From the Files of the Rochester Historical Museum

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As Major League Baseball attempts a season start amid the pandemic, sports writers have spent a lot of ink on how the game has lost its number one national sports ranking. However, if we look back to the 1920s-40s, there was no question about baseball being number one in the hearts and minds of the Southcoast. While people definitely followed the Red Sox, many towns during this time period had their own teams that competed against area opponents in both home and away games. These games attracted large crowds and were must-see events when certain rivals came to town.

            William (Bill) Watling Sr. was an excellent athlete in several sports at New Bedford High School. Prior to World War II, he played semi-pro baseball in Canada. He was said to be one of the best players to ever come out of New Bedford. For years, people who watched him play or played against him told stories of his prowess. However, even though he moved to Rochester after marrying Louise Hartley and became an integral part of the community, in the days of the town teams, he was an opponent of Rochester.

            In 1993, The Sentinel Newspaper interviewed Leo Lizotte and his wife, Edith for an article headlined “When Baseball Was King”. Lizotte was a member of the Rochester town team, which he said was “the stuff that legends were made of”. According to Leo, it was a team with many players who could have played pro ball. He said, “Everybody loved the Rochester team. They called us the farmers.”

            While some towns dreaded having the Rochester team come to town, sensing utter defeat, others would offer to pay their travel expenses just to have them play in their town. The team was also referred to as the Hartleys because according to Edith Lizotte, it seemed as though at least half the team came from that large family. She said that her brother-in-law from Berkley said that “every time the Hartleys came to town, we got beat”.

            From the 1920s through the 1930s, the Rochester team steamrolled their opposition. The 1937 team had a record the envy of the Red Sox and in 1938 lost only one game. This success was in part due to their pitchers. Greenwood, Merton, and Edwin Hartley had pitches that confounded batters.

            The 1937 team included Max Gifford, manager, Harold Reed, Edwin (Pop) Hartley, Ken Knight, Henry Cebula, George Reed, Ralph Rounseville, business manager, Bart Dunham, George Reed’s father, James Knight, Robert Doane, Ernie and Oscar Ferand, Leo Lizotte, Warren Doane, Stanley Gonet, Greenwood and Merton Hartley, and the batboy, Greenwood (Sonny) Hartley, Jr.

            When Leo Lizotte spoke of Pop Hartley, he said that when he pitched, “You could see it coming. You’d say I’m going to kill that thing, and then it would dip under the bat. When I met my college roommate’s father who lived in Fairhaven, almost the first thing he asked me was whether I was related to Pop Hartley. I had to ask my mother and she said yes.”

            Town baseball was great entertainment and Lizotte, who moved to Rochester after his marriage to Edith, remembered that when he was a boy in the 1920s, his father would tell him to hurry down to Buttonwood Park and to save him a seat in the grandstand, because “Rochester was coming to town”.

            Even though town teams have given way to other versions, there is still baseball in Rochester, with families gathering to watch games often in Gifford Memorial Park. Raynor Gifford was quite a lefty slugger in his youth and when the land for the ballfield was donated by the Rounsevilles, he donated the building and property adjacent to the field.

So, I don’t know about you, and I don’t care what sports writers think, I still see baseball as the game of summer and you can still see it played on fields everywhere. Play ball!

            Note: In regards to the Town of Hardwick, my source was half-right in that the actual land that had been Hardwick is under the waters of the Quabbin, but the town and its people picked up and moved to a new location, which is Hardwick today.

By Connie Eshbach

Priority on Plan for In-Person Return to School

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            New Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson made clear in his address to the Old Rochester Regional Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55 that no less attention will be given hybrid or remote-learning plans for return to school than what he says the commissioner of secondary education for the state is instructing: to prioritize an in-person return.

            The school year like no other has become the summer like no other, as districts all over Massachusetts scramble in the dark while awaiting the guidelines that will ultimately decide how their children go back to school this fall.

            In the meantime, individual districts have been told to have three plans formulated by July 31, when it is anticipated the state will have its say.

