ORRHS Term 2 Honor Roll

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The following students have achieved honors for the second term at Old Rochester Regional High School:

                  Highest Honors, Grade 9; Teresa Adams, Nolan Bushnell, Sarah Curry, Hailee Ducharme, David Fredette, Dillon Furtado, Mallory Henesey, Aiden Levasseur, Zoe Pateakos, Heer Patel, Scarlet Patnaude, Aubrey Sylvia-Everett, Emily Wyman, Grade 10; Emily Abbott, Chloe Bean, Hunter Bishop, Ella Caesar, Murray Callahan, Eloise Casi, Julia Crain, Alia Cusolito, Cole Goldie, Jaymison Gunschel, Jacob Hadley, Aubrey Heise, Corinne Hibbert, Macy Ingham, Theo Jacobsen, Megan McFadyen, Ava McLeod, Cattarinha Nunes, Brenna O’Donnell, Madelyn Pham, Andrew Porter, Marcus Robichaud, Gabriella Romig, Allison Root, Mariana Sudofsky, Arielle Troupe, Jackson Veugen, Allison Winters, Grade 11; Rudy Arsenault, Maura Bailey, Theodore Carroll, Ryan Cordeiro, Elizabeth Higgins, Landon Maxwell, Alexander Nguyen, Aidan O’Donnell, Markus Pierre, Sarah Wyman, Grade 12; Nathaniel Bangs, Evan Correia, Matthew Curry, Anna Dube, Adam Forrest, Thomas Galavotti, Colby Gross, Mia Hall, Harry Hunt, Isabella Hunt, Amelia Joseph, Amaya McLeod, Lucas Mello, Emily Murphy, Olivia Mydlack, Stephen Old, Ethan Perez-Dormitzer, Marc Pothier, Ethan Scully, Julia Sheridan, Emma Thayer, Maxwell Tucker, Jennifer Williams,

                  High Honors, Grade 9; Clara Bonney, Delaney Chase, Lilly Cook, Eden Dupre, Zachary Gates, Emerson Gonet, Katherine McIlmail, Scarlett Sylvia, Grade 10; Theodore Cecil, Sara Costa, Rylie Coughlin, Ethan Furtado, Lily Johnson, Logan Leblanc, Keelin Lienkamp, Jonathan Nguyen, Alice Prefontaine, Kamryn Rodrigues, Aidan Silk, Angela Tomasso, Paetyn Tripp, Braden Yeomans, Liam Yurof, Grade 11; Sylvie Benson, Gabriella Berg, David Costa, Failenn Fitzpatrick, Paige Fuller, Leo Grondin, Brendan Hubbard, Mackenzie Luong, William O’Shaughnessy, Lauren Rapoza, Henry Richards, Kira Sarkarati, Emma Welter, Summer Williams, Samuel Williamson, Grade 12; Brendan Burke, Anthony Calderone, Isabella Correia, Emily DellaCioppa, Jillian Ferreira, Mia Hemphill, John Kassabian, Ethan McElroy, Lucas McElroy, Benjamin Preece-Santos, Charles Richards, Autumn Tilley, Michael Valerio, Cameran Weaver, Nathan Yurof,

