The donation of a traverse climbing wall to be installed in the gym at Center School was discussed and approved at the Mattapoisett School Committee meeting on Monday evening.

The wall, which is approximately 3 feet high helps students build upper body strength and learning skills.  The wall is designed for elementary students and does not have any ropes or harnesses, usually associated with large climbing walls.

Eugene Jones, Facilities Director, told the committee that the wall would cost around $4,800 to purchase, but would cost $1,860 to permanently install it.

“These traverse walls are great…kids move sideways and in loops…because we are getting it for free, I highly recommend that we accept the donation,” said Jones.

The committee voted to accept the donation and pay the installation cost.

Jeremy Collier, Interim Recreation Director, presented plans for the summer use of the school buildings, including a space camp and a summer camp.  Camp would begin in late June and run for five or six, one-week programs.  Camp would not be offered during the week of July 4.

Collier also discussed the upcoming refurbishment of the tennis courts next to Center School. The costs of the project will be discussed at the Community Preservation Committee in March.  Other equipment needs include new basketball rims with backboards at a cost of $7,000 and the need for new soccer goals.

Charles Motta told the board that damaged flags, flown from the flagpole at Center School were taken to Old Colony Vocational Technical School for repair.

“These are good quality flags and we want to repair them,” said Motta.

Rose Bowman, Center School Principal, thanked the custodial staff of Jim Taylor, Joe Perrone and Shiloah Major for opening and manning the storm shelter round the clock at the school during the recent snowstorm.  Bowman said that problems with the generators at ORR High School required opening the shelter at Center School.

“They served sandwiches, coffee and smiles,” said Bowman.

Bowman discussed the recent incoming kindergarten parent meeting held last week.  59 parents attended and Bowman estimates that 63 students will attend kindergarten in the fall.

The committee noted that all students and staff will have the school winter break from February 18 – 22.  School will reopen on Monday, February 25.  The committee thanked Susan Bellevue, School Adjustment Counselor for Mattapoisett schools for her twenty-seven years of service and wished her happiness in her retirement.

The committee discussed the issue of full day versus half day kindergarten, with Dr. Elise Frangos stating that the state is ‘encouraging full day kindergarten because of the head start in reading and basic number skills it provides for students entering first grade the next year.

Superintendent White discussed the 2014 state budget proposed by Governor Patrick.  Although not yet approved by the State House and Senate, White presented the proposed amounts currently budgeted in the state budget for education.

The Chapter 70 Increase for the ORR Senior and Junior High School is a 2.17% increase over the fiscal year 2012, representing approximately $593,336.  If approved, Marion would see a 48% increase of approximately $216,400.  Mattapoisett, under the proposed state budget, would have an increase of 32% or $174,439.  Rochester would have a .7% increase, equaling approximately $12,625.

White commented on the change in education and requirements through the years.  White said that he had attended a recent educational seminar and recommended that the public take a look at a web site which recorded the changes in education that have taken place since the 1990’s.  The site can be accessed at http://www.jamievollmer.com/poster.html.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

As of 6am, Monday, February 11, 2013 the majority of power was restored to the Town of Marion.  At that time, NSTAR estimated that 29% of their customers in Marion were still without power.  Most of this restoration was completed by 10PM on Sunday.  Just prior to the time of restoration, the town had been at a 97% outage rate.  At this time, NSTAR is advising that all their customers will be restored by Thursday night.

Marion Police Department Press Release:

Sunday brought the sun back to the area and work continued to dig out and clean up the damage.

Storm related updates for Sunday include:

– Nstar was able to restore power to about 10% of the customers in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester by Sunday Afternoon, their work continues into the night. The Wanderer is tracking areas that have had power restored on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wanderer – if you have had your power restored please let us know.

– The Town of Marion moved their shelter to the ORR High School for the duration of the emergency. Persons in need of shelter should bring their own bedding materials (cots are available), and any medications they may need.  Pets are accepted, when accompanied by their owners.  Pet owners must supply their own pet food and provide care and maintenance of their pets.

– Tabor Academy opened the Fish Athletic Center for a couple hours for those looking to shower, charge cell phones, or just warm up.

-The Marion Town House will be closed on Monday due to loss of power.

– Schools in the Tri-town will be closed until power can be restored to the region.

