Summer Adventures in Learning

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The Old Rochester Regional School District is pleased to offer its summer enrichment program for 2013. The goal of the program, which serves students pre-K to grade nine, is to increase student learning in a fun and positive way! The SAIL program is open to Tri-Town residents and to summer Tri-Town residents as well. Each summer session will run for three weeks. Session A will run from July 1 to July 18, and Session B will run from July 23 to August 8. The program will run Tuesday-Thursday from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. The SAIL program will be held at the ORR Jr./Sr. High School. SAIL courses will incorporate strategies such as problem solving, critical thinking, writing, reading, math and collaboration with peers. For more information and registration, visit the Old Rochester Regional website at www.oldrochester.org or contact the Program Co-Directors: Holly Ashley (hashley@orr.mec.edu) or Charles West (cwest@orr.mec.edu).

Frances Perkins: First Female Cabinet Secretary

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The public is cordially invited to attend a special lecture presentation: Frances Perkins – First Female Cabinet Secretary, co-sponsored by the Sippican Historical Society and Elizabeth Taber Library. Perkins was the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 under FDR’s administration. During her 12 years in that post, she established a variety of new programs for American workers, battling against the Great Depression with New Deal reforms and programs she either proposed or supported. Among Frances Perkins’ major achievements during her tenure was establishing Social Security, an act which FDR considered the “cornerstone of his administration.”

To be held on May 24 at the Marion Music Hall at 7:00 pm, the presentation will feature a lecture by David Prentiss, Adjunct Professor of Political Science for UMass-Dartmouth and President/CEO of the New Bedford Symphony. Prentiss received a B.A. in Philosophy at Assumption College, a J.D. from New England School of Law and the Thomas P. O’Neill Fellowship for graduate studies in political science at Boston College. A popular speaker, he has given talks on Abraham Lincoln and other presidential leadership topics at the New Bedford Civil War Roundtable, the Lincoln Study Group of Boston, the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, and the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. Prentiss is currently writing a book on presidential leadership and the nature of democratic politics.

The Marion Music Hall is located at 164 Front Street. Ample parking is available across the street at Island Wharf. The presentation will be offered free of charge, though donations are gratefully accepted. No reservations are necessary. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, please call the SHS at 508-748-1116.

Getting Ready for the Fireworks

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The bidding process is underway for the Marion Fireworks but the work is not done. Fundraising efforts have already yielded over $38,000 towards the effort and they will continue to try and reach the $50,000 goal. The exact figure needed is not known until the bids are opened and the costs of services such as police and fire details are quantified.

Those wishing to contribute towards the Fireworks can send donations to Marion Fireworks, 2 Spring Street, Marion, MA 02738. Limited edition T-shirts are also available at the Marion Recreation office on 13 Atlantis Drive as well as at Hangman Coffee Hut, Lighthouse Liquors and the Town Clerk’s office at the Marion Town House.

New Roles and New Issues

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Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen opened with a reorganization of the Board. Jody Dickerson is the new Chairman, Steve Cushing is the new Vice-Chairman, and recently re-elected John Henry is the new Clerk.

The Board then went through how the Selectmen sit on the various boards and events in town, including Dickerson to represent the Board at the ORR graduation ceremony. The commitments of the Board are vast and varied, with Chairman Dickerson representing the Buzzards Bay Action Committee and serving as the School Committee Liaison. Vice-Chairman Cushing will be the representative for the Music Hall Committee and the Capital Improvement and Planning Committee, as well as other boards. John Henry will represent the Board on the SouthCoast Commuter Rail Task Force, the Marion Pathways Committee, and the Plymouth County Advisory Committee, as well as other boards.

The first appointment the agenda was a discussion regarding Sherman Briggs’ status on town boards. The discussion was continued until June 4 at 7:05 pm.

Next up was an approval to send letters to Marion residents who were found to be in violation of connections to the Marion septic system. Thirty-four residents were in violation, and the Board approved the letters of notification that the residents have 180 days or six months to remedy the situation prior to a re-inspection by the town.

