Christmas Swim Gallops on

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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

Christmas Tree Disposal

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The Town of Marion will offer curbside Christmas tree collection during the week of January 10 through January 14. All trees must be curbside by 7:00 am on the day of your regular rubbish collection. Please ensure rubbish containers are not blocked by leaving no less than 5 feet of clearance on each side. Marion residents can also dispose of their trees at the drop-off site located at the end of Benson Brook Road on January 8th between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm. Trees in plastic bags or with ornaments will not be accepted.  If you have any questions, please call the Marion DPW Office at 508-748-3540.

Charles M. “Chuck” Johnson, Jr.

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Charles M. “Chuck” Johnson, Jr., 52, passed away suddenly on December 27, 2021.

Chuck was an avid Jeeper, photographer, and the king of creating “Rube Goldberg” type tools from random items.

He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. 

Due to COVID, a “celebration of life” will be postponed until the summer of 2022. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Chuck’s name. 

For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com

Gladys M. (Rathfelder) Hartley

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Gladys M. (Rathfelder) Hartley, 100, died peacefully, Friday, December 24, 2021 at All American Assisted Living in Wareham, surrounded by her family.

            Gladys, a resident of Rochester was born in Philadelphia on December 23, 1921 and raised in Drexel Hill, PA.  She was the widow of J. Frazer Hartley who died in 1986.  She is survived by her sons: James of Cape Canaveral, FL, Jonathan of Wareham and Joel of Marion; her daughters: Heidi Maitland of Kingston, Lori Wilson of Corvallis, OR and Sharon Sylvia of Rochester.  Also survived by 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.  She was predeceased by one great grandchild.

            A graduate of Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania, she spent the war years working for NASP in Philadelphia and was a member of the Buck Ridge Ski Group, and the Outing Club of the YMCA.  She spent a summer leading a bike group leaving from Massachusetts, riding around Gaspe, Canada via Montreal and Quebec.

            Gladys and Frazer were wed in Pennsylvania in 1947.  They travelled all over the USA, camping in National Parks with family.  Gladys later travelled to many foreign countries with Frazer.  She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Rochester, and for over 50 years a member of Long Plain Baptist Church in Acushnet.

            Her funeral service will be held on Friday, Dec, 31, 2021 at First Congregational Church, 11 Constitution Way, Rochester at 10 AM.  Relatives and friends invited.  Interment will follow in Sherman Cemetery, Rochester.   Visiting hours have been omitted.

            Donations in her memory may be made to Friends of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, P.O. Box 1336, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.  Arrangements by Chapman Funerals & Cremations – Wareham.  To leave a message of condolence visit: www.chapmanfuneral.com

MOSAC Doubling Clearing Effort

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            In order to tweak the Point Road Path cleanup plan toward greater efficiency and productivity, Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission Chairman John Rockwell called a special public meeting on Tuesday to gain approval to double the commission’s expert workforce.

            Overhanging branches hung up in the trees and power lines in the half-mile-long upland section of Point Road between Joanne Drive and Jenna Drive are on one hand dangerous and on the other in need of a heavy industry approach.

            To that end, Dave Jenney, who has been contracted in the past by MOSAC, recommended that Rochester-based David Grime Tree Service inspect and evaluate at the project.

            Motivated to contract someone local for a quicker setup time, Rockwell reported to the commission that Grime and Jenney agree that it is cheaper to grind an 8-inch pine in a chipper than to set it aside of the path and have to make a separate pass to collect and dispose of those pieces.

            “Dave (Jenney,) not only did he cut the wood up, the branches that fell in the woods he cut up so it wouldn’t look unsightly,” said Rockwell, who proposed both Jenney and Grimes are out there at the same time to give MOSAC a day’s work.

            An experienced woodcutter, Rockwell admittedly lacks experience working at a necessary level of efficiency, so he called Marion Select Board member Randy Parker who said they are right to put them together, one on the brush hog and one in the tree cutter. “Absolutely faster,” was Rockwell’s takeaway from the conversation with Parker.

            Noting that Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail suggested signing contracts to protect the commission, Rockwell said, “I don’t believe we need protection from these guys, but it’s standard procedure.”

            The contracts call for $950 for Jenney (his regular per-day rate) and $1,000 for Grimes. They will presumably work together, and Rockwell will base the longer-range plan on what they accomplish as a team on the one day.

            “You get the benefits of having a big outfit in there with these two independent contractors out there,” said Rockwell.

            MOSAC member Amanda Chace agreed with the tandem concept, especially since the commission has already established a strong working relationship with Jenney. “It went well so that gives me confidence as well,” she said.

