ORRHS Celebrates Unified Basketball Team’s Undefeated 2023 Season

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Superintendent Michael S. Nelson, Principal Michael Devoll, Athletic Director Chris Carrig, and Unified Bulldogs Basketball Team Coach Emma Fenton recently recognized and celebrated the Old Rochester Regional High School (ORRHS) Unified Basketball Team for its perfect 2023 season.

            On Friday, October 18, Principal Devoll, Director Carrig, and Coach Fenton presented a banner commemorating the Unified Basketball Team’s undefeated season at a pep rally with all ORRHS students present.

            “Congratulations to our talented Unified Basketball team on their impressive season” Superintendent Nelson said. “Thank you to Principal Devoll, Director Carrig, and Coach Fenton for their amazing work in providing this special recognition for our players. It’s times like these that we see and feel the positive impact of inclusivity and comradery amongst our wonderful students and staff.”

            During the pep rally, students made several handmade posters to cheer on the Unified Basketball Team on their success. Throughout the event, members of the team ran through the banner in celebration of their undefeated season and received many high-fives from peers.

            “The Unified Bulldogs embody the value of dedication and hard work” Athletic Director Carrig said. “Teamwork and the joy that comes with it are on full display in everything they do, and I couldn’t be prouder of the success they’ve earned.”

            The Unified Sports program in Massachusetts, run by Special Olympics Massachusetts in partnership with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, allows students with disabilities the opportunity to play high school sports alongside their peers in a fun and supportive environment.

            “The team is truly something special and to see their hard work and dedication recognized is amazing,” Coach Fenton said. “Opportunities like this really promote inclusion and give our Unified athletes credit for their accomplishments. While the wins are impressive – the banner truly represents the power of Unified Sports where every student, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to shine and contribute.”

            “Our Unified Basketball team represents all that is great about interscholastic sports,” said Principal Devoll. “They demonstrate teamwork, determination, positivity, and passion throughout their season. Congratulations to the players and Coach Fenton.”

Mattapoisett Congregational Church

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The Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s steeple is lit nightly and is a beacon of welcome and comfort to all. The Beacon of Light was started as a way to celebrate and honor loved ones or special occasions.  If you would like the steeple to be lit in remembrance of, in celebration of, or in honor of a loved one or blessed event, please call the church office at 508-758-2671 or email mattcongchurch@gmail.com for more information. We welcome and encourage multiple entries each month. This is a special way to celebrate our beautiful steeple, as a Beacon of Light in Mattapoisett, and to financially support our church. Thank you for your donation.

Disabilities Commission Re-Established

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            On October 16, a group of volunteers agreed to work collectively to rebuild the Mattapoisett Disabilities Commission. An earlier version of the commission petered out after the loss of a prime mover of the group. Now the town and the newly re-established commission are picking up the pieces.

            To that end, Assistant Town Administrator Katie Desrosiers guided the first meeting as the commission members acquainted themselves with one another and began discussions of possible ADA compliance goals moving forward.

            The commission members are Teri Nelson, Lara Whyte, Beverly Baccelli, Charles McIntyre, Lauren Rosa, Joanna Ingham, Christopher Oliveira, Kate Brown, Diane Harlfinger, Stanley Cornwall, and Marilou Newell. Baccelli was selected as chairman, McIntyre as vice-chair, and Diana Harlfinger as secretary.

            Desrosiers explained to the group that the town had received a grant from the state to conduct a self-evaluation and transition plan that brought to light such matters as public building accessibility and related concerns. The Institute for Human Center Design was engaged by the town to work with various departments in developing the self-evaluation. On November 12, a full presentation by the institute will be held at the Select Board meeting.

            In its executive summary, which the institute issued in September, outdoor public spaces needing evaluation were identified and included bike path intersections, public beaches, Ned’s Point, Shipyard Park, and the town landing.

            The GIS survey of the top five busiest intersections identified by the town’s safety officer are Tobey Lane at Main Street, Depot Street at Main Street, Church Street at Main Street, Pearl Street at Church Street, and Baptist Street at Church Street.

            The summary further noted that the town should have a corrective action plan with ADA improvement projects being completed within a five year period.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco is the town’s designated ADA Coordinator. If you have questions or concerns regarding matters related to ADA compliance contact the Select Board and or Lorenco at 508-758-4100.

By Marilou Newell

Rochester Furthers Solar Development

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Tuesday, Rochester’s Planning Board reviewed, without a definitive resolution, a plan to place new utility poles and lines on Robinson Road just as residents complain about how that plan has changed.

Joseph Harrison of ReWild, representing Cushman Solar LLC, explained to the board that the work is part of Eversource substation upgrades to connect utility power to the Cushman Road solar array. The current proposal, he said, is to eliminate original plans of four new poles on Robinson Road in favor of underground utilities and placing the Eversource meter and transformer on a five-by-five foot-pad. Basically, under a large manhole in the road at the solar array panel. He said this is a more expensive option, but it would eliminate the need to remove trees on Robinson Road.
            8 Robinson Road resident Christine Hutchins and neighbor Julie Koczera, who have granted easements for that new utility infrastructure across their properties, said the new plan will disturb their neighborhood with narrow rights of way between poles for vehicles, and the construction may even cause safety concerns.

            Koczera voiced concern that the change to underground utilities will create a different space for vehicles to enter and exit her property as well as safety concerns when construction begins. “How wide will my right of way become?” she asked. “How will emergency vehicles reach my house if there is a construction trench there?”

            Kim Ryan of 9 Robinson said this part of the street floods out easily and asked how the design will guard against that.

            Board chair Arnold Johnson said the developer is bound by the terms of the permit that was granted to maintain the appropriate standards to keep the site in good shape. He admitted the work will be less than 100 percent convenient for the affected residents; but the town has no ability to tell Eversource how to design its work as it sees fit, he said.

            Johnson suggested that Hutchins and Koczera work with ReWild on these details. Harrison said the company’s next meeting with Eversource will be Friday, October 25. Koczera asked to join the Zoom call for that meeting.

            Johnson said more details of this plan will be discussed at the board’s next meeting in November.

            In other action, the board approved the Field Engineering service agreement for the preliminary subdivision plan on 28 acres at 386 Snipatuit Road. The proposal would add two new homes to a parcel with an existing dwelling unit. The board began Tuesday’s meeting with a review of this proposal. Johnson told project representative Rick Charron that the board formulate conditions for the permit for the board’s next meeting.

            The board re-opened the public hearing on the bylaw amendments that were approved at the spring 2024 town meeting. Johnson explained the board had violated (by one day) the mandate that the public notice for scheduling the hearing for these articles last spring be posted for 14 days. The board merely had to re-post and re-advertise to do it correctly, per mandate. No further town meeting action will be necessary.

            The new bylaw sections were on large-scale solar voltaic installations and the ground-mounted solar voltaic installations, protection of ‘historical resources,’ agricultural-residential district back lots, lot dimensions, and access to lot changes.

            The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Planning Board

by Michael J. DeCicco

Heart Saver Training Class

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The First Congregational Church of Marion is pleased to sponsor a “Heart Saver Training Class” to members, friends, and the Marion community. This is an opportunity to learn valuable techniques to be prepared for an emergency. It is for anyone with little or no medical training.

            This 3 to 4 hour class will be held on Sunday, November 10 at 12:00 pm on the second floor of the church’s Community Center. Local EMT instructors promise some fun as you are trained in CPR, Basic First Aid, AED (Auto Electric Defibrillator), Heimlich, Chest Thrusts, Bandaging, Choke Saving, and instruction to stop bleeding. The training is done on mannequins.

            The class is open to adults and youth 12 years of age or older. Upon receipt of payment and successful course completion, a certificate that is valid for two years is issued. The cost is $75 per person. Our Community Center is located at 144 Front Street (rear of the General Store parking lot).

            To sign up for the class, call the church office at 508-748-1053 (Tuesday through Thursday 9:00 am to 2:00 pm). A $75 check payable to The First Congregational Church of Marion should be brought to the church office in the Community Center or paid at the start of the class on November 10. The deadline to sign up for the class is Tuesday, November 5.

Mysteries Of The Midwater

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Come join the Marion Natural History Museum on November 8 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, as we hear about the Mysteries Of The Midwater: Exploring the Ocean Twilight Zone with Benjamin Grassian of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

            Benjamin Grassian is a Postdoctoral Investigator from WHOI working with imaging, acoustic, and net data collected during the Ocean Twilight Zone project. He is working with zooplankton image data collected from the “Stingray” and shipboard acoustic data. He focuses on describing the variable Diel Vertical Migration habits for different groups of animals. Come hear about the fascinating creatures who use this technique to survive.

            Suggested donation to the museum: $10. Please go to www.marionmuseum.org to register for this exciting event.

Marion Historic District Plans In Motion

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The town drew one step closer toward establishing a local historic district in Marion Village.

            Meg Steinberg, chairman of the town’s historic commission and advisor to the historic study committee, met with the planning board Monday with plans for the new district. Steinberg said historic officials will share plans with the planning board for further review, as well as the state’s historic commission. Once the study committee receives feedback and makes any suggested alterations, a bylaw would be proposed to voters at next year’s town meeting.

            Last year, the study committee formed and completed a survey in which 90 percent of respondents favored having a historic district. The study committee did further outreach over a year ago and Steinberg said that many residents prefer a district that is less restrictive than other types. Steinberg told Planning Board members that homeowners within the district can renovate homes and can even demolish some properties, as long as the rebuild matches the neighborhood within the village. Steinberg said most renovation and remodeling projects would not need any local approval as long as the visible front exterior still maintains the same historic facade. For instance, new windows or a new roof would not need local review, Steinberg noted.

            Steinberg said homeowners can even make significant alterations to the backside of a home as long as it is not visible from a public way. “Everything will be a balance between looks, appearance, and cost,” Steinberg told the Planning Board on Monday. “We want you to review the report and get your support at the town meeting.”

             Steinberg said there are 100 towns with local historic districts in the state and around 200 overall. “We jumped on the bandwagon finally,” she said.

            In other planning board business, the board met with developers for two separate housing applications: one on Wareham Road and another on Wareham Street.

            The board, looking for more information, delayed one site plan review hearing for FSJ Marion’s proposal for a multi-lot development on Wareham Street until November.

            The board opened its hearing for an affordable housing village, proposed by Mark Zuker. Board members said issues such as sewer and water to the development proposed at 78 Wareham Road must still be vetted locally before moving forward. According to Zuker’s presentation earlier this year, the development would encompass 30 acres and feature 36 detached dwellings and 12 townhouses.

Marion Planning Board

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

Read the Fine Print

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My father had many aphorisms. One which I use frequently is, “figures don’t lie, but liars figure.” The drug companies are masters at using numbers to mislead; they will make big print statements that are accurate but convey a message not consistent with real value.

            You might see “Our new cancer drug lets patients live 50% longer than current treatments.” Only in the small print do you find out that patients receiving their very expensive and very toxic drug live 3 months while those on a much cheaper drug with minimal side effects live 2 months. People might still opt to use the new drug, but they should do so with a real sense of what it does.

            The food factory companies have come up with their own way of misleading with true statements. These have been termed “halo effects.” Adding some healthy-sounding ingredients has been found to sway most customers into believing the product is good for you.

            Protein is currently in vogue, so many packaged foods are labelled High Protein. What you do not realize without looking more closely at the packet is that the “high protein energy bar” they are peddling is an expensive candy bar loaded with fat and sugar with some extra peanuts or soy added.

            Another favorite is Vitamin Enriched. Adding even large doses of vitamins to highly processed foods still leave them as highly processed foods and not healthy.

            “No Artificial Sweeteners” sounds good, right? But sugars of all sorts are “natural” while large doses are hardly healthy.

            Organic or non-GMO may be inherently better than otherwise, but if the underlying food is not healthy, the fact that it is organic does not change that fact. Fatty meat is not healthy even if the animal was raised on an organic farm.

            These tricks are used widely, but particularly for impulse purchases such as snacks.

            Don’t let agribusiness manipulate your subconscious! Think and read before you buy.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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The Rev. Bruce Bassett grew up in New Jersey and now lives on Cape Cod. Like many of us, he became interested in his ancestry. Ultimately, his search led him to Thomas Bassett of Rochester, Massachusetts.

            Thomas was born here in Rochester on June 19, 1759. The Bassetts were known as a family of blacksmiths, but at one point in his life, Thomas took a different route and spent time in Wareham apprenticed to a lawyer (this was before Abraham Holmes had his own law firm and school).

            During the Revolutionary war, service in the war effort was done much differently than today. There was no standing army and enlistees most often served for months rather than years. Most participants enlisted many times over the years of the war.

            At 16 in 1775, Thomas Bassett enlisted for a 3-month term as a private in a militia company with Stephen Wing of Rochester as Captain. The company joined the army in Roxbury and eventually occupied Dorchester Heights until the British left Boston on March 17, 1776 – the real reason Boston has a holiday on St. Patrick’s Day. This was only the first of Bassett’s deployments.

            By June,1776, he was once again in a Massachusetts company. This time he served on the Brigantine, “Rising Empire”, patrolling the coast between Cape Sables and New York prepared to “attack, subdue and take” any British vessels. This mission ended in August 1776 when the ship was ordered to return to Plymouth.

            Bassett enlisted again for 3 months with a company headed to and serving in Bristol, Rhode Island beginning in December 1776. He earned 1 pound, 6 shillings, and 8 pence.

            His longest enrollment was for 6 months beginning on July 3, 1780, with a company sent to reinforce the Continental Army. Like all enlistments, this meant marching to meet the army. This time his company marched to West Point, New York to join Gen. Nixon’s brigade. Here, Thomas was assigned to an Armorer company. When his 6 months was up, he returned home.

            This appears to be the end of Bassett’s military career in January of 1781. He was definitely ready to return to civilian life, as he married Lydia Mendall on January 7, 1781. Over the years, the couple had nine children. Thomas Bassett died at the age of 73 on Febuary 24, 1833 and is buried along with other family members in our Rochester Center Cemetery.

            The picture is of the Rev. Bruce Bassett at Thomas Bassett’s grave. He is hopeful that on October 26 when the SAR grave marking ceremony takes place at 11:00 am, he will have a chance to meet some of his Bassett and Mendall relatives.

            This event will be conducted by the Cape Cod and Islands Chapter of the National Society for the Sons of the American Revolution in cooperation with the Rochester Historical Commission. Included in the event will be the Col. Henry Knox Color Guard, the Wareham Minutemen and Militia, members of Boy Scout Troop 31 and Rochester Memorial School 6th grader, Andrew Cody, playing Taps.

By Connie Eshbach

Mattapoisett Early Voting Information

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Mattapoisett Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger announces that the Town of Mattapoisett will be conducting in person early voting hours for the November 5, State Election at Mattapoisett Town Hall, 16 Main Street. Early voting hours will be through October 26 from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. Additionally, voting will also be held through Friday, October 25 from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm and Monday, October 28 through Friday, November 1 from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. The last day for new voters to register is Saturday, October 26. The Town Clerks Office will be open until 5:00 pm on that day. The last day to request a ballot by mail is Monday, October 28. If you have any questions regarding the upcoming election, please feel free to call the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-758-4100 x 2 or email townclerk@mattapoisett.net.