Upcoming Fun Summer Events at Plumb Library

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Do you like pirates? Do you like solving mysteries? Sign up now on our online Events Calendar for Blackbeard’s Bounty on Thursday, July 11 at 6:00 pm. This program is recommended for ages 12 and up but we have opened some spots for ages 10 and 11.

            Come meet Mindy LaBranche, ecologist, and Michelle Kirby, Chair of the Snow’s Pond Association, for a guided nature hike at Church’s Field (86 Mattapoisett Road, Rochester) on Saturday, July 13 from 10:30-11:30 am. This trail passes through a mixed hardwood forest and wetlands and includes the Mattapoisett River. Dress for a hike in the woods – good walking shoes and pants. Bring your tick/insect repellent and binoculars if you have them. This program is for ages 10 and up. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants.

            The Wareham Gatemen are coming back on Saturday, July 20 from 10:15-11:00 am, and no registration for this event is required. Stop by to listen to several Wareham Gatemen read a story, share their own stories, and answer questions. Weather permitting, this event will be held outdoors and players will play catch with attendees. Bring your glove and something to autograph.

            Find out more by following us on Facebook or Instagram, or visit our website: www.plumblibrary.com/whats-happening

Turning Point

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Turning Point, the day resource center of the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless (WACH), celebrated the opening of their “new” location for Baby Point last Thursday. A Turning Point service that helps young families in need, Baby Point’s “new” location is actually just a set of stairs away from its former location at 3 Viking Drive. The expanded area fills much of the lower level of the Turning Point facility with shelves of products for babies, including areas for clothing and shoe donations. “While it’s still a ‘work in progress’, says Chuck McCullough, WACH President, “it gives us more space to organize and accommodate the increase of client families seeking assistance for Baby Point services in this challenging economy.” A bonus for WACH is that the space that formerly housed Baby Point will now accommodate additional workstations in support of the ongoing growth of the organization. “It allows enhanced privacy for everyone involved”, comments McCullough. An additional benefit is that the new Baby Point headquarters can be accessed by driving around the back of the building, eliminating the need to use stairs. “We’re pleased to be able to accommodate a growing need in our community safely and efficiently,’ adds McCullough.

            Turning Point Day Resource Center is an all-volunteer organization committed to helping this area’s neighbors most in need. Turning Point Wareham is a social service agency that provides supportive services to individuals and families who are facing various life challenges and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. In addition to housing assistance, Turning Point also helps with heat and utility bills, access to emergency food and clothing, essential baby items, employment information, referrals to treatment centers and more. In addition to holiday outreach programs, Turning Point also manages Baby Point. The Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless (WACH), a 501c3 nonprofit organization d/b/a/Turning Point, serves homeless and near homeless people in the communities of Wareham, Carver, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Middleboro and Buzzards Bay.

Sucker Punched

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Oh sweet summer. Flowers bloom throughout the land and bird song fills the air. Plants forgotten over the long, cold, winter months (well chilly winter at least) burst forth in their own version of the Hallelujah Chorus, as we attempt to stem the weeds. Forget that the deer are also enjoying the fruits of our labor. Forget the caterpillars and snails that feast upon it all. This is summer and we love it. But wait. In every blue sky, there is a dark cloud.

            Recently I woke up feeling less than chipper. As the day progressed, I was sinking deeper into some sort of malaise. I called the doc’s office, explained the nasal congestion and overall rotten feeling now accompanied by a fever of 100. “Must be a sinus infection,” I tell the nurse. She asks me to come into the office but to arrive at the back door used for suspected Covid cases. Covid?!#$@

            My husband helps me into the back-door lobby area as my legs do their best not to buckle. Good grief, this sucks.

            The nurse confirms the fever and does the other necessary stuff, asking, “Have you been around anyone with Covid recently?” There it is again, Covid. No, I haven’t been around anyone, except at the grocery store, other doc offices, library, committee meetings, garden centers and restaurants. I haven’t traveled outside southern Plymouth County in weeks.

            The nurse swabs my nasal passages, which is rather uncomfortable, and 30 minutes later, time spent discussing everything under the sun, except politics with my husband, the verdict is in – Covid.

            I’m incensed! I have faithfully received every booster vaccine available and in a timely manner. Up until recently, I washed down canned goods and cleaned doorknobs. How could I possibly have had my body invaded by those viral goonies? The physician assistant explains that Covid is a very fast-mutating contagion. Like a shape shifter, it outsmarts vaccines upon first taste and wins through its superior speed. Winner and still champion, I can now attest.

            I’m crestfallen. On the way home after receiving a script for Pavlovic, said to decrease Covid symptoms, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised (another blow to my eroding sense of being in command of my ship, you know the body), I slowly accept this latest sucker punch.

