International Week

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Last week was an exciting time for many on the Tabor Academy campus as the tradition of International Week continued. Every year, international students organize a week in the spring dedicated to the celebration of global traditions at Tabor Academy.

Nineteen percent of Tabor’s student body is made up of international students representing 19 countries. With such a significant number of Tabor’s community coming from different cultures, it is important that the rest of the students have a chance to experience some of their peers’ cultural traditions. International Week Co-Head, Hiroshi Nakajima, believes that International Week is an important Tabor tradition, “because kids in the U.S.A. have the opportunity to get in touch with the cultures of foreign nations.” This, in turn, leads to a more cohesive student body.

The week itself was a very exciting one for students of all nationalities. There were daily activities, performances, and meals from different cultures. The Café International kicked off the celebration with samplings of food from a wide variety of countries. Tabor students also experienced unique cuisine with Korean popsicles, Thai iced tea, a Korean barbeque, and an ‘Islands’ themed dinner throughout the week.

There were a number of musical performances so that the community could experience a variety of traditions from around the world. Frank Fan (’15), Kelly Ido (’17), Renee Chen (’14), and Kijun Song (’14) all performed throughout the week. In addition, music from different countries was played in between academic classes for all students and faculty to hear.

Students were given the opportunity to participate in a number of unique activities such as a cricket tutorial and a badminton tournament. There was an international story time for faculty children and their friends where tales from Scotland and Korea were shared, as well as a face-painting table where student-artists designed the country flag of one’s choice. The week concluded with a martial arts demonstration and a showing of the horror movie Ringu 3.

The week was a huge success and opened the eyes of students and faculty to a variety of cultural traditions. Junior Ellen Scheiring positively reflected on the week by noting, “It’s really important for us to be able to connect to other cultures and be able to have the opportunity to experience the point of view of many of our classmates.”

By Julia O’Rourke

School Lunch Policy and School Choice

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As the town with the highest negative school lunch account balance in Tri-Town, Marion is the last of the three school districts to adopt a formal school lunch account policy the School Committee hopes will put an end to the excessive overdue balances of some Marion families.

Superintendent Doug White told the committee that one of the 63 overdue accounts is responsible for $310.00 of the $1,125.48.

Someone might think it a small amount of money to the district, commented Chairman Joseph Scott, “But overall, it adds up.”

The policy is similar to the one adopted by the ORR junior and high school, as well as Rochester and Mattapoisett, except Marion will allow for up to seven meals charged, while the other schools allow up to five before an alternative lunch of either cheese of peanut butter with milk is served for .50 cents.

“It will be enforced,” said White, “and we will move forward with it.”

The committee continued its discussion on possibly using donated funds to alleviate the financial burden of some of the overdue balances, which White said he looked into, saying, “Everything that I was able to find said that was acceptable.” He said the particular gift account from which they take the funding must fall within the parameters of the gift account’s designated purpose.

Committee member Jay Pateakos was concerned that paying off the overdue accounts would just enable those who have accrued the debt.

“I think there’s options for people,” said Pateakos, referring to the free and reduced lunch program. “I think they need to take them.”

The committee hoped White could find a way to identify which of the families in arrears actually needs assistance so the committee can pay off the accounts.

Someone suggested looking into whether any of the 21 students recently approved for free lunch might be one of the accounts overdue.

“I’d be more inclined to release the funds for that,” said Pateakos.

In other news, the committee chose not to participate in the school choice program next year after factoring in current class sizes and amount of staff. White told the committee the district is not set-up for school choice at this time.

“I think it important that we maintain our current status,” said Scott.

Also during the meeting, White said he met with the CFO of the YMCA regarding a request to add signage around the Sippican School specific to the YMCA to indicate that the organization holds an after school program at the site. The committee agreed to allow limited signs in the in the parking area and behind the school.

The committee approved a number of special education budget transfers from different line items within the sped budget.

The next meeting of the Marion School Committee will be June 4 at 6:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

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Paul D. Gibbs

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Paul D. Gibbs, 59, of Wareham died May 5, 2014 at home. He was the son of the late Paul M. and Helen B. (Balasevich) Gibbs.

He was born in New Bedford and lived in Wareham and Rochester all of his life.

Mr. Gibbs graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School, class of 1972.

Mr. Gibbs was the manager at Gibbs Dairy in Rochester for many years.

He also was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and enjoyed working as an extra in various movies.

He enjoyed sailing, acting and writing & composing music.

Survivors include his son, David J. Gibbs and his wife Laurie of New Bedford; a sister, Johanna Cote and her husband John of Clarksville, MD; 2 aunts, Winifred Blethen of Marion and Kathryn Rounsville of Wareham; a niece, Lisa Pricher and her husband Michael and their daughter, Olivia of Dublin, OH.

His graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 in Agawam Cemetery, R.D. Stillman Memorial Drive & Great Neck Rd., Wareham. Visiting hours are from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham.

Good Friday

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To the Editor:

This letter is written for all those who have inquired as to when the next joint school committee will be held. At the Regional school committee meeting which took place on April 9, 2014, it was announced there was a conflict with the original date of May 8th. To clarify for all those interested in attending, according to Diana Russo of the superintendent’s office, the next joint meeting of the school committees of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester is scheduled for Wednesday May 28th at 6:30 PM in the Media Room located behind Old Rochester Jr. High School.  Signs will be posted. Time will be allotted for concerns and comments regarding our petition to keep Good Friday a day off for the calendar year 2014-15. We are available for any questions at 508-763-3809 or email mmcgee1126@verizon.net.

Thank you,

Margaret and Robert McGee, Rochester

 

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.

Town of Mattapoisett Online Payments

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Taxpayers are reminded to take advantage of the Town’s online payment service, eBill from MCC, for paying Water/Sewer bills, which are due in the Collector’s Office on June 30.

By using eBill, taxpayers can have their payments withdrawn from their checking or savings accounts free of charge through an ACH transaction or can make payments using VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards. Payments can be made using eBill until 11:59 pm on the due date of the bill.

Also, Mattapoisett residents whose vehicles are registered in Mattapoisett can purchase Parking Passes and Shellfish Permits online. License plate numbers are matched to the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Bill file for verification of residency.

For more information on paying online, go to the Town’s website, www.mattapoisett.net and click on the icon “Online Payments.” Then, to pay a Water/Sewer bill, select “Online Tax Payments.” To purchase a Parking Pass or Shellfish Permit, select “Miscellaneous Payments.” Residents who have previously registered to pay taxes online can log into eBill using their existing username and password to purchase their Parking Pass/Shellfish Permit. For questions, please call the Treasurer/ Collector’s Office at 508-758-4100 ext. 1.

Maconchu Club

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The Maconchu Club of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church will start their May Meeting on May 17 at 6:00 pm with a potluck dinner. Please bring a salad or main dish for 6 to 8 people and your place settings. Coffee and dessert will be served by the committee. The speaker for the evening will be Eileen Marum who has worked on the Woods Hole Research Vessel along the east coast from Maine to North Carolina. All are welcome to join us for the dinner and the program.

Rochester’s Oldest Man Joins Century Club

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He was a mover and a shaker in his day, and Ralph Winfield Walker, a former Rochester selectman, is on the threshold of something big – he is about to turn 100 years old.

He is the current holder of the Boston Post Cane as the oldest man in Rochester, although these days he resides at the Island Terrace Nursing Home on the Lakeville/Rochester town line.

The Boston Post Cane is a longstanding New England tradition that dates back to 1909 when Boston Post Publisher Edward Grozier gave the selectmen of 700 towns special canes trimmed with gold and ebony to be handed to the oldest male in each town until the time when it would be passed to the next oldest person in town. Rochester still carries on this tradition, although many of the canes throughout the region have been lost, stolen, or accidentally destroyed.

Walker was born May 7, 1914 and he has seen the world change a lot through the course of his life. He remembers the names of his two horses, Tom and Jerry, that used to pull his family’s carriage and graze on their farm in Maine, where Walker was raised until moving to Melrose, Massachusetts in 1938 with his wife Eleanor of 71 years.

Walker and his wife moved to Rochester in 1946. He worked many years at Goodhue Lumber in Middleboro and was also a long-time employee at the Registry of Deeds in Plymouth.

Walker was a hard worker, but his real passion was high up in the heavens. He was a stargazer and an astronomer, and he was always sharing his passion for astronomy with his friends and family.

“Astronomy was my hobby,” said Walker the afternoon of May 5, just before his oldest daughter, Cynthia Underhill, fastened on a white rose boutonniere for a birthday celebration planned for him at the nursing home.

At his home on Snipatuit Road, when Walker was about 50, he spent a year of his life building an observatory on his property, even grinding the lens to a homemade telescope by hand, which his daughter Lorna Walker fondly remembers.

“He was out in the garage and every day he would start grinding,” said Ms. Walker. “It was like therapy to him.”

His observatory and telescope were so impressive that The Sky and Telescope featured a story about Walker’s work in its magazine.

“I could write a whole history book,” said Walker. “I could remember things that seem like yesterday, but were 73 years ago.”

Walker recalled when he first moved to Rochester back in 1946, before the roads were even paved and none of the streets had street signs.

“Somebody was always getting lost,” said Walker. “When I came to town, Eleanor and I took a ride.” He recalled laughing, “And I spent hours trying to get back home again.”

Walker became deeply involved in Town politics, starting on the Finance Committee and then later getting elected as selectman.

“I love the Town,” said Walker.

He remembered saying to the residents, “If I get elected, you’re gonna get street signs.” This was one of Walker’s greatest accomplishments as selectman of the Town of Rochester.

“So I gave the town street signs,” Walker said proudly. He spearheaded the whole project, sending out for information to Boston to find out how and from where to get street signs to identify the Town’s roads.

“And lo and behold,” said Walker. “Do you know how much it cost to put in all those signs? Two-hundred dollars.”

Walker said he served two terms as selectman, although his daughter Cynthia thought it was for 12 years.

Walker talked about his love for the Red Sox and how grateful he is that he was able to see them win the World Series not once, but three times now.

How does it feel to turn 100?

“I’ve never been it before, so I don’t know,” said Walker cheekily, just two days shy of his actual 100th birthday. “I feel good. I eat good, and I’m in the best of health.” He credits his wellbeing to his four daughters and the staff at Island Terrace that he said takes “very good care” of him.

What is Walker’s secret to a long life and how did he live to be 100?

“Because I love the girls,” said Walker smiling.

“And they love him,” said daughter Cynthia.

At his birthday celebration, Walker was greeted by family and old friends, including two gentlemen who served with Walker on the Board of Selectmen, Edmund Arruda and Greenwood “Sonny” Hartley, Jr.

During the celebration, his daughters surprised him with a birthday card from the White House, signed by President and Mrs. Obama.

“We are thankful to you for being a part of the American story,” the card read.

So next time you pass a street sign, think of Walker and thank him for the part he played in the story of Rochester. You might have been lost without him.

By Jean Perry

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By-law Amendments Removed

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After months of meeting, rewriting, debating, and studying, the Mattapoisett Planning Board’s amendments to several zoning by-laws will not be brought before the voters during the spring annual town meeting.

Chairman Thomas Tucker was surprised to learn that this deletion had taken place during the special public hearing of the board on April 30. He had arrived at the hearing prepared to incorporate changes offered by town counsel and suggestions from the public. However, according to board member John Mathieu, when Secretary Tammy Ferreira sent out a message to board members at the behest of town counsel asking that the amendments be removed from the warrant, only he had responded. Mathieu then spoke to town counsel, who suggested that more time was needed to write amendments for voters’ consideration, so rather than hurry through public hearings and rewrites days prior to town meeting, Mathieu agreed with counsel. Hence the amendments were removed.

Now with the entire summer available to write and re-write by-law amendments, Tucker opened the floor to discussion of any and all by-laws. He explained, on several occasions during the meeting, that the Planning Board was only attempting to make the by-laws more concise and user friendly, easier to work with, and less confusing. He reiterated that all they could do was offer the town suggested text changes and that it would be up to the voters – not the board – to adopt them.

The by-laws the board has worked on to date are: signage, screening, parking, trailers, and common driveways.

On the topic of signs, board members made it clear that they were attempting to eliminate internally-illuminated signs wherever possible. They concurred that signs could be grandfathered, repaired, or maintained, but that if a change of use transpired then a newer by-law (yet to be written or adopted) could eliminate an illuminated sign at that location.

Parking was discussed from a commercial viewpoint that gave rise to Paul Osenkowski’s questions regarding parking in cluster housing developments. Mathieu told Osenkowski that with special permitting, the board had the right to waive any number of restrictions. Osenkowski has been making the rounds of several town boards and committees seeking information on the Brandt Beach cluster housing project known as Brandt Point Village. The developer has been seeking permission to eliminate two bedroom houses from the original plan and make all the homes three bedrooms. This request has caused the Planning Board to consider requiring an entirely new set of plans rather than a simple amendment to the original plans.

Osenkowski has been vocal in his concern that not only will increased waste water issues be detrimental to the area, but the increased number of cars to an already busy roadway will be adverse as well.

Mathieu said that when the development was first permitted, they were required to provide four off-street parking spaces and two garaged spaced for a total of six. He felt that even if the developer receives permission to change the original bedroom layouts, the number of parking spaces is sufficient as it currently stands.

Mathieu said that the Village Condominiums cluster housing development was an example of not having enough parking planned for the normal use of the residences. He said that in the future, the board would be looking at things like this for better solutions.

On the theme of parking, there was discussion about locations such as the village and beach communities where off-street parking was already non-existent. Andy Bobola, Director of Inspectional Services, asked that if a village home was torn down would the board then look for a new plan of the site to include off-street parking. The board members felt that in some instances off-street parking would be problematic even for a new build, so special consideration will have to be made.

Regarding the Marine Residence by-laws that Brad Hathaway wished to discuss, Tucker said that at this time they are not suggesting amendments to that by-law, but when it does come up for discussion, “we’ll have to hold that hearing in the school … that will be a disaster … we’ll need more space.”

Bobola brought to the attention of the board that the Flood Plain by-law will be brought up at town meeting because of a simple typographical error. FEMA will not accept the town’s language until the error is fixed. The correction requires the town and its voters to be aware of and to vote the change through. Thus, it will come before the voters as a ‘housekeeping’ matter.

The board discussed various text improvements from suggestions offered by the four people in attendance at this first public hearing.

By Marilou Newell

Brandt Point Village Hearing Postponed

Mattapoisett Planning Board

            Brandt Island area residents came out in force on May 6 for the public hearing on permit amendments requested by Brandt Island Realty Trust to their Brandt Point Village cluster housing project. The principals of the trust are seeking to amend their permit to reflect a change in the number of bedrooms. The present permit allows a percentage of the homes to be three-bedrooms. The developer wishes to make all the homes three-bedrooms, thereby increasing the number of people living within the compound. The developer also plans to upgrade the septic system to accommodate the increased number of people.

However, the abutters and others residents living in the beach community aren’t pleased. They are concerned that traffic will be exponentially increased with the additional bedrooms and that waste water treatment, even if state-of-the-art, will not be sufficient to ensure the cleanliness of the ocean water nearby.

Chairman Tom Tucker was concerned that the number of people in attendance exceeded the fire code for the meeting room at town hall and said he would postpone the hearing until a larger venue could be secured. Not everyone was pleased with that, and some asked how many people needed to leave in order to meet the code requirement. Seven people volunteered. But Tucker hesitated when it was brought to his attention that not everyone had been officially notified of the hearing that was originally scheduled for May 5 but which had been moved to May 6 without benefit of another public hearing notice being posted. After conferring with the applicant and town counsel during a recess, Tucker returned to say that the hearing would, in fact, be postponed until May 19 at 7:00 pm. The venue will either be Center School or Old Hammondtown School. He advised interested parties to contact the Planning Board Office for confirmation of location prior to the hearing date. A new public hearing notice will be posted at town hall.

The balance of the agenda was two informal discussions. The first was with Patricia McArdle, representing the family owning 9 Hillers Cove. She came before the Planning Board to seek their guidance on how best to proceed regarding the permanent establishment of a deed for lot #6 at that address. After some discussion, it was determined that she should file an 81X sub-division plan. The parcel had been sub-divided in the 1940s, but documentation had never been sufficiently completed. The board will sign off on the plan once submitted by the applicant.

Also coming before the board for another informal decision was Brad Saunders, representing Bay Club. There are three issues at hand on which he sought their guidance before going further. Those issues are: 1) establishing 20% of new units to be built in the future with zero lot lines for the building of duplexes in which the owners will also own the land on three sides; 2) changing by-laws to allow a general business zoned space to be used for cluster housing; and 3) a by-law change that would allow industrial zoned spaces to be used as open spaces. He said that should the developers’ plan be approved in the future, building would only take place once public sewer service was available.

It was the consent of the board members that at least two of the items needed to go before the voters during town meeting because they involved by-law changes. Regarding zero lot lines, they decided that counsel would be consulted for determination if the board could permit duplexes of this type or if another course of action was necessary.

The next scheduled meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is May 19 at 7:00 pm at a venue to be announced next week.

By Marilou Newell

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Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path

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May is National Bike Month. May 10-18 is Bike to Work week. To get ready for the

season, here are a few activities:

On May 10, South Coast Bikeway Alliance and the Fairhaven Bicycle Committee are sponsoring a group bike ride that starts at Fort Phoenix at 9:00 am. There are three routes of different distances. Go to www.southcoastbikeway.com for details and to register.

On Wednesday, May 14, there will be a Bike Rodeo at the Center School gymnasium for Center School and OHS students. The rodeo is from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Participating children must be accompanied by an adult and bring their bikes and helmets. Children will learn and practice the rules of safe bike riding. Free bells and/or reflectors will be distributed to the first 100 participants.

A bike-riding map for great bike routes in the Tri-Town area is currently being formulated as part of the “Bike Friendly Mattapoisett” initiative. We are still looking for businesses or individuals who would like to sponsor the project by buying a 2- by 3-inch advertisement that will be displayed on the map. The map will be 12- by 18-inches, waterproof, and will clearly distinguish between recommended low traffic, scenic riding roads, and other less recommended roads. It will identify five separate biking routes from 8 to 35 miles that are suitable for both serious and casual bike riders. With the money generated from the sales of these maps, the Friends hope to fund bike path projects and “Bike Friendly” infrastructures – such as bike racks – around town. The map will be available at the Friends Harbor Days’ booth and will be distributed through local outlets as well as bike shops and tourism outlets. The price for an ad is $230; and the “locator buttons” for restaurants or “refreshment stops” cost $40. Please inquire about purchasing an ad by emailing Bonne at bdesousa43@verizon.net before May 14. Bonne will respond to all inquiries May 12-14. Camera-ready ad deadline is no later than May 30. Checks can be sent to Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path, PO Box 1336, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.

Elizabeth Taber Library Programs

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Saturday Workshops, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, led by Tabor Academy students: Tabor Academy students will be leading two more workshops on Facebook and Twitter coming up. Join us at the Elizabeth Taber Library at 1:30 pm on May 10 and May 17 to learn how to create an account, how to navigate through the sites, and what tips and tricks might be useful. Tabor Academy students will walk participants through a brief demo and then be available for one-on-one assistance. Please bring your iPad or laptop with you to get more hands on experience. Sign up is encouraged, but not required. Please call the Elizabeth Taber Library for more information at 508-748-1252.

Spots Still Available for the Fiction Writing Workshop: This three-week writing workshop, led by Dr. Susan B. Iwanisziw, will be held at the Elizabeth Taber Library on Tuesday, May 6, May 13 and May 20 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. These workshops are designed for both novice and experienced fiction writers in all genres (suspense, humor, mystery, literary, historical, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.) Whether you write short fiction or novels and aim for traditional publishing, self-publishing, or simple self-fulfillment, you will benefit from a review of the writing strategies demanded by a competitive marketplace. The essentials of good fiction-writing, including pre-planning, the hook, point-of- view, dialogue, setting, action, and character, will be explained and defined. Additionally, the mechanics of writing for maximum clarity, effect and the “how-to” of critique and revision will all be addressed. Registration is required. Please call the Elizabeth Taber Library at 508-748-1252 to sign up.