Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven

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Starting Wednesday, September 7 at 7:00 pm, First Congregational Church of Rochester will host an 11-week DVD and discussion group on Pastor David Jeremiah’s Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven in the Fellowship Hall at 11 Constitution Way. If you have questions about heaven — especially about how to get there — this series will help you close the gap between what the Bible says about heaven and what you know. It pulls the curtain back — to the extent Scripture allows — to reveal the glorious and utterly amazing realm of heaven and will transform your perspective here on earth! Each episode is stand-alone and does not need prior viewing of any other episode to understand. Call the church office at 508-763-4314 for more information. All are welcome.

Mattapoisett Library hosts RE-ART

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In an effort to bring awareness to the trash crisis, the Mattapoisett Sustainability Partnership put out a call for local artists to create pieces using man-made materials recovered or upcycled from the environment. The pieces are now on display at the library through Saturday, August 27 with a reception planned for 2:00 pm that day. Visitors may stop by to view the art show while the library is open.

            Artists were given the directive to incorporate recycled man-made materials in at least 75% of the work, excluding adhesive, paints and other fasteners. For the purposes of the show, natural found objects were not classified as recycled. A variety of mediums are on display now, and the creativity is wonderful to see. Artists of all abilities were encouraged to participate.

            The Mattapoisett Sustainability Partnership got its start during a grant initiative at the library, Start Locally – Live Sustainably. The group continues to meet though the initiative has wrapped up and is taking on projects to raise awareness locally about food waste, recycling and climate change. New members are always welcome to join. Meetings are listed on our events calendar; the next meeting will be on Saturday, September 3 at 11:00 a.m. at the library. Any questions or interest in joining should be directed to Jennifer Jones at jjones@sailsinc.org.

Reverse 911

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To the Editor;

            I wanted to register a concern about the Mattapoisett police response to the massive boat yard fire. Twice earlier that day, we received on our home land line an automated “emergency” call from the police indicating first that they were looking for a man wearing only one shoe, and later a second “emergency” call indicating that they had found him. But we received no word whatsoever that there was a major fire raging in our town less than two miles from our home. We actually learned about the fire only from relatives in Boston and Hingham who called us at 5 in the afternoon after they had heard about the fire, wanting to know if we were all right. Why didn’t the police contact all town residents about this fire, even if only to keep us away from the involved streets and to stay alert for any developing events. I wonder if the emergency presented by the shoeless man measured up to the seriousness of the major fire?

Michael Scott, Mattapoisett

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Library Lines up Candidates Lined

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The Joseph H. Plumb Library Board of Trustees met on August 18 to update members on the search for a new library director.

            After the sudden resignation of former Library Director Jennifer Woodward on August 5 after only a month on the job, trustees were mum on explaining why Woodward exited so soon.

            “It was her choice to resign for personal reasons,” board cochair Kelly Medeiros said before discussion began. “And that’s all we’re going to say.”

            But the trustees were happy the search for Woodward’s replacement has already begun. Medeiros noted that 11 candidates have applied for the position, including three applicants from the first search that led to hiring Woodward. The remaining six of the eleven will be considered after the first five have been interviewed and/or disqualified.

            Medeiros said the advertisement seeking applicants will run until the board decides to stop running it. “To be determined,” she said. The trustees noted that for this position a bachelor’s degree is required and a Master’s in Library Sciences is recommended.

            Trustee Kimberly Burt reported that two candidates were to be interviewed on August 19, but out of the five top picks chosen for the first round of interviews, Burt said, two applicants have already stepped back, changing their minds about wanting to leave their current librarian positions.

            In the interest of hiring someone soon, Medeiros motioned to change the board’s next meeting to Thursday, August 25, to discuss the status of the search process. The board’s next regular meeting would have otherwise been September 5.

            During the public-comment segment that preceded the trustees’ discussion, resident Missy Farias asked to whom the general public should turn when there is a complaint against a librarian and there is no library director. “If there is a future issue with a person in charge, how does the chain of command work?” she asked.

            Medeiros said if there is a complaint, that person should go to the Board of Trustees. “If it’s an emergency of some kind,” she added, “I’ll be happy to answer personally.”

