9th Annual Rochester Road Race a Success

on August 14, 2014

There were 225 runners lined up at the Dexter Lane starting line for the 9^th Annual 5K Walk/Run Road Race, which is held every year to raise money and food for The Food Pantry at Damien’s Place in Wareham.

While the turnout was somewhat less than expected, Director Scott Muller was still pleased with the number of participants, as well as the perfect running conditions.

“It’s a perfect day for the race. Not too humid,” said Muller before the race started. “Plus, the course is mostly shaded so it won’t be too hot. I expect to see some personal bests today.”

Also working to organize the event were Vice President Chuck Kantner, Secretary Jeff Perry, Treasurer Kevin Cassidy, and Operations Manager Travis Vanhall. The primary sponsor of the event was Costello Dismantling.

As runners gathered before the race, The Food Pantry collected nonperishable goods for the pantry. Richard Straffin, a representative of The Food Pantry, was there to meet and thank everyone who donated.

“The race is a great big help. We collect a lot of food and it’s always a great cash donation,” said Straffin. “We’re so grateful to everyone for their donations. It’s also just a great community event, it gets everyone together.”

To date, the Rochester Road Race, which is incorporated as a nonprofit, has raised over $40,000 and thousands of pounds of food for The Food Pantry, which serves needy families in the area.

Once the race got started, though, it was all about the competition. For the first time in three years, a new winner emerged. Thomas Days Merrill of Fairhaven came in first place overall with a time of 16:42. Devyn Pryor of Dartmouth came in first in the women’s group with a time of 18:24.

Some of the loudest applause of the day came for the second place winner in the women’s group. Meg Hughes, age 12, came in second place with a time of 19:06. Hughes won the women’s group at last year’s race.

Rounding out the men’s group winners were second place finisher Jeff Reed from New Bedford with a time of 17:37 and third place finisher Nathan Britto of New Bedford with a time of 17:48. Patricia Carreiro of New Bedford finished in third place for the women’s group with a time of 19:13.

Following the race, Muller thanked the runners and guests and reminded everyone that the race is always in need of volunteers. Those interested in helping next year should email RochesterRR@comcast.net.

By Camden Gaspar

Mattapoisett Joins Marion in Water Restriction

on August 14, 2014

There is a water shortage in the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply District (MRVWD) and, in addition to Marion’s own bylaw already restricting outdoor water usage in the summertime, the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department has now placed a mandatory outdoor water usage restriction on Mattapoisett residents until further notice.

The Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department held an emergency meeting on August 7 and approved the emergency water restriction for the Town of Mattapoisett, which allows for outdoor water usage only between the hours of 6:00 am to 8:00 am, and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Houses with even addresses will be allowed to use outdoor water on even-number days, limited to those four hours per day, and odd-number addresses can use outdoor water on odd-number days.

For example, an even-number address can water on the dates of August 14, 16, and 18, and odd-number addresses can water on August 15, 17, and 19. Any household can use outdoor water on August 31, but only during the restricted four hours.

“We need to be able to preserve a certain amount of water in our storage tanks in the event … [of] a major fire,” said Nicholson during the meeting. “[The hours] should be more than ample to take care of any kind of gardens or lawns and be able to help maintain the needed water that we have.”

The water shortage is the result of a problem with the Fairhaven Tinkham Lane well, which, on average, provides roughly 1.5 million of gallons per day.

“We are in a situation where we have been blessed so far with cooler weather and we’ve had some rain,” said Nicholson. “But around the corner, I’m quite certain that there will be warm weather … and heavy usage because of the lack of rain.”

The Town of Marion already has its own mandatory outdoor water restriction effective June 15 to September 15, which restricts outdoor water usage to the same hours, 6:00 to 8:00 am and pm; the only difference is that even-number houses may use water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while odd-number house can use outdoor water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In addition, Marion residents may wash their vehicles and water their plants using a hand-held hose only on Sundays between 6:00 am and 12:00 pm.

Nicholson at first estimated that the well would be back online the following week, but he had no assurance of that, adding that it could end up taking a month before the problem is fixed. On August 13, Nicholson said he anticipated the problem would be fixed by the end of this week, and possibly tested for quality the week of August 18.

