was back in Tri-Town on March 21 for a performance at the Marion Music Hall, sponsored by the Elizabeth Taber Library. The performance was free and the fun was evident in the faces of the band’s biggest fans. Photos by Colin Veitch

Passport Office Closes, Town Appeals Decision

on March 24, 2015

The Town of Mattapoisett is going to fight the Boston Passport Agency’s abrupt decision to close the U.S. passport office at the Mattapoisett Town Hall as of March 31.

In a March 10 letter from the agency addressed to Passport Agent Paula Butterfield, the agency cited low numbers in participation as the reason behind the decision, but Town Administrator Michael Gagne told the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen on March 24 he disagrees that servicing 64 residents last year is low, considering the smaller population of the town.

“Washington says that any agency that’s not processing 250 or more passports should be shut down,” said Gagne. He told the Boston Passport Agency representative over the phone, “I beg to differ with you.”

Gagne said one could not simply compare a number between two cities or towns, for example, Brockton and Mattapoisett. Getting nowhere with the representative over the phone, Gagne contacted Representative Bill Keating’s office for assistance and then filed an appeal with the Boston Passport Agency.

Gagne said the local office often services the elderly, and parents have come in with their children, making the service much more convenient and comfortable than going to the city to process passports.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Gagne. “I don’t understand.”

Also during the meeting, the board appointed two new members to fill the two vacant seats on the Mattapoisett Agricultural Commission after brief interviews with the two applicants.

Michael King, also a member of the Conservation Commission, and newcomer Michael Dubuc will each bring their own experience and expertise to the commission, which serves as a an agency providing advocacy and representation of residents involved in farming and agriculture as issues arise.

This appointment precedes an article on the 2015 Annual Town Meeting warrant that would officially designate Mattapoisett as a “Right to Farm Community.”

Dubuc told selectmen he has many years working in the cranberry industry, both in Quebec and Massachusetts.

“I‘m very involved with cranberries,” said Dubuc. “I figured, I’m in agriculture … I thought I could throw my hat in.”

King told selectmen that for three years he has been learning the regulatory processes of agriculture and his service on the ConCom would enhance his service on the Agricultural Commission since many farms involve encroachment of wetlands resource areas.

“I think it’s a great benefit to the Town and I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Town,” said King.

In other matters, Gagne reported on Highway Surveyor Barry Denham’s attendance at the Plymouth County Highway Association meeting and provided some “interesting data,” as he put it.

Reading from a sheet of data from various towns pertaining to the expenses related to the “winter of misery,” Gagne called the information eye-opening, and he also celebrated that Mattapoisett fared better than most other towns on the list.

Mattapoisett, with 59 miles of road to plow and salt, expended $129,362 so far this fiscal year. That boils down to $2,192 per mile. Other towns did not do as well.

Lakeville with its 79.7 miles of road spent $275,962 or $3,462 per mile. The numbers varied, with the highest example being Hanover, which expended $929,722 to plow and salt its 90 miles of road, at $10,330 per mile.

Gagne praised Denham for his management of snow removal during the worst storms this year and said, luckily, that Mattapoisett will be able to use free cash to cover the budget shortfall, in addition to federal dollars ranging from $24,000 to $30,000 in reimbursement still to come.

Also during the meeting, Gagne asked residents to visit the Town website to express any interest in learning more about the Van Pool Ride, which requires 14 residents to sign up for more information in order to begin the process for consideration. Gagne said so far he only has eight people signed up, and he encouraged residents to sign up even if they are only somewhat interested in hearing more about the commuter service.

Conservation Commission members are seeking resident feedback on a proposed draft wetlands bylaw, viewable on the Town website under “town news.” Residents can leave comments and feedback online.

The board met briefly with the Tri-Town Herring Inspectors who told selectmen the drawn-out winter has delayed the herring count, with ice still covering much of the still-cold waters. Counters are usually placed in the second week of March, and the gentlemen do not anticipate placing the herring counters until at least the first weekend in April.

Members of the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee were present long enough to reappoint Ray Andrews to the committee.

Gagne asked anyone who has signed their cat up in the Town’s new Feline ID Program to please submit a photo of your cat if you have not done so already.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is tentatively scheduled for April 14, pending the presence of a quorum.

