Marion from the Green Communities Program

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Dear Citizens of Marion,

A small group of our residents is once again attempting to extricate Marion from the Green Communities Program, which since 2018 has provided over $750,000 in grant funding to make town buildings and infrastructure more energy-efficient. Those improvements are saving the town thousands of dollars each year through reduced energy costs.

Out of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts, 297 (85%) have joined the Green Community Program. One of the conditions for joining is to comply with the so-called “stretch” building code, which applies ONLY to new home construction and to additions larger than 1000 sq. ft. to existing homes.

The stretch code requires new construction to be more energy efficient than the “base” building code (which applies to non-Green Communities), thereby reducing energy costs to the homeowner. The stretch and base codes were nearly identical until January 2023, when an update to the stretch code was implemented by the state. As a Green Community, we are required to adhere to these updates. A further update in February 2025 relaxed some of the code requirements, notably for historic buildings.

It is crucial for all residents to understand that since the update to the stretch code in January 2023, only two homes in Marion have been affected. While initial building costs of these homes increased by a few percent (after incentives and rebates), those costs will be recovered within a few years owing to the more energy-saving construction. Thereafter, owners of those homes will continue to save money. Meanwhile, ALL the town’s residents will continue to benefit from the grant money afforded by our membership in the Green Communities Program. Not only is our town saving many thousands of dollars, we’re also reducing carbon pollution.

Please demonstrate your love of this town by attending the upcoming Town Meeting on May 12th, and please vote NO on Article 31, keeping Marion in the Green Communities Program. For further information, go to the EMC page on marionma.gov or reach out to your Energy Management Committee.

Jennifer Francis, EMC member


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.

ArtWeek SouthCoast

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ArtWeek SouthCoast returns to the Marion Art Center (the MAC) with 

seven events during the regional festival scheduled May 8 to May 18. ArtWeek SouthCoast is a 10-day event celebrating the arts in our communities by connecting innovative, creative, and affordable art and cultural events in communities across the region, from Fall River to Wareham. The MAC’s ArtWeek SouthCoast events are hands-on, interactive, and offered at low cost or for free. View all ArtWeek at the MAC events at marionartcenter.org/artweek.

ArtWeek SouthCoast kicks off at the MAC with the popular Unplugged series in the MAC Gallery. The first Unplugged for 2025 features Donn Legge & Marcus Monteiro on Friday, May 9. Find a spot at a cabaret table to listen to a mix of jazz standards and original compositions by both artists. Guests will enjoy a refreshing setting at this “unplugged” performance featuring mainly acoustic sound, without the volume and density often experienced during larger concerts in the MAC Theater. Two seatings are scheduled: 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm. Tickets for one seating (approx. 1 hour per set) are $15 for MAC members and $20 for nonmembers. The MAC is located at 80 Pleasant St. Marion.

Spin Into Spring. Community Bike Tune-up, May 10, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm Is your bike summer-ready? If it needs a little attention after the long winter, bring it to the MAC. We’ll have experts on hand who can look your bike over and give it some TLC in the form of a brake adjustment, chain lubrication or – in the event of more serious issues – they can provide advice about repairs that should be addressed before hitting the road. Please note that our bike repair volunteers will not be prepared to replace broken spokes, brake pads or provide other parts. Free, but requires registration.

Organic Seed Starting Workshop with Paul Split Saturday, May 10, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm During this fun and informative presentation, designed for the beginner and intermediate gardener, we’ll look at an assortment of seeds to grow in our zone. We will explore the organic process from germination to harvest and examine the latest propagation techniques. During the workshop participants will receive everything needed to start their own seeds. The workshop will be held on the MAC lawn or in the MAC Studio and costs $40 per person, with all materials.

Sing your heart out: On Saturday, May 10 at 6:30 pm, the Marion Art Center presents a screening of The Greatest Showman, shown with on-screen lyrics. Sing along with “The Other Side,” “This Is Me,” “Rewrite the Stars,” and more. Costumes are encouraged as is dancing. Paul Kandarian will host this event, recommended for ages ten and up. Tickets are just $8 per person.

Step right up… and into the spellbinding imagination of a man who set out to reveal that life itself can be the most thrilling show of all. Inspired by the legend and ambitions of America’s original pop-culture impresario, P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), The Greatest Showman is an inspirational rags-to-riches tale of a brash dreamer who rose from nothing to prove that anything you can envision is possible.

The MAC presents the MAC Theater Playwrights Incubator 2024-2025, performance of JAB written by this year’ s playwright Kate Herlihy. May 16, 17,and 18. Curtain at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 pm. Tickets are just $10 per person. The play is directed by Jess Ellis-Wilson.

Jab is the story of Marissa facing her ultimate match. She’s trapped in the cycle and pain of an abusive marriage that has taken every part of her. A knock on the door from a seemingly nosy neighbor ends up being her greatest gift; being brought to an all female kickboxing group. Hesitantly, Marissa tries and ultimately finds her hidden strength, power, and self again.

Attend a Paint and Sip Workshop with Barbara Healy May 17, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Paint your own version of a beautiful sailboat scene with hydrangeas in this fun workshop with artist Barbara Healy. We’ll paint together using water-based acrylics on canvas. Barbara and her assistant Pam will guide you through each step of the process as you get in touch with your inner artist and enjoy sipping wine along the way. You must be 21 or older to register. The cost is $40 per person and includes all materials and wine tasting.

Capping off ArtWeek SouthCoast at the MAC, Crocodile River Music will perform on May 17 at 3pm at the Marion Music Hall, located at 164 Front Street, Marion. This multicultural program presents west African music and culture through dance, song, costume, and rhythm. The 10-12 person group of musicians, singers, and performers will share their knowledge through use of authentic handmade instruments, traditional attire, movement, and art. Attendance is free, but registration is recommended.

Unpermitted Work Reviewed

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Coming before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission on April 14 was Robert Rogers of GAF Engineering representing Robert Beauregard, 2 Jowik Street. Beauregard had filed a Request For Determination of Applicability seeking a negative decision from the commission to install a concrete slab for a prefabricated storage building, a storage shed, and paved driveway. However, some of the structures are already in place without Commission oversight. The presence of what appears to be an intermittent stream, a jurisdictional area, also came into play.

Much of the landscaping and outdoor structure have been in place for a number of years, a neighbor noted in a letter to the commission. Any new work might create drainage issues on abutting properties it was stated. It was further noted in the letter that outdoor lighting for a proposed pickle ball court was intrusive and the noise from the court would be a nuisance.

But the issue of the stream became the biggest issue taken up by the commission.

Rogers had done some research on whether or not the stream in question was jurisdictional. He said photographic evidence in support of the stream’s status was in hand and would file them before the next meeting. The visuals must substantiate the owner’s contention that the stream is intermittent and not perennial. To do so, there must be four consecutive days of dry soil.

The filing is pending a DEP file number required before the commission may proceed further. The filing was continued to April 28. The issue of whether or not an After-The-Fact filing is needed may be taken up at a later date.

An Enforcement Order naming Micheal Dupont, 122 Mattapoisett Neck Road, was taken up at the end of the agenda but was given lengthy consideration as Dupont explained the situation. No permits had been issued for site work.

One tree was inadvertently removed by contractors, he explained. Other landscape modifications were believed to be located in uplands versus wetlands, Dupont said. He said plans for the property included large gardens for vegetables, but the soil was problematic but hoped to improve them.

Chairman Mike King offered a commission site visit to help the Duponts establish wetlands from uplands and to share ideas for future improvements.

An RDA filed by John and Deborah Baglini, Old Slough Road was given a negative 2 decision and a Notice of Intent filing by Gary and Illene Searle, 25 Grandview Avenue was conditioned for the construction of a concrete pad and pavers patio. It was unclear from the filing the full extent of work being proposed; thus, the filing was continued.

The Mattapoisett Housing Authority sought and received conditions for the construction of a new emergency egress and access walkway for Village Court.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is planned for April 28 at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

Bulldogs Conquer All Challenges

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Boys Lacrosse

The Bulldogs played Greater New Bedford Voc/Tech (1-5) on April 11 and won 16-0. Jake Proffit and Jack Leconte were named the players of the game. Their record is now 2-2, and their next game will be on April 16, at Seekonk (3-2).

Boys Tennis

Old Rochester hosted Dighton-Rehoboth (1-2) on April 9 and won 3-2 on a third set tiebreaker. Connor Galligan was named the player of the match, as the Bulldog’s record moved to 2-0. Their next match will be at Apponequet (3-0), on April 17.

