Leonard W. Jackson

on

Leonard W. Jackson, 84, of Fairhaven died August 9, 2012 at St. Luke’s Hospital peacefully.

He was the husband of the late Jeanne B. (Brockett) Jackson.

Born in Woburn, MA, the son of the late Charles H. and Elizabeth H. (Leonard) Jackson, he lived in Lexington before moving to Mattapoisett in 1972 and Fairhaven in 1987.

Mr. Jackson enjoyed golfing, skeet shooting, woodworking, boating, fishing, crossword puzzles and spending time with his family and friends.

Survivors include his 3 sons, Richard W. Jackson and his wife Jenny of Spain, Steven B. Jackson and his wife Ewa of Cranford, NJ and James A. Jackson and his wife Donna of Grass Valley, CA; 5 grandchildren; a great-grandson and several nieces and nephews.

He was the brother of the late Diantha Frisbee.

Visiting hours will be held on Saturday from 4-7 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6) Mattapoisett. Burial will be private. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Otto F. Mahr

on

Otto F. Mahr, 82, of Marion passed away at home on Wednesday August 1, 2012. He was the husband of the late Gertraud (Woelfl) Mahr.

Born in Fulda, Germany, the son of the late Herman and Rosa (Heil) Mahr, he came to the United States in 1957 and lived in Waltham and Weston before moving to Marion in 1990.

He was a communicant of St. Rita’s Church in Marion.

Mr. Mahr was formerly employed as an electrical engineer with the Polaroid Corporation. He was a graduate of UMass. Lowell, Class of 1962, and the University of Giessen in Germany.

He enjoyed sailing and photography and was an avid reader and animal lover. He loved the arts and music, and played the organ.

Survivors include his three children, Christiana Buckley and her husband Jeffrey of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ, Thomas Mahr and his wife Eileen of Raleigh, NC, and Beatrice Pratt and her husband Fred, of Branford, CT; a brother, Theo Mahr of Fulda; and four grandchildren, Alexander Buckley, John Buckley, Leah Mahr and Rachel Mahr.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday September 22, 2012 at 10 AM at St. Rita’s Church, Marion. Visiting hours are omitted. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett.

Robert Leslie Allen

on

Robert Leslie Allen, 78 of Mattapoisett and Beaufort, SC, died Aug. 7, 2012. He was the husband of Ann (Alden) Allen. A memorial service will be held on Sat., Aug. 11th at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church St., Mattapoisett at 2:00 PM. Arrangements by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Wareham.

Rochester Teen Takes Talents International

on

While most three-year-olds are learning to ride tricycles, Jake Pinhancos was riding his very first four-wheeler. When he turned four, he graduated to a dirt bike, and since then, he’s never looked back. Now, ten years later, the 14-year-old Rochester teen is taking his riding talents to the international stage to compete in the 2012 FIM Junior Motocross World Championships in Sevlievo, Bulgaria.

“I was speechless, to be honest,” said Pinhancos when he learned he would be traveling to Bulgaria at the end of August. “I found out about two weeks before the competition that I would be going.”

Pinhancos began competing at the age of four, but it wasn’t until 2010 when he became more competitive. Then he began training at Capeway Rovers in Carver three to four times per week in both the morning and at night. The hard work started paying off when he earned his first international motocross trip to France in 2010.

“Until 2010, I was just one of the normal kids going to all the races and having fun,” said Pinhancos.  “But 2010 was the year I went out and dominated everything. I started getting more competitive and had to train more.”

In order to make it to the highest level of motocross, hard work and dedication are both essential, as is sacrifice. Pinhancos is homeschooled in order to better suit his training schedule.  During the winter months, he trains in Florida. His mother, Suzanne, who bought him his first four-wheeler at age three, is his trainer and is responsible for monitoring his diet. She has even ridden a dirt bike. In addition to his mother, Pinhancos’ father and sister are also key contributors to his success.

“They support me a lot, and they gave up a lot of stuff so I could ride and I’m very thankful for that,” said Pinhancos.

Every athlete must face adversity during his or her career, and Pinhancos is no exception.  Following his trip to France in 2010, Pinhancos broke his leg not once, but twice in 2011, sidetracking him from training.

“It was pretty hard,” said Pinhancos. “I spent a month to a month and a half trying to get my leg healed up. I started getting more comfortable and then I broke it again, unfortunately. I spent another four to five weeks getting that healed up. Two months after that, I got back up to my speed and started getting faster and faster.”

Pinhancos’ talents on the bike have earned him recognition and high honors such as FIM Champion Youth Rider of the Year. At just 14 years old, he’s accomplished so much on the track, taking his talents to the international stage. Still, there’s much more this teen wants to accomplish.

“I’m hoping to turn pro when I turn 16 or 18 because that’s the legal age limit to turn pro,” said Pinhancos. “But for now, I’m going to focus on my amateur career and what lies in front of me.”

Despite all the titles and the international success, the reason Pinhancos rides remains quite simple.