            Moving beyond this issue, the board next reviewed and approved a new Meeting Room policy and application form for the two newly renovated rooms on the lower level.

            Both the larger room and the smaller one that can be closed off by French doors will be available for public rental. Rentals involving food must be placed in the smaller room because of its tile floor.

            The next meeting of the Library Trustees is scheduled for Thursday, August 25, at 6:30 pm in the lower-level meeting room of the Plumb Library.

Rochester Library Trustees

By Michael J. DeCicco

Fall Classes at the MAC

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A new eight-week session of ALL Levels Watercolor Painting for Adults will run September 9-October 28 with Instructor Jay Ryan on Friday mornings from 10:00 am-12:00 pm in the MAC Studio. There is a drop-in option ($30 per day) for students who can’t commit to the entire session. The cost is $195 for MAC members and $220 for nonmembers for the full eight-week course. Register at marionartcenter.org/adult-classes. Description: This course is great for those with a little painting experience and is also a perfect “next step” for those who would like to explore watercolor painting beyond a basic understanding of color and brush strokes. Using the brilliant nature of light (and dark), we’ll “push” the medium, adding other water media, brushes and paper surfaces and experiment with palette color mixing to capture magic and luminosity. In each class, we will start a new painting together using landscape, still life, the figure, abstract or imaginative thought or narrative ideas as subjects. Each class will also provide a brief and supportive group “critique.” Students will leave with expanded knowledge of technique and traditional and contemporary use of watercolor.

            Instructor Lisa Elliott will teach a new session of Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom on Wednesday evenings, September 7-October 5 at the Marion Art Center. Have you ever wanted to try weaving but not sure where to begin? In five short weeks, you can learn a new fiber skill and take home your very first woven project. Students will weave one of the following: a scarf, table runner, set of placemats or set of tea towels. Looms and weaving equipment are provided, but students will provide their own yarns. Students meet from 6:00-8:30 pm in the MAC Studio. The cost is $150 for MAC members and $160 for nonmembers, and the class is limited to six students. Register at marionartcenter.org/adult-classes.

            Registration is open for MAC Dance Academy, starting on September 12. The 10-class course runs through December 12 (with some dates off.) Instructor Erin Murphy hosts classes for preschool, beginner and intermediate, each meeting for half an hour, 4:00-5:30 pm in the MAC’s upstairs gallery. MAC Dance Academy is a low-key, low-cost dance program geared toward girls and boys ages 3-12. The cost for the ten week session is $175 for MAC members and $195 for nonmembers. See the full schedule for fall, winter and spring and register online at marionartcenter.org/mac-dance-academy.

            Music Instructor Colin Bradley offers Guitar, Piano and More, one-on-one music lessons for all ages and skill levels, for kids and adults. Lessons are scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons through early evenings at the MAC. Half-hour lessons focus on the training of the ear, improvisation, songwriting and music reading comprehension. Instruments of study include guitar, bass, ukulele, slide guitar, piano and more. The eight-week fall session begins September 13 and runs through early November. Cost for 8 lessons is $280 for MAC members and $295 for nonmembers. Registrants will receive 10% back on lessons when purchasing tuition for two or more people from the same household. Spots fill quickly, so early registration is strongly recommended. Learn more and register online at marionartcenter.org/kids-music-lessons.

Waterways Permit Filed for Dam

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            During Monday night’s meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission, David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc. confirmed to the commissioners that a Chapter 91 waterways permit application has been filed on behalf of property located in Rochester.

            During the previous meeting, Conservation Commission Chairman Mike King had expressed the need to further investigate what was happening upstream of Al Robichaud’s property on Wolf Island Road. Robichaud had lodged a complaint with the commission regarding a lack of water on his property. A dam in Rochester was ascertained to lack requisite permitting; Davignon told the commission that a permit is in the works.

            An Order of Conditions was issued to Jeff and Tania Phillips of 3 Pigwacket Lane for the construction of a new home along the riverfront area. It took several meetings to satisfy the commission’s questions centered around mitigation plans and stormwater systems. The Phillips were represented by Davignon.

            A Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Michael and Dorothy Bernasconi of 3 Spruce Street for the upgrading of a failed septic system received a negative determination, clearing the way for the improvement.

            A reopened Notice of Intent for property listed as 0 Route 195 owned by Andre Riekksts, Scott Atkinson and Margo Wilson-Atkinson received conditioning. The proposed work includes a roadway for an approved, two-lot subdivision.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, September 12, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

PMC Presents Passionate Stories, One Goal

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            One of 15 Tri-Town residents who took part in the August 6-7 PanMass Challenge bike ride, Debbi Bacchiocchi, is eager to note that every participant has a story.

            “You can talk to 6,000 riders, and they will all tell you a story,” said Bacchiocchi, making a rough reference to the approximately 6,300 who took part in the event this year along with approximately 3,500 volunteers.

            Bacchiocchi is among seven riders from Rochester to participate this year, along with Sarah Bernier, Sheila Kozlowski, Riley Johnson, Keith Riquinha, Lazaro Rosa and Wareham Police officer Calib LaRue. Marion was represented in this year’s PMC by Jim Forker, Sarah Poulin, James Shachoy and Bill Tilden, and Mattapoisett was represented by Robert Inches, Jill Inches, Elizabeth Richardson and Lisa Winsor.

            A Kindergarten teacher at Rochester Memorial School with an obvious love for children, Bacchiocchi was in the middle of her master’s degree program when she first saw the PanMass Challenge parade past her Rochester home.

            “I’m doing that next year,” she thought, so she trained and eventually did. “Too many family members, colleagues of mine, were being diagnosed with cancer. The PanMass Challenge was the only organization where 100 percent of the fundraising went to the fundraiser and not to executive costs. That intrigued me.”

            Bacchiocchi’s passion for the ride was stoked some years back when a Rochester family had a baby named Chloe Harding who was diagnosed at birth with leukemia, resulting in multiple surgical procedures.

            “They were going to send her home until a new procedure at Dana Farber gave her seven more years of life. She was rediagnosed at the beginning of Kindergarten … her love for school just made my ride more significant,” said Bacchiocchi, who mourned the loss of Chloe in 2019 at age eight. “Now I ride in her memory.”

            Chloe actually rode three times in the Kids PMC, despite her health challenges.

            “She didn’t feel well,” recalled Bacchiocchi, noting how her family told her she did not have to ride. What Chloe said is what resonates every year for her Kindergarten teacher. “She didn’t want her doctors to treat any more children with cancer. That’s why I ride, and I will continue to ride as long as I possibly can. … If I can do it, I’m going to do it.”

            Johnson, a first-timer who has lived in the Tri-Town region the past 16 years, began cycling in 2021 with the goal of riding the PMC this year.

            “The event was always something that motivated me as I have seen the unfortunate side of cancer with people who were close to me,” said Johnson. “Ultimately, I hope that this fundraiser and others like it can help eliminate cancer entirely.”

            Like over 6,300 others, Johnson braved a very hot PMC weekend, having learned that 2022 will go down as one of the three hottest PMC rides on record.

            “Staying hydrated and stretching throughout the course of the two-day event were crucial to being able to finish,” he said. “I really appreciate every volunteer who came out to support the ride by running the rest stops, because without them constantly fueling and keeping us all hydrated, the ride would have been much harder.”

            The 2022 PMC marked Bacchiocchi’s 15th year as a participant. Technically, she is part of the WROR team, but that affiliation was only a mechanism to get her involved via a donation of $105 in accordance with the radio station’s 105.7 frequency on the FM radio dial.

            “I’ve really never been a part of a team, even though I’m part of the WROR team … that just happens to be the radio station I listen to in the morning,” said Bacchiocchi, who joined that team a decade or so ago when it became the PMC official radio station.

            She said that morning-drive disc jockey Brian Bell is the only other member of the WROR team who rides. “We finally met this year,” she said.

            The PMC expanded so that riders could choose a manageable length, but the full, two-day jaunt from Sturbridge to Provincetown had become so popular a challenge the route was already at capacity when she first signed up in the month of March.

            Her first year she rode the 50-mile Wellesley to Wellesley course and in her second year from Sturbridge to Bourne. Starting in her third year, Bacchiocchi always rides the full two days to Provincetown.

            “I’m still a ‘heavy hitter’ fundraiser,” she said, nearing the top 10 percent. “It’s not too late to donate to a rider.”

            For more information or to donate, visit pmc.org and search a PMC rider of your choice.

By Mick Colageo

Mattapoisett Dog Walkathon

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The Mattapoisett Dog Walkathon will be held on Saturday August 27 from 8:00-12:00. Come strut your pup at your leisure. Sign up at Center School, Barstow Street, Mattapoisett. $25 donation and receive a 2022 T-shirt. Water stops provided for dogs along the half-mile or longer one-mile scenic walk around Mattapoisett village. All proceeds go to the creation of a Dog Park. Donations can be mailed to 16 Main Street, Mattapoisett, MA 02739 and made out to Town of Mattapoisett Dog Park.

Officials Grateful for Community, Region Response

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Monday night’s meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board began with Chairman Tyler Macallister praising the response not only from Mattapoisett’s first responders but for all the first responders who worked to extinguish the Mattapoisett Boatyard blaze on August 19.

            “Police, fire, EMS all came together as one community,” he said. “Our hearts go out to the Kaisers and the injured employee. … From the town’s perspective, we will work to make them whole as soon as possible.” Macallister thanked the community at large for assisting. “Everyone did an amazing job.”

            Moving on to other business, the Select Board discussed cost estimates received from Childs Engineering for repairs to the town historic Long Wharf. The board was alarmed that cost estimates now have reached more than $12,000,000, nearly double what had been expected just a few months ago. The board discussed types of construction methods and materials in an effort to find possible cost savings, but the members concurred that windward-facing walls of the wharf need materials stronger than concrete.

            Member Jordan Collyer said of the updated cost estimate, “This is a far cry from six to eight million; we need to look at options.” However, Macallister commented that waiting would end up costing the town more. “I say … let’s go,” he said, adding that the use of concrete was just a band-aid.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said the cost estimate was a “worse-case scenario” but would discuss the board’s wishes with Childs. Macallister figures that, if costs could be settled upon, work might start in the fall of 2024. “We need to pull the trigger sooner rather than later,” he said. Collyer stated that the project would be the largest harborside construction the town has ever undertaken.

            Mail-fraud issues were discussed on the heels of the recent arrest of two suspects for “mail fishing” crimes. Lorenco explained that outgoing mail from the box behind the post office was breached using simple materials to extract the mail; checks were then altered by “a very sophisticated group and passed off for cash.” He said anyone who had used that exposed mailbox to mail checks should carefully review his or her accounts and report suspicious activity to their bank and the police.

            The Mattapoisett Land Trust sought and received permission from the board to apply for a grant to secure acreage near Meadow Brook Lane. The Buzzards Bay Coalition will be the holder of a planned conservation restriction; it was noted by Mike Huguenin, MLT president.

            A boat parade organized by the Mattapoisett Yacht Club will take place on Sunday, August 28, at 5:00 pm in Mattapoisett’s outer harbor to raise donations to GoFundMe accounts for injured MBY employee Phil Macomber.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Monday, September 19, at a time to be determined.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

Mattapoisett Council on Aging

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Where were you in 1972?

Were you a teenager in high school, hanging with your friends?

Were you fighting in a war overseas that to this day is seen with a different lens?

Were you in college, looking forward to a better life?

Were you starting a family and hoping there wouldn’t be much strife?

Did you know every path you would follow?

Did you know you would be here today, living for a new tomorrow?

If you’ve made it through life’s ups and downs,

And humility and wisdom have softened the grounds

Appreciate that your journey continues in 2022

Fifty years from where you were in 1972

            This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging. The public is invited to the celebration on Saturday, September 10 from 10 am to 1 pm under the tents on the corner of 17 Barstow Street and Church Street. Enjoy activities (including sampling a class or two, corn hole, water balloon toss, other games), learning what the COA has to offer, including Medicare support, Outreach and more. Special speakers will be introduced at 11:00 am and lunch will be available after 11:30 am.

            Parking is available at Ying Dynasty, with a shuttle bus available, not only for our event, but you may wish to visit the Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s Annual Yard Sale across the street. An rsvp is appreciated so we may order enough food. Call 508-758-4110 or email coadirector@mattapoisett.net.