Two Golds for Golden Girls

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The first thing Viera Proulx did when she saw her friend Terry Myers Coney in the finish area of Sunday’s Mattapoisett Lions Club Sprint Triathlon was apologize.

            “I’m sorry I beat you,” said Proulx after the two cross-country skiing pals were informed that there was no 70-74 age category.

            Proulx, 76, won the 70-79 age category for women in her first-ever triathlon with an 11:08 quarter-mile swim, 48:08 bike (10 miles) and 48:36 run (3.1 miles) for an overall time of 1:54:47. Myers Coney, 70, came in at 1:59:08 (11:23, 48:56, 52:59.)

            “It’s my fault that she’s here. I wouldn’t have let her come if I knew it wasn’t going to be every five years,” joked Myers Coney. “As soon as I ran with her, I knew she was going to beat me because she runs faster than me.”

            Recognizing the injustice, race officials made sure that Myers Coney also received a first-place medal in the color gold.

            “I’ve run this race five times, and I’ve always been last and I’ve always gotten a medal. This year there was a couple of people behind me,” said Myers Coney, who for once enjoyed not hearing the truck that pulls up the rear of the final runner.

            The first-place medal notwithstanding, Myers Coney was celebrating a different kind of victory.

            “I couldn’t walk from here to there,” she said, having missed the 2022 Lions Club Triathlon while enduring chemotherapy. She called the cancer “borderline” and credited a new medication for eradicating it from her body. “It was aggressive, I’m clean now.”

            Myers Coney also recruited first-timer Jessica Smith, whose 1:14:07 made her the third-place finisher in the 50-54 women’s age category.

            Julie Gallagher finished first among all women and fourth overall, the 40-year-old’s winning time of 57:31 being 1:04 faster than 26-year-old Emily Cluck’s 58:35 total. Rebecca Padera, 55, was only 25 seconds behind Cluck at 59 minutes flat.

            Gallagher’s biking time of 27:36 (21.7 mph) led all women. Her 21:34 run (6:57 mile pace) was third, and her 6:16 swim was 35 seconds outside the women’s top five, 48 seconds behind Cluck’s second-best 5:28, which was only four seconds behind Padera’s event-best 5:24. Cluck won the women’s run at 20:57.

            Proulx marveled over 12-year-old Eshe Stockton of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who dominated the women’s 19-and-under age category with a 1:10:57 performance.

            Tomasso Manetti of Somerville was the first overall finisher, completing the three-part course in 53:57, 39 seconds ahead of Kyle Thetonia (54:36.) Marvin Wang was third overall in 57:29.

            Manetti’s 4:42 swim and 18:34 run were the day’s best in those events, and his 28:47 bike was 3:05 behind Thetonia’s event-best 25:42. Manetti managed his superlatives despite losing time after incorrectly staying straight at an unmarked turn before Mile 2 of the bike course, leaving the main road where it turned. “It puts you back on the main road, it’s a little longer,” he said.

            Manetti and Mike Napolitano (57:38 – sixth overall via the timed-start system) were the first two to cross the finish line. Napolitano, whose 57:38 (4:45, 28:13, 21:38) led men ages 30-34, managed the second-fastest swim with a labrum tear that will need surgery after competing in one more triathlon this month. The estimated recovery time is six months.

            Both Manetti and Napolitano were thrilled to wake up to Sunday’s September-like air.

            “Couldn’t have been better weather. I had the heat on in my car this morning,” said Manetti. “For me personally, this distance, you’re kind of going all out the whole way. … It’s really hard to, like, not go too hard.”

            “You have one long candle to burn, right? So the trick is to not expend all of that energy in the first five minutes in the swim,” said Napolitano, who beat his 2022 overall time by approximately 13 minutes. “I kept telling myself in the first third of the swim, ‘just go as slow as you possibly can,’ which translates to your body going faster than it should anyway.”

            Mary Cass, a longtime Mattapoisett resident now living in Westport, injured a toe before the triathlon but led women ages 60-64 at 1:04:29 overall. Her 21:08 run was the second fastest among women, only 11 seconds off Cluck’s event-winning pace.

            “I used this theory: Suck it up, buttercup,” said Cass, whose biggest mishap on Sunday was wearing her wetsuit to the bike start. A quick costume change later, and she was back in business. “I like this race. I did it in ’98, ’97, pregnant in ’99, I loved it then and still do.”

            Cass, 62, will compete this weekend in a national triathlon in Milwaukee. A 32-year member of the New Bedford Track Club, Cass has recently added the Rhode Islander Roadrunners and the Liberty club to her schedule. Spreading her competitive wings has her in upcoming USA Track and Field-sanctioned events in New Jersey and Florida. She has already competed this year in San Francisco, Atlanta and New York.

            “We’re all over the place, it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

By Mick Colageo

Overall Top 10: 1. Tomasso Manetti 53:57; 2. Kyle Thetonia 54:36; 3. Marvin Wang 57:31; 4. Julie Gallagher 57:31; 5. Doug Shattuck 57:36; 6. Mike Napolitano 57:38; 7. David McCormack 58:12; 8. Edward Rheaume 58:34; 9. Emily Cluck 58:35; 10. Tyler Young 58:54.

Category Top 3 Finishers

(Swim, Bike, Run) Total

Overall Men: 1. Tomasso Manetti, 25 (4:42, 28:47, 18:34) 53:57; 2. Kyle Thetonia, 41 (5:52, 25:42, 21:09) 54:36; 3. Marvin Wang, 55 (6:43, 27:05, 20:51) 57:29.

Overall Women: 1. Julie Gallagher, 40 (6:16, 27:36, 21:34) 57:31; 2. Emily Cluck, 26 (5:28, 29:50, 20:57) 58:35; 3. Rebecca Padera, 55 (5:24, 29:36, 21:42) 59:00.

Age Group medalists

(Swim, Bike, Run) Total

Male 1-19: 1. Tyler Young, 18, Marion (6:06, 29:09, 19:30) 58:54; 2. Nicholas Huaco, 17, Marion (4:47, 32:36, 20:10) 59:41; 3. Thomas Condon, 19, Plymouth (5:55, 37:58, 19:19) 1:07:34.

Female 1-19: 1. Eshe Stockton, 12, Portsmouth, RI (6:00, 36:31, 26:10) 1:10:57; 2. Aubrey Heise, 17, Mattapoisett (6:34, 40:43, 24:34) 1:14:40; 3. Quinn O’Brien-Nichols, 18, Mattapoisett (6:13, 43:53, 35:13) 1:30:59.

Male 20-24: 1. Evan O’Brien-Nichols, 20, Mattapoisett (9:33, 55:52, 31:41) 1:43:03.

Female 20-24: 1. Aidan Jackivicz, 20, Mattapoisett (6:42, 38:06, 22:50) 1:09:57; 2. Natalia Moulding, 22, Wareham (6:41, 37:31, 24:34) 1:13:09; 3. Skyler Cohen, 21, Bernardston (6:49, 39:09, 31:34) 1:22:56.

Male 25-29: 1. Kevin Albano, 28, Fairhaven (7:32, 31:55, 20:37) 1:03:47; 2. Kolby Emken, 26, Rochester (5:30, 31:46, 24:58) 1:06:25; 3. Liam Hoye, 28, New Haven, CT (6:32, 32:45, 28:45) 1:11:19.

Female 25-29: 1. Sidney Leveckis, 27, Walpole (5:56, 35:05, 25:43) 1:09:23; 2. Kristen Hayes, 29, Providence (7:27, 34:09, 27:33) 1:11:54; 3. Mikayla Demanche, 26, Rochester (8:02, 39:06, 26:18) 1:18:01.

Male 30-34: 1. Mike Napolitano, 30, Dedham (4:45, 28:13, 21:38) 57:38; 2. Charles Mello, 34, Mattapoisett (5:54, 30:36, 21:20) 1:01:07; 3. Henry Borda, 33, Mattapoisett (7:14, 31:17, 23:18) 1:04:53.

Female 30-34: 1. Alice Borda, 34, Mattapoisett (5:47, 30:28, 22:27) 1:02:14; 2. Adelaide Backer, 31, Mattapoisett (7:03, 33:16, 22:45) 1:09:16; 3. Erin Hullinger, 30, Gorham, Maine (7:27, 37:47, 27:24) 1:17:42.

Male 35-39: 1. Brad Litchfield, 36, Waltham (6:19, 33:32, 21:33) 1:04:18; 2. Paddy Boscoe, 37, Salem (7:18, 42:03, 21:59) 1:14:47; 3. Andrew Fodera, 36, Melrose (9:00, 37:35, 27:26) 1:18:37.

Female 35-39: 1. Kristen Wingate, 37, Mattapoisett (7:36, 33:48, 25:36) 1:10:19; 2. Jennifer Pease, 35, Mattapoisett (7:40, 35:32, 26:06) 1:12:13; 3. Crystal Leo, 38, West Warwick, RI (5:33, 35:41, 28:05) 1:13:16.

Male 40-44: 1. Christopher Hoye, 40, Portsmouth, RI (7:35, 30:50, 23:41) 1:07:28; 2. Renato Silva, 44, Hyannis (6:16, 31:34, 25:52) 1:07:31; 3. Everett Morris, 42, Atlanta (7:17, 35:11, 22:22) 1:09:47.

Female 40-44: 1. Emily Seelig, 40, Buzzards Bay (6:25, 33:07, 23:56) 1:06:11; 2. Christina Mork, 44, Cambridge (7:06, 35:55, 26:57) 1:12:50; 3. Abigail Bracha, 43, Chestnut Hill (7:17, 36:01, 26:36) 1:13:06.

Male 45-49: 1. David McCormack, 47, Centerville (7:01, 27:05, 20:55) 58:12; 2. Robin Ireland, 47 (6:30, 29:26, 21:59) 1:00:30; 3. David Mills, 45, Milton (5:53, 29:28, 23:37) 1:02:37.

Female 45-49: 1. Anne Marie Almirol, 45, Portsmouth, RI (6:35, 30:41, 26:11) 1:05:39; 2. Tracy Towle Humphrey, 45, Miami (6:22, 39:02, 31:53) 1:20:09.

Male 50-54: 1. Mike Bonito, 52, Buzzards Bay (6:35, 30:08, 21:22) 1:00:44; 2. Phillip Whittaker, 51, Rochester (6:21, 28:12, 23:51) 1:01:28; 3. Michael Young, 51, Marion (6:38, 29:12, 22:57) 1:02:21.

Female 50-54: 1. Christina Dorrer, 50, Crownsville, MD (5:36, 27:54, 23:46) 59:23; 2. Tammy Swift, 54, Kingston (6:34, 30:16, 24:53) 1:04:32; 3. Jessica Smith, 51, Belmont (8:24, 33:10, 29:13) 1:14:07.

Male 55-59: 1. Paul Bergeron, 58, North Attleboro (6:32, 28:31, 22:48) 1:00:42; 2. Gregg Tucci, 56, Cambridge (7:19, 34:08, 25:20) 1:10:38; 3. Michael Pellegrino, 58, Mattapoisett (7:09, 31:21, 32:04) 1:14:56.

Female 55-59: 1. Marielle Yost, 59, Gloucester (5:54, 31:15, 25:02) 1:04:45; 2. Martha West, 55, West Yarmouth (6:37, 32:29, 26:39) 1:09:29; 3. Bonnie King, 56, East Bridgewater (7:22, 34:14, 25:38) 1:10:32.

Male 60-64: 1. Doug Shattuck, 61, Barrington, RI (5:24, 27:04, 22:49) 57:36; 2. Edward Rheaume, 61, Berkley (5:30, 29:05, 21:41) 58:34; 3. Gregory Crist, 62, Quincy (5:58, 27:32, 24:42) 1:01:24.

Female 60-64: 1. Mary Cass, 62, Westport (7:03, 32:03, 21:08) 1:04:29; 2. Leaanne Doyle, 62, Plymouth (6:25, 37:09, 29:52) 1:17:08; 3. Diane Smith, 62, Greenville, RI (7:15, 36:31, 29:40) 1:17:34.

Male 65-69: 1. Jack Dresser, 65, Mattapoisett (8:19, 32:17, 24:57) 1:09:26; 2. David Goff, 65, Greenville, RI (5:50, 32:06, 32:33) 1:14:22; 3. Joe Adlman, 69, Andover (7:11, 35:53, 37:54) 1:25:55.

Male 70-79: 1. Bob Lamathe, 70, Warwick, RI (6:39, 27:48, 25:43) 1:03:41; 2. Jorge Matesanz, 72, East Greenwich, RI (7:03, 34:14, 32:20) 1:18:31; 3. Christopher Binns, 76, Dorchester (11:27, 45:08, 39:54) 1:43:26.

Female 70-79: 1. Viera Proulx, 76, Waban (11:08, 48:08, 48:36) 1:54:47; 2. *Terry Myers Coney, 70, Stow (11:23, 48:56, 52:59) 1:59:08. (Myers Coney was awarded a first-place medal for placing first among women ages 70-74.)

Fastest Swim Women: 1. Rebecca Padera 5:24 (1:13 pace); 2. Emily Cluck 5:28 (1:14); 3. Crystal Leo 5:33 (1:15); 4. Christina Dorrer 5:36 (1:16); 5. Eliza Nilson 5:41 (1:17.)

Fastest Swim Men: 1. Tomasso Manetti 4:42 (1:04); 2. Mike Napolitano 4:45 (1:04); 3. Nicholas Huaco 4:47 (1:05); 4. Tim Healy 5:06 (1:09); 5. Doug Shattuck 5:24 (1:13.)

Fastest Bike Women: 1. Julie Gallagher 27:36 (21.7 mph); 2. Christina Dorrer 27:54 (21.4 mph); 3. Rebeca Padera 29:36 (20.2 mph); 4. Emily Cluck 29:50 (20.1 mph); 5. Tammy Swift 30:16 (19.8 mph.)

Fastest Bike Men: 1. Kyle Thetonia 25:42 (23.3 mph); 2. Doug Shattuck 27:04 (22.1 mph); 3. Marvin Wang 27:05 (22.1 mph); 4. David McCormack 27:05 (22.1 mph); 5. Gregory Crist 27:32 (21.7 mph.)

Fastest Run Women: 1. Emily Cluck 20:57 (6:45 pace); 2. Mary Cass 21:08 (6:49); 3. Julie Gallagher 21:34 (6:57); 4. Rebeca Padera 21:42 (7:00); 5. Alice Borda 22:27 (7:14.)

Fastest Run Men: 1. Tomasso Manetti 18:34 (5:59 pace); 2. Thomas Condon 19:19 (6:13); 3. Tyler Young 19:30 (6:17); 4. Nicholas Huaco 20:10 (6:30); 5. Kevin Albano 20:37 (6:39.)

Relay Results: 1. Team Catracho 56:38; 2. Saggy Squad 59:33; 3. Mom, Dad And Me 1:04.46; 4. Team Kanovsky 1:07.07; 5. Team Gierhart 1:07.37; 6. Healthtrax 1:12.05; 7. You’re About To Get Beat By Teenagers 1:12:40; 8. Calder Crew 1:14.21; 9. Jeff’s Journey 1:14.38; 10. The Storm Troopers 1:30.36; 11. Team Neon 1:31.09; 12. Team Longfellow 1:33.19.

For complete results, visit NewEnglandTiming.com.

Mattapoisett Library Programs for Children

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Summer reading is coming to an end, but there are still fun things planned.

            On Wednesday, August 2 at 3:30 pm, children ages 8+ are invited to put together gift bags using different materials, such as old book pages and the Sunday comics. Visit our website to register.

            Did you miss our first animal encounter program? Join us on Saturday, August 5 at 10:30 or 11:30 am for another chance to hold and learn about some animals. Joys of Nature will be presenting her Not So Scary Animals program. Some animals like sharks, snakes and spiders we think of as scary, but are they really when we learn more about them? Many seemingly “scary animals” have really important jobs in nature, even helping people. See giant megalodon shark teeth and don’t miss meeting some not so scary animals too. Registration required, ages 5+.

            Join us on August 9 at 3 pm and Mr. Vinny from the Toe Jam Puppet Band, while he puts on his Shadow Puppet show. Kids will use their head to help tell the story of “The 12 Lil’ Pigs and the Big Bad Pineapple,” play the game “What’s the Shadow?” and so much more. No registration required, all ages welcome.

            On Thursday August 3 and 10 at 10:30 am, visit the library for story time. All ages welcome. Story time will be on a short break after Thursday, August 10.

            On Friday, August 11 at 10:30 am, visit Munro Park for an outdoor story time. Bring a blanket or chairs to sit on and enjoy some fun stories, rhymes and songs. All ages welcome, weather permitting.

            Also on Friday, August 11 at 3 pm, the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance will have a presentation on Diamondback Terrapins and Box Turtles. See turtle shells, egg shards and field research equipment while learning about these local species. There will be arts and crafts too.

            The Summer Reading Program will officially end on August 12. Bring in any Bingo sheets before then to get your bonus beads and raffle tickets.

            Check the events calendar on our website to register and for a complete list of all our programs. If you have any questions, please contact the library at 508-758-4171 or email mattchildrens@sailsinc.org.

Budget Heads to Governor

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Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett) has announced that on July 31, the Massachusetts House and Senate voted to approve a $56.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2024. House and Senate members tasked with reconciling the two versions of the bill had been in negotiations since early June. The balanced budget document is now before Governor Healey for her review and approval.

            This year’s budget will provide increases in unrestricted local aid for New Bedford and the towns in the district represented by Representative Straus:

            Local Aid coming to Mattapoisett for a total of $489,518; Marion a total of $269,740; Fairhaven a total of $2,695,733; Rochester a total of $507,744; New Bedford a total of $27,500,383 and Acushnet $1,812,575.

            Chapter 70 School assistance totals for each town are as follows, and increases this year are accomplished by doubling the per student aid level for every student in the district.

            Mattapoisett $1,005,221; Marion $1,154,750; Fairhaven $9,631,703; Rochester $2,414,282; New Bedford $224,099,122; Acushnet $7,170,030; Old Colony $4,171,603; Old Rochester Regional $3,468,325.

            This budget will also provide free Community college to residents 25 years and older and those pursuing a nursing degree. It also includes universal school meals for students K-12.

            “The annual budget dedicates much needed funding to our cities and towns, and I am extremely pleased that we were able to secure these additional dollars to assist so many worthwhile local projects and organizations.” said Rep. Straus.

            The bill is now before Governor Healey for consideration. The Governor has ten days for her review under the state constitution.

Story Hour

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To the Editor:

            At our May town election, Mattapoisett voters elected candidates for School Committee and the Library Board who were opposed to removing LGBTQ material from our schools’ libraries. It was a resounding declaration of the values of diversity and inclusion that Mattapoisett stands for.

            Surprisingly, the opposition has not learned a lesson from that election. There are currently flyers posted in businesses and other public places in our community, entitled “See You at the Library.” The flyers announce a story hour on Saturday, August 5th at the Mattapoisett Library: a reading of a children’s book entitled “As You Grow” written by Kirk Cameron. It is described as a “fun story” with “refreshments to be served.”

            It’s what the fliers do not say that is troublesome. This library story hour is not sponsored by our Mattapoisett library. Instead, it is the local version of a national campaign organized in our state by the Massachusetts Family Institute, an antigay organization that coordinates with like-minded antigay organizations across the country. This event is being replicated all across the country, designed to attract parents with young children to an event during which parents can be presented with right-wing propaganda.

            Here is what you need to know:

            1. The Matt. Republican Committee reserved the Library meeting room for the event. However, nowhere is their organization’s name on any event advertising. The flyer is deceptively written as if the Matt. Library is presenting this book reading.

            2. Nowhere is it stated that this event is one of hundreds being organized across the country under the guise of a “children’s story hour.”

            3. This is clearly a recruiting tool of right wing, anti-gay groups who are using young children to introduce their parents to the inaccurate, biased rhetoric of organizations like the Massachusetts Family Institute, an anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-vaccine, anti-sex education (and more) organization with offices in Wakefield, MA.

            Mattapoisett voters rejected the politics of hate when they voted for School Committee and Library Board trustees who believe in inclusion, not exclusion. Please reconsider your plans to attend the event with your young children. Instead, read them a story of your choosing that reflects the supportive, inclusive values of our community.

Beverly Baccelli, Mattapoisett

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.

Year-End Transfers a Last-Minute Exercise

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            Rochester’s Finance Committee Monday approved over $134,000 in FY2023 transfers but not before one panel member questioned why the board can’t get more information on such motions sooner.

            “I’m a process kind of guy,” David Arancio said. “And I feel we’ve got to get a narrative that explains transactions like this better. We’re required to take votes on these matters. It would be helpful to get the information we need more in advance.”

            Finance Director Suzanne Szyndlar responded she receives the necessary numbers from departments for a fiscal year-end transfer only a few days before she must act on them. Departments have salary and expense needs that are unpredictable and change quickly. For instance, the fire chief doesn’t know his exact spending on EMT calls and salaries until the end of the fiscal year.

            Arancio said these are factors the Finance Committee could have been informed about in December. Szyndlar responded, “We can’t do this December. The Fire Department is on call. Its salary expense is unpredictable.”

            Arancio emphasized the need for better information for better decision-making to better answer the public’s questions about town budget actions. “We need information to be better prepared,” he insisted. “More information is critical.”

            FinCom Chairman Kris Stoltenberg said he agrees with Szyndlar’s explanation that she doesn’t get those kinds of numbers so quickly. She works only three days a week, he pointed out. “We don’t know the precise numbers so soon,” Stoltenberg said. “There’s a practical aspect to this process.”

            Transfers such as these, Szyndlar noted, represent less than 1% of the town’s estimated $24,000,000 budget.

            The committee floated the idea that any overspending over $1,000 be notice that the department should include a narrative explanation or bullet sheet. Stoltenberg rebuffed this idea by asking, “When will Suzanne know the number in question?”

            The board made no further progress on this issue by the time it approved transferring $134,647.35 from Legal Services Salaries and Employee Group Insurance to: Legal Services expenses, part-time Registrar Salaries, Board of Appeals expenses, Police expenses, Fire salaries and expenses,  EMT expenses, Cemetery expenses, Tri-Town Veterans’ salaries and Debt Service (pay-down on Fire Truck and Short-Term Debt interest.)

            Szyndlar explained Legal Services salaries money had to be moved to Legal expenses because Town Counsel has changed from being an individual to being a firm, and there was an unexpected surplus in the Group Insurance account. The debt service for the new fire truck was due for a “premium pay-down” payment.

            The Finance Committee then transferred $41,644.74 from the town’s Reserve Fund to Police Expense ($21,134.44) and town Gasoline ($20,530.30.) The purpose, according to the Request for Reserve Fund Transfer form, is police-vehicle maintenance and a gasoline-account deficit due to price increases.

            The board’s next Reserve Account decision, however, went in the other direction. The panel reversed its November 7, 2022, vote to transfer $7,600 from that account for the Council on Aging director’s salary. Stoltenberg explained he wanted this reversal because a Reserve Fund transfer should not be used for funding that becomes an ongoing expense such as a salary rather than a one-time need.

            The Reserve Fund policy itself then closed out the committee’s meeting. The policy change would state that a Reserve Fund transfer shall not be used to fund a salary negotiated for an existing employee. The committee chose to not vote to support or recommend the change.

            Arancio advised caution because the method might come in handy to solve a future town budget problem. Szyndlar agreed that using the option for the COA director’s salary did avoid a crisis at the time. Stoltenberg said the transfer policy is the Select Board’s, not the Finance Committee’s. “It’s not our policy,” he said.

            The Rochester Finance Committee did not set a next meeting, noting it will need to meet again only before a potential Fall Town Meeting that Town Administrator Glenn Cannon said might be scheduled for October or November.

Rochester Finance Committee

By Michael J. DeCicco

Libraries Bring Natural World Inside

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How do we, the grown-up humans on this planet, go about gently but pointedly explaining to little children that some animals are endangered, misunderstood and/or considered yucky when really their place in the ecosystem is critical to all life? Well, you can start by finding those educators and species experts who have identified our children as critical thinkers deserving of knowledge, even if we think it’s a bit yucky.

            Enter two such grownups – don’t let them know I called them that – whose nature presentations last week were filled with information shared with children eager to learn about, as well as touch, snakes, reptiles and bugs.

            On July 27, Joy Marzolf, researcher, environmental conservationist and wildlife photographer, delighted kids at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library while educating them about endangered reptiles.

            After creating what she called a “touching, petting, volunteering zone” on the floor in front of her table of live exhibits, she began by telling the little learners that changes on the planet make it hard for some animals to make a home. She said that the children could help the animals by letting their grownups know, “I don’t need balloons,” one of the prime culprits in turtle demise.

            Marzolf’s joyful demeaner put the squirmy children at ease, achieving an atmosphere of respect, listening and cooperation, as she gave them the opportunity to pet a very long, black rat snake, hold lizards, and hear the importance of leaving wild animals in the natural environment. For the benefit of the adults, Marzolf said that the animals she uses have all been bred and kept in captivity versus removing the animals from the wild.

            The star of the show was the appearance of a young crocodile. Marzolf talked about habitat depletion, especially in Belize, where she studies the reptile with a team of conservation-minded researchers. The children took turns gently stroking the armor-like croc’s back as it lay cradled in Marzolf’s arms.

            An animal living in our area, the Eastern Box Turtle, was also present. Marzolf said that if one is found, you can move it out of harm’s way but in the same direction it was headed. When asked about aiding a misguided snapping turtle, she suggested, “use a snow shovel, pick it up and move it to safety in the same direction it was headed.”

            The two, 30-minute presentations offered that day gave children and their minders, a greater appreciation of variety of animals living in harmony nearby and the dangers these animals face in a world filled with plastic.

            Marzolf’s credentials include a 14-year stint at the Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary as a naturalist and educator and more recently, a naturalist trip leader for Oceanic Society.

            On July 29, it was the Elizabeth Taber Library’s turn to teach and entertain tiny tikes about bugs with Bryan Man aka “Professor Bugman” and his entomology adventures.

            With exciting and interesting sound bites on their physical characteristics, Man has developed programs that grant children the opportunity to learn that insects have a place in the natural world.

            Man’s background includes a number of years teaching, his first calling. But as time wore on, Man saw that he could not only teach but bring the world of insects to children through hands-on demonstrations outside the classroom.

            The children learned the anatomy of arachnids, that many insects have exoskeletons, numerous brains that operate groups of legs (think centipedes), fake antennae that are really legs and the infamous stink bugs that spray yucky smelling excretions as a form of defense. Oh, and let’s not forget the bugs that also poop as a form of defense. Professor Bugman had the children screaming with laughter as he faked licking his hands.

            The professor also created a zone in front of his exhibit table where the kiddos were asked to use indoor voices and handle the insects he shared with care. Surprisingly, the children did not find the insects off-putting as some of the grownups did. They were at ease, as the professor was, with all manner of creeping crawlies without fear and with acceptance that these animals belong in the world and are deserving of our protection.             On Saturday, August 5, at 11:00 am, the professor will return to the Elizabeth Taber Library with his program titled Hide-a-Bug. The program includes showing children how to design and create shelters for insects. The bugs will judge the tiny residences! Contact the library to register at 508-748-1252

By Marilou Newell

Rochester Historical Society Town Wide Scavenger Hunt

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If you ever attended a program; read a book on Rochester history or have had a student in Grade 3 at Rochester Memorial School, this hunt may be easier than you think. Don’t worry; we’ll be providing hints.

            There are 10 locations to find. When you do, take a picture and number it. To win, bring your pictures or phone with the pictures on it to the Rochester Historical Museum at 355 County Road on August 26 during our Mini Fair with an Historic Flair to claim your prize. There will be additional copies of the scavenger hunt available at the Plumb Library.

            Now to begin:

            1. Did you know Rochester once had a roller rink? Where was it? Hint: it had a water view

            2. Before WW II, Rochester had a small commercial airport. Where? Hint: it’s now a farm

            3. Take a ride and you just might find “Peak Rock” an original town boundary from 1664 Hint: north of Country Whip (105)

            4. Until the 1950’s, Rochester had a “Pound Keeper” and his job was to round up and secure stray animals. Where is Rochester’s last Town Pound? Hint: it’s made of stones

            5. What and where is the town’s newest war memorial? Hint: Where were you May 7, 2023?

            6. You may remember “Bettencourt’s Store”. It now has a new name. Hint: kids used to walk there from RMS after school

            7. What 1925 building belonging to an agricultural organization begun in 1906 still meets in Rochester today? Hint: it has an historic plaque

            8. Here’s a toughie. Can you find Rochester’s only stone arch bridge? Hint: boat race and woods

            9. Find 289 North Ave. This was once home to a Methodist Church, general store and the town’s first telephone office 1900-1957 Hint: remember party lines? (This makes up for #8)

            10. Piece of cake: this farm was a “gentleman’s estate” in the 1860’s Hint: think yellow

            We hope you have fun with this and that we see you on 8/26 from 10-3.

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

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The Rev. Nathan Humphrey, Rector St. Thomas’s Church, Toronto, Canada, will conduct services Sunday, August 6 at 8 and 10 am at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 34 Water Street, Mattapoisett, next to the Town Beach. During its 139th summer season, St. Philip’s invites clergy from near and far to conduct services each week using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. All are welcome.

Committee Needs Mission Statement

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            The recent movement of the Marion Codification Committee from the purview of the Planning Board to that of the Select Board has reopened the question as to the mission of the subcommittee first approved at a 1955 Town Meeting.

            During a special meeting of the Select Board on July 26, Town Administrator Geoff Gorman presented the Select Board a rough draft of the Codification Committee appointments and responsibilities per the intentions of the original vote.

            As Gorman explained, the Codification Committee is comprised of five members, at least one of which is a woman. The committee will include a Select Board representative as one of the five. It will also have two “ex-officio” members, Building Commissioner Bob Grillo and Town Planner Doug Guey-Lee, who will lend their expertise but not vote. The voting quorum will be three members.

            “Those things are in here, but everything else we can kind of tweak,” said Gorman.

            “I’m quite honestly not a big fan of the Codification Committee. I think they went well above their set goals and tried to maybe change some bylaws, unknowingly, that probably should have gone before the voters,” said Select Board member Randy Parker, questioning the nuts and bolts of process.

            “That’s what this whole document is for. It is the Select Board’s committee,” responded Gorman, explaining that should the Select Board decide at any point to do away with the Codification Committee, the process would be to put it on an article and bring it to Town Meeting. “One of the reasons why I was getting it into this special meeting and talking about it was to ensure that they were in place as we ramp up to the October Town Meeting in case something is presenting from the Planning Board or anyone else.”

            Select Board member Norm Hills, who has been serving as the chairman of the Codification Committee in its recent iteration as a subcommittee to the Planning Board, said the bylaws go through Town Counsel.

            Gorman said Planning Board Chairman Tucker Burr was aware of Gorman’s recommendations ahead of the Select Board meeting. He also noted (and Grillo confirmed) that the Planning Board agreed not to appoint its own subcommittee in the wake of the Codification Committee’s departure from Planning Board supervision.

            “For example, the (recent) short-term rental (discussion), I would like to see more detail from the Planning Board about what they’re looking for Codification to do, and maybe … even to go as far as say I’d like to see just the structure of a bylaw, what you might be looking at, or bring us some bylaws from other towns. Go back to them, have them take a look at it,” suggested Grillo. “As Norm (Hills) will tell you, these things are a lot of work.

            “Although it sounds like the Codification Committee could make a recommendation for a bylaw, if the Planning Board says, ‘no, we don’t support it,’ it can still go to Town Meeting. But we really don’t want to bring things to Town Meeting that the Planning Board hasn’t agreed to, even though we can. … I saw it happen in the past that we spent a lot of time on stuff that just got buried after we went through it. We don’t want to spin our wheels, we want to make sure that everybody’s on the same page.”

            In acknowledging Hills’ and the Codification Committee’s efforts, Parker admitted it felt awkward to make critical comments about particular results of its members’ work.

            “Maybe it’s time to look back at this 1955 vote and clean this thing up first, right? Fix the wording to it fits the Codification Committee and get that readopted,” suggested Parker. “In other words, ‘recommend changes in the town bylaws’ is what it says; it doesn’t say who they’re going to be brought to, who’s going to make the recommended changes or whether the recommended changes are going to be brought from another board to this internal Codification Committee to send to Town Counsel, reword, clean up, bring back the committee. That’s not such a bad idea because it takes a lot of pressure off the committee to keep moving the town forward …”

            Gorman cautioned Parker against making a Town Meeting vote too detailed because any minor change would have to be brought back before voters.

            Parker reiterated his opinion that the Codification Committee should be recharged with “better powers and a better direction.”

            Gorman suggested one-year terms across the board (instead of three), giving the Select Board time to finalize the committee’s powers, mission and responsibility, but Parker and Burr were altogether hesitant to vote to empower a committee without a finalized mission statement.

            Having poured hundreds of hours into the last several years of Codification Committee work, Hills remains the point person for establishing the committee’s revised charter, but Gorman took the blame for the delay and told the board he would work with Hills on creating a draft mission statement for the members’ review.

            The Select Board discussed the timeline for Water and Sewer Regulations updates.

            Select Board Chairman Toby Burr said updating the entire document would require six months and the costly hire of an engineer. He said one of his goals is to encourage commercial development in the Lockheed Martin area.

            “I think some of the fees that are outlined here discourage commercial development, and so I’d like to change these sooner rather than later, as well as some of the fees regarding condos and … to me, it’s something I’d like to see it done and approved in our meeting in August,” said Burr, who does not think updating all the sewer regulations is doable in the short term.

            Burr cited Page 75, Article 12, Sections 2 and 3, on recommended fees as problematic. Parker said the fees give the Select Board leverage. Hills said it gives the board something to bargain with.

            Edward Johnson was voted approval for full-time patrol-officer appointment for a one-year probationary period per Chief of Police Richard Nighelli’s recommendation. Johnson graduated from the MPTC academy in March and works as a dispatcher in Wareham and has served Marion as a special officer since 2005.

            In introducing Johnson to the board, Nighelli referenced a citation that Johnson received from the governor for his work with a child who called 911 when his mother was dealing with a medical emergency.

            “Over the years, he’s been a member of this department, he’s done a great job. You’re looking at one of the better dispatchers in the state,” said Nighelli, noting that Wareham’s police chief said, when things are at their worst, Johnson is at his best.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board was not announced upon adjournment.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

Marion FD Honors Memory of Joan Wing

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Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony and Marion Fire/EMS issued the following tribute to the life and service of Marion Emergency Medical Services founder and town volunteer Joan Wing following her passing on July 13 at age 93.

            Wing was active in the Marion community, serving as an EMT for the town for 37 years. She was one of the original founders of Marion EMS, a group of police officers, firefighters and civilians that began operating the town ambulance in 1977. Marion EMS merged with the Fire Department to become Marion Fire/EMS in 2011.

            Wing was also a founding member of the Marion EMT Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in 1980. The charity was established to help improve the pre-hospital care of Marion residents using funds that may not be available through the town budget.

            In 1998, Wing proposed supplying the town’s ambulances and police cruisers with automated external defibrillators (AED’s). Within 18 months of having the devices, they saved three lives.

            In addition to AED’s, the Marion EMT Association has purchased dozens of pieces of equipment to assist Marion ambulance crews in their on-scene treatment of patients. Donated equipment has included heart monitors, defibrillators, stretchers, radios and stair-chairs. The most recent purchase was an all-terrain vehicle capable of accessing areas where ambulances are unable to travel.

            Wing was the past vice chairman of Marion EMS. At the time of her passing, she was the long-standing and current treasurer of the Marion EMT Association. She was also a long-term member of the Marion Fireworks Committee.

            “We are deeply saddened by Joan’s loss, and on behalf of our department I would like to express our condolences to the Wing family. Without Joan’s tireless efforts, Marion Fire/EMS would not be what it is today,” said Jackvony in a press release. “She was a driving force behind acquiring essential equipment for our department, which allows us to provide the best possible service to our residents. Joan was wonderful to work with in my capacity as fire chief, and she was a true figure in our community. She leaves behind an incredible legacy, and we are so grateful for all that she did.”

            In honor of Wing’s contributions, the town’s flags were lowered to half-mast on July 26, in conjunction with her memorial service.

            Donations in Joan’s memory can be made to the Marion EMT Association, a 501 (c)(3) public charity, in care of Cornelia R. Dougall, PO Box 6, Marion, MA 02738.