Celebrating Black History in Mattapoisett

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To the Editor,

            Shave and a Haircut: “Two Bits” Celebrating Black History in Mattapoisett – What’s to celebrate? Not a great deal in our town history. But as Mattapoisett resident Jessica DeCicco-Carey makes clear in her 2021 Crow’s Nest article “The Barber of Church Street,” Black man, Abraham Skidmore, created a place here for himself and his wife from 1899 to 1954 and did us proud. Skid, as he was called, was the town’s barber, band organizer, parade marshal, newspaper carriers’ friend and a person ready with a helping hand when the need arose.

            Jessica DeCicco-Carey’s article tells the Skidmores’ story and tells it well. “Skid,” as nearly everyone called him, was born in Oxford, North Carolina in 1878. He had enough schooling and the gumption to leave the Jim Crow South and head north. After a brief period in New Jersey, he moved on to New Bedford where he trained to be a barber. Not long afterward, he read that the barbershop at Mattapoisett’s old Purrington Hall on Water Street was for sale. He packed his belongings into a trunk, took the train to Mattapoisett and purchased the shop. Soon afterward, he opened his “First-Class Tonsorial Parlor” offering “Ladies’ and Children’s Hair Cutting Done In Bangs and All Styles.” The last line of his half-page ad in the 1903-1904 “Resident and Business Directory of Rochester, Wareham, Marion and Mattapoisett” added “Shaving, Shampooing and Men’s Hair Cutting a Specialty. Razors Honed.” 

            According to its Wikipedia history, the universally popular call and response couplet “Shave and a Haircut, Two bits” originated in 1899, the year Skidmore opened his shop where two bits, slang for a quarter, would get you a shave and a haircut. And he kept his rates low. DeCicco-Carey’s article quotes him as saying: “Most barbers charge a dollar, but I could never do that.”

            As time went on, he moved his shop to the Abbe & Griffin Store, next to the Shaw and Barrows Store and then on to its current site on Church Street where Jodi Bauer carries on the business to this day. She treats the premises as an informal working memorial to Skid and to his friend Al Morgado who kept the business going after Skid died. Bauer acquired it from Morgado when he retired.

            Over the course of his career, Skidmore became a town institution. DeCicco-Carey’s account tells the story. He married Anna Calhoun, a servant at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I.in 1903. The Skidmores settled on Pine Island Road. With no children of his own, Skidmore welcomed town kids into his shop where they could hang out until the Standard Times dropped off the day’s edition for them to deliver. And he assumed the role of parade master for the Fourth of July’s annual children’s march through town.

            This Black History Month it would be appropriate if we could add more to the account of this early Black Citizen. Did he own an automobile? Was his shop an informal gathering place for socializing? Could Skid and Anna be seated in the main dining room at the Anchorage by the Sea or at the town’s other restaurants? A heart wrenching fact reported by DeCicco-Carey is that only six people showed up for Skidmore’s funeral after he died at age 76 in 1954. The lack of collective grief at the loss of the town’s marching barber, its singular Black personality, prompts one to ask how seriously the town took Skidmore in his day. While we may never know, it seems appropriate to pay our respects to Abraham and Anna Skidmore during this Black History Month.

David R. Anderson

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.

CIPC Gets Marion’s Ducks in A Row

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            In thanking Paul Naiman and the Capital Improvements Planning Committee, Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail told the February 15 meeting of the Marion Select Board that Naiman’s letter to the board will be a supplement to the warrant for the Spring Town Meeting.

            In a 6:30 pm appointment, Naiman appeared on behalf of the CIPC to discuss its process in prioritizing FY23 capital project and creating a 10-year outlook.

            The CIPC, Naiman explained, still has a couple of its founding members. Select Board Chairman Norm Hills is a founding member, and the newest member is Bill Marvel from Finance Committee. The committee’s purpose is to assist town department heads on developing capital plans to present at the Spring Town Meeting.

            By definition, a capital project in Marion has at least a five-year lifespan and costs at least $10,000.

            In order to facilitate the Select Board’s, town administrator’s and voters’ actions, the CIPC meets with department heads and asks them to prioritize their own capital projects and to answer how each project will be financed and its benefit to the town.

            “Once we have all of the projects (there are over 30 for FY23,) they are scored on seven criteria,” explained Naiman.

            Projects funded by fees and enterprise funds garner the highest number of points, and those financed by debt garner the lowest number of points. Other factors that hold serious sway in CIPC project rankings include state or federal requirements (compliance) and decrees; projects lacking any regulatory requirements get no points, but public safety or health-related projects get points.

            A project will garner points if it upgrades an existing item and makes it more efficient such as replacing a snowplow. If a purchase is new, Naiman and his committee ask, “What’s the payback?” They also ask how a project relates to the Master Plan.

            The CIPC totals up project scores and creates a weighted average and a ranking. The goal is to achieve “an objective list, not a singular point of view,” said Naiman. “Just because a project scores high or low, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be put on the warrant.” Some of the school projects, he said, score lower on the priority list due to criteria failures, but those projects are typically funded.

