Celtic Sojourn

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Mark Roberts of Mattapoisett has been playing music for over 30 years.  But while so many musicians were hypnotized by the gyrating fingers and slippery vibrato of volcanic rock and roll, Roberts was enamored by the rustic and stark intensity of folk music.  When he was a student at ORR, Roberts was first exposed to Irish-influenced music by one of his teachers.  In the early 1970s, Southeastern Massachusetts University, now known as UMass, Dartmouth, often featured regional acoustic folk acts. He attended these shows frequently and his love for the music grew stronger.

“The music I was drawn to was the instrumental music, which eventually became known as ‘Celtic,’” Roberts said.  “Celtic is really a mix of Scottish, Irish, and Welsh influenced music.”

What began as an interest in the music progressed into a hobby, and eventually a career as a working musician.  Roberts plays several instruments, including the five-string banjo, Irish flute, tin whistle, and guitar.  He was a founding member of the American-Irish band Touchstone, which was featured on A Prairie Home Companion on NPR in 1983.

He has also had the good fortune of playing to an international crowd.  Roberts has played in bands in Vancouver and toured Sweden with fiddle orchestra, Childsplay.  But being a steadily employed musician isn’t easy.

“It takes a lot of stamina,” he said.

These days Roberts is more of a family man; he and his wife Andrea Cooper, who is also a flutist, have a five-year-old son. Roberts said he works as a carpenter and substitute bus driver in between gigs.

“It’s a much different [music] scene now,” he said.

They were living in Seattle until three years ago when they decided to move back to Mattapoisett to be closer to Roberts’ mother.

His next gig is at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford on Saturday, March 17.  Roberts will be a featured musician at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn concert, organized by WGBH host Brian O’Donovan.  The two men have known each other for over 20 years as O’Donovan was a big supporter of Roberts’ band, Touchstone.  O’Donovan, who also organizes the Christmas Celtic Sojourn concert in December, has long been involved in promoting Celtic and folk music.

“Brian is great.  He acts as sort of a filter for all the various music involved in the Celtic genre,” Roberts said.

The St. Patrick’s Day show, which has a second performance on Saturday, March 24, at the Sanders Theater in Cambridge, will feature several musicians representing different styles of folk, including Susan McKeown, The Bee Eaters, and Michael Brunnock.  Roberts will be playing in a trio with Tina Lech and Joey Arbata.

While Mattapoisett may not be the first town that comes to mind for the homestead of a nationally known musician, Roberts loves the town.  He lives now in the house he was raised in, surrounded by people he’s known his whole life.  His roots can actually be traced back to the Tinkhams, one of the first families to settle here.  Though it may feel out of the way, Roberts does not seem to mind.

“What’s great about being in New England is that four hours drive from here is Manhattan. Western Mass, parts of Vermont, Boston, Portland, Maine.  I don’t have to fly as much as I used when I lived in the Pacific Northwest,” he said.

Roberts current project in the studio is a follow-up album to The Gloup, which he recorded with guitarist Dan Compton.

By Eric Tripoli

Legal Battle Continues on Asphalt Plant

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The construction of a new bituminous concrete facility in northeastern Rochester has been delayed indefinitely due to a protracted legal battle.

The project was proposed for construction on a 5-acre site off King’s Highway within Rochester’s industrially zoned section of town – and would process 2,200 tons of bituminous concrete per day. Its controversy in part stems from its proximity to two residences.

On March 5, Benjamin Tymann of law firm Mintz Levin – who is representing residential and commercial abutters opposed to the plant – filed a 39-page appeal to Massachusetts Land Court contesting the Zoning Board of Appeal’s February 9 approval of Edgewood Development’s proposed facility.

The ZBA’s decision had upheld the Planning Board’s May 24, 2011 affirmative decision on the plant, which was later appealed by Mintz Levin. The group filing the latest appeal includes Todesca Realty Trust (owner of Rochester Bituminous), Willard Realty Trust and residents Carol and Michael D’Acci,

Brandon and Krystle Empey, Emma Galvin, Jeffrey Mason, and Sean Somers.

“As demonstrated by a mountain of expert evidence on the issues of property valuation and noise, traffic, lighting and visual impacts – presented first to the Planning Board then at the Board of Appeals – the Edgewood plant will have dramatic and damaging effects on each of these four properties and their residents,” the appeal states.

According to Mintz Levin, the plant would be less than 25 yards from the Mason home (recently acquired by William Realty Trust) and 30 yards from longtime residents, the D’Accis.

“If the Edgewood plant is built, it will be a closer distance to its residential abutters than any other known asphalt plan in Massachusetts,” said the appeal.

The opponents also argue that construction of the plant would violate a town bylaw, which states that “no such use is permitted which would be detrimental or offensive or tend to reduce property values in the same of adjoining district.” According to Mintz Levin, construction of the plant would reduce nearby property values “by between 17 percent to 28 percent, or more.”

