Mark Lawrence Barry

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Mark Lawrence Barry, 66, of Marion passed away Friday, August 13, 2021.

            Mark was born in Chelsea, MA and lived most of his life in his beloved town of Marion. As a young child, he was always drawn to the sea and anything that had to do with boats or fishing. Growing up in this seacoast village with his loving and supportive mom, Virginia, father, Dick, sister, Kim, and brother, Brian, he flourished. He knew he was at home in Marion and on the choppy waves of Buzzards Bay, and he proved his commitment by settling in the village where he raised two wonderful sons, Mark and Steven.

            In High School, Mark was an accomplished member of the ORRHS hockey team. He served as the editor of his class’s yearbook and taught sailing and riflery at Tabor’s Summer Program. He later attended La Salle University where he earned a B.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations. In addition to his academic accomplishments, he met his life-long “Band-of-Brothers.” This core of loving, supportive, amazing, and very entertaining men would be a part of Mark through life’s journey through thick and thin, supporting Mark and one another to this day. Not enough can be said of his La Salle “brothers.”

            Mark was fiercely proud of and devoted to his sons Mark and Steven. To quote Mark Jr., “My pops was a hell of a guy. The pinnacle of a proud dad, talking me up to anyone he met, finding adventure on sea and the wilderness together, listening with bated breath to everything I ever had to say, and always making sure that my brother and I had the best lives possible.” This past spring, Mark was blessed with a grandson, Ethan, who brings joy and light to all he is with.

            Professionally, Mark had many accomplishments in the specialty insurance and integrated/ advertising industry. He navigated his companies through many growth years and most recently served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Tokio Marine Relations HCC Specialty Group. Mark was eloquent, knowledgeable, and passionate about his profession. He enjoyed 30 accomplished years in this industry before his well-deserved retirement in 2018.

            Six years ago, Mark embarked on a new journey with his new wife Amy. They were kindred spirits and the love of each other’s lives. The spark between them was undeniable. In 2019, they were married at the Sippican Tennis Club in a beautiful and memorable service. As a couple, Mark and Amy enjoyed laughing, spending time together, golfing, traveling, entertaining friends and family at their home in Marion and spending time on the ocean.

            Over this past year, Amy, and her supportive, loving family, alongside the Barrys and close friends, tended to Mark through his final season of life, and he passed on August 13th, 2021.

            Mark will be remembered as a supportive, kind and infinitely generous man – a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a husband, and a cherished friend.

            A ceremony in celebration of Mark’s life will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 10 am at Island Wharf Band Shell, 2 Island Wharf Rd., Marion. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123 or the Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Ave., Provincetown, MA 02657. For online guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Chair Orders Second Site Visit for Bailey Project

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            The Rochester Conservation Commission on August 17 again reviewed a Notice of Intent filed by Planning Board member and now new Conservation Commission member Bendrix Bailey to construct a 20-foot wide, 700-foot long roadway to access a single-family house lot at 0 Gerrish Road.

            Bailey’s application for a Form C Definitive Subdivision with the Planning Board roused significant opposition from some abutters, and when a mistake was discovered about the incorrect lot number indicated on the plan, Bailey had to correct his NOI to the ConCom.

            Some of those neighbors voiced their concerns this evening. However, without any specific questions related to the commission’s jurisdiction on the matter, Chairman Chris Gerrior had to intervene to keep the discussion on track.

            Engineer Brian Grady pointed out some minor changes to the plan, including a reduction in the roadway surface width from 20 feet to 18 feet, resulting from a meeting Grady held with the fire chief and highway surveyor.

            Some commission members asked why the road had to be “as wide as Route 6,” as Gerrior commented. Grady stated that it has to comply with Planning Board standards for the Form C Definitive Subdivision that Bailey had to apply for to gain the required frontage and access to build a single-family house on his 9 acre lot.

            “If we could reduce it, we certainly would …,” said Grady, adding that the plan all along has been to produce as minimal a footprint as possible with this project.

            “It just seems like a really wide bit of earth that’s being removed, and that’s going to be a good amount of trees that are being removed…,” said Gerrior.

            “We’re kind of caught between Planning Board requirements and your requirements, so we did what we could to minimize the footprint,” said Grady. He later added, “We’ve done what we can through the Planning Board process to minimize the footprint and recognizing your jurisdiction on this as well.”

            Gerrior said that, while he respects that, he doesn’t see any evidence that any ConCom suggestions had been adopted in the plan. “The Planning Board has completely driven this project to what it is, and we just have to accept that. … I’m not connecting here.”

