Come celebrate Easter at Plumb Corner Mall, 565 Rounseville Road, Rochester on Saturday, April 19. The event starts at 10:00 am with bag decorating at Countryside Child Care Center and the Hair & Body Solution. The Easter Egg Hunt starts at 10:30 am, and there will be cookie decorating at Rockland Trust, face painting with the Junior Friends of Plumb Library, and a guest appearance by the Bulldogs mascot, as well as a raffle for a gift card to Toys R Us. Hope to see you there!
On April 15, 2014 at 8:19AM, the Marion Police Department responded to the Lockheed-Martin facility, off Route 6 in Marion, for a suspicious package found at the rear of one of the parking areas.
A witness reported that a vehicle had pulled into the lot and a young male had left the vehicle with a package and placed it under a bush, next to the parking area, before leaving the area. Officers confirmed the location of the package.
The area was secured and Bomb Squad units from the Massachusetts State Police and the United States Navy (Newport, RI) responded and, using specialized equipment, were able to determine the package was not explosive, but contained marijuana.
As of this afternoon, a juvenile suspect had been identified. This incident is still under investigation.
Marion Fire/EMS, Massachusetts State Police D Troop and Lockheed-Martin Security assisted at the scene.
Marion Police Department Press Release
After a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, the Marion Board of Selectmen opened their meeting on Tuesday evening with a full agenda.
First up was an appointment with the Marion Energy Management Committee for a review of a draft Request for Proposal for a community solar garden to be located on the town landfill.
EMC members Bill Saltonstall, David Pierce, Eileen Marum and Jennifer Francis presented to the board. Although the solar overlay area at the town landfill consists of approximately fifty acres, the level plateau at the top of the landfill, consisting of approximately 2.4 acres, is being put out to bid to contractors to put a solar installation on the dump.
“There are financial advantages to the town and this will move us ahead … we will have a short article on the warrant at town meeting asking to approve the RFP to get bids,” said Saltonstall. “We think it’s a good site. It’s fenced in and the only shade is a sliver shadow from the cell tower for only a short time daily.”
Town Administrator Paul Dawson said that the EMC “has worked tirelessly and have been very prepared, knowledgeable in the industry and standards and has done an all-around professional job in getting the town up and running in solar development.”
Selectman Jon Henry noted that the town’s AAA bond rating reflects how the town is run and that work done by the EMC helps to show how the town is organized and forward thinking.
Next up, the board discussed the applications for appointment to the Town House Building Committee. There were twelve applicants. Shaun Cormier, facilities manager for the town, culled through the applications and recommended five of them. The idea was to keep the committee manageable. After discussion, the BOS determined that seven would be a good number for the committee, given that some members may not be able to make every meeting.
In the end, the following committee members were voted in by the BOS: Robert Raymond, Bill Saltonstall, Priscilla Ditchfield, Evelyn Crocker, Wayne Mattson, Meg Steinberg and Jon Henry (representing the BOS). It was noted that Henry had over four decades of experience in the building industry, including a major stint as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers. The board thanked all the applicants for their interest in serving the town.
The board discussed a recommendation by Council on Aging Director Susan Schwager regarding guidelines in awarding the Boston Post Cane, which is awarded annually to the town’s oldest resident. Schwager listed three requirements for the award including: 1) the individual must be a year-round resident of Marion; 2) he/she must have lived in Marion for at least five years; and 3) if in a nursing facility, the individual must have the ability to move back into the Marion community.
The board discussed the request and, after much dialog concerning those in the local nursing facility who often come from other towns, agreed to the guidelines suggested by Schwager.
Various credit memorandums, bond anticipation notes and agreements with the Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust were also discussed and approved.
Cumberland Farms (North), formerly known as Christy’s, applied for a common victualler permit to offer food on a seasonal basis at the now vacant store/gas station at the intersection of Spring Street and Route 6. The facility is across the street from the Cumberland Farms next to Eastern Bank on the other side of Route 6. No gas will be available at the facility.
The BOS approved the victualler permit with the condition that all permits are fully compliant, as verified with the Marion Fire Chief.
Dawson gave an update on the Roadway Improvement Project and said that construction had begun at the intersection of Water and South Streets and that the work in that area should be done by or before Memorial Day. After that project is completed, Ryder Lane will follow.
By Joan Hartnett-Barry
The Elks of Wareham Lodge No. 1548 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools. The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school, club and community service, industry and farming.
We congratulate Senior Haakon Perkins from Mattapoisett for being selected by the Old Rochester Regional High School faculty and staff as Student of the Month for April. Haakon is a senior who contributes with enthusiasm to the technology department assisting whenever and wherever needed. He is a very responsible and trustworthy individual and a very personable young man. He is a good role model for ORR.
We congratulate Sophomore Moira Flynn from Rochester for being selected by the Old Rochester Regional High School faculty and staff as Student of the Month for May. Moira is on the Honor Roll in Honors classes. Moira assists students of all grade levels in the Guidance Office. She is very thoughtful and giving of her time. Moira was working on her History Research paper and was assisting others in writing math, photocopying and senior projects. She would be a great asset to the ORR community.