The fall town meeting was determined to be held on October 28 at 7:00 pm.

The Board reviewed the draft of a proposed drug and alcohol testing policy for current and prospective employees. The Board will study the proposal and make comments for discussion at the next meeting.

Ambulance rates were discussed and approved by the Board. According to Town Administrator Paul Dawson, Medicare reimbursement rates have undergone various changes, and the base rates proposed represent an “average compilation” of various towns in the area. The Board voted to adopt the measure as presented, effective June 1.

A proposal was made to honor Helene Craver, former secretary to the Selectmen. Several Town House employees proposed to plant flowers and install a birdbath in honor of Craver, who passed away earlier this month. The Board agreed to support the effort. Only private donations, not town funds, would be used for the beautification project in Cravers’ name.

Correspondence from resident Tom Magauran was discussed, with Magauran speaking to the Board. At issue was a question posed at Town Meeting regarding health insurance for elected town officials. Magauran asked about two town-elected officials who were “grandfathered” for health insurance through the town health insurance program.

“The associated benefits of these policies reflect approximately $ 5,600 in one case and over $11,000 in the other case,” Magauran said, “and the only way to end this [grandfathered] practice is to fail to re-elect them, so they would no longer qualify as elected officials for town insurance participation.”

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Hubbard, Crain Win Contested Races

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With unofficial results tabulated as Town Clerk Barbara Sullivan has yet to declare a write-in winner for the Old Rochester Regional District School Committee, William F. Hubbard beat out Christopher Jaskolka for Water/Sewer Commissioner, while Mary Crain held on to her Planning Board seat in a race against Paul Osenkowski.

No candidates filed for the Old Rochester Region District School Committee spot, but a write-in winner could emerge.

The Mattapoisett Election drew 661 voters for a 14% turnout.

Hubbard earned 379 votes to Jaskolka’s 246, with 36 blanks.

Crain’s 396 was more than enough to hold off Osenkowski, who received 193, with 72 blanks.

“I’m excited and pleased,” Crain said after learning of her victory. “I think voters responded to my experience and background geared toward planning. I’m balanced. I don’t have an agenda; I just want to help out.”

Crain said that the Planning Board will face more challenges during her five-year term.

“We’ll be dealing with solar, as well as cell towers,” she said, adding that public participation will be crucial in the coming years. “We’ll be taking a comprehensive look at zoning ordinances and doing an overhaul on that.”

Elsewhere on the ballot, in response to Question No. 1 – which asked if the town of Mattapoisett should be exempt from the provision of Proposition 2 ½, the amount required to pay for the bond issued in order to pay costs of making general repairs and improvements to the roads within the town as shown as Phase III on the town’s Five Year Road Infrastructure Improvement Plan – 273 voters answered yes, while 188 said no, with 200 ballots left blank.

Jordan Collyer was re-elected to the Board of Selectmen unopposed.

Cary LeBlanc was re-elected Assessor unopposed.

Charles Motta will be back on the Mattapoisett School Committee, while new member Patrick LeClair will join him.

Voters re-elected James Dildine and Mary Magee as trustees of the Public Library, John Eklund as Town Meeting Moderator, Daniel Lee Jr. to the Board of Health, Margaret DeMello to the Mattapoisett Housing Authority, Paul Magee and Kenneth Pacheco as constables, Robert Martin as Herring Inspector, Roland Cote as Tree Warden, and William Hall and Michelle Hughes to the Community Preservation Committee.

By Shawn Badgley

Easement Holder Can Cut Vegetation

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The Rochester Conservation Commission ruled Tuesday night that Gregory Kamon of 11 Briarwood Lane could cut vegetation specified by the Commission on the easement that he shares with David Gomes.

Gomes lives on the adjacent lot, and he disagreed with Kamon’s decision to cut vegetation along the walkway, which borders Gomes’ deck.

“I don’t want to cut a lot,” said Kamon. “I just want it to be passable. I’m not looking to do a lot. For the very few times I put a canoe in, I just want a spot to get it in.”

Gomes argued it was illegal for Kamon to perform work on his property, but the Commission ultimately decided it was reasonable for Kamon to perform plant maintenance to the path.

Gomes has 21 days to appeal their decision, and if he wants to, he can take legal action regarding the matter.

The Commission also discussed the allocation of $5,000 from a grant they received from the Makepeace Neighborhood Fund for the Dogget’s Brook project that is currently under way.

Commissioners said that several people have volunteered their time and equipment to working on the project, and that most of the money from the grant will be used for seeding and new signage on the property. The volunteers will clear overgrown vegetation on the path to the conservation area, as well as clear some large mounds that currently exist on the back of the property.

“It’s exciting,” Commissioner Rosemary Smith said. “It’s going to cost a lot for the seed mix, and it’s going to cost a lot for the signage.”

Smith added that they hoped the work would be done for the end of August so that the seeding could occur in the fall.

The next Conservation Commission meeting is scheduled for June 4.

By Nick Walecka

Thunderstorms Expected

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The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement that warns of strong to severe thunderstorms across the region this afternoon. The storm may produce damaging wind gusts, hail, heavy rain and lightning.

Local Teen Wins TCMA Scholarship

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The Tri-County Music Association Inc. (TCMA) is pleased to announce that Mattapoisett resident Michael Bliss is among the winners of our 2013 Scholarships. The TCMA gives thousands of dollars each year in support of student musicians in the Tri-County area (Barnstable, Bristol, and Plymouth counties of Massachusetts). The scholarships are offered to college students majoring in music.

The scholarship program would not be possible without community support.  Charitable contributions from over 100 generous benefactors allows the TCMA to share its love of music with young, aspiring musicians – paying it forward to a new generation of artists.  The diverse interests of the scholarship recipients range from opera performance, jazz performance, recording engineering, music education, musical theatre, and otolaryngology.

ORR Boys Lacrosse

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ORR finished its season at 11-5 with a 16-1 win over Coyle.  Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Max Houck with 6 goals and 1 assist.  Also scoring for ORR were Cam Severino (2 goals), Stephen Durocher (3 goals), Pat Tracy (2 goals), and Chris Marchisio, Ryan Manning, and Hunter Cooney with single tallies.

James M. Henderson, Jr.

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James M. Henderson, Jr., 78, of Mattapoisett, died Sunday May 19, 2013 at St. Luke’s Hospital. He was the husband of Alison B. (Hersey) Henderson.

Born in Milton, the son of the late James M. and Anna (Bassett) Henderson, he had resided in Mattapoisett since the age of four where he discovered his first loves of lobster fishing and sailboat racing.

Jimmie was formerly employed as a plumber for Plumbers Union Local 12 in Boston. Later in life, he found pleasure in detail woodworking and had built a lobster boat, sailboat,and numerous exquisite doll houses. One of his side pleasures was enjoying the game of golf with friends. He was a simple man who was always happiest when working in his yard and spending time with his family and close neighbors. He took great pride in his property, which has been in the Henderson family since 1938.

He was a member of Pythagorean Lodge A.F. & A.M. in Marion, Aleppo Shriners Lodge 781 in Wilmington and the Lodge Council Chapter Consistory Scottish Rite Bodies of Southeastern Mass.

He served in the U.S. Army in Germany from 1957-1959.

Survivors include his wife; three children, Leslie B. Kesseli and her husband Steven of Acushnet, Whitney L.H. Renauld of East Freetown, and James M. “Jay” Henderson III of Mattapoisett; five grandchildren, Brooke Walsh-Kesseli and her fiancé Russell Michaud, Liisa M. Walsh, Jennifer L. Renauld, Lauren A. Renauld, and Brett W. Renauld; and his loving four-legged companions, Miss Mollie and Spooky.

He was the father-in-law of the late Leo H. Renauld.

His Funeral Service will be held on Thursday (May 23rd) at 10 AM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in Milton Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday from 5-8 PM. Remembrances may be made to the Shriners Burn Institute – Boston Unit, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.