Marion ConCom Approves Pier Maintenance

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The Marion Conservation Commission met on the evening of Wednesday, April 11 and the meeting went smoothly. They voted to issue a certificate of compliance to Pappalardo Nominee Trust for pier maintenance, including concrete caps and new timber decking. They signed off on a request for determination for John P. and Craig F. Lawrence, who would like to construct some additions to property at 5 Pawkechatt Way, as well as a gazebo.

The Commission continued the hearing to the April 25 meeting for a Notice of Intent submitted by PNH Realty Trust, regarding the paving of a parking area and installation of a chain-link fence at 635 Mill Street, after it became apparent PNH was using outdated wetland lines on their map.

“We went out there Saturday. The wetland line you’re using is seven or eight years old. Secondly, there are no flags,” said Vice Chairman and Clerk Norman Hills. The continuation will give PNH time to flag the property and determine proper wetland lines.

They also discussed the request of Michael and Lisa Baltz of 114 Allens Pond Road to pave over the existing gravel driveway. The Commission decided that there must be a request of determination filed in order to determine if there could be any negative effects from run-off into a nearby wetland area should the driveway be paved.

Then the Commission heard from engineer Dave Davignon of Schneider and Associates on behalf of Claude Hoopes. They filed an RFD to upgrade the failing septic system on the property at 91 Piney Point Road.

“The Hoopes’ are selling the property and the current system is failing,” Davignon said.  “We’re looking at updating the leaching field.” The Commission seemed satisfied with the plan and closed the hearing.

In other business, the Commission voted in favor of a Notice of Intent submitted by the Kittansett Club, regarding the maintenance of the channel north of the 4th tee and sea wall repairs.

The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission will be on Wednesday, April 25, at 7:00 pm.

By Eric Tripoli

Sippican Students ‘Skip the Screen’

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Sippican Elementary students are unplugging this week, forsaking television and computers for simpler pursuits as part of the school wide “Skip the Screen” campaign.

To help families resist the temptation of the tube and monitor, the school’s PTA group, the Volunteers at Sippican Elementary (VASE), is hosting family friendly events all week – including Bingo Night, Family Dance Night, a Mad Science Show, and Math and Science Day. At the end of the week, the children even will get the change to dress as their favorite vocabulary words.

“It was a national movement initially, but we’ve pretty much chosen our own week,” explained Principal Lyn Rivet, who said that “Skip the Screen” is a nine or ten year old tradition at Sippican.

“If you are not watching a screen, you are doing things that are healthy for your mind and your body… It’s so important to realize there is more beyond watching TV, playing games on TV, sitting on computer,” Rivet said.

Rania Lavranos, of VASE, said that last year more than 100 children unplugged for Skip the Screen week.

Manning the concession stand at the first event of the week, the Bingo night, Lavranos said she thinks that kids will embrace the challenge. “I think they will do great,” she said. “[The event] is really just to let them know there is other stuff out there.”

At the end of the week, children who manage to remain unplugged sign a form along with their parents, making them eligible in a raffle for three prizes. First prize is becoming “Principal for the Day,” Second Prize is making the morning and afternoon school announcements, and Third Prize is a $20 Kool Kone gift certificate.

“They love being Principal for the day,” Rivet said of past victors. She said some students have chosen a theme for the day, such as Pajama Day or Hawaiian Day, as honorary Principal. Rivet said the student gets to visit each classroom and tour the school – and help out with lunch and recess duties.

First grader Nolan Gibbons, who attended the Bingo Night, may be the lucky winner – if he can make it through the week without the distraction of screens.

“I don’t know if he’ll make it all the way,” admitted his mother, Sheila Gibbons.

“He loves game shows,” explained Warren Gibbons, his dad.

The boy’s mother said that their family plans to try anyway, and is set on attending all of the week’s events.

“This morning I had the TV on, then remembered it was Skip the Screen week and turned it off!” she said.

Rivet said even if students “are not totally true, they still watch less than they usually do”. That means more time for other things, she said.

By Laura Fedak Pedulli

RMS Presents ‘Macbeth’

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“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes” to Rochester Memorial School, as the Drama Club performs William Shakespeare’s Macbeth this week. The play of murder, witchcraft and social intrigue is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11 during the school day, for the students of RMS, and on Thursday, April 12 evening for parents and friends.

While many elementary schools choose more accessible material for their young actors, RMS teacher and drama director Danni Kleiman believes in exposing students to the language and stories of Shakespeare early in life.

“My mother got me into Shakespeare years ago,” Kleiman said.  “I learned it had to be seen to be really appreciated.”