            “By putting in the number of wooden stakes and specifying what needs to be done in that area, I think you did it,” said MOSAC member Deb Ewing, approving of the contract language.

            Rockwell said there should be 60 stakes in the designated stretch, so the commission needs to put more stakes out. Right now, he said there are 26 stakes in place, but their locations will be reviewed in order to potentially avoid taking down more trees. Pending weather, Rockwell is hoping to do some fieldwork next week.

            MOSAC members voted to approve the contract language. Once Rockwell obtains the contractors’ insurance certificates, he can give them the go-ahead.

            In other business, MOSAC reviewed its meeting dates for 2022 and voted to maintain its monthly schedule of meeting on every first Thursday. MOSAC’s first meeting of 2022 is therefore scheduled to be held on January 6 at 7:00 pm.

Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission

By Mick Colageo

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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Reading through some of the old memoirs that tell of Rochester customs and events, there is no mention of Christmas. Abraham Holmes writes about some holidays, the 4th of July and Thanksgiving but not about any Yuletide festivities. L.C. Humphrey also makes no mention of Christmas in his letter. Browsing through some of the Rochester Journals, a project conducted by Lucy Loomis when she was town librarian, I found an excerpt from the memoirs of J. Augustus Johnson (who was born in 1836 and spent his early years in Rochester) that may offer an explanation. He writes that ” There were no Christmas trees or gifts at Christmas, except simple things that Santa Claus put in our suspended stockings overnight. The Christmas as observed by our Episcopal friends was held to be too great a concession to the usages of the Roman Catholic Church for a Congregational town.”

            Certainly, as the years passed, the adherence to their Puritan ancestors’ view of the Christmas holidays faded, but there is still not a lot of references to how the holiday was celebrated in the 30’s and 40’s. Eunice Jenkins remembered one Christmas when her mother was in the hospital for the birth of a new brother. The Women’s Club brought a basket of groceries which included paint sets for all the children.

            It does seem that public Christmas festivities centered around the Church and school with Christmas one of the few holidays from school. The Rochester Men’s Brotherhood, begun in 1954, was involved in decorating the green in front of the First Congregational Church. Over the years they put up many outdoor displays and decorations, most of which were the creations of Hoyle Demoranville, a teacher of carpentry at New Bedford Vocational School. One popular piece was the Christmas train.

            Unfortunately, in 1975, shortly before the Brotherhood disbanded, the Christmas displays were severely vandalized along with damages at Town Hall and several other buildings in the center. Indeed, the season did not always bring out the best in some people. The previous December a blue spruce that had been donated by Alan Hartley and planted beside the watering trough was cut down and taken away, most probably to become the thief’s Christmas tree. Fortunately, it’s unlikely that such a fate would befall our current town Christmas tree which is taller and much closer to Town Hall.

By Connie Eshbach

New Telecommunication Tower Proposed

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On December 14, the Rochester Planning Board held an informal discussion with general counselor Shayna Galinat of Industrial Communications Inc. regarding a new telecommunication tower on property located at 0 High Street.

            Galinat outlined the project, saying tree removal would be limited to just those trees in close proximity to the tower’s envelope and that the monopole will be mounted to an 80-foot square space inside a 100-foot square envelope. Galinat also said that the project will go through the Zoning Board of Appeals process for a special permit as the plans call for a 100-foot setback versus the required 200-foot setback.

            There was some discussion regarding the proposal’s demonstration of need for a new tower with Chairman Arnold Johnson noting, “Your narrative doesn’t say that.” Johnson advised Galinat that a $3,000 peer-review fee is required and that Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program needs to weigh in on the project.

            Galinat said that after the ZBA hearing scheduled for January 13, further steps would be taken.

            Also coming before the Planning Board informally were property owner John Weaver, Lots 2A Robinson Road, and contractor Benjie Borra of CSG Developers LLC for a proposed solar array of less than 200kw.

            Weaver said the project would include underground electrical systems and planting to screen the array from a designated scenic roadway. There was some discussion as to the necessity of the solar array being 300 feet from the roadway versus the proposed 200 feet, a matter Johnson said would be reviewed with Town Counsel. No date was set for further review.

            Another utility-related project that has been wending its way through various board meetings is that proposed by Renewable Energy and planned for 109 Neck Road. The project details include a dual-use aspect, solar generation and agricultural along an existing cranberry bog.

            Representing the client was Stacey Minihane of Beals and Thomas. Minihane said that since the last meeting with the board, planting plans for screening purposes have been beefed up but that fencing alternatives are also in play. After some discourse, the board made it clear that chain-link fencing with privacy strips is out of the question and that stockade fencing would be the preferred material.