“I think the best part is being able to be myself and do what I love to do and do what I want to do,” he said.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Potential CPA Land Getting Bad Press

on

The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen heard from Brad Hathaway regarding the purchase of land on Chapel Road under the Community Preservation Act.  He was seeking more information and advice on how best to proceed.

“We feel as though the Town Administrator should be the implementer of the project,” said Hathaway.  “We’ve also asked the Board of Selectmen to be involved because they are the stewards of Veterans Park at Ned’s Point and Shipyard Park.  We’re talking about the strip of road between Chapel Road and Route 6. A lot of it is wooded and a lot of it is wetland.”

“We would have to be the ones to implement it because no other town authority can buy land,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Jordan Collyer.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne said that he has been in contact with the members of the community preservation committee and will be working with them through the process.

Sandra Dawson, of the real estate agency for the property, was also on hand to clarify errors published by the media that has resulted in a devalued perception of the land.

“We understand Brad would like to be involved in having the CPA buy this. But there have been several newspaper articles that have errors that need to be corrected on the record,” Dawson said.  As a consequence, the inaccuracies appear in many of the most prominent results of popular Internet search engines.

Dawson listed the following corrections:

•3.1 acre of land is located between Marion Road and Chapel Road.  It is located close to both the Marion town line and ORR High School and Junior High complex.

•Town water and sewer are both available, but a potential buyer needs to check with the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department regarding sewer connection.

•Fifty foot setback compliance exists on all sides, which has been confirmed with the Building Department.

• There is potential for only one home to be built on the property.

She also wanted to clarify that the land is not entirely a swamp.  She presented a site map that illustrated wetland delineations.  Copies of the map are available at the Town Hall.

The Board of Selectmen then heard from Bob Trahan of the YMCA, regarding their application for an entertainment license.  He said that they have applied for individual licenses in the past for specific events, but would like to acquire an annual entertainment license.

Gagne said that if the YMCA plans to hold events such as public fundraisers or weddings where music may be featured, they need a license, but it makes more sense for them to have one yearly license rather than returning back to the Board of Selectmen for each event.

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the annual entertainment license.

The third point of business was brought to the Board by Ken Ackerman from the Oxford Creamery, who was seeking an amendment to the Creamery’s common victualler’s license.

“We would like to start a mobile catering business,” he said.

The truck would be parked at the Creamery as an extension of the main building’s business during peak hours.  The truck would also be able to be hired to cater private parties.  Ackerman specified that the truck would not “troll” around public areas and neighborhoods.

“Trolling would not be fair.  We don’t deliver food. We’re not looking to park on anyone’s business or crowd anyone out,” Ackerman said.

The Board of Selectmen then voted to amend the common victualler’s license held by the Creamery to include the truck and its use for mobile catering of private events.

During the Town Administrator’s report, Mike Gagne addressed the various road work around the village.

“We are well underway,” he said, citing the digging on North and Bartsow streets, as well as the NSTAR gas line installation passed Center School.

“We’ve looked at all the drainage, all the issues of curbing, the sidewalks. Documentation will be prepared so we can present it to Mass Highway.  Then we will hold a public hearing during this stage to get their thoughts on the project,” Gagne said.

Highway Surveyor Barry Denham said that they are looking at almost $4 million just to mend the roads near the center of town and cited the need to seek more state and federal money in order to ease the burden on the town of Mattapoisett.  He also praised the speed with which the work is being completed.

“We should have pavement down by the beginning of school,” Denham said.  “I couldn’t be happier with the crew that I have there.”

Gagne also said that the Scallop and Swordfish Festival will be held on October 14, 2012, and that all the proceeds will benefit the Holiday in the Park.

He then addressed the decaying state of many of the historic wharves that are owned by the town.  He cited safety issues as the main concern for why they should be repaired and that he would be applying for funds from the CPA to pay for the repairs.

“Those wharves are beautiful and there would be nothing worse than getting a really hard ice and having a section collapse.”

He also provided a status update on the compensation analysis project that was approved at the Annual Town Meeting in May.  The study is being conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of the compensation of those who serve the Town of Mattapoisett.

“We’ve met with the project manager.  We’re grouping them in categories of DPW, Water and Sewer, Police, management employees, and I’ve also included the elected officials,” he said.

Gagne then informed the board on the progress of the shellfish population study.  He said that they are beginning to collect samples in order to determine the best plan for repopulation and transfers.

The Town Administrator then spoke on the Eel Pond Channel dredging project.  The material removed during the dredging will be deposited at Goodspeed Island as fill for some eroding beaches.

Gagne said the Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program wrote a letter to the Board of Selectmen requesting a special order be added to the order of conditions filed by the Conservation Commission.  It stated that the area of the project is a natural habitat the piping plover, for state-listed endangered species. Natural Heritage requested that “no beach nourishment shall occur in the period of June 1 through August 31,” in order to mitigate negatively impacting the species.

“We’re going to have to start the work after August 31,” Gagne said.

