Marion Police Investigate Hit & Run

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On Friday, March 29, 2013 at 11:56PM, Marion Police and Marion Fire/EMS responded to a report of and injured person in the roadway, possibly struck by a vehicle, on Route 6 (Wareham Road), just east of the Point Road intersection.

Several motorists had found the victim, Nathan Andrade, age 35 of Wareham, lying in the road.  The motorists stopped and rendered assistance and called 911.

Marion Fire/EMS treated the victim and transported him to Tobey Hospital in Wareham.  He was later taken by Med Flight helicopter to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, with serious injuries, where he remains as of this date.

Investigators are seeking anyone who may have information on this case to call Marion Police at (508)748-1212.

This incident remains under investigation by Det. Scott Smith and Sgt. Marshall Sadeck of the Marion Police Department and the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.

New Sign at Town Hall Approved

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Abutters to the Rochester Town Hall had no objection to a new sign that is to be constructed in front of the building in an area that is currently a garden.

The Zoning Board unanimously approved a variance to the town of Rochester for the sign, which is not to exceed 14 feet in length.

“It sounds like a reasonable request,” Board Member Kirby Gilmore said. “It’s not going to interfere with public safety.”

In other news, the Smith family, of 21 Stewart Rd., was granted a special permit for the construction of an addition onto their current home.

They have been the owners of the property since 1996, and the appeal was for a special permit for the construction of an addition that would allow the Smiths to use their home as a multifamily home where their parents could live with them.

John Scanlon of Scanlon Construction LLC in Middleboro represented the Smiths at the appeal. Scanlon said that the addition would be in the back of the home and not visible from the street.

“It’s nice for the kids to know their parents are right next door and that they’re safe,” said Scanlon. Neighbors vouched for the Smiths, citing a solid relationship with them.

Finally, the board approved motion to grant a special permit to Laurie and George Buler for the operation of a horseback-riding academy at 152 Marion Rd. in Rochester. They also approved a permit for construction to a preexisting structure that houses 12 horses; the Buler’s want to add three more horse stalls to it.

The board granted the approval for the business under the conditions that the number of employees be limited to no more than 5, that the hours of operation be set between 8am and 7pm, that they limit the number of horses to 12, that all parking be off-road, and that any signage shall be in accordance with town bylaws.

Some neighbors voiced concern at the meeting, as well as through a letter to the Board, that large amounts of dust generated from their business could affect the neighborhood. George said that he would take the proper precautions to ensure that the dust would not bother the neighbors.

Laurie said that there is a total of 12 horses there now on two acres of land, some of which were rescued from “kill pens,” and some that are retired horses. She said that 13 total horses are the most they can house at one time. Said also said she has a Stable License.

“It’s my opinion at this time that this academy is compatible with this district,” Gilmore said.

By Nick Walecka

 

Art Students Win Scholastic Competition

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Seven ORRHS students were acknowledged by the Boston Globe Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards this month, collectively pulling in two Gold Key Awards, two Silver Key awards and four Honorable Mentions.

The two Gold Key Awards, the highest placing, were awarded to Kylie Faison for her charcoal drawing entitled “Stairway” and Marisa Paknis for her charcoal self-portrait. The two Silver Key Awards were given to Jacob Rioux for his pen and ink drawing “Side Door Hall” and Nancy Pope for her charcoal drawing “Tree Portrait.” The Honorable Mentions went to Jacob Rioux for his “Self Portrait,” Andrew Cardwell for his “Bedroom,” Madeline Meyer for her “Madeline Rose” and Brittany Hotte for her “Self Portrait.”

Gold and Silver Key Award winners from throughout the Northeast region gathered on March 3 at the John Hancock Building in Boston for a ceremony presenting their art and acknowledging their accomplishment. Those award winners will also have their pieces displayed in the State Transportation Building at 10 Park Plaza in Boston until April 11.

While these awards run nationally, the Boston Globe sponsors the Northeast region. The competition on all levels seeks to promote the Humanities and, at the national level, to provide scholarships to those seeking a future career in art or writing. There are multiple categories involved with local, regional and national levels with students from 7-12th grade welcome to enter.

For Old Rochester, 20 entries were sent in to the local competition. The pieces were dropped off at Plymouth South High School where they awaited judging. ORRHS’s eight pieces moved on to the regional level where they were awarded the honors previously listed. While no national awards were given to ORRHS students, art teacher Joann Barrett says that is a future goal.

“This was the first year our students have been recognized under my teaching. Winning one of the national awards is definitely a goal we hope to reach in the future,” Barrett said.

Barrett said the Boston Globe awards were not the only competition left on the agenda. Art All-State is the next event for ORRHS art students. Two students from 70 different schools across Massachusetts are invited to spend a weekend at the Worchester Art Museum and Clark University to participate in a collaborative event.

The students are grouped into rooms of 20 students each and receive a small group of visiting professional artists as supervisors. Each group of students and artists, from different mediums of the visual arts, gathers to create an exhibit of their own in their room. The students work Friday and Saturday on their exhibits and present them on Saturday night. Students sleep at Clark University.

Barrett says the event “has a bigger intensity level. It gives the students a good idea what it is to be in a college setting for the arts. It is almost like Project Runway, where these students and artists are all thrown together, each with different talents and passions, and expected to create something. They create such cool things. It is a really great opportunity.”

Art All-State will take place on May 24 and 25. Students will hear back on April 5 whether they were chosen to join in the collaborative event.

By Jessica Correia

Destination Imagination Teams Prep for State

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If you thought Massachusetts was left without any teams in March Madness when Arizona beat Harvard in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, you were way off.

After strong showings at the Destination Imagination Cape Cod Regional Tournament on March 13, eight teams from Rochester Memorial School advance to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute this weekend for the statewide competition. Other teams from the Tri-Town participated, as well, but RMS represents the most formidable contingent.

Destination Imagination, incorporated in 1999, is a New Jersey-based nonprofit organization with international reach. Its mission is to teach students from kindergarten to college three skills: creativity, teamwork and problem-solving. Massachusetts ranks fourth in the United States in participation with upward of 800 teams, only 60 of which have qualified for this weekend’s competition.

Volunteer Director Tina Rood has overseen RMS’s PTO-funded program for eight years.

“It’s an amazing thing for me to be a part of, but really just to witness, because the work is all the kids’,” Rood said. “As manager, you are there as the adult, the one in charge, and to help your teams with some of the skills, in general. But you cannot help them with the challenges: They have to come up with everything about those themselves. You are there to corral.”

The challenges Rood references change annually for Destination Imagination, and they fall into the following categories: Science, Structural, Improvisational, Fine Arts, Service Learning and Early Learning. In addition, each presentation must tell a story that includes a beginning, middle and end.

“They all tie back into core curriculum, while incorporating each other,” Rood said. “Obviously, experiential learning is a big part of this.”

For the 2013 State Tournament on March 30, RMS’s fourth-grade team will present In Disguise – which involves voodoo, Medusa, the Coliseum and a raccoon – in the Fine Arts category; the fifth-grade team will present Twist-O-Rama – wherein the students have built a device weighing 50 grams and measuring 8.25 inches that can withstand 350 pounds and multiple “ram” impacts – in the Structural category; and the sixth-grade team will present Wind Visible – which features kinetic art, wind power and such ambitious stagecraft as a tree fashioned from tomato cages – in the Science category.

The sixth-grade team is a veteran-laden squad and has competed together for four years. They are considered a favorite this weekend, and have already won a Renaissance Award for their exceptional performance.

“Our whole team, we’ve all been friends throughout the whole thing,” said sixth-grader Brett Rood, Tina’s son. “We’ve grown as a team and worked as a team, and every year we’ve spent our vacations working on this, and we have fun. It’s about learning, but it doesn’t feel like it. ”

RMS parent and Destination Imagination volunteer Jen Kulak agreed.

“This is my first year doing it, and to watch these kids with different backgrounds and abilities transform into a cohesive group that works together, to see their communication skills develop in a just a few months, it’s just such a positive thing,” she said. “In the competition, everyone supports everyone else.”

Kulak added that this attitude starts at the top with Rood.

“Without Tina, there would be no Destination Imagination at this school. She’s the driving force. She’s the leader.”