            By the way, I took only one dose of that medication before declaring it “foul as drinking gasoline.” I’m assuming that, of course, having never really tasted the stuff.

            Living with chronic pain and other discomforts is a way of life, and many reading this I’m sure can relate. But illnesses are a different breed of troublemaker. Illnesses swim around inside the host, the human body, taking whatever it wants while you use up a box of tissues and flip through the 1,000 bits of programing available on cable TV but finding nothing, save reruns from the Dick Van Dyke show.

            I tried reading one of the books from one of the stacks I have stashed throughout the house. I think, “Use this setback to read that book your cousin sent you three years ago.” As I read the introduction, I’m drifting into the first of several naps this rotten bug demands.

            In the dream that follows, I’m flying above a gathering crowd assembled to hear my message – “wash your hands – don’t stand so close to me (yes, I hear Sting singing in the background) – stay away from crowded places.”

            Upon coming to from that dream state, I think of those early Covid days. I was washing and spraying bleach on everything that came through the front door, including canned goods and one husband. One day as I was telling him to wash his hands, he reeled back and hollered “I can’t take this anymore!” I quietly gave him space. It was tense times, and we were all doing the best we could.

            Covid brought out the best and the worst in people and it politized healthcare. Either you were labeled a liberal for following Dr. Fauci’s recommendations or you were a Trump supporter. It was, I believe, the beginning of a huge divide in communities across the country. The very nation was split in two. While the virus did its worst, we all struggled to try and live with some sort of normalcy. We did manage, but others were lost forever, both figuratively and in reality.

            Now as I sequester myself, roaming amongst the flowers in my yard nourishing my soul, I’m reminded “this too shall pass,” and for me, “this is not a problem.” The virus is now in a mellow form, more nuisance than killer. And it’s just another reminder, try to avoid a sucker punch – don’t forget to “wash your hands.”

This Mattapoisett Life

By Marilou Newell

Water Access Worries Aired

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Coming before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission on July 9 was Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering, representing applicant Daniel McCarthy for a Notice of Intent filing. The continued public meeting brought out several property owners.

            The scope of the project located at 12, 14, 16 and 18 Ocean View Avenue is rather straightforward, to replace and repair 300 feet of a vertical, stone-and-mortar, sloped revetment damaged by seasonal storms. What was unclear was whether or not abutters and others in this Brandt Beach coastal neighborhood maintain easement rights.

            Two weeks prior when the NOI was first brought before the commission, member David Nicolosi wondered aloud if the residents in the area were onboard with the plans, calling the parcel part of an area once known as “The Reservation.”

            Grady had explained that Mattapoisett’s assessing office found no such place, nor did its records identify a property owner. The filing was continued pending determination not of this matter but comments from the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species office.

            On this night, several property owners explained their concerns that the planned repairs would cut off their beach access, access they say was noted in their property deeds at least as far back as the 1950s.

            Attending the meeting via Zoom, McCarthy said he had no intention of limiting the historical access but was primarily concerned with making the revetment safe.

            Commission Chairman Mike King suggested to the residents that they contact a land-court lawyer to untangle the easement issue, but that the commission has no jurisdiction in those matters.

            The filing was conditioned and will be granted plan of record modification if, in the future, McCarthy wishes to add stairs down to the water’s edge.

            In other business, conditions were issued to NOI filings by Livingstone Plymouth Nominee Trust and Michael Livingstone for two lots off Whalers Way.

            A new plan of record for 7 Shipyard Lane for repairs to an existing seawall was accepted.

            A Negative 2 decision was granted for a Request for Determination of Applicability filed by John and Ruthanne Igoe, 5 Avenue A, for a second-floor addition in a jurisdictional area.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, July 22, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

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This Sunday at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, next to the Town Beach in Mattapoisett, the visiting clergy will be The Rev. William Locke, Assisting Priest of St. Stephen’s in Providence, RI. Services using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer will be held at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. The 140-year-old tradition of inviting clergy at St. Philip’s continues through Labor Day. All are welcome to attend.

Rules for Wearing a Life Jacket

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Wearing a life jacket/Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while on the water is crucial for ensuring safety and can be a life-saving decision in the event of an accident. Life jackets (PFD’s) provide essential buoyancy that helps keep individuals afloat, even if they are unconscious or exhausted.

            This is particularly important in unexpected situations such as sudden capsizing, strong currents, or rough waters, which can often be the case in Buzzards Bay when being a good swimmer might not be sufficient for survival.