“That’s my optimistic outlook,” said Nicholson during a follow-up phone interview. “We’re starting to get things back together.”

As for violating the water restriction in Mattapoisett, since the department in still getting the word out, a first offense would be a verbal warning. Any subsequent offense would be a $100 fine.

“We’re first trying to educate the people on what’s going on,” said Nicholson. “We are still trying to get the word out to people.”

There are fines for violating the Marion water restriction, as well. A first-time violation would result in a $50 fine, and a second strike would result in $100 fine.

As part of the MRVWD Commission, Fairhaven is also under a mandatory water restriction until further notice.

If you have any questions, you can call the Marion Department of Public Works at 508-748-3540 or the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department at 508-758-4161.

By Jean Perry

Sprague’s Cove Science

on August 14, 2014

To the Editor:

The controversy swirling around Sprague’s Cove pits scientific evidence and sound ecological practice against perception. Back in the late 1980s, the waters near Silvershell Beach were contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria owing to runoff from residential areas. The town opted to address the problem using the natural processes that occur in wetlands, based on advice and guidance from experts at the Mass Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mass Fish and Wildlife, among others. The basin was constructed on a dredge fill site and planted with appropriate native vegetation to remediate the pollution and stabilize the earthworks structure.

Unfortunately since then, the site was not sufficiently maintained, and invasive plant species, particularly phragmites (tall marsh grass), took over. This vegetation deteriorates the earthwork structure and greatly reduces the site’s ability to remove harmful bacteria from runoff water when it enters the basins. Wildlife will move into all sorts of vegetation, but the diversity of species that lives in a phragmites-dominated wetland is substantially reduced from what one would find in a wetland filled with a variety of native plants.

So the choice is clear. Do we, the residents of Marion, prefer to allow invasive species to return to Sprague’s Cove, thereby reducing its ability to mitigate runoff pollution, or do we want to follow the scientific advice and return native species to the Cove where it can remove harmful bacteria from the runoff and stabilize the structure? The eradication and control of invasive plants won’t be pretty at first, but in the end, the replanting of native plants will attract a greater variety of wildlife, help mitigate pollution from our neighborhoods, and ultimately create a more attractive vista.

Jennifer Francis, Marion

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.

ORR Regional Bus Schedules

on August 14, 2014

Student transportation for the upcoming school year will be available on the ORR District website August 18. Please go to www.oldrochester.org.

If you are unable to find your child’s route listed, please contact the school directly or the Superintendent’s Office at the numbers listed here:

ORR Senior High School: 508-758-3745

ORR Jr. High School: 508-758-4928

Center School: 508-758-2521

Old Hammondtown School: 508-758-6241

Sippican School: 508-748-0100

Rochester Memorial School: 508-763-2049

Superintendent’s Office: 508-758-2772 ext. 1945

If you do not have internet access, please contact the school’s office and provide your street address so a hard copy of your child’s route can be mailed to you.

Please check times, stops, and route numbers as not all will be the same as prior years.

RPD Issues IRS Telephone Scam Warning

on August 13, 2014

Several residents have reported being contacted by phone by persons claiming to be from the IRS and being told they owe money and must pay now. Please see the scam alert released by the IRS below.

As the 2014 filing season nears an end, the Internal Revenue Service today issued another strong warning for consumers to guard against sophisticated and aggressive phone scams targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, as reported incidents of this crime continue to rise nationwide. These scams won’t likely end with the filing season, so the IRS urges everyone to remain on guard.

The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone. For more information or to report a scam, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

People have reported a particularly aggressive phone scam in the last several months. Immigrants are frequently targeted. Potential victims are threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off, or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers are frequently insulting or hostile – apparently to scare their potential victims.

Potential victims may be told they are entitled to big refunds, or that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS. When unsuccessful the first time, sometimes phone scammers call back trying a new strategy.

Other characteristics of this scam include:

– Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.

– Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number.

– Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.

– Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.

– Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.

– After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:

– If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue, if there really is such an issue.

– If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.

– If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.

Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS. The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

Board Approves New TA and Police Sergeant

on August 13, 2014

There was a lot of swearing during the Rochester Board of Selectmen meeting on August 11– swearing-in, that is.

