Relay For Life of Tri-Town

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The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Tri-Town is holding its next Team Meeting 2013 season on Wednesday, February 27 at 6:00pm at the Old Rochester Regional High School Library located at 135 Marion Road, Mattapoisett.

Relay For Life is the signature event of the American Cancer Society. It is a fun-filled, overnight event that mobilizes communities throughout the country to celebrate survivors (anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer), remember loved ones, commit to fight back through health lifestyle changes, and raise money for the fight against cancer.

Relay For Life is as much an awareness-raiser about the progress against cancer as it is a fundraiser. Individuals who are willing to give their time and energy to this exciting event, as a volunteer or participant, have made a commitment to fight back against this disease and let the community know that you can beat cancer.

To learn more about Relay For Life, visit www.relayforlife.org. For information on the February 27 meeting, please contact Caryn Hodges Coulombe at 508-989-7805, Pam Houston at 508-922-4024 or Odd Johannessan at 508-971-0176.

Two Special Building Permits Approved

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On Thursday night, the Mattapoisett Zoning Board unanimously approved two separate appeals for special building permits on Mattapoisett properties.

The first appeal to be approved was for Michael and Suzanne Clancy of 5 Woodbine Road in Mattapoisett.  The plan is to demolish the single-family residence, which was built in 1947, and to build a new one.  The current property sits at the corner of Woodbine Road and Ridge Avenue.

According to Michael Costa, the engineer and land surveyor for the Clancy’s, the property is 30,000 square feet.  He said that with the new home would net a decrease in 11% of coverage over the lot.

“I do not feel, as well with the applicants, that the house would be detrimental to the area,” said Costa.

“It’s a great project,” said Andrew Bobola, the town’s Inspector of Buildings.  “Most cottages have seen a large share of changes,” he said, referring to the current neighborhood.  “I think it’s a good fit.”

The second appeal to be approved was for Stephanie Fleck and Michael Morin of 12 Euclid Avenu.  Similar to the previous hearing, the plan is to demolish the current residence, which was built in 1945, and to construct a new one.

William Saltonstall of Saltonstall Architects represented them at the hearing.  He said that the total coverage of the new lot would be 22%, and that the Board of Health had already approved changes to the septic system.

“It’s a nice improvement to what is basically a summer residence,” said Bobola.  “Everything meets the requirements of the zoning board.”

Chairman of the board Jeffrey Chase said that the property “would definitely be a nice improvement” to the neighborhood.

By Nick Walecka

Fundraiser Fun for All

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The Blizzard Relief Fundraiser held at Old Hammondtown School on Friday was a huge success. The cafeteria was filled to capacity and the crowd had a great time with food, music and friends.

 

Photos by Paul Lopes

 

 

Michael B. Costa

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Michael B. Costa, 80, passed away surrounded by his beloved family at his side on Monday, February 18 in Hampton, VA. He was the husband of Gale P. Costa of Mattapoisett, and the son of the late Raffella and Francesco Costa.

Mike was born in Claremont, NH, where he worked with his father in their cobbler shop. Mike was in the Korean War in the Navy as part of the UDT. He lived in Fairhaven, MA for most of his life. Mike was the original owner of Mike’s Restaurant in Fairhaven and was very well known in the community for his generous nature. He loved working in his garden, watching his beloved Yankees, but most of all he loved being around his precious family.

Survivors include his wife, his eight children, Frank M. Costa of Orlando, FL, Steven H. Costa of Woodbridge, VA, Judith M. and her husband, Mark Mooney of Mattapoisett, Michael G. Costa and his partner, Hank Delmonico of Foxboro, David J. Costa of Tampa, FL, Patricia M. and her husband, Daniel Desmond of Miami, FL, A. Rocky Costa and his wife Olivia of New Bedford, and Abigail S. and her husband Michael Hughes of Hampton, VA.

Mike is also survived by his 15 grandchildren; Kaitlyn, Ashlynn and Seth Costa of Easley, SC, William Costa of Pompano Beach, FL and Samantha and Sarah Perry of Woodbridge, VA, Zechariah and Mikayla Mooney of Mattapoisett, Chandler and Derrick Costa of Valrico, FL, Oliver Robinson and Ila Desmond of Miami, FL, Ian and Joel Costa of New Bedford, and his precious, Delaney Hughes of Hampton, VA. Mike also leaves his first great-grandson, Trey Anderson of Valrico, FL. Mike is also survived by his two sisters, Rosa Stapleton of Fairhaven, and Maria Cleghorn of Seffner, FL and her husband, Norman Cleghorn, his best friend and golfing buddy, his sister-in-law, Ingrid Costa of Charleston, NH, and many special nieces and nephews. Mike is also predeceased by his sister, Fay DiPiro and his brother James Costa.

Visiting hours will be held on Sunday February 24, 2013 from 1-5 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Mooney Fire Relief Fund, through PayPal account, themooneyfamily@verizon.net. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

One Contested Race in Rochester

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There’s only one contested race in the upcoming Rochester election and it’s the top spot. The deadline for filing paper to run for office in Rochester passed on February 20 and two candidates have filed to run for the position of Selectman. Brad Morse is the incumbent in the race and he is seeking another term. He is joined by Michael Murphy who has previously served as a selectman in Rochester and hopes to return to the board.

