‘Aquaman’ on Beat

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            The newest town employee has been nicknamed “Aquaman” by the Marion Select Board. However, new Police Officer James Cuoco, a champion high school swimmer, will likely take his abilities to land instead.

            At the September 3 Select Board meeting at the Marion Police Station, Cuoco, a former state champion in swimming for Old Rochester Regional High School, was appointed to the department. As a Fairhaven resident with experience in another department, he has returned to his home region.

            Select Board members joked that Cuoco should instead work with the Harbormaster’s office, but Cuoco, who graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and completed police academy work, said he stays in shape with running these days.

            In a night of good news for the town, Grant Administrator Amy Jackson-Grove, hired in April, reported that she and the town secured 10 grants last month. She said approximately $1,400,000 are federal grants, including American Rescue Act funds for the town.

            Jackson-Grove said that many believe the grants had dried up after the pandemic but that there was some funding available to update town infrastructure, including road and other updates. She said the town also secured state grants, and almost every department in town has received some assistance, including but not limited to the Sippican School receiving a new generator, money for the Mass Trail projects for easements to extend the trail from the Mattapoisett line through town, transportation service money for the Council on Aging, as well as arts and other programming for the library.

            Jackson-Grove said the town is applying for other grants, including a $250,000 grant to ensure that the new Marion Town House is American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. The town is applying for a grant to help the Council on Aging educate resident seniors on internet literacy.

            The board also agreed to a new policy: Non-voting residents can apply to be on the 250th Anniversary Fireworks Committee. The town’s historical birthday is coming up in 2027, and it is agreed that non-taxpayers can join this planning committee as long as they do not vote on matters pertaining to the use of town funds.

            Board members invited all the help to celebrate this milestone for Marion.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Select Board

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

Michelle Kirby & Andres Hammerman

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            The recipients of the Wanderer’s 30th Annual Keel Award for the Town of Rochester are Michelle Kirby and Andres Hammerman, the main drivers behind the effort to preserve the health and water quality of Snows Pond.

            Kirby, who is president of the Snows Pond Association, and her husband Andy were nominated in a letter from association Vice President Erin Lawrence for “devoting countless hours toward the protection, stewardship, and enjoyment of one of our community’s most cherished natural resources.” The organization has been active since 2018, with volunteer work that has included monitoring and testing the pond’s water quality and employing the consulting services of a part-time “Lake Manager.”

            Kirby has lived in Rochester her entire life and has frequented Snows Pond since childhood. She and Andy were married on a raft on the pond that floated to shore as part of the ceremony. Another spark that got her and her husband involved in protecting Snows’ water resources came from Andy’s mother, who was very involved where she lived on a New Hampshire pond that benefits from a strong lake-protection organization supported by the state.

            When she and her husband started noticing diminishing water quality and the growth of water-choking invasive weeds where they lived at Snows Pond, she reached out to the then Rochester Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon, who suggested Kirby should start a group to advocate for the pond.

            “‘You need a united front,’ she told me, so I reached out to Town Hall for the list of Snows Pond’s residents,” Kirby recalled of advice from Farinon, who would be recognized following her retirement with the 2021 Keel Award for Rochester.

            The result was the formation of the Snows Pond Association in 2018, with 11 members out of the 15 property owners around the pond. “It’s been wonderful,” Kirby said. “It’s gotten everybody closer. We watch out for each other. If we see a stray boat or strange plants in the pond, we can ask each other. We protect each other and the pond.”

            To reach its more concrete goals, members test the water quality on a weekly basis, looking at oxygen levels and temperature through the water column and water clarity. Once a month they send samples to the University of Rhode Island for nutrient testing. With funds collected from annual dues and donations, they’ve hired a part-time lake manager to consult on matters such as invasive species growth. That consultant, Hillary Kenyon from Applied Watershed Sciences, LLC, recently joined them at the pond to do an aquatic weed survey. They’ve also been trained by the URI Watershed Watch Program on how to monitor and take water samples.