There is much to see in her version of the play, from a bright, flashing fire that rages center stage throughout the show to the simple and effective design of the castle set and the period-inspired costumes. While the words of Shakespeare don’t really mirror that of our modern language, the cast of fifth and sixth graders tackled it with theatrical fervor.

“It was kind of hard to figure out at first what the words meant,” said Mackenzie Drew, sixth grader and Lady Macbeth. “This wasn’t my first Shakespeare play. Last year I was in As You Like It,” she said.

Gabe Noble Shriver, who plays the title character, found it difficult to come to terms with his character.

“They told me that they wanted people to hate me and that kind of broke my spirit a little,” he said. “But I think Macbeth is really sort of a coward because he kills so many people.”

Kleiman has made it a habit of directing her young students in the plays of the Bard. She has also organized productions of Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Taming of the Shrew.

“The storylines are so different and the kids really enjoy them,” she said. Though she has repeated some of his plays in the past, she looks forward to each production.

“Every time we do one of these plays, I feel like there’s something new to see and learn each time. I take pride in the fact that RMS students learn Shakespeare.”

By Eric Tripoli

Mackenzie Drew (left) as Lady Macbeth and Gabe Noble Shriver (right) as Macbeth rehearse a scene together during the Monday dress rehearsal of the RMS production of the infamous murder-mystery play by William Shakespeare.

ORR Approves School Choice Expansion

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The ORR School Committee voted unanimously to both continue the School Choice program and expand the number of available spots at their meeting on the evening of Wednesday, April 11. According to committee members, the program has been extremely well received and successful for its three years in existence.

“I don’t have a bad thing to say about it,” said Superintendent Doug White. “It helps bring in additional revenue and we’ve got the space to do it.”

The School Choice program gives students who live in neighboring communities, or students from the Tri-town who are currently attending private schools, the opportunity to attend Old Rochester Regional High School. However, each year there are a limited number of spots available.

For the 2011-2012 school year, there are 51 students enrolled at ORRHS under the School Choice program. Those students hail from towns such as Acushnet, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Westport, Dartmouth and Plymouth.  The vote in favor of expanding the School Choice program would add 21 spots, making the total 72. White assured that the tuition for these new spots ($5,000 apiece) have already been configured in the 2013 budget and would not affect the total.

ORRHS Business Administrator Kathleen Isernio asked the board permission to use funds from revolving funds in order to cut down the budget balance for 2013. As it stands, the 2013 budget is $233.433.03, or 1.4 percent higher than the 2012 budget. Isernio said by shifting money from various revolving accounts in town, it could generate $209,987.74 to put towards the deficit. The committee approved unanimously.

The committee that is being established to help with the search of a new District Facilities Manager will call on custodial employees in both the junior and senior schools to help with the process.  The search committee will meet the first Tuesday after April vacation. So far 16 resumes have been submitted for the job.

The Rochester Memorial School is also narrowing down candidates to replace retiring Principal Jay Ryan. White said the three finalists visited the school last week and a decision will be reached soon.

Isernio also introduced Ken Mann, a gentleman who is looking to implement wind power and sustainable energy in the Tri-Town.  He recently started a program in Plymouth with four turbines. The turbines provide 10mw of power, which is enough to supply 3,000 households with electricity.  He wants to bring this program to the region at a discounted price, and is also looking for a long-term contract and to potentially start the program in 2013.  School Committee Chair Peter Bangs said a meeting could be scheduled to discuss the project further.

ORRHS Athletic Director Bill Tilden will welcome two new sports teams to the high school officially.  After last month’s meeting, Tilden had the go-ahead to allow eighth graders from the junior high school to play on both the girls and boy JV Lacrosse teams. However, the committee never officially approved the establishment of the JV squads – an accidental oversight.  The committee voted in favor of the teams, who have already been practicing, unanimously. Tilden said the program has generated an exceptional amount of interest among athletes and there has been a great turnout at practices.

The School Improvement Plans for both schools in 2013 were approved unanimously.  Principal Mike Devoll said that the high school will focus on student achievement, communication, professional development, student services and school climate as its general areas for improvement on its action plan.

Creating more internships for students, increasing art opportunities around the school, ridding the school curriculum of “B” level courses, offering more Advanced Placement classes and utilizing PowerSchool (an online school notification program) to keep parents in the loop, are all examples of improvements the high school is looking to make over the next year.

Junior High School Principal Kevin Brogioli said the areas his school wants to improve on are academic engagement, global awareness, citizenship and technology. Brogioli said the implementation of a new computer lab, integration of literature of authors from different cultures, revision of the school’s mission statement and holding student roundtable discussions every two weeks would help bring these goals to reality.

