Tri-Town and Beyond Community Reads Check-in Event

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On Thursday, August 27, a dozen members of the Tri-Town and Beyond Community Read group met for a live Zoom discussion to share their thoughts and questions about the books they have been reading, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. They were joined by approximately 120 viewers on ORCTV’s Facebook page.

            The Community Read group is at the halfway point in the readings and met to discuss some of the difficult issues expressed in the books. Frances Kearns started the discussion by reading an excerpt from the book, How to Be an Antiracist relating to biology and the racist idea of generalizing one’s biology with their race. Kearns spoke about the importance of not generalizing people based on their race which led to a discussion about power dynamics people face throughout their day.

            Stacie Charbonneau Hess talked about the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You related to how history is taught and how history is re-thought. Discussion participants commented on their experiences on subjects such as history and biology in school related to slavery, the creation of racial hierarchy, and the experimentation on women of color to advance science was lacking. Members of the discussion noted that they can support schools to decolonize the curriculum so that students are exposed to perspectives and voices of groups that have been historically marginalized. 

            Other discussion topics included what it means to be nonracist versus antiracist, how policies can be racist, learning to recognize what has been accepted as normal as needing to be changed, how words and symbols of racism have been embedded in culture and accepted without understanding or knowing their meanings, and many other topics.

            Action items were discussed on how people can be antiracist and work toward a more equitable society. One such step includes supporting housing policies that create affordable housing in communities such as Mattapoisett that is considering closing an elementary school due to a shrinking population of children. Jordan Pouliot Latham pointed out that such a school closure contradicts the argument that affordable housing puts a drain on community’s schools.  “Our towns could be in crisis if we do not have more children in our communities,” she noted.

            Educators and local leaders in the Tri-Town and beyond kicked off a “Community Read” focused on social justice on August 1. The goal of The Read is to collaboratively learn about the ways that racism plays out in society at large, as well as in the towns where we live. In addition, the hope is that through listening and learning from People of Color about lived experiences of racism, all of us 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.

            Community Read Co-sponsors are: Mattapoisett Museum, Mattapoisett Free Public Library, the Tritown Against Racism Facebook group, YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts, the Elizabeth Taber Library, and The Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library. 

            A recording of the discussion can be viewed on ORCTV at vimeo.com/orctvcommunity.

            Everyone is welcome to join the Community Reads and participate on the group’s Facebook page: Tritown and Beyond Community Read: www.facebook.com/groups/1020238101744627

            To obtain copies of the books, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi search the SAILS library network catalog at http://www.sailsinc.org/ or contact your local library.

Fishing Poles Donated to Library of Things

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The Mattapoisett Library now has eight fishing poles available for check out. Included are both saltwater and freshwater equipment, in great shape, thanks to patron and lifelong fisherman David Kaplan. He donated new poles to the library, some particularly suitable for children to use. Mr. Kaplan generously prepared a handout, which includes information about where to fish in Mattapoisett and in nearby waters, who needs a fishing license, and more. A link is included to help assure a successful outing with children.

            This donation is an addition to the growing collection of items currently available to patrons within the Mattapoisett Library’s Library of Things. There are items to suit every interest. For those looking to stay busy outside, there are baseballs and mitts (child and adult sizes available), the bocce set, croquet set, metal detector, and Moby science backpacks. For those trying to avoid the heat, there is the instant pot, sewing machine, podcasting kit, meditation kit, and so much more. Visit our website, mattapoisettlibrary.org to see a complete list or call the library, 508-758-4171, with any questions.

Nelson: ORR Tuning into Community, State, Nation

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            As Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson applies the finishing touches to plans for the 2020-21 academic year, he realizes the best-laid plans could turn upside down at a moment’s notice.

            “We’re constantly looking at all the data points in our school community,” said Nelson, who spoke with The Wanderer on Monday morning. “We are constantly unpacking the latest guidance… We understand now that there are many moving pieces, and we have to consider all of them in real-time in order to make the best decisions.