By Jean Perry

New Trash System Headed for Success

on March 24, 2015

For some residents, the start of the new trash and recycling collection program in January was a challenge, with February bringing some of the worst winter weather in recorded history. ABC Disposal Operations Manager Jerry Dugan even called it the worst February in his entire career while talking trash with the Rochester Board of Selectmen on March 23.

“You couldn’t have picked a worse week,” said Chairman Bradford Morse, looking back on the start of the program.

Having said that, though, Dugan reported very few issues related to the new trash and recycling system – about 50 concerns out of the roughly 2,000 customers.

A lot of people wanted smaller carts, said Dugan, so some were granted smaller recycling carts.

“A lot of people didn’t want to use it (the new system), or couldn’t use it,” said Dugan, adding that some with certain circumstances could be accommodated using the trash receptacles they already had. The snow banks so far have kept the new automated arm trucks out of use, while the older manual disposal trucks have been used until recently. Those trucks are now ready to go.

“All in all, I think it was pretty successful,” said Dugan. However, there were a few issues for the trash collectors, especially in the more rural areas of Rochester. “Some of the directions, like, ‘take a left at the oak tree’ were kind of tough to get to,” said Dugan.

Town Administrator Michael McCue said Dugan and his people have been “extremely responsive” and accommodating to make the transition as seamless as possible.

“I’m very surprised,” said McCue. “It was a major change for the residents…. I won’t say it’s been completely seamless,” he continued, “but it’s been the next best thing.” McCue gave a knock on wood on the table. “I think we’re over the hump.”

Some residents are still overloading their trash carts, however, and by the beginning of May, the Town could start notifying some residents deemed to be abusing the trash system and barely using their recycling carts, or not at all.

“The [recycling] cart should be pretty full every other week with a standard size family,” said Dugan. One can tell when one is not recycling. Having said that as well, recycling is indeed up, with recycling amounts increasing “incredibly,” as Dugan noted.

Residents with any further concerns should contact the town administrator’s office.

Also during the March 23 meeting, Sharon Lally from the Rochester Council on Aging presented the board with an update on the goings-on at the Rochester Senior Center.

After a half-hour discussion, one thing was clear – contemporary senior centers nowadays are a lot more than just a bingo hall. And even with a budget that only accounts for just one-percent of the Town budget, the COA is still able to act as a vital community service, thanks mostly to the 144 volunteers.

The value of the over 14,000 hours of volunteer service, said Lally, is the equivalent of about $223,000.

“We really are blessed. We have so many wonderful people,” said Lally. “I’m very proud of our volunteer program.”

Of the roughly 1,300 seniors in Rochester, Lally said the COA services about 1,000 of them. The outreach worker who helps clients connect with transportation and home care services assisted 511 different clients during the last fiscal year.

“We provide them with information and resources … so they can live a better quality of life while living in their home,” said Lally. “Any service they need to exist as independently as possible in their own homes.”

Twenty percent of the Rochester population is over the age of 60, and that number, Lally said, is expected to rise to 30 percent by 2030 as the baby boomer generation continues to age.

The Senior Center is working on a few improvements to the center, namely an addition to the building to accommodate a new senior day care program, as well as the reorganization of the center to add an additional activities room to host a small fitness center.

Lally said the Friends of the Rochester Senior Center have raised about $125,000 in four years to help fund the projects, even though the fundraising hit a snag last year when the organization’s 501(c)(3) status was held up.

Lally said the COA FY15 budget was $213,468, but additional grants brought the center’s overall expendable funds to $234,029. Lally added that the in-kind value of the services provided by town departments like the Highway Department and the Facilities Department would total $107,700.

“I think that’s pretty darn good,’ said Lally.

COA board member Greenwood “Woody” Hartley told selectmen, “It’s a half a million-dollar program that you’re getting at half price … and it’s because of all the volunteers.”

“It’s come a long way from what it was,” said Selectman Naida Parker. “You’ve done a great job.”

In other matters, the snow and ice removal budget is about to exceed $190,000 and could exceed $200,000 once the Town pays the invoices from last weekend’s wintery weather. That amount is about $122,000 over the FY15 budget, with $68,000 allocated for snow and ice removal.

“Every town and city in the state … is grappling with excessive [debt] as a result of this atrocious winter,” said McCue. He said FEMA money would probably make its way to Rochester – eventually. “The money will come. I’m just not holding my breath.”

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is March 30 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

California Pizza Parlor

on March 24, 2015

Once again, I enter the way back machine of my mind. I’m heading to the 1950s – a time when fast food was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread whipped up in 30 seconds by your mother. In those days, 90 percent of all food was eaten at home, period. Except in the summertime.

I’ve told you about the fantastic hole-in-the-wall take-out pizza place in the Onset of my youth. Truly, it was only a window that peered into a narrow room. On one wall were two pizza ovens. On the opposite wall was a long wooden counter where the pizza dough was prepared and sauce was ladled onto the raw pies. No cheese was added until you specifically asked for a ‘cheese slice.’ And that is how you purchased that tasty toast – by the slice.

The aroma of baking pizza was thoroughly intoxicating, drawing you closer until there you stood, mouth gaping, lips quivering, eyes fixed on the hands of the server who’d slap a slice on wax paper and hand it to you from the open window. Fifty cents worth of heaven on earth.

I don’t know how or when this seasonal food fixture stopped opening its singular window into pizza wonderland, but it, like many other fantastic childhood taste delights, faded away. By the late ‘60s, they were all gone. It would be more than a decade before I’d taste a pizza that good again.

I lived for a while in Italy. It was a fairly large-sized town considering the size of the country, and it catered to Americans due to the huge U.S. military base there. The locals didn’t particularly like us as I recall, but their economy depended on the military families spending loads of U.S. currency.

One day while out shopping at one of the several open-air markets that seemed to simply pop-up out of the cobbled streets every few days, I suddenly noticed a smell. It was magnificent and immediately evoked a long forgotten memory – pizza slices of my youth!

Following the scent that pulled me into a dark cavernous arched doorway down a few well-worn stones steps, I found myself inside a small cellar. The back wall was a huge brick oven. There were a few tiny tables and rough-hewn stools in the darkness of the space. One lone cook was toiling away stretching pizza dough onto long handled paddles and dressing the dough with olive oil and fresh herbs, a few tomato slices and a sparse sprinkling of cheese.

He acknowledged my presence, and with an upward gesture from his stubbed chin, he asked the unspoken question, “What do you want?” I nodded towards a large pie he had just pulled out of the oven and gave him an equally plain gesture, my index finger raised to indicate the number ‘uno.’ He zipped through the pie with a rotary cutter, slapped an enormous slice on a paper plate and then gesturing again with his chin, motioned for me to take a seat. I obeyed.

The señor carried the plate to the table, gently placed it before me, and then stood there waiting. I figured he wanted to get paid, so I reached for my coin purse inside my macramé shoulder bag. I held out a palm full of coins not sure how much to give him, and he shook his head no, saying, “Mangia.” Somewhat surprised but willing to go along with one of the few Italian words I understood completely, I took a healthy bite of the slice. In that moment when the brain clearly understood what the taste buds were saying, a chorus of angels heralded and I had ascended to heaven … I had found the pizza I thought never to taste again.

I looked up into his liquid brown eyes, into a face that wore years of hard work punctuated by vast silent plains and smiled. He nodded yes. I nodded yes. We nodded yes. He gave me a fatherly pat on the shoulder and shuffled back between the wooden counter and the roaring oven back to his work. I slowly, and with a pleasure I remember with a clarity yesterday’s pizza could never hope to earn, ate the rest of the pizza slice.

No one else interrupted what that baker and I shared. When I finished, I went up to the counter to pay for the food, once again offering a handful of coins. He nodded ‘no,’ refusing to take the money. I tried to insist but he stood firm with his arms crossed. If I had learned anything while living in Italy, it was not to refuse an Italian who offers a gift. That is an insult.

I pulled my hand away, deposited the coins back into the purse and said, “Grazie.” He said, “Prego.” I said, “Ciao,” and headed back up into the real world – a world where I’d never again taste a pizza like that. Standing on the top step, I turned around to see if there was a sign announcing the name of the tiny kitchen. There it was in bright red, white, and blue letters: “California Pizza Parlor.”

I’d like to tell you that I frequented the place many times before I returned to the U.S. but I did not. Really, once was enough for a lifetime, wouldn’t you agree? More than 40 years later, the flavor of that pizza satisfies my appetite still. Unlike the pizza I had on Thursday night. It was forgotten as I was eating it.

By Marilou Newell