Rochester officially welcomed and appointed its new town administrator, Michael McCue, who stood before Town Clerk and Selectman Naida Parker, right hand raised, promising to do his duty for the Town of Rochester during his first selectmen’s meeting as a full-time employee at Town Hall.

Parker also swore-in Rochester’s newest police sergeant, Sergeant Kevin Flynn, in front of about a dozen of his fellow officers and family members.

Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee introduced Flynn as a highly qualified officer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Stonehill College, who has been serving the Town of Rochester as a patrolman since he graduated in May of 2005.

“We were fortunate enough to scoop him up,” said Magee, listing Flynn’s contributions to the Town of Rochester in his capacity as a D.A.R.E. officer, a certified school resource officer, head of the firearms licensing department and Bad Check Program, as well as other safety programs within the community.

According to Magee, Flynn’s most recent accomplishment was the overhaul of the entire firearms training program, and Flynn has satisfied all the steps for the promotion to sergeant required by law.

After Flynn completed taking his oath, Flynn’s wife Susie pinned the new badge onto her husband’s uniform and those in attendance applauded the new sergeant.

Later in the meeting, McCue’s town administrator report brought the board up to date on some new projects McCue has been pursuing since his transition to Rochester from the Town of Avon.

McCue showed the board an example of the Wright Express (WEX) card for which he is applying on behalf of the Town to use as a credit card for fuel purchases and vehicle repairs only. He said, so far, he has also met with most of the town department heads, with the exception of a couple.

McCue mingled with various board, committee, and commission members and chairmen just before the Board of Selectmen meeting began on the same evening during a casual “meet and greet the new town administrator” in the meeting room at Town Hall.

Also in the works, McCue is planning to hold monthly meetings with department heads tentatively on the last Tuesday of each month, and he said he has also requested that department heads provide him with monthly summaries of important activities and key issues from the previous month.

“So you’re not caught unaware in case something is questioned in public,” McCue told the board.

McCue stated that he is also in contact with the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General regarding procurement policy, the purchasing of goods and services for the Town, and ways to simplify procurement processes, adding that it has become “very difficult and complicated” lately. McCue told the board it is best to not find themselves “in the middle of an audit … with files floating around…”

McCue said he is still pursuing ways the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) could benefit the Town of Rochester, and McCue will be meeting with the SRPEDD director and other SRPEDD staff members later in August.

Another one of McCue’s ideas presented to the board was the utilization of prison inmates for painting and roadside cleanup through the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Project Labor Community Service Program, which raised a few eyebrows on the board.

“I’m just not sure I want the inmates to know where the Town of Rochester is,” said Selectman Richard Nunes, eliciting laughter throughout the room.

Also during the meeting, the board approved the warrant for the special state primary election slated for November 9, and also approved the request from the Rochester Board of Assessors to issue preliminary tax bills for fiscal year 2015.

In other matters, the board appointed Cheryl Hebert to the Old Rochester Regional School Committee with ORR School Committee Chairman Jim O’Brien present, and reappointed Kathleen McHenry as the Town’s assistant accountant.

The board approved the liquor license for Matt’s Blackboard, and accepted the resignation of Cynthia Underhill from the Rochester Historical Commission.

A dog hearing for Liberal and Melinda Texeira of 368 North Avenue scheduled for that night was continued until August 25. The hearing pertains to complaints that the dogs living on the property have “interfered with the quiet, peaceful enjoyment of others, constituting a nuisance” in violation of the law.

The next Rochester Board of Selectmen meeting is August 25 at 6:30 pm at Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

Quahogging with the BBC

on August 13, 2014

Last Saturday was beautiful – hot and sunny with a slight breeze blowing a few lazy clouds through the sky. It was the perfect beach day, or, for those feeling a little more adventurous, the perfect day to learn to quahog.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition provided this opportunity to learn all about the basics of quahogging to locals for free through its Bay Adventures series.

Late Saturday morning, on August 9, participants were invited to the Mattapoisett Beach at Camp Massasoit for a Quahogging 101.