The remaining spots in on the ballot are all uncontested and include; Jeff Eldridge, Highway Surveyor; Leo Dalbec and David Hughes, Constable (2 positions); Leo Dalbec, Cemetery Commission; Robert Francis, Planning Board (3 year term); Dennis Desrosiers and Winston Sharples, Library Trustee (2 positions); John DeMaggio and Bendix Bailey, Planning Board (5 year term, 2 positions); Diana Knapp, Assessor; Sharon Hartley, RMS School Committee; Derek Medeiros, ORR School Committee; David Hughes, Park Commission; Richard Charon, Water Commission; Glenn Lawrence, Board of Health.

The election is scheduled for April 10 and will be held at the Senior Center on Dexter Lane. Those interested in registering to vote prior to the election can do so up until March 21 at the Town Clerk’s Office in the Town Hall.

By Paul Lopes

Final Hurdle for Habitat Home

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After five years of work in planning the first ever Habitat for Humanity home to be built in Marion, Habitat member Jack Beck and architect Will Saltonstall presented the final plans for the home to be built at 185 Wareham Street.

The ‘pork chop’ shaped lot presented many issues, primarily access to the home which is in the rear of the lot with no frontage.  The Planning Board approved the presented plan, which had to be forwarded to the Zoning Board of Appeals for various reasons, including the fact that the site abuts town land which requires that there be public access to it.

Another factor requiring ZBA approval is that the minimum lot size for a single family dwelling is 2 acres and the Habitat lot has 19,509 square feet less than the requirement.

Setbacks were also an issue, with the home being pushed toward the east side of the lot to provide more access to sunlight.  A solar voltaic electric roof system was donated to the project and Beck and Saltonstall asked the board to allow the siting of the home to benefit from the solar panels.

Chairman Eric Pierce asked about the impact of the solar panels on the electric bill.  “We don’t know for sure…I’m guessing that 35 to 50% of the electric bill will be taken care of,” said Saltonstall, “this is a small, compact house with a small roof.”

The board agreed to review the final plans and continued the case until the March 7 meeting.

In other business, the board heard from Clark and Margaret Gee, 73 Allen Street.  The Gees’ applied for a Special Permit to allow reconstruction, extension, alteration and change to a non-conforming single-family structure.  Anthi Frangiadis represented the applicants.  The existing home is a one story, two bedroom home which will become a one story, four bedroom home with a two and a half garage attached.  At issue were setbacks created by a roof overhang.

Chairman Pierce asked about the building to lot ratio. After the renovation, the dwelling would cover 39.8% of the total lot, according to Frangiadis.

Lastly, the board denied the appeal of Dale Briggs, County Road for a solar installation.  The board agreed to uphold the building commissioner’s decision in the matter.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Machacam Club

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The Machacam Club will hold its March meeting on Wednesday, March 6 at the Legion Hall, 3 Depot Street. Social time is 5:30 pm with dinner to follow at 6:00 pm.

Our speaker this month will be James Sullivan who, due to computer gremlins, was unable to do his presentation last month. Jim, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, will be offering a slide presentation on his recent vacation to Florida. There are two venues that he will address:  fishing off the coast of Lauderdale and a wild boar hunting expedition outside of Ft. Meyers. Apparently, the boars are creating quite a nuisance as they have begun to navigate northward over the years. Jim will not be involved in the current “Python Hunt” which would have been quite current, but he says he doesn’t do snakes!

Callers are asked to bear in mind the importance of call list accuracy. Please report your lists by calling 508-758-4491 or by email at rhmccullough@comcast.net by 9:00 am on March 3. Members may make last-minute changes by calling the same phone number or email NLT by 9:00 am on March 5.

Community Preservation Meeting

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The Mattapoisett Community Preservation Committee is in the process of updating the town’s Community Preservation Act plan to incorporate changes in the Community Preservation Act, as well as to establish new priorities for the use of CPA funds.

A public meeting will be held Thursday, February 28 at Center School from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on the recreational component of the plan. Other components will be tackled in the upcoming months. Please come and give your input as to where your Community Preservation funds are used.

MLT Volunteer Gathering Rescheduled

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Winter storm Nemo forced the postponement of the dinner that was originally scheduled for February 9. The directors still wish to honor the volunteers who help the MLT in many ways, from staffing our booth at Harbor Days, to assisting in cleanups and general maintenance. The MLT would like, once more, to invite its members and the public to join together to honor the current volunteers and to learn more about opportunities for volunteering.

The Land Trust will try again on Saturday, March 9 from 6:00 until 8:30 pm in Reynard Hall of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church Street. A light meal and refreshments will be served, including potluck blueberry desserts contributed by the directors. Entertainment will be provided by the Mike Bliss Quartet from Old Rochester Regional High School. A donation of $15 per person is suggested.

To make a reservation or for more information, you can contact the Land Trust by email at info@mattlandtrust.org or leave a message at 774-377-9191.

Friends of Old Rochester Concerts

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March is soon to arrive and so will the FORM Annual Scholarship Concerts! The Friends of Old Rochester Music are proud to announce that the Instrumental Concert will be held on Thursday, March 7 and the Choral Concert on Thursday, March 14. Both begin at 6:30 pm and will be held in the Old Rochester High School gymnasium.

Both concerts feature choral and band students and their dedicated directors from the Old Hammondtown, Sippican, and Rochester Memorial elementary schools, as well as the Old Rochester Regional Junior and Senior High schools.

These concerts are a Tri-Town tradition and are highly anticipated by both performers and the audience.

100 percent of the proceeds go directly into the scholarship fund for graduating Old Rochester Regional seniors who have participated in the great music programs in the Old Rochester District.

All are welcome. Tickets available at the door only and are good for both concerts. Students and seniors are $4, adults are $6, and a family admission is $20. A 50/50 raffle will also take place.