On Sunday, July 4, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church by the Town Beach in Mattapoisett will be visited by the Rev. Robert Malm, Retired Rector, Grace Church, Alexandria, Virgina. Services using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer will be held at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. Masks are required at this time and all are welcome.
Reading through many of the East Rochester Church papers and the minutes of the early Rochester Historical Society that are housed in the Museum, it becomes clear that while memberships in both groups would ebb and flow over the years, there was always a core group that kept things going. During the 2020-2021 pandemic, the current Rochester Historical Society has been reduced to that (at times very small) essential core.
Now, as the world, the community, and our Society and Museum reopen, we need our members – past, present, and future – to join us again in keeping both active. The Museum with its new exhibit is currently open on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of June and July, as well as by appointment. We also have some upcoming events scheduled. The first is a yard sale on August 7. Donations can be dropped off at the Museum on the following Fridays: July 9, July 16, and July 25, from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm. Arrangements can be made for alternate drop off times by calling 508-763-4932. We accept a large number of items, but not large electronics (smaller items must work), or clothing. We will need lots of volunteers for both the day of the sale and on Wednesday, August 4, and Thursday, August 5, to help with set up.
The end of September and beginning of October will bring a new exhibit, “Curator’s Show Part II,” along with a Cranberry Bake Sale and other activities. The date will be announced later. We will resume our evening meetings beginning September 15 at 7:00 pm. The program will be a “Historic” Show ‘n Tell. Attendees may bring an item or article to share or just come to see what others have brought. This will give us all a chance to reconnect and also to enjoy some tasty refreshments. Our October meeting on October 20 will be Parlor Games and Entertainments presented by Mack Phinney.
Hopefully, in October and November we can come up with a healthy slate of candidates for the November election at the Thankful Supper, and we have hopes of a December organ concert. For information on anything Society or Museum related, you can call Sue at 508-295-8908, or Connie at 508-763-4932, or email sash48@comcast.net or eshbach2@aol.com.
By Connie Eshbach
Laura M. (LaBree) Badger, 79, of Marion, died peacefully Monday, June 28, 2021 at her home. She was the wife of Floyd H. Badger.
Born in Old Town, Maine, she was the daughter of the late Doris M. (Michaud) and Leon L. LaBree. She was a previous resident of Hanover, Hanson and West Wareham before moving to Marion.
Mrs. Badger was a seamstress and altered wedding dresses in the Wareham area and the South Shore.
She is survived by her husband, Floyd; her children, William E. Royle, III and his wife Lisa of Halifax, Robert L. Royle and his wife Jeanne of Kingston, Julie-Ann Royle of Whitman, Amy D. Kinsley and her husband John of Fall River; her step-children, Jennifer A. Marsocci of Warwick, RI and Jason H. Badger of Plymouth. She was predeceased by her stepdaughter, the late Melissa A. Badger.
Also surviving are her grandchildren, Lindsay M. Royle, Erica M. Royle, Abigail A. Royle, Katelyn E. Kinsley, Hannah M. Kinsley, Daniella N. Kinsley, Heather N. Badger, Chelsey L. Adams and her spouse Ashley Adams, Jacob M. Marsocci, and Joshua G. Marsocci; and her great grandson, Landon T. Adams.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit on Friday, July 2, 2021 at Chapman Funerals & Cremations, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., (Rt. 28), Wareham from 8:30 to 9:30 am. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at St. Patrick’s Church, 82 High St., Wareham at 10 am. Burial will be private.
Patricia McKiernan Walter, longtime resident of Mattapoisett, passed away peacefully in her home on February 20, 2021. She was the loving wife of 56 years to the late Robert Walter and wonderful mother of Brad and Laura Walter and grandson, Christopher of Dover, Chris Walter of Foxboro and Dale and Tracy Walter of Jaffrey NH. Born in Brunswick, New Jersey on February 28, 1932, she was the daughter of Robert and Marie McKiernan and was predeceased by her three brothers, Bob, Dick and Dave. She also leaves behind several nieces and nephews.
Pat grew up in Somerville New Jersey and graduated from the Hartridge School in Plainfield. She went on to graduate from the Fletcher School of Nursing at the University of Vermont. She spent her nursing career in several Boston hospitals as well as the Visiting Nurses Association. She enjoyed all the city had to offer and made several life-long friends along the way. Boston is where Pat met Bob- they hit it off and were married in 1961. They moved out to Wayland to start a family and within a few years became part of the “Wayland Crew” that were lured to Sherborn.