Of the roughly 30 people who arrived, only a couple had experience quahogging. Still, as one elderly participant happily pointed out, “You’re never too old to learn something new.” Likewise, the Coalition representatives were happy to teach.

“Quahogging in general is just something that embraces the culture of Buzzards Bay,” said Meghan Gahm, an outdoor educator from the Buzzards Bay Coalition. “It tends to give a motivation to help protect the bay and keep it clean as well, which is one of the things that we promote at the Buzzards Bay Coalition.”

Gahm began Saturday’s event by explaining a quahog’s habitat and the tools used to fish for them. These shellfish bury themselves just below the sand, allowing one to dig for them using a small rake. The shellfish rakes often have baskets attached to them, making it easier to filter the quahogs out of the sand.

“An hour before and after low tide is when it’s the best to go out there,” said Gahm.

Gahm added that the day’s fishing would be a “dig and release” event, unless participants had a Mattapoisett shellfish permit. Each town has separate regulations, locations, and permits for shellfishing.

According to the Mattapoisett website, a shellfish permit for a Mattapoisett resident is just $25. For a Marion or Rochester resident, the cost to shellfish in Mattapoisett is $35. For all other non-residents, the cost is $135. These permits are valid for one year, except for senior citizens who receive a gold permit button that remains valid for the lifetime of the owner.

Gahm explained that Mattapoisett has four locations open to shellfishing, each specifically marked on maps available on the Town’s website. Those with a permit may fish in these locations, filling up to one peck basket of quahogs per week.

This is how the town prevents overfishing, discussed Buzzards Bay Coalition restoration ecologist Sara de Silva Quintal later on. They only allow a certain number of permits per year, and they limit the amount of fishing per permit. This, plus the monitoring of commercial fishing, lets the town create an estimate of the bay’s quahog population. With this information, they may close certain areas to shellfishing to allow for restoration. The town may also close an area if it is polluted, as the pollutants can infect the shellfish and make a person sick.

Thus, the regulations look out for the health of both land and bay residents. To aid the quahog population, the size of the quahogs allowed to be taken is regulated. Those with a permit to shellfish must have a gauge – a metal rectangle with a one-inch by two-inch rectangle cut out in the center. If the quahog fits through the center rectangle, it is too small to be taken and must be released. Quahogs take about three years to get to the proper size for shellfishing, but they can live up to 40 years.

After all information was relayed and questions were answered, the quahogging tools were passed out. The Buzzards Bay Coalition provided rakes, water shoes, and a couple peck baskets to those participating. Everyone headed into the water, eager to put their new knowledge to use. While some waded up to their waist in the low tide, those with young kids preferred to stay close to shore, discovering crabs and oysters along with some small quahogs.

“If they’re smiling that’s all we really care about,” laughed Gahm, speaking of the kids participating. “For them to just get out with their families and do something different, be in the water, be aware of the area that’s around them.”

This is not the Coalition’s first successful quahogging event; they started having these events in 2012 and continue them due to the great response they receive.

“We had a lot of interest for this program,” said Gahm. “We probably had around 100 inquiries for it, which is great. People want to get out there and learn to quahog, so we’ll hopefully be having many of these in the future.”

The Coalition has more Bay Adventures planned before the summer ends, including a trip to Penikese Island. More information on the Coalition and these events can be found at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/BayAdventures.

By Renae Reints

Sprague’s Cove Response

on August 13, 2014

To the Editor:

The controversy regarding the Sprague’s Cove Stormwater Remediation Project has resulted in a number of letters to the editor that have often contained erroneous and/or at best misleading information. In the lines that follow, I have tried to address the more troubling of these accusations.

Accusation: The stormwater system was removed by the Conservation Commission.

Fact: The stormwater system was not removed; invasive species on the periphery were removed.

Accusation: The integrity of the working stormwater system should not be sacrificed.

Fact: The integrity of the stormwater system has not been sacrificed. The earthworks have been protected from further deterioration by the continued growth of invasive species.

Accusation: Sprague’s Cove is a precious or valuable resource.

Fact: Sprague’s Cove is first and foremost an engineered stormwater remediation structure designed to protect the harbor from contamination. While Sprague’s Cove also provides other benefits, these are secondary to its designed function.

