Tabor Academy Hosts Ceramics Exhibition

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Two years ago, Tabor Academy art department faculty member Kevin Arnfield (Ceramics, Art History) received a Braitmayer Fellowship from Tabor to research, design and construct a 50-cubic foot wood-fired kiln. Mr. Arnfield’s project, much more complicated and involved than he anticipated, took nearly two years to complete and ended up involving a range of people from the Tabor community and beyond. Tabor art faculty, students, trustees, alumni, and people from the local community came together, either in the work of constructing and preparing the kiln or in the work of filling the kiln with ceramics to be fired. The inaugural firing of the kiln in October 2014 was a great success and produced very promising results.

During the first two weeks of February, the gallery in the Braitmayer Art Center will feature an exhibition entitled Wood Fire: Kiln, Art & Community – Ceramics from a Pre-Industrial Technology curated by Mr. Arnfield. The exhibition will address the history and aesthetics particular to wood-fired ceramics and the design and construction of his kiln. It will also address the value of labor and community work inherent in the wood firing process. A selection of ceramics from the 300+ pieces fired in inaugural kiln firing will be on view side by side with a number of important pieces of wood fired art pottery from local collections.

The public is invited to the opening reception of this exhibition on February 6 in the Braitmayer Art Center at Tabor Academy from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Free Library News

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Read to Sadie the Listener Dog: Sadie, the library’s wonderful listening ears dog, is coming back to hear young patrons read on Saturday, January 31 from 11:00 to 11:45 am. Children may sign up to read to the pup who loves to sit patiently and enjoy stories. Sign-ups are limited to ten children, so call today.

Harry Potter Club: The Fun Begins – Join the Harry Potter Club! Students age 7 and up are encouraged to join other HP fans for fun, a team trivia challenge, crafts, snacks, and more. Wear your best HP outfit. The first meeting will be held Tuesday, February 17 (school vacation week) from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Register for this meeting at the library or by calling 508-758-4171.

Get Ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count! Families are encouraged to join Justin and Jessica Barrett and other experienced birdwatchers for a program on Saturday, February 7 at 11:00 am. Learn how to participate in the bird count by identifying birds and recording your findings. Be a citizen scientist while having fun in your own backyard. This program is part of the Tri-Town libraries’ MOBY, My Own BackYard natural science program, supported with federal funds as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Take Your Child to the Library Day – It’s a National event! All over the country, families are visiting their public libraries on this day to enjoy stories, crafts, and fun.

Visit the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Saturday, February 7 between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm where you can:

– Explore the Preschool Science Station’s sensory tables, magnets, and building sets

– Try the new Apps on the Children’s Department iPad

– Play some fun educational games on the AWE Learning Stations

– Go on the Library Scavenger Hunt and enter to win a prize

– Play with the library’s Lego Collection or chess

– Sign up for the Harry Potter Club and see the HP movie schedule

– Check out the Literacy Backpacks that offer books and activities for all ages on a variety of subjects

Sign up to be on the MOBYfun mailing list and learn more about this new exciting natural science program for children in grades 3 through 8.

Need a library card for your child or grandchild? Children 5-years old and up can have one – free!

The Future of Fundraising is Here: Looking for funding for a new business, a great idea, or a favorite charity? Learn how to use websites such as Kickstarter, gofundme, Indiegogo, and others on Tuesday, February 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Register for this workshop by calling the library at 508-758-4171 or emailing esherry@sailsinc.org.

Chess Club: The Chess Club will resume Wednesday, January 28 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Instructor Jim Kegle is ready to get students’ chess skills back in shape after the holiday break or teach new participants some of the basics. Bring ideas for how the chess club might grow and expand. Suggestions including membership cards and tournaments will be discussed. Please bring a chess set, if possible. Students: Sign up in the children’s department or by calling the library at 508-758-4171.

RMS Basketball a Winner

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It was a pretty close game, 67-59, at Rochester Memorial School on January 23. It was the annual sixth grade vs. staff basketball game, and this year it was attended by a record crowd. $370 was raised for the Nurse Thayer Scholarship Fund. “It was a great event,” said RMS Principal Derek Medeiros. “It’s all about the engagement, and seeing all those people there was great.” Photos by Jean Perry

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Martha D. (Delano) Wenstrom

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Martha D. (Delano) Wenstrom, 87, of Mattapoisett died January 28, 2015 at Tobey Hospital after a brief illness surrounded by her family.

She was the loving wife of Robert E. Wenstrom, with whom she shared 61 years of marriage.

Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Ralph and Mabel (Neeley) Delano, she lived in Mattapoisett most of her life.

Mrs. Wenstrom was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who always put her family first. She enjoyed walking the beach, bird watching, traveling to Maine with her husband and outings with her daughters.

Survivors include her husband; 2 daughters, Laurie Niemiec of Mattapoisett and Pamela Archambault and her husband Paul of Fairhaven; a brother, Ralph Delano, Jr. of Rabun Gap, GA; 3 grandchildren, Nichole Sullivan, Heather Beaulieu and Kellie Archambault; 2 great-grandchildren, Kaia and Bria; and 2 nieces, Linda and Jane.

