Gateway Youth Hockey Update

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Gateway Girls – Gateway Girls won their First Annual Southcoast Tournament at Tony Kent this past weekend. The teams participating were: Gateway, Hetland, Cape Cod Cannel and Cape Cod Waves.
In the first game, the Gateway Girls defeated Hetland 2-1 with 8-year-old Erin Craig playing her first game for the U12 girls and scoring a goal with older sister Meghan Craig playing a strong game in net.

In the second game, the Gateway Girls defeated the Waves 6-0 with great team effort and Julia Elcier scoring a key goal and Danielle Craig offering three assists. In securing the tournament championship, the girls completed the hat trick of victories by downing Cannel 4-0, with Meghan Craig posting back-to-back shutouts.

Squirt Ice Wolves – The Gateway Ice Wolves finished their regular season in style with two wins. On Saturday, the Ice Wolves started bright and early knocking off Plymouth 8-1. Leading the scoring was Seth Tomasik with a hat trick. Also scoring were Kaleb Riggle, Meghan Berg, Quirino doCanto, Chris Gauvin and Tyler Lovendale, each with one goal. Thomas Galavotti played strong in net, earning the win. That win helped the Ice Wolves get to a perfect 26-0 in the regular season Yankee Conference schedule.
On Sunday, the Ice Wolves wrapped up their regular season Cape League Schedule. They knocked off a tough Lower Cape team 7-2. Leading the way was Tyler Lovendale and Quirino doCanto, with four and three goals respectively. Madison Guinen also chipped in with two assists. The defense stepped up and played great while trying a new system put in prior to the start of the game. Alex DeMarco got the win in net, making a number of saves.
The Ice Wolves finished the regular season on 13-1 run and now look forward to the playoffs that begin next weekend.

Bantams – Scoring a total of eight goals, the Gateway Bantams played their final game of the regular season with a big 8-1 win over WHK Saturday night. The first period ended in a 1-1 tie, with Sean Kelso scoring with an assist from Mike Houdlette.
The second period put Gateway up four more points with goals by Mike Houdlette, Brian Holmes, Mat St.John and Will Paling. Sean Kelso had two assists and Mike Houdlette had one assist.
A.J. Bridges was great in net for the first period and a half. Then, goal tending was turned over to Tegan Andre, who also played outstanding by keeping WHK to just one goal in the second period.
Third period was total domination by Gateway with two more goals by Sean Kelso to make it a hat trick game for him. Assisting both goals was Mike Houdlette. Both boys had a “monster” game that night. Scoring the final goal for Gateway was Alex Atkinson assisted by Brian Holmes.
With a record of 17 wins, eight losses and one tie, which places them in third place in the Yankee Conference, Gateway will begin playoffs next weekend.

Middle School – The Wareham Vikings logged another win Friday night against the Taunton Tigers in Foxboro. Taunton got on the board early in the game, but that goal was quickly answered by Connor Kelley, assisted by Wil Paling and Mike Houdlette. Taunton scored again in the first, but the Vikings tied it up at the beginning of the second period with a breakaway goal by Sean Kelso. Paling found the net shortly after, assisted by the brother-sister team of Connor and Kaitlyn Kelley. Kate Kelley scored the team’s final goal in the second with assists by Matt Maloney and Coleby Paling. Taunton managed one more goal, but the combined efforts of goalies AJ Bridges and Chase Cunningham and the excellent Vikings defense kept Taunton from finding the net for the rest of the game, with a final score of 4-3 Vikings.

ORRJHS Honors

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Principal Kevin Brogioli announces that the following students have received honors for the second quarter at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School:

