Rochester Herring Counts

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This year’s count of herring in the Mattapoisett River was 1,886, an 88-percent decrease from the 2020 total of 16,049. Counting conditions were ideal this spring, and the counter appears to have functioned without errors.

            This year’s count of fish in the Sippican River was 57. It seems unlikely that any of the 57 fish counted were herring as the number is an accumulation of low counts on numerous days. I believe that count includes only pond fish moving up and down the ladder through the counter.

            The moratorium against the taking or possession of herring from the Mattapoisett River and the Sippican River, as well as many other rivers in Massachusetts, remains in effect. Over the years that the moratorium has been in effect, the herring population in the Mattapoisett River had increased from about 6,000 to just over 55,400 in 2014 then was followed by some years of declining counts. The counting effort will continue and provide the necessary information to manage a future harvest in the Mattapoisett River; however, continued improvements in the counts are needed to support a sustainable fishery plan and to justify an opening. Once the herring population reaches a point where a sustainable harvest plan can be formulated, filed with Division of Marine Fisheries, and approved, harvesting could be resumed.

ORR Proposed Mask Mandate Update

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Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and the Old Rochester Regional School District and MA Superintendency Union #55 would like to share an update regarding the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) proposed mask mandate for the 2021-22 school year.

            This week, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met and voted to give DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley the authority to institute a mask mandate for the beginning of the upcoming school year. The mask mandate is expected to be formally issued later this week by Commissioner Riley.

            With the issuance of the proposed mask mandate, all K-12 students, educators, and staff would be required to wear a mask while in schools through October 1 to ensure schools fully reopen safely and to provide ample time for more students and educators to get vaccinated.

            After October 1, the policy would allow middle and high schools to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated students and staff only if the school meets a certain vaccination rate – at least 80% of students and staff in a school building are vaccinated. Unvaccinated students and staff would still be required to wear masks. Additional information regarding masking policies would then be shared by individual districts.

            Community members should also note that under the DPH’s mask advisory, masks are mandatory for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, while using public transportation and rideshares, and while inside healthcare facilities and other settings. As a result, students riding any district bus or visiting any of the district’s health offices must continue to wear masks at all times while in these settings.

            “We will continue to do everything we can to ensure students and staff are able to learn and work safely in our buildings, and this will include adhering to the expected mask mandate once it is issued,” Superintendent Nelson said. “As always, we are carefully monitoring state and local public health guidance and will continue to keep families informed regarding DESE guidance as well as any decisions made at the district level.”

A Century of Sailing: The Beetle Cat at 100

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Join William Womack on Thursday, August 26, at 7:00 pm for the Sippican Historical Society Speaker Series presentation (via Zoom). The year 2021 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Beetle Cat sailboat. This will make the Beetle Cat the oldest one design that has been continuously produced out of wood and continues to be competitively raced for the past 100 years. The boat continues to be handcrafted by true craftsmen working together using traditional methods to preserve the integrity and quality of the boat.

            The boat is a big part of New England history, sailing, wooden boats, and wooden boat building. Its distinctive silhouette is known at a glance; the name brings back memories of learning to sail, first tries at the tiller, and, of course, the smell of cedar, varnish, and pine tar. It is the preservation of a hand-crafted art form used to produce a sweet little boat out of a living tree.

            Bill Womack, owner of the “Beetle Cat Boat Shop” is a direct descendant of Miles Standish of the Mayflower. He was born and raised in Alabama and spent all his early summers on Onset Island in Massachusetts sailing Beetle Cats and developing a love for traditional wood boatbuilding.

            After three tours in Viet Nam with a Navy Seabee team, Bill worked as a civil engineer in heavy highway construction building bridges, highways, and tunnels around the country for 40 years before taking up ownership of the Beetle Cat Boat Shop in 2003.

            Bill Womack, the fourth caretaker of this proud little boat in the last 100 years, will take us through the history of the boat from its development by the Beetle family of New Bedford in 1921 to its present-day home in Wareham.

            Bill will present the construction of the Beetle Cat from the cutting of the trees to the finished sailboat. The building of the boat, using very traditional, tried and proven boat building methodology, using hand tools and individual craftsmanship, is very much an art form. The boat is all hand made in the USA.

            The presentation will provide the viewer a glimpse into the past of traditional wood boat building. The aroma of the cedar wood, pine tar, and varnish will fill the air and dreams of sailing down Buzzards Bay in a traditionally-built wood boat and will take you back in time to when men were iron and ships were wood.

            You may request the Zoom link by emailing info@sippicanhistoricalsociety.org.

Mattapoisett Cultural Council

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Mattapoisett Cultural Council invites grant proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs beginning September 1 – October 15 at massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/application-process/. Grants are available to support cultural projects and activities in and around Mattapoisett, including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops, and lectures. These programs promote the availability of rich cultural experiences for Mattapoisett residents. Council members are municipally-appointed volunteers who help determine how to disburse available funds to individuals, schools, and cultural organizations who apply for project support.

            Applicants are encouraged to review local funding priorities at https://www.mass-culture.org/mattapoisett. Applications are evaluated with respect to how well the program meets local priorities, community support and involvement, evidence of track record, ability to address diverse cultural needs, financial need, and demonstrated planning.

            Recently funded projects included theatrical, literary, science programs for children and adults at Mattapoisett Free Public Library, concerts by SouthCoast Children’s Chorus and Tri-County Symphonic Band, music education for Mattapoisett students by New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, programs and exhibits at Mattapoisett Museum, and in-school and summertime arts and science programs sponsored by the Mattapoisett PTA, Mattapoisett Recreation, and Mattapoisett Land Trust, among others.

            To contact Mattapoisett Cultural Council directly with questions, or if you are interested in becoming a council member, please email us at kcdamaskos@gmail.com.

Friends of Marion COA Steadfast

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            Who says the Post Office owns the adage “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…?” Just ask the Friends of the Marion Council on Aging and they will tell you, “…We are moving ahead.”

            On August 19, the gala fundraising event long planned by the Friends group took place on a magnificent coastal property located at 1 Water Street in spite of a day with heavy downpours and late afternoon threatening skies and murky atmosphere. Yes, in spite of all that, the venue, donated by property owners Laurie and Jamey Shachoy, was spectacular. The partygoers were treated to sweeping water views as well as live music and delectable hors d’oeuvres served by volunteers.

            The primary purpose of the ticketed event was to raise funds for a pavilion planned for the grounds of what is now known as the Cushing Community Center, the former VFW building on Route 6. COA Board of Director Chairman Harry Norweb reported that at the end of the evening, estimates reached beyond $85,000 in hand for the project.

            Avanna L’Homme, a 19-year-old Wareham native in attendance on August 19, was thrilled to see the conceptual design she created while attending Upper Cape Tech developed into a plan that is becoming a reality. “I’m so happy that this is finally happening … seeing money being raised, seeing how incorporated the town is with this project. I love it, I absolutely love it,” she said.

            These days, the Marion COA department is being run and managed as a fully operational entity with Director Karen Gregory, her staff, and Town Administrator Jay McGrail overseeing operational key points. The emergence of such support has, after much contemplation, resulted in reorganization within the COA.

            “The Planning Board is reviewing the bylaw for the COA Board of Directors, which has been in place since the 1970s,” said Norweb, who noted that volunteerism on the part of both people on the COA Board and those on the frontline of fundraising for the Friends is phenomenal.

            Of the fundraising efforts, Norweb said that monies donated directly impact programming and projects that are geared towards seniors. The proposed 26-by-30-foot covered structure “will be the biggest of its kind in the area,” he stated.

            Yet the building of a pavilion on the community center grounds is viewed and is being touted as a place where the entire community can come together for musicals, theater, parties, exercise classes, and so much more. Bringing seniors together with the wider community is viewed as a necessity for quality of life.

            That is exemplified by the Friends embracing of the World Health Organization’s Global Age Friendly precepts. Noted on the WHO website are the statistics that, in 2006, 11 percent of the global population was part of the senior sector with projections that, by 2050, 22 percent would be in that category. The website states, “In the next 50 years, 80 percent of the world’s seniors will be living in developing countries,” prompting the health organization to recognize the importance of programs that help the aging.

            To further the concepts and framework needed for quality of life for seniors, WHO has established for seniors, the FOMCOA fundraising venue displayed banners announcing various WHO precepts such as recreation, education, relaxation, socialization, celebration, support, participation, and inclusion. On the community center grounds, a recently completed walking path that is fully ADA compliant is ready for use.

            “Marion is a World Health Organization Age Friendly community,” Norweb asserted with a smile.

            The Marion COA currently provides programming and services that span everything from shopping to health screening to artistic expression and educational presentation, and so much more.

            To learn more about the Friends of the Marion COA, visit fmcoa.org or call the COA at 508-758-3570 for programming information.

By Marilou Newell

Reduction Goal in Marion’s Cross Hairs

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            The officials on the field have asked for a measurement, and the Town of Marion isn’t looking just for a first down, it’s looking for a touchdown.

            After chasing down records of deliveries of gas, propane, and oil to the town so he could manually enter that information into the MassEnergyInsight program’s online databank, Bill Saltonstall had some inspiring news for his fellow members at Monday’s Marion Energy Management Committee meeting.

            “Surprisingly, Table 2 (which tallies energy savings) totals approximately 20 percent. We made some savings in areas I hadn’t expected,” said Saltonstall on the August 23 Zoom meeting. “Apparently, we will be able to make it all the way to 20 percent [energy reduction] this year.”

            Marion is in Year Four of its pledge to the Green Communities program to reduce the town’s carbon footprint by 20 percent in energy reductions over the prescribed five-year period.

            Up to recent months, Saltonstall, the EMC’s lead hound sniffing out every energy sucker that Marion could potentially upgrade, had relied on the advice and computer expertise of Town Planner Gil Hilario, who is no longer working for Marion after taking a new job in the same role in North Attleboro.

            Figuring that Eversource has apparently made changes to some streetlights, Saltonstall told EMC members that he plans to contact Lisa Sullivan, the regional supervisor of Green Communities, to make sure he is handling the clerical end of the mission thoroughly.

            Marion’s final project report is due to Green Communities by September 3. All outstanding questions must be solved no later than 5:00 pm October 1; if the application is not closed out, Marion may not put in another grant application. The deadline to submit new grant applications is October 8.

            EMC Chairman Christian Ingerslev told Saltonstall that Town Administrator Jay McGrail will lend assistance in completing the MassEnergyInsight annual report by the November 19 deadline.

            The EMC remains intent on pushing for electrically-powered town vehicles and is looking to learn if the town can purchase vehicles presently being leased. A prompt resolution, suggested Ingerslev, would enable a decision on whether to put the question onto the article warrant for Town Meeting, “Because that’s where the money will come from.”

            EMC member Alanna Nelson said that the mileage on the Mitsubishi Outlanders being leased are low, “So, it makes all the sense in the world [to purchase them if possible.]”

            Along with electric cars, the EMC is hoping to influence the renovation of the Cushing Community Center to build any extension of the building with a roof strong enough to support solar panels.

            Citing advice from Town Counsel to stick with the wind farm, Ingerslev said he is not sure that new construction would be bound by that advice.

            “I don’t think it’s really a major installation, and it might fit within the net-metering [program],” said Saltonstall of the south-facing roof.

            Nelson suggested that, if possible, solar arrays should put their generated energy back into the municipal buildings rather than send it back to the grid.

            In committee business, EMC member Tom Friedman, informed that he was voted as the new clerk for the committee during a prior meeting he could not attend, cheerfully accepted the role.

            Once again, the EMC batted around strategic wording for an updated name for the committee.

            “I think ‘resiliency’ breaks down climate change into locally manageable tasks,” said EMC member Eileen Marum, explaining her suggestion of “Energy and Climate Resilience Committee.”

            Marion’s Hazard Mitigation Plan will be submitted to the state by September 30, then the state sends it onto FEMA for its approval. “Until this Hazard Mitigation Plan is finalized, they don’t want us to be doing any practical work,” said Ingerslev.

            Marum explained that the Hazard Mitigation Plan has seven foundational goals, and everything else is built around those goals.

            After discussion, the EMC decided to push the matter of its identity down the road until the Hazard Mitigation Plan is in place. “Everyone has to be on board,” said Marum. “Greenhouse gases is driving this.”

            The next meeting of the Marion Energy Management Committee is scheduled for Monday, September 27, at 5:00 pm.

Marion Energy Management Committee

By Mick Colageo

Friends of Mattapoisett Council on Aging

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The Friends are having a Luncheon at noon on September 9. Come and join us for burgers, hot dogs, French fries, and ice cream. Punch and coffee will also be served. Please bring a donation of canned goods or school supplies to the luncheon. Reserve your spot by calling the Mattapoisett Council on Aging office, 508-758-4110, by September 7.

Clifford to Fill School Committee Term

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            The Mattapoisett Select Board and Mattapoisett School Committee held a joint meeting on August 24 to vet candidates for the unexpired School Committee term created by the abrupt departure of Shannon Finning.

            The four candidates vying for the seat were Erin Custadio, Holly Weeden, Eric Beauregard, and Carole Clifford. When all was said and done, Clifford got the nod from the joint committee. School Committee Chairman Jim Muse thanked Clifford for her previous work as a School Committee member, saying she had provided exemplary work on behalf of the committee and understood the time commitment being on the School Committee demanded. Clifford had previously served on the School Committee but had decided not to run for re-election in May. She will now complete Finning’s unexpired term, which ends in May 2022.

            In other business, the board and Town Administrator Mike Lorenco discussed findings after a review of safety concerns regarding Ned’s Point Road. Lorenco said he met with Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer and Public Safety Officer Justin King on site to discuss concerns with vehicles parking on both sides of the narrow, 19-foot-wide roadway, pedestrians and cyclists using the wrong side of the roadway, and the volume of traffic.

            Another troubling matter became moot when Lorenco noted that landscape stakes, which many property owners had place along the roadway to prevent parking on grassed easements, had either been removed or replaced with stakes that are less likely to cause harm to pedestrians.

            Board member Jodi Bauer was in favor of a lighted sign similar to traffic speed signals that might read, “Walk left – ride right,” to remind pedestrians and cyclists which side of the roadway they should be using. The board unanimously approved a parking ban along Ned’s Point Road on the easterly border from the intersection of Marion Road to the termination of the roadway at the park.

            Lorenco also updated the board on issues regarding use of Ned’s Point Park for special events. He said that it has become extremely difficult to manage and monitor the use of the public space when families or groups want to use parts of the park for their special events. “The $100 fee doesn’t cover the cost,” Lorenco said, referring primarily to clean-up.

            There arose the matter of which board or department of the town government owns the job of enforcing park rules. Board member and Chairman Jordan Collyer thought the board has the option of setting policy, but when it came to enforcing rules it was unclear who has control. The board discussed setting polices that might help management of the popular site, with rules such as limiting the number of people in any one group, segregating a section of the park as a space that could be used exclusively for special events, limiting the number of events allowed in any given month, and setting a $250 refundable deposit if the grounds are cleaned by the applicants but forfeited if clean-up rules are not upheld.

            Lorenco will review with town counsel how policy for the public park might be managed and by what governing entity.

            Earlier in the evening, the board members appointed approximately 85 people to a variety of town boards and employment positions from animal control officer to fence viewers, from Finance Committee members, Police and Fire personnel to library director, from Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee members to Measurer of Wood and Bark.

            On the matter of staff vacancies, Lorenco said that promising applications have been received for the positions of Conservation Commission agent, Board of Health agent, town planner, and operations project manager. He also noted that two consulting conservation agents have submitted requests for services applications.

            Fall Special Town Meeting was also touched on with Lorenco pointing to a number of possible warrant articles. Those mentioned were the Old Rochester School District Agreement, Capital Stabilization Fund(s), allocation of free cash, new fire apparatus, and the paving of Pearl Street. The board set a warrant opening date of September 14 and closing of September 28.

            Lorenco also told the board members that the state had not issued updated masking requirements with the exception of mandating face covering for students when indoors, starting with the opening of schools. He acknowledged that surrounding towns are either looking to update their masking policy or have instituted new policies, but he did not suggest Mattapoisett do so at this time.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

Cass, Wysong Soak in Success

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            Three weeks from age 60, Mary Cass was the class of the Mattapoisett Road Race, brushing off her closest competitor and Saturday morning’s humidity with a stellar if sweat-soaked performance.

            Cass, whose official time of 20:46 (she timed herself at 20:47.3) was 14th overall, led all women by a comfortable 37 seconds.

            “You know what this means? I have the course record, and if they never run it again, I’ll always have the course record,” she mused, comically cognizant of the fact the racecourse was improvised this year from a 5-miler to a 5k in the interests of all participants’ wellbeing. “Almost [age] 60, it’s very rare [to win], so it’s only small races that I’ll do well in. But I love it.”

            Cass also holds the course record for the Acushnet 3-miler (on another pandemic-adjusted distance) and the Old Rochester Regional Frosty 5k, but none of the brisk air that permeates ORR’s winter race was available on August 21.

            “I always do reverse splits. I went out slow and just build it up, build it up,” said Cass, who knew the outcome two miles in when she was even with only one rival, “Because I’m doing 40 miles a week.”

            The coronavirus pandemic that turned last year’s race into a virtual, remotely contested event, cost Cass 10 pounds. “I got 10 pounds lighter; I didn’t put on any weight, just lost muscle. My glutes are very weak, and it’s caused me all sorts of knee issues,” she said.

            The Westport resident grew up in Wareham and Middleborough, and her husband is from Marion. “So, I’ve always done the Mattapoisett [race],” said Cass.

            Mattapoisett’s Julie Craig, 54, finished second among women in 21:23, 39 seconds ahead of the women’s initial pack that finished with Erin Carr (22:02) third, Madeline Cutrone (22:04) fourth, Katherine Mello (22:09) fifth, and Karen Keenan (22:13) sixth.

            Trevor Wysong, 23, finished first overall in an official time of 15:09, a 4:52 mile split (he timed himself at 15:10). The Taunton native won the race by a whopping 2:40 ahead of runner-up Jason Eddy and finished only 14 seconds off his personal best 14:55.

            “This is close, considering it’s on the road, too,” said Wysong, who clocked his best 5k on a track.

            Wysong won the 5-mile version of the Mattapoisett race in 2019 but did not compete in last year’s virtual race. He said his goal was “mostly to win and push myself. I always try to win, but when I can really test my fitness, I’m happy about it.”

            Although he runs approximately 85 miles per week, Wysong has used his summer primarily to train rather than race. The Bridgewater State University graduate still has a year of eligibility remaining for indoor and outdoor track and is enrolled there in a graduate program in computer science.

            The race was especially meaningful for Eddy, a 41-year-old East Bridgewater resident who grew up in Rochester and was a 1998 recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Mattapoisett Road Race.

            “I like to try to come back and run as much as I can,” said Eddy, who trains with Wysong. “He’s a great runner, one of the best in the area. He was a great cross-country runner…. He qualified for nationals twice, he’s the real deal. … I knew when I saw him at the line, ‘Alright, I’m running for second.'”

            Eddy’s 17:49 was 18 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Corey Hebert (18:07). Will Vrattos (18:46) and Murray Copps (19:10), a second ahead of Torsten Brickley, rounded out the top five overall.

            “I haven’t raced much, to be honest, in a long time, so definitely slow – much slower than I usually run,” said Eddy. “I’m happy to be able to get out here and run a race for the first time in a long time, so I’ll take it.”

            The pleasant Saturday morning along the coast was deceptive, as humidity took its toll on many runners who were only too happy to step into an optional shower of mist just beyond the finish line.

            “Humidity was very tough today,” said Eddy. “It’s a shaded course, which is good, but humidity was off the charts.” Recalling the humidity during Hurricane Bob in 1991, Cass said, “This is climate change.”

            The race also paid tribute with a poster remembering late race founder Bob Gardner.

Mattapoisett Road Race

By Mick Colageo

Dog Licensing Reminder

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Kathleen Massey, Animal Control Officer for the Town of Mattapoisett wishes to remind all dog owners that late fees of $20 on each dog license will begin on September 1, 2021. The annual fees are $9 if your pet is spayed or neutered, and $12 if they are not. A late fee of $10 was added on June 1. If you haven’t already done so, please stop by the Town Clerk’s Office between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday through Friday to license your dog(s). You may mail a check payable to the Town of Mattapoisett, P.O. Box 89, Mattapoisett, MA, 02739. Alternatively, you may also leave a check in the payment drop box on the front lawn of Town Hall. As long as there is a current rabies certificate on file, the license will be mailed out to you when payment is received. If you have any questions regarding this, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-758-4100 x 2 or send an email to townclerk@mattapoisett.net.