Davis Bates Performs a Celtic Celebration

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The Mattapoisett Free Public Library will celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Celtic culture and the arrival of spring by presenting a performance by Parents’ Choice Award winning performer Davis Bates. Entitled “A Celtic Celebration”, the program will involve the audience in a variety of cultural traditions. It will include traditional songs and tales from Ireland, Scotland & Wales, sea songs and chanteys, ghost stories and family tales. There will also be plenty of singalongs, a short lesson in how to play music with spoons from a kitchen drawer and an appearance by an Irish dancing wooden dog named Bingo.

            Pete and Toshi Seeger called Davis “thoughtful, creative, human and a fantastic storyteller.” Davis’ traditional and participatory performance style empowers and encourages audiences of all ages to join in the fun and to take the songs and stories home with them to share with others. He also encourages listeners to remember and share stories and songs from their own family and cultural traditions.

            Davis Bates has been telling stories for over 44 years, in schools, libraries, colleges and community settings around New England and across the country. His recording of Family Stories won a Parent’s Choice Gold Award and was named one of the year’s best Audio Recordings by Booklist Magazine. Davis has also served as director and consultant for several local and regional oral history and folk arts projects. Davis lives in the village of Shelburne Falls, MA, and when he isn’t collecting or learning stories, he spends his time working with the Hampshire College Alumni Advisory Group and gardening and working on pollinator plantings on the Hampshire campus and at home.

            The performance, recommended for older children, teens and adults, will take place at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Saturday, March 18, beginning at 2:00 pm. No registration is required. For more information, please call 508-758-4171.

Library Books

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To the Editor;

            Recently, regional news reports have chronicled actual behaviors now occurring within local school districts that point to racism: pure and simple. And the removal (banning) of select literary classics from school library shelves that has come to be reveals to me—a retired high school English teacher—that there are people in our society who—willfully or not—prefer going backwards into the segregated and closed-minded times of the 1950s rather than openly welcoming the diversity that our current 21st Century society reflects.

            Tri-Town Against Racism or TTAR, founded by Rochester resident-moms, Alison Noyce and Rhonda Baptiste would not have needed to exist if accounts of various race-related mistreatments from within their children’s ORR school district had not—purely by chance—meandered into to their consciousness a few years ago. Noyce, the mother of two adopted sons who are Black, and Baptiste, the mother of a biracial student at Old Rochester Junior High School realized how when school district families are isolated one from the other—whether by design or by choice—unchecked race-related mistreatment within schools is allowed to continue, and unchecked misinformation is allowed to dominate over truth. I am heartened that Noyce and Baptiste have made available the TTAR non-profit initiative that includes its website where open and truthful communication can perpetuate moving forward.

            Mattapoisett residents of 25 years, Bev Baccelli and Liz DiCarlo have likewise published their views in their town’s January 5th publication, The Wanderer not only about incidents of racial bullying in Mattapoisett schools, but also about attempts being made to remove junior and senior high school library books, particularly those having to do with LGBTQ individuals and those of color. Baccelli and DiCarlo are quick to commend what they’d encountered at community forums where school administration officials and professional librarians discussed issues brought before various board members, but they were also “amazed at some of the language and innuendos expressed by others in attendance, including some elected officials”.

            When a librarian or language arts teacher works closely with students within academic settings, every single vetted piece of literature being selected for study is one of WHOLE purpose. And the wholeness cannot be appreciated without the scope of understanding and knowledge that the trained and seasoned professional applies to the learning process.

            It is time to stop pretending that our society is made up of only the “tribe” that each of us might be in. It is time to stop pretending that the other families within our various school districts ought to be just like our own in color and culture because if they are not, there must be something about them needing to conform to our limited scope. It is time to stop pretending to convince ourselves that what we never bother to explore must be okay as is. It is time to stop pretending that works of literature can be defined by a phrase on a page, or a title, or by what a single individual—with no contextual understanding of content or potential value within the teaching and learning experience—defines that work to be.

            Stifled and non-communication imposed by the few is never the evolutionary path to healthy growth for any community. This is precisely because each community—our human race—IS diverse. Embracing our human melting pot is embracing our whole truth, our whole reality, no matter the generation.

            Gina L. Despres (retired high school Language Arts / English teacher of 30 years)

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.

Bay Club Subdivision Reviewed

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            Dave Andrews of the Bay Club Real Estate Holdings and engineer Bob Field of Field Engineering came before the Mattapoisett Planning Board on Monday night to request approval of a Form C Definitive Subdivision for parcels located inside the original 624-plus acres.

            Original conceptual plans for the site in question were for the construction of a conference center. Original plans also included an equestrian center, Andrews said. But the real-estate climate has changed over the years since Bay Club planners presented their drawings. The conference center parcel is now planned for housing.

            Andrews said demand for smaller townhouse units became feasible with the inclusion of zero-lot-line cluster subdivisions to the town’s bylaws. The neighborhood referred to as Split Rock “sold out” quickly when the developers offered smaller townhouse units.

            Now, Andrews said, he has a waiting list of people interested in this latest development of two-bedroom units that will have a two-car garage and loft area that can be converted into a bedroom space. Twelve units are planned. He said that the project was approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals and that the Conservation Commission has conditioned the project.

            Field explained the stormwater management system with member Nathan Ketchel asking for time to review the calculations. The review was continued to March 20.

            Jim Pavlik of Outback Engineering, representing Sun Partners Solar for the construction of a ground-mounted solar array totaling 198.8 KW, came before the board.

            Pavlik noted of the reopened hearing that acceptance of the dual-use plan, the array field, will allow for agricultural activity beneath the ground-mounted panels, has not yet included state approval. However, Site-Plan Review could move forward, Ketchel confirmed.

            Two votes by the board were needed before further action could take place, Pavlik stated. The board voted to accept the plan of record and granted work within a floodplain described as minimal and temporary.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board was not announced upon adjournment.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

Great Horned Owl a Great Hunter

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            The Great Horned Owl is found everywhere in America because of its aggressive and powerful hunting ability. It is also known as the Tiger Owl for taking prey as various as rabbits, hares, snakes and even skunks. It will even attack a porcupine or a Bald Eagle, often with fatal results for both prey and predator.

            My illustration shows a pair already nesting now in late winter, well earlier than any other birds, in a tree behind my seaside home on Little Bay in Fairhaven. The female shown on the right of my drawing is always bigger than the male. The facial disk design on her chest of front feathers has the channel passage to send and direct sound directly into her ears so her hearing is much better than that of humans.

            The ear tufts on each side of the owls’ heads have nothing to do with acting as horns as a weapon to protect themselves, and the owls’ eyes are fixed in their heads so to follow a vision moving to either side requires turning their heads in a circle around the body to stay focused. If their heads are always pointed right at you, the expression on their faces seems to look right through your every thought about them.

            The hooting of this owl is usually low pitched, lasting for five or six startling calls, especially in courtship communication early in the season to get a prospective mate’s undivided attention. Such a deep hoot has a special meaning and quality to be heard rolling through the night into every corner of the forest and resounding unlike any other mating invitation you have ever heard.

            The presently wide, northern-hemisphere distribution of this species apparently goes back to fossils found at the end of the ice-age passage across the Bering Strait in Alaska with the Snowy Owl that began for both species to spread its distribution widely into the present time. The Horned Owl came ahead somewhere in time with the heaviest anatomy with 4 feet in height and a wingspan of more than 3 feet.

            When this remarkable creature crosses your bird-watching experience, it makes a lasting impression never to be forgotten to tell future generations about what you have just experienced by reading and visualizing my article in this issue.

By George Emmons

Let’s Make a Pinhole Camera

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Attend a free workshop entitled, Let’s Make a Pinhole Camera at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Sunday, March 26 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm with local photographer David Walega. This free workshop is in conjunction with Walega’s Mattapoisett Library Artist Series exhibit entitled, Let the River Run running from March 21 to April 14, which includes his photographs taken with a wooden pinhole camera documenting his 11-mile journey of the Mattapoisett River. The pinhole camera is an ideal tool for teaching the fundamental principles of photography and its simple design allows for easy construction and use. This hands-on experience of making a pinhole camera will give attendees the tools to document the local environment while gaining a fundamental understanding of image making. The workshop will be limited to 12 participants and registration is required. The library is handicapped accessible.

Rochester Historical Society

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It’s almost spring, and things are stirring at the Historical Society. Our first meeting is April 19 at 7:00 at the museum, 355 County Rd. The program will discuss Rochester’s many celebrations, pre-1940.

            May brings us both the bees of Nettie’s Bees and the Historical Commission’s dedication of the new Revolutionary War Memorial. There is a new start time for the dedication events. We will be starting at 2:00 pm on May 7 in front of Town Hall.

            Anyone who still wants to join the Historical Society can do so by contacting Connie at eshbach2@aol.com or Sue at sash48@comcast.net or call her at 508-295-8908 or you can pay them at the April meeting.

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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One of the many maps in our museum exhibit is titled, “Original Purchases from the Indians.” It was a gift to our historical society from the Lakeville Historical Society in 1974. On this map it is possible to trace some of the early North American pathways. Many of these became the template for the roads of early settlers.

            One such path was actually known as “Old Path”. It began in Plymouth and was for many years, the start of the stagecoach road to Dartmouth. Another ancient pathway met the “Old Path” a little northeast of Mary’s Pond. It led from Sandwich to Dartmouth, going through Rochester Center near the cemetery. In the early days of the town, it was called the “Country Road”. Later it was known in Rochester as “the Rhode Island Path.” As time went on, it became part of the Plymouth to New Bedford stage route.

            Another Native American trail began in Middleboro, went passed the Union Cemetery and continued down the west shore of Sippican. It became known as “Old Bay Path.”

            Theses paths were worn into the land by Native Americans who walked them for centuries. While they were well defined, they were narrow and only suitable for foot traffic. With the passage of time, early residents used them as bridal paths, and some were later widened to serve as wagon roads.

            Along with these trails through the woods, The Native Americans left us their names for area spots. Some that have remained are: Mattapoisett, Assawompset and Quitticus. Others have disappeared. Looking at the 1704 map of Rochester in our display, you can find Nipesincas Little Pond. On the 1795 map, it has become Snows Pond and on the 1854 map, an apostrophe has been added as well as the nearby residence of N. Snow.

            Maps are fascinating and at our September 20 meeting, Charlie Rowley will present a program; “Mapping Rochester”.

By Connie Eshbach

Academic Achievements

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            Bryant University is pleased to recognize the students who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to academic excellence and achievement and have been named to the fall 2022 President’s List. The President’s List is an academic distinction reserved for Bryant’s highest achievers who earn a GPA of 4.0 for at least 12 semester hours of work. Congratulations to Margaret Adams of Mattapoisett, Alexandra Fluegel of Mattapoisett, Sydney Mendonca of Mattapoisett.

            Bryant University is pleased to recognize the students who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to academic excellence and achievement and have been named to the fall 2022 Deans’ List. To earn a place on the Deans’ List, students must have a GPA of 3.4 or better for at least 12 semester hours of work. Congratulations to Margaret Adams of Mattapoisett, Alexandra Fluegel of Mattapoisett, Sydney Mendonca of Mattapoisett, Raegan Rapoza of Marion and Aiden Woods of Marion.

            The following local residents were named to the Dean’s List at Hamilton College for the 2022 fall semester: Samuel Gordon of Marion. Gordon, a senior majoring in economics is a graduate of Tabor Academy. Abigail LaCasse of Mattapoisett. LaCasse, a senior majoring in psychology, is a graduate of Tabor Academy. Katherine Solowey of Mattapoisett. Solowey, a sophomore, is a graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury High School. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must have carried a course load of four or more graded credits throughout the semester and earned an average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale.

            Maeve B. McEnroe of Marion was named to first honors, and Bernave Twyman of Mattapoisett was named to second honors on Clark University’s fall 2022 Dean’s List. Students must have a GPA of 3.8 or above for first honors or a GPA between 3.50 and 3.79 for second honors.

            Holden King of Rochester has made the Dean’s List at Wentworth Institute of Technology for the fall 2022 semester.

Bylaw Changes Set for Town Voters

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The Marion Planning Board was finally able to put a bonnet on the lengthy list of changes in town bylaws that will be brought before voters at the May 8 Annual Town Meeting.

            The board, made up of Chairman Norm Hills, Eileen Marum, Andrew Daniel, Jon Henry, Alanna Nelson, Chris Collings and Tucker Burr, was present for Monday night’s public meeting, except for Daniel, who would later rush into the Police Station only to learn that adjournment had just taken place.

            Daniel had just come from an emergency situation in his job as facilities manager for the Town of Rochester, where the police station was dealing with a sewage breach in the basement of its Dexter Lane headquarters.

            The uncharacteristically brief meeting and early adjournment was clearly frustrating for Daniel, who wanted to be present to help bring to conclusion an arduous, two-year process that Hills had engaged with the Bylaw Codification (sub)Committee.

            Daniel, whose concerns with details, in particular bylaws, played a role in extending the Planning Board’s discussion this far into the calendar year, were last focused on narrowing down the authority by which a town representative would be authorized to pull private or commercial signage off of public property, including the 10-foot setback from any public road onto residential property where construction companies typically place signs advertising their businesses.

            After a compromise achieved by the board during its February 21 meeting, it was agreed that Bylaw 230-6.2A(4) would finally read: “No private/commercial signs are allowed on public property, with the single exception of polling locations (with 150-foot setback) on election days. Any private/commercial sign placed on public property may be removed by Town DPW employees without further notice.”

            Two other sign-related bylaws follow: 230-6.2B addressing various types of signs in residential districts  not exceeding 3 square feet, not to be attached to utility poles of vegetation, nor attached to a vehicle primarily used as a sign, and 230-6.2D(4) addressing temporary banners or signs (15-day maximum requiring approval of the Town Administrator.)

            The three sign-related bylaw changes were only the finishing touch to many that Hills, in concert with the Codification Committee, had erased, rewritten, tweaked or otherwise updated before bringing to the Planning Board for recommendation to town voters.

            Other bylaw changes in Monday night’s packet were given a final look by the board.

            The unusually brief agenda also addressed Marion’s Open Space Recreational Plan (MOSRP), and Marion residents Deborah Houck and Kitty DeGroot attended the meeting to air concerns with regard to how the plan will affect Converse Road.

            “You’ve brought up a good consideration and we’ll fix it. There are 16 other things I’ve got to deal with,” said Hills, noting 18 written comments he will need to address. “They will be adjudicated with reasons provided. … We’re at the very end of the process, we’ve been working on this for two years.”

            Board member Chris Collings asked if public comments made in response to the MOSRP can be published on the town’s website. Hills said they can but noted that the last open-space plan was enacted in 2005. “That’s a long time ago. That’s why we’re trying to get this done,” he said, reminding the members and attendees that all of the meetings it took to form the plan have been open to the public and advertised. Board member Alanna Nelson was pleased to note that there have been 230 responses to the survey conducted on the MOSRP.

            Under Old Business, Hills told the members that he is still waiting for written comments from some on the Village Style Smart Growth District (VSSGD) proposal.

            Citing impending residential developments at the Wareham end of Route 6 in Marion, Collings said, “When we think about master planning and town planning, we should be on that and make sure everything (including Route 6 utility poles) gets moved back and their expense.”

            Based on a related discussion, Hills believes that the renovation of the bridge over the Weweantic River, originally planned for 2023, is now two years away and at the present time without a sewer-line connection. (The cost of regionalizing town sewer by connecting into Wareham’s system has been recently examined as part of ongoing consultation with Kent Nichols Jr. of Weston & Sampson, Inc., as Marion looks to achieve a 20-year, Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan.)

            Nelson reminded the members that a dozen projects will be finally vetted on Friday, March 10, at the Community Preservation Committee’s 5:00 pm public Zoom meeting.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, March 20, at 7:00 pm at the Police Station and live via Zoom.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

Mattapoisett First with Live911

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            Mattapoisett residents now have an added layer of protection with improved response times to 911 calls, thanks in no small part to the innovating character of its police force headed by Chief Jason King. Since being tapped as the department chief, King has been looking for ways to improve the services provided by the Police Department.

            Recently while perusing a trade publication, King happened upon an article that detailed new software equipment for 911 calls and responses called Live911. The story went on to describe a small city in California that was using the system and the advantages provided. King was intrigued.

            After further study of the system and discussions with his staff, King filed an application in 2022 for a grant from the Massachusetts Department of 911 that could fund the emergency-response improvements. Fast-forward, today Live911 is being used in the field by the first Massachusetts town to have the system: Mattapoisett.

            “Now officers will hear the 911 call as it is coming into the dispatcher,” King said. “They’ll hear it firsthand and can pinpoint on their laptops the exact location of the caller.”

            Those precious seconds between the dispatcher receiving the call and relaying critical information to an officer in the field is now trimmed considerably, King explained. “A bit of information can make a big difference, and the officer is hearing the complete call, not just details shared by the dispatcher.”

            That’s not to minimize the work done by dispatchers. From the Live911 website, we find, “While 911 call takers are very fast in their ability to obtain information from callers, there is always a time lapse from when a 911 call is answered, details are typed and entered into the CAD, the dispatcher sends info to radio operator, it is read, airtime becomes clear and the call for service is broadcast. This process can take 90 seconds to two minutes before an officer even becomes aware of a critical situation.”

            Assisting King with the integration of Live911 was Mattapoisett Police Officer Sean Parker, the department’s defacto, computer go-to technician.

            “I’ll be out on patrol. A call coming into the station on 911 (that) I wouldn’t know about ahead of time until the dispatcher dispatches me. Now as the call comes in, it’s going to pop up on my screen. … I’ll get all of the information that the caller is giving dispatch in live time,” Parker explained.

            Parker went on to say that the incident’s location will be pinpointed. Laptop computers in police cruisers will access a split screen including two images, one pinpointing the exact location of the 911 call relative to surrounding patrol areas, the other a close-up overhead view of the location. Direct access and connection to the call can and does save precious minutes, the officer confirmed.

            Also displayed will be information now accessible as the call is being made. Knowing en route to a call the type of emergency aids the officers in preparing their response once at the scene.

            All 911 communications run through the state, so part of the system issues needing solutions were solved in conjunction with the state’s 911 program. Parker said everything is now operational.

            “We had to iron some things out, but we ended up getting everything working in collaboration with the state, Higher Ground (the creator of the software product) and our IT company … we got everything to work correctly, and it’s a great program.” The department isn’t taking anything for granted, however.

            While one might assume other municipalities in the commonwealth will soon be seeking consultation for their own prospective programs, Parker is focused on Mattapoisett. So far, so good, he said.

            “I think it’s too soon (to be thinking about other towns’ interest),” Parker said. “A lot of other departments are waiting to see what happens and if we got it up and running, which we did, so I think in the future, we’ll go from there and see what happens.

            “We were running in test mode for a little while, but now we’re up and running, and we haven’t had any problems since. … Dispatch needs to get a lot of information, they have to figure who’s calling, if there’s anyone there that can help. It’s a lot of information to gather before they give it to us.”

            What Mattapoisett officers now have is simultaneous access that will allow them precious time in response efforts. More information prior to arrival equips responders with more immediate and effective de-escalation techniques.

            Local schools are the highest priority for local police. LIVE911 calls from the schools will be transmitted via a “campus” link, enabling all officers to hear the call.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco stated, “The department took it on themselves.”

            Lorenco applauded the chief and his staff for taking on the opportunity, including obtaining the grant funds to pay for everything. “In this day and age, real-time data is important for situational awareness,” he said.

By Marilou Newell and Mick Colageo