            “Most importantly, the ideology is we know we have to be able to pivot into other learning models.”

            A basic change in the game plan could be dictated by the governor or the Tri-Town school district itself. Superintendents created fully attending, hybrid, and fully remote learning programs in accordance with a state mandate.

            The learning model ORR will open the school year with is the hybrid model that will essentially divide the student body in two to achieve safe social distance in remodeled classrooms and common areas in school buildings. One-half of the student bodies will attend on-campus two days per week, the other students on two other days.

            ORR is calling the days of the academic week “hybrid in” and “hybrid out;” when students are “hybrid out” they will be learning via remote access. That won’t always mean the computer or the Chromebook, but it will be a more intense curriculum than what students experienced in the spring.

            “I don’t anticipate that what we saw this past spring being what we’ll be offering this fall,” said Nelson, referencing a “more robust” learning model affecting both the “hybrid-in days and hybrid-out days” and “more learning opportunities… to our curriculum.”

            Widespread concern in communities over remote learning models, mainly questioning both its effectiveness and its effect on families whose parents work, have spawned grassroots efforts to bridge the gap between curriculum and especially younger children.

            “I was aware not only locally but (statewide and nationally) there is a grassroots movement for learning pods that are community-driven,” said Nelson, who is married with two children, a preschooler, and a rising second-grader. “I understand from the parent perspective how important those years are.”

            Nelson acknowledged that Tri-Town Learning Community reached out shortly after it was formed, but could not respond at the time as he was immersed in the detail work associated with preparing ORR’s three return-to-school models and readying the presentation of his proposed rollout to the school committees.

            Part of that process included numerous Zoom meetings with other superintendents from school districts around the state. From those meetings came several reports of other grassroots efforts to help working parents access remote learning content.

            “I know it’s not unique to the Tri-Town,” said Nelson.

            While he says there simply hasn’t been time to digest the “overall purpose or mission” with a grassroots movement toward home-based learning pods, Nelson said, “I recognize our families and parents and students all have individual needs in our households, but it’s imperative that we maintain social-distancing practices so that our… COVID-19 rates are as low as possible.”

            On August 2, Marion resident Terri Lerman created a Facebook page called Pandemic Learning Pods South Coast (since updated to match the organization’s name, Tri-Town Learning Community/Collaborative) to discuss the challenges parents face in a remote-learning model and invite households in the Old Rochester district to participate in a survey. By the morning of August 10 that number had grown to 419, and the morning of August 11 the survey had 78 respondents.

            By September 1, the Facebook page had 581 members, and going into last weekend there were 24 names in TLC’s educator resource accessible via a live link on Facebook.

            While the need is undeniable based on the initial wave of response alone, the challenge of fundraising and/or sponsorship has been conversely slow to move.

            Tri-Town Learning Community was unavailable for comment for this story.

            Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School in Rochester is also enacting a hybrid opening of school, albeit with classroom-only students on a fully remote plan while vocational students alternate on a two-weeks-in and two-weeks-out rotation.

            Both Old Colony and ORR have truncated the academic year to 170 days, planning to use the 10 days for intensive faculty training before students arrive.

By Mick Colageo

Old Colony Pushes Fall Sports Deep into Winter

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            In a time when there is still so much unknown, Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School Director of Athletics Matt Trahan has made a decision about the school’s 2020 fall sports season. The Cougars will push fall sports back to the MIAA’s Fall II season, which will take place between the winter and spring seasons toward the end of February.

            Trahan informed Old Colony student-athletes and parents with an email on Friday, explaining that between the modified rules, limited attendance for spectators — if fans are allowed at athletic events — and the potential of sports being shut down, playing fall-season sports on their tradition schedule is too great a risk. It was a decision that Trahan came to with Old Colony’s administrative staff.

            “For us, being a vocational school, we can’t get all the kids back in the building. How do you run a sports program full throttle?” Trahan said. “I think my superintendent (Aaron Polansky) probably said it best: You can’t get two students underneath a vehicle working on a transmission. How are we going to play soccer when you see those modifications? At this point, it doesn’t even resemble soccer.”