            Grady said he did consider one ConCom suggestion, to use an existing gravel driveway instead of creating a new roadway, but the Planning Board would not allow it as it would not meet its standards.

            Daniel Gagne, the vice chairman of the commission, had some concerns about stormwater runoff and asked to see a stormwater study report, which Grady could not provide him. He assured Gagne that the Planning Board’s peer-review engineer addressed stormwater issues and that there would be no runoff onto abutting properties. Gagne was not satisfied with that. When Grady suggested another site visit to view the area, Gerrior accepted.

            The commission did not set a date for the site visit, but Gerrior said the commission would once he knew everyone’s availability. The public hearing was continued until Tuesday, September 7.

            A Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Douglas Rose, 89 Box Turtle Drive, to install a fence and clear fallen trees and grade up to the 25-foot buffer zone was continued until September to allow Gerrior to work with the applicant to provide a more detailed plan to present to the commission.

            Rose stated that he wanted to provide a safe, secure play area for his two-year-old son free of coyotes and stray dogs that have recently caused the family concern. Rose, who bought the house three months ago, said he was unaware that his property contained wetlands that would encumber his ability to build a vinyl privacy fence and clear some trees right up to the 25-foot no-touch zone. “So, it was a shock for us to find out about this …” he said.

            Some of the commission’s concerns involved the absence of a clearly marked wetlands line, although some existing flags still hanging from trees might provide some indication of a wetlands line upon further review. Gerrior offered to work with Rose to address the commission’s concerns in September.

            The commission will hold a site visit, and the hearing was continued until September 21.

            Also during the meeting, the commission issued an Order of Conditions for the NOI filed by Carl and Jennifer Achorn to construct a single-family house, in-ground pool, onsite well, and septic system. The commission added some special conditions, given that the site work will take place right up to the 25-foot, no-touch zone. Those conditions include a permanent marking, such as rocks or a fence, at the 25-foot line, a restriction on fertilizer use, a pre-construction meeting, and an order that pool water is removed from the site and not drained.

            After having conducted a site visit, the commission that night issued a Certificate of Compliance to Rochester MA 2, LLC for a ground-mounted solar array at 268 Mattapoisett Road.

            The public hearing for an NOI filed by A.D. Makepeace for wetlands restoration and replication at 0 County Road, located at the Morse Swamp Reservoir, was continued until September 7 at the applicant’s request.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, September 7, at 7:00 pm and will continue to be conducted remotely via Zoom.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Jean Perry

Marion Concert Band

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On Friday, August 20, there will be a re-dedication ceremony for the Robert O. Broomhead Bandstand at Island Wharf in Marion. Several years ago, the bandstand was refurbished, and during the construction, the commemorative plaques were misplaced. Subsequently, a new plaque was fabricated that indicates the dedication of the bandstand to longtime past band member and trombonist Robert O. Broomhead (1903-1981). It also displays the founding year of the Marion Concert Band, 1878. The ceremony will be right at 7:00 pm followed directly by the “Best of Broadway” concert.

            The Marion Concert Band continues its Friday evening concert series with a program of music from the Broadway stage. The program, which includes highlights from some of Broadway’s most memorable shows, is as follows: The Showman – H. Akers; Orpheus in the Underworld – J. Offenbach; Broadway Show-Stoppers Overture – arr. W. Barker; Man of La Mancha – M. Leigh; Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide) – L. Bernstein; Haunting Horns – B. Hardin; Selections from Into the Woods – S. Sondheim; Selections from Wicked – S. Schwartz; Opening Night on Broadway – arr. M. Brown; Selections from My Fair Lady – F. Loewe; Selections from Les Misérables – C.M. Schonberg; Bombasto – O.R. Farrar.

            The concert, under the direction of Tobias Monte, will begin at 7:00 at the Robert O. Broomhead Bandstand, Island Wharf, off Front Street in Marion. All concerts are free and open to the public. ‘Like’ us on Facebook at “Marion Town Band” for up-to-date announcements and rain cancellation notices.

‘Prayer Stop’ in Mattapoisett

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An outdoor “Prayer Stop” will be held in Mattapoisett as a non-denominational outreach for prayer. Our prayer team is here to provide encouragement, compassion, comfort, and peace with prayer to anyone who wishes to stop by. There is never any cost or fee for this faith-based outreach, and Mattapoisett was chosen because one of the pastors was born in the town and felt led to pray for the town residents, first responders, and the town’s government.

            The event will take place on Saturday, August 21, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Route 6, next to Ying Dynasty in the vacant back parking lot (Previous Bowlmor Lanes).