            High Honor Roll: Johanna Appleton, Samantha Ball, Julia Barrett, Alice Bednarczyk, John Breault, Gabrielle Brightman, Erin Burke, Tessa Camboia, Joanna Caynon, Erin Costa, Mari Daly, Mason DaSilva, James DeMailly, Stephanie Dondyk, Campbell Donley, Mackenzie Drew, Maggie Farrell, Megan Field, Collin Fitzpatrick, Colin Flynn, Elizabeth Foley, Owen Foster, Gavin Fox, Kelly Fox, Arissa Francis, Colleen Garcia, Joseph Gauvin, Jack Gordon, James Goulart, Hannah Guard, Lillian Healy, William Hopkins, Aubrie Isabelle, Caleb Jagoda, Sophie Johnson, Hanil Kang, Connor Kelley, Maxine Kellum, Olivia Labbe, Benjamin Lafrance, Molly Lanagan, Alexander Lorenz, Jordan McArdle, Lindsey Merolla, Ethan Moniz, Madeline Morris, Tyler Mourao, Alexandra Nicolosi, Russell Noonan, Sam Pasquill, Jahn Pothier, Hannah Powers, Sahil Raje, Jackson Reydel, Mary Roussell, Lucy Saltonstall, Brooke Santos, Justin Sayers, Ryson Smith, Noah Tavares, Erin Taylor, Kurt Thompson, Evan Tilley, Lauren Valente, Ashleigh Wilson, Maxxon Wolski, Sienna Wurl, Jacob Yeomans and Emily Ziino.

            Honor Roll: Margaret Adams, Carlos Aguiar, Haleydawn Amato, Jenna Aruri, Ainslee Bangs, Elizabeth Baroa, Alexander Bilodeau, Emily Bock, Rachel Breault, Kyle Brezinski, Jacob Cafarella, Ava Ciffolillo, Ashley Clapp, Amanda Colwell, Madison Cooney, Angelina Cosgrove, Evan Costa, Alexa Costa, Emily Cronin, Catherine Cueto, Ty Deery, Jacob DeMaggio, Rachel Demmer, Jacob Dorothy, Kate Downes, Abigail Dyson, Katelyn Feeney, Nicholas Ferreira, Bennett Fox, Cheyanne Frias, Joshua Garcia, Emma Gelson, Alexandrea Gerard, Kathleen Gifford, Kyle Gillis, Reese Graham, Julia Hall, Jonathan Harris, Ayana Hartley, Emma Higgins, Kelsey Holick, Tucker Hrasky, Alexandra Hulsebosch, Marina Ingham, Daisy Johnson, Harrison Judd, Michael Kennefick II, William Kiernan, Riley Knight, Allison Kvilhaug, Jonathan Kvilhaug, Fiona Lant, First Last, Chad Lavoie, Andrew Lecuyer, Joshua Lerman, Martha MacGregor, Joseph MacKay, Aidan McEnroe, Tyler Menard, Matthew Merlo, Lucas Muther, Hannah Nadeau, Gabriel Noble Shriver, Mikayla Nolin, Riley Nordahl, Avery Nugent, Sean Nutter, Alexis Parker, Kishan Patel, Krishna Patel, Olivia Pellegrino, Zebediah Perkins, Madeline Pope, Leah Przybyszewski, Victoria Quinlan, Michelle Randall, Charlotte Rathborne, Andrew Riggi, Isabella Rodrigues, Jamie Roznoy, Patrick Saltmarsh, Madeline Scheub, Connor Severino, Alissya Silva, Michael Sivvianakis, Nicholas Smith, Jack Sollauer, Eli Spevack, Jacob Spevack, Grace Stephens, Hannah Strom, Owen Sughrue, Liam Sweeney, Aidan Thayer, Olivia Ucci, Georgia West and Julia Winsper.

Marion Toastmaster’s Speech Contest

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On Thursday, March 21, the Marion Toastmaster’s Club will hold a speech contest at 12:00 pm at the Lockheed Martin facility on Barnabus Road in Marion. Members of the Club will speak for five to seven minutes on a topic of their choice. A panel of judges will determine the winner. There will also be a ‘Table Topics’ contest, where contestants will speak from one to two minutes on a topic that is provided on the spot, without a chance to practice ahead of time. The purpose is to be able to think on your feet and present an idea or opinion extemporaneously. The public is welcome and refreshments will be served. For more information, call Joan Hartnett-Barry at 508-748-0027.

Taber Library Adult Education Classes

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The Elizabeth Taber Library in Marion is offering the following adult education classes. All classes are free and limited in registration. Please call the library at 508-748-1252 or email Judie at jkleven@sailsinc.org.

• Get on TV! – Thursday, March 14 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Don Cuddy from ORCTV will explain how to borrow video equipment from ORCTV, how to use the equipment and how to get your sporting events, plays or TV show on the air.

• Chinese Export Porcelain – Thursday, March 21 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Charles Brown, owner of China Trader Antiques, will discuss 17th through 20th century Chinese export porcelain. He’ll bring several examples of porcelain imported to Europe and the United States during this period. Charlie has been the owner of China Trader Antiques for 15 years, has traveled to China over 20 times, and has a collection of over 200 pieces of Chinese porcelain.

• Retirement Planning Strategies – Thursday March 28 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. CFP Gene Lonergan has over 26 years of experience in finance and will talk you through the four basic principles of retirement: covering essential expenses, assuring your lifestyle, preparing for the unexpected, and leaving a legacy.

• Let’s Talk Fashion! – Thursday, April 4 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Presented by Michelle Michaud. Spring is upon us, and it’s time to trade layers for lightweight coats and wellies for sandals (pedicures required). Here are the top 10 trends every woman must have in her closet come springtime. Michelle was a born fashion-lover and has never stopped playing dress up. She has worked in the fashion industry for six years (currently in PR and social media for the women’s boutique, Haven) and is the author of the fashion blog Pink Champagne.

• What Your Dog Wish You Knew! Dr. Melanie Bikis, DMV, and her canine BFF, Lizzie, will share some of the things that dogs wish you knew. You will learn how to introduce yourself to a new dog, why you shouldn’t share your unwanted dinner with your pet, and why your dog needs exercise. Dr. Bikis will give some tips on the best way to bring a new puppy into your home and how to make sure your pet knows who is in charge. This is a family event and questions are encouraged! Melanie is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine.

• Why and How Solar Energy Connects to Climate Change – Thursday, April 11 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, presented by Dr. Jennifer Francis. Jennifer grew up in Marion and has a doctorate in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington. Presently, she is a Research Professor with the Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and studies Arctic climate change and Arctic-global climate linkages. Her research has been widely discussed on NPR, the BBC and even on front page of the New York Times! Jennifer serves on the Marion Energy Management Committee and will discuss the proposal for a new bylaw to guide solar panel installations in town.

“Life is a Cabaret”

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The upstairs room of the First Congregational Church’s Community Center will be transformed into a modern-day cabaret on Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 pm for “Life is a Cabaret,” a variety-filled evening of musical entertainment complete with refreshments.

Headlining the event will be The Occasion Singers, jazz pianist Truman Terrell, singer-songwriter duo guitarists Paul Colarusso and Judy Pavadore, jazz duets by Phil and Karen Sanborn, a piano duet by Bev Peduzzi and Sandy Morgan, the duo of Will Bruno and Suzie Kokkins, the Junior Show Choir under the direction of Jamie Wiksten and Cassandra Morgan, and the comedy act of Mark Tucker. A total of three barbershop groups will perform: the G20 Barbershop Chapter of Fall River, the Portuguese Waterdogs, and Three Buoys and a Gull. In addition, the church’s own The Meetinghouse Bells, under the direction of Margaret Wyman, will add their talents to the program. Matt Paknis will act as host for the event.

The event is sponsored by the First Congregational Church’s Music Committee in support of the annual Christmas Cantata Sunday, a choral event that involves singers and instrumentalists from all over the South Coast region.

Tickets for “Life is a Cabaret,” which are $10 (general seating) and $15 (table seating), are available from The Bookstall and the Marion General Store. The Community Center of the First Congregational Church is located at the back of the General Store parking lot at 144 Front Street in Marion Village. For additional information, call Cassandra Morgan at 508-942-6483.

Lady Bulldogs’ Championship Hopes Alive

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A one-point lead with 1:17 remaining on the clock. Tie game, 17 seconds left. Both of these situations would scare any high school team. The stakes get higher, and the game ends up being an edge-of-your-seat nail-biter. The Old Rochester Regional girls’ basketball team proved not once, but twice, that they are capable of performing under pressure, as they have advanced into the MIAA Division 3 South Semifinals with late-game wins over Bellingham and Ursuline Academy.

The girls, who are seeded fifth, faced off against Bellingham High School in the first round. The game was physical, and ORR was able to maintain a small lead at the conclusion of the first half, which ended with the score 23-20. The Lady Bulldogs managed to keep up the intensity in the second half, but Bellingham was able to sneak up and cut the Bulldog lead to only one point at the conclusion of the third quarter. With the score 37-36 with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, Senior Captain Abby Offringa hit a huge three-point shot that gave the Bulldogs some wiggle room and a two-possession game. Bellingham could never recover, and the game ended with a 44-36 victory for ORR.

Offringa had a huge game for the Bulldogs, hitting two three-pointers en route to a 16-point game. Hannah Bouvette and her sister Michaela Bouvette also played well, especially on the defensive end, where they were able to attain rebound after rebound and stop Bellingham from catching up.

With the victory, the Lady Bulldogs were put to a tougher test where they had to face fourth-seeded Ursuline Academy, an all-girls Catholic school located in Dedham. Ursuline was coming off of a 71-52 victory over Wareham, a huge score for a girls’ basketball game. However, Old Rochester’s stellar defense was able to limit Ursuline to only 32 points the entire game.

Fittingly, it was Co-captain Katie Wilbur who was the hero of the girls’ second state-tournament game. With the game tied at 32 points apiece with 17 seconds left, Wilbur launched a three-point shot as time expired to upset Ursuline and win the game. Credit also has to be given to senior Casey Garstang who provided a key layup with 38 seconds left to tie the game.

With Ursuline completely shutting down Offringa, the star of the game went to sophomore Center Gabby Reuter, who notched 18 points to lead her team to victory. Wilbur would score 11, as well as the only three-pointer for ORR, although it proved to be a memorable one.

By Michael Kassabian

Elizabeth Taber Librarian to Retire

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Judy Kleven was working in the library at the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School when a teacher, by chance, mentioned that the Elizabeth Taber Library was looking for a head librarian.

“I didn’t see the advertisement in the paper, but after my friend told me about the opening I applied and here I am after 23 years,” said Kleven, who will retire on June 1.

Kleven’s calling was evident in her youth. While her sister was outside jumping on a pogo stick, Kleven was usually inside reading. Her parents never discouraged her from her love of books. Kleven said she knew at the age of 19 that she wanted to become a librarian after working part-time in college at the library. She graduated from Columbia University with a Masters’ degree in library science.

“I’ve totally enjoyed my career … not many people can say that,” said Kleven. “We’ve made a big effort to know our customers by name, who are friends, and see them on a regular basis … it’s a steady stream of the town readers. That’s our community.”

Looking back over the years, Kleven said that technology was and is the dynamic element in the libraries of the United States and the world.

“Our library was a country library when I came here and now we belong to a consortium of libraries which provide access to books that Marion residents would never have had access to … Fairhaven specializes in art books, New Bedford on whaling history. Any resident can have special books arrive here for them to read and enjoy,” said Kleven. The current network, SAILS, Inc., includes approximately sixty libraries from Marion to Wrentham.

Marion patrons suggest titles and Kleven would cater to local tastes in books.

“Marion residents check out non-fiction books on gardening, old home repair, boating and maritime history. Fiction checkouts tend toward biographies, mysteries and best sellers,” Kleven said.

In discussing technology, Kleven held up a Kindle electronic book repository and pointed to the entire reference section.

“This small device holds the same amount of data that is here in these two stacks of books,” said Kleven.

Kleven believes that children should start out with real books, especially classics with beautiful illustrations.

“These books have a flavor and texture of their own and it would be a shame if there were a generation that didn’t have that experience,” said Kleven.

Kleven plans to keep busy taking courses offered by Harvard University online, reading to home-bound adults, singing in church, traveling and, possibly, entering politics.

“My interests are psychology, theology, Bible study, history and English fiction,” said Kleven. “I read two hours a day … [I] like practicing the piano daily,” she added.

Patrons coming and going at the library are wishing Kleven well and hope to see her there as a patron in the future.

“I love books and will definitely be visiting often in the future,” said Kleven.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Marion Fireworks Beach Party Gala

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Help rekindle the Marion Fourth of July Fireworks by buying a ticket to the event of the season! On Saturday, April 6 there will be a Beach Party Gala at the Marion Music Hall from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am with a DJ, cash bar, raffle and auction, plus fabulous food from The Wave, Uncle Jon’s, Kool Kone, Turk’s Seafood and Gail’s Goodies. Tickets can be purchased at the Marion General Store and at the Marion Recreation Office on Atlantis Drive.

If you would like to make a donation to this year’s fireworks you can do so at any time. Any donation you make is tax deductible and would be greatly appreciated. Please make your checks payable to Marion Fireworks Fundraising Committee and mail to the Marion Town House, 2 Spring Street, Marion, MA 02738. If you have any questions, you may call 774-217-8355 or email info@marionrecreation.com. Thank you in advance for your support of this great family event!