            Among the state-mandated modifications to soccer, Trahan was alluding to no heading the ball, no body contact, no slide tackling, and no throw-ins.

            “I think our kids deserve more,” Old Colony’s athletic director said. “My plan is to give them everything I can in Fall II, and hopefully things will be cleared up and some of those modifications will disappear.”

            In synch with return-to-school plans across the state, most of the decision-making power has been placed in the hands of individual school districts. That can be beneficial from an educational standpoint, but it does present variables for athletic directors if some schools elect to participate in the regular 2020 fall sports season while others take the same route as Old Colony.

            The athletic directors of member schools in the Mayflower Athletic Conference, which includes Old Colony, have been in communication with one another leading up to the 2020-21 academic year. However, that does not guarantee each school will push fall sports back to February like Old Colony. Westport High School, for example, is still hoping to stick to the regular fall season.

            “The Mayflower Athletic Conference athletic directors are currently collaborating to formulate a comprehensive plan for the transition from our typical fall season to the floating season as permitted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the MIAA,” Trahan included in his announcement about fall sports. “Interscholastic sports seasons will look different in communities throughout the state. Our efforts have been focused on creating consistency within the Mayflower Athletic Conference and among vocational schools of similar size.”

            The decision from Trahan and Old Colony’s administration makes for a continuation of what has been a strange 2020 for everyone. But the odd nature of the sports calendar is not a huge matter when the athletic director’s primary concern is the well-being of his student-athletes.

            “I think we’re going to be better served in Fall II,” Trahan said. “I always kind of go back to the health and well-being of our kids. You have got to be able to provide them with a quality experience. I wouldn’t call what we’re going through right now a quality experience.

            “At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, you’re doing it for the right reasons.’ We’re all trying to take care of kids at this point. Just opening up school, there are huge hurdles to jump through.”

Sports Roundup

By Nick Friar

Water Main Project Causes Traffic Concerns

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            The Town of Marion Department of Public Works has filed a Notice of Intent to furnish and install 7,400 linear feet of one-foot diameter ductile iron water main under Point Road and Delano Road from the intersection of those roads to the Great Hill Tank Transmission Main connection on Delano Road.

            The matter was discussed during the Marion Conservation Commission’s remote access meeting on August 26 at the Music Hall and via Zoom.

            Conservation Commission Chairperson Shawn Walsh said that, prior to the August 26 public hearing, ConCom had fielded a number of calls from concerned residents looking for more detail, as digging up roads can cause traffic delays if not detours.

            Jon Gregory of Tata & Howard, the consulting engineer on hand to present the project, explained that construction is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2021 with a goal of getting all the pipes installed by the 2021-22 winter with a reopening of the ground and finishing the work in 2022.

            Progress on such work typically covers 200 to 300 feet per day, according to Gregory. While the project is in progress, affected roads would be filled with a gravel top during the week and topped off by four inches of pavement going into weekends.

            ConCom member Cynthia Callow asked what the pavement will look like during the winter before the project is finished. Gregory answered that the same four-inch pavement will be atop the gravel surface in the dig areas. A requirement of the project will include returning to repair any problem areas.

            It was noted that an order for repairs at Creek Road is assumed by ConCom to have expired. Gregory, while presenting on behalf of the DPW, could not speak to the Creek Road situation. In keeping with remote access, public hearing policy, the Point/Delano Road case was continued to Wednesday, September 9, at ConCom’s next scheduled meeting.

            Friends of Wings Cove filed an NOI for the removal of phragmites from eight single-family residences adjacent to Wings Cove at 35, 43, 51, 67, 75, 83, 95, and 99 Holly Road. ConCom would like to learn more from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Because the matter was heard for the first time, it was necessarily continued to Wednesday, September 9, at 7:30 pm.

