Yes, it’s that time of year to start looking through your cellars, attics, garages and sheds for clean, usable items to donate to the Historical Society annual yard sale. This year the sale will be August 5 & 6. Dates for drop offs at the museum at 355 County Rd. will be out soon.
Coming before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission on June 26 was David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc., representing the Lisa Muller Trust Declaration regarding a proposed residential pier at 89 Mattapoisett Neck Road.
The structure as described by Davignon will feature a board walkway over marsh, advancing towards the pier where a floating dock will be located. He said that beachgoers with access to the private waterside via private properties and those walking along the high-tide mark will be able to traverse the wooden platform, thus it will not impede recreational use of the area.
Davignon shared that there is a mapped eel-grass meadow in the area but that the meadow will be 10 feet off the pier. In the offseason, the floating dock will be elevated out of harm’s way versus removed and stored elsewhere, Davignon explained.
It was determined that any concerns regarding sand movement under the pier will be reviewed and regulated by agencies such as the state Division of Marine Fisheries and the Army Corps of Engineers. Concerns of this nature were raised by Colin Everett, 144 Fairhaven Road.
Everett also inquired as to the size of the pier which is planned to be 74 feet of fixed structure with an additional 28 feet for the gangway and float. The Notice of Intent filing was continued until July 10.
Also continued was a Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Andris Rieksts and Lisa Francis, 0 Park Place, for the construction of a single-family home on a previously approved, two-lot subdivision. Also represented by Davignon, the project presentation detailed that a retaining wall will encircle the entire footprint of the home and that the owner will be responsible for water and sewer piping from the end of the public service.
The filing was continued to July 10 to give Davignon time to update the engineered drawings to include, among other things, drainage from the roof.
Before adjourning, Chairman Mike King was voted into another tour of duty as the chair and newest member David Nicolosi as clerk.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, July 10, at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell
The Marion Art Center announces its newest exhibit, Illuminations, featuring works by Tamalin Baumgarten and Meredith Leich. Show dates are July 1-August 4, with an artists’ reception scheduled Saturday, July 15 from 3:00-5:00 pm. The exhibition explores the harmonies and tensions between the natural and human worlds. While working in different media, both artists use light to reveal a sense of uncanny mystery in the New England landscape and places beyond. Through Baumgarten’s oil paintings evoking memory and domestic life and Leich’s photographs and video illuminating the effects of climate change, viewers will discover sensitive depictions of our ever-changing world.
Baumgarten and Leich also serve as Codirectors of the Cuttyhunk Island Artists’ Residency on nearby Cuttyhunk Island. Learn more about the artists at marionartcenter.org/on-exhibit. During the reception, we’ll also celebrate the musicians of the Buzzards Bay Musicfest, scheduled July 12-15 (buzzardsbaymusicfest.com.)
Jon Delli Priscoli was voted an Order of Conditions for a proposed elevated staircase to the beach at 162 Point Road, per the Marion Conservation Commission during its June 14 public meeting.
Project representative David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc., said he had an aerial photo from 1985 indicating a beach-access point, as corroborated by the property’s former owners in an email. That access, said Davignon, was destroyed by Hurricane Bob (1991.) Since then, the vegetation has grown to the edge of the lawn at the property and obscures a stone bank.
The proposal plans a staircase with an air gap below the vegetation. The 20-foot drop would be bridged with 14 anchors. Two sections of deck would be prebuilt, then dropped into place, the staircase to be built between them.
“We should be able to do the project with minimal disturbance,” said Davignon, noting that the work is along the coastal bank.
He said the MassDEP issued a file number and had no comments.
Conservation Commission Chairman Jeff Doubrava, who had visited the site, had no issues. Commissioner Shaun Walsh asked about the condition of the beach where the staircase will land. Davignon said the last step will land at beach grade. He said the surface there is “mainly cobble. … You wouldn’t want to lay out there on a blanket.”
Walsh observed that a nearby staircase ends above the beach grade due to recent, storm-driven erosion.
One of the certificates of compliance considered for William and Elizabeth Weber at 21 East Avenue was met with concern from Commissioner Ethan Gerber over a drainage pipe that as Doubrava described, is sending drainage unfiltered down into the cove.
“That looked like a pretty significant deviation from what was permitted,” he said.
Walsh said a catch basin had been installed where the driveway meets the road and a pipe under the landscaped area discharges. He noted that Davignon did not design the drainage pipe.
“This concerns me because I have no idea the volume of runoff that’s going into that catch basin and hence the volume and velocity of the runoff exiting that pipe,” said Walsh, speculating that a Davignon design would have been similar to the one he did at the end of the causeway road.
Estimating that the end of the drainpipe is 20 feet from the shoreline, Walsh wanted to clarify that a Certificate of Compliance does not constitute approval of that drainage design. It was not part of Davignon’s plan on behalf of the Webers.
While he said the issue is not grounds for the withholding of a COC, Walsh indicated he would like to see Davignon design a reconfiguration of that system.
Davignon said he was perfectly comfortable receiving a COC and a request to file a Request for Determination of Applicability to revise the drainage plan. Doubrava was not comfortable issuing a COC until the commission receives the RDA. Davignon requested a continuance of the discussion to July 12, and the commissioners voted to honor that request.
Great Hill Marion LLC, Cathy Stone, was issued a Negative Determination of Applicability for spot treatment to halt the spread of phragmites in Areas 2, 3 and 4 at North Great Hill Drive.
Stone told the commission her group has been working on the issue for a while to prevent the phragmites’ spread. “Hopefully, this will be the last time we have to apply for a permit to do this … it’s not gone completely,” she said. The treatment will include chemical treatment and swiping in individual spots.
Doubrava said the area is much improved over several years ago.
John and Theresa Cederholm, trustees of the Cederholm Nominee Trust, were voted a Negative Determination of Applicability for minor clearing and grading within land subject to coastal-storm flowage in order to access a building site at East Avenue.
Project representative Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering said a third of the side is inside the flood zone, but the bulk of the work is outside the flood zone. Grady said that the dwelling on the lot, as well as the septic system and driveway, are outside the flood zone. He said the neighbors had long used the lot as a garden.
Sally Gaglini, DGZ Realty LLC, was voted an Order of Conditions to renovate a single-family house to include a two-car garage and associated grading at 10 Hartley Lane.
James Connolly was voted an Order of Conditions for the construction of a single-story addition to a two-story house at 92 Dexter Road.
In his Conservation Agent Report, Doug Guey-Lee reported to the commission regarding two freshly cut pine trees that had been thrown into the water from 196 Point Road. He observed other items. Doubrava said the harbormaster observed debris that would have been a hazard to navigation.
Appearing at the meeting, the resident at the address said the trees were dead, and while it may have been bad judgment to expect them to be biodegradable at the bottom of the hill, he said they can remove the trees.
Commissioner Emil Assing said two trees should be replanted in the same area that the two had existed. Identifying the hill as a “coastal bank,” Walsh said it’s important to recognize jurisdictional areas, especially for waterfront properties as protected by the state’s Wetlands Act. He explained that the commission should have been given a say before the trees, albeit dead, were removed. The good thing, Walsh said, is that the stumps are still there.
The commission’s position was that removal of the logs will suffice with a report to Guey-Lee.
In separate votes, the commission voted to issue certificates of compliance to Dale and Laura Briggs for work performed at 23 Dexter Road.
The Marion Conservation Commission was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 28, and is scheduled to next meet on Wednesday, July 12, at 7:00 pm.
Marion Conservation Commission
By Mick Colageo
In a column some time back, I asked if we still have a fence viewer. Well, we do. Recently, the Select Board filled this important governmental position. You may not be familiar with a fence viewer, whose job it is to inspect new fences and settle disputes between landowners.
Fence viewing is an old New England duty that goes back to the 1600s. Farmers separated their property with stone walls … hence the many walls you see in the area are called stone fences. As the walls fell, deteriorated or were removed, the fencer viewer would determine whose cows were grazing in another farmer’s field … a serious criminal offense.