Timothy Higgins of Edgewood Development said he was not surprised by the appeal.

“This is the third [bituminous plant construction] that I’ve been involved in… It’s not crazy unusual,” he said.

Higgins said he is “confident” that courts will rule in Edgewood’s favor.

“We feel we will prevail, we feel the facts in our favor,” he said. “The fact is that there an existing [bituminous] facility with an identical use in the area governed by the same rules works in our favor.”

For now, it remains uncertain how long the legal wrangling will go on.

“It could be one year, or it could be three to four,” he said. “It’s very difficult to tell how long the court system will take.”

By Laura Fedak Pedulli

FEMA Updating Flood Plain Maps

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The Rochester Planning Board briefly met on Tuesday night at the Town Hall.  The Board heard from Laurell J. Farinon, the town Conservation Agent regarding the draft-zoning article that was submitted to the Board of Selectmen.  She explained that she received notification from FEMA informing that the reevaluation of new flood plain maps had been finalized and that the new maps will become effective July 17, 2012.  The new maps will include far more information than the previous maps, which were printed in the 1980s.  “These are really cumbersome, as you can see. We don’t have many known points of reference,” she said.

The Board then discussed the procedure of the annual review of the Town Planner, a position currently held by John Charbonneau.  They voted for the Town Planner to be reviewed annually, on the first Planning Board meeting of January in executive session.  The review would be done primarily by the chair, vice-chair, and town administrator, but with input from all Planning Board members.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board will be Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 7:00 pm.

By Eric Tripoli

Elks Lodge Honor ORRHS Senior

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Each month, four regional high schools honor a local student who has shown exceptional academic achievement, exemplifies good citizenship and participates in community service.  Students are chosen from Old Rochester Regional High School, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, Wareham High School, and Upper Cape Regional Vocational Technical High School. Their teachers, who then vote for the winning candidate, submit student nominations. According to Exalted Ruler Susan Gifford of Elks Lodge of Wareham No. 1548, all of the students of the month will be recognized in May at a banquet sponsored by the Lodge.              “During the banquet, we call up each student and present them with a savings bond to help fund their future education,” Gifford said.

For the month of February, Old Rochester Regional senior Molly Magee, from Mattapoisett, received the honor. Nominated by physical education teacher, Nancy Cowen, she noted Magee’s dedication to community service in the athletic department as the hallmark reason for her nomination.

“Where Molly really stands out is where she helps in the gym,” Cowen said.

Every week, she arrives to school early to assist Cowen with preparing for the physical education classes. For three semesters, Magee has been helping Cowen supervise weight room activities, refereeing games, and keeping class attendance.

“She is seeing the other side of what goes on, from the teaching aspect to the discipline issues we sometimes come across to the paperwork we have to take care of,” Cowen said.

Magee, who is also an A-student in physical education, played basketball for three years and has been on the varsity softball team all four years of high school. Last year, she was nominated for the girls’ all-start softball team. She not only challenges herself as an athlete, but in the classroom as well. Magee is enrolled in AP Statistics, Pre-Calculus, physics, and Honors 5 Latin. She is also a member of the National Honor Society.

For all of these credentials, she remains a quiet, humble, and patient student. While she has received many messages of congratulations from her teachers, she is realistic about how they see her.

“It’s nice because you’re competing against other students, but I know my teachers will probably expect a lot more from me now,” Magee said.

Maintaining high academic performance and leadership only 44 days from her last day as an ORRHS student may be easier said than done. The inevitable senioritis bug has bitten many of her peers, who are eager to begin their post-high school lives, whether their future holds college, military, or a job. Magee seems unaffected by it so far, but does not predict that will last much longer, as spring quickly approaches.

“I think by April vacation, I will be waiting for that last day to come,” she said. She is planning on attending the University of Rhode Island in the autumn to pursue a bio-medical degree.

It will be a bittersweet feeling when she walks out the door of ORRHS for the last time.  Students like her, who offer so much of their time and energy helping others, are not a dime a dozen. Cowen will have to adjust to life without Molly come September.

“I will miss her next year,” she said. “It was nice to have someone willing to come help all the time.”

By Eric Tripoli

Sports Shorts

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ORR winter sports are winding down, and athletes are starting to prepare for their spring sports. Within the next few weeks, the spring track, tennis, lacrosse, baseball, and softball teams will begin preseason to prepare for their respective games and meets. Here is a look at the winter sports with athletes still competing.

Old Rochester Girls Track – The Girls 4×200 meter team – composed of Paige Santos, Morgan DaSilva, Ally Saccone and Hannah Walsh – traveled to New York for Nationals where, unfortunately, they were disqualified for a bad handoff. Nevertheless, with Walsh and Saccone currently juniors and Santos and DaSilva, sophomores, we will most definitely be seeing more of these athletes at this level in the future.