            Likewise, the Island Associates of Marion filed an RDA seeking authorization to remove phragmites from three locations: the Howland property at Point Road, the Island Associates of Marion at Beach Reservation, and the Moore property at Island Court. Jeff Doubrava, who serves on the Conservation Commission, represented Island Associated of Marion and therefore was not to vote on the matter. He explained that the plan is to retreat an area previously treated. After Doubrava’s presentation, the hearing was continued to Wednesday, September 9, at 7:50 pm.

            In an action item addressed at the meeting, Burr Brothers Boatyard is seeking a Certificate of Compliance for work being done at 309 Front Street.

            Walsh told project representative Jeff Oakes that a site visit on the prior Saturday (August 22) indicated that one of the stormwater retention areas (Basin 1) needed some excavation work. “My only concern is it’s really not vegetated,” he said. Oakes had requested a partial Certificate of Compliance and at the time indicated he would come back to Concom seeking a full COC. 

            Callow expressed concerns that what is being planted will “take over” and detract from the overall desired outcome. “I have no concern. It will look fine in three months,” she told Oakes in the meeting.

            Walsh suspects the site will look significantly different in three months so he suggested waiting until the middle of the fall to make that decision. ConCom plans to revisit the site with the intent of issuing the COC if its expectations of recent vegetation efforts are met over the next couple of months.

            Several public hearings were held.

            A Request for Determination of Applicability was filed by MRF Nominee Trust seeking clearance to replace two already-demolished houses on residential property at 498B Point Road with one new house, the installation of a Title 5-compliant septic system, and driveway modifications. The hearing, continued from August 12, focused on less than 10 percent of the project that falls under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. No ConCom members or public questions or comments followed and the hearing was closed. Near the end of the meeting, the subject was readdressed and ConCom voted to issue a negative Determination of Applicability, clearing the way for the project’s completion.

            Ann Severance filed a new Notice of Intent for work at 20 Front Street. The NOI was the result of a necessary amendment to a 2016 Order of Conditions. ConCom conducted a site visit on August 22. Callow called the wetland replication work on the site “excellent.” The hearing was continued to Wednesday, September 9 at 7:10 pm.

            An NOI was filed by Tom Webster for a flood-zone project at 34 Oakdale Avenue, where he plans to demolish an existing cottage and build a new, single-family house with utilities, a driveway, and minor grading. The hearing, continued from August 12, received no further public comment and was closed. Toward the conclusion of the meeting, the case was reviewed, amendments made to lines in the NOI, and ConCom voted to issue an Order of Conditions.

            Brett Bussiere filed an RDA to secure a license to repair the steps and wall of a deck at 9 Main Street. A site visit on August 22 yielded an understanding of the need to update the site, originally built in the 1700s. Construction of the deck had already been approved. The hearing was continued to Wednesday, September 9, at 7:20 pm.

            The ongoing construction case at 120 Front Street, already continued from June 3, 10, and 24, July 8 and 22, and August 12 requested a seventh continuance to Wednesday, September 9, at 7:40 pm. A motion carried.

            The next meeting of Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 pm at the Music Hall and via remote access.

Lois Margaret Fountain

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Lois Margaret Fountain, of Mattapoisett and Wareham, departed this world on August 31, after 86 full and active years with us. Lois was the third of four children born to Reid and Edith Sisson on the family farm in Goodland, MI, on June 13, 1934. Lois was always a woman of her time, herself growing with the changes about our country.

            Lois enjoyed horseback riding and piano, starting both at an early age. She studied through 8th grade at the Shepard School, the local one-room school house about a mile from the farm. Thereafter, she graduated from Imlay City High School, having been active in the school band and drama club, and county 4-H events. In her Senior year, she was both Homecoming Queen, and won the Lapeer County (beauty and talent) Queen contest, and then tied at the district level in the Miss Michigan state-wide competition.

            After high school, Lois attended Carnegie Institute in Detroit, obtaining a medical laboratory technician certification, and then went to work at what is now part of the Henry Ford Medical Group in Detroit. Shortly afterwards, she met her husband-to-be, Clarence Fountain, enjoyed a short courtship, launched into marriage, and moved to the newly constructed Trenton, MI suburbs to start their family. As her husband’s work brought various relocations, Lois picked up their three children and moved the household, eventually landing in Mattapoisett in 1965.

            Once there, Lois promptly became active as a Welcome Wagon representative (all the better learn about the community), joined the Mattapoisett Women’s Club (becoming President in 1971-72), and continued on her interest in bowling (both 10 pin and duck pin). And gardening, gardening, gardening, Bearded Irises being a specialty. As a homemaker, Lois was “June Cleaver” to the T. Virtually every meal was from scratch, and much of her and her daughter’s clothing was direct from her Singer (and later Bernina) machine, the boys being largely blue-jean attired. Coming to the seacoast from Michigan did require some additional cooking experience, however, and Lois learned to boil the water first before putting a live lobster in the pot.

            When an additional hobby was needed, Lois and Clarence started a breeding kennel for AKC Norwegian Elkhounds. In that, Lois was the primary trainer and show handler, taking her favorite puppy up to an AKC National Championship, with CD and CDX ratings, and a Dog World special award.

            Eventually, her three children became adults and emptied from the house, so Lois enrolled at the University of Massachusetts (then SMU) in Dartmouth, MA, and obtained her B.A. in Business Administration in 1985. Instead of going immediately into her next career, after graduation Lois joined the Peace Corps, and served two years in the mountain wilds of Equador. The village she was assigned to had just recently been provided with electricity, so Lois was sent to teach them how to use sewing machines for family and commercial production of clothing. In the process, she quickly became bi-lingual.

            Returning to the States, Lois started working for Sears, and then Walmart, in marketing of home decor products. She received corporate national awards for her annual successes in that regard, including free vacations. At the same time, Lois continued her passions for world travel and horseback riding (the “Fossils over Fences” club, as we called it), far later into life than even her children expected.  Eventually, she did retire from Walmart, and switched over to more “relaxing” sports, sea kayaking and bicycling. She also remained active in community affairs, helping out with the Wareham Bikepath Committee and Wareham public election voting.

            All the while, Lois was an avid and skilled gardener, finding the right plants for every type of soil and weather conditions. In the end, cancer brought her down.  After a long and tedious battle, she could not weed it out, so she left to place herself in a better garden.

            Still here to remember Lois fondly are her children and their spouses, Ryan (and Linda), Gary (and Jenny), and Valri, along with 11 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, and an abundance of nieces and nephews and their families. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no formal memorial service for Lois this year. In the meantime, if you are thinking of Lois, rather than send flowers, perhaps give a donation to Wareham’s Free Library or Land Trust, or plant some of your favorite flowers.

            Arrangements by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Wareham. To leave a message of condolence visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com

Susan Pizzolato Honored

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Susan Pizzolato, retiring librarian from the Mattapoisett Public Library, is honored at a small gathering hosted by the Mattapoisett Library Trust. Her tenure has seen remarkable growth in programs targeting diverse ages, interests, and audiences, as well as the distinction of helping make Mattapoisett into the town with the highest percentage of library cardholders in the system. Photos courtesy Mattapoisett Library

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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With schools getting a great deal of attention in today’s news, it seemed like a good time to look back at some of Rochester’s education history. Not too many years after the incorporation of the town in 1686, Rochester had established a town center that encompassed the same area as it does today. As early as 1704, the selectmen’s thoughts turned to the education of the town’s children and money (two shillings a week plus dyet (sic), washing and lodging) was put forward if a suitable teacher could be found. Over the years the salary rose to 10, then 20 and even 30 pounds with one schoolmaster receiving the use of a horse. The selectmen determined that only those who were “qualified as the law directs” should be hired.

            The first teachers were itinerant and taught a term in each of Rochester’s four or five sections with no official school building. According to Abraham Holmes, in his memoirs, the schoolmasters were generally “tolerable” readers and had clear handwriting. They also knew the basic rules of arithmetic, so the curriculum was truly; “reading, writing and ‘rithmetic.”

