Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons commended two young men for their help in assisting the town with emergency response after the blizzard Nemo hit the Tri-Town this past week. The two young men were presented certificates of appreciation at the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting on Tuesday, February 12 in the Mattapoisett Town Hall.

“They were a really big help,” said Lyons. “It was a great relief to know that we could count on some young volunteers to help out the town.”

Ben Coucci, an intern at the Police Station, and his brother Will, stepped up to the plate to help monitor Village Court during the power outage. Due to the demands of the regularly staffed police and fire officials in town, there was no one left to stand watch in the overnight hours. That’s when the Coucci brothers decided to help out, working 12-hour shifts to relieve some of the other workers.

“Your parents should be very proud of you,” said Selectman Paul Silva.

Selectman Tyler Macallister took the time to personally thank NSTAR for their quick response time in restoring power to the vast majority of Mattapoisett in a short amount of time.

“I kept watching as the power was restored in Mattapoisett,” he said. “It was kind of amazing how fast it was coming back.”

One of the biggest factors in the response time was the nerve center, which NSTAR had established on the second floor of the Police Department in order to closely monitor where the majority of the outages were. They sent their workers out to survey the affected areas, making it easier to delegate where the restorations needed to happen. Additionally, trucks from Delaware and Vermont came to help restore power.

On Saturday morning, 99 percent of Mattapoisett had lost power with only 28 residents being lucky enough to maintain it throughout the storm. By Tuesday evening, there were only 21 residents without power.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne commended the police, fire, Department of Public Works, school faculty members and other boards in town for their effort and response time during the blizzard.

In other news, the Board voted to approve two motocross events at the Mattapoisett Landfill this year for the Pilgrim Sand Trail Riders. The events, both which will be held on Sundays, are scheduled for April 21 and October 27.

“In actuality, a lot of people have gone and watched the event and enjoyed the day,” said Gagne. “I’ve never received a single complaint. It’s all very favorable.”

Lyons added that there were no issues last year when the events first took place. Also, when asked whether or not the event would interfere with the potential solar panel project that is in the works, Gagne answered no.

The Board also approved the dates for the 2013 Harbor Days celebration. It will begin on Friday, July 19 and last through Sunday, July 21. The annual triathlon will be held the week prior, as always, on Sunday, July 14.

The Lions Club, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in June, raises money year-round to give to different organizations in town. This year, they used the money raised from Harbor Days 2012 to fund the new co-ed Swim Team at Old Rochester Regional High School.

“We’re always looking for different community service opportunities,” said Lions Club President Don Bamberger.

The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will meet again on Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00 pm in Town Hall.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

At their regular meeting, the Rochester Planning Board applied their signatures to the official plans for the proposed solar panel array, to be located in the Little Quittacas part of town.

The application process for the array, which would collect solar power to be used by the water department of the City of New Bedford, has taken months, but the project will soon be underway.

During the meeting, chairman Arnold Johnson said that the official window for residents to file appeals had closed but that no such filings were received by the town.

The array will feature thousands of photovoltaic panels, which will be completely fenced as a safety precaution.  The project includes provisions for the construction of a large berm on the side bordering the closest abutters.  The berm will be planted with various types of native vegetation and will serve as an aesthetic mask and wind screen for the homes closest to the array.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board will be held on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall.

By Eric Tripoli

As if the blizzard on the previous two days wasn’t enough, the aftermath of the storm caused continued problems for one Mattapoisett family. At just before 9:00 pm on Sunday, February 10, the Mattapoisett Fire Department was called to Crystal Springs Road for a structure fire which eventually destroyed the home.

“We were behind the eight ball from the start due to the conditions,” reported Deputy Chief Walter Morgado of the Mattapoisett Fire Department. Road condition, icy surfaces and frozen hoses were just some of the difficulties faced by the department.

The fire, which is believed to have started in the chimney and broken out due to aged and porous masonry, spread into the partition and roof of the home. With the region-wide loss of power, many residents have turned to alternative heating methods, leading to similar problems throughout the area.

The occupants of the home were evacuated from the house safely. Only one injury was reported which was a firefighter who fell due to the icy condition and injured his knee.

The Mattapoisett Fire Department was on scene until 4:30 am on Monday and the Marion, Rochester and Fairhaven Fire Departments assisted them in their efforts.

By Paul Lopes

Photos by Charles Hutchison, Artisan Ingenuity Photo

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.