                  Honors, Grade 9; Henry Bailey, Ella Bartholomew, Patrick Burke, Erin Cardinal, Keith Cavanaugh, Kelsi Chick, Gianna DeLeo, Jake Dellas, Lyra Demendonca, Aidan Eagle, Hannah Eaton, Katelyn Fisher, Barbara Gest, Chloe Guttenberger, Elizabeth Houdelette, Aubrie Letourneau, Jenna Lynch, Logan Maher, Gavin Martin, Madison Mello, Zack Mourao, Mario Musto, Danikka Myers, Asher O’Brien-Nichols, Jayden Pedro, Bailey Pelland, Varunyu Phimolmas, Gabriela Pinhancos, Alexander Pither, Audrey Pither, Brady Reardon, Alexis Rezendes, Matthew Rock, Kaya Savaria, Christina Shultz, Molly Sisson, Ezra Thompson, Cameron Van Ness, Noah Wilkins, Tessa Winslow, Grade 10; Helena Anesti, Ryan Arruda, Noah Arsenault, Chase Besancon, Sofia Bouley, John Bowman, Elisa Castro-Colaj, Tyler Chick, Henry Cooney, Dylan Durgin, Amber Engel, Emerson Femino, Constance Friedman, Elizabeth Harrington, Keira Hart-Bonville, Eva Hartley, Matthew Kennefick, Rylee Kouta, Sara Kroll, Zach LeBlanc, Ty MacKenzie, Anthony Marraffa, Marina Martins, Colin Mills, Owen Modracek, Nashajia Monteiro, Rada Nuchthongmuang, Anna Pereira, Emilia Perriera, Logan Perry, Kelly Quinlan, Aiden Sellinger, Payton Tripp, Emma Whittaker, Tyler Williams, Remy Wilson, Grade 11; Samuel Balsis, Ava Barrows, Ryan Blanchette, Torsten Brickley, Reese Burger, Tyler Cardinal, Matthew Carvalho, Emily Cavanaugh-Fauteux, Caitlin Collier, Brady Dias, Madeline Dugas, Joseph Dupre, Matthew Eby, Josephine Eleniefsky, Sawyer Fox, Julia Foye, Domenic Fringuelli, Lila Galavotti, Derek Gauvin, Liam Geraghty, Mason Hanks, Alexander Harrigan, Jack Hebert, Derek Hiralall, Sakurako Huynh-Aoyama, Sofia Irish, Storm Lanzoni, Emmanuella Lawrence, Jillian LeBlanc, Brady Lee, Nicole Londergan, Myles Lopes, Drew MacGregor, Angus MacLellan, Alexander Marsden, Jacksen Martin, William McIlmail, Jordan Nguyen, Quinn O’Brien-Nichols, Austin O’Malley, Emma Petersen, Paul Petronelli, Grace Picewick, Andrew Poulin, Jeffrey Radek, Corinne Robert, Reagan Rock, Norah Schiappa, Makenna Servais, Ella Shultz, Ella Soutter, Mariah Taylor, Delaney Veilleux, Arianna Vinagre, Lars Vinjerud, Zachary Zutaut, Grade 12; Jaelyn Allen, Jasmine Andrade, Amanda Armanetti, Riley Arruda, William Baltz, George Barry, Christopher Bell, Magdalena Brogioli, James Coleman, Sabrina Cunningham, Jacob DaRosa, Alice DeCicco-Carey, David Ditata, Christopher Feeney, Logan Fernandes, Hannah Furtado, Brody Garber, Keira Gleasure, Edward Gonet, Bailey Gosse, Taylor Green, Ava Hall, Samuel Harris, Michael Holmes, Isabella Hunter, Lauryn Lent, Jamie MacKenzie, Jillian Martin, Sofia Martins, Drew Mastovsky, Spencer Merolla, Lukas Michaelis, Caroline Milam, Ariana Miranda, Matthew Modracek, Steven Morrell, Elijah Motta, Maggie Nailor, Katherine Nilson, Hailey Nye, Dylan Pallatroni, Sawichaya Phimolmas, Sydnee Pires, Zachary Proffit, Maria Psichopaidas, Hayden Rinta, Natalya Rivera, Isabella Romig, Hannah Rottler, Chase Ryan, Mickenna Soucy, Callie Tavares, Hannah Teixeira, Savannah Teixeira, Emma Thorell, Maxwell Vivino, Allison Ward, Joel Watters, Klara Whalley, Mackenzie Wilson, Madeline Wright, Joseph Ziino.

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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Rochester Historical Society

At the Rochester Historical Museum we have quite a few choir chairs. We inherited them when we took ownership of the East Rochester Church. As you can see in the picture, they are quite unique with their caned seats and the woven basket on the back to hold the music for the singer behind the chair. During the building’s years as a church, the chairs would be lined up in formation on the side of the altar. As with most of our historical items, there’s a story or two that go beyond the simple fact of the chair.