            For FY23, Marion has 34 capital projects submitted for consideration totaling $8,600,000 in estimated costs, $7,200,000 of those costs related to Department of Public Works projects.

            The CIPC also puts together a compilation of a 10-year plan from each of the department heads as a planning tool. Before CIPC, said Hills, “there was nothing. Stuff would drop out of the air.”

            Sewer and water projects take up much of the 10-year outlook.

            The CIPC will meet in a few weeks for a post-mortem, discuss how the year went and how to improve, said Naiman.

            Waterman called the CIPC “a huge asset to the town. It’s methodical but also the fact they help us lay out a 10-year plan that avoids a chaotic budget process.”

            “If we didn’t have that list, it would put a tremendous amount of pressure on the boss and us to prioritize this list,” said McGrail. “From a management perspective, the final product is extremely helpful to Judy and me. We work backwards off the list.”

            In a 6:15 pm appointment, Harry Norweb and Dr. Ed Hoffer appeared before the board to discuss an action plan for the town to achieve an Age-Friendly Community (AFC) designation with AARP and the World Health Organization.

            Norweb explained that while many of the actions associated with the action plan can already be accomplished by the Council on Aging and volunteers, they cannot distribute the action plan, but the Select Board can. So the Select Board voted to submit the action plan to AARP.

            John Waterman thinks it is premature for Norweb to disband the volunteer working group because lacking a centralized leadership, he suspects the action plan would wane rather than thrive. McGrail suggested forming a workgroup under his watch.

            Hoffer suggested that the mutual interest in creating market-rate housing for the town’s senior population could bring together the action plan volunteers with the Affordable Housing Trust. McGrail noted that the AHT is scheduled to appear at the March 15 Select Board meeting to discuss the board’s scope of activities.

            Hoffer said the action plan also makes Marion eligible for modest AARP-related grants.

            Bob Grillo was introduced as the town’s new building commissioner. Grillo was the assistant building commissioner in Sandwich and a local inspector. He replaces Scott Shippey, who recently went to work for the Town of Foxborough.

            “We need to work with our contractors and homeowners, not against them,” said Grillo, who said he enjoyed success going at the job that way in Sandwich. “Hopefully we can continue on that same track.”

            In his Town Administrator’s Report, McGrail was thrilled to announce that the installation of the lagoon liner is complete, and all that remains are leak-mitigation measures. The town did not have to apply for another extension as the state said it will not hold the January 31 deadline over Marion’s head.

            Under Action Items, the board voted to support the DPW’s request to deficit spend on snow and ice removal. The town has already exceeded its allocated $50,000.

            The rescheduled, public dangerous-dog hearing has been moved forward from April 19 to March 15 at 6:15 pm.

            The Select Board voted to approve the conditions of a sewer connection application at 390 Wareham Road with the following prescribed conditions: an engineered connection plan, two as-built drawings within three months (regular condition,) that the applicant work with other users to build an association and a bond.

            The board approved several reappointments to the Stewards of Community Open Space, and Emil Assing was appointed as a full member of the Conservation Commission. Assing will fill Cynthia Callow’s spot until its June 2022 expiration and will need reappointment at that time.

            A letter from Donna Maxim requesting the placement of a memorial bench at Silvershell Beach was passed over, as Hills and McGrail plan to draft a policy in light of many such requests.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

ORR Shines under ‘Cumbersome’ Audit

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            Comparing district leaders to ducks appearing calm above the surface while furiously moving underneath, Old Rochester Regional School Committee member Frances Kearns recognized the effort that went into the Tiered Focus Monitoring Audit recently completed.

            In the January 26 public meeting of the committee, Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson thanked Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Jannell Pearson-Campbell and Director of Student Services Craig Davidson for their work on what he called “a cumbersome project.”

            ORR was not found to be out of compliance in any of the prescribed areas. Most of the areas were found to be in full compliance, and Nelson said that only partial implementation was evident on some of the forms.

            The second such audit in the past two years, according to Nelson, the Tiered Focus Monitoring Audit is conducted by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and looks at the implementation of English language learners, Special Education and Civil Rights regulations. DESE examines relevant documentation and student records, interviews staff members and solicits parent/guardian feedback.

            Detailing a result that scored ORR’s English language learners’ documentation against 12 criteria, Pearson-Campbell reported DESE considered ORR to have fully implemented eight of the 12 criteria and four more with partial implementation. Pearson-Campbell said the ORR Central Office is working with Early Childhood Coordinator Doreen Lopes to ensure that proper documentation is in place.

            Committee member Margaret McSweeny recognized the importance of making the school’s website accessible to all families regardless of English fluency and applauded the effort as presented by Pearson-Campbell, who would conclude by noting that ORR faces another audit.

            Director of Student Services Craig Davidson reviewed the past year, beginning with the self-assessment phase including two internal reviews before the self-assessment was submitted to the Tiered Focus Monitoring Department. DESE visited ORR for verification.