Sherborn proved to be an idealistic place to raise a family which included several loving pets and numerous neighborhood kids. Block parties, tractor races, Easter egg hunts, basic first aid and the “occasional” cocktail party were de rigueur of Wood Road society. Pat joined the burgeoning tennis scene not only in Sherborn but in West Dover Vermont where the family laid down their ski roots after the early years of day trip skiing around New England.
As the last of the kids were finishing high school, Pat and Bob discovered their dream house in Mattapoisett where they moved to in 1984. Pat jumped right into the tennis circuit making several new and fantastic friends and continued to host her annual Christmas open house- a tradition she started in Sherborn. It seemed that half of Mattapoisett, Dover-Sherborn and friends from beyond would traipse through the grand living room to procure a glass of her sacred cranberry glug. Many can attest that after a serving or two of this famous concoction all bets were off.
The family would like to give a very special salute to Pat’s part time care giver and exceptional friend, Nancy Rego who, along with her three sons enabled Pat to stay in her home up to the very end which was her greatest wish.
Pat’s remains will be interred along side Bob’s at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne on July 16th. When asked what we would like to print on their shared marker stone, we all agreed upon “Pat and Bob”. For us and many that knew them, it says it all!
The family is hosting a get together memorial at the house on Saturday, July 17 at 1 pm. If you knew Pat and Bob please drop on by to share a memory and hoist a final glass to them both. Arrangements were by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
Marion’s dubious distinction as the only area town lacking a conservation agent is scheduled for demolition after Conservation Commission Chair Shaun Walsh told the June 23 meeting of the commission that the town is looking to hire an agent to work 19 hours per week.
The news was met with approval by the commission, which heretofore has been hiring consultants when cases require levels of expertise beyond what can reasonably be brought to a case by ConCom’s members.
In the meeting’s only new public hearing, Fred Trezise and Joan Gerster filed a Request for Determination of Applicability for the removal of 10 shallow root, tall white pine trees endangering their house and limb removal of a few limbs overhanging the roof area, along with associated species at 22 River View Lane. After a site visit, Walsh said he had no concerns with the proposal and praised the well-organized application. Walsh and ConCom member Cynthia Callow said the trees were well marked on the property.
After closing the public hearing, the commission voted to issue a Negative 2 and 3 Determination of Applicability. Commission member Jeff Doubrava added special conditions limiting tree removal to those marked and sought. Doubrava pointed out the difference between the application and another case also heard on June 23 filed by John and Cynthia Paliotta for land management at 119 Converse Road. Doubrava’s point was that, should the trees at at 22 River View Lane fall, they would fall right through the applicants’ roof.
After a continued public hearing was closed, the commission voted to award Blankenship Trust LLC filed an Order of Conditions for its proposed beach nourishment at 468 Point Road.
Walsh reported correspondence on June 17 from Natural Heritage, stating that in the state agency’s opinion the project would not adversely affect the resource area habitat of state-listed, wild, rare species and would not result in a prohibitive case under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
The Paliottas’ Notice of Intent filing for a Land Management Plan involving the eradication of invasive plants and other activities at 119 Converse Road was continued from ConCom’s last meeting, and on June 23 the commission voted to continue the hearing to Wednesday, July 14, at 7:00 pm.
ConCom members Cynthia Callow, Doubrava and Walsh visited the site. “There was good conversation between (Marion consultant) Bob Gray and the Paliotta’s consultants,” noted Walsh, who reported that revisions will be made to the site plan that was submitted and points will be surveyed.
The commission voted to approve two three-year extensions on the order of conditions for the Dexter Beach Improvement Association.
The association had filed two requests for extension, one at 962 Beach Road in its proposal to manage phragmites and another for its proposal of a beach nourishment project. Walsh said the site has improved, but a stand of phragmites continues to stand at an adjacent private property and will eventually encroach on the applicant’s property. The second extension will allow up to 100 cubic yards of sand added on an as-needed basis.
Island Associates of Marion requested a Certificate of Compliance for its work to mitigate flooding at Planting Island Causeway with an infiltration basin that traps sediment. An Order of Conditions was awarded last October.
Walsh noted that representative Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone Inc., stated in his request that the project is in compliance with all requests of the commission. Doubrava recused himself from the case, but the rest of the commission in attendance all voted to approve the Certificate of Compliance.
Diana Worsley’s request for extension permit at 329 Front Street was met with a three-year extension on an order of conditions originally issued in 2002 for phragmites management.
In response to the Planning Board’s request for comment from ConCom on its case at 428 Wareham Street, Walsh said the site does not fall into ConCom’s jurisdiction.
A request from the Zoning Board of Appeals for comment from ConCom to address an application filed by Alan Menard and Nan Johnson, 123 Allens Point Road, to construct a garage that would not comply with setback requirements required a deeper dive. But the same conclusion was reached, as the matter was considered outside the commission’s jurisdiction.
The Sippican Lands Trust’s RDA for rerouting of the Osprey Marsh trail has requested a continuance to Wednesday, July 28, at 7:00 pm.
The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14, at 7:00 pm.
Marion Conservation Commission
By Mick Colageo
The reality that Mattapoisett will soon be facing a vacancy in the Conservation Department was a main topic of discussion when the Select Board met on June 29 with Conservation Commission Chairman Mike King and commissioner David Lawrence. Conservation Agent Liz Leidhold’s impending retirement will leave a critical element, implementation of the Wetlands Protection Act, without an in-field agent.
“We are at a crossroads,” began Select Board Chair Jordan Collyer. He said that a part-time conservation agent position that Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said had been advertised on municipal employment platforms had not stirred interest.
King confessed that the commission as a whole had not fully appreciated the depth of work Leidhold had been handling alone since the departure of the clerk many months prior. Leidhold had single-handedly been conducting all field work and all Conservation Department paperwork.
“We’ve been in our COVID bubble and never realized how much work she was doing,” King said, evaluating that between clerical duties and field work, a full-time position should be considered as a possibility. He said the Wetlands Protection Act imposes strict regulations on cities and towns, regulations from which he does not want to run afoul.
King shared three scenarios for the board to consider: Expand the search for a new agent; make the position full time; and/or hire an agent as a short-term contractor.
“I’m in favor of a full-time agent … if we can live with a combined position,” Collyer said, acknowledging the challenge of hiring any new staff at this point in time. “We’d need to make the dollars work.”
Select Board member Jodi Bauer said of a full-time position, “We have to consider the (employee) benefits and where that’s going to put that person at.”
Collyer said the board needs all the details in terms of compensation for a full-time agent and if the position could in fact be a combination of clerical and field duties. Leidhold had been working as a part-time agent for a number of years before assuming the clerical duties as well approximately two years ago. Some intermittent clerical assistance had also helped to keep the Conservation Department office moving forward.
Collyer said the next step is to approach Leidhold to ascertain her interest in applying for the full-time position. Barring that, then asking her if she would be willing to work as a consultant after her retirement date of July 20. The board and commission also agreed that a hard look at the commission’s fee structure is warranted. The matter will be brought before the board again at the next meeting.
In other personnel matters, Lorenco said he has begun the department head review process, a process not previously part of the town’s human resources guidelines. He said a nine-page employment review booklet covered job-related aspects such as knowledge of the position held, leadership, goals, and professional development. Collyer said that the department head review process should be incorporated into the human resources policy book.
The board also considered a request made by the proprietors of the Captain and Walrus restaurant for permission to have a mobile alcohol bar for outdoor service. The matter was tabled until the next meeting pending consideration of details such as patron safety, impacts on zoned parking requirements, and issues related to crowds congregating outdoors. Collyer said the request would have to be reviewed by the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. Both board members agreed that the restaurant is an asset in the community. “They’ve done a good job,” Bauer said.
Lorenco reminded the public that repair work will begin on July 12 on Acushnet Road, lasting for approximately 30 days. He also said that Phase 1 repairs to the Highway Department Building on Mendell Road have been put out to bid. Also announced was a meeting with ORCTV on July 13.
Although not listed on the agenda for this night, Collyer brought up the possible future sale of the soon-to-be-retired fire station. “We need to consider the best course of action,” he said. Lorenco said he had been in discussion with Town Counsel, whom he said advised deed restrictions before any future sale to ensure that the property is utilized by new owners in a manner acceptable to the town. Collyer asked Lorenco to prepare a request for quotation for real estate services as well as details on public auctions.
Lorenco also reported that members of the Collins Institute team, engaged via a Community Compact grant to study various municipal buildings and the transfer station operations, had visited the town. The full study including more in-depth field work will commence in July, he said.
Earlier in the meeting, the board appointed Andrew McGraw and Luis Dasilva as reserve police officers and dissolved the Declaration of Emergency that had been imposed due to the pandemic.
The board approved a request by the Mattapoisett Land Trust for a one-day malt only and entertainment license for its annual Great Community Picnic to be held on August 5.
On a humorous note, after announcing that the Lion’s Club at 7:30 pm on Saturday, July 17, will be opening a 50-year time capsule that was laid under the gazebo, assistant to the board Mel Pacheco said, “If we can find the key!” Everyone had a good chuckle on that point, concluding that a hammer might be needed.
It was noted by Lorenco that town boards will continue to use Zoom for public meetings, although in-person attendance at Town Hall or other public spaces will remain available. He said the state has voted to allow public meetings to continue on remote platforms until April 1, 2022.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14, at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell
There were fairy houses and sweeping seaside vistas, petite flowering patches, and grand elegant specimens. There was truly something for everyone when the Marion Garden Group and the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club hosted their fundraising garden tours. The two clubs coordinated their events so each could have their own day. MGG’s event took place on June 25, and MWCGG on June 26. The back-to-back tours were nothing short of spectacular!
On June 25, under threatening skies, MGG’s tour began in Bicentennial Park where maps that constituted tickets were for sale. And you certainly needed a map to locate the “Secret Gardens,” which was also the theme of the event. Most of the gardens in the tour were on sea view properties making the natural coastlines a major feature of the overall planting designs. These were gardens on a grand scale with textures and sculptural features that provided a magnificent finish to carpet-like lawns.
Spearheading the beautification of Marion’s public spaces is Liz Hatch, who has striven for several years to fundraise, using those monies to buy planter boxes and flowering shrubs to be placed at key locations throughout the community. Such locations as the traffic island on Route 105, the welcome sign at the corner of Route 6 and Front Street, and the turn-around on Route 6 at the boundary of Marion and Mattapoisett are just a few of the areas that Hatch felt could use some flowering attention.
Now with robust ticket sales showing that the event would be an “outstanding success – beyond our wildest dreams,” Hatch could continue planning for the ongoing needs of the beautification project.
“The funds will go to the continued beautification of Marion,” she said. “We are doing everything we can to continue our mission.” Hatch said that without the willing help from town officials and departments, the goal would not be achievable.
And therein lies a big hurdle, Hatch said. She applauded the early efforts of the MGG volunteers in bringing gallons of water to the public locations where floral displays had been planted. “Jodi Dickerson was critical; if it weren’t for him … the plants would have suffered,” Hatch stated of his efforts last summer.
Dickerson, a former police officer and selectman, more recently accepted a reassignment from his role as director of Marion’s Recreation Department to become the DPW’s acting director of operations. His new position bridges the areas of responsibility between the Parks and Recreation Department and the DPW. “Jodi got water to the plants,” lifesaving water, Hatch said, adding a deep appreciation for the assistance of Town Administrator Jay McGrail.
With the MGG coffers refreshed from the Secret Garden tour, Hatch sees plans for providing public water, including spigots in some public locations, a closer reality. Hatch fully understands the challenges that lie ahead, but she remains hopeful that one day a steady water supply will be more abundantly available for keeping Marion in full bloom.
“Everyone wins when the town looks its best,” Hatch said, quoting from a speaker the MGG hosted in recent months. That is, of course, an understatement, but a beautiful one, indeed.
Hatch thanked the committee members for their tireless efforts – Emilie Kendall, Phyllis Partridge, Allison Corfone, Cassy West, and Nancy Khiel. Kendall also wished to thank the residents of the eight gardens in the tour, who through their willingness to open their properties to the public, made the event possible.
The following day, it was Mattapoisett’s turn to throw open the garden gates and let the public see the efforts of primarily the property owners in their 10th Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Tour titled, “Glorious Gardens.” Here, one could find the tender treatment of a fallen tree into a fairy’s paradise, raised vegetable beds every bit as bountiful as a staged magazine cover, and thick, lush lawns framing flowers, trees, and shrubs of every conceivable description and color only available from nature’s coloring book.