            The association’s overall goal, Kirby said, is to preserve and protect the pond “for generations to come.”
            What does it have to be protected from? The answers are: invasive weeds, chemical pollutants, and especially nutrient overload from human sources (septic systems, lawn fertilizer, household cleaning products, pet waste and stormwater runoff).

            That’s why the testing is important, Andy Hammerman said. “Without data, we can’t know why the changes are happening,” he said. Harmful algal blooms in the water are his biggest fear. If they occur in Snows Pond, they are toxic to swimmers and pets. The pond would have to be closed down.

            So, what do they feel they’ve accomplished? Since the association started, Kirby said, the community around the pond has been united, strengthening the protection of the pond. In concrete terms, they’ve hosted community outreach to advance community awareness, including a “Library Loves Lakes” summer youth program and workshop trainings on how to identify aquatic weeds that grow in freshwater ponds. They’ve also distributed signs educating people about best practices on the pond. The signs are reminders to residents and visitors about what they should and should not do on the pond. Because Snows Pond is a glacial kettle pond with no stream going in or out, they created a motto, “What Goes in the Pond, Stays in the Pond.”

            And now the association has over five years of monitoring data that will help it protect the pond’s future, Hammerman said. “We’re not in this for any other reason than our love of the pond,” Kirby added. Her future goal? “I’m hoping more pond communities can get involved and join forces,” she said. “We’re not the only pond in town that needs help.”

By Michael J. DeCicco

Navigating Dementia by Dr. Edward Hoffer

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Join Dr. Edward Hoffer at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library at 7 Barstow Street on Tuesday, September 23 at 6:30 pm as he discusses Navigating Dementia: what it is, when to suspect it, the tests your doctor should perform to investigate it, the available therapies, and how to prevent it.

            Dr. Hoffer resides on the SouthCoast. He earned his undergraduate degree at MIT, received his MD from Harvard, and completed his residency and cardiology fellowship at Mass General Hospital. He was in private practice for 40 years, combined with research on medical informatics at MGH. Dr. Hoffer continues to work part-time at the MGH Lab of Computer Science on AI, aiming to assist doctors in making more accurate diagnoses. He is the author of the book “Prescription for Bankruptcy” and a frequent contributor of topical and helpful medical articles to The Wanderer.

            This program is free and open to all.

Marion Cultural Council

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Marion Cultural Council is excited to receive online grant applications for individuals and organizations for art and STEM-related projects that will help to enrich the Marion community beginning September 2, 2025. The Mass Cultural Council has set an October 16 deadline for organizations, schools, and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities and proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs in the community. These grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Marion– including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, or performances in schools, workshops, and lectures.

            The Marion Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

            For questions regarding the Marion Cultural Council, contact marionculturalcouncil@gmail.com Online application forms, a full list of priorities and guidelines and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program and a list of the council’s priorities are available online at www.mass-culture.org/Marion

Steen’s Plan off Route 28 Revised

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            It was a night of continuances, but the Site Plan Review hearing for a 68-unit, age 55 and over, senior-living apartment building at 22 Cranberry Highway within Rochester Crossroads drew most of the Rochester Planning Board’s attention Tuesday night.

            Joseph Sanda, representing developer Ken Steen Realty, said this plan is a revision of the original master plan for the development site. The original plan was for 208 senior units, he explained. Under the revision, that plan now includes an apartment building with 68 units for residents ages 55 and up on a 24,000-square-foot lot that would include a full septic system, a drainage network, underground utilities, site lighting, and surface parking.

            Sanda described a long driveway “aisle” that will include curb cuts allowing common access for others that will build within the development parcel. He then listed the regulatory waivers Steen is requesting for his site-plan-approval permit. These include that the project needs a smaller separation between the stormwater and septic system and cannot accommodate the 10-foot vegetative buffer that town Zoning Regulations require.

            The board ultimately continued this hearing until its next (September 23) meeting as it awaits more finalized details from Steen. But first, Planning Board Chair Arnold Johnson expressed concern over what this new plan will do to the Seasons Corner Market access road there that already sees traffic congestion. “Is that road being shifted?” he asked. Steen answered that this new road is not being built for this project but will be needed eventually. Johnson said he wanted that access point to go away now. Steen agreed to construct it but completely block it off.