For her part, Rood said she is looking forward to the atmosphere at WPI’s Harrington Auditorium this weekend. The event is open to the public.

“It’s a celebration of all of the work that has been done during the season,” she said.

As for the students?

Said one team in unison: “The food!”

“The buffet,” Rood laughed, “is always a big hit.”

By Shawn Badgley

Tri-Town Firefighters Train

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More than 50 firefighters from Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester participated in a live training session on Rounseville Road Sunday morning, March 24, at a former two-story residence that is set to be demolished.

“It’s the best training we can supply because we can make it the most realistic,” Rochester Fire Chief Scott Weigel said.

Weigel said that they’ve been able to make use of the structure for about a month now, and that Sunday’s burn is the last stage of several practice sessions that have taken place there. On Sunday, crews lit multiple fires with hay bales and practiced different fire control and search and rescue scenarios called “evolutions” in the burning, smoke-filled building.

“We try to make the most use of the building that we can,” Weigel said. “We’ve been very lucky to have it.”

He also added that at least four or five participants from each town’s departments were either in the fire academy or had recently completed it.

“It’s great training for them,” Weigel said. “This is the time to find out if they’re not comfortable doing it.”

The part of Rounseville Road where the session took place was temporarily blocked to through traffic by Rochester police, and Rochester EMTs were on hand to ensure the crew’s safety. Several onlookers from the neighborhood gathered to watch the firefighters in action.

Weigel said that the departments get this opportunity to train once a year if they are offered a building. Oftentimes, when homes are scheduled to be demolished, the fire department is notified so that it can utilize them for these practices.

Weigel explained that several steps must be taken, such as checking for asbestos, before a burn on the house can take place, and that the departments need to apply for various permits in order to proceed.

“We want to keep everything as safe as we can,” Weigel said.

By Nick Walecka

Katherine (Dingle) Bacon

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Katherine (Dingle) Bacon, 95, of Wareham formerly of Marion, passed away March 26, at Forestview Nursing Home with her family at her side.  Katherine was the wife of the late Frederic S. Bacon Jr.. She was born in Proctor, Texas the daughter of the Late U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dr. William P. and Gertrude (Friend) Dingle. Katherine formerly lived in Winchester, Wellesley, Reading and Melrose prior to moving to Marion in 1958. She was an avid Bridge player, instructor and late member of the Mattapoisett & Dartmouth Bridge Association, Grand Master American Contract Bridge Association, Agawam Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, Daughters of the American Revolution and a late parishioner of Saint Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, Marion. Katherine is survived by two sons; Frederic S. Bacon III of Marion and William P. Bacon Kansas. She is also survived by 5 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren and many loving relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be private. Memorial gifts may be made to www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org 51 Blossom St. Boston, MA 02114.

Demolitions Under Discussion

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Proposals for two Marion homes to be demolished and replaced by new homes were considered by the Conservation Commission on Wednesday evening.

Dr. Henning Gaissert of 28 Front Street discussed a Notice of Intent to demolish the existing dwelling at 28 Front Street and construct a new dwelling and driveway. At issue was an isolated wet area on the boundary line at Gaissert’s property and the abutter. Fred and Betty Danhauser, the abutters, addressed the board with their concerns regarding the proposed driveway being in the wet area on the boundary between the two properties.

After much discussion, it was agreed that the applicant would mark the boundary of the property and present plans that show the wet area in relation to the boundary line. The commission will revisit the property after the boundaries are marked and discuss their findings at the next meeting to be held on April 10.

Next up was Paul Murphy of 14 Doran Way discussing a Notice of Intent to demolish the existing dwelling and construct a new dwelling and deck. John Churchill of JC Engineering Inc. represented the applicant. The proposal was required due to a wetland that runs behind all the lots in the area. The commission reviewed the plans and noted that a stream near the wetland was not shown on the drawings. The board asked Churchill to rework the drawings to show the stream and determine whether a shed on the property, near the wetland, would be relocated or removed. The hearing was continued until April 10.

In other business, Diane Bondi-Pickles addressed the board with a request for Determination of Applicability to add and grade approximately 155 cubic yards of fill in a low area of the site at 29 Cove Street. Ray Pickles said that the fire hydrant on the property was substantially above the surrounding property, showing the need for fill to have proper grading. The Pickles’ plan to return the area to a state where water will not constantly puddle.

“We’ll use non-structural fill, seed it, and get it back to it’s natural state,” Pickles said.

A discussion of the Town of Marion’s Sprague’s Cove project on Front Street, near Silvershell Beach was discussed. Susannah Davis of Davis Land Design Inc. addressed the board and presented plans for plantings and a possible fence repair to be initiated prior to the beach opening in the summer.

Davis volunteered her time and effort to assist the town in tackling the multiple issues surrounding the Sprague’s Cove project. “We need a good mowing strip and plantings that will be easily maintained by the town,” Davis said. The board thanked Davis for her initial plans and will work with her to improve the area.

The board also had an appointment with Frank Cerkovitz regarding his Chapter 61A land conversion update. Cerkovitz has agricultural land with a water flow he plans to divert to another area. “We’re trying to move the water in another direction,” Cerkovitz said. The board told the applicant that they weren’t familiar with the details of the Chapter 61A requirements and filing needs and would contact the individuals Cerkovitz worked with to learn more about the project. “We haven’t seen something like this before,” Board Member Norman Hills said. “We want to learn more about what the requirements are for this project.”

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

ORR Athletic Reunion

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On Saturday, March 30, there will be a reunion for all past athletes, coaches, cheerleaders and supporters at the Reservation Golf Club in Mattapoisett from 5:00 pm until closing. Alumni from all years are welcome to attend. There will be food and a cash bar. Come reminisce and share with fellow athletes. Bring a scrapbook to share. March Madness will be in full swing. Hope to see you there.

Rochester Country Fair Fundraiser

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On Sunday, April 28, with a May 5 rain date, the Rochester Country Fair Committee will be holding Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal Recycling & NEATTA Tractor Show, Pull and Swap Meet.

Get ready for spring and help support the Rochester Country Fair by donating your unwanted ferrous and non-ferrous metals to the Rochester Country Fair! Donations of scrap metal items can be dropped off at the Fairgrounds, located at 65 Pine Street, on Sunday, April 28 between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Scrap metal collected will help support the Rochester Country Fair as we continue to make improvements to the fairgrounds and bring new and exciting events to the Fair. So get ready for spring by cleaning up some unwanted recyclable items in your yard while supporting your local fair.

A list of acceptable items includes ferrous and non-ferrous items: steel, washers & dryers, grills (without propane tanks), cast iron, hot water heaters, copper, engines, rims (without tires), aluminum, mixed steel items, transmissions, metal gutters, drums and rotors, farm equipment, stainless steel, axles, radiators and insulated wire. If you have any questions or need assistance in getting your donated items to the Fairgrounds, please don’t hesitate to contact the Fair Committee at Rochestercountryfair@comcast.net.

We will also be accepting intact car batteries for recycling. No tires on rims or appliances containing Freon will be accepted. Please properly drain all fluids out of engines and transmissions prior to delivery.

While you’re there, the NEATTA Club (New England Antique Tractor & Truck Association) will be hosting an Antique Tractor and Garden Tractor Pull, Static Show of Antique Farm Tractors, Garden Tractors and Trucks as well as a Swap Meet at the Fairgrounds. The NEATTA Club has been very helpful in assisting the RCF Committee and we are happy to provide them a place to host their popular spring-time show. The event will also have kid’s games & crafts, a People’s Choice Awards for Best of Show, Most Original and Overall Favorite.  A cash donation or donation of non-perishable canned food is asked per person and will be delivered to Shepard’s food pantry. Please visit their website neatta.org or contact Bev Baker at 508-222-7109 for additional information on this event.

The Rochester Country Fair Committee will be serving coffee and donuts in the morning as well as serving hot lunch out of the Fair’s Food Booth. The rain date is scheduled for May 5.

Lions Club Egg Hunt

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The Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt has been rescheduled to this coming Saturday, March 30 at 11:00 am at Veteran’s Park at Ned’s Point Lighthouse. Hopping good fun for children of all ages. Bring your own basket and see what treasures you will find. Visit our website at www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org or like us on Facebook.