Saccone also excelled on an individual level at Nationals running a time of 8.85 seconds in the 60 meter Hurdles. She set a new record for ORR and placed 18th, which moved her onto the semifinals. She is now the 16th fastest female hurdler in the United States and the third fastest high school Hurdler in Massachusetts’s history. Congratulations, Ally!

Old Rochester Hockey – The team’s record stands at 12-3-6 overall and 9-1 in the SCC – good enough to make them SCC Conference co-champs along with Bourne High School.

On a more individual level, Senior Max Sherman had been selected to play in the Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association High School All-Star Classic, which is hosted by the Worcester Sharks of the American Hockey League and will be played at the DCU Center in Worcester. He is one of 46 players in the state of Massachusetts chosen to participate, and he will be skating for the South All-Star team.

By India Krawczyk

Neighbors Voice Concerns to New Inn Owners

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The owners of the new Inn on Shipyard Park (Kinsale Inn) received a less than warm welcome from a group of neighboring and concerned residents at the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, March 13. Nills Johnson and Andrea Perry, the owners of the new establishment, originally attended the meeting to transfer the name on the liquor license from the Kinsale Inn to the Inn on Shipyard Park, however they ended up fielding questions for nearly an hour from residents concerned about the noise level generated by the entertainment and patrons of the bar.

“We’re trying to protect our property,” said Maureen Butler, whose property abuts the establishment.  “We shouldn’t be victims of one establishment.”

Butler’s concerns and questions stem from the noise levels that are coming from outside the bar as patrons are leaving when the bar closes.  According to the license that was issued to the establishment, patrons must leave the bar by 11 p.m. during the week and 1 a.m. on the weekends.

Deanne Girouard, owner of the Mattapoisett Inn, also voiced concerns that bar guests are leaving beer cans in her bushes, as well as discarded cigarettes, which she claims set her porch on fire last year.

The Selectmen agreed that there have been more problems with noise in recent years given the number of management changes the inn has seen, however they also suggested giving the new owners a chance before ruling them out.

“It’s easy to blame a single source of differentiation in a given area,” said Selectman Tyler Macallister.

“It’s not going to be perfect,” said Selectmen Chair Paul Silva. “Give them a chance.”

Selectman Jordan Collyer proposed to let the new owners settle in with the current license and reevaluate the situation in a few months.  If there continues to be a problem with noise, the Board can add conditions to the license that would include a noise ordinance.

“The important thing is to listen to concerns and understand the consideration of the neighbors,” Collyer said.

If anyone knows the Mattapoisett community, it’s Johnson, who was born and raised in the community and worked at the old Mattapoisett Inn when he was in high school.  Now, after spending nearly ten years in Cambridge running a bar, his goal is to own the current Kinsale Inn building and transform it into something new while bringing it back to its roots.

“I just want the building to be relevant again,” said Johnson.

Johnson plans to completely revamp the menu, steering away from traditional Irish fare and introducing a menu that is centralized more on American fusion cuisine. He still plans to keep the same genres of entertainment; however he is open to exploring more options.

“It’s a big improvement,” said Collyer.

The Board approved the changing of the name on the liquor license.  Johnson and Perry now await license approval from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.  If approved in a timely manner, the two hope to begin their new lease on May 1. An entertainment license hearing will be held at the end of April.

In other news, Harbormaster Horace Field presented a letter to the Board that he issued to Robert Taylor outlining the new criteria Taylor will have to abide by for his aquaculture.  At the Selectmen’s meeting on February 28, several issues were brought to Taylor’s attention by both Field and the Board showing that the majority of buoys and markers around Taylor’s 100-acre aquaculture area were inadequate and unsafe.

Under the new rules, the four major buoys that are located in the corners of Taylor’s area must have lights and must be visible from at least 2 nautical miles away.  The lights need to flash every 2.5 seconds.  Each of the corners must be connected by perimeter buoys, which must be 75 yards apart, white and have reflective tape.  The entry buoys must be red and green and at least 24 inches in diameter.

Field said it is Taylor’s responsibility to make sure these buoys and markers are working, and that as the Harbormaster he will make periodic checks to make sure everything is in order.  If a defect is found, Taylor will have five days to fix it before further disciplinary action is taken. Field told the Board that Taylor has until May 1 to fulfill these obligations and that they are nonnegotiable.

The final plans for the North Street Reconstruction project should be in place by the end of the week.  The process would implement a set of drainage pipes along North Street from Church Street, beyond Captain’s Way to the South side of Water Street.