            A resident of 617 County Road, a close abutter, said her concern was the increased, dangerous traffic conditions this project will create. She also noted the dangerous construction debris already there that attracts her six- and eight-year-old grandchildren to play on. “I’m stuck in the middle of this,” she said. Johnson suggested a temporary construction fence be built. Steen said he is willing to construct one.

            The board also continued its hearing on the Definitive Subdivision application to permit turning an 8.67-acre parcel at 19 County Road into three lots, a plan to retain the existing house lot and create two new lots for additional four-bedroom residential housing. Upon the petitioner’s request, this hearing will be delayed until October 14.

            The board continued to September 23 its hearing on the request to approve a modification of the Definitive Subdivision Plan permit for the previously approved Snipatuit Pond Estates at Gerrish and Bishop roads. The plan here is to swap two parcels of open space to create a 3.578-acre buildable lot on one of them. Johnson informed the petitioner’s attorney that the board needs to see the appraisal cost of that swap to make sure it is of equitable value to both sides.

            In other action, the board again continued to its next meeting the Special Permit and Site Plan Review hearing for the proposal from Logging Swamp Solar to install a ground-mounted, large-scale solar array at 600 Snipatuit Road and its other large-scale solar project hearing for the construction of a floating and ground-mounted solar array at 53 Dexter Lane. Both had also been continued at the board’s last meeting.

            The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 23 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Planning Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

From Eleanor to a Holiday By The Sea

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The Sippican Woman’s Club (SWC) is looking forward to an inspiring and engaging year ahead for 2025-2026. Over the summer, our Board and committees have been busy planning a calendar filled with programs, gatherings, and special events—including our signature Holiday by the Sea House Tour on Saturday, December 13.

            We begin the season on Friday, September 12, at 12:00 pm with a luncheon at Handy’s Tavern, 152 Front St, Marion, featuring “An Hour with Eleanor”, a one-woman play written and performed by playwright and actress Cynthia Krause. This captivating performance brings to life the remarkable and often controversial, Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.

            In October, members will enjoy a special visit to Great Hill Dairy on Tuesday, October 10 at 10:00 am to tour the renowned blue cheese facility, followed by our luncheon and meeting back at the Tavern.

            In addition to our monthly programming, we too gather each month for Sippican Suppers, where members enjoy a casual dinner together, as well as lively game nights, engaging book club discussions, and the exciting prospect of a new theatre club on the horizon.

            Founded in 1904 and incorporated for more than a century, SWC continues its proud tradition of bringing women together for learning, friendship, and community service. We are always eager to welcome new members who share a curiosity for learning, a spirit of fellowship, and a commitment to giving back.

            To learn more about membership, to stop in as a guest, or to join us for the 2025–2026 year, please visit our website at www.SippicanWomansClub.org or email Charlotte Cannelli at SWC.Marion@gmail.com.

Angelica Yacht Club

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AYC held its annual meeting and awards luncheon on Labor Day at 1 Bay Road (Pt Connett) in Mattapoisett. This year’s sunfish racers were made up of mostly beginner sailors, each learning the basics of sailing under the watchful eye of a parent or high school instructor. Races are held every Sunday from Tuttle Pier starting at 9:00 am. After several beginner races the adults take over and get in a couple races. This year there were four series:

            Fourth of July series, July series, August series and Labor Day series. Racers received flags for first, second and third place finishes in each race along with a trophy for the winner.

            Commodore Tim Warren and Vice Commodore Pete Asci gave out the following flags and series trophies.

            Fourth of July Winners: Beginners: Teddy Asci, Adults: Pete Kane

            July Series Winner: Beginners: Tommy Warren, Adults:  Nick Warren

            August Series Winner: Beginners: Murphy Warren

            Labor Day Series Winners: Beginners: Alana Kane, Adults: Pete Kane

            Also receiving flags were: Emily Warren, Mackenzie Aarsheim, Declan Warren, Nina Kane, Ben Hayes, Finn McCarthy, and Ozzy Warren-Parker

            The Commodore’s Award was awarded posthumously to Janine Forrest for her years of service to AYC as treasurer, racer and instructor.