            The choir group that sang in the church was known as the Pierceville Choir. Many of the male and female choir members were young adults who managed to turn their choir practices into “a grand old time” according to a poem written about the group. They were quite a group. Ella played the organ, George sang second tenor, Annie and Miss Bessie sang soprano, Edd and Ellerd provided the bass. When the choir was first organized, there was no leader until Finley joined and he coupled that job with the part of first tenor. This brings us to the two altos. Barbara and Clara are described as “two giddy girls from school, and when they came to rehearsal all they could do was fool.”

            Now to the reason that Bessie Martin and Ella Bumpus wrote the poem, “Ode to the Pierceville Choir.” After Peter Beaton attended church one Sunday when the choir performed, his family noted that he suddenly became unusually interested in both church services and choir music. Before long, he added his bass voice to the choir, and soon the other members realized that Clara Galt not the urge to sing was the attraction. The attraction was definitely mutual as it wasn’t too long before Clara Galt became Mrs. Peter Beaton and eventually grandparents of Mack Phinney, our society president.

            I have to say this is why I enjoy time spent at the museum and reading about Rochester history. So often a picture or object is not just a picture or object but a portal to a story that brings the past alive and in this case, we have a chair that isn’t just a chair but part of a family’s lore.

Rochester Historical Society

By Connie Eshbach

Thank You

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To the Editor,

            With sincerest thanks for the tremendous outpouring of kindness, love and support from our friends and Mattapoisett families.

            Special thanks to Mattapoisett Police Department and to the Mattapoisett Highway Department for your time and assistance during these very trying past several weeks.

Mattapoisett is a special place filled with special people.

            Thanks to All.

            Sincerely,

Barry and Deb Denham

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.

Seth Boutin

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Seth Boutin, 43, of Rochester passed away Tuesday February 15, 2022.

            Born in Wareham, the son of Nancy (Tuttle) Boutin and the late Wilfred Boutin, he lived in Rochester for most of his life. He was a graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School.

            Seth was employed by Burr Brothers Boats, Inc. in Marion.

            He loved life, nature, and the earthly things in life. He appreciated the simple things in life. He truly enjoyed his time spent near the ocean. A dedicated animal lover, he especially loved his cats dearly.

            He is survived by his mother, Nancy; his sister, Adrienne Boutin; and many close friends.

            A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Indigenous Themes Shared by All for All

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            The Marion Art Center’s latest installation focuses and pays homage to Native American works of art. To accomplish that, Executive Director Jodi Stevens networked and found a trio of artists whose art bear that theme. From traditional Native American regalia to inspired portraits of chiefs and woodcarvings harkening totem poles, the MAC is once again sharing the wonders of artistic expression in all its magnificence.

            When we visited the MAC, Stevens was putting the finishing touches for the exhibit in the two galleries where works done by Vincent Mancini, Makerjake aka Jacob Ginga, and Max Brown-Garcia are now on display.

            The trio’s works of visual splendor complement one another in terms of theme and Native American art but also inform the visitor that this genre is alive and thriving in the 21st century. Each artist reaches into Native American culture seeking inspiration that has aided him in his journey to create pieces of art that feel both familiar and new.

            Vincent Mancini tells of his first exposure to Native American culture when at a very young age his family attended annual powwows. He would become so enthralled by the people, the music and the regalia as to find himself years later still thinking about the events. “Those powwows touched me and stayed with me.” Now, albeit many years later, the artist creates pieces that honors the original inhabitants of these lands using new techniques as well as natural elements.

            Mancini’s works incorporate the use of naturally molted feathers affixed to canvas, creating what may be described as feather mosaics but what he calls “feather delineation.” He is especially drawn to wild turkey feathers, whose iridescent feathers have become portraits of beloved and well-known Native Americans such as Geronimo and Chief Weetamoo.

            To create his version of Geronimo, Mancini used the subtle color and tonal variations of the feathers, painstakingly gluing 1-inch-square feather tiles to a canvas. The process took more than six months, he said. After years of perfecting the technique of using feathers to create art, his portraits demonstrate how powerfully shading can depict muscle tone and facial features not with conventional paints, pastels or charcoals but from the colors imbued in the feathers.