            Additionally, life jackets (PFD’s) are designed to keep the wearer’s head above water, reducing the risk of drowning. They also often come in bright colors, making it easier for rescuers to spot individuals in distress. By wearing a life jacket (PFD), boaters and swimmers can significantly increase their chances of survival and prevent tragic accidents, making it a non-negotiable part of water safety protocol.

            In Massachusetts, the rules for wearing life jackets are as follows:

            1. Children under 12 years old: Must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while on a vessel, unless they are in an enclosed cabin.

            2. Personal Watercraft (PWC): Anyone operating or riding on a personal watercraft must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times.

            3. Towed Water Sports: Anyone being towed behind a vessel (such as water-skiing, tubing, etc.) must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

            4. Certain Vessels and Conditions: A. All canoeists and kayakers must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket between September 15 and May 15; B. All boaters on any type of vessel must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket during the same period (September 15 to May 15) when waters are typically colder and the risk of hypothermia is higher.

            5. Accessibility: There must be a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket readily accessible for each person on board any vessel at all times, regardless of the vessel type or time of year.

            It’s essential to ensure that life jackets are in good condition, appropriately sized for the wearer, and suitable for the type of boating activity.

            Editor’s note: This is the first of two public-safety messages from the Marion Marine Resources Commission. Next week the MRC will focus on kayak safety.

Marion Police Re-accredited

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Marion Police Chief Richard Nighelli is proud to report that the Marion Police Department earned re-accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC). On June 26, MPAC unanimously re-accredited the Marion Police Department.

            “I am honored our department has once again earned re-accreditation from MPAC,” said Chief Nighelli. “As we celebrate this achievement, I would like to recognize all of our department members for their dedication and commitment to upholding the values of this department. I would also like to thank our community for their ongoing support and partnership.”

            The department received State Certification in June 2014, full State Accreditation in June 2015 and re-accreditation in 2018 and 2021. Accreditation must be renewed every three years and, following this year’s renewal, the department will be up for re-accreditation again in 2027.

            Accreditation is a self-initiated, lengthy and comprehensive evaluation process. Participating departments complete an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts. The process is a voluntary evaluation by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the top standards of law enforcement. It is considered the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the established best practices around the country and region.

            The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the department was required to meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 55% of the optional standards.

            These carefully selected standards reflect critical areas of police management, operations and technical support activities. They cover areas such as policy development, emergency response planning, training, communications, property and evidence handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit, prisoner transportation and holding facilities.

Tavares Appreciated in Sendoff

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            In recognition of retiring Old Hammondtown School Principal Kevin Tavares, Mattapoisett School Committee Chairperson Carly Lavin prepared the following remarks publicly read during the June 13 meeting of the committee:

            “As you approach the culmination of what can only be described as an illustrious, three-decade journey in the Mattapoisett School District, I find myself reflecting on the impact that you had on our academic community, it’s with a mixture of joy for you and (loss) for us as I write to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering dedication and your exceptional leadership.

            “Over 30 years, you’ve been a staple of Mattapoisett Schools, guiding both Center and OHS with both wisdom and integrity and a visionary outlook. Your commitment to excellence in education, your passion for nurturing young minds, and your tireless efforts to foster an environment where everyone can thrive are truly incredible.

            “Under your leadership, Mattapoisett not only has achieved academic excellence but has also cultivated a culture of kindness, inclusivity and a resilience … Through the years, your guidance has shaped the futures of countless students, inspiring them to reach their fullest potential.”

            Lavin went on to describe Tavares’ influence as “inspirational to all of us” and the mark he leaves on the committee as “indelible.”

            Visibly affected by Lavin’s comments and the passionate applause at the conclusion of her words, Tavares alluded to the old saying that, “You don’t choose education, education chooses you.”

            With that, he confessed that he had done all he could not to be a teacher after seeing his father put in 33 years.

            “I’ve worked with some amazing people, but it’s all about the kids,” said Tavares, emotionally expressing his appreciation for the support he received over the years, especially from committee member Jim Muse.

            Muse publicly identified Tavares with the Town of Mattapoisett and assured him he has a home in Mattapoisett.

            Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson added his appreciation of Tavares and other retirees.

            Later in the meeting, Nelson would note that Stephanie Wells will be joining the ORR District as Old Hammondtown’s new principal.

            As explained by Center School Principal Laura Ashley, changes to the Student Handbook for the 2024-25 School Year will include changes to the section addressing Bullying Intervention and Prevention and a Discipline triangle chart in order to better align the individual school districts within the ORR District. The committee voted its approval.

            The committee’s approval of meeting dates for the 2024-25 school year was preceded by Lavin’s public appreciation to secretary Melissa Wilcox for her work. The dates: September 12, October 17, November 21, February 6, 2025, March 13, 2025, April 10, 2025 and June 5, 2025.

            The committee approved the leases of SMEC and Countryside Childcare for the 2024-25 school year. The committee approved a list of library materials to be disposed of and in a separate vote, the disposal of technology materials.

            Upon the completion of Year 1 of the School Improvement Plan, Nelson said it’s time to begin reflection work and prepare for Year 2.

            “We really accomplished a lot across the district,” said Ashley, referencing the plan’s emphasis on literacy.

            Lavin thanked Ashley and Tavares for the presentation and said it represented a lot of work.

            Nelson said the Strategic Plan’s ability to align the individual “sister districts” helps the overall health of the school system.

            Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Dr. Shari Fedorowicz thanked the stakeholders for the teamwork it took to make Year 1 of ORR’s literacy initiative successful.

            Amanda Hastings volunteered to represent Mattapoisett on the union side of the Joint School Committee, and Muse will continue his service on the ORR District side.

            The Mattapoisett School Committee approved the following grants: a Vacation Acceleration Academies Grant of $30,500 (a grant Nelson said the district did not receive last year), High-Quality Instructional Materials Purchase Grant of $27,992 (support for sciences, especially STEM), from the Tri-Town Education Foundation Fund, $2,000 to Carolyn Pawlishen for Empowering, Engaging and Motivating Students with Learning Differences, $2,000 from The Feinstein Foundation to principal’s secretary Jennifer Janicki for a Japanese Silk Lilac tree and two wooden benches on school grounds, one in honor of the late Jenny Rusinoski and one in honor of the retiring Tavares.

            The committee entered executive session for bargaining and litigation preparation purposes.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 12 at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett School Committee

By Mick Colageo

Road Construction Committee Tabled

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The July 9 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board was a bit bumpy, as discussion resumed in the matter of selecting residents to be seated on the new village roadway committee.

            When the agenda item was heard, Select Board member Jodi Bauer said that no more than three people should be appointed to the advisory committee, while member Jordan Collyer said he would agree to five.

            Member Tyler Macallister stated, “Forming this committee is a mistake.” He voiced his opinion that Mattapoisett may forfeit TIP monies by trying to control the project versus letting the state Department of Transportation do the job.

            Collyer and Bauer both stuck to their decision regarding the number of committee members, deciding instead to think on the matter further in an effort to reach a consensus, thus tabling the matter until the next Select Board meeting on July 23.

            Also speaking to the need for consensus was Bonne DaSousa, who defended the need for a roadway committee, saying it could help the town reach a consensus regarding various aspects of the proposed project.

            Tree Committee Chairman Sandy Hering said that she has learned just how much latitude the DOT had sufficient to, “…making a project that suits towns.” She stated that by showing the state agency the town has achieved a consensus, it would demonstrate, “…we want this project.”

            Other agenda items were heard before discussions once again returned to the village roads project.

            DaSousa questioned cost estimates for the placement of utilities underground. A survey intended to gather village residents’ appetite for a betterment of upwards of $50,000 had been mailed to property owners in the village. DaSousa, who was admittedly surprised to receive the survey, sought clarification of how the estimates were calculated and what data had been used.

            Macallister responded that DaSousa should not be surprised to have received the survey since it was what was requested by those supporting underground services. He explained that cost estimates were based on a project currently being installed and familiar to the town’s engineers, VHB. He also said that VHB’s figures were verified by Eversource and Verizon. He further stated that easements would have to be granted by property owners impacted by moving utilities underground and that, “… they don’t want to do that.”

             In other matters, the Select Board will hold a public hearing for the placement of “No Parking” signs on Mattapoisett Neck Road near the entrance to the bike path. Other bike-path news shared by Town Administrator Mike Lorenco was that the 25% design on phase 2A is nearly complete.

            Lorenco also reported that a parking area off Mattapoisett Neck Road is being planned with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

            Bauer announced her resignation from the Mattapoisett Tree Committee after more than 20 years. She was thanked for her years of service. A refreshed Commission on Disability was formed and appointments made.

            Lorenco said there are still open seats on several committees, most notably the Finance Committee. Interested parties should contact the Select Board’s office.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, July 23 (time to be announced).

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

SCUBA – Diving Into Friendship with God

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We are getting excited at First Congregational Church of Rochester for our free summer Vacation Bible School program to be held July 15 to 19 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. There are plenty of spots still available for kids in grades K-6 and openings for teen volunteers as well. Come for one day or all five. Registration is open and will remain open throughout the week. Register online at vbspro.events/p/966f16 or in person at First Congregational Church of Rochester, 11 Constitution Way. A Celebration Party with refreshments will be held on Friday following the final session. Call the church office at 508-763-4314 with any questions.