South Coast Children’s Chorus Welcomes New Singers

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The South Coast Children’s Chorus is welcoming new singers for the upcoming season! SCCC is open to all students from grades 1-12. Thanks to the support of local cultural councils, the South Coast Community Foundation and generous donors, tuition is only $125 for the year and there is free or reduced tuition for any singer who requests it.

            The first rehearsal will take place on Tuesday, September 16. New singers are accepted during the first three weeks. Rehearsals take place on Tuesday nights, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm (Preparatory Chorus) and 5:30 pm to 7:00pm (Advanced Chorus) at Tabor Academy in the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts, 245 Front Street, Marion. To register visit the SCCC website at www.singsouthcoast.org

            The mission of the South Coast Children’s Chorus is to provide a joyful, educational choral experience for young singers, helping them to develop responsibility, confidence, musicianship, and a passion for excellence in all they do! The SCCC core values are Service, Culture, Confidence & Community. SCCC performs throughout the South Coast with interesting musicians such as Candida Rose and the Kabu Jazz Ensemble, the New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Singers and with the internationally renowned African Children’s Choir at venues including at AHA, the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, The Children’s Advocacy Network Gala, Big Sing Central, Salve Regina University in Newport and Fenway Park in Boston.

            For more information contact: SCCCsings@gmail.com also, visit us on Facebook and Instagram southcoastchildrenschorus, and SCCC website at www.singsouthcoast.org.

Beginnings of A Continental Navy

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This week in Revolutionary War History, let’s discuss what was going on 250 years ago in and around the colonial Province of Massachusetts Bay. Last week, supply issues still plagued the Continental Army with no real end in sight, all while an offensive campaign north into Quebec began and King George III signed the “Proclamation of Rebellion,” officially signaling the British Empire is in an active state of war.

            On August 27, 1775, Major General Philip Schuyler writes to Washington from Albany, New York, different from his usual post at Fort Ticonderoga. Schuyler states he was in the area and had an impromptu meeting with the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or the Haudenosaunee. At one point, this confederacy of different tribes encompassed a colossal landmass, from what would become Montreal, down the Saint Lawrence to Ohio and south to areas of Kentucky and Virginia. At the time of the meeting, they are further being driven into present day Upstate New York. The general tells Washington that the committee he met with was open and accepting to their neutrality in the conflict but had no interest in their own involvement on the American side. Schuyler writes, “they explicitly declared that as it was a family quarrel, they would not interfere, but remain [neutral] and hoped we would not desire more of them.”

            Unfortunately, this agreement was not to last. With hindsight, we know the confederation would suffer its first major splinter with some tribes supporting the British, and others the Americans. This would primarily be due to a lack of trade and immense pressure from both sides. The conflict would spell the doom of the Haudenosaunee, a peaceful network and confederation of tribes and peoples that had lasted roughly half a millennium.

            For now, the tribes are neutral. On August 29 in his General Orders, Washington reminds his men to adhere to his previously implemented food (bread) standards, as “complaints are continually making of the badness of the bread.” The same day, he writes to the Massachusetts Council, primarily working out of Cambridge, Concord, or Watertown due to Boston’s continued occupation, pushing for price controls on exorbitant fees for firewood, oats, and hay. He feels he is being extorted due to the army’s need. He writes, “I have great Reason to believe that this is an artificial scarcity partly created by some persons who are monopolizing those articles in order to advance the price.” Should prices not come down, Washington warns “the great Law of Self Preservation must authorize us to compel them.” Basically, coercion or forced acquisition.

            The following day, Washington’s General Orders are to mobilize about 600 men from two different brigades and march to the recently recaptured “Plough’d Hill” just outside Boston, present day Mount Benedict in Somerville. Surgeons and medics, he mentions, must also follow suit. Action is predicted as the army holding the hill is underequipped and being assaulted from the British.