            Davidson credited administrative assistants Donna Kirk and Debra Threlfall for their preparation work. Summarizing extensive work on Special Education at ORR, Davidson said the DESE found no areas out of compliance.

            Pearson-Campbell thanked her secretary Kim Read and ORR District ELL Specialist Kathy Dranchak.

            ORR Junior High Principal Silas Coellner told the committee that the school will conduct an eight-week test run to see if one consolidated day of advisory time on a weekly basis is more efficient than spending half the time twice a week. Under the new arrangement, a weekly academic goal will be set and emailed from the student to the student, advisor and to the parent/guardian. The idea, said Coellner, is to promote family engagement with the student’s weekly academic plan.

            The junior high, said Coellner, will then plan for anti-racism and anti-bias learning in the advisory portion of the week.

            In other junior high news, Coellner reported that Tech Education teacher Brian Almeida received a grant to obtain robotic kits from Worcester Polytechnical Institute and has them now in his classes. Amanda Tomasso qualified to participate in the Southeast Districts Chorus in March.

            The committee voted unanimously to approve a new implementation of courses at the high school for the 2022-23 academic year.

            The High School Program of Studies approval vote authorized ORR High School Principal Mike Devoll to make what he called “necessary changes in studies.”

            New offerings for 2022-23 include Portuguese II and Thematic 12th Grade English courses, a graduation requirement that will change the traditional curriculum and offer seniors a variety of options including: Multicultural Literature; Monsters, Murder and Madness, Creative English and Media Literacy.

            Devoll said the rebranding of the 12th-grade, college prep English courses will focus more on 21st century literacy and skills needed for post-high school. A member of the ORR staff is seeking certification in Portuguese, he said, and given strong student response, it is likely Portuguese will eventually expand to all four grades.

            ORR School Committee Chair Heather Burke said her vote hinged on Devoll’s outlook to ultimately expand Portuguese to Grades 9-12. Burke also recommended ORR consider codifying course override procedure so parents can understand how to apply for an override.

            Advanced Placement Psychology, Honors Economics and Honors Forensics all have new prerequisites. Advanced Placement Studio Art will now be called AP Art & Design to match with the College Board. Devoll said other course descriptions are being changed to more accurately reflect what transpires in those courses.

            In his report, Devoll said that the high school has been conducting weekly personal finance sessions through Junior Achievement, maintaining the same instructor.

            Nelson told the ORR School Committee that the administration has come to an agreement with the Budget Subcommittee on priorities for the FY23 budget.

            The most-noteworthy inclusion is the possibility of the addition of a director of Guidance position. Nelson based the discussions on work done by the committee and feedback from a contracted consultancy group. He also told the committee about upgrades to the technology in the Science Department.

            State aid information was released to local school districts on January 26, and Nelson said that Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber spent his day examining the allocations. The next step, said Nelson, will be bringing the budget before the ORR School Committee.

            In her Chairperson’s Report, Burke told the committee that contract negotiations and the superintendent’s evaluation, along with policy and budget work, will intensify.

            In his report, Nelson updated the Covid status, telling the committee that the mask requirement has been extended by DESE through February 28. ORR is considering opting into the new testing (at home) program, which would discontinue contact tracing in school and put full reliance on the local boards of health. Nelson sent out a survey to parents, guardians, caretakers and faculty, and said he would decide on the direction of the testing program.

            Nelson said he was also surveying families on the feasibility of a math camp during school vacations.

            Nelson told the committee that the Regional Agreement has been approved. “I think the big piece for us is we’re getting used to the weighted vote,” said Nelson, noting that the ORR District is using its new assessment for the sake of the operating and capital budgets.

            Barber gave the committee an overview of the approximate $20,000,000 operating budget and said ORR has just under $400,000 of unencumbered funds in the budget.

            In Food Services, Barber pointed out that while lunch counts steadily rise, breakfast counts are down even lower than in 2020-21 when ORR was operating on a four-day week based on the hybrid learning model so that students were in the building two days per week instead of five. Barber asked the membership to spread the word that ORR is offering free breakfast throughout the school district.

            During the committee reports, Kearns reported on the January 25 Anti-Racism Subcommittee meeting, which she said will henceforth meet on a bimonthly basis. Kearns said that a name change was discussed and that the committee’s core values would be used to drive the subcommittee’s goals and objectives.

            Student Representative Eddie Gonet told the committee that the Student Council was preparing for Kindness Week, which would precede the February vacation. The Class Olympics, he said, is being postponed to the spring so it can be held outdoors in warm conditions. A Spirit Week was being considered, said Gonet, “because school spirit’s been very low this year, and we need to do something to drive that back up.”

            The senior class is going through with its prom plans, and Senior Superlative Night (i.e. “most likely to …” for the yearbook) will be held on March 9 at 6:30 pm in the ORR auditorium.

            The ORR School Committee will meet twice in March, on March 1 for the public hearing on the FY23 budget and on March 23 for a regular meeting. The committee entered executive session and only returned to public session to adjourn.

