Marion Planning Board

on

To The Editor:

            On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, during the Marion Planning Board meeting, I felt as though I was in an 1800s town meeting, where male thinking and behavior showcased the subordination of women.

            Throughout the meeting, a couple of male colleagues continuously interrupted preventing me from effectively communicating my thoughts. This is not the first time I have experienced discrimination and prejudicial behavior from self-centered men on or associated with the Marion Planning Board.

            Despite the interruptions, I was determined to be heard for it is well-known that unwelcome male behaviors undermine professional growth, damage mental well-being, and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. The overbearing and controlling behavior of several men associated with the Marion Planning Board constitutes abuse, and it must be stopped.

            All Marion residents benefit when all voices can be heard and valued equally. As a professional, I am committed to working with my colleagues to create a positive and inclusive Planning Board.

Eileen J. Marum, Clerk

Marion Planning Board

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Richard Louis “Dick” Chaplain

on

Richard Louis “Dick” Chaplain, 95, passed away on February 12, 2024, in Lakeland, Florida. He was the husband of the late Patricia M. (Charbonneau) Chaplain, with whom he was married for 68 years.

            Born on June 21, 1928, in Avon, Massachusetts, the son of the late Wilfred and Alice (McCarthy) Chaplain, Dick grew up in Middleborough, graduating from Middleborough High School in 1946. Immediately after graduation, Dick enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving from 1946-1948 – a WWII Veteran. Upon his discharge from the Navy, Dick furthered his education at Champlain College in Plattsburgh, NY, graduating in 1953.

            Dick worked for many years as an engineer for Hercules Corporation, both at the Taunton, Massachusetts facility (Havig/Hascon) and at the Cumberland, Maryland facility (Allegheny Ballistics Lab), where his innate ability to perceive complex engineering designs and translate those designs into production models earned him great respect and recognition. In his spare time, he was an avid golfer and a gifted woodworker and carpenter. Many of his creations now reside in the homes of family members. He even built a family vacation cabin in New Hampshire!

            Dick and Pat are survived by their four children: Michael (Mary) of Mattapoisett, MA; Sarah (Peter) Whelley of Moultonborough, NH; Gregory (Nikki) of Norfolk, VA; and David of North Conway, NH. He was blessed with 9 grandchildren: Aimee Boothe, Kathleen McCabe, Brenna Chaplain, Patrick Whelley, Michaela Kohler, Collin Whelley, Andrew Chaplain, Brooke Conigliaro and Abigail Chaplain; and 9 great-grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his sister, Carol Mitchell.

            A combined memorial service for Dick and Pat will be held at St. Anthony Church, Mattapoisett, on Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 am. Interment will be at St. Mary Cemetery in Middleborough.

Patricia M. (Charbonneau) Chaplain

on

Patricia M. (Charbonneau) Chaplain, age 90, died  peacefully, at the Manor at Carpenters, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Her husband of 68 years, Richard (Dick) Chaplain, was at her side.

            Pat was a 1947 graduate of Middleborough High School and a 1951 graduate of Syracuse University, earning her BA in Music. She lived in Lakeville, MA in the 60s and 70s; Ft. Ashby, WV in the 80sand 90s. She taught private music lessons to local high school musicians for many years and was active in her local churches, including being the choir director and organist at the Church of the Annunciation in Ft. Ashby.

            Pat and her husband retired to FL where they enjoyed golfing, dancing, sunshine and visits from family and friends.

            Pat is survived by her husband and children: Michael (Mattapoisett, MA), Sarah Chaplain Whelley (Moultonborough, NH), Gregory (Norfolk, VA), and David (North Conway, NH).  She leaves 9 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

William “Bill” do Carmo

on

William “Bill” do Carmo, 94, of Marion, formerly of New Bedford died peacefully at home on Saturday, April 20, 2024. He was the husband of Doris Carmo for many years.

            Born in New Bedford, the son of the late John and Alice (Lopes) Carmo, he lived in New Bedford most of his life.

            Bill was a lifelong entrepreneur and community activist. As president of Carmo & Associates, Consultants, Real Estate, and Construction, he worked as the project manager for the construction of the Roosevelt, Normandin, and Keith Middle Schools. From 1984 to 1991 Bill was the Senior Project Representative for over 4,000 units of affordable housing in Massachusetts through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

            As president of the New Bedford chapter of the NAACP he was responsible for the construction of the NAACP Community Building. With the assistance of local banks and philanthropists such as Richard Young of Titleist and Jim Ottaway of the Standard-Times, Bill worked to resolve discrimination in employment, education, and housing. Bill was a founder of the former United Front, now Temple Landing; a Trustee and Board Member of the Whaling Museum; an Election Commissioner for the City of New Bedford; a member of the New Bedford Port Society; Housing Chairman for the NAACP; involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Bedford; and Chairman of the New Bedford Regional Airport.

            Bill served proudly in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force for six years during the Korean War. During his service he was denied the opportunity to become a military pilot due to segregation in the military. Bill took it upon himself to earn his private pilot’s license which he held for the rest of his life.

            He is survived by his children, Carla Roderick and husband Wayne of New Bedford, Robyn Carmo of Los Angeles, Andrea Carmo of New Bedford, Victoria Gonsalves of New Bedford, William S. Carmo of New York; his siblings Dolores Spencer of Fairhaven, Catherine Cabral of Dartmouth, and George Carmo of New Bedford; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren, his former wives, Vivian Lindo and Beverly do Carmo; and many nieces and nephews.

            He was predeceased by his siblings Louis Carmo, Robert Carmo, Charles Carmo, Michael Carmo, John Carmo, and Ethel Fox.

            Bill’s visitation will be held Thursday, April 25th from 4-8 pm in the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St, New Bedford. Burial will take place in Rural Cemetery privately at a later date.

            In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Rochester Candidates Night

on

Come meet the candidates, May 8 beginning at 6:30 pm at North Rochester Congregational Church, North Ave, Rochester. The Rochester Republican Town Committee is putting on this event

            All school committee and Select Board candidates have been invited to speak followed by a time for questions/answers.

            Everyone is invited to attend.

Sippican Choral to sing “Songs of Solace”

on

Join us in Wickenden Chapel on Sunday, May 5 at 4:00 pm, for “Songs of Solace,” featuring French composer Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor, a work that was performed at the composer’s own funeral in 1924, and one that is noted for its calm, serene, and peaceful outlook. Seekers of solace will also find comfort in our renditions of the traditional African-American spirituals “Deep River” and “City Called Heaven,” as well as uplift and renewal in “Make Our Garden Grow,” Leonard Bernstein’s finale from his operetta “Candide.” Ticket information can be found on our website at sippicanchoralsociety.org/tickets.htm. We are proud to participate in the MA Card to Culture program in order to make our performances accessible to those for whom cost is a barrier.

Seawall Needs a Makeover

on

            James Jr. and Laura Ryan Shachoy filed a Notice of Intent heard by the Marion Conservation Commission on April 10 to remove and replace the stone armor located landward of their seawall at 1 Water Street.

            In a 7:10 pm public hearing, Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc., represented the Shachoys’ application, telling the commissioners that the property was impacted by the December 2022 storm. A buoy, he said, went over their seawall and took a chunk out of their lawn. Other damage occurred in the yard and stone driveway.

            Davignon said his group was not available to survey the damage until the fall of 2023. More storms in December 2023 eroded the lawn, so the survey was redone.

            The proposal is to remove all the small rock and replace it with a rip-rap seawall. All the work will be done in the lawn area behind the coastal bank, according to Davignon, who noted the land is subject to coastal storm flowage and in the buffer zone. None of the work will be done in the resource areas seaward of the coastal bank.

            Access will be provided by the driveway and the gravel road to the wharf on the north part of the lot.

            The new rip-rap seawall will keep the same width and contour as the present wall with boulders reinforcing. The difference will be the same elevation and the elimination of low spots.

            Davignon identified direct waves crashing vertically up the wall and shooting down the other side of the wall as the cause of erosion.

            “That’s what’s causing damage, and by putting in, basically, a 12 foot-wide splash pad will prevent that (wave action) from doing any damage…,” said Davignon. “When you look at all the storms we’ve had over the last year and a half, this is the extent and we’re going to go beyond that. … Can’t promise they won’t have some minor damage, but this should solve the problem that they’re having with the current storm-event cycle that we’re in right now.”

            Commissioner Shaun Walsh asked if the mortar being proposed to fill cracks and voids will inadvertently create a barrier. Davignon said the work would be done on the top couple of feet of wall, just above the high-tide line.

            Walsh also asked if Davignon had considered a 1-to-1 sloped wall.

            “It was my first consideration,” said Davignon, who was rebuffed by his client. “Their response was they didn’t want to touch any of the seawall because it’s still intact. … That will all but double the cost of the job. … As it is, I believe this is going to be pretty expensive.”

            Abutter Michael Moore commented to support the Shachoys’ application.

            The case had yet to be assigned a Department of Environmental Protection number, so the public hearing was continued at the applicant’s request to April 24 at 7:00 pm.

            Indian Cove Trust was issued a Negative Box 2 Determination of Applicability, green-lighting its plan to install an Osprey nest/stand in the salt marsh on property off Indian Cove Road also listed as Map 18, Lot 127.

            In comments to the Planning Board on Ever Ortiz, 13 Washburn Lane, Doubrava said the applicant seeks to sell used cars in a General Business zone. Noting there is buffer zone on the 12-acre property, including a site known to people as the skating pond, Doubrava suggested it depends on where the construction and vehicle storage will occur, saying Ortiz may need to file.

            Also in comments to the Planning Board, the commission determined that Eydie Matteos – Healing Villa Company, LLC, 163 Front Street Suites 100 and 102, is not jurisdictional to the commission.

            The commission granted Anne Bramhall a three-year, extension in her Order of Conditions for work at 260 Converse Road.

            Following up on comments from the public submitted on two properties (21 Olde Meadow Road and Point Road vacant lot, Map 10, Lot 11), Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee prepared a letter that the commission would submit advising the owners of those properties that they have jurisdictional areas on their properties and that if planning activity, it would be recommended that they discuss their projects with Guey-Lee to determine if it should involve an application with the commission.

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at 7:00 pm at the Police Station on Route 6.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo

Bird Flu – Time to Panic?

on

What is bird flu? It is an influenza virus, related to the seasonal flu viruses that plague us every winter but one which predominantly spreads among birds. The specifics are that is an H5N1 form of influenza. (Those letters and numbers describe certain proteins on the virus surface and vary quite a bit from year to year, epidemic to epidemic.)

            This particular virus has reached pandemic status among birds – it has been found on every continent but Australia and has killed millions of birds. It seems to be spread by migrating wild birds but has been lethal to domestic fowl, leading to the culling of many flocks in Europe and America. The price of foie gras may go up.

            The reason for the recent interest is that the virus can spread from birds to mammals. Foxes, cats, seals, dolphins and bears have been infected. Most recently, outbreaks of bird flu have occurred in dairy cattle in the U.S. Herds in at least five states have been infected.

            In the first week of April, the virus was confirmed to have infected a human: a farmworker in Texas. This is not new; scientists have known for some time that people who have direct contact with sick birds or mammals can be infected. To date, there have been no known cases of human-to-human spread.

            The virus has been found in the milk from infected cows and eggs of infected chickens, but the virus is killed by pasteurization or cooking. It could potentially be spread by consuming raw milk or using uncooked eggs.

            To become a serious threat to human health, the virus would have to undergo major mutations to allow human-to-human spread. Not impossible, but unlikely.

            Also in our favor is that the few people proven to be infected with H5N1 have had very mild illness. The man in Texas had only conjunctivitis (“Pink eye”).

            Finally, the antiviral drugs like oseltamivir (Tamiflu) work well to reduce symptoms, and are readily available.

            So… stay away from raw milk for now, be sure to cook your eggs, and, most important, do not pick up or examine dead birds or animals, and warn your children not to do so. A veterinarian called to a north shore beach found that the dead birds were all infected. Let the pros handle it.

            Dr. Ed Hoffer is the chairman of the Marion Board of Health, a graduate of MIT and Harvard Medical School. He is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard and a Senior Scientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Ed Hoffer

You Are Somebody Special

on

A Ladies Friendship Luncheon will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall at First Congregational Church of Rochester, located in the center of town (11 Constitution Way). Too often we are told things about ourselves that are untrue. We believe the lies that are told to us by our parents, siblings, friends, and teachers. These lies shape the way we live and feel about ourselves and our relationships with others. However, the truth is that we are special to God. Invite a friend to come and discover how much God loves us and how each of us is somebody to Him. Advance reservations ($15/person) required. Please RSVP to the church office by calling 508-763-4314 or emailing rochestercongregational@comcast.net by April 28.

MWC Offers Continuing Education Scholarship

on

The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is pleased to offer a continuing education scholarship award to a Mattapoisett resident who is re-entering the academic world after graduation or receipt of GED and is in pursuit of a postsecondary degree or certificate. The application is available online at www.mattapoisettwomansclub.org. All applications must be postmarked by May 31. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

            The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is a philanthropic organization that plans and executes fundraising events including the Taste of the Town and the biennial garden tour to help generate the revenue for these scholarships and other charitable donations. These scholarships are intended to support the club’s belief in the importance of education and its grateful dedication to the community. Membership is open to any woman who is interested in the objectives of the organization.