Both principals talked about the benefits of the Galileo assessments that their students recently took.  As results are coming in, both Brogioli and Devoll agreed that exams are great tools for teachers to use when deciding to intervene with a student who might have a problem subject area. Also, the multiple choice question exams allow teachers to generate questions to replace ones they do not see fit for their students. 2012 marks the inaugural year these exams were taken in the district.

The committee also approved the use of DonorsChoose.org for the district.  The website allows teachers to create websites for various projects that would need funding that the budget may not be able to provide. The websites would then allow people to donate money electronically to that project specifically.

Lastly, the committee voted to approve the establishment of an Advisory Council and Public Employee Committee in order to redesign the health insurance policies for its employees.

The ORR School Committee will meet again on Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 pm in the Superintendent’s Office.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Down to the Last Vote in Rochester

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The polls are closed in Rochester and it was a close one. With only two contested races and low voter turn out, it appears every vote counted.

In the race for Parks Commissioner, Kenneth Ross beat out Travis Lalli by one vote with a final result of 120 to 119.

In the only other race with more candidates than positions, Jennifer Kulak and Mary Duryea Levenson both won seats as Library Trustees with votes of 159 and 142 respectively, beating out Winston Sharples who received 134 votes.

In total only 265 of the just under 4,000 registered voters in Rochester turned out to vote.  Town Clerk Naida Parker said she sees this election as a dry run looking toward the November Presidential Election, which is sure to be busy. She stated that in November they plan to have assistance in the parking areas, a single direction of flow for traffic and overflow parking in the ball field, all to help the process continue smoothly. Parker was also unopposed in the election running for re-election as Selectman, receiving 218 votes.

Click here for the full results of the election.

By Paul Lopes

Mattapoisett Residents Run for Cancer

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In late 2009, Amy Wiggin and her family decided to move from Nantucket to Mattapoisett. Her husband, Ken, had a job on the mainland, and was gone for a few days each week. So they uprooted their family of six, relocated to the SouthCoast, and she even secured a new job as a part-time teacher. Their plan to simplify their lives had worked. Their four kids were enrolled in their new schools and were adjusting well and things calmed down a bit.

Shortly after the Wiggin family began to enjoy its newfound equilibrium, Amy was diagnosed with Stage I ovarian cancer.

“It was a real eye-opener,” she said. “You don’t plan on waking up one day and finding out you have cancer.”Luckily, her doctors detected the cancer in its earliest stage, which made treatment safer and easier. Wiggin sought treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“I had one big surgery where they removed the cancer and I didn’t need any chemotherapy or anything further,” she said.

Wiggin was fortunate enough to have caught her cancer early, but many people are not diagnosed until later stages, in some cases, at points where the cancer is so advanced, treatment is no longer an option. After Wiggin was declared cancer-free, she decided that she wanted to use her new opportunity at life to do something to give back.

On April 16, Wiggin will be running for the first time in the 116th Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to run a marathon, even since I was young, but I’ve definitely never been a runner,” she said.

The Dana-Farber team set a goal to raise $4.8 million this year, with each runner committing to raise between $3,500-$4,000. Since 1990, Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners have raised $52 million for cancer research“.This is my way of giving back to Dana-Farber for everything they did for me and for all the help they give other people,” she said.

She will be joined on the road by her friend, Gerald Lanagan, a local man who participates in high- endurance sports as a regular hobby. He has run several marathons and participated in triathlons and Iron Man competitions.

Lanagan also has a deep connection to the people of Dana-Farber. His father, Jim, was diagnosed with cancer and was successfully treated by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Today, his brother, Tim, is receiving treatment there for his own cancer.

“It used to be that cancer was a death sentence. But it’s great to fight for these guys and to run for Dana- Farber. My brother gives me strength, seeing him fight it,” he said.

Wiggin submitted her application in October of 2011 and received confirmation of her place on the team in November. She began training in January, running a few miles a few days a week, but steadily increasing her distance to build her endurance.

“A marathon is 26 miles, so I’d say the biggest part of this has been the time commitment,” she said.

These days, she runs solo three to four days a week, anywhere between three and six miles. On Saturdays, she’s been running with other members of the Dana-Farber team, sometimes joining 50 runners up near Boston for sprints that cover almost 20 miles.

“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it. I’ve met so many great people because of this process,” she said.

When Amy Wiggin finally takes to the start line, she is in it for the long haul. “I don’t care how long it takes me, my goal is to cross that finish line.”