Her visiting hours will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2015 from 1-5 PM in the the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6, Mattapoisett. Burial will be private. For directions and guestbook, please www.saundersdwyer.com.

MLT Donors’ Names Carved in Stone

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Those who frequent the Mattapoisett Bike Rail may have noticed a new stone monument placed near the wooded wetlands where the bike path crosses Brandt Island Road.

The new marker was placed at the site last week to mark the seven acres donated by Jeanette Mello of Mattapoisett who inherited the parcel from her parents, Captain Jack and Bridgette Murray.

Mello donated the conservation land to the Mattapoisett Land Trust back in December 2011, and the monument is now being placed to honor the Murrays and raise awareness of the MLT’s acquisition of the land.

During a January 23 phone interview, Mattapoisett Land Trust President Gary Johnson said there had not been funds for the stone monument until recently, after years of saving funding for the marker.

Johnson said that although there is no public access to the site, the location of Murray Preserve alongside the bike path abuts hundreds of acres of land in the Nasketucket Bay area protected by the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

“The Mattapoisett Land Trust would not usually accept an isolated seven-acre parcel of land like this one,” said Johnson. “But knowing a larger conservation project [with the BBC] was in the works, we accepted the conservation land in an area that is important, especially along the bike path.”

Johnson said because the land is too wet to traverse and there aren’t any hiking trails, the stone monument will serve to make the public aware of properties acquired and protected by the Mattapoisett Land Trust.

For more information about the Mattapoisett Land Trust and its properties, visit www.mattlandtrust.org.

By Jean Perry

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Marion COA Information

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Tax Help: Income tax preparation for simple returns will be available by appointment only on Wednesday afternoons.

Drug Disposal: Drop off at the police station. No liquids.

Emergency Fund: For Marion residents in need of life sustaining services.

Transportation: Call as soon as you have an appointment.

Medical Appointments:

– Wareham area – Monday am & Thursday pm.

– Dartmouth & New Bedford – Monday pm & Thursday am.

– Plymouth on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

– Boston on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Shopping:

– Every Wednesday, Market Basket – pick up at 12:30 pm.

– Alternate Fridays to Shaw’s in Wareham and Fairhaven marts – pick up 12:30 pm.

Please arrange errands with the above schedule.

Donations are appreciated.

Outreach Worker: Outreach worker is available to meet in your home or at the COA office at Town House to assist with information, referrals, or assistance with applications. Call for appointment.

Mailbox Sticker: If you have not picked up your mail in three days, the post office will notify the COA so we may do a well check. Call the COA for more info.

Book Delivery: Free delivery of books to home-bound residents. Please call the library at 508-748-1252.

Legal Assistance: On February 12 beginning at 10:00 am. Simple wills, estate planning. Appointments are needed.

LGBT Supper Club: LGBT supper club, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors on the 4th Wednesday of each month from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Suggested donation: $3. Call the Fairhaven Senior Center, 229 Huttleston Avenue, 508-979-4029, to sign up.

Telephone Reassurance: Daily check on people living alone. Call for more details.

Movies: It Happened One Night to be shown on February 6. All movies begin at 7:00 pm at the Music Hall. Free.

Health & Wellness:

YMCA: Tuesdays and Thursdays – pick up at 10:00 am and return at 12:30 pm. Scholarships are available.

Step & Stretch: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 – 2:00 pm at the Rochester COA. Transportation provided.

Senior Stretch: Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays from 9:30 – 10:30 am at First Congregational Church hall. Sponsored by Friends of Marion visiting nurse. Ten-week sessions for $45. Sign up for one, two or three days.

Low-impact Dance Aerobics: Mondays from 9:30 – 10:40 am, Fridays from 9:00 – 10:00 am at Atlantis Drive. Donation: $4.

Public Health Nurse: Nurse is available for health consultation, blood pressure and glucose monitoring, wound assessment and routine adult vaccinations on Mondays at Town House from 9:30 – 11:30 am. The nurse is available by appointment Tuesday – Friday.

Meals on Wheels: Delivered daily to home-bound elders.

Podiatry Clinic: Call for appointment.

Social Day Program: Monday – Friday to the Fairhaven social day program. Pick up begins at 7:45 am and return is at 2:30 pm.

Medical Equipment: Walkers, bath seats, commodes, etc. Free loan.

Friendship Table: Free meal at St. Gabriel’s church in Marion, 1st and 3rd Thursdays at the Congregational Church Community Center at 5:00 pm.

SHINE Counselor (Serving Health Information Needs of Elders): Have a health insurance question? Ask our SHINE counselor. Call the COA for appointment.

Fuel Assistance: Applications are available at the office. Please call to make an appointment.

