Elizabeth Taber Library

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This November we are celebrating cooking at the Elizabeth Taber Library! Join the ETL and Simply Creative Chef Rob Scott for Virtual Baking! Find directions and ingredient lists on our website, then tune in live on our Facebook page for interactive instruction with chef Rob Scott.

            On Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30 pm, learn to make harvest sweet potato muffins.

On Saturday, November 21 at 11:00 am, gather the kids for a baking lesson for the whole family and make crustless apple crumb pie.

            Find a huge selection of cookbooks and books on food for the whole family available for checkout right now at the Elizabeth Taber Library, and check our Facebook page all month long for cookbook and food science reading recommendations.

            Need books, audio books, DVDs, items from our library of things, or more? Curbside checkout continues at the Elizabeth Taber Library Tuesday – Thursday and Saturday! Call the library or check out our website for more details.

            The library is here to help you with printing, faxing, scanning, or 3-D printing. Call the library at 508-748-1252 to arrange for any of these services.

            Need to use a computer? The library now has in-person computer sessions available every Thursday. Sessions are 45 minutes long for one person per session. Masks are required. Call the library or check our website to sign up for in person computer use. www.elizabethtaberlibrary.org

Sippican Historical Society

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Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. Over 100 were cataloged and photographed. SHS will feature one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.

            This week we feature the dwelling at 513 Point Road, built in 1850 in the Italianate style. The house is prominently situated at the crossroads of Point and Delano Roads. Along with three other neighboring dwellings, the house provides an unspoiled glimpse of a rural, remote Sippican Neck before seasonal and suburban house construction transformed its appearance in the 20th century. The 1855 Marion map identifies the owner of this home as William Ellis. By 1879, George Hammond, a carpenter, owned this property. In 1903, this house was owned by Charles M. Ellis, whose occupation is variously listed as contractor and “teaming and jogging.” He lived here until at least 1926.

The Tide Is Rising.

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To the Editor,

            The Tide Is Rising.

            Imagine you are standing in three feet of water; the tide is coming up an inch every few minutes and you can’t swim. You are being told, ‘Don’t worry,’ it’s only rising inches at a time. Eventually you will drown. That is where we are with respect to land conservation in Marion.

Each time a parcel is proposed for conservation, we are told the taxes lost are insignificant. What matters is the total amount of land in conservation and the aggregate taxes lost to the town to date. That is what is slowly “drowning” the town.

            Marion residents approved Article 5 at the recent Town Meeting; this takes the 33.7-acre Hoff parcel off the tax rolls, so the tide is up another few inches.

            Our 2017 Master Plan notes that 34% of Marion’s 9,105 acres, a total of 3,091 acres, is permanently conserved, thus off the tax rolls. Another 22% is subject to temporary Chapter 60 conservation restrictions, and thus paying a much-reduced level of taxes. Please find me another town in southeastern Massachusetts which has permanently conserved 34% of its land area.

            The Master Plan states that residential taxes account for 93% of Marion’s tax base. Residential properties are 37% of the town’s land use, thus, 37% of Marion properties pay 93% of the cost of running the town. Are there other towns in southeastern Massachusetts with 60% of their tax parcels are off the tax rolls?

            Land conservation enhances property values to a point. Eventually, the opportunity cost of the taxes lost to a town starts to outweigh the value of the land conservation by making the town increasingly unaffordable.

            New development is detrimental only if it runs out of control. In Marion, development done incrementally and targeted at summer residents, seniors and retirees, and commercial and industrial entities, will expand the tax base and bring in more taxpayers to share the cost burden of running the town.

            Someone suggested that a “tree” is the most tax-effective use of land because it doesn’t use town services. That is not true. For Marion, it is properties owned by summers residence. Our summer residents often buy expensive homes, use very few town services, and don’t vote.

            Walking trails were a big selling point for the Hoff parcel. However, rather than spending more money on conservation land for off-road walking trails, we should be spending money on improving pedestrian safety and making our streets safer for bikers and walkers.

            Marion’s year-round population has been between 4,800 and 5,000 forever. The town lacks the scale – meaning the critical size or mass – necessary to cost-effectively provide services such as fire, police, sewer, and water. Incremental development will bring in more taxpayers to share the cost of these services.

            I wish those people, who are so passionate about conserving land in Marion, would become equally passionate about keeping our Town affordable for our existing residents.

John P. Waterman, Marion resident and Selectman

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.

Mattapoisett Craftsman Created a Dream Boat

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            When you hear the words “cold call,” you probably conjure up the ringing telephone at suppertime or the annoying voice trying to get you to subscribe, buy, or sign-up for something that will absolutely make your life better. You probably aren’t thinking you’ll help someone in their pursuit of a dream. Yet, that is precisely what happened when Mattapoisett boatbuilder Paul Milne answered his phone nearly a decade ago.

            Milne is a well-established craftsman whose rowing sculls have been shipped throughout the continental United States and as far away as Canada and South America. He has a reputation for producing fine rowing sculls favored by educational institutions and rowing clubs. It’s fair to say that, if one is a high-performance rower, you know about Milne’s Peinert rowing sculls.

            As Milne was quietly beavering away those years ago, he answered his ringing phone. On the other end was one Victor Don Mooney cold-calling Milne, literally. Mooney is an activist who hails from New York and who thinks big and dreams even bigger. He was in the early stages of pulling together materials and other support in his effort to attempt an Atlantic crossing by rowing in a solo vessel.

            Mooney is a unique individual in that he had little to no experience rowing, let alone navigating the open ocean waters of the great Atlantic. But he was inspired to do so by his brother. This was in the days of the early 2000s when HIV/AIDS was understood as a devastating virus, yet funding for research was still needed. Mooney had lost his brother to the virus. He felt compelled to do something meaningful to heighten awareness that this virus was still killing people.

            Still, with no background in rowing, no money, and no support, Mooney’s dream of rowing across the Atlantic only grew. He asked Milne for help.

            “He was not a rower, so I loaned him a boat,” Milne recalled. “He was supposed to train with it for one year; he had it for about five or six.” Milne also donated footboards, and associated bits and pieces for a boat Mooney planned to build.

            Like running or tennis or nearly any physical activity, rowing has an elite sector of those who have perfected and continue to perfect their chosen sports. In Mooney, Milne recognized that driving spirit to conquer massive odds. You could say he helped Mooney achieve his dream.

            Milne recalled that Mooney failed four times to complete the trans-Atlantic crossing. Sinking boats, poor understanding of currents, insufficient supplies, and even pirates are part of the come-lately mariner’s story.

            But in the absence of kindness from others, Mooney’s dream might never have come true. In 2015 he succeeded.

            Today, Mooney continues to find causes to direct his energies, and he still remembers those who helped him on his epic crossing. One of the straps Milne gave Mooney is now part of a time capsule that was recently presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Mooney is quoted as saying, “Mr. Milne’s custom fabrication for my rowing station platform put me in the driver’s seat across the Atlantic Ocean.”

            Dreams are never a singular effort. Others have to help the dreamer in ways big and small. Though Milne doesn’t believe he did much to assist Mooney, clearly, his support played a critical role in helping a dreamer wake up to find it came true.

By Marilou Newell

Bold Steps Taken for Drinking Water Supply

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            The Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission hopes to become the first in Massachusetts to use Koch Membrane Systems’ Puron technology.

            A 2016 report by sciencedirect.com said that Koch had announced the full operation of the largest membrane bioreactor plant in Europe. It is treating 100 percent of its incoming capacity with Puron modules.

            MRV Commission members are not about to cross the Atlantic for a site visit. Still, they will need to venture across state lines in order to inspect a working system comparable to the one they hope the district member towns eventually vote to install.

            “It’s a proven technology; it’s just not used in Massachusetts yet,” said Jon Gregory in his November 10 update to the commission.

            “I’d like to see one of their newer systems being put in so we can see what it’s like to look at the system we’re going to install,” said Henri Renauld.

            As of Tuesday’s joint meeting of the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee and District Commission, Gregory was ironing out labor numbers against prevailing wage rates in Massachusetts and hoping between now and MRV’s next meeting that “we’ll have this nailed down.” Costs could land between $3 million and $4 million.

            Construction-wise, Renauld said stainless steel is necessary in the facility. Gregory agreed and said, “Let’s do it right.”

            Paul Silva asked if MRV will separate the costs to be sure exactly how much if any savings the Puron system promises. Gregory said the costs would be itemized and that Koch will pilot the program with its own equipment. Silva advised full itemizing of the expenses because every member town’s finance committee is going to want that information, he said.

            Emerging technology, on the one hand, can give the MRV Water District an edge as it seeks long-term methods of purifying its drinking water, but it also poses complications when it comes to equipment. Chairman Vinnie Furtado pointed out that making equipment last is a good thing, but the right choices have to be made in order not to be caught several years down the road looking for obsolete replacement filters and machine parts.

            Gregory anticipates more municipal officials with more questions, and MRV will likely need to have Koch representatives visit once again. “Koch’s been very responsive for the most part…. They’re very interested in this project. If we need to have them in here, we’ll make that happen,” he said.

            An update by Tata & Howard engineers is expected when the MRV meets on December 8.

            As for the present, Renauld, in his Operations Update, said the Treatment Plant is running well, and testing has been done. Third-party testing is also happening for compliance. Some repairs have resulted. “We need to replace a heater at the back of the building that’s burnt out,” he said. Renauld also reported that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection conducted a survey of the facility, and MRV passed. Renauld said, “DEP was pleased with our operating procedures.”

            Dual member Rick Charon reported to the committee after a visit to Snipatuit Pond and said that beavers had moved up the river and built up a hut over in the reeds. “This was a structure; it’s a couple of feet up out of the water. We need to find someone to make them disappear,” he said.

            Rochester Town Counsel Blair Bailey said there are three known dams in the pond. “Between now and when the (herring) run starts, we’re going to have to figure something out,” he said. Bailey has been working on the situation with Rochester Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon and state authorities.

            Low water levels in 2020 have exacerbated the problem.

            The MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee reviewed an “approval not required” plan at 342 Snipatuit Road in Rochester, where Shawn McCombe is looking to construct a single-family home near his parents. The ANR Plan will divide the lots, and it’s expected that McCombe will install the required Title 5 septic system. Rochester does not require a denitrifying septic installation, but hope for that was expressed in the meeting. MRV members had no issues otherwise.

            Under new business, Silva and Farinon questioned the need to budget $5,000 per year for data collection. Bailey and Furtado pointed to the protection of the district and the value of that data against any allegations or conflicting information. The matter will be on the next agenda and may be discussed by both the committee and the commission together.

            The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for December 8 at 3:30 pm. The commission is scheduled to follow at 4:00 pm.

MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee/District Commission

By Mick Colageo

“Community Read” Antiracism Virtual Event

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On November 17, The Tri-Town and Beyond Community Read Committee will host a live, virtual Q & A with local leaders to discuss antiracism and promoting justice. The goal of this event is to learn action steps we can take to promote justice in our community. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

            The virtual event will be held via Zoom from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Speakers include Marlene Pollock, retired professor of History at Bristol Community College and co-founder of The Coalition for Social Justice; Dr. Jannell Pearson-Campbell, assistant superintendent of schools for the ORR School District; and Gail Fortes, executive director of the YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts. Please register in advance for this exciting event!

             Consider joining the Tri-Town and Beyond Community Read by finding us on Facebook. The goal of the read is to continue learning about ways that racism plays out in society at large and in the towns where we live. Through listening and learning from People of Color about lived experiences of racism, we will take steps to create a more equitable society so that people of all races will be able to fulfill their potential for the benefit of society as a whole. The first read featured How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Kendi and Jason Reynolds.

            The next Community Read book will be announced at the meeting. The

link to register: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkde6trTktGdG04xBfza_Yd2SBs1cRq2Vg

The Mattapoisett Museum

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The Mattapoisett Museum is looking for dedicated volunteers to serve on our board of directors. We are seeking creative, enthusiastic, and devoted individuals to grow and diversify a small and ambitious museum focusing on history, art, and culture in Mattapoisett and the surrounding area.

            The Mattapoisett Museum seeks to embrace and promote diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion in our collections and programming. We are seeking talented people with skills in programming, outreach, fundraising, and more. Board members do not need to be a Mattapoisett resident. For more information about applying for a position on the board and to receive a complete board of director’s information packet, please contact the Mattapoisett Museum at director@mattapoisettmuseum.org.

Players Find Common Ground in Long-Standing Bus Stop Case

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            The Rochester Planning Board addressed updates to the Cranberry Highway Development in their meeting held on November 10 after most other public hearings set to come before the board were continued into December.

            Phil Cordeiro, representing the developer, continued his discussion on the proposed bussing routes that will be involved with the site. Cordeiro presented an updated plan set that featured proposed school bus routes. The new route will have internal access to the development rather than the previously proposed shared bus stop with the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Authority. The GATRA bus stop will remain in its previous location along the ring road that surrounds the development.

            The desire for a new school bus stop location came after discussions held in previous meetings relating to increased traffic and safety risks presented by the prospect of multiple bus stops on the ring road. Through his conversation with the Planning Board, Cordeiro worked to move the school bus stop inside the site to avoid queueing and traffic delays on the ring road. His proposed location for the bus stop allows the buses to pick up children throughout the site safely. Also, depending on the bus company’s feedback, the buses may elect to use a front-door pickup method at each of the buildings within the site, rather than one bus stop for the entire location.

            Continued progress on the busing solution is contingent on feedback from the bus company and school board. The bus company is reluctant to have its drivers choose routes that involve private roads, but Cordeiro was hopeful that the clear safety risk posed by choosing to use the ring road as the bus stop location would influence their decision. Ultimately, a decision on the bus location will not be reached until the Planning Board approves the entire plan, as the bus company will not consider proposals while the development is still in the public hearing.

            Andrew Delli Carpini of Seasons Corner Market joined the public hearing to express his approval of the proposed plans. This came after longstanding discord between Seasons and the Cranberry Highway Development. Delli Carpini explained that the two groups were able to reach a consensus on several issues that had previously hindered progress on the proposed development. He expressed his continued hope that the Planning Board would provide updates on the project related to Seasons Corner Market.

            Rochester Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson explained that the majority of the issues relating to the development have been resolved and that they should be able to close the public hearing on the proposal at the next meeting.

            The Planning Board moved to discuss the Old Middleboro Road Solar Development. Developers on the site submitted a request to determine whether a change in the orientation of solar panels on the site constituted a minor change to the overall plans. With the orientation currently proposed in the plans, the panels would not catch enough sunlight to effectively produce power.

            According to Town Planner Steve Starrett, the developers have been closely adhering to Planning Board regulations since work has been allowed to continue on the site. Starrett told the board that roughly half of the tree clearing required on the site has already been completed, and this one change will allow the proposal to move forward. As no additional land clearing would be needed and no drastic changes to the site would occur, the Planning Board voted to approve the change in orientation of the panels.

            The next Rochester Planning Board meeting is scheduled to take place on December 8 with remote access via Zoom, and the December meeting will be the final Planning board meeting of the year.

Rochester Planning Board

By Matthew Donato

ORR Seniors Find Footing in Mariner Soccer League

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            Old Rochester Regional’s girls soccer players still want the chance to dominate South Coast Conference play when the MIAA’s Fall II season rolls around later in the 2020-21 academic year. Still, if that falls through, some of them will be just fine — even seniors.

            That’s all thanks to the Mariner Youth Soccer League.

            When ORR players found out their regional high school had opted to participate in the Fall II season with the rest of the SCC rather than the traditional fall season amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Mariner Soccer came up with an option for high school girls soccer players.

            Mariner Soccer put together a fall season for those athletes while the high school season remains on hold. And the idea was not exclusive to Old Rochester soccer players. Mariner Soccer reached out to all of the SCC schools, receiving entries from eight schools — ORR Apponequet, GNB Voc-Tech, Dighton-Rehoboth, Fairhaven, Bourne, and Wareham — five of which also had a junior varsity team in the league.

            “It was a really good turnout,” Old Rochester senior Brianna Machado said. “I’m really glad that most of the SCC teams did end up doing it. That made it feel like it was a regular season for us, getting to play against the teams we’ve played all throughout our high school years.”

            Also, by facing other SCC opponents, ORR got a chance to see what they’re made of ahead of Fall II. With Meg Hughes’ and Mary Butler’s ORR days now behind them, the Bulldogs weren’t exactly sure what to expect going into this season.

            All doubts were quieted by the end of the season, as the ORR girls finished a perfect 6-0 in Mariner Soccer’s fall league.

            “I think it was really good for the team, in general, to be together, rather than in an actual season setting,” ORR senior Rachel Zutaut said. “We lost some really good players last year, and we were all really skeptical going about how we were going to be without them. It was really nice to see that we’re capable of winning and being a good team without the seniors who graduated in 2019.

            “We were really scared going into the season that it was going to be a rough one.”

            Of course, playing in the fall with the country still facing COVID-19 called for some adjustment on the part of players. Specifically, players had to wear masks. For Machado, the masks weren’t a real factor, but for Zutaut, it posed a legitimate issue.

            “I have asthma, so it was really hard for me,” she said. “I couldn’t play more than 15 minutes at a time without really having a hard time breathing. Normally, I can play the whole half and be fine, but I couldn’t even make it 20 minutes.”

            But even with the masks and the concerns surrounding COVID-19, Zutaut wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity to play. Not only did she and Machado get the chance to play with their friends, but it was also one last chance to play for their fathers, who coached them both from when they were kids and volunteered to help run the team in the Mariner Soccer fall league.

            “We had a lot of our parents step up,” Machado said. “My dad coached me ever since I was little, so to be able to have him coach me again for my final season, if we don’t get Fall II, was the most memorable thing I got to experience.”

By Nick Friar

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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As we all know, Rochester is a Right to Farm community. In 2018, 98.2% of the town was zoned agricultural/residential. That equals 2,875 out of 2,930 land parcels. Those 222 parcels of land, or 4,707 acres, fall under Chapter 61A, which is the assessment classification for farmland. The state guidelines for 61A “requires 5 contiguous acres of land under the same ownership and actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural use”. Actively devoted to farm use means the land has been farmed for two years and produced at least $500 of sales for the first 5 acres of production, unless the added land is woodlands or wetlands. In that case the amount would be increased by $.50 an acre. These classifications are correlated to taxes owed.

            As one rides around town, the many fields, grazing animals, and farm buildings add to the beauty and charm of Rochester. One such building is the large barn on the hill at the corner of Hartley Road and Vaughan Hill Road. The property on which it stands has a history of farming that goes back to 1754. The land was owned and farmed by many different people: the Vaughans, Blackmeres, Knights, Reynoldses, Whites, and Cervellis. The barn was used by all of them, and today the barn is leased by Jonathan Sprouts.

            While it seems as though the barn has always been there, it actually wasn’t built until 1914. The builders are listed as Chartier and Dion, who built it for a dairy herd. At other times the barn also stabled sheep.

            In 1951, Raymond White bought the property and became the owner of the barn that housed 50 of his cows tended by Manny Lima. White was the owner of White’s Dairy, which is still in business. White used this property and additional acres that he purchased to grow corn and hay to feed his many herds throughout the area. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, White was responsible for reviving New England’s aging worn-out farms by repurposing them as dairy farms. This brought renewed prosperity not just to Raymond White with his six farms, but to other farmers as well.

            While the property and barn were owned by the Whites, they welcomed a new and very different kind of farming when they rented 50 yards of the old barn to Bob and Barbie Sanderson. They had started a sprout growing business and were growing sprouts in mayonnaise jars in the guest bathroom of their rented house in Marion. By 1982, when the Cervellis bought White’s 156-acre farm, the Sandersons were leasing pretty much the entire barn for their growing business.

            When the Sandersons first rented space, the barn was dilapidated (as the picture shows) and it was only getting worse. However, as their business has grown, the barn has been restored and protected. Interestingly, the exterior of the barn in the second picture looks much like it did when it was first constructed, but inside it is a state-of-the-art growing lab complete with workers in white lab coats. We have the Sandersons and their sprouts to thank for saving such an iconic piece if Rochester history.

By Connie Eshbach