            “I’ve always been an outdoor person,” Mancini shared, and from the many hours he immersed himself in outdoor pursuits he would always collect feathers found along the way. But it would be the wild turkey feathers that provide the basis of many for his creations.

            On the first-floor gallery upon entering the space that initially greets MAC visitors is Geronimo, a large canvas covered in shades of brown, gray, black and ivory created from hundreds of tiny, hand-cut feathers placed with precision. “I wanted it to look like pixels on a TV screen,” Mancini explained. And while that is the end result, the clarity of the image leaves no room for guesswork – it is clearly Geronimo.

            Although he is not himself of Native American heritage, Mancini pushes the viewer to think about stereotypes and that our collective expectations of Native American culture should continue to evolve and be supportive.

            Makerjake does have Native American DNA and feels deeply connected to those ancestorial roots through his mother and grandfather. His DNA also is saturated with talent in beadwork and the making of regalia. So it isn’t surprising that, while he feels as if his feet are planted in two worlds, “Native American and colonial,” he draws primary inspiration from tribal themes.

            That is not to say Makerjake’s work isn’t contemporary. Using three-dimensional laser programs and tools, Makerjake creates a fusion of street art mixed with indigenous themes. There are lizards, fish and faces that are reminiscent of totem-pole carvings now reimagined. Many of his pieces give the sense of woodblock carvings and prints, a creative style he said he is going to continue to explore.

            Of the works on exhibit, Makerjake said, “The layered wooden pieces have evolved over time.” He calls them pieces of “visual storytelling.”

            The third artist, Max Brown-Garcia, shares his interpretation of traditional regalia. Feathered headpieces, along with bustles and implements, add a rich layer of heritage and skill in the making of ceremonial costumes and associated pieces. He explained that eagle feathers, claws and other animal elements can be obtained through registration with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, which distributes materials to Native Americans for such important creative and religious pursuits.

            Brown-Garcia is new to the art world in terms of displaying his crafts, but he has been creating wearable art for many years. He shared that he is fully enjoying the opportunity presented through this show and where it may lead. He said he would pursue other exhibition venues in the future and possibly the concept of creating decorative works.

            Talent in Native American crafting runs through Brown-Garcia’s family. “My mother is well known for her beadwork.” He also credited his mother, Nancy Brown-Garcia, for getting him interested in learning how to make male regalia pieces. He is a member of the Narragansett tribe and believes, as his ancestors believed, “these gifts are not ours.” They belong to everyone.

            This MAC show can easily be called one of the best yet. Full of color, singularly unique in imagery, and reaching deeply into the united spirit and visual poetry we all need. One feels a reverence in every corner and every space in the galleries, a reverence for nature and for humankind – a reverence emitting from the art itself.

             A full, in-person artists’ reception is planned for Friday, February 25, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The gallery is open on Thursday through Saturday between 10:00am and 2:00pm. The exhibit Exploring Native American Culture: Art, Craft and Inspiration runs from now through March 25.

Marion Art Center

By Marilou Newell

Bourne Assistant Offered Town Administrator Job

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            Before Tuesday’s interviews, it was not certain that by week’s end the Rochester Select Board would pick a successor to Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar, but board member Woody Hartley wanted to go right after it when the four finalists had finished the process and at least share initial impressions.

            “This is fresh in my mind,” he said.

            As it turned out, Hartley and fellow Select Board members Paul Ciaburri and Chairman Brad Morse needed little conversation to realize they share a strong belief that Glenn Cannon is the right person for the job.

            “I was very comfortable with his answers … I think he’s a great candidate,” said Hartley, noting that Cannon’s engineering and project-based experience will be of timely benefit as the Town of Rochester planned just last week to form a committee to conduct a feasibility study that it is hoped will lead to construction of a new or upgraded facilities for the town’s Police and Fire departments.

            Szyndlar will step down as town administrator on June 30 but remain with Rochester in the newly created position of Finance Director. She has also been serving as town accountant.

            Citing “no reason to move onto a meeting on Friday,” Morse said, “I think it’s pretty unanimous,” and entertained the motion delivered by Hartley and seconded by Ciaburri. Morse told the board he would contact Cannon Tuesday night and make the offer with contract negotiations to follow.

            Cannon, Herbert Durfee, Jessica Horsman and Edward Swartz were the four finalists interviewed on Tuesday after being culled from a group of seven interviewed by Plymouth-based Community Paradigm Associates LLC. Bernard Lynch, founder and managing principal of the consulting firm, was city manager of Lowell eight years and for 20 years was Chelmsford’s town manager.

            Lynch explained that the initial effort solicited between 100 and 200 prospective applicants; 18 responded and two significant withdrawals left the field at 16, seven of which were interviewed.

            Cannon, Bourne’s acting town administrator, and Durfee, former Norwich, Vermont, town manager, represented the closest thing to matching experience, while Horsman, Attleboro’s Public Health director, and Swartz, a longtime member of the Dighton Finance Committee, also emerged from the pool of candidates to the final stage.

            Cannon has served as the Bourne’s assistant town administrator the past four years and has been acting town administrator while the town’s new hire for the position is not yet in place. Cannon’s role in Bourne has been “very much project oriented,” according to Lynch.

            Asked how he describes a town administrator, Cannon said it’s “the person who brings it all together” and supports town departments, making sure that they have the support and the direction they need. Tough decisions are part of the job, Cannon said. “It might not be the most popular decision but the right decision.”

            Prior to working for Bourne, Cannon served 20 years on the Cape Cod Commission and worked as director of technical services. His engineering degree at UMass Dartmouth has been used in roles with Cumberland Farms and the Massachusetts Highway Department, and he holds a 2019 certificate in Municipal Management from Suffolk University, a nine-month program in which Lynch teaches. Cannon has also served in a number of positions in Middleboro where he lives.

            Without a vote but asked for comment, Szyndlar said, “I think personally Glenn is the strongest of the four. Apples to apples, he was the strongest. … It’s just a matter of time for (Horsman). … Mr. Durfee, the Massachusetts background, that he doesn’t have, but (he’s) also very good. But, to me, Glenn clearly stands out.”

            “I go back to what we need,” said Town Counsel Blair Bailey, also asked for his opinion. Noting Szyndlar’s expertise in finance, “what’s on our horizon” and the turnover in administration, Bailey, too, threw his hat into the ring for project-related experience. “Not disrespecting the other two,” he said, “(but) with the turnover, Glenn or Mr. Durfee is a better fit. I think Glenn’s terrific.”

            Durfee was given careful consideration, his interview being the longest in duration.

            Hartley was satisfied with Durfee’s answers to questions he had about the role of town manager as opposed to town administrator, a role that Hartley stressed collaborates with department heads rather than working over them in a supervisory capacity. Nonetheless, the problems that Durfee encountered in Norwich were collectively weighty for Hartley.

            “I’m a little concerned with him, he had a lot of negative stories and not as many positive ones,” said Hartley.

            “My take on that is he might have been trying to emphasize he was a problem solver … I want to give him that benefit,” said Morse. “I thought they were all excellent, I really did. A couple of them surprised me.”

            Durfee, the lone out-of-state candidate, spent four years as town manager of Norwich, Vermont, until August 2021 when the town’s Select Board voted not to renew his contract.

            “Norwich is one of those towns – we have a number of them here in Massachusetts – that trend through managers every three or four years. He lasted his four years,” said Lynch, who told the board at its February 17 meeting that he reached out to Norwich including the Select Board and reported no criticisms but just an interest in change.

            While Durfee’s renewal was not supported last year by the town’s Select Board, he was praised by a Norwich-based engineer and by the town’s former police chief for his response to the 2017 storm and for his support to department heads, according to an August 2, 2021, article detailing his dismissal in the Vermont-based Valley News.

            Lynch said he looked into Durfee’s involvement in a car-truck accident (also referenced in the Valley News article,) spoke with the police chief and a Select Board member, and called it “a one-off,” saying the Durfee made a mistake with alcohol, admitted it immediately, and made himself accountable to the public. The Norwich Select Board renewed his contract after that incident.

            In his interview on Tuesday, Durfee discussed an episode he encountered in Norwich in which the town dismissed a financial director after the ill-advised if well-intentioned shifting of $300,000 without properly vetted approval and an incident of comparable losses due to a scam. He said the money lost was recovered.

            Durfee, 58, told the Select Board he has procured “a ton of grants” and described a variety of experiences working with state officials. In project management, he said he helped double the size of Norwich’s Highway Department garage and a new Department of Public Works facility. Norwich lost all six department heads in a two-year period, some due to retirement and some whom Durfee said he had to let go.

            Durfee, who also served as town manager of Fairhaven, Vermont, where he said he eliminated financial deficiencies, offered his advice on any matter going forward, whether he was hired by Rochester or not.

            Connected to musical chairs about to commence in Rochester, the board voted at its February 17 meeting to sign a contract with Szyndlar to fill the new role of Finance Director effective July 1. The board also voted to sign contracts renewing Bailey as town counsel, Scott Weigel as fire chief and Kathy McHenry as assistant town accountant.

            Ciaburri announced his intentions to step down as Rochester’s Emergency Management director.

            In her February 17 Town Administrator’s Report, Szyndlar suggested a search committee to pursue a new building commissioner. “To be frank, this position is likely going to be harder to fill than the town administrator’s position,” said Bailey, alluding to the new code, required certifications and other factors.

            Szyndlar reported a new two-year, $400,000 contract proposal by the Duxbury-based regional emergency communications center, a $25,000 annual increase over the past five years.

            Rochester was recently awarded $27,000 in grant funding for police cruiser computers, and the Fire Department received $85,000 in grant funds.

            The Board of Assessors was voted approval by the Select Board for approval to rescind its Chapter 653 status. The status was used 18 months; the board wishes to go back to a January-December calendar to be aligned with the January 1 assessment date.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board was not scheduled at adjournment.

Rochester Select Board

By Mick Colageo

Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation

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Mattapoisett Free Public Library hosts a fourth discussion of Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken.

            Coastal flooding, severe storms, decreased food production and global droughts are among the many recent and worsening effects of climate change. Many residents are already feeling the impacts in Mattapoisett, and there will be greater impacts yet to come unless action is taken now. Join us for a discussion of Paul Hawken’s latest call to action, Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, and lend your voice to the discussion about how our community can get to “net zero.” We will meet at the library, 7 Barstow Street, and via Zoom on Saturday, March 5 at 11am to discuss the sections on Energy and The City. Participants will also contribute to a list of actions for Mattapoisett citizens to take in living a more sustainable lifestyle and help reverse the effects of climate change.

            Copies of Hawken’s book are available to check out from the library, thanks to grant funding from the Richard and Ann J. Prouty Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee. To request a copy, email Jennifer Jones at jjones@sailsinc.org.

Register on the library’s calendar of events to attend in person or get the Zoom link to participate virtually. Contact Jennifer Jones at jjones@sailsinc.org if you have any questions about the book or the discussion.

New Intro to Theatrical Dance Class

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            The Marion Art Center announces a new program starting in late March, Intro to Theatrical Dance with instructor Alex Valentine. This class is designed for adults (18 and older) who want an overview of different styles of dance used in theater with an emphasis on jazz and lyrical, plus some tap. Students will be introduced to the basics of theatrical dance by learning choreography to some Broadway classics. All experience levels are encouraged to join. The six- week program runs Wednesday evenings from 6:00-7:00pm in the MAC Theater from March 23-April 27. Cost is $125 for MAC members and $150 for nonmembers, with a minimum of five students to run the class. Students should wear loose fitting clothes to dance in and bring any dance shoes they have on hand. Soft sneakers will be also be fine for dancing. Currently anyone participating in a program inside the MAC Theater must be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and present proof of full vaccination before the program begins. Anyone entering the Marion Art Center must wear a mask. To register, visit marionartcenter.org/adult-music-dance.