I first learned of a fence viewer many years ago when one was appointed in a town where I served on a local board. The position was offered to a distinguished, retired resident who had once been a state representative, selectman, former zoning-board chair and general town gadfly. The assumption being his new job would keep him out of the Select Board’s hair. The offer was made via an official letter.
The candidate, whom I will call “John,” and I shared the distinction of being losers in our respective political campaigns that year. Being a diligent reporter with a confidential source, I acquired copies of the letter and John’s response. Never one to throw anything away, I still have those letters.
The Select Board’s letter offered John the opportunity to fulfill his “lifelong ambition.” “The position of fence viewer is yours should you decide to accept it.” The letter went on …”The chief responsibility of the position is to be continuously ready to respond to a call for your services. Since no one can recall the last time a fence viewer was needed, the position likely will not involve any actual fence viewing but rather constant preparedness to view.”
Knowing John all too well, the Select Board felt it necessary to add this: “The Board expects you to be ready to view fences, not to sit, straddle or otherwise conjugate any other verb form associated with ‘to fence.’” John, being experienced in the ways of political protocol, responded in due time with an appropriate letter of his own.
He wrote, “I think there are not suitable words to describe the euphoria I experienced when I learned that it has become possible for me to be restored a titled position among the ruling class.”
Ever cautious, John wanted certain clarifications before accepting the position. Since he was expected to be always on call “like the police and fire chiefs and the dog officer,” he wondered, “… will a take-home vehicle be supplied appropriate to my stand-by status?” He humbly suggested that a beeper would suffice … “even a broken one.”
He agreed that he would not “fence with clients, verbally or physically,” even though “the best defence is often a strong offence when dealing a disputed fence.” Regarding the requirement that a good fence viewer must be able to “notice neglect,” he noted that the “condition of the west chimney and the front porch of my house provide abundant evidence that I am conversant with neglect.”
In the official letter, they outlined the fence viewer’s authority to hold hearings and indicated that it would be necessary for John to use “his good ear” unless the discussion “doesn’t demand the effort of listening, in which case the turning of a deaf ear is allowed.” To which John, risking revealing his excitement at wielding such power, asked for reassurance that he could “have people appear before me, instruct them to make their cases while I pointedly pay no attention to anything they say, and then force them to sit there while I make long, irrelevant speeches.” Thus, having confirmed what everyone else in town knew.
Anyway, John finally accepted the position of fence viewer. And I was told by a reliable source high up town government that the Select Board was relieved that they would not have to search out another qualified candidate.
As for me, I made it unequivocally clear that if the position ever became vacant again, they could count me out. I was happy just being a viewer. The fences could take care of themselves.
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.
By Dick Morgado
The University of Rhode Island is pleased to announce the Spring 2023 Dean’s List. Local students included; Maggie Arruda of Marion, Sam Gryska of Marion, Madison Kimball of Marion, Quintin Palmer of Marion, Jo Riley of Marion, Mason Tucker of Marion, Andrew Coucci of Mattapoisett, Chris Gauvin of Mattapoisett, Cooper Newton of Mattapoisett, Ethan Scully of Mattapoisett and Mariana Ditata of Rochester
The following local residents received Bachelor of Arts degrees from Hamilton College on Sunday, May 21, in a Commencement ceremony concluding the college’s 211th year:
Samuel Gordon of Marion, an economics major, Gordon graduated cum laude.
Abigail LaCasse of Mattapoisett, a psychology major, LaCasse graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors in psychology and was recently elected to the Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. LaCasse completed a thesis titled “Self-Distancing and ADHD: Does a ‘Fly on the Wall’ Perspective Help Regulate Negative Emotions?”
A total of 516 students enrolled in UA Early College during Spring Semester 2023 at The University of Alabama were named to the director’s list with an academic record of 3.6 or higher, including Bridget Wallace of Marion.
Patrick O’Neil, of Rochester is among the more than 3,100 students who earned their degrees from the University of Mississippi in May 2023. O’Neil, who majored in Risk Management and Insurance, received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the School of Business Administration.
The following local residents were named to Clark University’s Spring 2023 Dean’s List: Maeve B. McEnroe, of Marion was named to first honors. Bernave Twyman, of Mattapoisett was named to second honors.
Cecilia Prefontaine of Rochester, who is in the ASL-English interpretation program, and Emma Thorell of Mattapoisett, who is in the physician assistant program, were named to the Dean’s List at Rochester Institute of Technology for the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year.
Chase Guard of Marion graduated from Plymouth State University during its 152nd Anniversary Commencement Ceremony on May 12, 2023. Guard graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Mattapoisett Recreation is thrilled to announce a new tennis program to be held at Old Rochester High School tennis courts. Join us for Tri-Town Tennis with ORR Boys varsity tennis coach Fil Miguel. The program is open all Tri-Town residents on Mondays, July 10 through August 14. Tennis for all ages.
8:00-9:00 am is Future Stars for ages 5-10, 9:00-10:00 am is Tennis Kids Ages 10 & up, 10:30-12:00pm is Teen Tennis for players 13 & up for players with experience and offers match play. 12:00-1:00 is Adult Tennis for Ages 18+ Learn to play. Sign up online at www.mattrec.net.
Please email us at mattrec@mattapoisett.net with any questions.
MassAudubon is hosting a Saltmarsh Family Hike with the Mattapoisett Land Trust on Tuesday July 11 from 9:00 – 11:00 am. The program will take families on the MLT Brandt Island Cove trail where MassAudubon educators will teach all about animal tracks, saltmarsh critters, and birds seen along the way. Investigate the unique forest and saltmarsh habitat and learn while having fun.
The family program is free but you must register beforehand. Please go on the MLT website or Facebook page for information, or go to www.massaudubon.org/programs to search for the program. Wear sturdy footwear, dress for the weather, and bring binoculars if you have them (MassAudubon will be providing supplies too). See you on the trail.
During the June 27 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco reported that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has paused implementation of stricter septic regulations for the foreseeable future along the south coast.
Lorenco did not go into details but added that there are plans to roll out stiffer regulations on nitrogen levels on Cape Cod and the Islands. The DEP’s proposal would have added tens of thousands of dollars to new and existing home costs with the average updated systems estimated at $50,000.
In August of 2022, MassDEP held a public meeting with Mattapoisett’s Board of Health that outlined the regulatory agency’s plans. At that meeting, the Board of Health heard from the DEP’s NSA (nitrogen-sensitive areas) team members that there will be only two paths cities and towns identified as nitrogen-sensitive areas can go: Either require homeowners not connected to public sewer upgrade their septic systems to include denitrification technology (systems that help to eliminate nitrogen from being discharged into the estuary system within five years of implementation) or apply for a townwide permit that gives the town 20 years to reduce nitrogen by monitoring levels for effectiveness of local strategies.
Mattapoisett rallied, as the Select Board sent a letter to the DEP pointing out the tremendous financial burden that such upgraded systems would force homeowners to bear. The Select Board also contacted state officials, asking for intervention from the Senate and House of Representatives. Combined pressure seemed to have worked.
In the meantime, Lorenco said the town would continue to seek grants that would be used to conduct local water studies in advance of any the state may elect to do in the future.
Coming before the Select Board was Amy Archer of Pare Corporation, the town’s consulting engineers for Phase 2a of the Mattapoisett Bike Path. Pare detailed various studies, including traffic and types of crossing equipment, as well as the conceptual design of the pathway from Railroad Avenue to Industrial Drive.
The 30-minute presentation acknowledged the fact that this section will not move forward until Marion’s connecting path-construction project gains traction.
Archer also estimated construction costs at $2,850,000 for one mile that is Phase 2a. She said that once Marion gets started, the Mattapoisett project will move towards the 25% design, a goalpost when seeking grant funding. She said that presently Mattapoisett’s Phase 2a is at 10% of conceptual design and that to reach 25% design would cost approximately $160,000.
The bike path is planned to continue on towards Route 6 from Good Speed Island Road by way of Railroad Avenue, cross Route 6 to Park Street and Park Place, eventually terminating at the state-owned park-and-ride across from Industrial Drive.
The crossing at Industrial Drive presents a number of challenges, but Archer believed those could be resolved by ensuring the users cross south of the entrance to the Industrial Park, not where the exit ramp from Route 195 is located.
Several meeting attendees voiced concerns over cyclists who do not ride in a safe manner, especially when crossing Mattapoisett Neck Road and Brandt Island Road. Lorenco said that patrol officers on bikes will be assigned to the bike path to help ensure the safety of riders and motorists alike.
Jeff Swift, whose residence is located near the railroad easement, the property being used for the bike path, voiced concern over additional water flowing in the direction of his home. Archer said the intent is to reconnect hydrologic systems along the easement.
Another resident asked if portable restrooms would be placed along the bike path. Lorenco said one would be installed at the sewer pump house on Good Speed Island Road attached to the chain-link fence.
The Select Board voted to have Mattapoisett designated a Purple Heart Community. Lorenco drafted a proclamation that the board approved. The text read by board member Tyler Macallister noted the town’s appreciation for those that sacrificed while in service to the country. The proclamation will be submitted to the Military Order of the Purple Heart for acceptance.
Lorenco reported that borings are being taken on Long Wharf, and the good news is that the construction team has reached, “very dense material.”
In other business, a malt-and-wine permit as requested by What the Taco, a food truck located in the Mahoney Lumber parking lot, was approved for submittal to the state’s licensing office. Also approved were expanded hours of operation and seating for 75 people.
Seasonal trailer permits were approved for Gregory Bartlett, 0 Silver Shell Avenue (July 1, 2, 3, 14, 15, 28 and 29) and for Diane Simonelli (July 30 through August 27) split between 0 and 1 Union Avenue.
Kevin Greiner was appointed as alternate building inspector, and former Marion Harbormaster Isaac Perry was appointed as Mattapoisett’s new harbormaster. A scholarship committee was formed with the following volunteers: John Oldham, Carole Clifford, Colin Everett, Teresa Nelson, Paul Criscuolo, Kate Brown and Deborah Fraine.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board was not immediately scheduled upon adjournment.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell
The Striped Bass has always been a prized game fish since colonial times.
After the Pilgrims struggled during the first winter in Plymouth, they were saved from starvation by the spring spawning run of the Herring alewives, as well as the Striped Bass. More than a hundred years later, the same was true of General Washington’s hungry troops at Valley Forge, who were fed by migrating Striped Bass coming up the Delaware River during the American Revolution.
As in my illustration, the Striped Bass gets its name for seven or eight dark stripes that run from head to tail along the entire length of the fish. The bass itself has a white meat with a mild flavor and a medium texture. It is extremely versatile in that it can be pan-seared, grilled, steamed, poached, roasted broiled, deep fried, eaten raw, or pickled. This game fish is available year-round, sold in fish markets in sizes from 2 to 3 pounds for cooking.
The very edible “striper” supports both recreational and commercial fisheries that annually harvest over 175,000 pounds of fish per year. Most stripers in Buzzards Bay come from the Delaware River, and this spring it became so badly polluted that the state Division of Marine Fisheries reported a very serious decline in clean water. They announced that the legal-size limit of stripers had to be raised to 28 inches without further notice and only one fish could be taken in a year.
The new restriction was labeled as a legal slot-size allowance to be taken from 28 to 35 inches so that bigger Bass still have the opportunity to get even bigger because most stripers over 30 pounds are female and can annually produce 850,000 eggs. The legal slot allows Striped Bass to live up to about 40 years and reach weights of up to 100 pounds. The future of spawning grounds to protect such an important marine harvest could bring even more changes next year.
For further information, stay informed by the Striped Bass Management Planning Board responsible for leadership in protecting the future of the Striped Bass prized game fish as illustrated and documented for your review.
By George B. Emmons