– The forecast for Monday calls for higher temperatures but unfortunately that is mixed with rain. Rapid snow melt and clogged drains may cause isolated flooding and the rain may slow efforts to restore power.

It may be too early to label Nemo the storm of the century, but it’s certain that this storm will be remembered for some time to come. As the Tri-town starts the long task of cleaning up, there’s lots of important things too remember to stay safe.

All three towns have or are working to open shelters for those who are without power and heat. In Rochester the shelter, located at the Senior Center on Dexter Lane, was opened on Friday. In Marion a shelter has been opened at Sippican School The shelter for Marion has been moved to ORR High School, and in Mattapoisett the Police Department is working to open a shelter in Center School as they have been having trouble with the generator at the High School which is the typical site for their storm shelter. In all three instances folks are able to visit the shelter to warm up, charge cell phones and even stay over as needed. All the towns are doing their best to see that people get the help they need. In Marion those in need of transport to the shelter can cal the police department for assistance at 508-748-1212.

All emergency services departments were non stop with calls for assistance during he storm and  emergency officials want to remind people that just because the storm has ended, the danger is not past. Chief Miller of the  Marion Police Department stated  that many wires had been downed in the storm and then buried by snow and urges those cleaning up to be careful. Deputy Chief Walter Morgado of the Mattapoiett Fire Department is concerned about incidents occurrpeppered power is restored and people try and stay warm. He reported that there was a structure fire during the storm on Brandt Island Road and that the potential for more incidents is high with the damage the area sustained.

Nstar electric does not have a good estimate on when power will be fully restored to the area. The initial reports are that power may not be restored for four or five days as the primary feed for the area was damaged by the storm.

Those using generators are urged to make sure they follow the safety guidelines outlined in the owners manuals to be safe. Improperly connected generators can feed power into downed lines and generators which are near enclosed areas can cause a build up of carbon monoxide which is poisonous.

Most roads in the area remain unpassable due to low hanging wires and downed trees and a driving ban is still in effect so that emergency workers can continue thier efforts to clear the damage. Emergency staff are hoping that everyone stays at home unless they are in need of assistance and urge them to check in on their neighbors to make sure they are well.

Due to the incoming storm, the Rochester Senior Center at 76 Dexter Lane has been opened as a shelter and warming station. If you need to utilize shelter services and need assistance please call 508-763-8723.

If you need to go to the shelter please bring essential items including a blanket, pillow and any medications you may need. Unfortunately at this time the shelter  is not able to accommodate pets.

We are anticipating significant and prolonged power outages. We ask that if you experience a NON- EMERGENCY power outage that you call NSTAR customer service direct at 1-800-592-2000. If you experience a power outage that is urgent in nature such as wires down or need power for medical reasons to sustain life, please call 911.

The Governor has declared a state a state of emergency and has banned travel on the roads as of 4pm.

We ask that you please adhere to the Governors request and if you have an emergency, call 911. If you should need any other public safety assistance call the Rochester Police Department at 508-763-5112.

Director of Facilities Gene Jones assured the School Committee that his staff had taken all the precautions in the last day or so to assure that the Rochester Memorial was ready for the snowstorm.

He also said that the staff would be working Saturday to clear the fire lanes as well as any other maintenance necessary.

Jones added that an engineer had recently come to the school for a yearly inspection of the 15,000-gallon aboveground fuel service tank at the school, and that everything had checked out all right and paperwork had been filed.

Lastly, Jones said that a heat wheel that was leading to heating issues at new wing of the school had been repaired. Some teachers had voiced complaints regarding the temperature in the wing, but Jones said that this repair should solve the issue.

Superintendent Doug White spoke about Governor Deval Patrick’s presentation on January 23 of a new state budget, which includes a new $550 million investment in education for fiscal year 2014.

He added that the proposal included $25 in funding per student in all districts within the state.

As far as the new science curriculum goes, she said that teachers have also been working to perfect what they hope will result in the strengthening of what she already considers to be a strong program.

She added that the state currently has a shortage of approximately 100,000 workers in scientific fields.

She added that students from grades 3-6 have recently undergone testing that they will use as a “dipstick into where our children are.  It’s very helpful to teachers.”

By Nick Walecka

Due to the impeding snowstorm, public schools in Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Old Rochester will be closed on Friday.