Selectmen Discuss Town Upgrades

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The Capital Improvement Planning Committee (CIPC) presented their proposed capital projects and improvements over the next five years to the Marion Board of Selectmen on Tuesday evening. The Committee discussed submittals for 18 projects in fiscal year 2014 that total $5,729,030, a number that is larger than previous years.

Included in the top five projects were replacing the pilings at Old Landing and Island Wharf, including the Island Wharf floating docks, at a cost of approximately $150,000. Next was the Phase 1A sewer, drain and road work at South Street and Ryder Lane at a cost of $4.3 million. This would be the first of five phases on those streets projected over the next 10 years.

Other projects included the replacement of 10 windows at Sippican Elementary School at a cost of $66,000, a sewer system upgrade of control systems, including new hardware and software for plant operations, at a cost of $60,000, and an upgrade of school door security at Sippican Elementary School at $28,000.

Further down on the list were project requests from the highway department, fire department, emergency medical technicians, harbormaster and other town departments.

After much discussion on the financial impact of the improvements, Norman Hills, CIPC Chairman, recommended that the Committee look beyond the five year timeline and possibly ask the town to hire a facilities manager to look after the assets of the town. Dawson noted that the town’s 60 structures, including items such as the town gazebo, all have to be looked at for regular maintenance.

A lively discussion followed regarding mold remediation in the basement of the Town House. A low bid of $14,323 was rejected by the Selectmen due to the lack of experience of the contractor on mold remediation.

“Mold is a tough issue, and we need someone who has done this before and had a successful outcome,” said Selectman John Henry.

The Board agreed to award the contract to the other bidder who has experience.

In other business, the Board approved the sale and issuance of refunding bonds which will save the town substantial interest on bonds taken out for the renovation of Sippican Elementary School, the new water tank and the boat pump out station at Town Wharf.

“This will reduce our interest rate on these debts,” said Paul Dawson, Town Administrator.

Last but not least, the Board tackled a letter from the Buzzards Bay Coalition which stated that the town is not in compliance with acceptable seepage and leakage issues from the town sewage treatment plant into Buzzards Bay.

One issue, brought up by both Dawson and Henry, was the fact that the lagoons in town were not lined.

“This is a below ground system, not lined … we need to address this,” said Henry.

After a lively discussion, the Board agreed to rebut the letter and to continue discussing the issues at issue at future meetings.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Alaskan Steeppass Fishway Discussed

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The Rochester Conservation Commission met Tuesday night and a majority of the discussion revolved around the future construction of an Alaskan Steeppass fishway at the Hathaway Pond Dam.

Brad Chase of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and Tom Cook, who is the designer and engineer for project, both presented the Commission with their plans for the construction of the fishway, which is designed to help improve the flow of river herring upstream for spawning. The men were at the Commission’s meeting for a Request for Determination of Applicability for the project, which was unanimously approved.

“It’s a project we fully support,” said Chase.

The plan is to replace a former fishway that is currently ineffective with a new structure constructed entirely of aluminum, except for the bolts, which will be stainless steel. It will take place in the center bay of the three bays at the pond.

Doug Beaton, the owner of the property where the project will take place, also owns Beaton’s, Inc., which will do the majority of the work on the fishway. The only part of the project that would not be done by Beaton and his crew would be the initial pile driving at the site.

According to Chase, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service had already conducted a review of the site, which was funded by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

Cook said that he’s confident on the measurement of the site that had already been conducted, but before they begin work, they’ll have Beaton re-measure the site. He also said that he envisions the project taking no more than five days; however, he said that it would be up to Beaton. He added that they’d like to get the project done as soon as possible.

“We would like to get it done before the herring run [around April 15],” said Chase, but he warned that weather could have an effect on the start of the project. “If we get three inches of rain in mid-March, it’s not going to happen. The conditions could come up where all the sudden we can’t do it.”

“There’s a lot of interest in this particular location,” said Laurell Farinon, the Conservation Agent for Rochester. “We applaud the effort of Mr. Beaton.”

She also commended everyone else who had put work into the project to ensure that it went smoothly.

The next Conservation Commission meeting will take place on Monday, April 1.

By Nick Walecka