ORR School Committee

By Mick Colageo

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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One of the largest items in our museum collection is a spinning wheel from the estate of Charles Holmes loaned to the Historical Society by Oren and Pam Robinson. The spinning wheel was invented around 1400 and was used to spin wool into yarn for knitting. Spinning wheels come in many different sizes and with some different uses. Ours is a large one known as a  “Walking” or “Great” wool wheel.

            A typical walking wheel is about five feet tall. The large wheel turns a much smaller spindle. The spindle goes around multiple times with each turn of the wheel. The yarn is spun at an angle of the spindle tip and is then stored on the spindle. Unfortunately, our wheel lacks its spindle but still is a good example of this type.

            To spin on the walking wheel, the spinner would hold fiber in her left hand and then slowly begin to turn the wheel with her right hand. As the wheel turned, the spinner would walk backwards and draw the fiber away from the spindle at an angle. Slowly, the spindle would fill with yarn. A good day’s work for an active spinner would create about 6 skeins of yarn. It has been estimated that while creating these skeins, the spinner would walk the equivalent of 20 miles back and forth. Hence, the name, “Walking Wheel”.

            An interesting footnote is the origin of the word, spinster. In the dictionary, the first meaning is a woman who spins and the second is an unmarried woman. The reason for the second definition is that in colonial times, the work of spinning wool into yarn was most often done by an unmarried woman over the normal age for marriage with few financial resources. These women would earn their keep with their spinning. Today, both the wheel and the term “spinster” have been pretty much relegated to the past. I want to thank Cathy Phinney for her knowledge and research.

By Connie Eshbach

Marion Natural History Museum

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We will be hosting several programs for adults this winter into spring at the Marion Natural History Museum including Wednesday morning community/senior programs – 10:30 to 11:30

            “Butterfly Man”- March 9 – Joe Dwelly a Yarmouth resident, will be visiting the Marion Natural History Museum to share what he knows about our local species. Mr. Dwelly will give advice about where they can be found and how community members can attract them to their own backyards. For Dwelly, “It’s important to raise awareness about how butterflies contribute to the biodiversity of the area. Butterfly conservation matters because it will improve the local environment,” Dwelly says. “In terms of wildlife, but also the beauty they bring to our shores.” Not only will he teach attendees about particular habitat and migration patterns, Dwelly will also profile plant and butterfly “pairings,” which can run the gamut. And for the southeastern Massachusetts area, that means he will highlight a handful of his favorites, including Monarchs and milkweed, the Spicebush Swallowtail and sassafras, and the Mourning Cloak and hackberry. “We are limited up north because of our particular climate,” Dwelly says. “But by becoming familiar with the exceptional grasslands and plant habitats, we can support a diverse range of unique butterflies.”

            Unique Birds of Marion – March 30 – Justin Barrett of the Nasketucket Bird Club will be discussing our native bird species. We’ll explore some of the most unique and rare birds that call Marion home or use it as a stopover site during migration. Join us to see what makes Marion the perfect place for these birds.

            To Bee or Not to BEE – Creating a pollinator garden for bees – April 6

            There’s a lot of “buzz” about pollinators these days. Protect our pollinators. Save the bees. Avoid “spicy bees.” It’s no question. Pollinators are critical to the life we are familiar with today. What exactly defines a “bee” or any other insect pollinator. How are they different from other animals? Each of these insects have unique requirements, behaviors and seasonality. If we truly want to help bees, we need to think about the biology of bees. What plants should we grow to best suit any dietary restrictions? How should we treat our gardens and yards to provide suitable homes? What habits do we have today that might be negatively impacting their populations (even if inadvertent?)

            Together, we will review the following:

-Biology of what defines a bee (pollinator?)

-Unique challenges bees face

-Gardening tips to helps support our insect pollinators

-Can we modify those trends to accommodate for our native species?

-Is there anything else we can do beyond gardening?

            The above listed programs are free programs but preregistration is required. To register, please go to www.marionmuseum.org and send us an email. Facemasks will be required for museum entrance.

Mask Mandate Rescinded in ORR Schools

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            When students in Old Rochester Regional District schools return from their vacation week on Monday, February 28, they will only be required to wear a facemask in two locations: on the bus and in school offices.

            On the athletic fields, the campus at large, the parking lots and, yes, even in the classrooms, cafeteria and gymnasium, masks will no longer be required after the Joint School Committee/Superintendency Union #55 achieved agreement at the end of a three-hour, emergency public meeting on Tuesday night.

            A union-side vote saw Robin Rounseville as the sole dissenting vote against the February 28 lifting of the mandate. Nichole Daniel, April Nye, Tiffini Reedy, Karin Barrows, Anne Fernandes, Carly Lavin and Chairperson Sharon Hartley all voted in the affirmative.

            The district side provided most of the opposition, as Suzanne Tseki and Joe Pires were alone in their approval the first time the vote was taken. Michelle Smith, Jim Muse, Jason Chisholm, Margaret McSweeny, Mark Monteiro, Frances Kearns and Chairperson Heather Burke all rejected the motion as presented.