            About the Instructor: Alex Valentine has studied dance for nearly 25 years with classes starting at Miss Mary’s School of Dance, Kathy Medina’s Dance Studio and Bridgewater State College. His studies include tap, jazz, gymnastics, ballet, modern, hip hop, Bharatanatyam and ballroom dance. He has also choreographed shows for Attleboro High School and assisted with choreography for community theatre throughout the area. You may have seen him dancing, singing or acting on the stage, as he has been in the local theater community since 1984.

Harbormaster’s ‘Elephant’ Avoids Taxes

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            In discussing the Harbormaster’s operating budget of $285,000 for FY23, the February 16 meeting of the Marion Finance Committee made sure the public understands how the department generates the revenue to absorb that budget figure and associated indirect costs for liability, fuel, Town Hall maintenance, shared employees, etc.

            “Long story short, the revenue we generate at the harbor goes directly back into the harbor so there is no taxpayer funds that are expended in any project that we do,” said Marion Harbormaster Isaac Perry. “That’s kind of the elephant in the room here. I think that’s what most people don’t realize.”

            Finance Committee member Bill Marvel prompted Perry to address that matter for the record.

            “I think that’s important, and especially when you’re talking about this new project as well, to keep reiterating that point,” said Marvel, who also represents the Finance Committee to the Capital Improvements Planning Committee.

            Perry’s budget presentation was part of a February 16 public meeting that also saw the Recreation Department and Elizabeth Taber Library make their FY23 budget presentations.

            The committee is amidst a very busy season, having heard from Police and Fire departments on February 9 and still looking ahead to the Old Rochester Regional School District presentation on March 2 and finally the Department of Public Works on March 9.

            Perry outlined five increases for the Finance Committee’s consumption: salary bumps for three full-time employees; overtime for one employee reclassified from exempt to non-exempt status; boat maintenance, which since the sale of the Atlantis Drive property is farmed out to contractors and Licenses and Dues.

            The Licenses and Dues budget line covers Marion’s online database. The annual subscription fee the past few years has been $6,000. That number goes up to $7,200 for FY23, according to Perry, who said Marion’s annual cost is less than half what some of the other commercially available online databases cost.

            “We’re happy with our system; we spent a lot of time creating it. I just want to be able to continue to utilize that,” said Perry.

            Meantime, the Management and Development line has been on a “seesaw,” according to Perry, who points to the Police Reform Act of 2020 as a game changer. The act requires Marion’s three full-time Harbormaster Department employees to return to the police academy for additional training. Perry said two of the employees will need to complete training in the bridge academy by the end of FY23 and the third in FY24.

            Committee members asked Perry to summarize how the Harbormaster Department realizes revenue and fills out the budget. In FY21 through moorings, boats, licenses and fees generated roughly $478,000, $317,000 of which is dedicated to the Waterways Fund and the remainder ($160,000) to the General Fund.

            New headquarters is the major project for the harbormaster, and the feasibility study has been completed for the new Maritime Center at Island Wharf. The town has been awarded $303,000 for the construction documents by the state’s Seaport Economic Council.

            “We’re looking to go back to them in May, again in November, with two separate, $1,000,000 applications so all in,” said Perry, who said the town’s 20 percent matching requirement of the total project will be put before voters at Spring Town Meeting on May 9. “We only want to go to Town Meeting one more time to get these funds set aside. We’re looking for $700,000 (in Spring Town Meeting;);that will count towards our match for the remainder of this project.”

            While explaining that the $700,000 will be bonded out and taken on as debt to the town’s Waterways Account, Perry cautioned the members that with an impending change at the statehouse there is no guarantee that the funds will be available. Town Administrator Jay McGrail pointed out that the Seaport Economic Council was created by the Baker administration. “Whether it continues is anybody’s guess,” said McGrail.