After winning honors for creativity, teamwork and problem solving in regional and state tournaments, ‘Saphistikashun’ and ‘Unknown Error’ have both earned the right to travel to Destination Imagination’s Global Finals, the largest creative thinking and problem solving competition in the world, to be held May 21-24 in Knoxville, TN.
Team members for Saphistikashun – representing Massachusetts for “Laugh Art Loud” senior level (sophomores) – are Rikard Bodin, Kyle Rood, Sara Lafrance, Ed Krawczyk, Maddie Meyers, and Will Lynch. The members of Unknown Error – representing Massachusetts for “Laugh Art Loud” Middle School Level (7th and 8th Grade) – are Ben Lafrance, Brett Rood, Michael Stack, Kelsea Kidney, Pat O’Neil, Maggie Farrell and Matthew Carvalho. The Team Managers for both teams are Tina Rood and Kerry Bulman.
Unknown Error and Saphistikashun are among more than 8,000 students representing more than 1,250 teams that will advance to Global Finals. Both teams competed at the Cape Cod Regional Tournament on March 16 and each team received a Renaissance Award for creativity, design and engineering, within their solution. They competed and won at the state tournament held on March 29 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Destination Imagination is an educational program where student teams are immersed in the creative process needed to solve open-ended challenges, and then present their solutions at regional and state tournaments. Teams choose one of seven, open-ended challenges that require young people to apply science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), in addition to improvisation, theater arts, writing, project management, communication, innovation, teamwork, and community service.
These Tri-Town teams are working together over the next six weeks to raise the money towards the $15,000 it will cost the 13 team members and their managers to compete at Global Finals. They are raising funds online at www.youcaring.com and search ORR Destination Imagination.
We thank Uncle Jon’s in Marion, Lloyd’s in Rochester, and Stop & Shop in Fairhaven for allowing the kids to stand out front and ask customers for their support.
Scheduled fundraising events include:
–April 26 and May 10: Car Washes at the Mattapoisett Fire House; and
-Letter writing campaign: If you would like to support the team, you can send a check to Tina Rood or Kerry Bulman at 101 Williams Way, Rochester, MA 02770.
To the Editor:
I would like to thank The Wanderer for its detailed reporting of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail’s progress and Town Administrator Michael Gagne for his kind words at Finance Committee meeting regarding the work of Steve Kelleher and myself. Across the state and the country, promoting bike path construction is a time-consuming job; but the ultimate payoff is well worth the effort. Research shows that bike path investments return much more than expected to the communities where they are located. After the Outer Banks in South Carolina invested 6.7 million dollars in bike paths, people began returning to that area specifically for its bike-friendly environment. Now, cyclists annually contribute $60 million to the Outer Banks’ economy. In a similar scenario, the state of Oregon attributes $400 million of its tourism industry to bicycling. These days, our South Coast’s economy could use all the help it can get. South Coast can and should be a premier bicycling destination. By supporting the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, residents also support the completion of the South Coast Bikeway and the economic well being of our Town. And upon completion of the trail, residents will experience improved options for exercise, fun, and transportation around town. Please come to the Mattapoisett Town Meeting on Monday, May 12 and support the Mattapoisett Rail Trail.
Sincerely,
Bonne DeSousa
President, Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path
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.
Selectmen on April 10 finally got to the bottom of the 2011 cyber-hacking incident that resulted in the theft of $134,000 from an Old Rochester Regional bank account.
On February 9, 2011, UniBank alerted school administration to several suspicious money transfers, including a $4,000 deposit to someone in Nashville, Tennessee. By the end of the day, there were 20 electronic transfers of ORR funds to 20 different accounts by the time UniBank froze the ORR payroll account that had been compromised.
Superintendent Doug White, reading from a prepared statement, said bank representatives came to the school and tested the computer system on February 10 and traced the breach to a single computer in the business office. The computer was infected with malware that allowed a remote keystroke logger to record every keystroke made on the keyboard, thus allowing the hacker to acquire passwords and other sensitive information.
White said $100,992.39 was recouped within two months of the incident, but $33,774.61 was never recovered. The insurance company denied the district’s claim for the loss because the incident involved a third-party and not an ORR faculty worker, and UniBank’s investigation found the bank was not at fault for the breach.
Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne addressed allegations that $600,000 was the actual amount stolen, and he questioned White about the discrepancy, which Gagne said he heard from White himself when the rumor of a cyber attack began circulating.
“When you called me back that morning … did you not say to me at that time that it was $600,000?” Gagne asked White.
“I could have,” replied White. “I didn’t go to the file.” He said he did call Gagne back right away after going through the file for further information.
“But you do remember saying $600,000?” said Gagne.
White replied, “I potentially could have.” He said that once he went to the file, though, he realized it was $134,000.
When asked if the School Committee could ever recover the remaining stolen funds, ORR Attorney Josh Coleman stated, “To be honest, I think it would be unlikely … The bank didn’t find any fault of their own.”