By Eric Tripoli

George L. “Reddy” Henshaw

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George L. “Reddy” Henshaw, 70, of Mattapoisett passed away at home on Monday, April 9, 2012 surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Pauline “Polly” (Todd) Henshaw with whom he shared 49 years.

Born on August 21, 1941, the son of the late George F. Henshaw and Gladys M. (Pratt) Henshaw, he spent his entire colorful life in East Mattapoisett.

George was proud of his 51 years at the Acushnet Company where he worked up to his illness.

An avid fisherman, scalloper and lobsterman, he did a three year tour as wharf commissioner from 1973-76. George loved being on the water, but will best be remembered for his keen skills as a pig farmer – and for sharing his love of farming with neighborhood kids and anyone who wished to join in his fun.

Surviving in addition to his wife Polly are his three sons, Todd and his wife Susan and Jonathan and his wife Kim, all of Mattapoisett and Benjamin and his wife Joy of Hill Air Force Base, Utah; his sister, Sandra McIlmail and her husband William of Mattapoisett; his grandchildren, Todd “T.J.”, Mason, Quinn, Annie, Stefan, Christopher and Elizabeth; a nephew, William McIlmail of Mattapoisett; and Teresa Beaucaire Parker of Brockton to whom he was a father-figure.

He was the father of the late Christopher Henshaw.

His Graveside Service will be held on Saturday, April 14th at 10:30 AM in Cushing Cemetery. Visiting hours are omitted. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701 (www.cancer.org) or the Mattapoisett Community Sailing Association, P.O. Box 947 Mattapoisett, MA 02739 (mattsail.org) . For on-line guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

 

Anne M. (Mackay) Donaghy-Mayer

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Anne M. (Mackay) Donaghy-Mayer, 79, of New Bedford passed away Tuesday April 3, 2012 at home surrounded by her family after a long battle with cancer. She was the wife of Roger J. Mayer and the late William K. Donaghy.
Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Edward V. and Alice (Clarke) Mackay, she lived in New Bedford for all of her life.
She was a communicant of Our Lady of Fatima Church.
Mrs. Donaghy-Mayer was formerly employed as a registered nurse in the Emergency Room at St. Luke’s Hospital for many years until her retirement.
She was a graduate of Holy Family High School and St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing. She was a member of the St. Luke’s Retirees.
Her family would like to thank the staff of Community Nurse and Hospice Care and Hawthorn Medical Associates for the wonderful care given to Anne during her illness.
Survivors include her husband; four sons, William K. Donaghy, Jr. and his wife Brendalee Mulroy Donaghy and Michael E. Donaghy and his wife Claudia, all of Dartmouth, Daniel P. Donaghy and his wife Leonor, and Timothy P. Donaghy, all of New Bedford; her stepchildren, Donald Mayer and his wife Janet of Rochester and Donna LaBrode and her husband Donald of Acushnet; 13 grandchildren, Edward, Ian, Justin, Andrew, and Garrett Donaghy, Caitlin Guerrero, Jennifer Nunes, Jennifer Taylor, Julie Bosworth, Eric LaBrode, Elizabeth Leifheit, Jocelyn and Alison Mayer; and seven great-grandchildren.
She was the sister of the late Edward Mackay.
Her Funeral Mass was celebrated on Tuesday at 10 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Church. Burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery will be private. Visiting hours were on Monday from 4-8 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Community Nurse and Hospice Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Marion Selectmen Approve Warrant

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The Marion Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the 2012 Town Meeting warrant during a special meeting on Tuesday, April 10. Town Administrator Paul Dawson said that there were virtually no changes to the warrant, which has 44 articles, since the last time it was revised a couple weeks ago. Here is a look at some of the largest articles:

Items 1-24 on the warrant are all financial articles. The first four articles give an overview of compensation for town officials, a breakdown of the town budget, and the costs for the water and sewer systems for the fiscal year 2013, respectively.

Several articles dealing with finances propose either repairing or replacing equipment and vehicles for public safety enterprises. Article 10 proposes $20,900 of free cash be used to purchase a new police cruiser for the Marion Police Department.

Articles 12 and 13 ask for a combined total of $51,800 to replace various elements in the Marion Fire Department. $35,000 of this figure would help the department with its air pack replacement program, while the remaining $16,800 would replace eight automatic external defibrillators for the rescue vehicles in the department.

Article 14 proposes $20,000 for a new Jaws of Life system for the rescue team, and Article 16 asks for an additional $12,500 to replace some of the department’s fire hoses.

