First Annual Color Run Fundraiser

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The ORR class of 2023 announced that it will hold its first annual color run fundraiser on Sunday, June 27, at 10:00 am at Washburn Park in Marion. Entry to the race, which is 3k in length, is free for those under 5, $10 for those ages 5-10, and $15 for anyone over age 10.

            Entrants may walk or run the path through the Washburn woods while having eco-friendly, non-toxic colored powder gently tossed at them by student volunteers. By the time the participants cross the finish line, they will be covered head-to-toe in a multitude of colors. For this reason, organizers recommend wearing white clothing so the powder (which may leave permanent stains on clothing) is more visible.

            To receive an online entry form, email either Gabby Berg at gabriellaberg@oldrochester.org or Madeline Dugas at madelinedugas@oldrochester.org no later than Saturday, June 26, at 6:00 pm. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, though a limited number of walk-ins will be admitted on race day. Payment (exact cash or check made out to “ORR Class of 2023”) will be collected at check-in on the morning of the race, so arriving no later than 9:30 am is recommended.

            Class president Gabby Berg commented, “I believe this is the first color run ever held in Marion. The student government had been talking about this for months and finally got the go-ahead just a couple of weeks ago, so planning went into high gear then.” She continued, “I’m excited to see people bursting with color at the finish line.”

            All proceeds from entrance fees and refreshments sales will benefit the ORRHS Class of 2023.

ORR Class of 2021

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The Old Rochester Regional High School is proud to announce that 186 seniors graduated on June 5, 2021. The hard work and determination of these young scholars will not stop there as they earned themselves 587 college acceptances to 169 universities and colleges across the country. In this graduating class, 78 percent of the students plan to attend a 4-year college, and 9 percent plan to attend a 2-year college. Two graduates will be entering the armed forces of the United States. Fifty-one members of this graduating class were inducted into the National Honor Society, 52 graduates received the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship; there were four Commended Students and one Finalist in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, and 34 of the graduates received scholarships from a variety of 132 state and local organizations. Graduates will be attending institutions across New England such as Babson College, Bentley University, Berklee College of Music, Boston College, Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, Mass College of Art and Design, Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Mass Maritime Academy, Northeastern University, Suffolk University, Tufts University, University of Connecticut, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Across the country, ORRHS will send graduates to American University, California State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Catholic University, Duke University, Haverford College, High Point University, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY College of Environmental Science, Temple University, Union College, University of Arizona, and University of St. Andrews. The most well-attended colleges amongst our graduates are Bridgewater State University, Bristol Community College, and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. This year, the most popular anticipated college majors include Engineering, Business, Criminal Justice, Education, and the Health/Science fields including Nursing. We are proud of the accomplishments of the Class of 2021 and wish them well as they represent Old Rochester in their future endeavors.

Joe Beauregard

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Joe Beauregard of Marion passed away peacefully at home on June 18, 2021, after a long illness.

            Joe was born in Boston and raised in Foxboro. He was the son of the late Joseph Beauregard and Edna (Carey).

            Joe was a long-time, valued employee of FMGlobal, from which he was retired for many years. His work took him to all parts of North America and allowed him to make many loyal and loving friends who were a nationwide family to him.

            Joe was a talented and energetic man, a skilled builder, gardener, cook, fisherman, and nurturer of all living things. His life experiences spanned logging with horse teams while helping his beloved grandparents on their farm in Maine, serving in the US Navy, renovating and managing a farmhouse in Vermont as a bed and breakfast, visiting Mayan ruins in Mexico, solo camping and fishing in outback Alaska, founding a fly tying association, and leading a Boy Scout troop for many years in North Attleboro. He was a great fan of Boston teams, and faithfully followed the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics his entire life. Joe loved the outdoors, especially boating and fishing in southern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. He was a loyal and caring friend. He enjoyed cooking for others and would often say “food is love” and he would lavish his love on his friends and family.

            Joe is survived by his wife Ann Ritchey, his sister Joan Parker of Plainville, MA, his brother John Beauregard of Alabama and his step sons Nathan Knowles and his wife, Michele Corey and Brad Knowles and his wife Marli and his grandchildren Jonathan, Joshua, Elsa, Audrey, and Walter, as well as numerous brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and friends who were as dear as family to him.

            There will be a private ceremony at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, MA.

Public Input Requested

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            Public input on a draft report detailing the results of a months-long study on the coastal resiliency of parts of Mattapoisett Neck Road has been requested.

