Local Signs of First Nations People

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            Archaeologist Erin Flynn of Public Archaeology Laboratory based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was the guest speaker at the Marion Natural History Museum on February 9. Flynn took her audience on a journey of many hundreds of years, a journey of our collective past but more specifically the long, ongoing journey of the First Nations People. Flynn has over 20 years of field experience pulling back the sands of time to discover bits of past lives, lives of the first people.

            Flynn began with comments outlining precontact centuries (Paleoindian period 12,000 to 3,000 years ago) where hunting and fishing fed the growing, original populations. These people inhabited the south-coast region, finding it conducive for supporting life. But it wasn’t until postcontact, colonists took an interest in archaeology through the modern era that a fuller history emerged.

            From artifacts uncovered in the 1800s by homeowners and others digging around in recreational, archaeological pursuits, much was learned. There is evidence that these early people traded amongst other established tribes based on the types of materials used to make spearheads and arrows. Discovery of these tools, the manner in which they were created and the organic materials used, helps Flynn and others date residential sites.

            Precontact sites are where stone tools used in a variety of ways from grinding nuts and grains to cooking utensils have been found. Marion had many precontact sites at one time, but Flynn said those are all under water now as shorelines have shifted over the ages.

            Retreating glaciers turned up mastodon bones, animals, Flynn said, that were surely hunted for food. More likely, however, the early people sustained themselves on small game and fish.

            The Archaic Period, some 10,000 to 3,000 years ago, found First Nations People improving on earlier stone tools. During this time, they carved stone tips with bifurcated bases that made attachment to a handle or arrow more secure. Through carbon dating of charcoal and ash, scientists believe there were very large villages with many hundreds if not thousands of people living.

            Flynn stated that all along the way native people were learning, experimenting, designing better tools. By the late archaic period and Transitional Period, they were using weighted nets to catch fish, carving pipes and using stones and other materials for personal adornment.

            During the Woodland Period, 3,000 to 450 years ago, villages were reaching their zenith. Flynn said that there is evidence of agricultural activities and that shell pits from this period have been found. She noted that the Little Neck region and Great Hill or Stone Estate areas have produced evidence of First Nations people occupancy. Flynn said that Charles Neck, a point of land between Aucoot Cove and Sippican Harbor, was named after a person of ancestral First People lineage.

            Flynn was asked what one should do if they believe they have found a First People’s site. She said that the Massachusetts Historical Commission is charged with the responsibility of collecting and confirming historical data. To contact this agency, visit .sec.state.ma.us/mhc/. And don’t forget to visit the Marion Natural History Museum to view their collection of First Nations artifacts.

By Marilou Newell

Alane Hall

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Alane Hall passed away on February 10, 2024; and is survived by her husband Larry of 43 years, children Barbara and Ben and their spouses Chris and Aly, grand-critters Sebastian, Reagan, Cyrus, and Riley, sister Carla, sister-in-law Mary, niece Heather and nephews David and Carl, and fake daughter Kellie and her family.

            Alane was born on January 14, 1950, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She left Massachusetts in 1967 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in American studies at Lake Erie College. After working at the New Yorker’s Boston office, she went on to receive her master’s in historical architecture at Columbia University and later worked for the National Park Service to restore portions of the Boston Navy Yard.

            After graduating from college, Alane went on a hiking trip to New Hampshire where she met the love of her life and future husband, Larry. After a long courtship they married and settled in Marion, Massachusetts, where Alane would raise their two kids in what would forever be her home (despite her love-hate relationship with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts).

            Over the next four decades, Alane built a life for her family in Marion. She walked her kids to Loft and then Sippican school until they could go by themselves. She was active with her church for most of that time. A master knitter, she worked with a talented group of women to craft hats and clothing and repair toys for those in need. She supported her fellow parishioners in their time of need, frequently volunteering her time and cooking for funeral receptions.