In other business:

•Gagne suggested listing the recently retired fire engine on eBay.  The engine, which is currently listed on an auction website specializing in municipal equipment, has not received satisfactory bids for its condition and age.

•The Board of Selectmen voted to appoint Michael Jolliffe as the town’s SRPEDD representative.

•The Board voted to accept and sign the Town Clerk’s warrant for the September 6, 2012 state primary.

•Upon Town Administrator Michael Gagne’s recommendation, the Board voted not to acquire land on Parcel 2Q of Map 19 as shown on the Town Assessors Maps.

•The Board approved the Year End Budgetary Line Item Inter Transfers.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will be on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, at 7:00 pm.  There will be no second meeting in August.

By Eric Tripoli

An Alert to Caring Grandparents

on

Just an alert to caring grandparents: On Wednesday at 2:00 pm, I got a phone call from my grandson (not). “Grandma, I am so embarrassed to call you, but I’m really in big trouble. I got into an accident. I hit someone and they have a concussion and stitches and cuts. The victim wants to settle and I have to pay his medical bill of $2,500. He let me talk to his lawyer, who told me what to do and how. Please send a Money Gram.” I did. The lawyer called back at 3:15 pm and said they were holding the money and to have it released, I am to call Money Gram.  Everything had been rush rush, it started sounding fishy.

I called my grandson and asked how he was doing. He said he was fine so I asked if he had called and he said no. I called Money Gram and explained. She checked the number and said I was lucky because the money hadn’t been picked up yet. She cancelled the transaction and gave me a new number to get my money back. Two minutes later, I got the money. Thank God, how lucky and foolish I feel. When asked again, I want their middle name.

Very lucky and thankful,

Ginnie Bailey

ORRJHS 2012 Survival-to-Soldier Project

on

On behalf of the ORRJHS 2012 Survival-to-Soldier Project, I am pleased to inform everyone that two shipments of care packages were sent out to Captain Owen Fogarty’s unit of 170 soldiers currently stationed in Afghanistan. In total, the two shipments contained 29 boxes with a total weight of approximately 250 pounds of items for the soldiers!

More importantly, each soldier received a personal letter from the Survival student participants and Captain Fogarty received his Survival t-shirt. Word was received back from the soldiers thanking all of you for writing and thinking of them. I urge everyone, especially the Survival participants, to visit the ORRJHS website’s main page (pan down a little) to view a photograph sent back to the students from the soldiers in Afghanistan!

Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to extend a sincere, heartfelt thanks to all who donated and helped to make this project such a huge success. In closing, I would ask that you keep these soldiers in your thoughts and hearts for a speedy and safe deployment; freedom is never free.

Many thanks again,

Diane Merlo

Thank You EMS

on

On July 5, I suffered a grand mal seizure at the Mattapoisett Town Building. A big thank you to Rose Bowman and a gentleman from New Hampshire for helping until the ambulance arrived. A big thank you to Anthony Days, Craig LeBlanc and Bill McLmail for their quick response to the 911 call. I was transported to St. Luke’s, then to Tufts Medical Center. Your care while taking care of me was professional and caring. Our town is very fortunate to have such great EMTs and paramedics.

Sincerely,

Bill & Jeannette Hubbard

Rochester Country Fair Pancake Breakfast

on

Concessions will be serving a Pancake Breakfast between 8:00 am – 10:00 am Saturday, August 18 under the Big Tent at the Rochester Country Fair. Start your day with pancakes, sausage, juice or coffee for just $5! The breakfast is sponsored by J&J Concessions with all proceeds to benefit the Country Fair.

The breakfast will kick off a full day of activities for people of all ages. Garden Tractor Pulls by NEATTA will begin at 9:00 am. Old-fashioned children’s events, such as Hula Hoop Contests, Sack & Wheel Barrel Races and a Running with Scissors Race will begin at 10:00 am in the main arena, followed by a Children’s Bicycle Relay, Fiddle Contest and the Fair’s first-ever Horse Pulling Contest, all starting at 1:00 pm.

Five Classes of Antique Stock and Hot Stock Tractor Pulls will begin at 1:00 pm and last through the night. The afternoon will also feature a Horseshoe Tournament at 2:00 pm and Pie Eating Contest in the main area at 4:00 pm. Lawnmowers and garden tractors will then maneuver their way to the main arena for a Lawnmower/Garden Tractor Race and Rodeo starting 5:30 pm while Rochester’s favorite band, The Relics, take the stage to entertain from 5:00 – 9:00 pm.

The Rochester Country Fair starts on Thursday, August 16 through Sunday, August 19.  Admission to the Fair is only $4 on Thursday and $5 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Children ages 5 and under are free. Visit the Fair’s website, www.rochesterma.com, for a full list of events and additional information.

Rochester Historical Society Meeting

on

The Rochester Historical Society will be meeting on Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00 pm at the East Rochester Church/Museum, 355 County Road, Rochester. The program is “Bring a Story.” Members are encouraged to bring Rochester photo or painting, town or family gathering photo, Rochester Cranberrying picture or something from Rochester’s past to share. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.