            In 1789, Massachusetts passed a law letting towns divide into school districts, and in 1799, Rochester adopted the district format. This led to Rochester having an abundance of one room schoolhouses. The district system was abolished in 1869 and over the decades the small schools were consolidated into larger ones.

            By the mid-1800s, the town center contained the First Congregational Church, the Academy, the Center School, and the Town House. The Center School was built before 1854 and was the District 1 school. All of the district’s younger students were taught there, while older children who chose to continue their education attended the Academy. The Rochester Academy was founded in 1836 by several influential residents; Rev. Jonathan Bigelow, George Bonney, Dr. Theophilus King, and Joseph Haskell.

            The founding and the 1838 building of the Academy brought Rochester education to a new high. The description of the Rochester Academy in its 1854-1855 catalog locates it “in Rochester, Mass, 3 miles from the Marion Station, of the Fairhaven Branch Rail Road, and 10 miles from New Bedford, with which there is a daily stage communication”. It goes on to say, “Rochester is a quiet village, justly noted for its interest in the cause of education, as well as the generous cordiality of its inhabitants. It has no means of dissipation. The student here meets with hearty welcome, and aristocracy has no undue influence; circumstances which should influence those selecting a literary retreat for their sons and daughters”.

            The Academy curriculum included Latin, Greek, French, a thorough knowledge of English branches Algebra, Geometry, Geography, and Science. There was also a weekly requirement for compositions and declamations. As Mary Hall Leonard wrote the Academy showed Rochester to be a town, ” whose people involved themselves in a good degree of high thinking, read books, and kept itself informed of the literary trends of the time”.

            After the Academy closed the building was used as a chapel and a hall for the social needs of the town. Later the upper floors were used for overflow students from the Center School. Today, it belongs to the church that it sits beside.

By Connie Eshbach

Old Rochester Youth Baseball

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Old Rochester Youth Baseball is excited to announce, we have opened registration for 2020 Fall Baseball! Please head to our website, oldrochesteryouthbaseball.org, click on the Registration Tab, and then on the link/arrow for Fall Ball Registration. Deadline to register your player is September 5th, 2020. 

            When registering your child, please consider which division you would like your child to play next year. This will provide the opportunity for the players to become accustomed to the next level up of baseball play in preparation for the 2021 season. If your child will be 12 as of May 1, 2021, they will be in majors, therefore should be registered as such. Also, at least 50 percent of the Majors season will be played at the 50/70 level as a means to prepare for our conversion in 2021.

            The season will run from mid-September (the 12th or 19th) through early November. Games will be played on Saturday’s and Sunday’s only, with doubleheaders for Majors and Minors, and single games for Farm and Tee Ball.

            Registration is open to all residents of the Tri-Town and surrounding communities. 

            To learn more about our league, please visit our Instagram or Facebook pages: Old Rochester Youth Baseball

Communication Key as Town Tackles Next Master Plan

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            The drafting of an updated Master Plan has begun in earnest under the guidance of Mattapoisett’s Planning Board and the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD). Three two-hour sessions of what were described as Discovery Workshops were remotely held. Attendees were asked to share their thoughts, ideas, hopes, opinions, and long-range growth expectations for Mattapoisett.

            It’s been 10 years since Mattapoisett’s last Master Plan was crafted, and now, at the dawn of the updating process, some 30 residents have given voice as to what was on their minds. The first two breakout sessions were held on August 26.

            Grant King, director of Comprehensive Planning and Housing for SRPEDD, hosted the events, along with several members of his team who helped navigate the meetings on the remote-access platform. King framed the topics that would be explored over the two hours that each meeting was held, assuring those in attendance that SRPEDD’s role is merely one of facilitating the work that has to take place at the local level. “Think of us as your assistants,” he said.

            Major topics that were discussed and will ultimately frame the writing of the updated Master Plan are: Land Use; Economic Development; Housing; Climate Change and Resiliency; Open Space and Recreation; Natural and Cultural Resources; Transportation and Circulation; and Services and Facilities. In a nutshell, the topics asked residents to think about how land is currently being used, how its use might change to meet evolving needs over the course of a decade, and how the people living and working in the community move around the township. Other thoughts relating to types of business growth, the population’s diversity or lack thereof, and how municipal services respond to the needs of the town were touched upon.

            King also provided a timeline for the completion of various segments of plan development. By late fall 2020, Land Use, Housing, Economic Development, and Climate Change will have moved from the discovery phases to plan formation. Following this in the spring of 2021, Open Space and Recreation, Natural and Cultural Resources will be the focus. And, last but not least, during the fall of 2021 Transportation and Circulation, as well as Services and Facilities, will draw to a close. He said that the online survey which can be found at mattapoisett.net had 70 completed forms. King encouraged listeners to take the survey and utilize the online mapping tools to communicate their thoughts and ideas directly to his team.

            One group of attendees began its discussion on the topic of Economic Development. Planning Board member Nathan Ketchel said he would like to see an expansion of businesses in the Industrial Drive complex and along Route 6, possibly small commercial enterprises and office space. Discussion ranged from enlivening the village business district with small independent operations, pop-up markets, and the beautification of Route 6 from Main Street east to Old Marion Road.

            The conversation swung to how people currently navigate the heavily traveled Route 6 corridor through the community, the perils that pedestrians and bicycles face when crossing Route 6, and the need for additional and improved sidewalks throughout the community, including North Street, Mattapoisett Neck Road, Brandt Island Road, and Water Street. Several participants commented on motorists’ rate of speed and the number of vehicles now traveling along local roadways. The lack of adequate public-transportation opportunities was noted, especially given the growing needs of a confirmed aging population trend.

            Housing, not just market-value properties, was addressed with the majority of those attending all three sessions agreeing there needs to be more flexibility. King said that presently Mattapoisett is behind in serving a public that might need affordable housing with only two-percent meeting that threshold while the state prefers cities and towns to offer at least 10-percent in this category. An affordable home, King noted, is pegged at $250,000 whereas the average selling price in Mattapoisett is $420,000. “There’s a big gap between sale price and affordable costs.” Ketchel stated. “It takes two professional incomes to afford a home in Mattapoisett.”

            King said that a main driver for different types of land use for housing is a zoning bylaw that could allow a developer to spread the market rate costs across more units. He said Master Plans do change things. “Your last plan called for less density along the Mattapoisett River Valley.” That resulted in zoning changes that increased the size of residential lots.

            Don Fleming spoke, beginning with a rhetorical question, “What is the purpose of the Master Plan?” He went on to say, “Growth is the essential agreement we have to come to… we have to look at multiple housing types.”

            Ketchel also commented that “Mattapoisett could benefit from a local wetlands bylaw,” as he said that nitrogen runoff is the biggest problem for wetland systems, a result of aging septic systems and manicured lawns. He said such local bylaws could increase the protection of wetland buffer zones.

            About midway through the sessions, King emphasized, “We need local champions behind this project, this is going to be handed over to you.” He asked all to engage others in the process that is going to take up to two years to complete. “This is just the beginning.”

            Participants identified themselves as longtime residents who left but are now returning, summer residents who are now making Mattapoisett their year-round home, summer residents with vested interests in the process, and others who have lived in the community for a number of years. In one room, speakers commented that their interest in participating is to have a cohesive plan moving forward or aging-in-place opportunities for seniors.

            Improved communication between town officials and the community came out of the last session held on August 29. Participants said the town hall needs to do a better job communicating with the residents, pointing to Mattapoisett’s website and content, the potential use of the town library to distribute information, and a town report that should provide more meaningful information.

            The town’s coastline and harbor were identified as clearly one of its major assets, along with cultural events such as Harbor Days sponsored by the Lions Club.

            There is a link on the town’s website where access to recorded sessions from August 26 are posted as well as multiple layers of data from SRPEDD including links to maps, population data and the survey. Visit mattapoisett.net.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell