Mattapoisett 5th annual Dog Walk A Thon, Saturday, August 28, from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. Sign up at Center school Parking lot. Come strut your pup at your own leisure. Enjoy a marked half-mile loop or a 1-mile loop around the village. We ask for a $20 donation and receive a t-shirt. All proceeds go to building a dog park.
Henry David Thoreau’s description of the loud, alarming call of the blue jay within hearing in our backyards is an accurate one; he likened the sound to an unreal, steel scream shattering the silence on an otherwise quiet day. It sounded to him like catching a thief in the act of committing a crime or an arsonist lighting a fire in a schoolhouse.
The blue jay’s vocal habit of warning other creatures that something in the forest is amiss is an inherited habit to perceived trouble afoot and makes them appear to be official caretakers of peaceful tranquility in the environment around them.
As in my illustration, blue jays teach their siblings at an early age that noisy demonstration by opening their hungry mouths wide and screaming their heads off is an attention getter and often is rewarded by being fed a juicy morsel by a responsive parent visiting the nest.
Adults find and store food for them such as acorns that they often hide to be available in hard times. They also bring to the nest seeds and soft fruit, and even small arthropods. Here, the blue birds benefit in foraging in sandy soil in nearby Cape Cod as well as coastal shores of Buzzards Bay and Cape Ann.
In appearance, the blue jay has a high profile of colorful plumage, including a signature crest like a crown of feathers on its head that may be lowered or raised depending on the individual’s comfortable mental mood or sense of alarm. When feeding or resting, the crest is flattened on the head. The black plumage on its throat varies extensively by individuals and is believed to assist in recognition by birdwatchers in their own backyards.
Blue jays take special care of their feathers when they start to molt in warmer weather, using a process called anting, or rubbing them with chemicals found on ants and other substances found on insects.
The blue jay’s scientific name is derived from Greek and Latin word Corvidae meaning “chattering bird” and includes ravens, rooks, jackdaws, crows, and magpies. All are of the order of Passeriformes or perching songbirds. These birds are of ancient lineage with fossil remains of corvids identified from Miocene deposits 25 million years ago. Today they are often labeled as bully birds of our backyards and were actually painted by James Audubon in a group habit of robbing nests of eggs and hatchlings, but this was entirely unfounded and unjustified.
The blue jay deserves a lot of credit to be smart enough to survive very well in areas with a wide range of human beings, as well as undergoing a climate transition of global warming and, subsequently, a greatly deteriorated environment. It has somehow survived on a high-profile pedestal among birdwatchers as a character personality of doubtful behavior, which nevertheless deserves to be written about and illustrated for your interest and appreciation.
By George B. Emmons
The Marion Select Board reviewed the 11 articles for the Special Town Meeting warrant during its August 17 Zoom meeting. Town Meeting will be held on October 19. The deadline for articles and citizen petitions is August 31, and the warrant closes on September 21.
Town Administrator Jay McGrail summarized the articles for the Select Board members, beginning with an estimated $22,000 in capital funding for electrical upgrades for underground generators and HVAC systems. McGrail said that free cash will not be certified by October 19, so capital funding becomes the best source.
The second article is for $35,000 from the Waterways Fund to reach the required 25-percent match of grant funding for the Maritime Center construction fund. If the state does not approve Marion’s grant application in its September 9 meeting at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, then the town will pass over the article at Town Meeting.
Select Board member Norm Hills drafted a Litter Prevention Bylaw that was initiated by the request of an Old Rochester Regional High School student. “Not a lot of towns that do have them,” said Hills, who said he drafted a short bylaw and noted that the Planning Board, of which he is also a member, will be scheduling a public hearing for bylaw updates.
As a key member of the Bylaw Codification Committee, a subset of the Planning Board, Hills spearheaded an update to Marion bylaws that will be presented as articles in the October 19 Town Meeting warrant.
Select Board member John Waterman asked that the bylaw be clarified to note that the Select Board shall approve any fines for littering.
The fourth article will correct the process of changing the name of the Board of Selectmen to Select Board, as it was pointed out that the change, approved at the Annual Town Meeting, failed to include a public hearing prior to placing it on the warrant. The Planning Board will also need to hold a public hearing on the matter.
Article 5 is the dissolution of the Council on Aging Advisory Board. COA Chairman Harry Norweb is still moving forward with the plan, according to McGrail.
The COA, incidentally, is holding “An Evening on Sippican Harbor” fundraiser for the Cushing Community Center pavilion on Thursday, August 19, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at 1 Water Street.
Article 6 is the ORR District Agreement. KP Law, which Marion regularly retains, is jointly representing the Tri-Towns in the matter and, according to McGrail, reports that there are no strategical hang-ups with the agreement. Two joint sessions, with the Marion Finance Committee on Wednesday, August 25, and with the Mattapoisett Select Board and Rochester Board of Selectmen on September 1, will be held. Members of the Mattapoisett FinCom may also attend on August 25.
“I think the majority of the questions asked by Mr. [Peter] Winters have been resolved,” said McGrail, noting that the Marion FinCom chair remains concerned about introducing a significant financial article to a Special Town Meeting instead of the regular Annual Town Meeting.
Waterman suggested there is little to gain by delaying the matter and asked if the outcome would change. McGrail pointed out that, in order to have the five-year average in play for FY23, the ORR agreement needs to be approved in the fall. Hills agreed with Waterman that the Special Town Meeting needs to be promoted for attendance’s sake.
Articles 7 and 8 create bylaws for the town moderator and tree warden positions, while proposing tweaks. Town moderator, an elected position, will be changed from a one-year term to three years, and the tree warden, heretofore an elected official, would henceforth become a one-year appointment. McGrail said that Marion has many one-year appointments.
Article 9 subtracts a handful of uses that would no longer be in the Water Protection District Bylaw in order to comply with the state law.
Article 10 clarifies what requires a special permit and what does not in the Solar Bylaw and resolved a contradiction. The altered wording will make the bylaw enforceable by Building Commissioner Scott Shippey.
Article 11 answers to a request from the town clerk for clarification on the kennel bylaw, changing terms from “a dog” to “one dog” and no less than $25 “per dog.”
Hills told fellow Select Board members that all of the proposed changes were agreed to by the Bylaw Codification Committee.
In his Town Administrator’s Report, McGrail was thrilled to report that the Wastewater Treatment Plant Lagoon is empty of all sludge except for one large pile. “I’ve been driving up to the Wastewater Treatment Plant for two years and it never looks any different. Today I was in shock,” said McGrail.
McGrail intends to send photos to state Representative Bill Straus and ask if there is more funding available for the project. Straus was instrumental in helping Marion secure $250,000 for the lagoon project in June and, according to Waterman, indicated that more funding could be forthcoming.
Noting that the banks of the lagoon have been scraped, McGrail said, “We’re ultimately weeks away from the lining project being started.”
In other business, McGrail reported that Rochester Bituminous Products, Inc. won the bid for the Marion Roadway Improvement Project, the paving of key roads including some mill-and-overlay work. Bituminous was $50,000 cheaper than the second place bid in the sealed-bid process managed by DPW Engineer Meghan Davis. Work is scheduled to begin on August 30 and be completed by October 15.
Marion-based Arne Excavating, LLC came in under budget and won the bid for the Sippican School egress project; the construction end date has been extended to December 31. The town is preparing an award letter to Arne, and G.A.F. Engineering was credited for fixing what McGrail called “a pretty screwy situation” that had lasted three years.
West Bridgewater-based D’Alessandro Corporation made the low bid and will conduct the 2021 Sewer System Improvements that were approved at the Annual Town Meeting. The work, which will address situations at the Cushing Community Center, the Marion Fire station, Mill Street (Route 6) and Hiller Street, is scheduled to begin on October 1.
A state Coastal Zone Management (CZM) grant of $148,500 will fund sewer projects at the Front Street pumping station.
McGrail plans to attend the band concert on Friday, August 20, and speak on behalf of the Select Board at the rededication of the bandstand at Island Wharf.
Hills told the board that a public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, September 9, on Zoom to discuss the Hazard Mitigation Plan being developed by the Woods Hole Group. Waterman pointed out that the ramifications for the Creek Road pumping station are significant. McGrail said that the contract for the plan has been awarded to Woods Hole Group.
The Select Board voted to create an alternate seat on the Affordable Housing Trust and appointed Gary Taylor to fill that seat. Taylor has attended meetings as a guest, but with no full openings on the recently reorganized, five-member AHT, the Select Board saw fit to make Taylor the AHT’s first alternate.
The board voted to accept a donation of $1,849 from the Friends of Marion Recreation for a floating “Mobi-Chair” (wheelchair) to help the disabled access Silvershell Beach. Users will sign a liability waiver when taking out the chair. Administrative Assistant Donna Hemphill reports “really good feedback” on the recent installation of a handicap accessible mat. Hemphill described the three-wheel wheelchair as a recliner shape and says the chair has been available for a week.
The board voted to approve a water/sewer commitment of $1,159.56 dated August 2.
The next regular meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 7, at 6:00 pm via Zoom. The board is also scheduled to participate in two joint sessions: with the Marion Finance Committee on Wednesday, August 25, at 5:00 pm, and with the Mattapoisett Select Board and Rochester Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, September 1.
Marion Select Board
By Mick Colageo
Jon Gregory of engineering firm Tata & Howard told the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission on August 10 that he received a positive report and laboratory data from Koch Separation Solutions after a test run of the Puron water filtering cartridge that the district has chosen for its water-treatment plant over its expiring Targus filtering system, also manufactured by Koch.
The immediate plan is for Gregory to report back to the MRV once he has heard back from Koch on his review, edits, and comments that he sent back to Koch. The completed pilot test report will ultimately be forwarded to the state Department of Environmental Protection for its approval.
“The results were good, as expected with cartridge performance; we’re pleased with the results,” said Gregory, who noted two kinks that were worked out in the beginning of the test.
Henri Renauld pointed to an ozone generator problem. “But once the ozone started working correctly with the Puron system, our results came up and we had some really good numbers,” he said. “Hopefully, DEP is going to give us an approval and we can proceed with these filter replacements. … I can see where Puron may have some advantages versus the Targus system.”
Koch is phasing out the Targus technology, and the MRV’s is already several years beyond its life expectancy. Furthermore, Koch had notified the MRV that it will stop manufacturing replacement parts for the Targus system as its Puron technology takes over.
After weighing the big picture financials earlier this year, the MRV committed to the Puron system, and now it’s only a matter of time. That time, however, is lengthy with multiple working pieces at local, regional, and state levels.
According to Renauld, the Request for Information (RFI) will not be ready for Mattapoisett’s Special Fall Town Meeting, so the MRV is projecting beyond May 2022. Renauld told the commission that a stage cannot come off the water treatment plant during the summer, so it is likely the cartridge replacement will not begin until sometime between December 2022 and January 2023. Gregory concurred with Renauld’s timeline.
Even if the MRV can access a low-interest loan via a state revolving fund (SRF) that is geared toward water and sanitation infrastructural projects like the MRV water treatment plant, the deadline to submit plans to the DEP would be October 2022, according to Gregory. “Not to say we couldn’t,” he qualified, noting that the design portion of the project will be funded by a capital expenditure. But, even with the SRF, having the financial appropriations in place is not probable until Town Meeting next spring.
In other commission business, Gregory proposed an update to the MRV’s emergency response plan in keeping with the requirement of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA). “This is something the district’s going to have to do regardless,” said Gregory. It is anticipated that the MRV will vote on the matter at its next meeting.
Gregory told the commission that emergency response and prevention training has been done collaboratively over the last three years. He said that Tata & Howard can provide the cost for each individual participating town and that would cover the district.
The commission voted to proceed with the document for the ERP from Tata & Howard, which will draft the agreement, and send it to Henri Renault, Blair Bailey, and Nathaniel Munafo for their review. It will presumably be approved at the MRV’s next meeting.
Total commission invoices for the month of July totaled $99,176.10, the largest dedicated to Eversource, some to solar contractor ECA, and $15,240 and $9.648 to chemicals. The Town of Fairhaven paid an assessment of $143,900.
Rochester district member Rick Charron told the Water Protection Supply Advisory Committee that met a half hour before the district commission meeting about the University of Rhode Island Watershed Watch Program. He said that for an annual $800 fee, Snipatuit Pond can become the second pond being monitored by URI. The committee approved his pursuit of that arrangement.
In his Treasurers Report to the committee, Jeff Furtado reported the committee having paid out $2,981.73 to Tata & Howard, $251.72 to Dave Watling for testing, and $50 to Blair Bailey for legal counsel. The committee’s ending balance on August 1 was $227,394.98; after payments, the FY22 beginning balance was $224,111.53.
The committee voted to reimburse Michelle Kirby, who had purchased two items on behalf of the committee totaling $154.49 (deionized water at $16.38 and a LDL cap at $138.11).
Bailey told the committee that Merilee Kelly, Rochester’s new conservation agent, is expected to make her first appearance on the MRV beginning in September.
Member emeritus David Pierce had suggestions for both the commission and the committee; he suggested the committee host an annual meeting of water commissioners from member towns. The committee was receptive to the idea, and contacts are being collected for a potential fall or spring meeting.
Citing former MRV regulars such as Fred Underhill, Laurell Farinon, and Paul Silva, Pierce also shared with the commission the idea of a social gathering with cocktails and a catered meal, hopefully at Marion’s Music Hall.
The next meeting of the MRV committee and commission is set for Tuesday, September 14, at 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm respectively.
MRV Water District Commission/Water Protection Supply Committee
By Mick Colageo
The Rev. Robert Malm, Retired Rector Grace Church, Alexandria, VA will conduct services at 8:00 am and 10:00 am on Sunday, August 22, at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, next to the Town Beach in Mattapoisett. This is the 137th Summer Season at St. Philip’s when clergy from nearby and far visit every week, using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. All are welcome!
With all the coverage of the dangers of climate change, it reaffirms the importance of trees to our wellbeing. At times it does seem ironic that some green energy solutions meant to help the problem cause the cutting down of so many of those helpful trees. Trees and Rochester have always gone together. At one time, shingle and box mills were the largest employers in town and their woodlots covered many acres. Over the years, furniture made from pine, sometimes referred to as “Rochester mahogany,” has graced area homes.
In 2015, Rochester was designated a “Tree City USA” joining many other towns in Massachusetts. The push to earn this designation came from then Town Administrator Michael McCue. On April 24, 2015 (Arbor Day), the occasion was marked by a tree planting in Church’s Field. To again celebrate Arbor Day, in 2016, 10 new Leland Cypress trees were planted to screen the police station gas tanks. Again, through the work of McCue, Rochester received two ginko biloba tree saplings to be planted in town. These saplings came from the Hibakujumoku “Survivor Tree,” which withstood the Hiroshima bomb blast when everything around it was destroyed. That tree is believed to be over 200 years old.
These aren’t Rochester’s only noteworthy trees. During the Revolutionary War era, Rochester, like many other towns, had a Liberty Tree on the town common. It was an elm like most of these trees, and it succumbed to the Dutch Elm disease that devastated this species in the 1930s. In 2008, Rochester’s Boy Scout Troop 31 planted a new hybrid, “Liberty Elm,” in front of the library.
Another tree species of interest in Rochester is the buttonwood (American sycamore) tree. More than one of these trees is mentioned in the files at the Historical Society. In 1853, George W. Haskell, of the New Bedford Road Haskells, tore down the house built by his grandfather, Jesse, at what is now 575 New Bedford Road. He built a new house that is still there today. In a Wareham Courier article from 1915, it is mentioned that the buttonwood tree that shaded his porch was also seen in a drawing of his grandfather’s house built in 1738.
Another buttonwood tree, the Ancient Buttonwood, shown in the picture, put Rochester on the map. Located somewhere near Leonard’s Pond, it was written up by the President of Boston’s Society of Natural History, George Emerson. At that time, in 1846, it was 11 feet in circumference. Still, around in 1936, it was 14 feet around and was said to be 114 years old. Unfortunately, it is no longer there.
By Connie Eshbach
The Marion Conservation Commission meeting on August 11 was brief, with one public hearing continued until the next meeting as requested by the applicant. Still, the commission quickly dispensed with one Notice of Intent to install a propane tank filed by a fellow ConCom member Jeff Doubrava.
The NOI for Jeffrey Doubrava Revocable Trust and Elizabeth Doubrava Revocable Trust sought to install an underground propane tank within the flood zone and 100 feet of the coastal bank at 47 East Avenue.
Doubrava recused himself as vice chair, filling in for Chair Shaun Walsh, the latter absent from the August 11 meeting, and ConCom member Cynthia Callow presided over the Doubrava hearing.
The work will include digging a hole, pouring a concrete slab for the tank to rest on anchored by bolts, and then backfilling the hole with sand. The commission performed a site visit the Saturday before the meeting and deemed the location the most reasonable for the tank.
The commission did not vote on a decision on August 11 but continued the hearing until August 25 to allow for anyone unable to dial into the fully remote meeting to do so then.
Also during the short meeting, the commission addressed an NOI filed by Jeffrey and Elizabeth Roy to eradicate the phragmites at 25 Holly Road. The hearing was continued until August 25 as the applicant awaits a filing number from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The Request for a Determination of Applicability filed by Sippican Lands Trust was continued until September 8 at the applicant’s request.
The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, August 25, at 7:00 pm via Zoom.
Marion Conservation Commission
By Jean Perry
Linda Monteiro, age 59, of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts passed away on Thursday, August 19, 2021. Linda was born February 9, 1962.
A memorial visitation for Linda will be held Wednesday, August 25, 2021 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Boulevard, New Bedford, MA.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.rock-funeralhome.com for the Monteiro family.
Nancy “Sharon” Rauseo, 70, passed away on August 18, 2021, in New Bedford, MA.
Sharon was born on November 28, 1950, in Marion, North Carolina. She spent her formative years in Westfield, MA, where she graduated from Westfield High School, Class of ’68. She continued her undergraduate studies at Monmouth College, IL, and Westfield State College and went on to earn her Juris Doctorate at Western New England Law School.
After moving to Tucson, AZ, Sharon became a driving force with Tucson Legal Aid for over two decades. While there she designed and implemented a program that still provides free legal services for seniors living in Arizona. Sharon was a fierce and passionate advocate for anyone who needed her, both in her professional and private life.
After retirement, Sharon found her dream home in Mattapoisett, MA, where she diligently worked her garden, crocheted, and rekindled her interest in playing the violin.
Sharon is survived by her husband, John Ferreira, and her siblings, Michelle, Pamela, and Michael, as well as her many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Michael and Nancy Rauseo.
“Sha-Sha” will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved her.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or you may donate online at stjude.org.
Private funeral arrangements entrusted to Aubertine-Lopes Funeral Home, 129 Allen St., New Bedford.
For online guestbook, please visit www.aubertine-lopes.com.
Mark Lawrence Barry, 66, of Marion passed away Friday, August 13, 2021.
Mark was born in Chelsea, MA and lived most of his life in his beloved town of Marion. As a young child, he was always drawn to the sea and anything that had to do with boats or fishing. Growing up in this seacoast village with his loving and supportive mom, Virginia, father, Dick, sister, Kim, and brother, Brian, he flourished. He knew he was at home in Marion and on the choppy waves of Buzzards Bay, and he proved his commitment by settling in the village where he raised two wonderful sons, Mark and Steven.
In High School, Mark was an accomplished member of the ORRHS hockey team. He served as the editor of his class’s yearbook and taught sailing and riflery at Tabor’s Summer Program. He later attended La Salle University where he earned a B.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations. In addition to his academic accomplishments, he met his life-long “Band-of-Brothers.” This core of loving, supportive, amazing, and very entertaining men would be a part of Mark through life’s journey through thick and thin, supporting Mark and one another to this day. Not enough can be said of his La Salle “brothers.”
Mark was fiercely proud of and devoted to his sons Mark and Steven. To quote Mark Jr., “My pops was a hell of a guy. The pinnacle of a proud dad, talking me up to anyone he met, finding adventure on sea and the wilderness together, listening with bated breath to everything I ever had to say, and always making sure that my brother and I had the best lives possible.” This past spring, Mark was blessed with a grandson, Ethan, who brings joy and light to all he is with.
Professionally, Mark had many accomplishments in the specialty insurance and integrated/ advertising industry. He navigated his companies through many growth years and most recently served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Tokio Marine Relations HCC Specialty Group. Mark was eloquent, knowledgeable, and passionate about his profession. He enjoyed 30 accomplished years in this industry before his well-deserved retirement in 2018.
Six years ago, Mark embarked on a new journey with his new wife Amy. They were kindred spirits and the love of each other’s lives. The spark between them was undeniable. In 2019, they were married at the Sippican Tennis Club in a beautiful and memorable service. As a couple, Mark and Amy enjoyed laughing, spending time together, golfing, traveling, entertaining friends and family at their home in Marion and spending time on the ocean.
Over this past year, Amy, and her supportive, loving family, alongside the Barrys and close friends, tended to Mark through his final season of life, and he passed on August 13th, 2021.
Mark will be remembered as a supportive, kind and infinitely generous man – a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a husband, and a cherished friend.
A ceremony in celebration of Mark’s life will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 10 am at Island Wharf Band Shell, 2 Island Wharf Rd., Marion. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123 or the Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Ave., Provincetown, MA 02657. For online guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
