Christmas in the Air

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The Sippican Choral Society held its annual Christmas concert on Sunday, December 2 at Wickenden Chapel of Tabor Academy.  “The Many Moods Of Christmas” featured sacred and secular Christmas music performed by the Sippican Chamber Choir and South Coast Children’s Chorus.

Brian Roderick has been the musical director for the chamber choir since 2003, but the Choral Society dates back to 1965.  Since its first Christmas concert in 1966, the show has been one of the premier holiday events of the area.

Roderick has continued the tradition of offering a diverse program ranging from the obscure to the conventional.

“We try to pock pieces of contrasting text and mood,” said Roderick.  The chamber choir performed a version of the well-known carol “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear” as well as an upbeat Latin-language “Psallite” by Michael Praetorius.

“They’re a wonderful group.  They willingly tackle new repertoire. They actually prefer it,” said Roderick.  “And it’s always fun to do things with the South Coast Children’s Chorus.  It gets people to come to a concert that they ordinarily may not attend.”

The children’s group has been around since 2009, when musical director Leslie Piper first gathered young singers from six area churches to form the initial group.

The children sang a processional song as they lined up on stage.  They followed that up with “Child of Light,” a partner song that mixes an original melody with a familiar tune.

“I’d done that song with a church choir a few years ago.  I love it because after a while, you start to hear ‘What Child Is This?’ coming through,” said Piper.  “Then it brings it back to a song people know.”

They closed their set with the comical song, “No Time To Diet,” a song Piper found at random while listening to CDs from music publishers.

“I had heard an adult group singing it, and it was silly, but I thought how much fun it would be for the kids,” she said.

The song celebrates all the delicious delicacies of the holiday season and reminds those who may be counting calories that they can always make a weight-loss resolution at New Year’s.

“You need a song like that to lighten the tone a bit.  You have all these serious pieces and even though the audience knows a few, it’s nice to bring it up a bit with the kids,” said Piper.

The concert at Wickenden Chapel was the second and final of the series, following the premier concert at Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford on November 30.

By Eric Tripoli


Kenneth M. Wood, Jr.

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Kenneth M. Wood, Jr., 86, of Fairhaven passed away Sunday, December 2, 2012, at Our Lady’s Haven, in Fairhaven, after a long illness. He was the husband of the late Alice S. (Dexter) Wood.

Born and raised in Mattapoisett, son of the late Kenneth M. and Elizabeth (Rowland) Wood, he settled in Fairhaven in 1948. Mr. Wood served in the Marine Corp. during WWII and was discharged as a Sergeant. Ken was a heavy equipment operator for 22 years at Tilcon ,in Acushnet, until his retirement in 1992. Prior to that he was a Police Officer in Fairhaven for many years.

Mr. Wood was a former Fairhaven Selectman for 12 years, a Life member of the VFW Post 2892 in Fairhaven, a member of the American Legion Post 166, in Fairhaven, the Mason’s and the Lions Club.

He is survived by a son, Bryan D. Wood and his wife Sharon of Fairhaven; a daughter, Jill S. Rocci and her husband Michael of Bourne; two brothers, Donald Wood of Mattapoisett and Richard Wood of Kansas; three grandchildren, Rebecca Dias and her husband Joe, Aysia and Iyan Wood all of Fairhaven; three great grandchildren, Devin, Kobey and Luke Dias all of Fairhaven; a foster child, Raymond Medeiros and the late Robert Medeiros; and several nieces and nephews.

Calling hours are Wednesday from 3-7 PM in the Fairhaven Funeral Home, 117 Main Street, Fairhaven. His funeral service will be held Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 10:00 AM in the funeral home followed by interment in River-Side Cemetery, Fairhaven.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Jude Tribute Program, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN, 38148-0142.

New Subdivision Planned for Fairhaven Road

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The Mattapoisett Planning Board heard a proposal for a new residential subdivision to be located off Fairhaven Road.  The extensive project would include the construction of several new homes and the expansion of the existing roadway.

At Monday night’s meeting, Randy Gagnon was the engineering representative for the hearing on behalf of the applicant, David Nicolosi.
“We have land here down on Fairhaven Road,” said Gagnon, who further identified the area as Deer Woods.  “What we’re proposing is an eight-lot residential subdivision. We’ll extend Deerfield Road approximately 700 feet,” he said.
Five houses would share a common drive, with the other lots receiving individual driveways.
The lot will use an open drainage system that will discharge to a catch basin and the local wetlands.  He said that a conservation restriction will be placed on almost 30 acres of land as the area is a habitat for the eastern box turtle.
Karen Field was concerned about the lack of space for on-street parking but Gagnon said that they were not anticipating the use of the road as a parking space by residents or neighborhood guests.
“So what happens when we need to get emergency vehicles down there?” asked Field after giving a hypothetical situation illustrating vehicles parked on the common drive.
“They will have to move their cars,” said Nicolosi, who added that he was in contact with the local police and fire departments regarding the matter.
 With lots measuring between three and five acres, Nicolosi was confident that each property would have adequate space for extra vehicles without impeding movement around the neighborhood for other cars.
Board member Mary Crain read aloud the letter of approval submitted by the fire department, which found no issues with the proposal, despite the fact that the closest fire hydrant is located over 2,200 feet away, across Route 6.
“Before they installed that one, the closest hydrant was on Mattapoisett Neck Road,” said Nicolosi.
Since there is no town water service in that area, Chairman Thomas Tucker suggested that the new homes may have to be constructed with individual sprinkler systems in the event of a fire emergency.  Similar systems were installed per order of the fire department for homes near Brandt Beach, which also has no town water service.
When the plan was proposed at the Conservation Commission, Nicolosi said the commissioners preferred to see less impervious material used for the road and driveways and thought that the placement of a berm would impede the movements of the box turtle.
The hearing was continued until December 17 so that the town could organize a peer review of the plan.
In other business, the Planning Board spoke informally with Town Administrator Mike Gagne regarding the possibility of updating town zoning bylaws to make them more amenable to modern development such as the installation of photovoltaic solar arrays to the extension of the South Coast Railway system.
The Planning Board also ruled in favor of a plan to resize two lots off Bay Club Drive and Split Rock Lane so as to give one property owner more frontage along the pond.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board will be on Monday, December 17, at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall.

By Eric Tripoli

Indian Cove Public Hearing Concludes

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After meeting separately with the Planning Boards and Conservation Commissions of both Marion and Mattapoisett, the Indian Cove Trust and the Indian Cove Boatyard, LLC have obtained all necessary approval to subdivide the property and begin construction on a common driveway. The Marion Planning Board approved both the definitive subdivision plan and granted a special permit at their regular meeting on Monday, December 3.

Dave Davignon, the engineer representing the owners of the property, had to work with the four boards because part of the property resides in Mattapoisett. One of the three proposed sub-lots has been considered buildable by the Mattapoisett Planning Board at their most recent meeting, Davignon said.
The plan which the Marion Planning Board approved will divide the land in Marion into two buildable lots. Each lot (including the third in Mattapoisett) will have the potential for a single-family home.
Davignon’s presentation asked the Board to grant waivers for the reduction of the right-of-way from the 50 feet to 40 feet and the reduction of the width of the common driveway from 12 feet to 9 feet. These waivers were granted in full by the Board.
“We will not get a building permit [for the lots] until that common driveway is built,” Davignon said when the Board granted the special permit to begin its construction.
The Board also approved the ANR application of David and Holly Nilson, who were also represented by Davignon. The Nilsons seek to consolidate their 6.59 acre lot to 3 acres, which they would accomplish by subdividing the property into three sub-lots. Only the central 3-acre lot would be buildable.
“We’re consolidating the 6.59 acres down to 3 acres which is the most desirable plot,” Davignon said.
The remaining two lots would be offered to the Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission and the Town of Marion; the Town of Marion would receive the sub-lot which contains a newly-marked water main.
Planning Board Clerk Tom Magauran abstained from the vote to approve the ANR. He explained that there had been discussion in the past to place conservation restrictions on the property which were not recorded, and thus could not morally cast a vote in favor of the ANR.
“I think that all of this land should be in conservation,” Magauran said. “Circumstances changed over 20 years, it’s not your fault as the applicant … It is legal and legitimate but I don’t want to be a part of it.”
Planning Board Vice-Chairman Patricia McArdle assured the Board members that the ANR was, in fact, legal.
“There are no restrictions on it now,” McArdle said. “This is viable.”
The Board, excepting Magauran, approved the ANR.
After discussing the circumstances surrounding the second ANR application on the meeting’s agenda, the Board decided to continue the topic at their meeting on Monday, January 7. The ANR application of Copper Medal LLC for “Driftwood Farms” requires that the Board hold a public hearing first to rescind the definitive subdivision plan. Only then can the Board endorse the ANR plan. Both the public hearing and the ANR application will be on the agenda for the January 7 meeting.
In its final business, the Board approved a level-funded budget for 2014.
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board will be on Monday, December 17 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Anne Smith

Arlene M. (DeMoranville) Fuller

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Arlene M. (DeMoranville) Fuller, 85, of Rochester died December 1, 2012 at Beth Israel Hospital.

She was the devoted wife of Maurice A. Fuller, Jr. for 65 years.

Born and raised in Lakeville, the daughter of the late Oscar and Ida (Westgate) DeMoranville, she lived in Rochester most of her life.

Mrs. Fuller was formerly employed by the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds for many years until retirement.

She enjoyed crossword puzzles, crocheting and spending time with her grandchildren.

Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Nancy J. Fuller of Bradford, VT; a sister, Martha Vigers of Lakeville; 6 grandchildren, Rebecca Guaraldo, Jared Fuller, Gregory Hookway, Kate Stallmann, Abbey Hookway and Rachel Hookway; 4 great-grandchildren, Megan Guaraldo, Ethan Fuller, Cole Fuller and Lucas Fuller; and several nieces and nephews.

She was the mother of the late David A. Fuller and the sister of the late Avis Wambolt, Eleanor Reed, Beatrice Simpson, Leo DeMoranville and Donald DeMoranville.

Her Graveside Service will he held on Saturday at 11 AM in North Rochester Cemetery. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For on-line guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

 

Elks Club Student of the Month – December

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The Elks of Wareham Lodge No. 1548 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools.

The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school, club and community service, industry and farming.

We congratulate Junior, Renae Reints, Rochester for being selected by the Old Rochester Regional High School faculty and staff.

Renae is an excellent student in class, working hard to understand concepts and helping others.  She will put in lots of extra time to understand difficult concepts and is very meticulous in trying to do a great job. Renae is also very involved in AFS and all of the experiences provided by that club.  She is trustworthy, kind to others, hardworking, exhibits charm and poise and gives of herself on a regular basis.

Holiday Shopping at St. Anthony’s

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The holiday season officially began in Mattapoisett on Saturday with the annual holiday sale at the church of St. Anthony of Padua on Barstow Street.  Several local vendors were featured and items for sale included custom Christmas ornaments, hand-made jewelry, and an extensive variety of baked confections.

“It kicks off the season for us,” said Megan Pellegrino of St. Anthony’s.  “I have four kids and this starts it all off for our family.”

Pellegrino has been volunteering at the sale for about five years.  This year, she was helping out at a table featuring ornaments, wreaths, and holiday centerpieces made of natural and artificial greens.

“We had about seven people working on these,” Pellegrino said.  “It’s a great opportunity for the community and the parish to come together.”

Along with a myriad of holiday gift ideas, patrons of the sale could take a few minutes away from browsing in order to enjoy the church’s lunch menu.

“We have pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, chowder, and quahogs,” said Jay Kassabian, who was assisting in the kitchen.  “It’s really fun back here.  We have plenty of help and great food.”

Kassabian’s wife, Laurie, was put in charge of the kitchen this year, who was front and center serving the guests as they passed by the window.

“It’s all good.  This has a great tradition and we’ve done pretty well so far today,” she said.

Marion residents June Schultz and her friend Joyce, who declined to give her last name, visited the sale and took time to indulge in some clam chowder.

“It’s a lovely fair.  The food is excellent.  This chowder is excellent!” said Joyce, who managed to find a Christmas-themed valance for her living room.

“You don’t see things like this everywhere,” said Schultz, who bought a wine bottle topper and miniature Christmas stocking.

“We go to a lot of craft fairs and this stuff is just so unique.  We’re definitely coming back again next year,” said Schultz.

By Eric Tripoli

Combo Lot Goes Unsold at Auction

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Three parcels of land on Maple Lane went unsold on Friday at the public auction held by the Town of Mattapoisett.  The parcels were bundled together and offered as one lot with an assessed value of $234,900, but an opening bid of $20,000 was not met.

The auction, which was held at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, had 13 tax title parcels up for bid, with values ranging between $100 and $234,900.

“Proceeds from the auction will be used for roadway improvements,” said Town Administrator Mike Gagne.  The total collected will be combined with the money that was approved for appropriation at the Annual Town Meeting to help bolster the five-year improvement plan.

Most of the lots were not considered to be buildable but abutters could purchase them to expand their existing properties.

About 40 people gathered in the ground-floor conference room at the library, most of them abutters to the properties for sale.  The Town of Mattapoisett sold 10 of the 13 listings, which included 86 Marion Road, which was considered to be the most buildable lot of them all.  The property, which had an assessed value of $192,100 sold for $81,000.

Another resident purchased two abutting lots on Marina Drive for $24,500.  Combined, the assessed value of the properties is almost $250,000.

A separate low-value land auction was held after, where only three small properties were available.  Two lots on Bowman Road were each sold for the minimum bid while a property on North Street went unsold.

Gagne said there may be more auctions in the future as the town continues to investigate more lots that might be considered buildable properties.

Here are the complete results from today’s public auction:

•0 Centre Drive: Unsold.  Assessed value- $7,200.

•0 Bay View Avenue: Sold for $4,500.  Assessed value- $6,200.

•0 Marina Drive: Sold for $10,000.  Assessed value- $124,700.

•0 Marina Drive: Sold for $14,500.  Assessed value- $124,700.

•0 Parker Street: Unsold.  Assessed value- $78,500.

•0 Cove Street: Sold for $2,000.  Assessed value- $2,200.

•0 Angelica Avenue: Sold for $10,000.  Assessed value- $7,400.

•0 Creek Street.  Sold for $2,500.  Assessed value- $100.

•0 Silver Shell Avenue: Sold for $2,000.  Assessed value- $100.

•86 Marion Road: Sold for $81,000.  Assessed value- $192,100.

•0 Maple Lane (3 parcel combination): Unsold.  Assessed value- $234,900

By Eric Tripoli

Jensen Sings, Speaks out Against Bullying

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For years, she was the victim of cyber-bullying. Now, after relentless tears, ridicule, hate and even a high school transfer, Rochester native Jillian Jensen is turning her pain into something positive by speaking out against bullying.

On Thursday, November 29, Jensen will perform her music and speak at the nation’s largest anti-bullying event in Lowell, MA at the Tsongas Arena. Over 5,000 students from 145 schools in New England will be attending the Stand Up 2012 conference.

“I’m really excited to be involved with this event,” said Jensen. “It’s going to be amazing.”

The bullying started when Jensen was in seventh grade. After speaking out when one of her classmates was doing something wrong, she bore the brunt of both verbal and physical harassment. When she decided to transfer schools, the bullying didn’t stop. She was then harassed electronically on the Internet.

“I made the right decision in a difficult situation,” Jensen said of the initial incident which led to her bullying. “It was really difficult to deal with.”

Still, even through her darkest moments, Jensen found a safe haven in her music.

“I stuck to music like glue,” she said. “I used it as my way out even though people were trying to rip it out of my life. I know music has literally saved my life in so many different ways.”

Jensen, who was a member of the four-member pop group The Varsity Girls, is possibly most well known for her audition on FOX’s “The X Factor” where she sang an emotionally charged rendition of Jessie J’s song “Who You Are.” Her performance evoked tears from the audience and a newfound awareness for bullying.

“When I finally had the chance to sing on national television and stand in front of the judges, I wanted to make sure it was known that for anyone who is going through bullying that there is a way out,” she said. “Honestly, it’s still crazy to even think about. I didn’t picture it being as impacting as it was. It’s absolutely unreal.”

After wowing America during her audition, Jensen spent several weeks on “The X Factor” before she was sent home prior to the live shows starting. Despite the elimination, she has been keeping extremely busy both with her music and with her anti-bullying campaign.

“None of what happened to me was fair, but now I have the opportunity because of the negative experience to turn it into something positive,” said Jensen. “This is something to be thankful for and something I’m proud of. I think anyone can let a negative experience overcome them, but I refuse to let that happen to me.”

On Friday, November 30, the day after attending the Stand Up conference, Jensen’s new music video “Perfect Harmony” will debut on YouTube. Then on Sunday, December 2, she will be performing and speaking at the Boston Music Awards in front of some of the industry’s most important people.

The once bullied girl now stands on stage as a courageous woman.

“When I was being bullied, I felt weak like the caterpillar,” Jensen said. “Now I feel like the butterfly. Now I have this beautiful opportunity to fly, so to speak. I have the ability to touch others and do what I love. It’s the most unbelievable feeling.”

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Mattapoisett Municipal Auction

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13 residential parcels will be up for bid this afternoon at the Mattapoisett Municipal Auction.  The auction will be held at the Mattapoisett Library.  Registration begins at 11:00 am with the auction following at 12:00 pm.

Here is a list of the parcels up for bid:

  • o Cove St – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Centre Dr. – $2,500 deposit
  • 86 Marion Rd. – $5,000 deposit
  • 0 Angelica Ave. – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Creek St. – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Silver Shell Ave – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Bay View Ave – CD – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Maple Ln. – $5,000 deposit
  • 0 Maple Ln. – COMBINED
  • 0 Maple Ln. – PARCEL SALE
  • 0 Marina Dr. – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Marina Dr. – $2,500 deposit
  • 0 Parker St. – $5,000 deposit

Deposits must be certified or bank checks presented at sale.  Make the certified check payable to yourself.