ORRHS Music Director, Michael Barnicle presented several awards to outstanding seniors in the music program. Those recipients were: Chorus Award/Justin Smilan; John Philip Sousa Band Award/Keren Satkin; Louis Armstrong Jazz Band Award/Matthew Pereira; and ORR Music Director’s Awards/ Brittany Hotte, and Paige Santos. Photos by Marilou Newell
There is bad news for folks who enjoyed last year’s spectacular fireworks display in Marion. It is quite possible that Marion will not have any fireworks this year, after fundraising efforts to pay for the July 4th event fell short of the $50,000 goal.
The deadline for donations is set for this Thursday, May 15, and Marion Recreation is still short $20,000.
But Administrative Assistant Donna Hemphill says there is still a glimmer of hope. With the threat of having to skip the fireworks this year upon us, she hopes residents will act fast to make a contribution in time.
“No amount is too small or too big,” said Hemphill. ”If you’ve been thinking about making a donation, now is the time to do it.”
If the $50,000 is not raised by the end of Thursday, area residents will have to seek out July 4th fireworks elsewhere.
Raising $30,000 of the goal is not too shabby, since fundraising began back in early November.
Although the fireworks themselves cost about $28,000 last year, there are added costs such as the required police and fire presence, the music, and the sound system, among other things.
“Last year we just beat it, right on the number,” said Hemphill. “It came in just under $50,000.
Hemphill said donations have come in from near and far, even as far away as Hawaii and Florida. She is still hopeful they can pull it off this year, because last year was an amazing show, she said, which the residents really enjoyed.
“All we can do is hope, and hope people will reach deep,” said Hemphill.
Extending the deadline for accepting donations is unlikely, since the event needs to go out to bid, and Hemphill said the money has to be in hand in order to move forward to that point. She said Marion Recreation would likely go before the Board of Selectmen during their May 20 meeting to look for a solution if the money is not raised in time.
“If we don’t have the money by the end of this Thursday, unfortunately, there won’t be any fireworks,” said Hemphill.
You can still make a donation until the end of the day Thursday. Come in with cash or check to the recreation office at 13 Atlantis Drive, or call the recreation office at 774-217-8355. You can also email to state your intention to donate at info@marionrecreation.com.
By Jean Perry
Would you like to learn to watercolor paint? If you are a novice to painting, join this beginner watercolor course. The six-week course will be held on Thursdays from 12:00 noon until 2:30 pm beginning May 22 and continuing through June 26. Only $3/week and supplies are included. Call 508-758-4110 to register.
Join us for a fun night at the PawSox game on Saturday, June 7! The van leaves the Mattapoisett Park & Ride at 4:00 pm. Game time is 6:05 pm, followed by a fantastically choreographed Star Wars fireworks display. Cost is only $21 for the van and the game. Seating is limited. Call 508-758-4110 to sign up and for more information.
“How to Remember; Not to Forget” is a free speaker and lunch series at the Mattapoisett COA on Tuesday, June 10 at 12:00 noon, compliments of Atria of Woodbriar. Don’t miss this presentation by author, Joan Houlihan, of insightful observations, humorous situations, and sensible solutions to everyday concerns about your memory. Discover how easy it is to improve your memory by learning how to identify and overcome the forces that prevent you from holding onto information you want to remember. Don’t forget to sign up early by calling 508-758-4110.
New Book Club will begin at the Mattapoisett COA. Meetings will be held the third Wednesday of each month from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm. First meeting is Wednesday, June 18. Call Rachel for more details at 508-758-7995 or call the COA at 508-758-4110. Free refreshments.
Old Colony carpentry, electrical, and CAD drafting students were selected to receive the Volunteer of the Year award from the Buzzards Bay Coalition in recognition of work they did on the new learning center at the Acushnet Sawmill Project.
The students are sharing the award with students from the New Bedford Vocational Technical School in New Bedford, MA who also worked on the project.
“Each year, the Buzzards Bay Coalition staff selects a volunteer that stands out from the rest to recognize at our annual meeting. I am very pleased to inform you that our staff has selected you and your students to collectively receive this esteemed Volunteer of the Year Award,” said Sara N. daSilva Quintal, Restoration Ecologist for the Buzzards Bay Coalition, in an email to Old Colony.
“Our organization greatly values the time and energy that Old Colony Regional and Greater New Bedford Voc. have dedicated to helping us design, move, and renovate the new learning center at the Acushnet Sawmill, which is slated to be open to the public this August,” said Quintal.
The students are slated to receive the award at the annual meeting of the Buzzards Bay Coalition on May 15 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth at 6:00 pm.