            Among family and friends, Alane was known for her incredible cooking. While she was formally trained, she had a natural talent for making food taste good. She was meticulous in her preparation and every year spent days preparing a Christmas Eve smorgasbord for dozens of family and friends. She loved to host but was not an extrovert. She prioritized family and close friends over everything.

            Alane was a mom who remembered every school event, special occasion, and holiday. Her love and support were unconditional, but she told you when you were going off course. She was a voracious reader, consuming a minimum of two newspapers a day, hand-purchased at the Marion General Store and never delivered or read online. She was the best nana who read book after book at bedtime and passed her love of reading to all four grandkids. The grandchildren’s eyes all lit up when Nana was in the room and the feeling was mutual.

            She will be forever missed by her family and friends. We love you Alane, Sammy, Mom, and Nana.

            Those who knew Alane know that she would not want flowers (especially the smelly ones). In lieu of flowers, please give those you love a call or hold them a little tighter. A service will be held by the sea in the summer for family and close friends.

Rochester Cultural Council Grantees

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The Rochester Cultural Council (RCC) is excited to announce that we have awarded $6470 in grant funds to support 17 projects in 2024. Grants ranged from $150 to $850 and were awarded in the categories of arts, sciences and humanities. Emphasis was placed on funding programs that benefited Rochester residents and are to be held locally in town as well as projects that are free to participants or available at a reduced rate.

            The RCC is proud to be able to announce our support of following grantees for FY24: Acushnet Public Library, Cara Bean, East Over Farms, FORD, FORM, Lewis-Parks & Andrew, MAC, Old Colony Cougars PTO, Onset Bay Assoc., Practice Best Practice, Rochester Historical Society, RMS PTO, Sippican Choral Society, South Coast Children’s Chorus, South Coast Children’s Theatre, Tri-County Music Association, Jon Waterman.

            All events are ongoing through December 31. For more detailed information of events, please visit the MA Cultural Council website at massculturalcouncil.org/local-council/rochester/ or our Facebook page.

            The RCC is a group of volunteers appointed by the Rochester Select Board for three-year terms. Our mission is to promote excellence, access  and diversity in the arts, humanities and sciences to enhance the quality of life in Rochester. The RCC strives to achieve these goals by diligently evaluating grant requests and allocating the funds provided by the Mass Cultural Council to projects best serving Rochester residents. The Rochester Cultural Council is always recruiting new members. Please visit our town website at www.townofrochestermass.com/cultural-council and get in touch with a member of the council to learn more.

The Story of the Tremont Advent Camp Meeting

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The Marion Historical Commission and the Sippican Historical Society will cohost a live presentation The Story of the Tremont Advent Camp Meeting on Thursday, March 21. Historic preservation consultant Lynn Smiledge will present the talk at the Marion Music Hall at 6:30 pm.

            Have you ever noticed the little Tremont Advent Camp sign along Wareham Road near Hermitage Road? Here’s your chance to learn what it represents.

            The Tremont Advent Campmeeting was established in 1861 by a group of Second Advent (or Advent) Christians. Their belief, expounded by revivalist Baptist preacher William Miller, was that the second coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ was to take place in 1843. The Tremont Advent Campmeeting was originally located in the Tremont section of Wareham, hence its name. When the Wareham camp was completely destroyed in a fire on March 31, 1905 they chose the property on Hammett’s Cove. The first Marion Campmeeting was held there July 25-August 6, 1905.

            By the mid-19th century, seasonal revival camp meetings had become a common fixture in the landscape of America. Located in the countryside and often on bodies of water, campgrounds included permanent buildings for common use such as dormitories, kitchens, dining halls and assembly rooms and eventually individual residential cottages. These revival meetings featured charismatic speakers and were punctuated with enthusiastic hymn singing. Plentiful food and a wide range of recreational activities were also mainstay aspects of camp meeting life. Camp meetings were described by Transcendentalist philosopher and poet Henry David Thoreau as “a singular combination of a prayer-meeting and a picnic.” They reached their greatest popularity between the Civil War and World War I.