            Marvel clarified that principal and interest would be covered by the Harbormaster Department’s collection of fees and other regular revenue. McGrail said that Perry will be able to fund the debt and still save money for the future boat replacement.

            While $700,000 is greater than 20 percent of the grant, McGrail said paying the minimum would require a third grant application. “We’d rather wrap this up next year with the state, and also I think we have a better chance of getting the $2,000,000 (in grant funding) if we’re a little heavy on our end.”

            The next grant application is due May 1 and will be awarded in August, and the next scheduled round is November 1 with a February-March 2024 schedule. Should the SEC not come through, the town has reached out to Coastal Zone Management, and there are other grant programs.

            Because both the Maritime Center and the proposed Department of Public Works headquarters at Benson Brook will take on debt, both will require a two-thirds majority vote at Town Meeting.

            Marion’s pump-out boat still needs a new motor, and Perry told the committee he has $16,000 set aside from the last Town Meeting. In addition, Marine Fisheries has awarded Marion a Clean Vessel grant for $15,000. Most of the cost for the motor will be funded through the Clean Vessel grant.

            Perry clarified that the current motor is still working but that pump-out service to the outer harbors would be canceled should the motor expire. The outboard motor needed last year was covered mostly through capital funding and also through line items. Availability, he said, has been the big issue with replacing motors.

            McGrail told the committee that thanks to work with Finance Director Judy Mooney, Marion has drawn closer to a balanced FY23 budget thanks to three factors.

            Upper Cape Tech indicated a greater-than-anticipated Chapter 70 funding, allowing Marion to save $20,000 on its annual assessment.

            McGrail also said that the town’s property and liability insurance carrier will increase its annual cost by 3 percent instead of 5 percent as previously believed.

            After meeting earlier on February 16 with the Assessors, McGrail said the new growth estimate for FY23 is increasing from $50,000 to $100,000.

            “Our thoughts were that rather than share another preliminary number with you now and have them change when ORR gives us their final official number, we’ll just wait ’til we get what they’re going to bring to the public hearing – ORR – include that and then send you guys a final balanced budget and that will be the numbers we use moving forward,” said McGrail.

            The Finance Committee members found that suitable.

            When Jody Dickerson was transferred into the DPW as Highway manager and Old Rochester Regional teacher Scott Tavares was brought on in as a part-time recreation director, McGrail said the maneuver saved the town 30 percent of the Recreation Department budget.

            Given that drastic decrease, Tavares’ FY23 initiatives appear as an increase but leave the department well below its former budget line.

            Tavares is seeking an increase in the administrative assistant’s weekly hours from 11 per week to 19. The pay scale will not change. He has also requested a Step 1 pay rate for part-time help to $14.25. Lifeguards are in demand, and Marion’s rate of $14 per hour cannot compete so Tavares requested an increase to $15.71.

            Marion sets out to employ up to 10 lifeguards in season. McGrail suggested adding to the custodial staff for the summer months.

            Internet problems cut the meeting short.

            The next scheduled meeting of the Marion Finance Committee is to be held on Wednesday, March 2, at 7:00pm.

Marion Finance Committee

By Mick Colageo

SHS Speaker Series

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The SHS Speaker Series returns on February 24 at 7:00pm with a presentation by veterinary scientist and Marion resident Michael Moore (via Zoom.) Michael will be speaking on the topics presented in his newly published book, We Are All Whalers, which is available in the SHS Shop.

            Michael Moore is a veterinary scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He has studied the effects of trauma from the shipping and fishing industries on North Atlantic right whale (NARW) survival and welfare. He is currently assessing NARW health using aerial photogrammetry and working with a group of stakeholders to establish buoy-less fishing systems as a viable tool to remove line from the water column.

            You may request the Zoom link by emailing us at info@sippicanhistoricalsociety.org.

            There is no charge for the Speaker Series presentations; however, we encourage donations of any amount which will offset the speakers’ fees and help to support the work of the Historical Society. You may make a secure donation on our website via PayPal – www.sippicanhistoricalsociety/speaker-series-oral-histories. We thank you for your support and hope you’ll join us for this fascinating lecture.