Classic Film Friday

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On Friday, February 6 at 7:00 pm, the public is invited to the Marion Music Hall for the month’s Classic Film Friday Presentation: It Happened One Night. The event is co-sponsored by the Sippican Historical Society and the Marion Council on Aging, and is offered to the public free of charge. Directed (and co-written) by Frank Capra, the 1934 film is considered one of the greatest romantic comedies in film history. Not only was it a box office sleeper hit, but it was a critical success, as well, garnering five Academy Award nominations and winning in all five categories: Best Picture, Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Actress (Claudette Colbert), Best Director (Frank Capra), and Best Adaptation (Robert Riskin).

In a reversal of the classic Cinderella story, the film’s heiress heroine (Claudette Colbert) rejects her wealthy lifestyle and falls in company – and love – with a gruff, out-of-work reporter (Clark Gable). Class conflicts, socio-economic differences, and battles of wit are played out along a madcap road trip that contains some of the most memorable film scenes ever created. Running time for It Happened One Night is 105 minutes, and the film will be followed by a brief talk-back session by David Pierce. The Marion Music Hall is located at 164 Front Street, and ample parking is available across the street at Island Wharf. For more information, contact the SHS at 508-748-1116.

ZBA: ‘Common Sense Over Bureaucracy’

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The Marion Planning Board majority wanted the building permit for the Briggs’ solar farm on County Road revoked so the board could conduct a site plan review of the project it claims it is entitled to. But on January 22, the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals decided it would uphold the building permit, citing “common sense over bureaucracy.”

ZBA Chairman Eric Peirce acknowledged Planning Board member Robert Lane’s argument that Chapter 9 of the Zoning Bylaws requires a site plan review was “really well put together.” Lane emphasized that the Planning Board did not seek to thwart the project any further, but to simply avoid setting a dangerous precedent for future projects similar in nature.

“It is not about the variance … and it is not about the solar farm,” said Lane. “What it’s about is the Planning Board’s authority to conduct a site plan review in the bylaws.”

Lane and fellow board members Chairman Stephen Kokkins and Rico Ferrari, both in attendance, maintained that the building permit should be revoked until the Planning Board exercised its right to a site plan review. Lane cited various reasons such as ambiguity in the bylaws relative to the definition of “structure” and “gross floor area,” as well as the part of Section 9 that mentions triggering a site plan review before the Planning Board.

“I’m sure the entire Planning Board would expedite any sort of approval,” said Lane, “… and a precedent would be placed.”

Peirce said the ZBA has to be especially careful to stay away from establishing any sort of precedent, and the board looks at each application on a case-by-case basis, saying otherwise the board would face a slippery slope.

Dale and Laura Briggs sat quietly and made no comments when invited to speak.

Building Commissioner Scott Shippey, who issued the building permit subsequent to the ZBA granting the variance, also declined comment, but later told the board he had “broad shoulders” and could handle it should the board not uphold the permit.

After the public hearing was closed and Planning Board members left, Peirce told Shippey, “You were doing what we told you to do.”

With all due respect, stated Peirce, “We’ve seen [the project before us] so many times we respectively have done the site plan review.”

Peirce questioned the Planning Board’s right to challenge the building permit addressing some key issues.

“Are they aggrieved?” asked Peirce. “Other than philosophically, they aren’t pained.”

Although the Planning Board could virtually streamline the site plan review approval process and follow “the letter of the law,” Peirce said he felt the intent of the bylaw was more important in this case.

“My opinion is not to overturn the building inspector,” said Peirce. “I don’t think we’re doing the Town a disservice.” He added that the ZBA does not make a practice of “competing with other boards.”

“And I don’t intend to,” said Peirce. “But there’s common sense, and there’s bureaucracy.”

The ZBA will wait to take a formal vote until its next meeting, but the board voiced its support for upholding the building permit. Peirce said he would run the issue by town counsel before taking action.

“It’s meant with no disrespect, but let’s move on,” Peirce said.

Also during the meeting, the board approved the special permit application for Jon Delli Priscoli of 91 Water Street to build an addition onto the historic cottage.

The next meeting of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for February 26 at 7:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

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Bill Harley to Visit Sippican

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We would like to remind you that next week, Sippican School is proud to host Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/storyteller, Bill Harley, for a special engagement. Bill will conduct three days of workshops and assemblies of storytelling and song with students and teachers. As part of his visit, we invite families and all members of the Sippican School community to a free Bill Harley concert on Thursday evening, January 29 at 6:30 pm in the multi-purpose room. This is going to be a fun event and hope to see you there.

Marion COA Trips

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The Marion Council on Aging has the following trips scheduled for 2015. Call to reserve your spot on the van. These trips fill up quickly.

February 23 – IKEA

March 23 – Outdoor World

April 20 – JFK Memorial, Hyannis

May 18 – Wrentham Mall

June 15 – Glass Museum in Sandwich

July 20 – Butterflies of Cape Cod, Bourne

August 17 – Canal Boat trip

September 21 – Isaacs Plymouth

October 19 – Fall River Maritime Museum