Hosted by the garden group within the MWC, this fundraiser provides financial support in the form of student scholarships to graduating high school seniors, as well as support to charities in the area, according to longtime member Kathy McAuliffe. She said that approximately 200 people viewed the gardens, and she thanked the seven property owners who granted access to their gardens, making the event one of the best garden tours the group has held to date.
McAuliffe said the club was founded in October 1941 by some 70 women who soon found themselves helping with the war effort needed after December of that same year. A celebration is in planning for the club’s 80 anniversary, she shared.
McAuliffe said that early on the development of a garden sub-group within the MWC organization was a bit of a surprise to a few new members. “We were told we would handle the gardens,” she said with a warm chuckle. But she said they were equal to the task, quickly organizing themselves into categories of to-do lists and then getting it done. “One person did tickets; others did garden tasks.… It was divide and conquer.” McAuliffe said since 2014 it has been the same core group of members making the garden tour rather like a water wheel smoothly turning.
McAuliffe thanked her fellow members, Marie Rottler, Maryanne Hickey, Carole Clifford, Kathleen Saunders, Caroline Price, Mary O’Keefe, Erin Burlinson, and Cindy Turse.
So, maybe the next time it rains you’ll remember this inspirational quote from Xan Oku: “May the flower remind us why the rain was so necessary.”
To learn more about the Marion Garden Group, visit mariongardengroup.org, and to learn more about the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club, visit mattapoisettwomansclub.org.
By Marilou Newell
The following students have achieved honors for the fourth term at Old Rochester Regional High School:
Highest Honors, Grade 9 – Chloe Bean, Murray Callahan, Meredith Cameron, Alia Cusolito, Amber Engel, Jaymison Gunschel, Jacob Hadley, Corinne Hibbert, Macy Ingham, Theo Jacobsen, Lily Johnson, Keelin Lienkamp, Megan McFadyen, Ava McLeod, Jonathan Nguyen, Cattarinha Nunes, Brenna O’Donnell, Camila Paraskeva, Emilia Perriera, Andrew Porter, Marcus Robichaud, Kamryn Rodrigues, Gabriella Romig, Mariana Sudofsky, Angela Tomasso, Arielle Troupe, Jackson Veugen, Allison Winters, Liam Yurof. Grade 10 – Rudy Arsenault, Theodore Carroll, Caitlin Collier, David Costa, Joseph Dupre, Failenn Fitzpatrick, Paige Fuller, Sakurako Huynh-Aoyama, Landon Maxwell, Aidan O’Donnell, William O’Shaughnessy, Markus Pierre, Corinne Robert, Arianna Vinagre, Sarah Wyman. Grade 11 – Claudie Bellanger, James Coleman, Thomas Galavotti, Samuel Harris, Isabella Hunt, Amaya McLeod, Olivia Mydlack, Stephen Old, Sawichaya Phimolmas, Marc Pothier, Zachary Proffit, Maria Psichopaidas, Callie Tavares, Autumn Tilley, Cameran Weaver, Klara Whalley. Grade 12 – Isaiah Andrade, Margaret Berry, Shelby Carmichael, Alexander Craig, Erin Davis, Mariana Ditata, Carly Drew, Reign Fernandes, Christina Fisher, Rachel Foye, Maeve Geraghty, Lauren Hartley, Lindsay Holick, Colin Kulak, Jake Louden, Katelyn Luong, Evan O’Brien-Nichols, Serena O’Connell, Jonathan Pereira, Bessie Pierre, Rachel Pina, Kennedy Serpa, Sophia Sousa, Jaclyn Stadelmann, Emma Vivino, Emma Williamson.