“We are thrilled to learn that students and staff of the Carpentry, Electrical and CAD departments that have been working on the Acushnet Sawmill Project for the Buzzards Bay Coalition have been designated to receive the “Volunteer of the Year Award,” said Jacqueline Machamer, Assistant Principal and Career Vocational Technical Education Coordinator at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School.
Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, located in Rochester, MA, provides vocational training to high school students who live in Acushnet, Carver, Lakeville, Mattapoisett, and Rochester.
There was some, but not excessive, debate over Marion Fire Department’s Article 15 to appropriate a maximum of $540,000 for a new fire pumper truck to replace the aging Engine 3.
The first two residents who took the podium on this article both asked the Finance Committee for its recommendation, and both times Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard deferred comment until after the initial discussions.
At the start of Town Meeting, Minard stood before those assembled and addressed the “emotion” surrounding FinCom’s position on the article and their comments about Fire Chief Thomas Joyce during the FinCom meeting on April 29. Minard stated that he “regret(s) the reporting,” that the context of the quotes reversed the intended message, and “there was no threat to embarrass the chief.” (*Editor’s note: The Wanderer firmly asserts the integrity of the reporting and the accuracy of the quotes. The meeting was not televised or recorded. The reporter reported what was said in the fire chief’s absence, and without bias. See the May 1edition for FinCom coverage of the April 29 meeting.)
FinCom member Jeffrey Dickerson addressed the issue after some debate from the voters, explaining that the process was inconsistent and there was “tardiness” in getting information to the FinCom in a timely manner. He said the Town needs to make an educated decision before making this significant purchase.
Selectman Jonathan Henry said the FinCom was doing a great job, but he felt purchasing the truck was an intelligent decision and that “sufficient process has been observed.”
Resident Chris Collins of 13 River Road said FinCom comments are important, and the residents need control over the tax rates.
“We say yes much more often than we say no,” said Collins, adding that Marion keeps getting “more and more expensive.”
The Fire Department defended its request, referring to the costs of maintaining the current pumper and that $540,000 is the average cost for a pumper truck.
Minard said that in the middle of the night before Town Meeting, he woke up and wondered about the State bid list and if it had been considered.
Joyce stated that the State bid list had not been considered.
Minard said when he woke up that morning, he called a company on the bid list and after giving the seller the specs for the truck, he got a ballpark quote of $425,000 to $450,000.
“These are taxpayer dollars,” said Minard, referring to the $100,000 difference. “Don’t we owe it to ourselves?” He recommended postponing the article, which elicited clapping from the residents.
The article failed by a two to three vote.
Article 10 to appropriate $12,500 for the Conservation Commission to control invasive species at Sprague’s Cove was overwhelmingly defeated after debate went on for some time, including criticism of the Conservation Committee’s oversight of those wetlands.
Annie Rockwell of 1171 Point Road said, “Before the [ConCom] destroyed it,” the cove was a beautiful area. She said the commission “carpet-bagged” the area in 2012, which shocked her and other residents whom she said helped develop the “green way to take care of the storm water.” She opposed the article.
“I agree with Annie,” said Sandra Parsons of South Street. “It was a major haircut.” She questioned the proposed use of herbicides near the water.
It’s like a never-ending battle that you could never win, said John Rockwell. “Like filling a bucket with a hole, and that bucket will never fill.”
The article was defeated.
There was a lot of debate over Article 9 for $34,791 to buy a new police cruiser before meeting members approved the article. The Police Department has a policy to replace two cruisers every year, and this year one would be funded through the budget, the other through Town Meeting appropriation.
Discussion was lively, with resident Bernard Greenwood asking why such a small town needs eight cruisers.
“Are we just a Cadillac town?” He asked how many officers are on duty at any particular time, to which Chief Lincoln Miller said about two to five officers. Greenwood asked if the officers drive two cars at the same time.
“The program we have works,” said Miller. “We have not added to the fleet.”
“I think eight is excessive,” said Greenwood.
The article passed, but with a few “nays” from the crowd.
Article 21 to appropriate $46,500 to explore options for future construction of a new DPW building passed, but after lengthy debates over why the Town needed a new DPW complex.
Residents held lengthy discussions over Article 32 to accept a conservation restriction gift of eight acres of wetlands near Dexter Beach before voting down the article. Many asked why the Town should accept the wetlands with limited building potential and take it off the tax books.
Article 33 to accept a conservation lands gift along the “Greenway” of Route 6 was accepted, but not after lengthy discussions of its own.
Resident Patricia DeCosta said only one person would benefit from the acceptance. Rockwell said the Town would only be losing nine cents per year by accepting the property, which was accepted by voters.
The other articles in the warrant passed with minimal discussion or opposition.
During a brief Special Town Meeting, the only article – to appropriate an additional $50,000 to the snow and ice budget – passed.
By Jean Perry
Patricia Donoghue, Chairman of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee, opened the annual spring town meeting with a health report on the town’s finances. While noting the hard work of the FinCom members, department heads, Capital Planning Committee and the leadership of Town Administrator Mike Gagne, she also expressed deep concerns.
Donoghue said that it was FinCom’s responsibility to warn the town of potential risks, namely possible mismanagement of ORR’s finances. She said that when the cyber theft was finally brought to light two years after it occurred, it signaled a lack of full disclosure and good communication between the school’s administration and the Tri-Town governments. She went on to say that over the last several years, the school’s reserve funds had been tapped by ORR administrators to balance their annual budgets.
“Several years ago there had been some reserve funds set aside, but we found that ORR has been using the reserve funds for operating budgets instead of emergencies,” she stated. This year, $325,000 was being asked for out of the reserve. “The school committee was going to decrease that amount by $100,000 but the administration did not do that,” she told the audience. Regarding the OPEB needs of ORR, she said that zero monies have been put aside with a looming $10 million price tag.
She said that FinCom is recommending the development of a committee to help work more closely with ORR in an effort to have greater visibility into the handling of school finances. Mattapoisett is responsible for approximately 35 percent of the ORR overall budget. ORR budget had been reduced based on declining student enrollment.
Donoghue concluded by saying that although the town has worked diligently to repair roadways, recently the severity of the deterioration in roadbeds in many locations has been discovered, which will drive up the cost of repairs. She advised the residents not to expect repairs to be completed in the village area anytime soon. NSTAR has agreed to make gas line repairs when the roads are opened for sewer and water upgrades.
Then the town got down to the business of the warrant articles. There wasn’t a single contested item, and although some clarifications were asked for, all articles except one passed smoothly.
Defeated Article 35 was a ‘Citizens Petition – Sewer Connection Antassawamock.’ Having declined on the opportunity to tie into the sewer when it was first being constructed in the area, the property owners have benefited from a lower tax rate, assessor Kathleen Costello informed the people. Also the petitioner, who was unnamed in the article, would not be able to tie into the sewer unless additional capacity was available. Several townspeople felt that it wasn’t fair to other residents who have borne the brunt of sewer betterments to ask belatedly for this consideration, especially given that the petitioner was neither present nor had a representative at the meeting.
Also of interest was the approval of all funds needed by the bike path committee to complete 25 percent of engineering plans as required by MASS DOT before state grants and funds would be made available.
Article #1: Elected Officers’ Compensation (no funding required) – Moderator/$215, Board of Selectmen Chairman/$3990, Board of Selectmen members/$350, Assessors/$3570, Town Clerk/$53,658, Board of Health/$435, Highway Surveyor/$72,629, Mattapoisett School Committee members/$435, Water-Sewer Commissioners/$435, Tree Warden/$7915, Herring Inspector/$805. Carried
Article #2: General Operating Budget – $22,538,028. Carried
Article #3: Appropriate for OPEB Liabilities – $297,720. Carried
Article #4: Amend ORR Assessment Stabilization Fund to Include Voke and Aggie Assessment Reserves. Carried
Article #5: Appropriation to School Assessment Stabilization Fund – $190,000. Carried
Article #6: Departmental Revolving Fund Authorization. Carried
Article #7: GASB 45 Audit Funds – $7500. Carried
Article #8: Phase IV Town Road Improvement Plan Funding – $200,000 borrowed money. Carried
Chuck McCullough, Chairman of the Capital Planning Committee, introduced the articles associated with his committee, noting that capital planning is a very “fluid” process and that the new Fire Station was the most critical item in the next few years.
Article #10: Capital Plan Funding – #4 fire engine/$15,000, police cruiser/$35,000, Library window repair/$7000, rebuilding fire engine #2/ $135,000, police ambulance/$175,000, parking improvement at tennis courts/$18,500, playground repairs OHT and Center Schools, town beach swim raft/$10,000, town equipment repairs and replacement/$17,400, completion of road signs/$22,000. Carried
Article #11: Cyclical Annual Property Revaluation – $35,000. Carried
Article #12: Sick Leave Buyout Appropriation – $10,000. Carried
Article #13: Zoning Map Change – this housekeeping matter was to correct numbering on FEMA documents required by FEMA. Carried
Article #14: Storm Hazard Mitigation Grant Match – $7,500. Carried
Article #15: Allocation of Revenues Community Preservation Act – budget reserve $99,000. Carried
Article #16: CPA Funding – Bike Path Engineering – $39,000. Carried
Article #17: CPA Funding – Nasketucket Bay Protection Project – $96,000 with $50,000 from stabilization funds to purchase 400 acres. Carried
Article #18: CPA Funding – Preservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation to Town Piers – $49,000 to start the work that will take additional funds over five or six years. Carried
Article #19: CPA Funding – Preservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation to the Town Beach House – $50,000 of total costs of $200,000. Carried
Article #20: CPA Funding – Center School Tot Lot – $55,000. Carried
Article #21: CPA Funding – Barlow Cemetery Fence Replacement – $3,672. Carried
Article #22: CPA Funding – Historic Records Preservation – $16,000 for town records, deeds, and historical artifacts that need to be cataloged at the Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum. Carried
Article #23: Sewer Reserve Account – $10,000. Carried
Article #24: Water Reserve Account – $10,000. Carried
Article #25: Water Meter Replacement Funding – $250,000. Carried
Article #26: Waste Water Treatment Capacity Increase. Carried
Article #27: Waste Water Treatment Capacity Increase – $200,000; the sewer master plan demonstrates a need to increases capacity to take care of demand over the next 20 years. Carried
Article #28: Authorization to Sell Property presently owned by the town for the water and sewer department. Carried
Article #29: Vehicle Replacement – $30,000 from Water and Sewer for half-ton four-wheel drive truck. Carried
Article #30: Water Service and Appurtenance Replacement and Upgrade Marion Road – $315,000 to fix a 90-year old system. Carried
Article #31: Acceptance of a Gift of Land and Easement from YMCA for bike path. Carried
Article #32: Adoption of Personnel Schedules. Carried
Article #33: Bike Path Perfection and Amendment of Easement created in 1973. Carried
Article #34: Acceptance of an Easement – allows the Board of Selectmen to sit and discuss the easement and the taking of land with McIntire and Mahoney families. Carried
Special Town Meeting: Article #1: Additional Funding Bike Path Engineering. Carried; and Article #2: Reserve Fund Supplemental Appropriation to fix a broken snow plow. Carried
By Marilou Newell
It’s been six years since Geoffrey Piper and his family came to Marion to minister to the St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church family. Altogether, Reverend Piper has spent 26 years doing pastoral work. His wife, Leslie, is the organist and choir director at the church. They have three children: Benjamin, Nathaniel and Katherine.
“Part of the initial contract was for a sabbatical to renew and refresh, not just for our family, but also for the congregants. It is a cohesive effort to renew both the cleric and the congregation,” said Piper.
The sabbatical will happen from Monday, May 12 through Monday, August 18 and is supported by the Eli Lilly Grant of Indiana Fund.
The sabbatical is twofold.
For the Piper family, time will be spent doing something the whole family enjoys – arranging and rehearsing a family choral repertoire, including worship music, table graces and lullabies. All of the Piper family enjoy singing, and all of the pieces on which they will work will be for five voices. The family will record these arrangements to share with the parish and the community.
The Pipers will also attend the Elsteddfod choral festival in Wales, an international event of amateur choral music.
“After World War II, the people of Elsteddfod knew that the nations were shattered and they decided that they would rebuild whatever unity they could among the nations through music,” said Piper, “and they invited choruses from Italy, Finland and across Europe … This little town in Wales sponsored this effort and now it is a global thing, with amateur choruses coming in from all over the world and we want to be there,” said Piper.
“This will make our hearts sing,” he said.
“All of my children are singers … We are a playful Von Trapp-type family. We are mostly altos and tenors, so we lack and fake the other ends of the tonal spectrum … We growl like bears to hit the low notes,” says Rev. Piper. Piper says that some of the compositions will be rewritten so they can sing it with great harmony at the coffee hour, known as ‘java jive’ at the church.
In thinking about the Bible verse ‘You prepare a table before me,’ father Geoffrey and son Nathaniel will collaborate to build a cherry shaker-design family dining table, with the intention that future Piper family members throughout the generations will sit and enjoy family time there.
Geoffrey and Leslie also plan to spend a week together in a monastic retreat and after that, just spend time together enjoying each other’s company. “This is a dream come true, being with my wife and family, together, thinking long deep thoughts, salmon fishing, journaling and exhaling … this is a dream come true sabbatical,” said Piper.
For the congregation, a parish renewal will occur during the sabbatical, with members coming together to create a ‘best spiritual practices at home’ to be distributed as a parish resource.
According to Piper, it’s like homework for the parishioners who can share how they share faith individually and with family, so others can adopt or learn from others. The focus is on how to deepen faith, hope and love in the home in the wake of soccer games and other activities that take children away from church. “This is our biggest challenge,” said Piper regarding the lower population of younger families with young children enjoying spiritual input.
Inspirational ideas for the parish families during the sabbatical include: thinking about bedtime prayers with children; special times with grandparents; marriage enrichment steps; saying grace; and taking in ‘strays’ on holidays. Also included are holiday traditions and cooking with a spiritual bent.
During the time Reverend Piper is away, visiting summer ministers include Rev. Margaret Arnold, Rev. Mark Anschutz and Rev. Ernest Cockrell. Deacon Rev. Cathy Harper will assist in the regular worship services and parish events. Parishioners are encouraged to listen, hear and be open to these accomplished ministers who will give different, individual takes on spiritual issues. Hearing and digesting these different sermons are a big part of the sabbatical. Attendees are encouraged to take notes and participate in the ‘coming together’ at the end of the sabbatical regarding the interim change taking place.
In the fall, there will be multiple gatherings to share what was learned during the sabbatical and renewal.
“We will do a ‘show and tell’ in the fall to show off our choral repertoire and all the great work the parish has done. It will be a re-gathering to celebrate where we are and where we go from here,” said Piper.
By Joan Hartnett-Barry
In a few short weeks, summer will be here and with it comes the 44th annual Mattapoisett Road Race on July 4. The race is such an integral part of community life that the publicity committee wants to share some interesting moments in race history over the next few weeks. Runners, volunteers, and sponsors have graciously provided comments and thoughts on the race.
Today, approximately 1,000 runners enter the race. Quite a change from the first race that was run in 1971 with 30+ entrants. The race began at Pt. Connett. Runners were transported from the village to the starting line in a school district truck. Bob Gardner, the first race director, remembers the race was started with cannon fire. While this was an effective means of starting the race, this method came to a quick demise when windows in nearby homes were blown out. Runners would wend their way through Crescent Beach and continue on to the finish line. The five-mile race ended on the town beach wharf under the watchful eye of Beatrice Ingram. Bob’s daughter, Karen, would record a runner’s time on a chalkboard. Unfortunately, if race day was rainy, the results might get washed away. A quick dip in Mattapoisett Harbor gave runners the chance to cool off. With such a small number of runners, this was very doable. It would be a little trickier to have 1,000 people jumping off the wharf into the harbor.
The race today is far more sophisticated with high-tech timing, numerous officials stationed along the race route, medical personnel, police and volunteers in Shipyard Park providing water and fruit as runners finish. Runners come from all over New England and beyond to participate in this five-mile test of their running ability. But it is the local runners who have a special attachment to the Mattapoisett Road Race. It is best summarized by last year’s winner, Jason Eddy, who grew up in Rochester and graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School: “This race is an amazing tradition that brings the entire community together. To see all of the people of all ages out there on race day is so inspiring. The volunteers and spectators really make the race the success it is.”
The public is cordially invited to attend the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Sippican Historical Society, to be held Thursday, May 22 at the Marion Music Hall (164 Front Street). The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm and will feature a brief wrap-up of the Society’s business year. The evening’s main event will be a lecture and image presentation by Michelle Marchetti Coughlin, author of One Colonial Woman’s World, a book which reconstructs the life of Mehetabel Chandler Coit (1673–1758). Mehetabel penned what may be the earliest surviving diary by an American woman. Her long life covered an eventful period in American history, and Ms. Coughlin’s book explores the numerous – and sometimes surprising – ways in which her personal experiences were linked to broader social and political developments, also providing insight into the lives of countless other colonial American women whose history remains largely untold.
Ms. Coughlin is an independent scholar and former editor who holds graduate degrees in history and English and American literature. One Colonial Woman’s World will be available for purchase and signing at the Annual Meeting. For more information, call 508-748-1116.
On Saturday, May 17 Mattapoisett Knights of Columbus proudly presents Misgivings – a “Divine” Comedy of belly laughs, blessings, blarney and bingo. Join Father Patrick Aloysius Misgivings for this divine presentation of stories and one-liners about growing up Catholic. From miracles and marriage counseling to bazaars and birth control, nothing escapes the good father’s razor sharp Irish wit. This hilarious, interactive comedy includes a collection, a raffle and even an actual Bingo game. Join us at Mattapoisett Knights of Columbus, 57 Fairhaven Rd. in Mattapoisett. The doors open at 5:00 pm with a pork roast dinner at 5:30 pm and show following dinner. The tickets are $20 (cash bar). For tickets call Jim 508-863-3496 or Rick 508-758-4933.