Girls Tennis

The Bulldogs played their first match of the season against Dighton-Rehoboth (1-2) on April 9 and won 5-0. Neva Matos was named the player of the match. They’ll look to win their next one on April 17, at home against Apponequet.

Baseball

Old Rochester faced Apponequet (0-2) on April 10 and won 7-1. They’re now 2-1 on the season, and will play at West Bridgewater (1-2), on April 16.


By Aiden Comorosky

Mattapoisett Republican Town Committee

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The Mattapoisett Republican Town Committee welcomes members, guests and the community to join us on Thursday, April 17 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm to attend our monthly meeting. Find out what is going on in the community and get involved. The location is at the Niemad Building, 57 Fairhaven Rd., Mattapoisett at 7:00 pm – Guest speaker Tom Hodgson, Sheriff of Bristol County 1997-2022, Topic: ICE/Illegal Immigration and Jo-Anne Hodgson, GOP State Committeewoman, Topic: Election Integrity. Legislative Solutions. There will be light snacks, cash bar and good conversation. If you have any questions contact Paul Criscuolo, Chairperson at PCMattyGOP@proton.me.

MNHM Annual Meeting

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Marion Natural History Museum’s Annual Meeting featuring Chris German of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will give a talk on “From Submarine Vents to Life on other Ocean Worlds” on May 16 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

The first Alvin dives to submarine vents, together with the discovery that they hosted new species of animals never seen before on Earth, was hailed as one of the top scientific discoveries of the entire 20th Century. But what was not yet known, as the millennium turned, was that Earth is not the only planetary body in our solar system that has deep saltwater oceans. In the past ~25 years it has become apparent that there may be as many as 20 such “ocean worlds” among the moons of the Giant Planets that orbit beyond our Solar System’s “snow line”: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune & Uranus. While the outer pair have not been revisited since the Voyager expeditions of the 1970s-80s, NASA’s Galileo and Cassini missions to the Jupiter and Saturn systems, respectively, have revealed the presence of a number of ice-covered moons, similar in size to Earth’s moons, but with salt-water oceans underneath. In the case of Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus, careful study has revealed that those oceans are in contact with an underlying rocky seafloor. Exactly the kind of setting that could host submarine venting of a kind that could host microbial life at the base of a food chain that is independent of sunlight – just like Earth’s submarine vents.

In this talk Chris will share some of the insights from WHOI scientists that are helping shape NASA’s strategies to explore for life in future space missions to icy moons – including the Europa Clipper mission, just launched in October 2024 – and how engineering at WHOI is helping to develop technologies that will be needed to explore further, using audacious, robotics-led approaches to gain access to, and explore within, their underlying oceans.

The event is free however we ask that you register online at the museum’s website: www.marionmuseum.org.

The Filming of The Weekend on Cape Cod When Everything Changed

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On the nights of April 9 and April 10, the temperature floated in the 30s and 40s. That did not halt the filming of The Weekend on Cape Cod When Everything Changed. A beach wedding scene was to be filmed on those nights. Local extras were asked to park at Mattapoisett’s Park and Ride to be shuttled to the “ultra secret filming location.” Though it was cold, the wardrobe was that of a late-summer/early-fall “country club wedding.”

The location of this shoot was 3 Goodspeed Island Road, the same property originally slated to be the filming location of the Netflix series until the SAG-AFTRA labor strike which began last summer and is still officially ongoing. The location of filming sits on roughly one acre of land on the water with beach access. Along with filming on the property, there were also film crews spotted near the Water St. General Store. The crew will also film at various locations on the Cape itself. The movie will film over 18 total days, according to Noll.

The movie began filming in the last weeks and has drawn much public fascination and wonder as to what locations will be shot and what stars will be spotted. The movie is written by Dalia Rooni (Gen V [movie], NCIS: Los Angeles) and is being directed by Lauren Noll (Gen V [movie], The Heart of Texas). The movie’s principal stars include Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy, Dazed and Confused), Richie Moriarty (Ghosts, What We Do in the Shadows), and Kevin Nealon (SNL, Weeds, Happy Gilmore).

The movie saw fundraising by Lauren Noll through Seed & Spark, where it raised $76,285. According to the project page, an excerpt on the movie’s plot states: “To keep her visa status, a wide-eyed Iranian immigrant accepts a proposal from the son of her billionaire boss. What begins as a green card wedding on Cape Cod becomes so much more when her two closest friends arrive with their own boyfriends and cross-cultural baggage in tow.” The movie takes place, as the title suggests, over the course of one weekend on the Cape and exhibits similarities to 2009’s The Proposal, with it also being a comedy/rom-com.

Already being two weeks through principal photography, the movie is roughly halfway through its filming. Following this and editing, it will likely have a release later this year. Though nothing has been confirmed at this time.


By Sam Bishop

Summer Rodeo in Rochester

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Get ready for some ropin’ and ridin’ on Pine Street. Rochester’s Select Board Monday reviewed a proposal to allow a rodeo this summer at the former Country Fair campgrounds at 65 Pine St.

Kelly Pina of New England Rodeo, an officer with the group offering the plan, said it would like to put on a rodeo show on its 18.6 acres one Saturday each in June, July, August, and September. But it would like to take possession of the property in May to begin setting up the parcel for that use.

The board concluded that before voting its approval a public hearing would be needed first to gauge public reaction to such a plan. That hearing was scheduled for its next meeting, April 28, at 6:10 pm.

Select Board Member Adam Murphy suggested led to that conclusion after New England Rodeo owner Elias DaSilva said the organization’s other rodeos have attracted around 1,000 visitors to each show. Murphy said he wanted to make sure how the neighbors would feel about such an event coming to their neighborhood and whether the town’s public services, fire, police and Emergency Medical Services, can handle such a crowd.

Pina promised that public safety and community involvement would be the group’s priorities. New England Rodeo will invite local groups and charities to participate and do fund raising at its rodeos. Speakers will be pointed away from residential neighborhoods. Medical services will be on-duty and safety protocols in place.

Town Administrator Cameron Durant reported that town council has advised him the arrangement for using the site should be a license rather than a lease. A lease agreement would require going out to bid for other interested parties, he said.
Selectmen chair Brad Morse asked if the group was aware of future plans for the site, a new fire station. Pina said the group was aware and that it required only an ‘interim’ use of the property.

Earlier Monday, the board continued another big review to an April 28 hearing. Durant revealed that the 24 articles proposed for the May 19 Annual Town Meeting include the FY26 budget (a number that has yet to be finalized), spending $363,000 on Capital Improvement funding, a proposal to allow town employees to opt out of the town’s health insurance plan and revising the 40R Smart Growth Development District on Cranberry Highway to encompass an additional parcel. He said the Select Board will need to meet jointly on April 28 with school officials and the Finance and Capital Planning committees regarding town budgets.

In other action, the board approved the Mattapoisett Land Trust and Friends of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail’s request to run a charity bike event, ‘Tour de Creme’, through town on June 1.

The board voted against exercising the town’s Right of First Refusal to purchase 0 Walnut Plain Road, which is being converted from Chapter 61B forest and horticultural land protection for residential use.

Morse announced the town’s receipt of the SEMASS Payment In Lieu of Taxes payment for March 2025 of $412,890.

Durant reported the Highway Surveyor Jeff Eldridge will be clearing the brush behind the town office building to extend parking there.

The board approved Town Clerk Marjorie Barrows’ request to allow in-person early voting on Saturday, May 24 and during normal business hours on May 26.

The board approved the FY26 Cost of Living increase for municipal employees’ salaries to 2.5 percent, a jump that was recently endorsed by the Finance Committee.

Murphy informed the board he is speaking to stakeholders to find an alternative to utilizing the Regional Old Colony Communications Center Dispatch Call Center in Duxbury should the town’s contract with that organization not get renewed. The board agreed to allow Murphy to continue as the town’s liaison on this discussion.

The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, April 28 at 6:00 pm at the Council On Aging senior center, 67 Dexter Lane.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

Sippican School’s Norman Award

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Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Police Chief Richard Nighelli are pleased to share that 14 students at the Sippican Elementary School so far this year have received the Norman Award, named after the police comfort-dog that’s been serving the school community since June 2024.

The Norman Award was established this school year to honor students for meeting or exceeding school expectations and demonstrating good character. Award recipients are nominated by school staff.

Each month, new winners of the Norman Award are added to the “Norman Board” on display in the main lobby. Students who are nominated are then recognized at an all-school meeting, and they are presented with a Norman stuffed animal and a Norman award certificate.

Students are recognized with the Norman Award for the following reasons:

-Excelling in academics or have shown significant improvement in classroom efforts.

-Being respectful, responsible and kind, in line with the school’s “3 to Be” initiative.

-Acting as good leaders or role models for classmates.

-Always giving one’s best effort.

Comfort Dog Norman and his handler, School Resource Officer Jonathan Tracy, have become an integral part of Sippican School. Norman is tasked with providing comfort to children and staff who have experienced trauma, de-escalating stressful situations, and serving as a friendly face for the Marion Police Department. Other benefits of having a comfort dog like Norman include teaching empathy, helping students to develop stronger social skills, and building up stronger bonds between students and police.

“Norman and I are happy to be able to recognize the students who go above and beyond with their behavior and school expectations,” said Officer Tracy. “We are so proud of all the students who have earned the award so far this year, and we look forward to presenting more awards to the students who have been ‘Norminated.'”

Norman joined the Marion Police Department on June 7 last year, acquired as a 13-week-old puppy from Boone Field Labradors. Norman was the 18th member of the Plymouth County Comfort Dogs Program, overseen by District Attorney Timothy Cruz, identifying grant funding to get the Labrador trained by Professional Canine Services in Middleboro.

Sippican School students then voted on what to name the dog, choosing between a total of three names, with Norman receiving the most votes.

Sippican School Principal Lynn Dessert congratulated the 14 students who have received the Norman Award so far and looks forward to celebrating other students in the future.

“This is a wonderful way to honor our students for doing their best, and showing others how to be respectful, responsible and kind,” Principal Dessert said. “I look forward to continuing to issue more Norman Awards and adding more names to the Norman Board. Congratulations to all of our current and future Norman Award winners. Thank you to Norman and our police partners for helping to create these special moments of recognition for our students.”

Assistant Principal Greg Thomas appreciates how the Norman Award has made the Labrador retriever and School Resource Officer Tracy into even more integral members of the school community. And the Norman Award reflects how they’ve become role models for the students.

“It’s fantastic to see our students recognized with the Norman Award for their character,” said Assistant Principal Thomas. “Their positive impact speaks volumes, and we’re incredibly proud of them.”

Police Chief Richard Nighelli said it’s an honor to have Comfort Dog Norman become the namesake for an award recognizing good character among students.

“This is an amazing initiative,” Chief Nighelli said. “We really appreciate all of our Norman Award honorees, and we wish them the best as they continue to excel in school, showing good character and doing their best inside and outside of the classroom.”

“The Norman Award has been a wonderful way of taking the likeness of our beloved police dog and using it to reward our students for doing their best, while practicing respectfulness, responsibility and kindness,” said Superintendent Nelson. “Sippican Elementary School is very fortunate and we’re grateful for the positive impact made by Comfort Dog Norman and Officer Tracy. To have such a strong and helpful partnership with our police department has been tremendous. The faculty, staff members and students absolutely love Norman, Officer Tracy and the Norman Award.”

The Misconceptions of Science Fiction

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The Mattapoisett Free Library will host a local author talk on Saturday, May 10 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Local resident Richard Cutler is the author of what has been described as “speculative fiction.” This is a subgenre of science fiction of which there are many genres including horror and space cowboy adventures. Those exposed to only one kind of science fiction believe it is the only type and proclaim, “I don’t like science fiction.” However, science fiction literature in general falls behind only children’s and young adult literature in popularity and is read by many but they may not fully understand the variety in the genre. Mary Shelley is credited for writing the first science fiction novel (horror) in 1818 with her story of Frankenstein. Jules Verne, however, helped popularize science fiction with what can now be considered speculative fiction with stories such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Much of what he considered has come to pass!

Today, people speculate about what will happen when man goes to Mars or how far AI might evolve. A lot of what people saw and experienced thousands of year ago was misunderstood and what they saw speculated on, correctly or incorrectly. For example, no one considered the giant bones they saw to be dinosaur bones. People might have thought they were from giant humans. If they saw an alien or alien spacecraft, how would they rationalize what they saw? These are the concepts that will be explored interactively to better understand the general topic of science fiction. Cutler will then read a couple of sections from a couple of his books and offer signed copies. Cutler is an engineer living in Rochester and retired from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He has spent much of career writing technical material working with other engineers and scientists, creating a fertile playground for his mind to consider many “what ifs.” Those “what ifs” are now put into print by Cutler. His stories are appropriate reading for teenagers and up.