            “There’s a strong urging for school districts not to make a decision in terms of what model they plan on moving forward with until early August,” said Nelson, speaking for the first time as superintendent of schools during the July 15, special, remote access meeting of the Joint School Committee. “I know that may seem daunting and ambiguous, but what I’m encouraging people to do is say, ‘What do we know right now? What does the guidance say right now?’ Thinking about the framework and the major themes within it, we really start planning for multiple options so that when, as we move forward and the summer marches on, we can make more concrete decisions with informed planning that has already taken place.”

            The immediate result is a building-based subcommittee that will meet on Wednesdays, and several derivative subcommittee groups that will report back on established priorities including facilities, food services, technology/remote learning, and medical safety.

            Nelson said he planned the next day (July 16) on meeting with elementary school representatives in like roles, and anticipates “a long summer of numerous, numerous subcommittee meetings.

            “Obviously this work is paramount and is something we must be doing right now,” he said.

            Internally, said Nelson, there have been meetings with the principals, Facilities Director Gene Jones, Food Service Director Jill Hennessey, school nurses, teachers, union presidents, school committee members, and administrators in an effort to create several plans based on alternate scenarios and potential, state-imposed guidelines.

            Nelson reported that the state recently released a 32-page document outlining return-to-school guidelines and special education, but still called the current process, “planning for the unknown at this point.”

            Region-side member Tina Rood is neck-deep in the subcommittee, having come into the Joint School Committee meeting directly from the first meeting for the reopening of school.

            After describing the building-based subcommittees that would meet at the high school and junior high, Rood made a pitch for help and was thrilled to learn that one of the Joint School Committee’s newest members, Frances Kearns, brings key experience that at first will be directed toward facilities management.

            Kearns, who alluded to a prior meeting with Nelson, referred to her background in biomedical engineering and facilities risk assessment and offered to serve the subcommittee “as you need.”

            “Awesome,” said Rood, as Nelson made sure the Joint School Committee understands the eagerness with which Kearns has offered her experience. As the point person in establishing subcommittees, Nelson confirmed he has already appointed Kearns to the Facilities Subcommittee group that is part of the building-based subcommittees.

            “I was also thinking food service and health,” said Rood, enthused over the addition of Kearns. “With that kind of background, that’s awesome. Thank you so much, that sounds great.”

            While Rood anticipates several meetings per week over the next few weeks, meetings for entire ORR building-based subcommittees will be held on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm, and Rood said she expects those meetings will continue right into the school year as needs continue to materialize or as state guidelines are changed.

            Transportation is among a number of issues yet to be addressed by the state, according to Rood.

            At the start of the meeting, region-side Chairperson Cary Humphrey welcomed Kearns, who represents Mattapoisett, and Margaret McSweeny, representing Marion, to the Joint School Committee as newly elected members. Both expressed thanks, to which Humphrey replied, “We’re excited to have you.”

            Also welcomed aboard after a break into and return from executive session was the vote to approve Howard Barber as the new assistant superintendent of finance and operations for the ORR School District.

            Howard has over 12 years of school business administration experience, including town, city and regional experience. Nelson introduced him as a certified accountant and procurement officer, and a well-established officer within the Massachusetts Association of School Business Administrators who will be serving as the association’s president for the 2020-21 academic year.

            “We are extremely grateful to be welcoming him to our team and to start talking about a transition plan,” said Nelson.

            In a prepared statement, Barber told the meeting he is “looking to having some fantastic and some great opportunities not only over the short term but obviously also in the long term, and looking to build some great relationships with many of the individuals that I’ve had the opportunity over the last few weeks to speak to in individual meetings, in group sessions with respect to departments, site visits with respect to the principals, members of the various committees as well as even the bargaining groups.

            “I’m extremely grateful to have this opportunity. I want to thank everyone for voting to get us into this great position to hopefully moving forward to a great and long relationship.”

            Nelson thanked members of the hiring committee, including Rood, who serves Rochester and ORR school committees, Mattapoisett Elementary School Principal Rose Bowman, ORR Junior High Principal Silas Coellner, Director of Human Resources Suzanna Cunningham, Marion and Joint School Committee member Nicole Daniel, ORR Director of Facilities Gene Jones, new Mattapoisett School Committee member Carly Lavin, Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, Marion Assistant Town Administrator Judy Mooney, and Rochester Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar.