            Henry Ouimet of Renewable Energy said that a five-utility-pole configuration previously proposed at the entranceway to the array, a design that had not sat well with abutters or the board, was revised to be only three poles. The hearing was continued to January 11, 2022.

            William Milka, 241 New Bedford Road, requested a Form A, Approval Not Required that would allow him to reconfigure three lots, adding footage to the lot where his residence is located. This, he said, would grant him more flexibility in the future to access agricultural acreage behind the home. Presently, the only access to a cranberry bog Milka owns is by way of the house lot. The request was approved.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, 2022 at 7:00 pm.

Rochester Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

Machacam Club Meeting

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The next meeting of the Machacam Club is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3. 

We will not be meeting in January.  We wish a happy, healthy and fruitful Holiday Season to all Club members and to all in our wider community.

Broken Bones under Brilliant Colors

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The eastern harlequin duck is one of the most brilliantly decorated creatures you will ever see as a bird watcher in both graphic design and flaming color put together in a high profile for the rugged and dramatic coastline it calls home.

            At this time of year, when we pass through the seasonal winter equinox, it may come into passing review for you along the Atlantic migratory flyway past remote peninsular outcroppings southward from Newfoundland and Maine past Buzzards Bay in a clearly traced seasonal coastal route all the way around New York and New Jersey, following rivers inland and reaching comfortable inland-country, isolated destinations.

            The harlequin duck, like the wood duck, is an exotic example of how Mother Nature paints the males of almost every bird species with brighter, more visible, color-phase identification than the females, as in my illustration. While the female is cloaked in a monotone, dull, camouflaged, earthly brown to secretly and invisibly nest out of sight to predators, the male on the other hand is a high-profile attention getter of masculine macho seeking attraction, not unlike the crowing barnyard rooster or the drumming partridge, beating its chest to announce the dawn of a new day.

            Together, the male and female first breed at two years of age, now pairing up as winter approaches. Several males may court one female, surrounding her on the water with raised tails, stretched necks and ritualized head-bobbing movements. When she nests, the site is usually on the ground very close to the water.

            Like the wood duck or the freshwater merganser, from the moment her chicks break the eggshells to hatch out, they are already preprogrammed to quickly depart the nest by jumping out with flapping wings and rapid strides to reach the watery habitat.

            Just as loons let their young ride on their backs as an early convenience of widespread movement, it would not surprise me if harlequin hens are glad to give buoyant, protective transportation in rough waves of turbulent rocky coastlines and whitewater rivers that are rough on their bodies. Many harlequin ducks endure broken bones from a precarious lifetime being tossed around by pounding waves and rough water of their preferred, stormy aquatic habitat.

            The harlequin duck may ultimately prove to be the next living example of Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest in a challenging environment of abusive, stormy conditions, if somehow able to survive the floodgate of presently changing conditions of global climate from man-made, atmospheric pollution clouding the cyclical planetary revolutions of seasons on earth either permanently or posing an undetermined future for wildlife as well as the human species of modern mankind.

By George B. Emmons

Committee Celebrates Successes, Reflects on Hazing

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            The Old Rochester Regional School Committee opened its December 8 meeting by recognizing high achievers, mostly in sports and concluded its meeting by addressing the much weightier topic of hazing in the wake of an out-of-season, unsupervised incident with serious ramifications for the boys ice-hockey season.

            ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson began by announcing that Amaya McLeod is the recipient of the 2021-22 Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) Award of Academic Excellence. Ranked second in her class with a 4.5 GPA, McLeod is, according to Nelson, “a true intellectual with a thirst for knowledge … simply put, she is top notch.”

            The ORR girls volleyball team was honored for its achievement of capturing the first-ever state championship in girls volleyball in school history.

            “Coming off a year without fans (attending games) and with all sorts of restrictions, we needed this, so thank you!” said ORR Principal Mike Devoll to the students who have risen to the extraordinary challenges of 2020 and 2021, including in sports.

            Devoll named the entire varsity roster, beginning with junior varsity freshman call-ups Caroline Brogioli and Cami Van Ness and worked his way through the entire lineup: senior captains Maggie Brogioli, Sally Butler and Kenna Soucy, seniors Emma Thorell, Tavish Nunes and Sydnee Pires, juniors Ella Soutter, Emma Van Ness, Emma Peterson, Failenn Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Sisson and Reagan Rock, sophomore Kamryn Rodrigues, and freshmen Molly Sisson and Aubrie Letourneau.

            Coach Jimmy Oliveira, who was assisted by Ryan Grace and Allyson Collette, appeared on the ORR School Committee Zoom meeting to offer his thanks for the support that the team received all along the way to its historic championship.

            All Fall 2021 ORR teams made the state tournament and won at least one postseason match, advancing to deeper rounds.

            There were individual achievements celebrated during the meeting, as four ORR student-athletes were voted league Most Valuable Player awards in their respective sports by South Coast Conference coaches: Maggie Brogioli in girls volleyball, Maggie Nailor in field hockey, Markus Pierre in golf and Hannah Whalley in girls cross-country.

            Late in the meeting lasting over two hours, Devoll addressed the out-of-season hazing incident that occurred within the boys ice-hockey program and resulted in the full-season suspension of several players.

            “I think it’s important that we follow up,” said Devoll, explaining that ORR immediately contracted the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA,) the National Federation and the Hazing Prevention Association. Since then, he said, 216 current winter-sport athletes have completed an authorized Hazing 101 online course, and the school attorney is assisting in creating professional development opportunities for all coaches and team advisors.

            Crediting committee member Frances Kearns’ slogan of disrupting business as usual and taking the opportunity to make a change, ORR School Committee Chairperson Heather Burke said she expects all coaches and team advisors to be open, active participants in training opportunities.

            “I think that it’s a blind spot that we’ve had,” she said, saying that it needs to go beyond an outcome and to be a process with daily interactions between adults and students. “It’s not going to be a one-shot deal.”

            Devoll called it “a condition of employment. … We all have to be on board with this.”

            Committee member Jason Chisholm suggested the training be built into the schedule for review, adding structure to build out a model because he considers the behavior repeatable. Devoll said he plans to meet weekly with winter-sports captains to hold such discussions. Burke agreed on the necessity of touch points and said it’s up to the adults to solve the situations that arise.

            Noting that the hazing incident occurred during an out-of-season activity, committee member Matthew Monteiro asked how the school can prevent such occurrences. Devoll said that given MIAA regulations confining the seasons when supervision is allowed each sport, it comes down to education.

            “Our coach didn’t know about it, our athletic director didn’t know about it, but it was done within the team dynamic. Even in this case, you are responsible. Your conduct does impact the community,” he said.

            Nelson said the staff member who reported the situation to administration should be commended.

            Several votes were taken in the meeting.

            Senior Class Vice President John Kassabian appeared to propose the ORR Senior Prom for Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at the Belle Mer on Goat Island off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, and the committee voted to approve. Devoll told the committee that the venue has been used by ORR before. Kassabian said the price range being sought is $90 to $100 per ticket per student, the same price range as last year.

            Burke advised Kassabian to be mindful of the contract so that should Covid-related restrictions arise via government order, the students would not lose out on their investment.

            The committee also voted to approve field trips to the DECA club for the SCDC competition March 10-12 in Boston and ICDC competition April 23-26 in Atlanta.

            Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber brought to the committee’s attention a FY22 credit of $29,577 that lessens the overall debt figure and reduces the overall assessment that was approved at town meetings. The old figure of $16,341,970 excluded the $29,577 reduction, and the committee voted to approve the amended assessment of $16,312,393. Barber said that all three town administrators verified his finding.

            With all votes out of the way, Nelson introduced the MCAS scoring summary to the committee, just as the principals of the tri-town elementary schools had done with their individual school committees in recent days.

            As was the case in the elementary schools, the high school and junior high both showed a decline in MCAS scores for 2021.

            In their respective reports, both Burke and Nelson referenced the towns’ input into the ORR regional school agreement, the first amendment since 1986. Both also credited the ORR Drama Club for its first in-person performance in two years, “You Can’t Take It with You.”

            Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Jannell Pearson-Campbell summarized professional development programs and a virtual parent-information night, and Student Services Director Craig Davidson said that 11 families learned about transitional skills for high school and after, and he also reported on a three-day site visit by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in which special education was reviewed.

            ORR Junior High Principal Silas Coellner discussed Project 351, an ambassador program and the selection of a student from each of the tri-towns.

            Devoll also highlighted the ORR Drama Club and the daily Bulldog Block in which college representatives visit the high school and a partnership with Junior Achievement.

            Eddie Gonet reported on the statewide Student Advisory Council two weeks prior to the School Committee meeting. There, he said he found interesting a new, portfolio approach toward student testing. He admitted frustration in the regional Student Advisory Council meeting over the failure to distribute pamphlets that were created by the council to speak to important issues. He also noted that each ORR class will raise $200 for the Neediest Families Fund.

            Burke encouraged Gonet to continue speaking up and asking questions at such meetings.

            A planned executive session was postponed upon discovery that the new quorum rules would not allow for one after the departure of a member from the meeting.

            The next meeting of the ORR School Committee was not scheduled at adjournment.

ORR School Committee

By Mick Colageo