Locals Help Launch Lifelong Dream

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            Massachusetts’ South Coast was not on Paul Thompson’s radar, not when he was a child learning to sail in England’s Newcastle area nor at any time during a professional career that took him to upstate New York where he regularly raced on Lake George. But he was thrilled on Saturday morning when Seven Stars, the boat it took him the past 20 years to build in his backyard, launched from Mattapoisett harbor.

            “I started dreaming of building my own boat when I was 10,” said Thompson, who had pecked away at his pet project while working as a research engineer for General Electric up until his November 2020 retirement. He had built smaller vessels like kayaks and made replica models of larger ones. “All my friends went to a kayak or Arborite guide boat. I’ve been so busy doing this.”

            At 32 feet, 4 inches long on the deck and 40 feet overall, Seven Stars is a U.S. registered vessel that Thompson always wanted to register in Newport, Rhode Island, the mecca of sailing with its Americas Cup legacy. Thusly reflects the vessel’s label, but the boat wound up in Mattapoisett where Marine officers from the Harbormaster’s Office assisted in the launch that began with a prescribed number of tests.

            “The whole thing with Mattapoisett is this [past] winter when I started looking for a transport company, I called half a dozen people and they said, ‘Boat’s too small,’ ‘Boat’s too big,’ ‘It’s too far’ … ‘We only ship across country.’ Finally, I got a hold of [Tom] Brownell and Cindy, and they said, ‘Yeah, we can do that,'” recalls Thompson, who sent photographs, received confirmation that transport could be arranged, and planned to revisit the matter in Spring 2021. “Well, the spring kind of dragged out, so it was the middle of the summer before we finished all the details, enough to get it in the water.”

            Jonathan Henshaw, who works for Brownell, went up to Thompson’s Stephentown, New York, residence on August 10 and drew rave reviews for his work. “Absolutely fabulous, backed that trailer down in one move. … Jon’s been down, pretty much every night, to check on us.”

            To assist in the transport, Thompson called on “a lot of crew from my ancient past, college days. … They all showed up, we all listed the mast to put it in the crutches on the truck. I fed them the night before and fed them beer.”

            Alongside the vessel, its mast was transported in bare-pole form inside a padded mast carrier held on the side of the truck by three crutches. All the rigging was done at the boat launch site over the two-and-a-half days prior to Seven Stars’ initial test run.

            “Tom was so gracious after we had a minor issue … you guys have been wonderful,” he told Brownell. “Credit to Mattapoisett, really.”

            “A lovely place, too,” said Thompson’s wife Nina, who grew up in Massachusetts. “Everybody in this town is so good. So many people stopped by and made the effort.”

            Passengers on boats in Mattapoisett harbor stood up and applauded as Seven Stars basked in the sailing community’s camaraderie as it launched.

            Thompson said that Seven Stars, a modified version of a Mark Smaalders yacht design, makes it four such Kahuna class boats in the water. Two others are in Maine and in North Carolina, and the original is in Australia. Along with Seven Stars, three more were recently under construction in Italy, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

            Seven Stars has a full cabin and a little more underbody than Smaalders’ original design, according to Thompson, who added fiberglass to all the interior partitions. To offset the added weight, he added 6 inches of keel decking to add some buoyancy.

            If the boat is ever totally modernized, it will be via retrofitting.

            “I’ve read articles where guys had issues with certain parts and pieces, but I kept anything like the electronics and what-have-you to today. In fact, I still haven’t fitted it with GPS. I’ve got a hand-held [device]. I still carry my sextant,” said Thompson. “All the lines are high-tech … I tried to put the highest technology into it as possible.”

By Mick Colageo

End of Year Transfers Approved

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            On August 12, the Mattapoisett Finance Committee met to discuss and approve end-of-year transfers that would finally draw a line under a year of fiscal challenges and revenue uncertainties.

            “We are balancing budgets with the actuals,” said Town Administrator Mike Lorenco. He said that, while the current revenue status is strong, there remains great uncertainty about the 2022 revenue realities given that new car sales have dropped. But for now, strong private building projects along with supplemental monies from the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) find Mattapoisett’s financials on solid ground, Lorenco said.

            “We had received [and used] $900,000 by the end of December,” Lorenco said with another estimated $100,000 yet to be used. The town has also received half of a $669,000 federal grant, money that can be used for a wide variety of projects such as infrastructure. “The [Select] board has to decide how to use that money.

            Among the total transfer of $77,063 being moved from reserve accounts, there were: $6,760 for janitorial services, including the installation of safety barriers in town buildings and increased cleaning, both directly attributed to the impact of COVID-19; $10,200 weekend coverage for fire station staffing and an additional $23,040 for on-call personnel; $3,200 to balance the Transfer Station budget and another $8,110 for fees associated with recycled materials costs; $14,673 in employee compensation beyond retirement dates (Amanda Stone and Liz Leidhold), as well as salary due Garrett Bauer before his election as highway surveyor; $6,000 employee educational incentive reimbursement; and $4,300 unemployment compensation.

            Lorenco said that the increase in the number of on-call fire personnel responses can be tied to a greater number of residents at home due to COVID-19 and, therefore, their availability to answer alarms. Lorenco said he had a meeting scheduled with Fire Chief Andrew Murray to discuss ways of avoiding a surge of on-call personnel at any given time.

            Regarding town employees’ ongoing educational opportunities, Lorenco said that municipal finance jobs are “more complicated than in the past. … Sometimes it takes six years or more to complete.” The accompanying incentive, he said, is that investing in employees encourages them to stay in Mattapoisett.

            Lorenco said that the Tri-Town Selectmen’s meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 1, and will address topics such as the new regional school agreement topping the list of agenda items. Select Board member Tyler Macallister said that he hopes to see the OPEB liability for the schools become a budget line item in schools’ budget planning.

            Also coming up is the Tri-Town Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, August 25, at 7:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

Marion Democrats Host Local Climate Expert

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All Democrats in Marion are welcome to the Marion Democratic Town Committee (MDTC) Thursday, August 19, to hear Carrie Katan, an organizer for Climate XChange Education and Research in Massachusetts. The meeting will begin at 5:30 pm and go to 6:30 pm at Indian Cove Clubhouse. Katan works with 29 leading environmental organizations and 69 co-sponsors on Beacon Hill in efforts to pass the Green Future Act this session.

            The Green Future Act (H.3292) was written to ensure the state achieves its legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and would provide much needed local funding. In the case of Marion, the act would provide $243,875 for locally controlled environmental projects by 2030.

            At this meeting Democrats also will be asked to provide input on key issues to be addressed at the Massachusetts Democratic State Convention on September 25 in Lowell, MA. All Democrats can review the most recent platform from 2017, which will be updated this year. Residents can ask that their priorities be included in the 2021 platform. The 2017 Massachusetts Democratic Party Platform can be found at massdems.org. Our local meetings also will be posted on the Marion Democratic Town Committee Facebook page. You may write Marionmassdems@gmail.com if you have questions.

            You do not have to register to attend the local MDTC meeting. Light refreshments will be provided. (Follow Indian Cove Road to the dead end. Please carpool due to limited parking.)

Mattapoisett Museum

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The Mattapoisett Museum and Southcoast Lessons will be hosting its 3rd Open Mic Night on August 20 at 6:00 pm. All ages and all genres welcome. Sing a song, play a tune, do a dance, crack a joke, tell a story… The stage is yours; the musical community is all of ours to share! Additionally, “The Friendly Fizz” will be set up on the museum lawn with Italian sodas and cookies for sale.

            On Sunday, August 22, at 1:00 pm, the museum will be hosting Southcoast Lessons’ Old Time Fiddle Sessions and Community Gathering. This event features old time string band musicians, friends, friends of friends, and friendly strangers.

            Contact Mattapoisett Museum at info@mattapoisettmuseum.org or Southcoast Lessons at southcoastlessons@gmail.com with any questions.

            On Tuesday, August 31, at 6:00 pm, the Mattapoisett Museum and the LGBTQ+ Network South Coast will be hosting a conversation about the evolution and growth of the South Coast LGBTQ+ community. Join the Q&A as we provide an overview of the programs available for LGBTQ+ individuals, their friends, families, and allies in our region. Also joining us in this conversation is Alia Cusolito, a student at ORRHS. Alia is president of the GSA club at the high school as well as the founder of the GSA at the junior high. Alia also currently serves on the Massachusetts GSA Student Leadership Council, the leadership team of Queer Youth Assemble, and is an organizer of Let Trans Athletes Play. Formerly, Alia was a Youth Social Media Advisor for the Fenway Institute of Health and involved with the GLSEN Massachusetts SHINE team.

            Everyone is welcome, no reservations required. For more information, call the LGBTQ+ Network South Coast at 774-755-2656 or Mattapoisett Museum at 508-758-2844.

            All information related to museum events can be found on their website www.mattapoisettmuseum.org/events or on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/mattapoisettmuseum.

            All events are free, but donations are always appreciated. Thank you to the community for its continued generosity.

Focus on Marine Center Grant Funding

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            In his Harbormaster’s report to the Marion Marine Resources Commission during the latter’s August 16 public meeting, Isaac Perry said that the town’s Capital Improvement Planning Committee plans to participate in a walk-through of the Island Wharf marine headquarters on Friday, August 20, at 2:00 pm.

            “The CIPC wants to stay on top of that as much as possible,” said Perry, explaining that the event will be very much like the open house that the MRC hosted earlier this summer in a show-and-tell of what is envisioned for the new Marine Center.

            That vision will reach a significant juncture on Thursday, September 9, when the Seaport Economic Council meets from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Massachusetts Maritime Academy to announce its awards for grant funding of received project applications in a competitive grant process.

            Marion hopes that one of the grants will be awarded to the town for a $303,000 feasibility study that would fund construction and design documents for the proposed Marine Center. Perry said that the Seaport Economic Council has already visited Island Wharf.

            In other matters, the MRC has submitted its long-awaited recommendation of updated rules and regulations for aquaculture to the Select Board. Late tweaks addressed existing grant holders grandfathered into the new opportunity to hold a license on 3 acres as opposed to the traditional limit of a half-acre. There had been a stipulation that those areas be contiguous, but it was determined that such a requirement of existing grant holders is not realistic, so they will not be limited to contiguous areas should their license expand to new areas.

            Perry told the MRC that it has been a very busy summer around Island Wharf, as over 200 participants are engaged this week in a junior regatta off Silvershell Beach. The largest field ever was in the mid-300s, according to Perry, who is happy to see approximately 200 participants.

            “We all feel that’s a good number to ease back into these events,” he said. “This is really the first year I can remember where we sent people to the overflow parking area up by Sippican School. … Some of it is to be expected. … With everything that went on last year, people are coming out en masse this year.”

            Citing significant technological leaps in both computer hardware and software, Perry said that IMC, a management platform software produced by Hewlett Packard, enables the Harbormaster Department’s staff to record events and enter information via tablets in real time. The process takes two to three minutes.

            The result, since the software began being used on July 1, has been more than a major step beyond an Excel spreadsheet – it has been a revelation.

            “It’s been an eye-opener … when we make a conscious effort to document what the department really does,” said Perry, calling IMC a useful tool for documenting incidents and routine day-to-day duties.

            The end game is a department overview to be put together in a detailed document describing operations over the course of the year. “I’m pretty excited to get working on that,” said Perry of the winter project. “Police reform, as it evolves over the next two, three years, that’ll be part of it as well.”

            In his Shellfish Officer’s update, Deputy Harbormaster Adam Murphy reported that Perry went to Salem State University and brought back softshell clams that were deployed over Meadow Island.

            The MRC’s next scheduled meeting is Monday, September 20, at 7:00 pm. The Music Hall has been reserved by the MRC for the remainder of 2021 with the plan to meet there pending the town’s COVID-related protocols.

Marion Marine Resources Commission

By Mick Colageo

MAC Theater Presents Cedar Beach

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The MAC Theater presents its second play of the 2021 season, “Cedar Beach,” written by local playwright Mark Howland and directed by John Heavey. The cast includes Jack Boesen, Heather Corrigan, Rick DaSilva, Michele Letourneau, Andrew Oliveira, Thom O’Shaughnessy, Susan Salvesen, Joanne Sherburne, Jacob Sherburne, Rick Sherburne, Gary Sousa, Susan Sullivan, Karrie Szatek, and Kim Teves. The MAC’s sound and lighting technician is Steve McManus.

            Synopsis: Cedar Beach is about family and a family-owned property. Spanning several generations that covers 50 years, the play attempts to chronicle the history of a vacation home and the vicissitudes of the people who inhabit it. The action follows the lines of entropy, from order to disorder, simplicity to complexity, and tradition to innovation. As such, the home represents both the luxury of privilege and the burden of responsibility. The play is comprised of eight scenes that span from the mid 1950s to 2007.

            This is the MAC’s third outdoor live theater event that will take place in Bicentennial Park, Marion, across the street from the MAC. Six show dates are scheduled for August 21-22, 26-29. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday productions will begin at 5:00 pm, while Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 pm. In case of rain, guests may choose another date, donate tickets, or receive a refund only if the performance is cancelled. Guests should bring their own chairs and must wear a mask if entering the Marion Art Center. Tickets are just $18 for MAC members and $20 for nonmembers and can be purchased online at marionartcenter.org/events/cedar-beach.