            Union-side Chairperson Shannon Finning recognized the meeting, albeit a specially scheduled one, as Nelson’s first in his new job as superintendent and expressed appreciation for his leadership thus far in the building of the team that will lead the ORR School District into its next era.

            Nelson also broached the topic of racism in schools and discussed the Zoom meeting recently held by the Joint School Committee with representatives from Tritown Against Racism.

            “I thought it was a very candid, respectful and open conversation and the beginning of hopefully a partnership in terms of moving forward to being actively anti-racist school community,” he said. “Since that meeting, I reached out to the three leaders just to thank them for being part of the solution and supporting and collaborating with us moving forward. We did set up a virtual meeting that just occurred the last week or two where we just had more conversation in terms of just getting to know each other, learning about what they’re doing from an agency standpoint and then sharing what we’re doing from a school district standpoint. We did make an agreement to communicate on a bi-monthly basis and as needed. Then I shared with them that one of our main priorities right now is to focus and examine what our current policies are and what are currently policies are not. Typically or historically, we have not met in the summer for policy meetings, but we did set a policy subcommittee meeting… for August 11. That is a public meeting. I have consulted with the school district’s legal team, sharing our vision to do this review of our policies and what policies we may need, but I think it’s an important next step to guide our work moving forward in the short term and the long term.”

            On behalf of his business, Humphrey donated 1,000 facemasks to the school district. Region-side member Jim Muse made a motion that the committee “gratefully accept” the donation.

            “I have to thank the owner of our company… for doing this,” said Humphrey. “It’s a challenge we’re going to have to face as a school district, and I’m hoping other businesses are going to jump behind this because – of course we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two months, but we have to be prepared for whatever.”

ORR Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55

By Mick Colageo

Hurricane Season Poses Potential Complications

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            A discussion resurfaced in Tuesday’s remote access meeting of the Marion Board of Health regarding how to shelter residents during a natural disaster.

            “We’re supposedly going to have a bad hurricane season this year – who knows?” asked Chairperson Dr. Ed Hoffer, pointing toward the more accessible question about whether Sippican School can contain the number of people that might need shelter in such a situation, especially those requiring isolation due to COVID-19. Hoffer reported on a walkthrough, noting that some rooms have access to their own bathroom.

            The alternative of local hotels or motels add cost but also eliminate the need for volunteers on site.

            Sippican can quarantine in its smaller rooms, but, “If we end up with more than two or three families, there would be a problem,” said Hoffer, who is also concerned about the age-related vulnerability of volunteers. “In many cases (they are) not people who ought to be involved dealing in COVID cases.”

            Member John Howard suggested recruiting new volunteers through various community institutions like area churches, Lockheed Martin, and Tabor Academy.

            Health Director Dave Flaherty told the board he has a friend involved with Bridgewater’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) with an emergency-preparedness background going back to his days in the U.S. Army. “Very knowledgeable,” said Flaherty, who suggested a Zoom meeting that could benefit the Board of Health in recruiting volunteers.

            In his update, Flaherty said that all testing at the beaches has come back negative. He said that residents can call Plymouth County Mosquito at 781-585-5450 to get their yards fogged. The county has reported seven EEE-positive tests including five in Carver. Flaherty said Marion remains at a low-risk level for EEE and West Nile virus.

            The board congratulated Flaherty on his recent election to the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association (MEHA) board.

            Marion Health Nurse Kathy Downey reported five new communicable diseases in the last week, including two that were tickborne. There has been a 20 percent increase in COVID-19 testing, but all tests have come back negative. Marion residents, said Downey, can be part of the “Stop the Spread” campaign by getting tested in New Bedford at any one of eight sites at no charge. For more information, visit Mass.gov.

            The CDC distributed new guidelines effective July 17, including a reduction in the number of isolation days required after positive tests. Until last weekend, people needed to improve for three days in a row without the aid of medicines like Tylenol, etc. Now it’s 24 hours.

            Downey also reported that she is working with Tabor on its reopen plan.