Accusation: The Conservation Commission did not preserve and protect natural open space.

Fact: Sprague’s Cove is not natural and it is not open space. It is an engineered stormwater remediation structure constructed in historic dredge spoils.

Accusation: Sprague’s Cove needs saving.

Fact: Sprague’s Cove needs to be saved from encroachment by invasive species through consistent maintenance. Prior to their removal, invasive species had destroyed the diversity of native vegetation that provided preferred habitat and wildlife food production.

Accusation: The clearing destroyed vegetation originally provided by contributions and grants.

Fact: The original vegetation was destroyed by the infestation of invasive species.

Accusation: The Conservation Commission destroyed a habitat used by turtles and waterfowl.

Fact: The original native vegetation had a secondary benefit creating habitat for turtles and birds. The Phragmites that replaced the native vegetation significantly reduced the habitat value.

Accusation: The Marion Open Space Acquisition Committee (MOSAC) has the experience and expertise to continue maintenance of invasive species.

Fact: The Chairman of MOSAC stated on Town Meeting floor that there was no point in treating invasive species – they will only grow back. While this may reflect only the viewpoint of its Chair, this position makes it difficult to accept the assertion that MOSAC would maintain Sprague’s Cove.

Accusation: The Conservation Commission is asking for $12,000 annually.

Fact: The Conservation Commission requested $12K for Sprague’s Cove and other parcels. It was not an annual request.

Accusation: The treatment of invasive species is pointless – they will only grow back.

Fact: I have not found any experts that support this assertion. Invasive species can be controlled by consistent maintenance, in much the way a garden requires regular weeding.

Like many people in Marion, I am concerned with the maintenance of the town’s character, most importantly the preservation of its open spaces, shoreline and wetlands. Maintenance almost always involves action. In this specific case, that action is the removal and control of aggressively invasive plant species. If unchecked these plants, none native to Marion, threaten to destroy our woods, our wetlands and in the case of Sprague’s Cove our engineered stormwater treatment structures.

Jeff Doubrava

Member, Marion Conservation Commission

Board Pulls a 180 in Traffic Talks

on August 13, 2014

Discussion over traffic concerns appeared to do doughnuts, with board members’ tires spinning, and agreement among the board stalled on August 12 over access for a proposed filling station on Cranberry Highway.

Two separate but related public hearings wound up being continued after over two hours of pushing and pulling between board members and with the applicants as well. Rochester Crossroads LLC and Colbea Enterprises, both with shared representatives, tried their best to alleviate some board members’ concerns over trucks turning into a tight squeeze of a turn onto an access road, which, at first, took two steps backwards before two subsequent steps forward as the parties inched closer to a consensus among the board.

First up was Rochester Crossroads, addressing some drainage concerns and lack of a buffer zone between the commercial and abutting residential zone with the board, which quickly escalated to the main issue at hand: traffic logistics and big trucks.

The discussion turned away from where the board left off at the last meeting, when talk focused mostly on vehicles exiting the proposed gas station/convenience store/coffee shop and taking an illegal left turn despite signage and an obstructing curb. The focus was now on trucks using an access road that Rochester Crossroads will have built to accommodate the new filling station.

Board member Susan Teal was against the buffer zone waivers Rochester Crossroads was seeking, saying that the regulations for buffer zones existed before the proposed plan, so the company should seek to comply with the rules now, rather than ask for waivers. Board member John DeMaggio concurred with Teal, asking, why do we have rules and regulations if the board is just going to grant waivers for them?

And regarding the buffer zone, the abutting residential property line is still under dispute with the landowner’s heirs, although Rochester Crossroads’ attorney, Rich Serkey, assured the board that he had in his possession the deed with the actual property lines represented.

“We have the buffer zone and we have it for a reason,” stated Chairman Arnold Johnson, who later admitted that he could not be persuaded to support the project and commented that he would somehow get himself out of having to vote on the matter.

Talk went back and forth between the buffer zone and widening the opening for trucks turning onto the access road. Board member Michael Murphy was first to point out that talk was headed toward widening the entrance for trucks turning into the access road that trucks are prohibited from entering in the first place.

“Not practical and difficult to enforce,” Teal read from a letter from the engineering consultant for the Town, Ken Motta, regarding the turn radius of the access road.

Serkey suggested the board close the public hearing for Rochester Crossroads, saying the traffic flow for the gas station was a Colbea matter, but not without more internal arguing among board members over the matter.

When Colbea came up, representative Mark Smith took the stage, going over the general plans for the filling station, attempting to fill in some blanks for the board regarding frequency of trucks entering the site and truck movement within the site. Johnson disagreed with Smith’s assertion that having a coffee shop drive-thru onsite would not increase traffic congestion. At that, Johnson suggested getting an independent traffic engineer to look it over, calling it “critical.”

One of the managers from Colbea, Andrew Delli Carpini, said his family has been building convenience stores and gas stations for some time, and he knows that the site would have no issues with traffic flow or congestion and the site is large enough, ideal even, for the filling station based on the company’s 21 years of experience.

“We know gas stations,” said Carpini. “I think the project will flow nicely.”

The board listened to a presentation of the traffic study done on the site, which led to a lot of “what if” questions, especially from Johnson. He posed several hypothetical traffic scenarios before Murphy finally spoke out, giving a real jumpstart to the discussion.

“I think a lot of this is bull,” said Murphy at the start of his diatribe, intercepting a few yawns from some board members. He said he has been in the trucking business for 46 years and he is well acquainted with that stretch of road, specifically mentioning how trucks do not have problems turning into the 7-Eleven across the street. He was opposed to widening the access road opening, and he said a tractor-trailer driver knows better to wait until cars clear the site before pulling into it. He said that there are very few accidents involving all the hypothetical scenarios.

“I know, I do the towing,” added Murphy. “The bottom line is … we want these guys to jump through hoops. And that’s bull.”

Carpini jumped in to reassure the board, “My name’s going to be on [this project].” He said he would not associate his name with traffic gaffes or safety hazards.

Soon, talk completely switched gears toward narrowing the access road opening to inhibit trucks from entering. Johnson asserted that the Town’s own engineer was adamantly against a narrow opening, and Johnson was soon in the minority in favor of the wider opening. A heated debate between Murphy and Johnson ensued until Engineer Phil Cordeiro took the wheel and drove the discussion home.

Why not the 36-inch wider opening, Cordeiro posed the question.

“Because truck drivers are very clever,” he stated. If truck drivers want to get into that access road they will find a way, and widening the opening will only encourage them.

Cordeiro addressed “what ifs” over traffic flow and congestion, especially during peak times, using an analogy of planning a parking lot for a new church.

“You don’t design it for Easter morning,” said Cordeiro, especially if on the other 51 Sundays that year there are only ten people attending church. “This [access road] is really the secondary entrance to the site.”

“I’m gonna get out of voting on this,” said Johnson, “but I still don’t agree.” He said he could not be talked out of his opposition, although he sees the other board members’ points.

The matter was continued until August 26, the next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board.

By Jean Perry

Rochester Grange Agricultural Fair

on August 12, 2014

The 104th Annual Grange Agricultural Fair will be held Saturday, August 16 from 1:30 – 7:00 pm. A Ham & Bean Supper will be held at 6:00 pm followed by an auction of produce, etc. from the fair. Our Fair books and posters have been out for a while, disappearing almost as fast as they were dropped off. The Fair committee hopes that it’s a good sign and that gardeners and crafters are preparing to enter and show off what they have grown this summer or have made during the past year.

To enter, bring your entries to the Grange Hall at 205 Hartley Rd. on Friday, August 15 between 2:00 and 4:00 pm or in the evening between 7:00 and 8:30 pm. All rules are in the green Fair Book. If you can’t find one or have a question, please call Sue at 508-295-8908 or email sash48@comcast.net. The Fair is open to ALL AGES. Bring your entries and get your friends to bring theirs. Friendly competition is the key and is always fun.

The Grange looks forward to once again spot lighting our local agriculture and handcrafts and as always, seeing our many old friends and we hope, many new ones as well. And yes, the Country Fair is down the road, so stop by the Grange on your way to Pine St. Remember, the Fair is free and opens at 1:30 pm.