Mattapoisett Selectman Paul Silva suggested appointing a committee to handle these kinds of situations in the future to quickly assess and disperse information to the three towns so that if there is ever another cyber-hacking, the three towns could monitor their own computer systems.
The selectmen adopted the motion, and the School Committee reluctantly took a vote to also appoint a committee.
Rochester Selectman Richard Nunes criticized what he considered the School Committee’s proclivity for discussing matters in executive session instead of being open with the three towns.
“There was no attempt to hide anything,” said former School Committee Chairman Dr. Peter Bangs, who chaired the committee at the time of the cyber-theft. He said executive session was warranted because public disclosure would have compromised the ongoing criminal investigation.
Current School Committee Chairman Jim O’ Brien said law enforcement advised the committee to keep quiet, but stated that if he were chairman at the time, he probably would have asked more questions.
O’ Brien got defensive when he alluded to one Rochester selectman who ran a letter to the editor in several local publications after Rochester selectmen and the ORR School Committee met in executive session on March 17 to discuss the cyber-theft. O’ Brien said Nunes disclosed “many facts that went on during that meeting” in his editorial. O’ Brien criticized those who “pack up their sand toys whenever they’re not satisfied then run to the [press].”
“There was no conspiracy,” said O’ Brien. “But I will admit, if I had to do it over, I would have certainly met in executive session … with all three towns.”
But third-party incidents not involving personnel do not qualify for executive session, stated Mattapoisett Selectman Jordan Collyer.
Nunes defended the letter he published, saying. “My comments did not reflect anything I said during executive session … so don’t try and paint me as blabbing an executive session to the papers.”
Nunes continued, “I’m tired of the School Committee running into executive session at the drop of a hat.” He said executive session has become “the rule and not the exception” for the committee. “It shouldn’t have to be like that.”
Selectmen asked the School Committee why they do not record their meetings with ORCTV like the rest of the boards and committees do. The question went unanswered.
Discussion got heated after selectmen emphasized that the $34,000 recovered was “no chump change,” expressing disappointment that the committee’s legal counsel did not formally request the return of the money from the bank.
“I believe we’ve taken every step possible … we feel we could to recover that money,” said White.
“It could have been a lot worse,” said Collyer. “With every negative there is a positive … and we shouldn’t discount that.”
Selectmen asked White and the committee to work with their attorney to “put something together” and try to recover the $34,000 from the bank.
Also during the meeting, selectmen discussed the cable television license renewal, voting to keep Attorney William Solomon for negotiations, despite Mattapoisett’s penchant for an attorney from Kopelman and Paige. The vote was 5-1 in favor of Solomon, with Silva abstaining.
The next scheduled joint meeting of the Tri-Town Selectmen is scheduled for June 19 at 7:00 pm at ORR.
By Jean Perry
Eleanor Severance, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christopher M. Severance of Marion, was named to the Winter Term 2014 Dean’s List at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut. Choate Rosemary Hall is an independent secondary school enrolling 865 boarding and day students from 40 states and Washington, D.C., and 40 countries.
The Second Annual Sippican Schooner 5K Fun Run & Mini Run, hosted by the Volunteers at Sippican Elementary (VASE), will be held on Sunday, May 4. The Mini Run is for children up to nine years old and will begin at 9:30 am on Tabor Academy’s Martin Field/Hoyt Hall, Front Street, Marion. Registration fee for the Mini Run is $7.50 until April 30 and $10 from May 1 until race day. The 5K begins at 10:15 am. Registration fee for the 5K is $15 until April 30 and $20 from May 1 until race day. Registration is available online at http://racewire.com/event.php?id=1846, or by obtaining a paper registration from VASE. Any questions, please contact VASE at 508-748-0100 or vase@orr.mec.edu.
My Life, My Health: Living with Chronic Conditions, a six-week evidenced-based workshop, will be offered by the Marion Council on Aging and Coastline Elderly Services of New Bedford from April 23 through May 28. Certified leaders, Ellen Keogh and Beth Lederman, will facilitate the program. The participants will meet weekly from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Marion Police Station. The workshop uses a supportive problem solving approach to develop techniques for managing symptoms related to chronic conditions.
This workshop is available to elders with a chronic illness or their caretakers.
Participants who complete the six-week course will receive a $50 Market Basket gift certificate.
To register for this free program or for more information, please call the Marion Council on Aging at 508-748-3570 or Jacqueline Medeiros of Coastline Elderly Services Inc. at 508-742-9151.
My Life, My Health helps people with chronic conditions and their caretakers regain control of their lives and do the things that matter to them. Participants feel empowered and more confident in managing their health. They meet new people, share what they know and learn new ways to actively manage their symptoms.
The program topics include: physical activity and exercise; dealing with difficult emotions; pain and fatigue management; healthy eating; communication skills; medication usage; making informed treatment decisions; and working with health care professionals and the health care system.
A five-year study of 1000 workshop participants revealed that after six months, people demonstrated increased exercise, better coping strategies and symptom management, improvement in self-rated health, increased social interaction and fewer visits to the doctor.