            On August 31, Washington addresses confusion over pay, and a lack of pay, in his General Orders. Some regiments pay by lunar month and others by calendar month. Washington commands all regiments of Massachusetts Forces to pay their men immediately, at the same time, by calendar month. The same day, Washington is made aware that Messr Clarke & Nightingale of Providence have imported a substantial quantity of gunpowder, lead, and arms. He dispatches his Aide-de-Camp, Captain George Baylor, to strike a deal and acquire this material. He tells them to send the material and the bill, and whatever is asked will be “honored on the shortest notice.”

            On September 1, Philip Schuyler is joining up with General Montgomery in Quebec at Isle-au-noix. He is under the belief that both natives and Canadians will be friendly with the Continental Army, eventually helping them in driving out British forces. The same day, Washington hears from Lieutenant Colonel Loammi Baldwin in Chelsea that the Select Men (the Tri-Town still carrying on a long history of local governance) of the town have stated their worry and opposition to the 80-or-so men stationed in the town. He states the town is “vastly destressed and impoverished by repeated difficulties” and barracks should be built with great haste.

            Finally on September 2, Washington lays the groundwork for the Continental Navy, assigning Nicholson Broughton as Captain of recently acquired 4-gun schooner Hannah, eventually to have the name USS Hannah awarded after its service.

This Week in Revolutionary History…

By Sam Bishop

Work Remains on MS4 Bylaw

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On Tuesday, September 2, the Marion Planning Board met and held a public hearing on the proposed addition of a new section to the Zoning Bylaw to address Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) General Permits to the Code of the Town of Marion.

            Per the Marion Department of Public Works, “In compliance with the Clean Water Act (CWA), the General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) authorizes any operator of a small municipal separate storm sewer system to discharge stormwater runoff under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), in accordance with the conditions and requirements set forth under the MS4 General Permit.” In order to maintain compliance with state laws, the town is late and must pass MS4 guidelines soon or face state-imposed penalties.

            Before talks on the MS4 Bylaw itself, Jennifer Francis and Kerry Saltonstall of the Marion Transportation & Circulation Task Force spoke first and focused on Route 6. They stated in their presentation that the road through town has “poor pavement condition and drainage issues.” The panel said the road has not been paved since 1987, or about 40 years. They also mentioned the route basically bisects the town, blocking those on the north side from easy foot/bike access to Town Center and beaches. They presented various plans for the redevelopment of Route 6, with Francis saying, “making the whole area much safer and getting rid of the divide between north and south Marion” and added “nothing is set in stone. There is still a long way to go.”

            Widening the road will not be necessary or sought. As future development in both housing and business is planned for the area in town and connecting to Route 6 directly, they recommended improving the road as soon as possible. “The question was, how do we make the town more pedestrian-friendly?” Saltonstall said. They emphasized this being a work in progress with nothing truly finalized.

            Following talks on Route 6, the public hearing on MS4 thus began. Chair Andrew Daniel stated first the bylaw is very much “ever changing” and a work in progress. Vice Chair Alanna Nelson stated the bylaw should be easy to pass through, though there is the prevalent worry by the board that, should this be a zoning bylaw (as recommended by Nelson), it would require a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Nelson also said public hearings on the proposed bylaw “should be often” as it is “hard to do that [kind of talk] at Town Meeting.”

            Upon being questioned by a member of the audience, the board agreed that the MS4 Bylaw draft should be available online for download on the town website (marionma.gov). Member Tucker Burr said, “I think too many people [will] see it the first time at Town Meeting.”

            The public hearing didn’t contain many comments from the public, and instead there was a discussion by the board on the current draft and areas of focus for change. When asked whether to close or continue the hearing, Town Planner Doug Guey-Lee cautioned against closing. “We have to be really mindful of that,” he said, referring to the day following the proposed continuance being when the Select Board is meeting to confirm the Fall Town Meeting schedule. Daniel believed work had to be done to the Rules and Regulation section. Therefore, the public hearing was tabled with a unanimous vote, with the stated section to be reworked.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board will be held on Monday, September 15 at 7:00 pm in the Marion Police Station, 550 Mill Street or remotely accessible through Microsoft Teams.

Marion Planning Board

By Sam Bishop