Grade 9, High Honors – Emily Abbott, Theodore Cecil, Julia Crain, Amalia Dupre, Matthew Kennefick, Sara Kroll, Zach LeBlanc, Marina Martins, Madelyn Pham, Kelly Quinlan, Paetyn Tripp, Hanna Whalley. Grade 10 – Torsten Brickley, Reese Burger, Julia Foye, Mason Hanks, Elizabeth Higgins, Derek Hiralall, Emmanuella Lawrence, Nicole Londergan, William McIlmail, Lauren Rapoza, Samuel Williamson. Grade 11 – Jaelyn Allen, Nathaniel Bangs, Brendan Burke, Matthew Curry, Hannah Furtado, Signe Gierhart, Edward Gonet, Colby Gross, John Kassabian, Jamie MacKenzie, Sofia Martins, Spencer Merolla, Ariana Miranda, Isabella Romig, Emma Thorell. Grade 12 – Taylor Amaral, Stephen Arne, Alexia Blais, Curtis Briggi, Elizabeth Bungert, Emma Carroll, Stefan Hulsebosch, Madisyn Leavitt, Brianna Machado, Rebecca Milde, Christian Noble Shriver, David Oliver, Daphne Poirier, Raegan Rapoza, David Reynolds, Aidan Root, Paige Sommers, Kathleen Tenerowicz, Jessica Vance.
Honors, Grade 9 – Ryan Arruda, Chase Besancon, Noah Bongiorno, Emily Borges, Sofia Bouley, Ella Caesar, Cassandra Charron, Sara Costa, Rylie Coughlin, Dylan Durgin, Emerson Femino, Constance Friedman, Ethan Furtado, Cole Goldie, Elizabeth Harrington, Eva Hartley, Aubrey Heise, Rylee Kouta, Logan Leblanc, Lucas Long, Camryn Maniatis, Aleeya McCarthy, Nicholas Miedema, Owen Modracek, Nashajia Monteiro, Derek Moreau, Caden Neves, Anna Pereira, Logan Perry, Alice Prefontaine, Allison Root, Aiden Sellinger, Aidan Silk, Reese Souza, Tyler Williams, Remy Wilson, Braden Yeomans, Tyler Young. Grade 10 – Ava Barrows, Sylvie Benson, Gabriella Berg, Mya Braga, Tyler Cardinal, Colin Carroll, Murray Copps, Ryan Cordeiro, Brady Dias, Matthew Eby, Josephine Eleniefsky, Kate Feeney, Sawyer Fox, Lila Galavotti, Liam Geraghty, Leo Grondin, Alexander Harrigan, Sofia Irish, Thomas Janicki, Emily Kilpatrick, Ashley Lawrence, Philip le Gassick, Kyle LeBlanc, Brady Lee, Mackenzie Luong, Drew MacGregor, Alexander Marsden, Jacksen Martin, Alexander Nguyen, Jordan Nguyen, Quinn O’Brien-Nichols, Abigail Paulette, Emma Petersen, Grace Picewick, Andrew Poulin, Jeffrey Radek, Henry Richards, Reagan Rock, Kira Sarkarati, Norah Schiappa, Makenna Servais, Ella Shultz, Jacob Smith, Noah Sommers, Isabella Vanderpol, Mackenzie Vigeant, Emma Welter, Promyse White, Summer Williams. Grade 11 – Justin Allain, Jasmine Andrade, Amanda Armanetti, Brianna Arruda, George Barry, Christopher Bell, Erin Besancon, Magdalena Brogioli, Sally Butler, May Caron, Isabella Correia, Jake Cronin, Meredith Davignon, Emily DellaCioppa, Anna Dube, Jillian Ferreira, Isabel Friedrichs, Jenna Gamache, Taylor Green, Ava Hall, Mia Hall, Brooke Hammond, Michael Holmes, Isabella Hunter, Quin Kirby, Emma Levasseur, Bowen Lorden, Keane MacGregor, Ethan McElroy, Lucas McElroy, Lucas Mello, Drew Miranda, Matthew Modracek, Steven Morrell, Joseph Mulvey, Emily Murphy, Maggie Nailor, Katherine Nilson, Jack Pepin, Benjamin Preece-Santos, Charles Richards, Natalya Rivera, Hannah Rottler, Tess Roznoy, Chase Ryan, Stephen Sauerbrey, Ethan Scully, Julia Sheridan, Carson Spencer, Brooke Steed, William Tirrell, Allison Ward, Jennifer Williams, Mackenzie Wilson, Madeline Wright, Nathan Yurof. Grade 12 – Joseph Ziino, Jared Achorn, Novalye Arruda, Alexis Bourassa, Isabella Carrillo, Mia Costa, Jillian Craig, Meghan Craig, Tessa DeMaggio, Cole Dennison, Rachael Fantoni, Sydney Feeney, Davis Fox, Prosser Friedman, Jason Gracia, Griffin Henriques, Mitchell Higgins, Meghan Horan, Faith Humphrey, Mia Hurley, Molly Janicki, Jacob Jensen, Annouk Joseph, Tyler Karo, Jhett Labonte, Jillian Langlais, Isabella LaPointe, Griffin Lawrence, Colin Mackin, Eva Angeline McCann, Lindsey O’Donnell, Faith Oliver, Jacob Ouellette, Quintin Palmer, Evan Smith, Jacob Spark, Sadie Stanton, William Stark, Maureen Stephens, Bailey Tieu, Kayli Vieira, Sophie Vigeant, Tyler Wadman, Emma Waratuke, Elizabeth Wiggin, Samantha Winters, Rachel Zutaut.
For the first time since August of 2019, the Marion Concert Band will be live in concert! On Friday, July 2, the Marion Concert Band will open its 2021 concert season with a program of patriotic music in celebration of Independence Day. The program is as follows:
National Emblem March – E. E. Bagley
Captain America March – A. Silvestri
American Anthem – G. Scheer
American Pageant – T. Knox
Our Glorious Land – J. Olivadoti
God Bless the U.S.A. – L. Greenwood
American Civil War Fantasy – J. Bilik
The Homefront: Musical Memories from World War II – arr. J. Christensen
God Bless America – I. Berlin
Armed Forces Salute – arr. B. Lowden
America, the Beautiful – S. Ward
The Stars and Stripes Forever – J. P. Sousa
The concert, under the direction of Tobias Monte, will begin at 7:00 at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand, Island Wharf off Front Street in Marion. All concerts are free and open to the public. “Like” us on Facebook at “Marion Town Band” for up-to-date announcements and rain cancellation notices.
In a public hearing on June 24, Jorge Rodriguez came before the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals seeking a special permit for an addition for a conversion to a multi-family house at 12 Mayflower Lane.
Rodriguez also sought two variances; the first for relief from the town’s requirement for the size of the lot, and the second to allow more than a 30-percent increase in the structure floor area under Chapter 20.40, Section F.9.a of the Rochester Zoning Bylaws.
What Rodriquez did not seek in Case No. 1165 was a variance for relief from Rochester’s 300-foot frontage requirement for multi-family dwellings. The 65,531 square-foot property, zoned as Agricultural/Residential, has 273 feet of frontage.
This problem came to light while the ZBA fielded public comment from abutters and other interested parties.
Questioned by an abutter as to the setback requirements for multi-family versus single-family dwellings, ZBA Chairman David Arancio read the bylaw aloud and said that Rodriguez meets the setback requirements, but he also noted in response to a question that the required frontage for a multi-family dwelling is 300 feet.
Asked about the relevance of the frontage requirement to the case, Arancio said he would have to defer to Town Counsel for interpretation of the bylaw. Upon returning from a private call with Town Counsel, Arancio told the applicant that the 300-foot frontage bylaw for a multi-family dwelling would require another variance not contained in the present application.
Faced with a choice between a continuance of the public hearing or withdrawing his application without prejudice in order to reorganize for a new application, Rodriguez chose to withdraw his application. He indicated intention to consult with his architect and resubmit an application that he hopes will not need to seek relief from any zoning bylaws.
Rodriguez was already facing a challenging situation in the hearing, as ZBA attendance was limited on June 24 to four members. In introducing the public hearing, Arancio instructed Rodriguez that, with only four ZBA members present, all four needed to vote in the affirmative in order to grant the special permit and the variances. Rodriguez consented and proceeded under those conditions.
Rodriguez, who has owned the property for over three years, conceded that he can amend his addition to conform with the 30-percent maximum allowed.
Asked by an abutter about the expansion of the septic system encroaching the 100-foot buffer to a neighboring well, Rodriguez described his 1,500-gallon septic system and said he can redesign its associated leaching field to run parallel rather than toward the buffer zone.
Arancio reminded the attendees that the Conservation Commission and the Board of Health would need to vet the septic system.
Due to the absence of some members, the board agreed to postpone a scheduled vote to reorganize until the next meeting.
The next meeting of the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for Thursday, July 8, at 7:00 pm.
Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals
By Mick Colageo