Article 15 calls for $48,500 to upgrade the fire alarm system from top to bottom, replacing the DOS-based computers with Windows and purchasing a digital radio and telephone recording system for dispatch.

Article 11 also proposes a new telephone system. $50,000 of free cash is requested to replace the telephone system in the Marion Town House. Dawson said that the current system is failing, especially the voicemail program, and that the new system would be transferrable to a new building if the town offices ever relocated.

Article 31 proposes to amend the zoning bylaws for the Flood Hazard District that were issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Articles 32-34 also seek approval for zoning bylaws for other smaller areas around town.

Article 38 talks about the potential for alternative energy sources in Marion schools in order to save money in the long run for utilities.

In addition to approving the Town Meeting warrant unanimously, the Board of Selectmen also voted to allow Dawson to sign a contract with an engineering service called Tata & Howard. The organization will survey the east and west wells in town for 30 days in order to determine the source of perchlorate detected in wells last year. The business would sample each well at least four times as well as the other surrounding test wells. The price of the sampling project was listed as $12,500 in the contract.

The Marion Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 21 at 7:00 pm at the Sippican School.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Friends of the Bike Path Plan Fundraiser

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The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen held their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 10 and heard updates from several committees as the Annual Town Meeting quickly approaches.

Fire Chief Andrew Murray spoke to the Board about plans for the old fire engine, now retired thanks to the purchase and delivery of a new engine two weeks ago. The old engine is still in service for the next four to six weeks as the Fire Department trains and prepares the new one for use.

Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Gagne said that the town has been using a company called MuniciBid, which is an eBay style auction site for municipalities to sell used equipment of various kinds. He said they would determine a fair reserve price for the old engine by examining the selling prices of similar trucks on the site.

The Board then heard from Joseph Murray, President of the Mattapoisett Lions Club, who presented to them a chronological history of the different ways the Lions Club has supported the town, including the construction of the Shipyard Park Gazebo in 1954 and the purchase of playground equipment for Center School in 1975.

Next, Bonne DeSousa, President of the Friends of the Bike Path, details the plans for a fundraiser on June 24, in conjunction with the YMCA, where money collected would go to help complete the Mattapoisett Rail Trail.

The fundraiser would include a bike ride on the trail, a fitness challenge, and an information session at the YMCA for residents to learn more about local bike trails and how to be safer riders.

Safety was a big concern of Selectman Tyler Macallister, who voiced his worries about cyclists who don’t stop at stop signs at the intersection of Mattapoisett Neck Road and Brandt Island Road. He said bikers usually make a loop in the middle of the road in order to turn around to head back the opposite way, sometimes near 40-mph car traffic.

“I’ve seen too many people come too close too many times,” he said.  DeSousa believes that, since installing safety equipment, such as illuminated message signs at the intersection, would be a costly project. She said the best way to keep bikers safe is to keep promoting smart riding and safety habits.

The Board then heard from John DeCosta, from the Community Preservation Committee, who provided updates on funding for projects going before the Annual Town Meeting.

Some of the projects include $25,000 to begin preliminary studies for affordable housing for senior citizens.

“We all felt affordable senior housing was something Mattapoisett needs,” he said. The Committee also has had requests for $51,500 to fix the Center School clock tower.

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay also requested money to help purchase over 300 acres of land on the Fairhaven town line to be preserved for light recreational activity, such as picnics and hiking. They asked for $150,000 this year and the same amount next year be allocated to the purchase, but the CPC rejected their request.

We felt it was just too big a chunk,” said DeCosta.

Then Chuck McCullough of the Capital Planning Committee gave his update on the town’s five year Capital Plan, which includes allocations of $13,000 to replace a special breathing apparatus for the Fire Department and $35,000 to replace the town assessor’s maps.

“The time has come to get this done, to get them cleaned up and updated,” he said.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne then offered his report. He said the town is working on selling off some surplus equipment and vehicles, the money from which would go to the capital equipment stabilization fund.

“We’re getting rid of 11 pieces of equipment for a total of $16,000,” Gagne said. He also noted completion on the handicapped accessible sidewalk to the left of the main entrance of the Mattapoisett Town Hall, which was constructed by students from the vocational school. Gagne also said he would like to organize a group of writers to craft descriptions of various volunteer opportunities, to be posted on the town’s website.

“There are a lot of people willing to volunteer, but they don’t have a good idea as to what boards and commissions exist,” he said. The descriptions would detail the regular duties of the open positions, as well as any meetings that volunteers would be required to attend.

In other business, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to re-appoint Ray Andrews to the Old Colony School Committee.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will be on Tuesday, April 24 at the Town Hall.

By Eric Tripoli