            Members of the consulting group Fuss and O’Neil, along with scientists and engineers from the Woods Hole Group, held a public meeting on June 10 to give their final conclusions and to offer up conceptual fixes to the endangered roadway.

            While there were nine or more specialists attending the meeting plus Select Board member Jordan Collyer and the Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer, only one member of the community attended. Undaunted, the teams gave an hour-long presentation rounding up previously expressed data and opinions in one tidy package. Now, that package or final report is available at bit.ly/ResilientNeckRd for public review and much needed comment.

            Adam Finkle of the Woods Hole Group reviewed climate change and storm impacts along a stretch of the roadway primarily from Molly’s Cove to the westward termination. Using various data modeling tools, Finkle summarized that by 2030, the chance of an 18-inch flood during storms is a real possibility by a factor of 50 percent.

            “Expect flooding to become more frequent and deeper with the majority of the road underwater by 10 inches and greater,” said Finkle, who went on to stress that, although it would be impossible to design a road for a violent storm incident he called “the big one,” a plan could “mitigate sea level rise through 2070.” Finkle said that evacuation planning in all cases is needed.

            Finkle then described, as he previous had done, three road improvement scenarios. The first was raising portions of the roadway to 7.5-foot level; secondly, raising the roadway up 6.5 feet; lastly, just providing slope reconfigurations, offering several. He added that the concepts offered would not change the scenic view of the area.

            The culvert that inspired the research project was also discussed. The teams said that repairs to the culvert should be timed with any and all other infrastructural upgrades such as water lines and the beforementioned roadway changes to decrease disruption to residents and to assure emergency vehicle ingress and egress.

            The study was funded by a Coastal Zone Management grant in the amount of $74,981, matched by the town. The primary timeframes of sea level rise were 2030, 2050, and 2070. Cost estimates were shared for both the culvert repairs and roadway improvements. For the culvert, three options ranging from in-kind replacement to enlarged box culverts were estimated between $500,000 and $790,000. But Collyer challenged those numbers, saying they were too low given that other culvert projects in the community either recently completed or currently underway are costing double the amount.

            Regarding roadway improvements, the cost of raising the roadway 6.5 feet ranges from $1,580,000 to $2,220,000, raising the roadway 7.5 feet would cost from $2,130,000 to $3,000,000, and finally, maintaining the road as is, costs zero.

            To view the full report and make comments visit bit.ly/ResilientNeckRd.

Mattapoisett Neck Road Flood Resiliency Project

By Marilou Newell

Sippican Historical Society

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Sippican Historical Society partners with the Marion Garden Group

            The Sippican Historical Society is pleased to partner with the Marion Garden Group for its Secret Gardens of Marion on June 25.

            Our current exhibit at the Museum (141 Front Street) is “The Art of Helen Hiller Hills.” Helen’s oil paintings, pastels, pen and ink drawings, and scratchboard works depict local flora and fauna, beautifully consonant with the Garden Tour theme.

            A special exhibition of botanical photographs by lens-based artist Deb Ehrens will also be on display. In keeping with the Historical Society’s white and silver Memorial Garden, the exhibition will feature Deb’s studies of white blossoms, which will be on sale at the Shop.

            The SHS Shop offers a variety of garden-related items. You’ll find everything from journals and tote bags to tea towels and aprons all featuring beautiful, vintage botanical illustrations. There are new and gently-used gardening books and even fun garden-related games for children.

            Our Memorial Garden at 27 Main Street (behind the Historical Society building) is open to the public for relaxation and reflection throughout the day. Refreshments will be available in the Garden on June 25 from noon – 3:00 pm.

Jacqueline Marie Stoddard Foster

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Jacqueline Marie Stoddard Foster, 64 of Fairhaven, MA, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2021.

            Jacqueline, mother to 7 children, was a freelance writer and an accomplished author, publishing three novels. Jacque was passionate about her country and was by every definition of the word a true patriot. Jacque loved the ocean, crafting, writing and spending time with her family and friends.

            Jacque was predeceased by her father Joseph Stoddard and sister Amy Gracia. She is survived by her husband Thomas Foster, mother Gretchen Pohl, siblings Daniel Stoddard, Keith Opozda, Jodi Mitat and Joseph Stoddard Jr. Jacque also leaves behind her 7 children; Kari MacRae, William Furness III, Jenni Pelletier, Peter Furness, Samantha Stoddard, Zoe Roberson and Maximillian Foster, as well as 9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

            Per Jacqueline’s wishes no funeral services will be held. A Celebration of Life is planned for July 4th @ 2 pm for friends and family to share stories and memories at 41 Yearling Run Rd, Buzzards Bay, MA. Jacque will truly be missed. Please email kari@macrae5.com for additional details on her Celebration of Life.

            In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to Bands for Badges, Tunnels to Towers Foundation or similar foundations.

Idealized Spaces – Willoughby Elliott Retrospective

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            “I’m inspired by the complex and varied atmospheric effects that occur when a moisture-laden sky is affected by light. The coastal environment can seem at times primordial because of how the basic elements of land, sea, sky, and light interact with one another.” That was Willoughby Elliott’s statement leading up to an exhibit of his work at the Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet in 2011. Today, those words ring down through the years and return with a deeper profundity in a new exhibit of his master works at the Marion Art Center on view now through July 16.

            Elliott passed away in 2016, leaving behind legions of students who had the benefit of studying under his guidance at the UMass College of Visual and Performing Arts where he would become chancellor.

            Elliott’s natural gifts for the visual arts came early in his life and were nurtured by parents who encouraged their children in whatever pursuits they desired. Lisa Elliott said of her mother-in-law’s parenting, “One son became a [certified public accountant] and the other an artist; both were encouraged.”

            Art teacher and artist Kim Barry of Mattapoisett was a student of Elliott and later became a painting partner with him in her studio space. Of her memories and experiences with Elliott she shared, “He was my grad school advisor, and later we taught together, curated shows together at the New Bedford Art Museum, and we painted together.”

            Barry said that Elliott was not only a gifted artist in his own right but was a gifted teacher, generous, humorous and, above all else, dedicated. To that point, she recalled that when he demonstrated a painting technique, he would continue the work on his own time so that the students could see the evolution of the method. He could also be a bit direct but usually with a sidecar of humor; as noted by Barry, “He’d often say, ‘You need to take that painting out to the tool shed and give it a couple of whacks.’”

            Much of Elliott’s work are his paintings primarily executed from photographs he would take while out in nature. But Barry said she introduced him to plein air painting versus what he called his spiritual landscape. On exhibit now, one will find canvases with deep rich colors bathing the observer in the warmth of nature, lush as velvet and many with evocative titles such as Moods of Approaching Fog, Illuminated Shore, or Warm Marsh.

            The gallery spaces not only display Elliott’s painting (primarily acrylic on canvas) but also his well known, screen-printed pieces and his little-known, early clay pots. “His pots are from the 1960s,” Lisa Elliott said. Large, organic, painted, and glazed, the pots take pride of place within the gallery spaces and seem a completely natural extension of the paintings gracing the walls behind them.

            A potter herself, Barry said, “I never knew he did pottery!” She went on to say, “They are so free, and he used colors with a painter’s eye.” Barry said of his printmaking, for which he was nationally acclaimed, “He was so methodical and organized.”

            And so, the artist seemed to have explored the far reaches of his creative being from the wild and free to the deliberate and purposeful with confidence and, yes, excellence.

            The MAC, in giving all the gallery spaces to this one artist, is recognizing the depth of his artistry and the public’s need to see all the beauty offered in pots, painting, and prints as conceived by Willoughby Elliott. While the paintings range from coastal to still-life images, the pots from the free forms of a young artist on an expedition and the screen prints known as serigraphs are exquisite examples of control and precision. The themes of the prints range from rich florals to light, airy sculptural images, again the artist exploring the edges of creative desire.

            With so much to take in, it seems a point of reference regarding his painting might be useful. Another student of the arts, Joanne Dunn of Mattapoisett, shared that she was introduced to Elliott’s work while studying under another art instructor. She said Elliott always used intense pink, orange, and red tones to cover his canvases before beginning the actual subject of a piece.

            As you stand facing an Elliott painting, you will see where he allowed those deeply saturated colors to peak through here and there, landing delicately but impactfully on the eye of the beholder.

            “I relate to the way that a color, mark making, and the layering of paint can be made to express a dominant expressive light, defining the space within each of my paintings.… Derived from specific locations, (the paintings) evolve into idealized spaces, sometimes with an added hint of danger.… My work through its abstractness can inform the viewer about our human origins and our relation to the natural world.”

            To learn more about the creative genius of Willoughby Elliott and the Marion Art Center, visit marionartcenter.org.

By Marilou Newell

Summer Acting and Puppetry Workshop at Mattapoisett Library

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Mattapoisett Public Library invites you to an Acting and Puppetry Workshop for people 10 years and older. The project will take place during one-hour-long sessions on six consecutive Tuesdays in July and August, partially online (Zoom), partially live (at the library).

            Participants will receive the activity kit with basic materials, the short description of the play, and the outline of the scene the group will be staging. They will build a tabletop puppet character for a play adapted from a story about a fisherman and magic fish. The first sessions via Zoom will provide instructions on building the puppet. Additional instructions will be available at Dream Tale Puppets’ blog, so participants will be able to continue building between the meetings.

            During the third meeting, the ensemble members will start learning how to give life to the character. They will play and improvise the scenes from the play. The session before the last one will be devoted to rehearsing the scenes and preparing for filming. During the last meeting the scenes will be filmed.

            Mattapoisett Public Library is one of five libraries and one art center participating in the project. They will form six groups and each one will be working on developing a part of the play and story. Footage from six video recordings will be edited into a film later available for online viewing.

            Please see the schedule of the Tuesday workshops:

July 6 – 9:30-10:30, Zoom

July 13 – 9:30-10:30, Zoom

July 20 – 9:30-10:30, Zoom

July 27 – 10:00-11:00, Live

August 3 – 9:30-10:30 Zoom

August 10 – 10:00-11:00, Live

            Before signing up at the library, ask your librarian for a short description of the play and the outline of the scene your group will be staging. During registration and before receiving the activity kit with materials, you will be assigned the character you are going to create.

Gerrior Aims to Close Generation Gap

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            The Marion Council on Aging’s “Vet Together” luncheon held Monday at the Cushing Community Center was a festive occasion in which veterans from the town heard from Christopher Gerrior, a recently retired Naval officer and the Tri-Town’s new veterans services officer.

            The meet-and-greet, a first step in the wake of Barry Denham’s retirement from the post (and his job as Mattapoisett’s highway surveyor), was well attended, but Gerrior couldn’t help noticing the absence of veterans younger than himself (46).

            “The Gen-Xers and the Millennials, even though we have served, not as many of us are getting the benefits or services. I’m trying to bring in younger and middle-aged people, that is my goal,” said Gerrior, who estimates that the number of veterans in the Tri-Town is in the hundreds.

            Rochester, where Gerrior lives, has over 200 veterans. “But I don’t know them all by name. There’s very few ways for us to reach out to them without knowing who they are,” he said. “Even if they don’t have a need, I’d like to meet them … and match up the need with the person or the program with the person.”

            That’s what Gerrior hopes to do in each of the three towns.

            A busy Rochester resident who now chairs the town’s Conservation Commission, Gerrior joined the Navy after graduating with the ORR Class of 1993. Before serving 12 years in Intelligence, he served 12 years as an enlisted member working in aviation, including time on an aircraft carrier and seeing duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, and on the Pacific Ocean.

            He spent a year as a leading petty officer at the Fleet Imaging Center Pacific Hawaii at Pearl Harbor, four years as a sensor operator and Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) instructor in Kaneohe, Hawaii, two years as photographer for the chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C., and five years as an aircrew photographer in Barbers Point, Hawaii.

            Gerrior said many veterans more readily identify with enlisted veterans, so he makes a point of emphasizing those 12 years of his service over the subsequent 12 years as an officer. He feels fortunate to be working with Jo-Ann O’Malley, who has spent the last four years as the Mattapoisett Veterans Office assistant. O’Malley keeps hours in the Veterans Office at Mattapoisett Town Hall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

            Gerrior, who keeps office hours there on Wednesdays, is focusing on getting the word out on the remaining 2021 key dates such as Independence Day, July 4, and Veterans Day, November 11. His message to younger veterans is to avail themselves to education, benefits, tax advantages, and even free shellfish licenses.

            “There are so many benefits for veterans, not depending on their age,” he said.

            Marion’s Independence Day Parade Committee and the Department of Public Works has invited veterans of all ages from the Tri-Town to ride on their float in the town’s Independence Day parade, which will be held on Monday, July 5. Call 508-748-3515 by July 2 to reserve a spot.

            “My goal is to fill up that float,” said Gerrior, who invites all Tri-Town veterans to call him on Wednesdays at 508-758-4100 ext. 7, or send an email to vso@mattapoisett.net.

By Mick Colageo

ConCom to Visit 119 Converse

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            In a public hearing continued from May 26, a Notice of Intent filed by John and Cynthia Paliotta for a Land Management Plan involving the eradication of invasive plants and other activities at 119 Converse Road will see a site visit from the Marion Conservation Commission on Friday, June 18, at 9:00 am. The case was again heard during the commission’s June 9 Zoom meeting.

            Referred to by ConCom Chair Shaun Walsh in a prior meeting as “complicated,” the case is subject to the peer review of Bob Gray, who was contracted by the Town of Marion for the case. Gray’s hire is being funded by the applicant. Walsh told ConCom members that Gray recommends that the applicant take two actions at the site prior to the site visit. Gray said it would be helpful if the tree cutting and planting locations are made specific via color-coded tape and that the applicant flag the wetlands delineation. That way he can validate those delineations for accuracy.

            Walsh said he hopes for as many members as possible to attend the site visit. Caitrin Higgins, director of Operations at Wilkinson Ecological, which is also representing the applicant, attended the June 9 meeting and plans to attend the June 18 site visit.

            The public hearing was continued to ConCom’s next scheduled meeting on Wednesday, June 23, at 7:00 pm.

            In the first of several new cases, Blankenship Township filed an NOI for beach nourishment at 468 Point Road.

            Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone Inc. represented the applicant and discussed his proposal for the addition of 9 cubic yards of sand consistent with the sand on the site of the coastal beach. The applicant sought a condition allowing for the beach area to be replenished with more sand. “Yes, on an as-needed basis not to exceed 12 cubic yards per year,” said Davignon.

            ConCom held a site visit, and member Jeff Doubrava said he would rather see a three-year condition issued rather than a condition in perpetuity. Davignon said Doubrava’s was a reasonable request.

            Member Emil Assing articulated concern for the preservation of the salt marsh against heavy equipment. Davignon said a Bobcat or backhoe would have rubber tires and need about five loads to complete the delivery of sand.

            Walsh pointed out that the case was not approved yet by the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, so a continuance was necessary, and the public hearing was continued to June 23 at 7:00 pm.

            The Kittansett Club filed a Notice of Intent to renovate the first-floor outdoor deck area of its clubhouse. The proposal includes removal, replacement, and expansion of a timber deck with associated access stairs at 12 Point Road.

            The land is subject to coastal storm flowage and is within the flood zone; however, being previously developed land, no filing was necessary with NHESP, paving the way for a decision.

            ConCom voted to issue an Order of Conditions to Kittansett.

            ConCom voted to issue a Negative 3 determination of applicability to Daniel and Mayo Morgan, who filed an RDA to remove a deck/pergola and replace it with one-story house addition at 22 Point Road. The land is on a coastal bank and subject to coastal flowage.

            ConCom voted to issue a negative determination of applicability to Grover 19750 Parking Trust, which had submitted an RDA to construct various home improvements at 4 Water Street.

            Under action items, Lori Kahler’s request for an extension permit at 28 Wareham Road (formerly 7 Bournhurst Road) was met with ConCom’s vote to approve a three-year extension of the Order of Conditions. The permit does not grant permission to do any work beyond what was specifically authorized in the original OOC.

            Walsh recommended reinforcing with the new owner the need for erosion control. “It’s a very unique site for sure,” he said, referring to heavy vegetation.

            Asked by the Planning Board for comment on Sherman Briggs’ and Hamblin Homes’ residential project off Spring Street near Mill Street, Walsh said a site visit yielded no signs of a wetland and considered the case to be outside ConCom’s jurisdiction.

            After his business was concluded, Davignon asked Walsh about the immediate future of Zoom meetings, and the June 9 meeting coincidentally hit a snag moments after the engineer declared his preference for the convenience remote-access meetings offer, especially to those who attend several meetings per week. Conversely, the membership of boards and committees in the Tri-Town area prefer meeting in person. The glitch lasted approximately three minutes.

            ConCom is gearing toward August 11 as its first in-person meeting at the Town House. July 23 would be the filing deadline for a place on the August 11 agenda.

            Doubrava pointed out that the state extension allowing remote access to public meetings until September 1 had not been passed as of June 9. Callow said that board administrator Donna Hemphill bears a disproportionate workload in running Zoom meetings and distributing paperwork.

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, June 23, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo