Neighbors Oppose Expansion of “Camp”

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The April agenda for the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals listed six hearings. Sitting board members were: Mary Ann Brogan, Norman Lyonnais, Susan Akin, Colby Rottler, and Kenneth Pacheco. With the assistance of Andy Bobola, director of inspectional services, they dispatched all but one with an approval.

The hearing garnering the most time and debate was for the property located at 4 Woodland Avenue owned by the Flaherty family. Mary Flaherty sought approval to demolish an existing structure defined as a one room “camp” building, and a shed in order to construct a small two-story year-round home.

The issues at hand were whether or not the lot was buildable, if there was a conflict due to the manner in which the lot was created, and concerns over storm water run-off.

When Sue Flaherty had gone before the Conservation Commission, it came to light that a Form A3 from 1975 had subdivided the parcel, which required research before the applicant could request a ZBA hearing. Having done that, her application was heard.

One vocal abutter, Carol Helliwell of 6 Woodland Avenue, opposed the project based on her concern that the Flaherty home would crowd her home and would have an adverse impact on her property. She also discussed concern over storm water run-off. Helliwell’s home was part of the original parcel before subdivision. From Helliwell’s standpoint, the Flaherty “camp” was never to become anything more than that.

Neighbor David Ross said that it has been decades since the family has used the camp, that it had no running water or plumbing, and the development of the lot should not be allowed. Ross noted that, when the Form A subdivision was approved, there was a three-year limit for the Flahertys to develop the lot. He felt that, since that had not been the case, then shouldn’t current zoning by-laws be applied?

Andy Bobola advised the board that it was within its scope to approve the application and allow the home to be built because the Form A created that condition. He said, despite the three-year limitation, there was no evidence that the property had not been used over the years. Also, as long as the abutters’ concerns over storm water run-off were addressed, he said the ZBA could approve the application.

Before closing the hearing for deliberation, Mary Flaherty made an impassioned statement to the board citing her family’s many decades as property owners in Mattapoisett, and her desire to carry out the plans her father had hoped to complete for the family. She said it had always been their plan to build a small home on the family’s lot.

In the end, the board moved to allow the construction of the home, putting in place mandated storm water management measures to alleviate any potential draining onto other properties. Their rationale was that crowding in the area was not significant, given that the area is already densely settled, and the board took abutters’ concerns regarding storm water run-off into consideration.

Other hearings that received the board’s positive votes were:

Richard and Laure Warren, 7 Pico Beach Road, to construction a new home in conformance with FEMA and state requirements for flood zones; James and Annamaria Barron, 36 Water Street, for the construction of a balcony on the second story of the existing home; Rollin Buckminster, 79 Marion Road for a change of use from general business to marine for a boat motor and machine repair enterprise; Eric Smith, 8 Park Place for the construction of an in-ground pool.

The application for John Marvin, 14 Mechanic Street for the construction of an addition to an existing home, brought up questions about the size the addition would be, and if it would fit into the neighborhood. Representing the applicant, Robert Field of Field Engineering said the finished project would increase the lot coverage from 15% to 36%. Brogan felt that a study of the area was in order to see if any other lots in the neighborhood had similar coverage. The hearing was continued until May to give Field time to complete the study and report back to the board.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett ZBA is May 15 at 6:00 pm.

By Marilou Newell

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Discovery Days at Marion’s Brainard Marsh

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One of the educational events the Buzzards Bay Coalition had planned for April vacation brought kids to the 6.1-acre property to explore the marshy beach for a scavenger hunt. The osprey from a nearby nest kept a close eye on the group until the treasures were tallied and the group waded back down the mud-puddled path to the road.

By Jean Perry

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Nathalie “Nancy” (Omilnowicz) Fleming

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Nathalie “Nancy” (Omilnowicz) Fleming, 76, of Mattapoisett died unexpectedly on April 25, 2014 at St. Luke’s Hospital.

She was the beloved wife of Donald J. Fleming with whom she shared 50 years of marriage.

Born and raised in Webster, MA, the daughter of Peter F. Omilnowicz and the late Nellie (Suss) Omilnowicz, she lived in Mattapoisett most of her life.

After receiving her nursing degree from St. Vincent’s Hospital and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston College, Mrs. Fleming taught nursing before becoming a devoted stay at home mother to her five children. Nancy was a daily communicant and Eucharistic Minister at St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett. She spent countless hours volunteering her time to help the elderly and sick of her community. Working with the Council on Aging, Friends of the Elderly of Mattapoisett, Hearts and Hands, and local churches, Mrs. Fleming raised funds and lifted spirits. In 1999 she was honored with the Standard Times Woman of the Year of Mattapoisett Award, the Marian Medal from Bishop Sean P. O’Malley, and the Philip Zeimetz Award for church service. Never one to seek the spotlight, she instead was a quiet doer of good deeds, and believed in making a difference in people’s lives with small acts of kindness. She was a friend to many and inspiration to those who knew her.

Nancy will be remembered by all for her generous heart and gentle spirit.

Survivors include her husband; her father, Peter Omilnowicz; a son, Donald P. Fleming and his wife Marcy of Birmingham, AL; 4 daughters, Catherine Twomey and her husband Michael of East Sandwich, Marya Daly and her husband Sean of Mansfield, MA, Kristen Eby and her husband David of Bedford, NH and Alison Lynch and her husband Timothy of Mansfield, MA; 10 grandchildren, Peter, Sarah, Elizabeth, Caroline, Catherine, Christian, Annie, Audrey, Ryan and Sean.

Visiting hours will be held on Monday, April 28th from 4-8 p.m. at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 29th at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in St. Anthony’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Friends of the Elderly of Mattapoisett P.O. Box 435 Mattapoisett, MA 02739. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Mattapoisett Road Race

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Celebrate Independence Day by running the 44th annual 5-mile road race held in the scenic seaside town of Mattapoisett, MA! The race begins at 9:00 am Friday, July 4; mail-in registration is $20 by June 22; online registration is $15 by June 24; registration at Shipyard Park is $20 July 3 (5-7:30 pm); $25 the day of the race.  All proceeds from the race are awarded to graduating senior athletes from ORRHS. For more information and/or to register, log on to www.mattapoisettroadrace.com.

Marion Republican Town Committee

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The Marion Republican Town Committee will conduct its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 6th at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street, Marion. The public and new members are welcome.

Tabor Furthers Women in Leadership

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Tabor Academy has undergone a number of changes throughout the school year. Perhaps the most important of these changes is the ongoing transformation to encourage more young women to take part in student leadership.

John Quirk is finishing up his second year as the head of school at Tabor Academy. Although he already finds Tabor to be a great place, one area he sees that warrants change is the area of student leadership.

Quirk has researched a number of leadership styles, diversity within schools, and has also looked into the history of Tabor. While Tabor became a co-ed school 30 years ago, there has only been one female executive officer of the schooner Tabor Boy, and only three female heads of school.

Although there were initially fewer female students than male students, the ratio has balanced out over the past two decades. Therefore, it is startling that young women have not played a more significant role in student leadership at Tabor.

Quirk’s research and concern led him to conclude that a change was necessary.

In collaboration with the student council, Quirk planned to encourage more freshmen girls to run for leadership positions. This proved effective when a number of girls ran for and won positions. This demonstrated to Mr. Quirk and the student council that, perhaps, girls simply needed to be encouraged.

In an even bigger change, current Student Head of School McKinley Halpern-Reiss recently announced a change in the election process of the student body president.

In the upcoming election, students will vote for both a male and female head of school, and the two winners will become co-heads of school. The elections will begin on April 22, and the final votes will be cast on April 28.

Anne Gardiner and Lauren Millette, both members of the Tabor faculty, have started a Women’s Leadership Program with Pamela McNamara.

McNamara, who has experience in teaching leadership strategies to female business students, is collaborating with Gardiner and Millette to run the sessions. This program aims to teach Tabor girls how to improve their communication and leadership skills.

The effort at Tabor to encourage young women in leadership is certainly welcomed by the community. It is a change that will hopefully improve the representation of young women in leadership positions for years to come.

By Julia O’Rourke

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Fate of Solar Farm Remains Undecided

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The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals discussed a proposed County Road solar farm installation on April 17, meeting for a remand hearing for Dale and Laura Briggs regarding the project. The Planning Board and the ZBA have grappled over how to classify the proposed solar installation under the town by-laws.

The Briggses appealed the ZBA’s prior denial to the Land Court, and the February 6, 2014 court ruling focused on what constitutes “light manufacturing.”

In general, the court ruled that, if the solar facility is not engaging in light manufacturing, then the ZBA may grant the permit.

The judge povided guidelines in the form of questions for the ZBA to determine which by-law would be appropriate. What type of business activity is already permitted in residential zones in Marion? What characterizes an industrial activity and light manufacturing in particular? Does the activity employ full or part-time employees? Do raw materials, feedstock, or finished products require transportation to or from the site? Are there machines or mechanical moving parts required to perform the assembly, processing, packaging or shipping functions?

In reviewing the data from the Land Court, it appeared that the answers were “no” to all of the issues that would deem the solar operation as light manufacturing; however, due to the importance of the decision to be made, the ZBA agreed to continue to study the issue and discuss it again at their May 15 meeting.

In other business, the board discussed Patricia Figueiredo’s application for a special permit to reconstruct a porch removed from an existing non-conforming structure during the 1970s. The property is located at 54 South Street.

Figueiredo addressed the board and had a photo of the home with the preexisting porch prior to its removal. The request was to add a farmer’s porch, similar to the one on a neighboring property. The proposed porch would wrap around from east to west and connect to the current front porch. The east side existing setback is 20.5 feet, and the porch dimensions would not decrease the setback.

The board approved the special permit for Figueiredo.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

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Cool Science Art Competition

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Two students from the graphic arts department at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School were among winners of the Cool Science Art Competition, sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The June 2014 winner is Melissa Peets, a junior in graphic arts from Acushnet, whose artwork will be put on display on the outside of a bus in the Lowell Regional Transit Authority system during the month of June. She also received a $100 gift certificate.

The May 2014 honorable mention winner is Aimee Hill, a junior in graphic arts from Mattapoisett, whose artwork will be put on display on the inside of a bus in the LRTA system during the month of May.

“Congratulations to all the graphic students on a job well done,” said Graphics Instructor Erin Murray.

The students were honored at the second annual Cool Science Awards Ceremony and Reception on April 4 at UMass Lowell.

Cool Science is a statewide K-12 student art competition designed to foster learning about climate change. The students were asked to create an artwork depicting climate change, which, in turn, will help educate the public through the Mass. transit system.

“In the fall, Cool Science received over 400 works of art from school districts across Massachusetts. A distinguished and diverse panel selected six winning entries, six runner-ups, and 12 honorable mentions. The 24 artists and their works of art represent the very best of our State’s young people,” the Cool Science team stated in an award memo to Murray.

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our generation. Using the visual arts as a medium, Cool Science engages teachers, parents, and students in climate change science,” the Cool Science team stated.

The Cool Science team consisted of Dr. David Lustick, UMass Lowell, Dr. Jill Lohmeier, UMass Lowell, and Dr. Robert Chen, UMass Boston.

Additional information on Cool Science may be found on their website www.coolscience.net.

BBAHFH Home & Garden Show

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Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity (BBAHFH) will host a Home & Garden Show at Old Rochester Regional School on Saturday, April 26, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The show will be held inside the cafeteria at Old Rochester Regional School, located at 135 Marion Road in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.

Admission into the Habitat Home & Garden Show will be FREE to the public with donations accepted. The event is in support of the Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity affiliate. The Home & Garden show will feature a variety of home improvement vendors, including contractors, window and door suppliers, energy efficiency experts, kitchen designers, architects, landscape designers, nurseries, banks, and mortgage and insurance companies. The event will also include activities for children including FACE PAINTING by Eastern Bank, and musical entertainment by the Showstoppers. Complimentary BBAHFH tote bags filled with Lindt chocolates will be distributed to the first 50 attendees!

BBAHFH would like to thank our sponsors…Eastern Bank, Jonathan’s Organic, and Cape Cod Five Bank. We would also like to thank Old Rochester Regional School for the use of their facility.

A Friendly Reminder to Marion Drivers

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A Friendly Reminder to Marion Drivers

We live in the center of Marion and I spend hours in my little garden right near Front Street. Most people driving through town are going too fast. Did you know that the speed limit in Marion  village is 25 MPH ? As summer approaches and pedestrians and kids are out and about, PLEASE  go slowly through the village.  25 MPH! Thank you.

Tinker and Bill Saltonstall