            Lengthy discussion ensued including procedural matters, but the motion never changed so it was with a renewed sense of options going forward that a second vote saw Burke and Smith hold back their approval.

            A painstaking debate and vote was not only protracted by passionate disagreement as to the timing of the state’s lifting of the mask mandate following a vacation week, but the process was wrought with confusion.

            The JSC has taken many a vote since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, but none had caused so much pause as this one. Until Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson, given the floor by the respective chairpersons, urged the sides to find common ground, there was a realistic chance that the union side would rescind the preexisting masking policy as permitted by the state and that the region side would not.

            Attempts to amend the existing policy to be rescinded at a later date such as March 14, presumably for the purposes of bearing out a lack of spike in positive cases coming back from the traditional, week-long winter vacation were abandoned for the sake of progress.

            The other concern shared by several hesitant members was ensuring that a mechanism is in place should there be a spike in cases, be it immediately out of the February vacation or at any time in the future.

            As of Tuesday night, the ORR School District is without a masking policy beyond February 28.

            Nelson made sure to emphasize an ongoing diligence on his part to continue absorbing and posting data, meeting with local health officials on a regular basis and being on the ready should the trend reverse.

            While Nye, Reedy, Barrows and Pires were among those committee members arguing that the data supplied by the state all through the pandemic has been followed so why ignore it now that the data suggests it is time to stop requiring facemasks, other members such as Burke and Jim Muse insisted there is more to the decision.

            Beyond concerns over the timing juxtaposed on the heels of a school vacation week, Burke said that families that might reconsider vaccinations have no time to respond to the lifting of the mandate while Muse said the only data point offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had been an 80-percent vaccination rate that ORR Schools do not have.

            Nelson offered the committee a breakdown of vaccination rates among staff and students in ORR Schools. When pooled together, the building vaccination rates are as follows: Center School 40 percent, Old Hammondtown 62 percent, Rochester Memorial 40 percent, Sippican 47 percent, ORR Junior High 64 percent and the high school at 75 percent.

            Covid-19 positives at district schools are at an all-time low with only four active cases, including two at the junior high and one each at RMS and the high school.

            ORR Director of Student Services Craig Davidson shared the results of a survey indicating that the overwhelming majority of the parents/guardians of students in all six district schools wished for the mandate to be lifted. Staff preferences were closer to a balance, but the majority in all six schools was in favor of lifting the mandate.

            Nearly every member of the public who sought to speak in the open-forum portion of the meeting said it is time to take the masks off. Some went beyond that, referencing expert opinions and personal observations that masking especially on small children is actually detrimental toward their health.

            Others focused on the masks themselves and insist that only the N95 mask functions as intended, and that model is largely unavailable in the schools.

            On the other side of the ledger, there were those who hoped that ORR would delay the lifting of the mandate closer to when children will be spending the majority of their playtime outdoors.

            Once the union and region sides finally agreed with the region’s vote to rescind the policy at 9:55 pm, Muse said, “The policy requires a lot of care, and I’m sure that the superintendent will continue to advise us …” He noted ongoing attention to case counts and Nelson’s Covid-19 dashboard. “If there is an uptick, we should consider calling a special meeting if necessary to propose a policy change. Hopefully we don’t have to because of the fears that I have or anyone else has wouldn’t come to fruition.”

            Before adjournment, Nelson strove to maintain the committee’s confidence in his due diligence. “To me, this was not about to mask or not to mask but being flexible for others’ decisions,” he said. “I will not hesitate to call on this school committee if I have any doubt.”

            The next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, April 28, at 6:30 pm.

Joint School Committee/Superintendency Union #55

By Mick Colageo

Town Targets New Building Inspector

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            The Mattapoisett Select Board met with David Riquinha, the current candidate for the position of director of Inspectional Services, on Tuesday night. Previously, several candidates were vetted with the Select Board offering the job to Acushnet Building Commissioner James Marot last November, but Marot subsequently declined. The position was reposted with two candidates coming forward. While Riquinha was the sole candidate remaining as of February 15, he was also the candidate most highly regarded by the board members.

            Riquinha currently works for the Town of Wareham and said that he has been in the construction industry since he was a high school student, including ownership of his own business at that early age. After a tour of duty in the Marines, Riquinha returned home, picking up where he left off as an independent businessman.

            In 2011, he joined the City of Brookline’s building inspection department, quickly rising through the ranks to become a commissioner in the first year, a feat he was obviously proud to share. When asked why he wanted to come to Mattapoisett, he stated, “I’m looking for a place to retire.” Riquinha said that he plans to work at least another 20 years in the field but could not see himself doing so in his current position.

            When quizzed on a wide-ranging number of points, Riquinha said that he is very familiar with the G.I.S. system used in Mattapoisett as well as various types of electronic permitting platforms and said he has created several permitting platforms himself. He was asked how he would get people on board with the use of such systems. While noting some people would resist, once acclimated to them, usually things go smoothly, he said.

            Riquinha confirmed his depth of knowledge with respect to FEMA regulations and his ability to work closely and cooperatively with other town departments.

            On the issue of human resource-related matters, Riquinha said that he always tries to work things out with an employee when things aren’t right, to get them on board with doing their job, handling their responsibilities so others would not have to carry the burden, but failing that, “I’d go through the process and write them up.”

            Public relations were also touched upon with Riquinha saying, if someone was disgruntled by a decision he made, he tried to educate them as to why it was made and generally that works to solve the impasse. “Give them everything you can … they usually understand,” he said.

            Board member Jodi Bauer asked how he felt about working with students on town projects. It was noted that Riquinha is a graduate of Greater New Bedford Vocational-Technical High School. He said, “That would be great … no better way to get into the field than getting out into it.”

            Later in the meeting, the board members unanimously agreed to have Town Administrator Mike Lorenco reach out to Riquinha with an offer. Bauer said, “He’s everything we need.” Board member Tyler Macallister said he has known the candidate for a number of years, saying, “I think he is perfect for the job.” Board Chairman Jordan Collyer said, “I did my homework – he comes highly recommended.”

            The board then spent the majority of the meeting in a working session with Fire Chief Andrew Murray and Harbormaster Jamie McIntosh, discussing FY23 operating budgets and capital plans.

            Murray explained that things were going well at the new station but that there were a few bugs being worked out. The FY23 operating budget shows an 8.39 percent overall increase from a FY22 figure of $753,015 to $816,214. Wages account for some of that increase with a full-time clerical-staff position up by $8,920 and on-call firefighters up $26,112. Lorenco explained that the clerical position had not been correctly accounted for in the past.

            Murray explained that the Fire Department had in past years only had a few on-call personnel show up but that now the average is 10 trained members of the department arriving for duty, accounting for the increase in that line item. Macallister said, “This what we wanted, to get you the help you need.” Murray said there are 35 on-call firefighters, two full-time staff firefighters and one part-time staff firefighter.

            The Fire Department’s capital expense list contains a singular line item: $50,000 for a new support vehicle. Murray restated his previously expressed rationale for a new SUV for the department as necessary not only for local matters but also for transporting trainees to the fire academy.

            Bauer wondered aloud why the Fire Department trainees are receiving transportation when other departments with staff members requiring training are using their own vehicles. Murry explained that equipment used in training is dirty and possibly contaminated. He further emphasized, “Most fire departments have three or four support vehicles. In 20 years, we’ve never asked for a support vehicle.”

            McIntosh came before the board with a capital expense plan listing $941,382 of need for the Waterfront Enterprise Fund.

            Long Wharf repair estimate stands at an initial sum of $794,947 in FY23 with additional financing through FY28 in the amount of $537,500, annually paid via debt exclusion. The Harbor Management Plan, which both McIntosh and the Marine Advisory Board believe is a necessary document in planning and grant applications for the coming decade, is listed at $30,000. And $18,456 is listed for the Patrol Boat debt service, a sum repeated annually through FY28.

            McIntosh said a plan for $70,000 worth of new docks and floats would be paid for from the Enterprise Fund and recouped over 10 years.

            Regarding seasonal wages, MacIntosh said that an additional $7,000 would be needed to secure qualified help and that boat-fuel increases warrant an increase of $4,000 in that line item. The FY23 budget is planned to increase 5.21 percent, totaling $332,958 for that period. FY22 will stand at $316,458.

            In other business, the board denied a request to accept a paper road, Naushon Street, for town services. Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer noted that there are only two abutters to the roadway, and approval might open the way for more requests heretofore not found to be acceptable.

            The board voted to approve deficit spending for road salt if needed before the season ends. Bauer said that salt prices are now $67 per ton, an increase of 40 percent over last winter.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

New Exhibit at the Marion Art Center

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The Marion Art Center is pleased to present its newest exhibit, Exploring Native American Culture: Art, Craft, and Inspiration, with works by Max Brown-Garcia, Makerjake and Vincent Mancini. The exhibit showcases three unique experiences of Native American culture. Brown-Garcia’s craftwork, including an eagle feather bustle, staff and regalia, offers a glimpse into his firsthand Native male perspective. Makerjake (a pseudonym for artist/educator Jacob Ginga,) descended from a large Native American family filled with indigenous craftspeople, finds himself “occupying the cultural space between his Indigenous ancestors and his traditional middle-class upbringing.” His paintings, prints, and drawings, which he sees as studies in visual culture, are also vehicles to explore the “emotionally complicated space” in which he exists. Lastly, Mancini, who is not Native, creates works inspired by Native American culture and spirituality through a process called feather lineation. The process involves delineating an image by arranging segments of cut feathers in a geometric pattern. Mancini is “particularly interested in challenging perceptions, stereotypes and expectations of Native American culture.” Mancini, along with New Bedford resident, artist and curator Jess Bregoli, were integral to bringing these artists and their works to the MAC.

            The exhibit runs February 18 through March 25, with a reception scheduled on Friday, February 25 from 5:00-7:00pm at the Marion Art Center. Guests should check the MAC website for updates on in-person events, which are subject to change during local surges of COVID cases. All visitors must wear a mask while inside the Marion Art Center. Current gallery hours are Thurs-Sat 10am-2pm or other times during office hours (Tue-Fri, 10am-5pm) by calling ahead. Visit marionartcenter.org/-on-exhibit to learn more.

School Budget Still A ‘Mystery’

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            The Marion Finance Committee met jointly with the Select Board on February 2 to hear Finance Director Judy Mooney and Town Administrator Jay McGrail make a preliminary presentation of the FY23 budget.

            McGrail thanked Mooney for her hard work and said that without her he could not have produced the budget proposal. “I can tell you from where we are today, a ton of work had been done,” he said.

            In December, explained McGrail, department heads were asked to submit level-service budgets with additional requests made separately. “Some of the cuts that Judy and I had to propose to the department heads to get tonight’s budget where it is were really hard to swallow,” said McGrail. “I really appreciate they saw the bigger picture as they always do and helped us get to where we need to be (as of February 2.”)

            McGrail told the Finance Committee and Select Board that as of the February 2 joint meeting, Marion was still facing a $100,000 budget deficit. He said that the Covid pandemic is still causing stress in the town’s budget from sick employees to replacement staffing costs and supply issues and new practices leveraged by safety standards.

            Financial impacts were made in the fall by the boil order of late October and the severe Nor’easter. McGrail said that the water event has changed the town’s capital planning, probably “forever.”

            If there is an upside to Marion’s outlook, it is an unprecedented $3,700,000 in the town’s free cash account. The result is a rare opportunity to lower debt and fund projects that otherwise never would have reached the construction stage, and Marion’s AAA bond rating will remain intact.

            Capital Planning, town officials hope, will see $1,000,000 of that money in FY23; $300,000 is earmarked for the operating budget and $220,000 for the Sewer Enterprise Fund, as Marion continues to face the ramifications of the nearly completed $10,000,000 lagoon project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The town is also committed to funding OPEB with free cash but has yet to determine at what amount.

            Marion’s major municipal construction projects will also benefit: $1,500,000 in free cash to lower its borrowing toward the new $4,500,000 Department of Public Works headquarters. The remaining $3,000,000 will be on the warrant for Town Meeting.

            In line for $2,000,000 of state-level support from the Seaport Economic Council toward the new Maritime Center (also on the warrant,) will request appropriation of up to $700,000 from the town’s Waterways Account as the matching funds for the grant.

            The $300,000-$350,000 balance will be in an article asking voters to support partially offset property-tax increases on a one-time basis. The excess levy capacity would lower the average Marion home’s taxes by $70-$90 in FY23.

            The FY23 budget is expected to increase by 3.5 percent. McGrail told the joint meeting of the Finance Committee and Select Board that Marion’s average budget increase is 3.34 percent.

            Thanks to state-level, police-reform measures, Marion would incur more police overtime and is proposing mitigation of those effects by proposing the addition of the new, full-time police officer and an increase in hours for the department’s administrative assistant.

            “The problem with all police departments is that the Police Reform Bill eliminated the reserve-officer component, where a lot of small towns got their weekend and night work. They basically have to go through the regular academy if they’re young enough or they have to get out,” said Finance Committee member Peter Winters. “I think that time has passed so it’s pretty much going to be the regular, professional officers that are going to be staffing all police details, all shifts for all of Massachusetts.”

            Winters recommended offline discussion with Chief Richard Nighelli to discuss recruitment.

            Two outside drivers raising Marion’s FY23 budget are a $65,000 preliminary-estimated increase (21 percent) in the assessment from Upper Cape Tech where four Marion students attend and a $102,528 increase (nearly 8 percent) in the annual pension assessment from Plymouth County.

            Internally, Marion has incurred increased costs in Public Works, which manages the Benson Brook Transfer Station and the curbside collection program. After leaving the Carver, Marion, Wareham (CMW) refuse district effective January 2021, Marion began using town employees to operate Benson Brook.

            According to McGrail, the town broke even over FY21 and is tracking toward at least that successful a result through FY22, but curbside collection costs have grown by approximately $50,000 due to an unforeseen increase in usage necessitating an amendment to the contract with the waste-management company.

            McGrail told the Finance Committee that two capital projects, the Creek Road Pump Station and Front Street Force-Main, are being pulled from Town Meeting. In lieu of budget requests, the projects are hoping to use ARPA funding and grant opportunities. Should those pathways fail, McGrail said the projects will come back before the Finance Committee.

            The Recreation Department, affected by the DPW overhaul, was budgeted in FY22 for $158,000. With only a part-time director (Scott Tavares,) the FY23 budget proposal is for $134,000. Lifeguards will be paid more competitively.

            Included in the financial package given to the committee was the results of the Capital Improvement Planning Committee.

            In an effort to run a more-efficient Town Meeting, non-debt CIPC articles will be consolidated into one vote to recommend (or not) by FinCom, while debt-related articles such as the proposed DPW and Harbormaster facilities will be voted separately. McGrail stipulated that all articles will be up for discussion. The CIPC report will be attached as a supplement to the warrant.

            Mooney followed McGrail’s presentation, laying out the basics of the annual budget. Total General Fund revenues of $26,082,850 are projected for FY23. General Fund debt for FY23 is $744,000. The FY23 proposed budget figure is $26,189,671. Given the fact Massachusetts will have a new governor in FY23, Mooney said it is difficult to project state aid.

            After Mooney went through the Old Rochester Regional School District aspect of the budget, Finance Committee Chairman Shay Assad said he intends to meet with Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber to find out “precisely” how the budget process works.

            “I think I understand it now, but I’m going to sit down with him again. The reality is our enrollment is such that we get an equal vote in the baseline, and that kind of drives part of this calculation,” said Assad. “I’ll put together a paper so that you can all understand it – A, B, C, D, E. Very simply, this is how it works, and this is why the Marion assessment is what it is.”

            Two years ago, the Marion Finance Committee was frustrated with what its inability to decipher the process, but since ORR Superintendent Mike Nelson was hired and brought in Barber, the Finance Committee has been much more hopeful that regular communication will reveal the inner workings of the school budget. Even so, it has taken Marion’s leadership to get to this point on the road to making the process discernible to the membership.

            “Right now several people feel – and I agree with them – that it’s a little bit of a mystery, and we’ve got to take the mystery out of it so that we all understand it perfectly,” said Assad.

            “I’d love to go with you, Shay,” said Mooney. Assad welcomed the idea.

            Select Board member John Waterman said the Marion pays more per student that Mattapoisett and Rochester due to higher assessed value of the town’s real estate.

            FinCom member Bill Marvel presided over a summary of the CIPC’s prioritized list of capital requests.

            Assad said that “there’s something wrong” is the Finance Committee is looking at capital projects in a substantially less-detailed manner than what is done at the department and CIPC levels.

            Winters asked for information on CARES Act, ARPA and Chapter 90 money.

            The Finance Committee was to meet with the Police and Fire departments on Wednesday and follow up with the Harbormaster, Recreation and Taber Library on February 16, ORR on March 2, and finally DPW on March 9.

Marion Finance Committee/Select Board

By Mick Colageo

Mattapoisett Museum

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February 16, 6:30 pm – via Zoom with Helen Frink, author of Oil, Ice & Bone: Arctic Whaler Nathanial Ransom. In 1860, fourteen-year-old Nathaniel Ransom followed his five older brothers into the dank foc’sle of a whaling vessel. For fifteen years he hunted seventy-ton bowheads in Arctic waters, for the many uses of “bone” blades of flexible baleen from the leviathan’s enormous jaw, raised its value, even as petroleum replaced whale oil as a source of lighting. In 1871, Ransom survived the loss of thirty-two whaling vessels in the frigid waters off Alaska’s Icy Cape. With him, he carried a journal – and kept it, as he and his shipmates jettisoned weapons and warm clothing to save their very lives. His eyewitness account of whaling’s brutal slaughter and sudden losses is enriched by the author’s affection for an ancestor she discovered through his journals a century after his death.

            Helen Frink is the author of two town histories: These Acworth Hills (1989) and Alstead Through the Years (1992.) Her book, Women after Communism; the East German Experience (University Press of America, 2001) examines the effects on women of the transition from socialism to capitalism. After three decades teaching French, German, Women’s Studies and Holocaust Studies, she retired from Keene State College as Professor Emerita of Modern Languages. Her exploration of family history brought her to the journals of great-grandfather Nathaniel Ransom. She delights in using original letters, newspapers, journals and documents to bring to life social and material history centered in New England. She lives too far from the sea in Acworth, New Hampshire. Registration for this event can be completed online at www.mattapoisettmuseum.org/events

            February 18, 6:00 pm – Southcoast Lessons presents Open Mic Night – The mic is yours! All ages and all genres welcome – sing a song, play an instrument, read your favorite poem, tell a story and enjoy what your community has to offer. FREE

February 27, 1:00 pm – Southcoast Lessons presents Old Time Fiddle Session – Join us for a gathering of traditional string band musicians and music lovers. Bring an instrument if you play, a seat if you’ve got one you love and yourself whether you play and own seating or not!

            March 4, 6:00 pm – Southcoast Lessons presents New Sounds of Silents: silent films set to live music – Come on out for comedy, documentary and early special effects movies set to both improvised and newly composed pieces brought to you by Southcoast Lessons staff, students and guests. Free. Space is limited, registration encouraged, doors open at 6.

            All events are free, but donations are always appreciated. Thank you for your continued generosity.

            Contact Mattapoisett Museum at  info@mattapoisettmuseum.org  or Jeff Angeley at southcoastlessons@gmail.com for more information.