Fire Chief Search Begins

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The Town of Marion is ready to move ahead with its advertisement to fill the fire chief position that current Marion Fire Chief Thomas Joyce will leave empty on June 30 when he retires after six years on the job.

During final discussions about the job description, advertisement, and screening process, the Marion Board of Selectmen on March 17 discarded the residency requirement for the position, a move that could possibly attract more candidates who otherwise might not apply because of factors such as housing and the uprooting of a family.

“That’s a tremendous cost,” said Chairman Jonathan Henry. “That would probably rule out a lot of people who would otherwise do it.”

Town Administrator Paul Dawson concurred, saying a residency requirement is difficult to impose and would not be in the best interest of the Town.

Selectman Jody Dickerson requested that the selectmen consider decreasing a 15-mile radius residency requirement and make it closer to five miles so a prospective chief could still be within close enough range to respond quickly to an alarm.

“Technically, you could live in Falmouth as the crow flies,” Dickerson said against the 15-mile radius. “I think five miles is pretty good,” he said, although he would favor a residency requirement.

The board also discussed changing the EMT certification requirement from the one-year time frame to a two-year time frame, with accompanying experience in emergency response services. Dickerson was concerned that certification courses are offered infrequently throughout the year, with some institutes only offering the course twice a year.

In addition, the board decided to hold preliminary candidate interviews in executive session, taking into consideration that some candidates could be inhibited from applying when the stages of interviewing are carried out in public.

Active duty or retired fire chiefs from other towns in the region not adjacent to Marion will be asked to assist in the screening process to select the most qualified applicants.

The board approved the changes, and Dawson said he would start advertising the next day.

Also during the meeting, the board approved a request for an additional sewer flow at 16 Cottage Street in the presence of the petitioner, Christian Loranger, who wishes to raze and reconstruct the existing five-bedroom apartment building into a condominium complex.

Loranger told selectmen he would rebuild, staying within the building’s original footprint and well within the Town’s Zoning Bylaws. The condos would offer two bedrooms per unit, with a total of five units.

“We have a lot of interest for those five units for people who want to downsize,” said Loranger. “It’s going to be a nice project when it’s done.”

Henry pointed out that recently, during talks with the Friends of the Council on Aging, members expressed the need for more housing in Marion that would offer seniors the option to downsize and remain in Marion.

Loranger said it has been “very hard to work with the envelope we have to work with,” with past larger-scale projects for the site opposed by abutters and neighbors. Loranger said he wants to live in Marion and raise his family there.

“I don’t want to walk around having everybody upset,” said Loranger.

Henry said he was very glad to hear that, and the vote to grant the request was unanimous.

In other matters, the Town House Building Study Committee, after the RFQ process, narrowed its choice for a firm to conduct the feasibility study for the Town House to Turowski 2 Architecture of Marion. The negotiated price of $96,000 fell well within the limit of funds allocated by Town Meeting, Dawson said.

Also, selectmen and members of the Affordable Housing Trust are waiting for the Community Preservation Commission to announce its recommendations for CPA funding articles for the Annual Town Meeting in May. Selectmen are hoping to see the CPC recommend allocating $450,000 towards the acquisition of nine additional affordable housing units at Sippican Woods – a price Dawson said could not be beat at $50,000 apiece.

“If we were to go out as a Town and hire a developer,” said Dawson, “you’d never do it for $50,000.” He said acquiring the nine units might “immunize the Town against future undesirable 40B projects.”

The $50,000 includes the lot as well as the house, and the units would be perpetually recorded as affordable housing units.

Dawson said the move would be cost effective and “really makes sense.”

In other news, the board approved a contract for Tata & Howard, Inc. to perform test well exploration at the Mary’s Pond Road well site for $96,000, well within the budget appropriated by Town Meeting.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen has not yet been scheduled.

By Jean Perry

MRsel_031915

Marilyn Rose Whalen

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Marilyn Rose Whalen, age 82 of Mattapoisett, passed away on Friday, March 13 at St. Luke’s Hospital.  She was the wife of the late David F. Whalen of Hopkinton, MA and the daughter of the late John F. and Mary McNulty of Brookline, MA.  Marilyn was born and raised in Brookline, and lived in Hopkinton with her husband and children before moving to Mattapoisett. She worked as an accountant, social worker and real estate broker before starting her own real estate business.  Her family includes 5 children; the late David Whalen Jr., Mark Whalen, Laura Millard, Justine Snyder and Cynthia Whalen-Nelson; and 9 grandchildren, Michael and Andrew Whalen, Kaitlin and Jillian Barney, Jack and Caleigh Snyder, and Julian, Reed and Celia Nelson.  She was the sister of Alice McNulty of Brookline, the late Jack McNulty of Wayland, Lawrence McNulty of Concord, and Niamh Ultaigh of Brookline.  A private family memorial service will be held in Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Marilyn Rose Whalen may be made to the WGBH Educational Foundation.

Craig Stuart Nelsen

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Craig Stuart Nelsen, formerly of Gaithersburg, Maryland, passed away peacefully in the presence of his parents at their family home in Fairhaven on March 14, 2015. He was 42 years old.

Craig was a graduate of American University in Washington, DC, with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Analytical Chemistry. He was employed as Senior Scientist and Research Scientist in firms in Alexandria, Virginia and more recently in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

While at American University, Craig founded its Anime Society and has enjoyed this hobby throughout his adult life. He collected the earliest films up to the present and made a trip to Japan to expand his collection. For several years, he was a key staff member of Katsucon, an annual convention of Japanese culture enthusiasts in Washington, DC. He always looked forward to his time at the convention, and he attended his last in February.

Craig’s designation as a “Cancer Warrior” at Massachusetts General Hospital was well earned. He contributed to MGH and Dana Faber research by keeping copious notes filling several whole binders and taking many, many scans and MRIs to inform those doing research on his sarcoma, an outcome of neurofibromatosis (NF), in the hope of helping others who suffer from this incurable disease. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations made in his name to the The Children’s Tumor Foundation (www.ctf.org).

Craig leaves his parents, Captain Dean F. and Doreen F. Nelsen of Fairhaven, his brother, Derek Andrew Nelsen and his wife Jennifer Huang, and their two sons, Owen Shuyoh Nelsen and Benjamin Dinhjun Nelsen. Craig was the beloved grandson of Frank F. and Mary B. Sylvia of Mattapoisett and Adeline I. Nelsen of Nebraska, who are deceased. Aunt Nancy K. Paquin, lives in New Hampshire and Beverly J. Sylvia Grove, Colorado. Other surviving aunts and uncles are Dwight Nelsen and his wife Kay from Nebraska, Inez and Harold Richard in Arizona, and Linda Barker from Michigan.

A brief ceremony with the family will take place Saturday at the Nelsen home, 23 Fort Street, Fairhaven. Craig’s wish was to be cremated, and a memorial observance for friends and relatives from near and far will be held on his birthday on July 10, 2015, at the Nelsen residence.

Chapter 61 Tax Reduction Program

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Come learn about the Chapter 61 tax reduction programs and get your questions answered! Chapter Land includes land used for Forestry, Agricultural purposes and open space and recreation. Chapter 61 Programs offer a property tax break for landowners willing to commit to keeping at least five acres or more of their land undeveloped for a specified period of time.

Guest Speakers will include: Kathleen Costello, MAA Principal Assessor, Joe Perry, DCR Service Forester, Linda Rinta, USDA Certified Farm Planner and Phil Benjamin, Benjamin Forestry Services.

Please call either Elizabeth Leidhold at 508-758-4100 ext. 229 or Laurell J. Farinon at 508-763-5421 ext. 206 if you have any questions.

This event is free and open to the public. The date of the event is Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 pm at the Mattapoisett Public Library, 7 Barstow Street, Mattapoisett. Light refreshments will be served.

Showstoppers Performing Arts Camp

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Registrations are now being accepted for Showstoppers’ 11th Annual Performing Arts Camp for boys and girls in Grades 2-8, April 20-24, 9:00 – 3:00 daily, at the Knights of Columbus in Mattapoisett. A musical theater showcase will be presented to the public at 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 25 at the Music Hall in Marion. The camp costs $175 per child and includes performance CD, T-shirt, gift pack and certificate of completion. Don’t delay! Reserve your spot today! For more information or to register, call 508-758-4525 or email info@showstoppers.us.

Marion Council on Aging

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The Marion Council on Aging now has tickets available to the final dress rehearsal of Sweeney Todd – School Edition at the Old Rochester Regional High School on April 8 at 7:30 pm. Admission is free, but please bring a non perishable food item for the local pantry.

Due to the popular demand of our trip to the JFK Memorial in Hyannis, we have scheduled another trip for May 4. Space is limited. Call the office for reservations.

“Storytelling” Event

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Mattapoisett Congregational Church will offer “StoryTelling,” an interactive community event for all ages on Sunday, March 22 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Experience Bible stories in a new way and learn more about the art of storytelling. Rev. Bert Marshall will present old and new stories orally and musically passed down from generation to generation. For more information, visit www.gospelofmarkalive.com. The event is free, but donations are welcome. Reservations are recommended. Email: mattcongce@verizon.net or call 508-758-2671 to reserve a seat.

The Little Mermaid at ORRJHS

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The Old Rochester Regional Junior High School Drama Club will perform The Little Mermaid on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 pm in the junior high school auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Students and Seniors; Children 5 and under are FREE. The performance is open to the public. Reserve your tickets by emailing orrjrhighdrama@gmail.com. Please provide your name, number of tickets and type of tickets with your reservation.

ORRJHS Students of the Month

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Kevin T. Brogioli, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announces the following Students of the Month for February, 2015:

Green Team: Genevieve Grignetti and Ian Friedrichs

Orange Team: Madeline Hartley and Logan King

Blue Team: Hunter Hanks and Hunter Moreau

Red Team: Finneas McCain and Ruth Harris

Special Areas: Jillian Higgins and Edward Dunn

Science on Ice

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Please join Tabor Academy in welcoming oceanographer and science photographer Chris Linder to campus for our first Science at Work Lecture Series on March 30 at 6:30 pm in the Stroud Academic Center, Tabor Academy, 232 Front Street, Marion. For over a decade, Linder has focused on communicating the stories of scientists working in the Arctic and Antarctic. He has documented dozens of scientific expeditions and has spent over two years of his life exploring the polar regions.

“Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised,” wrote Apsley Cherry-Garrard of his time with the 1910 Scott expedition to the South Pole. And that’s how most of us still imagine polar expeditions: stolid men with ice riming their beards risking death for scientific knowledge. But polar science has evolved over the past century. Using images from the Adelie penguin chapter of his book Science on Ice and recent work in Siberia, oceanographer-turned-photographer Chris Linder will demonstrate the power of photography to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Mr. Linder will spend the day in classrooms on March 30 with Tabor Academy students and faculty before sharing his work with the local community at 6:30 pm at this free evening lecture.