The pipes will handle the first initial storm water that passes through, ultimately depositing it to be cleaned in a bleaching area that will be located in a beach area parking lot.  This new process will help to reduce flooding along these routes, and the pre-treatment bleaching unit will help to clean water and help prevent contamination. The beach portion of the project could be started as soon as April 1 so it can be completed by the start of beach season. The entire project, however, will take the majority of the summer to complete.

The Marine Advisory Board met with the Selectmen for their bi-annual meeting.  The Selectmen presented a new set of rules and regulations that would change the annual votes for officers.  Each member of the board must sign off on the new rules by the next Selectmen’s meeting on March 27.

The Marine Advisory Board also gave an update on the ongoing regridding project.  Both the Selectmen and Marine Advisory Board agreed it is taking longer than expected.

“We are three years behind where we thought we would be five years ago,” said Collyer.

A new launch service for Mattapoisett Harbor will be proposed at the next meeting on March 27.  The Marine Advisory Board will be interviewing two companies that are interested in starting a launching service.  A tentative date for interviewing has been set for March 21.

The Mattapoisett Library requested permission to serve alcohol as part of the April 3 edition of their Cooks and Books program.  The library proposed that Trivesa Wines would be on site to provide short tastes to guests, and assures that there will not be a free-flow of fine, nor will it be self-service.  The Selectmen, showing no initial opposition, agreed to vote on the proposal on March 27.

The Selectmen agreed to allow Bruce Mello every other Wednesday from May to the end of September to hold his Car Shows at Village Scoops.

More local meetings will be added to local programming after new equipment is installed this week to the TV station.  In addition to the present coverage, the Selectmen are hoping to add Water and Sever Commission, Board of Health, Zoning Board of Appeals and Library meetings.  The selectmen also said a greater on-demand library will be available online for residents if they are not able to watch the meetings on TV.

The Board of Selectmen will meet again on Tuesday, March 27 at Mattapoisett Town Hall at 7:00 pm.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Machacam Club

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The Machacam Club will hold its April meeting on the Wednesday, April 4 at the Legion Hall, 3 Depot Street.  Social time is 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:00 pm.

Our speaker this month will be Barry Denham, Veteran’s Agent for the towns of Mattapoisett and Rochester. Denham will review the accomplishments of his office, as well as, the latest updates regarding the various programs available to our Veterans. Few people realize the services that this office provides on a regular basis.

Weather you are a Veteran or not, you probably know one, and should pass this information onto them. Denham is carrying on a long standing tradition of our two small towns in the spirit of George White, Russell Converse and Harvey Blanchette.

Callers are asked to bear in mind the importance of call list accuracy. Please report your lists not later than 9:00 pm April 2 by calling 508-758-9311 or Email GPFNR@AOL.COM .    Members may make last minute changes by calling the same phone number or Email no later than 9:00 am on April 3.

First Congregational Church Indoor Sale

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Looking for matching items? Restocking your reading and media library? Seeking toys and sports equipment for yourself or your children? Need a particular garden tool?

Visitors to the first annual Indoor Yard Sale of the First Congregational Church of Marion might find any of these for sale on Saturday, March 24, or even walk off with underpriced treasures worthy of an appearance on Antiques Roadshow. The event, held to raise funds for the Church’s annual Christmas Cantata service and its ongoing programs, will begin at 9:30 am and last until 1:30 pm in Marion’s Community Center (at the rear of the General Store parking lot on Front St., Marion; handicap accessible). During the event, a hearty luncheon soup ($5) will be served.

While no clothes will be on sale, shoppers will find elegant and white elephants, books, CDs, DVDs, household items and furnishings, toys, sports equipment, lamps, garden items, and more. (For clothes, visit the Penny Pinchers Exchange, 39 Main St., Marion, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Wednesdays and 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Saturdays, beginning April 7.)

Donations are welcome. Call Connie Pierce (508-748-2372) after March 18 for drop-off instructions. Call Peter Sowden (508-748-1231) to arrange for large-item pick-up.

The First Congregational Church is located at the corner of Front and Main Streets in the village of Marion, Massachusetts. The Sunday service is at 10:00 am; coffee hour follows the service. Sunday school, adult and children’s choirs, and nursery care are features of the church’s program of worship, and pastoral care is offered to all. The Rev. Dr. Sheila Rubdi, pastor, 508-748-1053.

Plumb Mall Easter Celebration

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The Plumb Corner Mall will be celebrating their annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 am sharp. This year they will be offering an Easter egg hunt, crafts, face painting, pictures with the Easter bunny, cookie decorating and much more!

Marion Spring Water Flushing Program

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The Marion Water Division will begin its Spring Flushing Program on Thursday, March 15. We expect this program will take approximately eight weeks to complete. Residents in the immediate flushing area may experience discolored water and a drop in water pressure

Complete copies of our anticipated schedule are available at the Marion Department of Public Works Office located at 50 Benson Brook Road in Marion. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at 508-748-3540.