            Only a handful of these camp meetings still survive in Massachusetts, the most well-known being the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association established by a Methodist congregation in 1835 in Oak Bluffs. The campground there is a National Historic Landmark, known for its colorful and elaborately-decorated Gothic Revival and Queen Anne-style cottages.

            Located adjacent to Hammett’s Cove, the 10+ acre site of Camp Marion and most of the original cottages and other buildings remain largely as constructed during the first quarter of the 20th century. Of the 43 buildings, 19 are Association-owned and the rest are in private ownership on Association-owned land. According to consultant Lynn Smiledge, “This resource is important as an intact example of the layout and built fabric of one of the camp meetings so prevalent across New England in the second half of the 19th century.”

            The Camp meeting in Marion has remained in continuous operation since 1905. Every summer, campers of all ages still come to Marion from across New England and beyond. Family Camp meeting Week is the highlight of the season. It is framed by Little Sunday and Big Sunday, the first and last days of the camp meeting week. Other formal sessions include camp weeks for children, youths (age 8-17), and adults.

            Come learn more about this interesting facet of Marion history on Thursday, March 21.

RMS Students Introduced To Coding and Computer Programming

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Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Interim Principal Heidi Letendre are pleased to announce that Rochester Memorial students recently participated in several activities to learn about and apply concepts in computer science and coding.

            During Computer Science Education Week, students at Rochester Memorial School participate in the Hour of Code with Media Specialist Sandi Sollauer. The Hour of Code is a global initiative that helps students learn the basics of computer programming and coding, as well as practice creativity and problem-solving skills.

            Following the Hour of Code, K-6 students have further applied the coding

concepts they learned with STEM teacher Scott Huckabee in the Rochester

Memorial School’s STEM Lab.

            Working in small teams, students recently took on a robot race challenge. Using the “Over the River and Through the Woods” song as inspiration, students programmed a variety of robots to complete challenges with the ultimate goal of being able to get their robot to “Grandmother’s House.”

            For the intermediate elementary grades, an obstacle course was set up in the STEM Lab. Groups were given different starting points and a set of constraints were put in place. These constraints required students to program their robots to go over the river, through the woods and through the white and drifted snow, before ending in front of Grandmother’s house. Students in Grades 3-4 programmed Dash Robots through an iPad app. Students in Grades 5-6 used Sphero Bolt robots, also programmed through an iPad app.

            For the primary grades, students contended with fewer obstacles to Grandmother’s house; however, her house was gradually moved to more challenging locations as groups succeeded. Students in grades K-2 used Bee-Bots, which have basic controls of forward, backward, left and right.

            “Here at Rochester Memorial School, we are very fortunate to have the resources for our students to participate in the Hour of Code. Mr. Huckabee and Ms. Sallauer collaborated to make the Hour of Code Week happen at RMS,” Interim Principal Letendre said. “Through these experiences, our students are gaining a stronger understanding of the use of technology in our everyday lives. Our students are growing up in a world where technology is constantly evolving and maybe some of our students will be interested in this career path in the future.”

            Massachusetts Computer Science Practices for students in this grade span focus on the development of coding concepts through exploration, discovery and creativity. The robot race provided the opportunity for students to actively engage and apply coding concepts. Throughout the activity, the students worked in cooperative groups, using their creative and problem-solving skills to develop their solutions. They explored technology through play, tested and evaluated computer code, and corrected “bugs” when they appeared in their code, all while building their coding fluency and technological skills.

            “It’s great to see the Hour of Code embraced so enthusiastically by our students and their teachers every year,” Superintendent Nelson said. “This is not only an excellent opportunity to introduce our younger students to coding, but also allow them to expand their skills in creativity, problem-solving and teamwork.”

New Name, Same Game

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            The planning for a massive upgrade to the filtering system in the Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant has reached its fine-tuning stages, and the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission wasn’t at all thrown off by a corporate takeover of Koch Separation Solutions, the designer of the state-of-the-art system to be installed in the plant that services MRV member towns Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester.

            It was all systems go when the MRV convened Tuesday afternoon via Zoom for its monthly meeting.

            Jon Gregory, representing engineering consultants Tata & Howard, referenced the switch in name from Koch to Kovalus (the result of an acquisition by a Sun Capital Partners affiliate) and said only a final question on an electrical issue remains before the MRV should receive a final submittal from the designer for the commission’s final review. Gregory anticipates the final submittal this week, after which the skids (not just the membrane) will be pushed into production.

            One issue that continues to drag is where the project stands on the state Department of Environmental Protection list of priorities. Gregory, Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Henri Renauld and MRV Chairman Vinnie Furtado put together a written testimony and sent on January 31 to state officials, and Representative William Straus, a Mattapoisett resident, also wrote a letter on MRV’s behalf.

            In the meantime, Gregory told the commission he is working with an electrical consultant and a substructural consultant. Part of permitting for the construction phase, he explained, is in providing a bypass plan to MassDEP. Incorporated into that plan would be public outreach and sampling, duration, etc. That is all in the works.

            Tata & Howard representatives were to meet with Atlantium Technologies on Wednesday in Marlborough.

            MRV commission/committee member David Pierce asked if, beyond the filter-upgrade project, are further upgrades in store for the plant itself? Gregory noted that the initial loan will be paid off in July 2026, leaving a short overlap with debt to be incurred with the purchase of the new filtering system and equipment.

            (On Monday, Renauld went before the Mattapoisett Select Board with a proposal for a new building to house the town’s Water and Sewer Department operations.)

            Pierce also asked if the power failure at the Water Treatment Plant resulting from the August 8, 2023, tornado could have been more easily mitigated by a generator with a larger storage tank. Renauld indicated that a permanent, underground tank could be potentially dangerous.

            “One of my biggest concerns is how much fuel do we want to store in our (plant),” said Renauld. “To maintain something specifically underground … as of now a truck can park there with 2,000 gallons.”

            With the current capacity, the plant can continue operating for approximately two days during a power outage. In July and August, that number decreases to approximately 36 hours.

            For now, Renauld reported that the plant is “running fairly well.” He is participating in the effort to devise a plan to bypass the filtering system during the upgrade project later this year. Renauld was happy to report that the rooftop at the plant has been installed. A valve change required three days of work over the weekend.

            In his monthly Tata & Howard report, Gregory said he is meeting with Renauld to update the five-year capital plan, and this time went out one more additional year, finalizing and sending out the 2023 annual district report (for member towns to include in their reports to voters in this spring’s annual town meetings.)

            In his Treasurer’s Report to the commission, Renauld said a total of $77,220.34 was paid out over the prior month, including a bill of $39,512.47 to Eversource, over $12,000 to chemical distributors Borden & Remington, and Tata & Howard invoices of $6,720 and $4,543. He also noted that the rooftop heating unit for which the commission approved $16,520 has been installed. “We have heat now,” he said.

            In the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee meeting immediately preceding that of the commission, Gregory reported having transmitted October and November 2023 river-monitoring graphs to the membership and said he will soon have December 2023 information from Megan McCarthy. Once he looks through the whole year’s data, Tata & Howard will put together and present a visual summary for the year and take questions.

            Operations over the last month with river monitoring have posed no complications, and the MRV has two spare level loggers at its disposal.

            In a vote following a short discussion, the committee authorized Vinnie Furtado to write a letter recommending that the Rochester Planning Board go forward with the Approval Not Required (ANR) application filed by Walter Hartley and John Libby Consulting for the separation of a lot on Hartley Road into two buildable lots.

            In his Treasurer’s Report to the committee, Jeff Furtado announced an ending balance as of February 1 of $202,826.09. Among new invoices approved for payment by Vinnie Furtado was $2,216.49 to Tata & Howard.

            The annual notice of assessment reports that Marion will pay in excess of $18,000, Mattapoisett over $14,000 and Fairhaven over $13,000.

            McCarthy combined meeting minutes for all of 2023 into one document for committee’s and commission’s consumption.

            Citing negligible interest coming into the committee’s account via conventional banking, Pierce suggested the committee research available certificates of deposit. “It’s never been worth our while, but the interest on the CD’s is up now.” Pierce. “It’s still secure funds, but it gets much better interest.” Jeff Furtado will look into it, and the committee will review the matter with Anne Carreiro.

            The next meeting of the MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 3:30 pm (committee) and 4:00 pm (commission.)

MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo

Contest Inspires Students to Dig Deeper

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            For the fourth consecutive year, the communities of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester will celebrate Black History Month by encouraging area youth to celebrate through artistic expression: the Creative Expressions Contest.

            And thanks to the nonprofit Tri-Town Against Racism, this nonprofit is ahead of the game, celebrating African American artistic expression, which is this year’s national theme, according to TTAR president Alison Noyce.

            Noyce said that after TTAR formed in April 2020, the group conducted its first contest the following February, celebrating African American arts before it became a theme this year. Noyce said last year was a down year in terms of the number of submissions, but the quality was better, making it hard for judges to rank the top projects.

            “There’s lots of options for the kids to explore,” Noyce said during a recent interview. “We are hoping to get junior high school and high school kids to dig into Black History Month – learn about the theme in a deeper way than without the contest.”

            According to the TTAR website, entries must be no larger than 11 inches by 14 inches in size. Participants on the back of their work must indicate their name, school and age. All entries can be dropped off at Mattapoisett Free Library during library hours.

            Noyce emphasized the educational aspect of the contest and how students in these towns will be able to conduct some deep research into individual African Americans and their contribution to American culture.

            “It’s really a fun way to celebrate and share African Americans in the arts. We are going to have an awards ceremony, and all artwork will be displayed at Mattapoisett Free Library, and it will stay up until at least the end of the month,” Noyce said.

            The deadline for submission is Thursday, February 22, at 4:00 pm. Late entries cannot be considered, according to a written release from TTAR.

            Winners will be announced at the opening reception in the Mattapoisett Library Community Room on Saturday, February 24, at 2:00 pm. Light refreshments will be served, also according to that release.

            The contest welcomes entries from any medium, encouraging students to express their creativity in diverse ways. Participants must be junior or senior high school students, living or attending school in the Tri-Town area during the 2023-24 school year, also according to a written release.

            For more information on contest details, log into tritownagainstracism.org/contest-2024.

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

Winter Wildlife Walk

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Come along on a guided 2.5-mile hike through forests, fields and along the rocky coastline at Nasketucket Bay State Reservation on Wednesday, February 21 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm. We’ll explore winter wildlife, look for signs of animal activity and discover animal adaptations for surviving our winter weather. Meet at the main dirt parking lot at Brandt Beach Road in Mattapoisett. Best for curious adults and families with children ages 10+ years. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Leashed dogs allowed. Dress for the weather. No restrooms on site; plan accordingly. Inclement weather will cancel. For more information or to confirm, call (508) 272-9376.

Mattapoisett’s Changing Climate

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On Sunday February 25 from 1:30 – 3:00 PM, The Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee will sponsor its second in a series of Speakers’ Forums in the downstairs public meeting room of the Mattapoisett Public Library. Light refreshments will be provided and a $10 donation is requested.

We will discuss climate change and its effects on Mattapoisett and what residents can do to prepare. Our speakers will include Michael Lorenco, Mattapoisett Town Manager, who will talk about what the Town’s plan is for addressing climate change. Mike Huguenin, President of the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT), will discuss what projects the MLT has been working on aimed at reducing carbon emissions as well as making our lands more resilient to climate change. The MLT has been the recipient of numerous grants to study the restoration of our salt marshes and has partnered with other state and local organizations to accomplish this goal.

They will be joined by Mattapoisett resident Chrystal Walsh who has been involved locally with climate change issues for many years, David Kaplan, concerned resident, avid fisherman and writer of five fishing books,  along with Marissa Perez-Dormitzer, also a resident of Mattapoisett and District Waste Manager for the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District. For more information about this Forum, please contact Nicky Osborne at 508-988-5205.

Water/Sewer Pitches New Building

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            A new municipal building is being planned for the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Departments. During the February 12 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board, members heard from Henri Renauld, Water and Sewer superintendent, regarding the new building plans.

            Renauld stated that a combination of revenue sources will be used to offset the early construction estimate of $3,600,000. He explained that for years the two departments have rented space around the community for offices and for equipment storage. Now with the pending sale of two lots in the Bay Club and the sale of 33 Church Street, costs including possible borrowing will be offset.

            Renauld said design of a new building was nearly complete and may include pump-testing areas, which will lessen the impact of paying to have pumps repaired and/or tested. He said there would be a Spring Town Meeting article for voters to consider any necessary borrowing for the building.

            Budgets were also reviewed for the FY25 cycle. The combined increases equal 2.6% over FY24; the FY25 Water/Sewer operating budget stands at $2,721,489.

            Also meeting with the board was Gail Joseph, health agent. Joseph and the board discussed a number of revenue-producing activities that might help in Joseph’s continued efforts to right this enterprise’s troubled financial past.

            One immediate action planned is the raising of fees at the Transfer Station. With the high costs associated with both solid and recyclable materials, reducing tonnage was critical, Joseph stated. Now available at the Transfer Station are recycle bins for clothing and books. But food waste, which adds to the weight issue, was tougher to tackle.

            “People don’t understand how important it is to compost food waste,” said Joseph, adding that people who bring their household trash to the Transfer Station are actually incurring double the cost to the town, since residential pick-up has already paid for that service. And regarding food waste, she said that there were future state regulations being discussed for removing food waste from the solid-waste stream altogether.

            In discussing the need for a scale that could accurately calculate fees for construction debris, Joseph said that there were small portable scales available. The board asked her to look into that option. When asked how much construction debris was currently being captured and paid for, she responded, “35 percent.”

            The board also asked Joseph to look into electronic devices that would allow the town’s cell phone at the transfer station to process credit-card payments. Currently, the department is only able to process cash transactions.

            The FY25 operating budget draft for the Transfer Station stands at $174,980.

            Recreation Department Director Greta Fox also met with the board. They discussed at length the various programs offered ranging from basketball to pickleball, summer camp, lacrosse, flag football and kayaking lessons. She said that Mattapoisett residents were considered first for openings in summer camp and that staffing for the beach looks promising for the season. The draft operating budget for the Beach and Recreation departments is $69,650.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 26, at 5:30 pm.

            Capital Planning has also been meeting with department heads for their capital needs. The list for FY25 has as its number-one priority $360,000 for a new ambulance. Other items include: $40,000 for ambulance stretcher; $11,000 new Fire Department helmets; $18,000 hose replacement; $75,000 Highway Department pickup truck; $300,000 annual road improvements; $32,900 paging server Old Hammondtown School; $32,900 paging server Center School; UTV with stretcher $25,000; $8,000 replace pump forestry Fire Department vehicle; $50,000 Town Hall exterior-trim painting; $10,000 Highway Department exhaust fan; $18,000 Old Hammondtown water heater; $25,000 library elevator upgrades; $130,000 Pine Island culvert-design engineering; $18,000 Center School water-heater replacement; $26,000 fire door replacement; $20,000 Center School window seals and $25,000 Old Hammondtown VCT flooring.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell