Sippican Woman’s Club

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On Friday, October 13 at 11:00 am, The Sippican Woman’s Club will meet at 152 Front Street at our clubhouse AKA “The Tavern.” Members are requested to bring their own lunch, followed by a business meeting. We will depart promptly at 12:30 pm via carpool for The New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford. (Parking at the Elm Street Garage, 51 Elm Street.) Starting at 1:00 pm, Jim Verni will lead us on a tour of The Whaling Museum. Mary’s husband, Jim has served as a docent at the Whaling Museum for six years and looks forward to sharing tales of whaling adventures and guiding us through the museum’s historic collections of New Bedford’s past.

            The Sippican Woman’s Club meets once a month during the months of September through March on the second Friday of the month. On Saturday, December 9 from 10 am to 3 pm, the club, along with participating homeowners, will hold its traditional Holiday House Tour. Tour plans are underway with the guidance of Carolyn Kenney VP, Fundraising.

            We welcome visitors to our meetings. Club membership is open to any woman who is able to meet the membership criteria and whose interests include the Town of Marion. For further information, please visit our website: www.sippicanwomansclub.org.

Forest Walk for Mushrooms

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There will be a Forest Walk for Mushrooms with the Marion Natural History Museum on October 21 from 10 to 12. The summer may not have been the best for visits to the beach, but ducks, frogs, and mushrooms were happy with the frequent rain. Join us for a mid-autumn hike where we will look for what mushrooms are still fruiting. We will chat about basic anatomy and diagnostic features for identifying mushrooms as well as how to identify a few beginner edible mushrooms and their closest nonedible look-alikes. Some potential species of fungi we may see at this time of the year include: chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, shrimp of the woods, old man of the woods, various coral and ramaria spp, oysters, honey mushrooms and the iconic fly agaric.

            Adam studied math at UMass Dartmouth where he focused on complex systems and networks before studying Ecological Engineering at Oregon State University where he studied coupled human and natural systems under climate change. He is a biophile, amateur naturalist, enthusiastic teacher and proud father

            To RSVP for this event, please go to the museum’s website: www.marionmuseum.org. If you have any questions, please contact the Museum Director at Director@marionmuseum.org.

Learning Something New Every Day

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            I retired from teaching 13 years ago last month, but not from learning. I learn something new every day. I learned that those 13 years went by in a flash, just like the 64 years that came before them.

            Some of the things I learn are important. Just recently, I learned that tennis balls are the cause of injuries among tennis players. Now I was a pretty good tennis player in my day and, luckily, I never had an injury, but apparently at the professional level the little yellow spheres are a danger to life and limb, or at least to limb. It’s true I wouldn’t want to get hit by a world-class player’s 150 miles per hour serve, but who knew the length of the fuzz on the ball would cause an injury.

            Marketa Vondrousova, a Wimbledon champion from Czechia, recently dropped out of a tournament due to severe arm pain which she suggested was caused by the heaviness of the balls aggravated over the course of the season. She suggested that the length of the fuzz was more than allowed by the International Tennis Federation rules. Who knew they measured the fuzz on the ball? I learn something new every day.

            I learned that a major fast-food chain’s burger is smaller than it appears in menu photos. There’s a surprise! You probably heard that another chain’s foot-long sub sandwich was not a foot long, but I’ll bet my lunch that you didn’t know a burrito is not a sandwich. You’ll probably lose sleep over that tonight, but you learned something new today, didn’t you?

            I learned that you can balance two forks on a single toothpick. It has to do with the center of gravity or the laws of physics or something like that, subjects I know little about so don’t ask me to explain. That’s something I didn’t know … and didn’t think I needed to. I have not tried it, so I’ll take the experts’ word for it.

            Here is something I just learned, and I am not too pleased about. The young crowd is dining in restaurants earlier and earlier. According to an article in a Boston newspaper, dining reservations are all but impossible to get after 4:00 pm. Of course, the restaurants love this, but dining early was once the purview of the senior set. Not anymore! First these millennials, or alphabet generations or whatever they are called, take away pickleball and now the early-bird special. That’s why we boomers can’t have nice things.

            Here’s something you may be glad you learned here. Kissing someone for one minute burns 26 calories. Now there’s a weight-loss plan worth exploring.

            I learned that Albert Einstein could never remember his phone number or to wear socks. They say the brain is 80% water. Do you think he had a leak? Since retirement, I can’t remember what day it is. Glad to know I’m in the same leaky boat as Einstein.

            The missus, who reads my column regularly, came across a story about a specialty school in Japan that has a correspondence course that teaches people how to be funny. She suggested I consider enrolling. Wait! What? So, now she tells me!

            I learn something new every day.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

Elks Student of the Month

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The Elks of Wareham / New Bedford Lodge No. 73 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools. The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school and community service, industry and farming.

            We congratulate Senior, Constance Friedman of Marion, for being selected as Student of the Month for September by the Old Rochester Regional High School Faculty and Staff. Connie is a truly kind and compassionate person. In school, she welcomed a new student, making sure they felt included and helping them with their schoolwork. Outside of school, she goes the extra mile by walking her older neighbor’s energetic dog and spending time with them. Connie is involved in both the school community and her neighborhood. Her acts of kindness shine through in all parts of her life, like participating in drama productions, tea club and helping neighbors in need. She’s an inspiring example of how being kind can make a positive impact on others’ lives both in the classroom and beyond.

Evelyn Ann Ellis

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Evelyn Ann Ellis, 73 of Plantation, FL (formerly of Mattapoisett, MA) passed away suddenly on October 2, 2023. She was born on September 23, 1950, in Quincy, MA, (William and Bertha Simpson). Loving wife of Timothy Ellis of Plantation, FL. The loving mother of Sean Ellis and his wife, Kathleen (Davenport) of Medford, MA. Devoted mother of Nicholas Ellis of Plantation, FL. Loving grandmother of Frankie and Declan Ellis of Medford, MA. Dear Sister of William Simpson III and Thomas Simpson of Mattapoisett, MA, James Simpson of Eustis, FL, Priscilla and her husband Kenneth McDonald of Braintree, MA. Also survived by her nieces and nephews.

            Evelyn graduated from Truesdale Hospital School of Nursing and had a remarkable 40-year career as a registered nurse, working in hospitals, nursing homes, home health, and case management. Her hobbies focused on the arts, primarily painting and the theater. Evelyn was a caring and loving person who truly enjoyed serving Christ through service to others.

            Memorial services will be held at Plantation Baptist Church, 11700 NW 28th Ct, Plantation, FL on Monday, October 9, 2023, at 6:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Evelyn’s name can be made to Sheridan House Family Ministries, 1700 S. Flamingo Rd, Davie, Florida 33325, www.sheridanhouse.kindful.com.

            An Additional memorial service will be held at Saint Anthony Church, 26 Hammond St, Mattapoisett, MA 02739 on Saturday, October 14th, 2023, at 10 am. Interment will be held at a later date.

Murphy Named Harbormaster

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            Adam Murphy had long been doing the work of a harbormaster in Marion. On Tuesday night, the Select Board saw fit to remove the interim tag from his title after he and his staff got through the summer so efficiently in the wake of Perry’s move to Mattapoisett.

            It’s been a big 2023 for Murphy, the Rochester resident who a year after losing a bid for a seat on Rochester’s Select Board by one vote won convincingly in May. When asked for a reaction as he pulled out of the Police Station parking lot with his family in tow, Murphy said exactly what he said when he won the Select Board seat.

            “This is the calm after the storm, right? The hard part’s getting there, once you’re there, you can put your hard work and effort into play,” he said. “For me, that’s what’s exciting about it. Every day, you get to make it better. Now I can focus on all the projects that we have coming up. Just keep putting the right foot forward, work hard, and when I’m satisfied with where I’ve brought it, then I’ll revisit where I’m at.”

            Before becoming interim harbormaster upon Issac Perry’s hire last spring as Mattapoisett’s harbormaster, Murphy served Marion as deputy harbormaster and shellfish officer.

            In requesting Tuesday night’s promotion, Chief of Police Richard Nighelli summarized the challenges that Murphy, along with Assistant Harbormaster Dave Wilson and staffer Andrew Miller, tackled including day-to-day operations while at work on summer hiring and issues connected to the building of a new Maritime Center, research for a new patrol boat, and Marion’s decaying sea wall.

            Nighelli was happy to point out the large turnout of support for Murphy at the Police Station, including Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony, Mattapoisett Fire Chief Andy Murray and a large contingent of coworkers, including Wilson, Miller and members of the Marine Resources Commission.

            Murphy’s appointment filled the conference room at the Police Station with a loud round of applause. “We’ve got a lot to do,” said Nighelli.

            Nighelli also celebrated and supported Murphy’s effort to organize a fundraiser basketball game held last winter to benefit Old Rochester Regional Unified sports. To raise money for uniforms, ORR’s Unified teams will join the high school’s “Build Bulldog Nation” campaign being run by the ORR Athletic Boosters. The website is give2ORR.com.

            In his Town Administrator’s Report, Geoff Gorman said the procurement process for the new Maritime Center is still alive with general bids due by October 13. The plan is to bring an exact price to Town Meeting; the estimated shortfall in funding is $922,000. An informational session will be held on Tuesday, October 17, at the Police Station before the regularly scheduled Select Board meeting.

            Gorman also addressed the new Department of Public Works facility being planned for Benson Brook. The Planning Board continued the case to its October 16 meeting. The DPW Building Committee will meet on November 7 to discuss procurement methods and a construction timeline.

            The Special Fall Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 23, at 6:45 pm at Sippican Elementary School auditorium.

            The Select Board reviewed the 12 articles on the Town Meeting Warrant.

            Article 1 will be a vote to appropriate the estimated final amount of $922,000 to construct the Maritime Center (bonded by the Waterways Account, which acquires its revenue from harbor-related fees.)

            Article 2 will ask voters to support the Collective Bargaining Agreement and 3% cost-of-living adjustment in pay for nonunion employees. This action would be funded by transferring $75,000 from the group insurance account, $10,000 from Water Department retained earnings and $15,000 from Sewer Department retained earnings. The Finance Committee supports the article.

            Article 3 will ask voters to approve the transfer of $30,864.97 that Marion has received to date in the opioid manufacturers’ class-action lawsuit to create an Opioid Remediation Fund to be used by Finance Committee, Police Department and the Board of Health. As part of a statewide distribution to municipalities, Marion receives between $3,000 and $5,000 per month.

            Article 4 will appropriate $56,907 for Fire Stations 1 and 2 communication systems that are over 20 years old and so outdated that replacement parts are no longer available.

            Article 5 will appropriate $12,000 for new audio/visual equipment for the Town House to conduct meetings.

            Requested by the town clerk, Article 6 would require new requirements for swearing in that would match Massachusetts general law.

            Article 7, a repeat from 2022, would combine wiring, gas and electric into one article in the Marion bylaw.

            Article 8 would require that a citizens’ petition must be submitted 60 days before Town Meeting, but the Select Board would have the right to waive the requirement.

            Article 9 was the only article that resulted in less-than-unanimous recommendation of the Select Board. Chairman Toby Burr doesn’t think a tweak to the existing bylaw for beaches and public property requiring dog owners “have a means” to clean up after their pets will work any better than it presently does just saying that they must. Select Board members Norm Hills and Randy Parker support the measure.

            Articles 10-12, voted on Monday night by the Planning Board, only make corrections to existing regulations.

            In other actions, the Select Board dissolved the Finance Director Hiring Committee after Heather O’Brien accepted the job. O’Brien will start October 16 and work alongside Judy Mooney until her retirement at the end of the calendar year.

            The board also approved a sewer connection at 64 Lewis Road, approved the Marion Art Center’s request to close Cottage, Front and Main Streets in the village area for the Tuesday, October 31, Halloween Parade beginning at 4:00 pm (the parade begins at the Music Hall) and approved the following Water/Sewer commitments: $2,135.60 (quarterly billing September 12), $1,712,618.54 (quarterly billing September 15), $155 (reconnection and processing fees September 21), $4,200 (new water services September 25), $1,434.33 (pump repairs September 26), $640.47 (final readings September 26) and $547.06 (credit memo September 26.) Parker abstained from the pump-repair approval.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, at 6:00 pm at the Police Station.

By Mick Colageo

Old Colony PTO Fall Family Festival

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Please join us on Saturday, October 14 from 11-3 for the 3rd Annual Old Colony Family Fall Festival. Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, 476 North Ave, Rochester. This is a rain or shine event. Suggestion donation is $10 per car. Come and listen to music by The Concept. There will be food trucks, vendors, a caricature & henna artist, tarot card readings and reiki along with a bake sale and raffles. Free events include; giant inflatables, face painting, laser tag, photo booth, balloon animals, candy bingo and crafts. Mr. Vinny the Bubble Guy will be there from 12 – 2 and some characters will be roaming around. There will be a corn hole tournament and more. Visit our Facebook page to sign up for the corn hole tournament and festival updates. We hope to see you there.

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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As I was preparing the Bicentennial portion of our new exhibit at the historical museum, I read about the time capsule that was filled as part of the festivities on Aug. 8, 1976. In the picture are Kathy Gayoski May, chairwoman of the Bicentennial Committee, Walter A. Pierce, Chief of Police and Julia Enroth, Rochester’s first selectwoman.

            The time capsule was made of fiberglass and donated by Raymond Gonsalves of Fiberglass Specialties. Inside the time capsule were placed a copy of the town report, the town census and a copy of the local Growth Policy (an issue relevant today.) The Police Chief contributed a roster of the men on the force, a Police Department patch and a picture of two police cruisers (town owned police cars were new to Rochester at this time. Previously, officers used their personal cars.)

            Once filled, the time capsule was to be placed in the Plumb Memorial vault and herein lies a mystery. Is there a Plumb Memorial vault and if so, where is it and where is the time capsule? With the 250th anniversary of the United States to be celebrated in 2026, it might be a good time to locate our time capsule which will soon be 50 years old.

By Connie Eshbach

Briggs Permitted to Finish Cleanup

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            Having been stuck in the weeds of a backstory that dates back to the early 1980s, the Marion Planning Board finally found its way to a solution on Monday night by voting 4-2 to lift a cease-and-desist order and grant developer Sherman Briggs the Special Permit he requested to complete cleanup of a mostly dirt lot between Mill and Spring Streets.

            At the recommendation of Building Commissioner Bob Grillo, the board had issued the order because evidence of activities on site had risen to thresholds triggering his concern for the surrounding properties.

            The Special Permit that would free up Briggs to finish his work at property identified on Map 24 as Lots 36A, 37, 37A and 38, zoned Residence E (multifamily housing) addressed erosion control.

            Appearing before the Planning Board on Monday night, Briggs insisted that all the fill brought onto the site had happened prior to 2021, and he asserted that, since the fill on site remains at less than 19,000 square feet, the case should not fall under Marion’s erosion-control bylaw.

            Grillo corrected that assumption, noting that the erosion-control bylaw is not triggered by the amount of fill on site but the one acre of activity clearly exceeded.

            Briggs has long asserted that his property is lower than the surrounding properties concerned with runoff, but Grillo and the Planning Board were caught because abutters were unhappy with dust flying at the site and no apparent recourse to prevent the property owner from hauling in more fill and raising the grade to levels the abutters would consider dangerous.

            Without grounds to take action over that concern and apparent clearance of vegetation on the land, the town stopped Briggs’ activities based on the potential for silt runoff rather than clear (water only) runoff. After visiting the site, board member Andrew Daniel reported that water has only collected toward the center of the property, a condition Briggs told the board he designed so as to avoid posing a threat to his neighbors.

            “I agree there doesn’t appear to be any runoff on that site, but that doesn’t mean any fill to be brought in won’t cause an erosion-control bylaw,” Grillo said.

            “I don’t want to do any more than I have to because I intend to sell the property,” said Briggs, who told the board he intends to taper off the land as it abuts the nursing home and not disturb property belonging to the Open Space Acquisition Commission. Briggs said he needs to get rid of tree stumps on site. “I don’t plan on raising what’s there at all. It’s just disposing of the fill and leveling it off.”

            The only remaining piles, he said, will consist of the topsoil already on site.

            “The concern is that without some stopgap limitations … it just sort of feels like you’re going to keep spreading it all over the property, well exceeding the acre that we’re talking about. We just want to make sure that it gets capped in a way,” said Planning Board Chairman Tucker Burr.

            Member Ryan Burke felt that the Special Permit “doesn’t have a plan, doesn’t have grading, doesn’t have runoff … nothing we can approve.”

            The quandary left the members in search of some way to ensure Briggs’ activities are capped.

            “Something has to be in writing,” said board member Eileen Marum, referring to her study of Google Earth images over different time periods. She disputed Briggs’ account and asserted that he cleared massive amounts of vegetation without authorization. Briggs disagreed and said there has not been a tree at the site in over 10 years.

            Member Alanna Nelson asked for more detailed information, including project history.

            “It’s pretty much on that plan that I submitted,” said Briggs, alluding to his crushing and removal of concrete at the time he petitioned to change the zoning from light business to Residence E for the purposes of a market-rate housing development. “I cleaned all the piles out of there and got rid of that material. The disturbance was cleaning … that material was in there … the bulk of that material was in there under Baldwin’s permit to get into their lot.”

            Briggs said he had a day’s work to finish removing stumps and leveling off the remaining area. He said no fill would be brought in and that the grade has always stayed the same.

            In attendance, MOSAC Chairman John Rockwell verified that the board had received his letter outlining the commission’s position. His concern is that the Special Permit applied for left the board with “no idea how much fill that is. The bylaw clearly states that the applicant must demonstrate that there won’t be any impact on abutting properties,” said Rockwell.

            “That plan that I submitted shows what’s been done up to 2021. That plan goes out to the lot lines,” said Briggs, who estimated there are 200 yards of fill in the pile. “The other advantage to me getting it cleaned up (is) it won’t give people the idea they can dump excess fill, because that’s what’s been happening. I’m going to lock that place up.”

            In the end, the motion for the Special Permit stipulated that there be no new fill introduced, and if there was to be any new fill beyond 10 yards, Briggs must apply once again for a Special Permit. With that, the public hearing closed. Burr, Daniel, Burke and Jon Henry voted for, and Marum and Nelson against.

            After a presubmission conference, 133 Wareham Road LLC may be able to avoid Major Site Plan Review in favor of Minor Site Plan Review if the site plan can be revised to include 10 or fewer parking spaces. The initial proposal was for 11 spaces.

            The two triggers for Major Site Plan Review are: a construction covering 2,000 or more square feet or more than 10 parking spaces.

            The 1,600 square-foot construction (Map 11, Lot 121A) next to the hair salon at the western-most corner of Point Road and Route 6 will abut wetlands, but representative Jamie Bissonette of ZLC Consulting Engineers told the Planning Board on Monday night that no construction will occur within 30 feet of the wetland border and no area within 15 feet will be disturbed.

            Bissonette had already met with Town Planner and Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee in anticipation of this appearance and having filed a Notice of Intent, a public hearing later this month with the Conservation Commission. Guey-Lee was under the weather and not in attendance Monday night.

            Bissonette summarized several waiver requests that will be made in public hearings, including an infiltration study because the project will include an infiltration unit requiring relief from setbacks for installation. Bissonette noted that the town has additional setbacks for development.

            Grillo noted that if the existing parking lot has more than an adequate number of spaces, it might be reason for the applicant to reduce the spaces proposed in the new lot.

            “We do have more than enough parking off site,” said Bissonette.

            Burke asked what provisions exist if the ownership is not continuous at some point. Bissonette said his group could come up with an easement plan for that purpose.

            “Compared to what was over there … beautiful addition to the town,” said Daniel.

            Two public hearings were continued to the board’s October 16 meeting, the Department of Public Works new operations center at Benson Brook and the Chapter 220 Stormwater Management Bylaw.

            Even as the deadline to be included in the Warrant for the Special Fall Town Meeting to be held on October 23, most members felt that the Stormwater Bylaw requires more scrutiny. It will wait at least until Annual Town Meeting in May.

            After a public hearing, a Zoning Codification Bylaw was approved and sent forward for consideration at Special Town Meeting.

            Grillo outlined four proposed changes, recommending that the Planning Board pass on the use-variance change brought on by prior Town Counsel. He stated that the new Town Counsel recommends further study into language at the beginning of the use table and that wording needs more flexibility. Grillo suggested leaving the matter alone and possibly tackling it in time for the spring Town Meeting.

            Listening in, Town Administrator Geoff Gorman tweaked Grillo’s recommendation for housekeeping purposes, recommending the board not vote but to not take it up at all. That way, the proposal will not make the Town Meeting Warrant with or without a board recommendation.

            Per the board’s vote, a clerical correction will be included in the warrant article regarding lot, yard and height only to include all the residential compounds (A, B, C and D but not E) affected by the bylaw. The board also voted to endorse two other “housekeeping” changes.

            Henry asked to be relieved of his duties of representing the Planning Board to the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD.) It is anticipated that duty will be asked of William Dale Jones, who was not in attendance on Monday night.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, October 16, at 7:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

Harbormaster’s Office

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To The Editor:

            A letter from the Marine Resources Commission attempted “to correct some of the misinformation” concerning taxpayer monies and the proposed new Harbormaster’s office.

            The writer claims that “First and foremost, the design and construction…is completely funded through grants and harbor fees.” All government grants, whether federal, state, or local are funded through taxes. The Seaport Economic Council grant is a state grant funded by Massachusetts taxpayers.

            Also, it appears taxpayers are insufficiently informed regarding project costs, project financing, and project funding, for example, the funding source for a fire-service line.

            Project Architect Tim Sawyer said that he will price out the fire-service line and potentially have the cost absorbed into the project, or another possibility, the fire-service line will be added on as “an improvement” to the Facilities Director’s budget, a budget funded through Marion taxpayers.

            Mr. Sawyer professes to have “done multiple harbormaster facilities, this is by far the smallest,” but Mr. Sawyer remains silent as to whether his other facilities are positioned on stilts 23.5 feet off the ground.

            More worrisome are those who argue, “The new Harbormaster Office has been specifically designed and engineered to withstand a storm more severe than Hurricane Bob and remain functional.” Below is a list of engineering projects that failed without encountering a hurricane.

            Banqiao Dam failed in 1975 after engineers said it could handle a “once-in-2,000-years flood.”

            The Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington collapsed four months after opening for public use.

            Wind turbine failures are on the uptick, according to a report from Bloomberg.

            The Big Dig tunnel project in Boston was plagued with severe leaks that nearly dislodged the tunnel from its foundations.

            The roof of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City collapsed during a rainstorm.

            Finally, stilt buildings are constructed primarily as protection against flooding, and they can collapse under a range of circumstances related to weather and flooding.

            Eileen J. Marum, Marion

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.