            Hoffer reported four applicants to replace Downey, who will vacate her position on August 19. Hoffer told the board he will screen those applicants with Town Administrator Jay McGrail toward the end of this week and narrow down the field to two finalists to bring to the board for interviews.

            The Board of Health will not be among Marion’s boards/committees meeting live at the Music Hall. Despite the invitation and work done at the facility to ensure safe distancing, Hoffer, Howard, and fellow member Dot Brown all expressed preference to continue meeting on Zoom.

            “Hopefully, until we don’t need to worry so much about social distancing; we will continue to meet on Zoom,” said Hoffer.

            Hoffer beefed up an existing mission statement he had considered “woefully inadequate” to describe all that the Board of Health does, including a request from Brown to include surface waters on the list of things monitored. Town Manager Gil Hilario suggested the members visit the Harbormaster’s page for further examples on how to improve their page’s appearance and he would be happy to make requested improvements.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for July 27.

Marion Board of Health

By Mick Colageo

Dennehy IV Revisits Great-Grandfather’s Old Stomping Grounds

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            The greens weren’t too fast and the moment wasn’t too big for Raymond Dennehy IV, but the winds blowing on opening day of the Mass Amateur made his trip back to the Kittansett Club a puzzling one.

            “I enjoy putting on fast greens. I don’t enjoy wind. It’s tricky,” said Dennehy IV, whose two medal-play rounds of 7-over-par 78 left him out of the running for the match-play segment that continued later in the week.

            The medal-play rounds were held on July 13 at Kittansett and July 14 at the Bay Club in Mattapoisett.

            While 22-year-old Sudbury resident Matthew Organisak would emerge on July 17 as the champion of the event, Dennehy IV was a unique competitor. Not only did he play the Mass Amateur at age 17, the Princeton resident and rising senior at St. John’s of Shrewsbury is the great-grandson of the late Raymond Dennehy, Kittansett’s first teaching professional.

            A statue memorializing the original Raymond Dennehy sits at the course on a rare replica of the Bobby Jones sundial that sits at Augusta National. Dennehy served as the Marion-based club’s first pro from 1927 to 1973.

            “He would have been oh, so proud of Raymond, and he really enjoyed Kittansett, working there and being there, and to have a relative embrace it such as he has, I think would be pretty cool,” said Raymond Dennehy III, Raymond Dennehy IV’s father.

            Longtime local golf pro Greg Dennehy worked under his uncle, the original Raymond Dennehy, as assistant pro at Kittansett from 1958 to 1963. While Dennehy III never played at the level his son is playing at now, he said a passion for the game runs deep in the family.

            “My father (Raymond Dennehy II) grew up in Marion so there’s a strong relationship,” said Dennehy III, whose father played for Tabor Academy and Bowdoin College. “My dad – he’s since passed – he was a very good golfer. Golf’s a passion type of sport. I think my grandfather (Dennehy I) enjoyed teaching people and enjoyed it when they continued on.”

            That’s what Raymond Dennehy IV continues to do even after rounds he’d like to forget. Instead, he learns from them, and improves.

            “I went right back out the next day, worked on a couple of things. I had a little bit of a wide stance with my wedges that allowed inconsistencies,” said Dennehy IV, who continued his busy summer of golf on July 15 at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg where he is a member.

            Playing the second round at the Bay Club, Dennehy IV failed to birdie a hole for the first time this year. He had made two birdies in the opening round at Kittansett, both of them two-putt birdies that could have been eagles on Nos. 15 and 18.

            A couple of forgettable rounds failed to sour him on the experience, however.

            Dennehy IV had made his first trip to Kittansett around age 10 “not to play, but to go there. I forgot what we were doing,” he said, but there is another family photo of him as a 10-year old right where he was on July 13, checking out his great-grandfather’s statue.

            The Dennehy family has kept a long-distance family membership, “so for the past four years I try to get down to Kittansett a lot – it’s a day trip for me, two hours down, four hours of golf, and two hours back,” said Dennehy IV. “I enjoy playing the course a lot. It’s challenging, I think I played it six times prior to the Mass Amateur, and I got down there to prepare for it.”

            Only practice rounds didn’t measure up to the real thing, as in the Stimpmeter.

            “There was a big difference. I think a day before I went down there and played a quick practice round, with my dad and friends. The greens were so slow,” he recalled.

            Dennehy IV knew the tournament would be different, having talked to Kittansett pro John Tamburro and learning of plans to cut and double-roll the greens. The wind blew on especially on the No. 1-6 and 16-18 holes coming back toward the clubhouse.

            Dennehy IV has a lot of golf yet to play this summer, and the downtime during the statewide shutdown of courses he turned into opportunity for personal training.

            “I used to swing really hard at the ball and got a lot of distance,” he said, estimating tee shots averaging 270 yards last year.

            This year he’s swinging with more control and hitting the ball significantly farther. Part of that is due to growth – Dennehy IV grew four inches over the last year and now stands 6 feet tall and weighs 154 pounds – and part of it is the product of his workouts.

            “I worked in a lot of core (training). I gained 30 yards, I hit it like 300 now, 305,” he estimates.

            With a three-day tournament at end of the month and the Mass Junior Amateur to look forward to on August 3 at Cranberry Valley Golf Course in Harwich, Dennehy IV hopes his summer of swing culminates in a fall high school season.

            “Hopefully my senior season happens and I get to play golf because our team has a good shot at winning states, a really good chance,” he said.

            College golf is likely for the future, and Dennehy IV is undecided on where to study for a career in business entrepreneurship or finance. The only thing he has ruled out is attending a college “where everyone gets in… I want to be challenged,” he said.

            “There’s ups and downs in this game,” said Dennehy III, his father. “Raymond, he’s not afraid to practice. He spends a lot of time playing and practicing and spending a lot of time with his buddies talking about golf. He’s all in.”

By Mick Colageo

Marion Art Center

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Readers’ Theater at the Virtual MAC

            The MAC will present a Readers’ Theater virtual performance on Saturday, July 25 at 7:00 pm. The 90-minute online program (via Zoom) will feature six short sketches from the public domain and local playwrights, introduced and performed on screen by our reading actors. See scenes or sketches from the following: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; Toogoods by Jackson Gillman and Bill Harley; Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; Young at Heart by Judith Black, The Importance of Earnest by Oscar Wilde; Samuel Beckett’s Chamber Potby Ray Veary. There will be a short break halfway through the event. To register, please visit www.marionartcenter.org/events. Registrants will receive a Zoom invitation link a few days prior to the event. Attendees must register by 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 25 to receive a link to the event.

The MAC’s Online Auction

            The MAC’s Online Art Auction begins Friday, July 24 at 9:00 am and runs just one week, through Friday, July 31 at 7:00 pm. This COVID-19-safe event will replace the MAC’s traditional summer fundraiser, Cocktails by the Sea. The online auction will feature nearly 200 items including original framed artwork, handmade ceramics, objets d’art, and more. Users register to bid on items and pay via the MAC’s secure website, choosing pickup at the MAC, or local delivery within the Tri-Town area. A live outdoor viewing of auction items is scheduled on Friday, July 24 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm at the Marion Art Center and in Bicentennial Park across the street. A rain date for the viewing is scheduled on Saturday, July 25 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Bidders may also make a private appointment during the week of the auction to view items in person. Visit marionartcenter.org to preview a gallery of items and to find out more!

The MAC’s OUTDOOR Theater

            The MAC Theater will present its newest production, Good People, written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Jacob Sherburne, as an outdoor live theater event in Bicentennial Park, Marion. Show dates are currently scheduled: August 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23. All performances will begin in late afternoon/early evening (exact times TBD). This play is intended for an adult audience.

            Synopsis: In South Boston, this month’s paycheck covers last month’s rent, and tough-scrabble single-mom Margie just got fired from another job. Encouraged by her merciless bingo sisters, she looks up her high school sweetheart to see if the dust has cleared, and she can make her escape. A hilarious Boston drama about the intersection of class, gender, and race in Southie and Chestnut Hill, by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire.

            The cast includes: Maria Hendricks, Linda Monchik, John Emmett Pearson, Margo Ruggerio, Susan Sullivan, and Paul Victor Walsh. The crew includes Kaylin Blaney as Stage Manager and Steve McManus as sound technician. 

            All attendees must follow state safety guidelines including mask-wearing and social distancing. Guests should bring their own picnic blankets or chairs. Some snacks and beverages will be available for purchase on-site. No alcohol is allowed during this event scheduled on town property. Please visit marionartcenter.org for more information.

Sippican Historical Society

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

            This week we feature 12 Cross Neck Road. The Shingle-style residence at 12 Cross Neck Road was built for, and probably by, the carpenter Thomas Hartigan before 1903. Hartigan’s widow lived here until at least 1916.  

Less Is More in Case of SEMASS and Trees Surrounding Wires

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            The Rochester Conservation Commission moved to resolve an outstanding public hearing related to a Notice of Intent application submitted by SEMASS Partnership in their remote meeting held on July 21.

            The application was submitted after SEMASS Partnership carried out emergency tree trimming in order to protect overhead wires and fiberoptic cables that connect the SEMASS and Eversource switchyards. Upon their review of the application in the previous meeting, the Rochester Conservation Commission told Paul Shamoian, the representative for SEMASS, that a maintenance plan for the upkeep of the trees surrounding the site should be created.

            Shamoian explained that since the previous meeting he had worked to create a new maintenance plan with SEMASS in order to guarantee that proper procedures would be followed in future tree trimming. “This is a proactive maintenance plan,” Shamoian told commission members. “SEMASS will monitor the area for insect-infected and damaged trees around the wires.”

            The proposed plans would require semiannual inspections by SEMASS personnel to closely monitor the growth of trees around the wires. These inspections would prevent any kind of emergency tree cutting in the future and allow ample time for the commission to review any proposed tree trimming that might take place on the site. Each proposed trimming will be internally logged by SEMASS and follow guidelines that are currently used by Eversource to maintain the overhead wires that run on their property.

            Chairman Michael Conway showed support for the proposal, but asked that a stipulation be added. His approval of the proposal was predicated on the condition that these semiannual reports conducted by SEMASS be submitted to the commission so it, too, can monitor the growth of the trees.

            Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon advocated for the maintenance plans and commended the commission for asking SEMASS to develop the proposal. “The commission wisely recommended that SEMASS take advantage of the permit to cut all trees along the fiberoptic line,” said Farinon. “It’s not common that a conservation commission will advocate for cutting trees, but in this instance, they were ornamental trees doing more harm than good.”

            Shamoian agreed to provide the reports to the commission, so that it can monitor the site more closely. With that, the Rochester Conservation Commission voted to approve the maintenance plans.

            Phil Cordeiro, representing Steen Realty and Developments, came before the Conservation Commission to provide updates to the proposed development on Cranberry Highway. Cordeiro has been working closely with Rochester’s Review Engineer, Henry Nover.

            “We have provided a response with our comments to the peer review conducted by Henry Nover,” said Cordeiro. “At this point, the majority of notes relate to our groundwater analysis.”

            According to Cordeiro, there have been idiosyncrasies on the plans relating to the site’s stormwater release basins and overflow areas. Though Nover did not have sufficient time to provide written feedback to the updated plans, he did convey that Cordeiro has been working to address his comments.

            Even with his efforts, Cordeiro admitted to the commission that there is still a great deal of work to be done before the plans can move forward. The meeting on July 21 marked the fifth time that Steen Realty has met with the commission in relation to this proposed development.

            The commission voted to continue this Notice of Intent filing until their meeting scheduled for August 18 to provide Cordeiro and Nover more time to work on resolving any conflicts they may have pertaining to the proposal.

            Regarding a Notice of Intent filing from June 16, Greg Carey of Clean Engineering Collective provided updates to the commission relating to a solar-array development on Sarah Sherman Road. “Since our last meeting, we have made a number of changes to our plans as a result of feedback from the commission and from Agent Farinon,” Carey told the commission.

            The commission visited the proposed solar site last week in order to gain a clearer understanding of the proposal. Carey explained that the site visit was helpful and his updated plans increased buffer areas to the surrounding wetland areas to address commission concerns.

            Steve Kohm, of Prime Engineering, who is working on the proposal, amended the plans to remain outside of the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone as much as the site could allow. In addition, his new plans drastically change the location of the equipment and transformer pads to be entirely outside of the buffer zone. Kohm further instructed test pits to be dug on the site to demonstrate where groundwater is located and confirm the soil types at the site.

            The commission showed support for the plans, but Carey and Kohm are still facing delays. Their proposal will have to be approved by the Rochester Planning Board before their work can continue.

            The commission voted to continue the Notice of Intent filed by Carey until their next meeting set to be held on August 3. The next Rochester Conservation Commission meeting is set to be held remotely over the Zoom platform.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Matthew Donato

Sidelined Master Plan Back on Track

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            During the July 20 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board, the resumption of work on a forthcoming new Master Plan was discussed. Prior to January 2020, the board had engaged the services of Grant King, director of Comprehensive Planning and Housing for the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD). King met with a number of boards and committees, at which time he not only gleaned the interests of those groups with respect to issues of an aging population, transportation needs and access to services, but also outlined the process of developing a new Master Plan for the community.

            In spite of concerns that a mass pandemic was coming, King continued to develop outlines for the town to consider and how to go about engaging greater public participation in the process. By March, everything came to a halt in terms of public meetings.

            By now the Planning Board was ready to find out just what the next steps should be to breathe new life into this critical project. For King’s part, a YouTube video had been developed to give the board members a sense of what was possible using the internet platform, and a draft of a new Master Plan had also been created with internet permissions granted only to the board members.

            Chairman Tom Tucker expressed concern that imagery in the video only focused on the village area. “There’s nothing north of 195,” he said. Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain said she would discuss that with King as well as member Janice Robbins’ concerns that the YouTube platform could display paid messaging not appropriate for the image of the town. There was discussion that a video could be developed in house and made accessible via ORCTV as opposed to YouTube.

            Tucker also expressed his concern that while some 20 people throughout the town had expressed interest in being on a committee formed to develop a new Master Plan, nothing had been done since January. “I’m tired of waiting for SRPEDD,” he said. Crain said that King was ready to put a press release out and that she would contact all who had previously shown an interest in the project to ascertain their current level of commitment. Crain also said she would create a meeting schedule for the project.

            Zoning-bylaw modifications have also been pushed out and will not be part of the upcoming Town Meeting, Tucker said. Crain told the board that work on streamlining the flow of the document had been completed by their consultant, but changes to zoning bylaws had not been part of the project. Dovetailing into this topic was the drafting of a solar bylaw that the board has been working on. Member Robbins said the essence of the document was complete but fees remained undecided at this time. That bylaw will continue in development and remain on the Planning Board’s agenda while language is completed. “There is a long way to go on this, too much for a remote meeting,” stated Tucker. “There’ll be one heck of a public hearing; a lot of people will want to weigh-in.”

            A new grant application for funds from the Massachusetts Department of Public Transportation Shared Use Shared Spaces program in the amount of $300,000 was also discussed. Speaking on behalf of Highway Surveyor Barry Denham was Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, who said that a grant had been applied for last week and if approved would be used to construct a sidewalk from the intersection of the bike path on Mattapoisett Neck Road to Route 6. Approximately 10 feet on the east side of the roadway would be impacted with rock and tree removal, he noted.

            In a follow up with Denham, he said that the DOT was looking for projects that could begin immediately. “They want to stimulate the construction industry, but it’s hard to be fast with the bidding process.” He said the 27,000-foot sidewalk would link to the new sidewalk on Route 6 and was ripe for this type of grant, given that Old Hammondtown School is a mile away. Denham also said that, unlike other state-funded construction projects, this one would not incur costs to the town. “Fuss and O’Neill did the engineering work pro bono,” he said. If the grant comes through, they will also do the design drawings, he added.

            Earlier in the evening, the board heard from Bill Madden of G.A.F. Engineering regarding a Form A-Not-Required application filed by G. DaSilva and David Nicolosi for property located on Chapel Road. Madden said this was one of several lots that would eventually be developed as home sites. The request was unanimously approved.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for August 3 at 7:00 pm. Remote access details will be available at mattapoisett.net.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

Modracek Offers His Town an Attractive Modification

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            A 14-year-old artist with an eye for sports uniforms and flags, Owen Modracek wanted an answer to a question so he figured out a sure-fire way to get it: He drew up his own answer and presented it to his town.

            “I wanted to see if there was a flag of Rochester,” he said. “I only saw a flag that ended up being the flag of Rochester, but I didn’t know that at the time so I decided to make a flag of Rochester in my free time.”

            So off to work he went with drafting pencils, colored pencils, and rulers, and made his refinements online (see image) before sending his design to town offices.

            In her Town Administrator’s Report to the Board of Selectmen during its July 8 meeting, Suzanne Szyndlar commended Modracek for his design and effort. The selectmen suggested it would be appropriate to look into the history of the town flag.

            On Tuesday, Connie Eshbach and Susan LaFleur, members of both the town’s Historical Commission and the Rochester Historical Society, looked at records dating back to the 1960s but without finding any reference to the flag. LaFleur said research will continue in an effort to unearth this piece of town history.

            Modracek’s design took an existing seal that is believed to be the product of a decades-old community contest. He accented the seal on either side with facing deer and strategically chose background colors to reflect on some of Rochester’s identifying characteristics.

            “The forest surrounds Rochester, and there’s blue – we have a lot of ponds in Rochester – I also wanted the yellow because the yellow represents the cornfields and all the farms,” he said, explaining that the red color is actually cranberry for the bogs around town. “Blue, green, and cranberry are state colors as well so I wanted to incorporate that.”

            A rising ninth-grader soon to change school buildings, Modracek has even tinkered with Old Rochester’s sports uniforms.

            “I think the football jerseys are nice. I don’t think they should change their logo because their logo is really nice, but their soccer jerseys could use a little help,” he said.

            Owen plans to join his brother Matthew, a rising junior, in the ORR boys soccer program this year. Matthew was a junior-varsity player last fall.

            Owen’s art tends to confine itself to soccer uniforms, international and MLS, and also college basketball. His media rarely strays from colored pencils, but his younger sister Elise likes to paint. The parents are supportive of his art and, according to Owen, suggested he make town officials aware of his redesign of the Rochester flag.

            “They’ve always liked everything I do,” said Owen. “They know it’s just a hobby. I don’t want to pursue a job in art. I think I’m probably going to pursue something in biological science or architecture, something in that ballpark.”

By Mick Colageo

Marion Natural History Museum Reopening

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Beginning the week of July 27, the Marion Natural History Museum is ready for a limited reopening. In order to meet state and local board of health safety recommendations, the Museum will be following these guidelines:

            Access to the museum is by appointment only. Please contact the Director at Director@marionmuseum.org to schedule a time to visit. Health screening forms must be filled out and submitted by an adult on behalf of each visitor prior to receiving an appointment to visit the museum. Forms are available at www.marionmuseum.org 

            Masks are to be worn by visitors and staff at all times while in the building. All equipment surfaces to be cleaned with disinfectant immediately after each participant’s use.

            The building we share with the library will remain closed. Therefore, the Museum Director will to be present to assist with defined travel routes through the building to the museum. Access to the museum is limited to individuals or one family at a time. Hand sanitizer will be available outside the museum and near display areas.

            What is available at the museum:

            The displays of Native American artifacts, rocks, minerals, butterflies, nature-based artwork from local artists, Bird Island display, birds nests and eggs, examples of scrimshaw and the birds of prey cabinet. 

            Use of virtual reality set is by appointment only and limited to one person in the area at a time. The entire area will be wiped down with sanitizer before and after each use.

            Use of microscopes is available by appointment only and restricted to one person at a time. The entire area will be wiped down with sanitizer before and after each use.

            Unfortunately, for the time being, there will be no access to the following touch display areas: Lego table, soil tunnel, puppet theater, dollhouse, touch box, any other touch displays.

            If you’d like to schedule a visit to the museum, please contact the Museum Director at Director@Marionmuseum.org. 

            Thank you for helping us to reopen safely. Looking forward to seeing you soon!