Christmas tree pickup in the Town of Mattapoisett is scheduled for the weeks of January 3 through January 14. Christmas trees should be placed curbside by 7:00 am on the day of your regularly scheduled rubbish pickup. Trees are also accepted at the Transfer Station on Tinkham Hill Road. Trees in plastic bags or with ornaments will not be picked up. If you have any questions, please contact the Mattapoisett Highway Department at 508 758-4181.
The largest chunk of the record $18,000 increase in Harbormaster Isaac Perry’s proposed FY23 budget is due to decisions made outside the department, he told the Marion Resources Commission during its December 20 Zoom meeting.
The laundry list of proposed budget increases that Perry said is in the hands of Town Administrator Jay McGrail and Finance Director Judy Mooney was short but categorized as significant. The largest increase, he said, will be the overtime line item.
“As you all know, the contracts that Adam (Murphy) and I were under have gone away; we have been enrolled in the town employee policy, and as such there was a reclassification of Adam’s position,” Perry explained. “What that means for us is my FY22 line item for overtime of $4,000 was not sufficient at that point. So the FY23, what I’m proposing is a $12,000 overtime budget. That’ll take care of both Adam Murphy and Dave Wilson as far as the overtime goes.”
Perry told the MRC that he believes the Harbormaster Department is currently a little over $8,000 in overtime spent out of the FY21 budget. “So when it gets to Town Meeting, those numbers will reflect the actual numbers, not what was originally proposed for FY22,” Perry said. “That’s the policy we’re under so that’s what we’re going to follow.”
Boat-maintenance costs will also increase in FY23, up from an approximate average of $6,000 the past several years to $10,000. Perry says the increase is due to the situation at Atlantis Drive, a property Marion used to own but no longer does after selling the land.
“Currently, the boats, we don’t have the facilities to do the regular maintenance that we would so that line has jumped up quite a bit,” he said. Once the new Marine Center and the new Department of Public Works facilities are in place, Perry anticipates being able to bring that line item back down some.
A $1,200 increase was proposed to cover the license and dues fees typically used to pay QuickBase, Inc., the online service which has jumped from $6,000 to $7,200.
Perry proposed $1,000 to cover many small aspects of Management and Development, focusing on the FY23 Bridge Academy run in conjunction with the police reform bill. Perry told the MRC that attendees are required to bring 1,500 rounds of ammunition, accounting for some of that cost.
Altogether, his $18,000 draft budget amounts to a 6.8 percent increase. “That’s the biggest increase that we’ve ever put forward from one year to the next,” said Perry.
MRC Chairman Vin Malkoski said that half of Perry’s budget increase is the result of “decisions made that are out of our control … cost of doing business.”
Commercial fishermen are still operating out of the harbor, and Marion’s work boat remains in the water, according to Perry.
Murphy, the deputy harbormaster and shellfish officer, told the commissioners that Marion’s aquaculture regulations and the application form are posted at marionma.gov, the town’s website, but that no applications have been turned in as of yet.
Asked by Malkoski about the site formerly licensed to Shea Doonan, Murphy said he believes that the state Division of Marine Fisheries will treat it as a new site.
The matter of commercial mooring regulations will be on the Select Board’s January 4 agenda as correspondence and will be an action item on its January 18 agenda.
The next MRC meeting was not scheduled at adjournment.
Marion Marine Resources Commission
By Mick Colageo
Old Rochester Regional School District and MA Superintendency Union #55, along with the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC,) are pleased to announce a joint partnership that will offer a series of free online family workshops for Tri-Town and SMEC families focusing on Social-Emotional Learning, 21st Century Learning Skills and Global Citizenship.
The Community Talks series will provide families in the Old Rochester Regional School District opportunities to participate in workshops that will assist parents/guardians/caregivers in building their tool kits to support their children in and outside of the school setting.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative for this very important series of workshops,” Old Rochester Regional School District Superintendent Michael S. Nelson said. “We encourage parents and guardians in our district to register today.”
The first workshop in the series, “Community Talks: Part 1,” will be held virtually on Wednesday, January 5 from 6-7:30 pm. The presenter for the workshop will be Sara Rodrigues, a clinician with the Balanced Learning Center.
Rodrigues, who has 20 years of experience working with children and families in a variety of clinical, school and community settings, specializes in working with individuals facing anxiety and depression as well as children presenting with developmental issues.
“We look forward to hearing about Sara’s experiences and the ways we can all better understand and deal with these difficult and complex issues,” SMEC Director of Communication Sherri Tetrault said. “The Balanced Learning Center’s goals and objectives are perfectly in line with those of both SMEC and the Old Rochester Regional School District, and an expert like Sara is the perfect choice to kick off this series.”
As part of the January 5 workshop, guests will learn about the nature of anxiety, how to recognize and identify triggers and how anxiety looks different in children. Practical strategies to manage stress and panic will be discussed so people are better able to connect with their children and family members.
To register for the January 5 workshop, contact Director Tetrault at 508-998-5599 ext. 130.
Future workshops in the series will focus on a variety of topics related to Social-Emotional Learning, 21st Century Learning Skills and Global Citizenship.
“We are seeing a greater need to have these types of conversations as we both learn more about the triggers of student stress and as we continue to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Old Rochester Regional School District Director of Student Services Craig Davidson. “That is why it is more important than ever to hold a series such as this one and engage with parents and guardians directly through an open and honest dialog.”
The Community Talks series will run through June 2023, and information on future workshops will be made available as individual dates are scheduled.
“I would like to thank the Old Rochester Regional School District for partnering with us on this effort, as well as the experts who will serve as our presenters throughout the course of the series,” SMEC Executive Director Catherine Cooper said. “Through this series, we hope parents and guardians will learn valuable information that will allow them to better understand and react to the stressors that their children face each and every day, both in the classroom and in their daily lives.”
The Purrington Lecture Series hosted by the Mattapoisett Public Library has once again given those living in the local area the opportunity to hear directly from a globally-known author, this time in a recent appearance by Michael Tougias.
Tougias has written 30 adventure novels, some geared towards young adults. But if you’re not a young adult you probably know Tougias and coauthor Casey Sherman for their novel, “The Finest Hours,” the true story of what he deemed “the most daring sea rescue” undertaken by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1952. This tale of heroic scope was later turned into a movie by Disney Studios.
To say Tougias has enjoyed success would be to understate what is obvious – he is a master at bringing adventure to the page, but his latest book “The Waters Between Us” departs from his well- established genre to something vastly more personal, his early years growing up and his father.
To begin his presentation, Tougias, a Massachusetts native, shared his back story. “I was a wild kid and a magnet for trouble,” he began. Tougias said he and his family loved the outdoors and would take family vacations that gave him and his siblings plenty of space to run free and explore nature. It would give Tougias a mostly safe place to burn off energy. He said that by today’s standards, he would have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, but while a youth, he believed he was just “pushing the limits.” He said, “My father loved me but he didn’t like me,” and what he wanted most, he wrote, was to be liked.
Speaking of his father, Tougias’ voice softens a bit as he talks about the grueling work his father did as a baker, a vocation he brought with him as a Greek immigrant. “He worked from 4:30 am to 3 pm, it was brutal.” He said his father had been a sergeant in the Army during World War II. A man, one can surmise, driven by duty to country and family, confused and befuddled by a son often out of control.
Such a father had a difficult time dealing with a child who held the record for the most after-school detentions. “I was always moving,” Tougias said. However, he wasn’t a child trying to defy behavioral norms just for the fun of it, he simply didn’t think through the consequences of his actions.
For Tougias there was an ebb and flow in his relationship with his father. He said that there were times when their relationship enjoyed harmony, but then another bit of trouble he caused would put father and son at odds with one another again. Throughout his childhood, this push and pull would be a hallmark.
The defining moment in the family resulted when his sister suffered severe, lifelong injuries from a car accident. Tougias said his father’s devotion to caring for his injured child forced him to see his father in an entirely new light. “Tragedy shook our world, and my father’s remarkable response to this event caused me to step back and see the man he was. By observing him throughout this ordeal, I too became a man.”
The “Waters Between Us” expounds upon the healing that can be found in being outdoors in nature, the joy, the freedom and ultimately the space to grow physically and emotionally.
Tougias has another passion besides writing adventure stories that grip us and carry us away; he is also a motivational speaker. He brings new insights to those facing business challenges with such themes as strategic decision making under pressure and resiliency.
To learn more about Tougias’ novels or his motivational writings, visit michaeltougias.com.
By Marilou Newell
After 3-0 starts, both the Old Rochester Regional boys and girls basketball teams took their first losses of the season on December 23 against Dartmouth.
ORR’s boys had home-court advantage, and the game came down to the wire with a final score of 64-63 in favor of the visiting Indians.
Jacob Smith led the Bulldogs in the competitive game, scoring 20 points. Liam Geraghty and Sawyer Fox also contributed with 17 points and 7 points respectively. The loss was preceded by a 69-62 win at home against Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech on December 21.
The Lady Bulldogs were unfortunately not as competitive in their first loss of the season. With a final score of 60-41, Maddie Wright led Old Rochester with 26 points. The loss was in stark contrast to their previous game, in which they dominated Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, 50-22, on December 21.
The boys hosted Wareham on December 28 and will next visit Dighton-Rehoboth on January 7. The girls also faced Wareham on Tuesday and will have their first home game since opening week on January 7 against D-R.
Indoor Track
Both Old Rochester track teams improved to 2-0 on December 23 with wins over Somerset Berkley at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech fieldhouse. The boys had first-place finishes from Murray Copps (1 Mile, 2 Mile,) Leo Schiappa (55 meter dash, 300 meters,) John Kassabian (1,000,) Sam Balsis (high jump,) Tyler Trudeau (55 hurdles,) and the 4×400 relay team of Kassabian, Balsis, Matthew Curry and Teddy Carroll.
The girls had wins from Alexia Gonsalves (1 Mile, 2 Mile,) Madeline Dugas (1,000,) Taylor Green (shot put,) Isabella Hunt (high jump,) and the 4×400 team of Cameran Weaver, Jillian LeBlanc, Liz Feeney and Scarlet Patnaude. The Bulldogs’ next meet will come on Wednesday, January 5, against Apponequet.
Hockey
The Bulldogs played against Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk on December 22 and were edged 2-1 at the New England Sports Village in Attleboro. The Bulldogs took the lead one minute into the game but were unable to hit the back of the net again. The girls’ team also came up short in their last game, taking a 7-1 loss against Bishop Stang on Monday at Hetland Memorial rink in New Bedford.
ORR’s girls visited Plymouth North/South coop on Wednesday at Armstrong Arena and will visit Nantucket on Wednesday, January 5. The boys played against Foxboro on Tuesday at Hetland and will next visit Bourne on Saturday, January 8, at Gallo Ice Arena.
Sports Roundup
By Matthew Curry
John Clark “Jack” Wheatley passed away on December 25, 2021 at the age of 87, surrounded by his family. He was born on May 23, 1934 in Boston, MA the son of the late John Reginald and the late Alma (Clark) Wheatley.
He graduated from Thayer Academy in 1952 and was the President of his Senior Class.
He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1956 as a Music Major. While there, he sang in the Glee Club once performing for President Eisenhower at the White House.
He also earned a Varsity letter in track and field.
He received his Juris Doctor in 1959 from Northwestern University Law School and passed the Massachusetts Bar in 1960.
After passing the Bar, he joined his father at the law firm of Keith, Reed & Wheatley in Brockton, MA. While there he also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Plymouth County serving under his father from 1961 to 1969.
He served as Chairman of the Planning Board in East Bridgewater MA for many years, was past President of the Brockton Kiwanis Club, and was also active in the Brockton YMCA and the Brockton Hospital. He was a past Chairman of the Fee Arbitration Board of the Massachusetts Bar.
In 1994, he was appointed by Governor William Weld as an Associate District Court Judge and served until 2004. He frequently sat in the Fall River and New Bedford district courts and other district courts in Southeastern Massachusetts. He also served as the Chief of the District Court Appellate Division for the Southeastern Region.
He was a skilled and prolific artist and had many art exhibits at the Providence Art Club. He also enjoyed beekeeping, gardening, was a member of several barbershop groups and was once a Professional Magician.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Priscilla (Lincoln) of Marion, MA, a daughter, Dawn S. Wheatley and her husband Bruce Schaller of Brooklyn, NY, a daughter Elizabeth Wheatley Reynolds and her husband Peter Reynolds of NY, NY and New Marlboro, MA, a son, William L. Wheatley of North Attleboro, MA and a son Nathaniel D. Wheatley of Plymouth, MA as well as eight grandchildren who live in MA, NY and CO.
He is also survived by a sister Betsey Woolf of Peabody, MA and a sister, Susan Carr and her husband Elliot of Brewster, MA.
There will be a memorial service at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion on January 7, 2021 at 10:30 am and the public is invited to attend. In addition, the service will be livestreamed and recorded. The link will be available on funeral home web site. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Gleason Family YMCA, 33 Charge Pond Road, Wareham, MA, would be appreciated. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit saundersdwyer.com.
It was not known at the conclusion of the December 21 meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission meeting whether the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority would be back on January 4 in an effort to sufficiently close the gaps and come away with an order of conditions for its construction plans at 45 Kings Highway.
In a case continued from November 2, Tess Paganelli filed a Notice of Intent on behalf of the MBTA proposing the construction of a secondary access road, retaining wall and utilities as well as repaving, establishing storage tracks/areas, construction of wetland stream and replication areas and implementing stormwater best-management practices at the location.
Following what Paganelli said were months of correspondence with peer review resulting in several plan revisions, the applicant was hopeful that the tweaks presented by environmental scientist Jonathan Niro of BETA Group, Inc. would have gotten the ball in the end zone.
Niro summarized changes including a reduced-width access driveway (down to 26-feet wide with porous pavement and grading revisions,) infiltration basin revisions per peer review’s requests and stormwater mitigation plans to more effectively funnel the runoff to the prescribed treatment area.
“We do now feel that the project has been improved … and we are in compliance with (company and state) standards,” said Niro.
Scott Turner, Rochester’s peer-review consultant, did not agree and when put on the spot by Commission Vice Chairman Dan Gagne said he still thinks the water needs some treatment prior to infiltration and the plan thereby does not meet the state standard and would fail.
Gagne stated that the annual costs need to be in the applicant’s Operation & Maintenance plan. “We can’t approve anything without the O&M, that’s part of the report,” he said, criticizing the pitch of the drainage pipes as being too shallow, along with the details of the MBTA’s stormwater runoff plan.
Commissioner Maggie Payne agreed with Turner on erosion control measures ahead of tree clearing, a point of disagreement according to peer review. “I would like to see erosion control put in before tree clearing and confirm groundwater elevations under the stockpile area,” she said. “I’m fine with the amount of replication area that you have, no need to push to the wall.”
Payne agreed with Gagne that the commissioners need to see the O&M prior to approving anything.
Commissioner Kevin Thompson echoed Gagne’s concern with getting water from the other end of the building making its way to that one basin at the west end.
MBTA representatives insist that its design has been proven to handle a 100-year storm and noted that 80 percent of the stormwater is outside the jurisdictional boundary. The plan, they said, improves upon existing conditions.
Citing the lack of satisfaction on the part of the membership and his own, Chairman Chris Gerrior asked the applicant if they understand what the commissioners need.
“We need time to look at it as a final thing and that I don’t think we’ve done,” said Gerrior. “We have multiple members asking for things that are final that we don’t have. You’re telling me the pump’s awesome. Just show me the pump. I’ll agree that it’s awesome and then that won’t be an issue.”
“This process has made it better, I really believe that and I think we’re really getting close to it, but I think we have to do a little tiny bit more. … And me looking at a whatever-percent plan without a maintenance, without a detail, I can’t do that.”
Gerrior asked for a motion to continue and one was made, but Paganelli asked if the applicant gets a say in the matter. Gerrior confirmed that the MBTA does have a say, at which closing the hearing and a vote was requested by the applicant.
“I’m just not sure that we’re going to be able to satisfy the commissioners. We’re running out of time, we have a tight schedule, we’ve met all of the requests,” Paganelli said, alluding to months of work on the plan with peer review.
Gerrior said, “I think I gave you good information that’s going to lead to success. If you want me to go in a different direction, I’ll hold the vote right now, no problem.”
Commissioner Ben Bailey told the MBTA’s representatives that an appeal process would take a lot longer than waiting until January 4 (the presumed continuance date.)
“You guys are professionals, and we’re a bunch of dudes from Rochester trying to make this as good as possible, and that’s why your timeline and our timelines aren’t always going to match up,” said Gerrior. “We have jobs and families, and this is a part-time, volunteer thing for us. We’re asking you for information to help make it better, and I’m saying, ‘You’re making it better’ so let’s continue to make it better. In two more weeks, I’m going to be ready. You don’t want that, I’m fine with that.”
Gagne told the MBTA representatives that they should have come to the commission at the beginning of the process with a project that meets the stormwater standards. “It still doesn’t meet the stormwater standards,” he said.
Paganelli disagreed, but Gagne referred to his concerns over the drainage piping and the lack of an O&M document.
Gagne abstained from a vote to continue, but the rest were yes votes. Gerrior told the representatives, “When I have all that information, I will be able to make an Order of Conditions if I have it in a reasonable time.”
Earlier in the meeting, the commission voted an Order of Conditions to Renewable Energy Development Partners LLC, which had filed a Notice of Intent to construct a dual-use, ground-mounted solar array and a canal-canopy solar array within the buffer zone to wetland resource areas at 109 Neck Road.
Continued from November 16, the public hearing was reopened, and representative Sarah Stearns of Beals and Thomas Inc. gave a progress update regarding screening near the edge of Snipatuit Pond requested by the Planning Board, along with the addition of a stockade fence near Long Pond. The additions are within the buffer zone and therefore inside the commission’s purview.
Bailey, who also serves on Rochester’s Planning Board, reported that the board was satisfied with the applicant’s plans regarding trees. Having determined that there is no sufficient place to place vegetative screening, the Planning Board conditioned a stockade fence.
“We have a bond in place, and we had a long discussion over the musical chairs that solar companies play and would there be an ongoing financial responsibility because bonds expire,” said Bailey.
Thompson recommended verbiage in any decision that would allow ongoing maintenance without requiring subsequent filings with the commission.
Gerrior added special conditions including notification to the commission at the start of work, the project timeline, a preconstruction meeting, barriers and measures to prevent flooding. Any plan changes require notification to the commission, storage of materials and equipment must minimize impact to soils and runoff, and any stockpiles or disposals have to be outside the 100-foot area.
Gagne recused himself from the hearing.
In a new public hearing, SMD Development LLC was issued a standard Order of Conditions filed a NOI proposing a septic-system repair at 4 Hartley Road, the location of Lloyd’s market.
Represented by River Hawk Environmental LLC, SMD was requested by the Rochester Board of Health to install a denitrification system because the construction area sits between wetlands and a well. The representative said the advanced system has been added along with a grease trap and a 1,000-gallon tank. The new system will be 3 feet closer to the surface and away from the groundwater table.
A public meeting to present a RDA is filed by Industrial Tower and Wireless LLC proposing underground utility work in the shoulder of the existing drive on the opposite side of the wetlands at 0 High Street. The owner is Wareham-based A.D. Makepeace Company. CONTINUED to January 4.
The RDA for 15 Wolf Island Road was continued to January 4.
The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, January 4, at 7:00 pm.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Mick Colageo
With winter upon us, thoughts turn to cold weather and snow. It’s been several years since we have had any really significant snowstorms. Whether due to climate change or selective memory, most of us remember the snowstorms of our childhoods as bringing more abundant and deeper amounts of the white stuff.
Referring once again to the Rochester Journals, ice skating on frozen ponds and bogs and sledding down snowy hills are most often mentioned in talk about childhood winters in Rochester. These memories belong to many different generations. Florence Taylor who was born in 1911 reminisced about skating on Hartley Mill Pond and on the frozen cranberry bogs. She talked about sliding by the hill near the big barn that today houses Jonathan Sprouts. She also remembered that Mildred Knight who lived in the house nearest the barn would warm them up with hot cocoa and cookies.
Hilda Nevius Peirce, who grew up in Rochester in the 1930’s, wrote a poem entitled “Growing Up in Rochester Center” and in stanzas 16 and 17 she writes of skating ” after school until dark on the frozen icehouse pond”. She also writes of taking sleds and skis to Bonney Hill where they would all go down the slope and perilously close to a large tree.
Stanza 18 presented me with a mystery. It reads,
“Many an adult mourns the loss
Of that hill
Where we played in our leisure
The Peirces, the Churches, Henry Knight
Are a few who recall it with pleasure”.
I’m curious to know what happened to the hill. If someone knows, they could email me at eshbach2@aol.com.
I remember both sledding (we called it coasting) and ice skating in Rochester. We would coast down the hill in the pasture next to Great Grandma’s house. It was very competitive as my brother, sister and I would try to be the one to go the farthest distance across the frozen pond at the bottom. Our early ice skating was done on a fairly sorry little pond next to my grandparents’ house (now the Hathaways). My grandfather gave us some old chairs to push around so we could maintain balance. Wanting to be famous figure skaters (ignoring the fact that there were no chairs used in the ice shows), my cousin claimed Sonja Henie, the only one we knew. We asked my mother for more names and my sister became Tenley Allbright and I was happy as her younger sister, Eightly.
Happy Holidays from the Rochester Historical Society and may we have frozen ponds and snowy hills in our future.
By Connie Eshbach
They have been identified as one of the most important assets the Town of Mattapoisett owns, its historic wharves. Now, after years of concern and discussion of the crumbling underpinnings of the longest wharf, bids have been received from four firms for the study of Long Wharf’s current condition and schematic engineering, a precursor to repairs.
Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said during Tuesday night’s Mattapoisett Select Board meeting that bids range from $257,000 to $390,000, that the town’s required portion is $54,000 (appropriated at the last Town Meeting) and that an addendum to the RFQ requested bidders to provide a separate estimate for construction on-site services.
Lorenco said it would take some time to review the voluminous sets of documents submitted by the bidders. Board member Tyler Macallister asked that the substance of the bids be summarized, removing the fluff and highlighting the significant data for clarity’s sake.
Board member Jodi Bauer suggested that one or more members of the Marine Advisory Board be asked to assist in evaluating the bids. Select Board Chairman Jordan Collyer suggested MAB Chairman Carlos DeSousa act as their representative.
Lorenco also said that three public hearings would be held to allow for public discourse once a bidder is selected and reports and designs are prepared. He also said that once there is a clear vision for the construction phases, another grant from the Seaport Economic Council would be sought. Actual construction is at least two years away, Lorenco said.
On the matter of private dirt roads, the Select Board approved agreements with the owners of Ocean Breeze Lane and Greenbough Drive for snowplowing and road repairs with the cost of materials being invoiced to the property owners. Collyer explained, “We provide the labor, they pay for the materials.” He also said that snowplowing goes “hand in hand” with roadway repairs to ensure that the plows would not be damaged due to inferior road surfaces.
Signed agreements between the town and the property owners is mandatory before the town will provide the labor for repairs or do snowplowing, the board concurred. Collyer also noted that once there is such an agreement in place, the roadways must be open for “pass and repass” of all vehicles and that no encumbrances or signage stopping vehicles from traveling on the road are allowed.
Regarding Hereford Road, a private road, Collyer said that the town should pay for materials associated with maintaining the dirt roadway due to its heavy use by the Water and Sewer Departments to service equipment located in the area.
Earlier in the meeting, the board approved four aquaculture permits. The permit holders are: Dale Levitt, Blue Stream LLC for 30 areas; Bob Field, Copper Beech Oyster Farm with 4 acres; Michael Ward, Mattapoisett Oysters for 3 acres; and Nicholas Wright, 1 acre.
Levitt gave a brief update on his holdings, saying things have been a challenge between weather battering boats, and the presence of heavy predation on the oysters by snails. He said some 4,000 oysters have been grown in his cages and donated to the town for the municipality’s program. Promised survey work of the large aquaculture site has been delayed, Levitt said, as has experimental kelp farming. Both activities he hopes to start in the coming months.
COVID-19 and the current status of cases in the community was touched upon. Lorenco said that presently there are 30 cases, “the highest number yet.” He said that the town follows the guidelines of the state, not the CDC, and as such, masks are not mandated except in healthcare settings.
Lorenco said that the majority of the people coming into town hall are wearing masks. But Bauer wanted to discuss options, saying, “People say, ‘I’ve had three shots, I don’t need to wear a mask,’ and that’s wrong.” It was noted that 90 percent of all Mattapoisett residents have received vaccines. Lorenco was asked to check with the Council on Aging to ensure masks are being worn at that location.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, January 11, at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell
They were loud, they were laughing, they were eager to show their support – the 2021 Christmas morning swim in support of Helping Hands and Hooves was nothing short of shear fun in spite of cold, dark rain.
The 2021 event was the 17th year people have financially supported the work done by Julie Craig and her team, work that benefits people with cognitive challenges through experiential activities, namely horseback riding at her farm in Mattapoisett called Sea Horse Farm.
The pandemic had halted all enriching opportunities that the program offers, but even before the pandemic, outdoor activities were hindered or all together paused due to concerns over Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), the virus transmitted to people by the bites of infected mosquitos.
“SAILS stopped the riding program because of Triple E, and then the pandemic came,” Craig said of the challenges faced. SAILS stands for Support Services for All Ages and Abilities, a nonprofit that promotes programs and services that provide nonadverse training and holistic educational approaches for those with challenges associated with cognition and behavior.
Fundraising for Helping Hands and Hooves is a grassroots effort with the annual Christmas swim a major component. Funding allows Helping Hands and Hooves to provide enrichment programs to those who oftentimes have aged out of other programs.
Families seeking programming for their loved one are hard-pressed to find anything. Enter Craig’s program. Underscoring the need for social opportunities and reinforcement of habits of daily living skills, Pat Goss, whose son Brendan has benefited from Craig’s work said, “There isn’t much for them once they reach a certain age.”
Standing shoulder to shoulder and diving into the freezing waters at Mattapoisett Town Beach with Craig was Debbie Dyson, her project partner since the beginning of Helping Hands and Hooves.
Dyson had previously told us, “Many (participants) come from group homes where they don’t have a great deal of opportunity to socialize outside that setting.” She said that those coming to the Craig farm are “happy as evidenced by their demeanor and smiles.”
The program also goes a long way towards building confidence, self-esteem and physical coordination, Craig noted.
While the rain and gray skies that enveloped the region on Christmas morning might have kept some revealers and swimmers home, 24 tenacious souls did take the plunge. They were longtime volunteer Yvonne Haitsma, Eric and Debbie Dyson, Emily, Dirk and Sarah Murphy, four members of the Craig clan, Sibley Casi, Lucy, Nate and Gray Dyer, Sue and Nate Mitchell, Hayden, John, Jonatt Duke, Jim Stowe, five members of the Kassabian family, Don Cuddy, Donna Smith and last but by no means least, Brendan Goss, who exclaimed, “Oh, that was good!”
But wait, then there was Kate Butler, who made a dramatic arrival a mere few seconds before the starter blasted the horn. She jumped out of her car, ran at full speed down to the high-tide line, plunging into the water to the hoots and hollers of spectators. Staying in the water long after others had run in and run out, Butler told us, “It’s so refreshing!” She also confessed she swims year-round in local waters and finds it is “good for the soul.”
To learn more about the programs and funding opportunities available at Helping Hands and Hooves, visit helpinghandsandhooves.org.
By Marilou Newell