Academic Achievements

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Morgan Browning, of Mattapoisett, was recently awarded a Love of Learning Award worth $500 from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Browning is one of 200 recipients to receive the award.

            Love of Learning Awards are designed to help fund post-baccalaureate professional development for active Phi Kappa Phi members including graduate or professional studies, doctoral dissertations, continuing education, travel related to teaching and research, career development and more.

            Browning, a research assistant at Brown University/Butler Hospital, will use funds from the award to support travel to and from a research internship with the OCD Research Group at Butler Hospital and Brown Medical School. Browning was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi in 2017 at University of Florida.

Salty’s Silvery Moon Soiree

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Join Mattapoisett Land Trust on Saturday October 26from 5:00 to 7:30 pm for the annual autumn campfire at Dunseith Gardens, home of Salty the Seahorse. There will be music by Jake Hunsinger, a magic show by Skip Daniels and storytelling by Jackson Gillman! Plus as always we’ll have a roaring campfire and ingredients to make your own s’mores!

            This is a free event, open to the public, and always provides an evening of fun for all ages. The magic show will start promptly at 5:15 pm. There is no parking at Dunseith, so park in the village and bring a flashlight to find your way home or back to your car.

            Please note: MLT may postpone this event to Saturday, November 16 if EEE remains a concern on October 26. Watch local media and MLT’s website, Facebook and Instagram pages for more information. For more information email us at info@mattlandtrust.org.

Gagne Explains Public Works Projects Ahead of Town Meeting

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            The Mattapoisett Finance Committee has been diligently studying and commenting on the Fall Special Town Meeting Warrant for many meetings. On October 10, while Town Administrator Michael Gagne presented the committee with the recently signed warrant, he focused the committee’s attention on a number of public works projects, most of which are in whole or in part included in the warrant. 

            Gagne noted that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation requires Mattapoisett to provide an engineering proposal for improvements planned for Main Street, Water Street, Beacon Street, and Marion Road. He said that the town was currently on the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for funds that would be released in 2022. Estimated costs were not included.

            Another village street discussed was Pearl Street and its need for roadway improvements and a sidewalk. Gagne said that the pedestrian crossing from the senior housing complex across Route 6 to Pearl Street represented a problem due to the absence of sidewalks once people reached the northern border of Pearl Street. He also said the plan would correct drainage issues along Pearl Street and Tobey Lane. This project, said Gagne, would be submitted for the 2020 Annual Town Meeting with a request for $70,000 for design and engineering.

            Staying on the theme of the improvements needed on residential streets, Gagne noted that numerous subdivisions constructed between the 1950’s and ‘70s lacked drainage designs. He said the preliminary plan starts with design, engineering, and cost estimating solutions for Holly Lane, Wildwood Terrace, Knollwood Drive and areas off North Street north of I-195. A request for $150,000 is included in Article 20 for this project.

            Regarding research and study conducted by SRPEDD on the Route 6 corridor, Gagne said the town would be hosting a series of presentations on the findings with a public hearing being conducted after the New Year.

            An issue that arose after the design for the new fire station was discussed. While drainage issues associated with the police station parcel are included, a new emergency vehicle exit on the easternmost boundary of the property is also needed, Gagne said. This new exit will ease vehicle movement on Hubbard’s Way. He said that traffic signals on Route 6 are also planned, with the town’s share estimated at $30,000; the balance will come from a grant.

            Cost estimates for the new emergency roadway stand at $23,000.

            Gagne also discussed planned improvements for Industrial Drive reminding the committee that grants could bring in as much as $1.5 million. The town’s share would be $1.7 million. This project is included in Article 20.

            “We are seeking Town Meeting’s approval (of Article 20),” said Gagne “It is our intent to fund this appropriation’s yearly principal and interest payments out of funds we have been accumulating in our Debt Stabilization Fund. In FY20 we will have half a million in this fund… We put funds at each annual town meeting from the Levy in this fund, and we will continue to fund projects such as this under the tax levy limit of Proposition 2 ½.”

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for October 16 at 9:00 am at the Town Hall in the Town Administrator’s Office or the conference room.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

All That Jazz

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The Tri-County Symphonic Band presents “All That Jazz” Sunday, October 20, at 3:00 pm at the Tabor Academy Fireman Performing Arts Center, which will celebrate that great American art form: jazz.

            The program, directed by Philip Sanborn, will pay tribute to jazz and will include music from the big band era, bebop, swing, blues and cool jazz.  The concert features jazz saxophonist Marcus Monteiro of Marion, who will be playing both written and improvisational music. Monteiro was born and raised in Marion and later graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School. He earned a bachelor of music degree from University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and enjoys a successful career as a local, professional musician.

            Old Rochester Regional High School’s own Jazz Band, under the direction of Michael Barnicle, will be opening act for this Fall concert.  In a generous gesture, the Tri-County Symphonic Band will be donating 50% of their online ticket sales to the Friends of Old Rochester Music (FORM). FORM is a parent/family group whose charter has always been to support the students, teachers and music programs the ORR Junior High and High Schools. Tickets to this event are $15 for adults and $5 for students (children 12 an under admitted free).  To support the student musicians of the Tri-Town, please purchase your tickets using this link: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4355305

Friends of the MFPL Jewelry Sale

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Gather up your bangles, baubles and bows, and donate them to the Friends of the Mattapoisett Public Library for their annual Jewelry and Accessory Sale.  Donations of jewelry, single earrings, scarves, hats, and purses can be left at the library’s circulation desk during business hours prior to November 8. The sale opens at the Mattapoisett Public Library, 7 Barstow Street, with a Friends’ Member-Only Sale on Friday, November 8, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. It’s a great time to sign up for a Friends Membership. The Sale continues on Saturday, November 9, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The Friends of the Mattapoisett Public Library is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible, and all proceeds benefit the Mattapoisett Free Public Library. For more information, contact Alexandra Murphy at (508) 758-2654.

Grades K- 2 Learn to Play Basketball

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Marion Recreation presents “K-2 Learn to Play Basketball”. In this class, instructors will focus on fundamentals of the game of basketball and basics of dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, and of course teamwork. Participants will also have the opportunity to play smaller games with adaptive nets. The program runs Saturdays beginningJanuary 11, 2020 and runs through February 15, 2020, and is designed for beginner players or players in grades K- 2nd Grade. Classes take place at Sippican School Gymnasium. Cost for participants is $75 for six instructional weeks and includes a participant t-shirt.

            A former standout at Division II Merrimack College, Instructor Aaron Strothers joined the UMass Dartmouth coaching staff ahead of last season. Strothers was a four-year player at Merrimack, appearing in 108 career games at forward for the Warriors. He helped his teams to a 70-44 record on his career including two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2009, 2010). Strothers is a member of Merrimack’s 500-rebound club, amassing 553 on his career to rank 11th in program history, and also a member of the 1000th point club. In 2013, Strothers was a member of the Cape Verde National Team for a summer. Following that, he played professionally for Escazu Basketball in Costa Rica, where he also became involved in youth clinics in the area. Since his playing days, Strothers has served in a variety of volunteer and coaching rules in the southeastern Massachusetts community. Most recently, he was the head seventh grade boys coach for the Bay State Jaguars AAU team, while also assisting the fifth grade girls squad. He also volunteers in basketball roles at the Boys & Girls Club of Wareham and with the Wareham Junior Basketball Association. Strothers holds his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Business Administration from Merrimack.

            You may register online at www.marionma.gov/recreation. You do not need to live in Marion to participate in this program. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marion Recreation at 774-217-8355 or recreation@marionma.gov .

MLT Acquires Pine Island Pond Watershed Lands

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Mattapoisett Land Trust is pleased to announce the purchase of 120 acres of beautiful woods, wetlands and salt marshes in the Pine Island Pond watershed. This acquisition brings MLT’s total holdings in the Old Aucoot District to 425 acres stretching from Route 6 to Pine Island Pond. For more information about these lands, including a video flyover, see the home page of MLT’s website at www.mattlandtrust.org.

            This is the largest land acquisition accomplished by MLT since its founding in 1974, and involved funds from a variety of sources. First, at Town Meeting last May, voters approved (by a vote of 390 to 13) a contribution of $250,000 from Mattapoisett’s Community Preservation Act as well as general funds. Second, in June, MLT learned that Mattapoisett would receive $960,000 of state grant funding to support the project, bringing the total Town and state funds available to $1.2 million. Finally, remaining funds needed of $250,000 were raised from individuals, families and private associations and foundations.

            Gifts ranged from $20 to $50,000 with well over 100 individuals and families donating. In addition, MLT received contributions from the Crescent Beach Improvement Association, the Friends of Angelica, the Point Connett Association and the Brandt Beach Improvement Association, as well as from the Yawkey and Fields Pond Foundations. MLT offers its sincere thanks to everyone who donated money or volunteered time to assist with acquisition of these important lands.

Mattapoisett Fire Wows Crowd With Open House

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The Annual Mattapoisett Fire Department Open House is one of those Tri-Town events not to be missed. With its free food, fun fire safety activities, and live fire and rescue demonstrations, it’s easy to walk away feeling energized by the adrenaline of the close encounters with danger, albeit controlled encounters with danger, and with a renewed enthusiasm to inspect the fire alarms in your house.

            Everyone was enthralled by the State Police K-9s sniffing out fire accelerants and explosives during a live demonstration, and fascinated by the Jaws of Life extraction techniques of removing the roof of a car like a tin can lid performed right before their eyes. But it’s the live extinguishing of a controlled fire that gets the crowd excited year after year.

            Inside a roughly 30 square-foot plywood “room” sat a comfy recliner, loveseat, and desk chair. From the moment the spark was ignited from behind the sofa until the tiny room was engulfed in flames, only a matter a few seconds shy of a minute had passed before the fire had spread, showing just how combustible our modern materials are and how important the presence of working fire alarms is when you only have seconds to escape.

            While the firefighters finished knocking down the fire and neutralizing the scene, Lt. Jim Harlfinger explained how modern synthetic materials such as those found in furniture ignite faster and burn hotter than natural materials and wood used more frequently in the past.

            Inside the fire station that had been cleared of fire apparatuses to make way for the public, kids played trivia in exchange for prizes, found balloons and plastic fire hats for them to take home, made some colorful crafts, and enjoyed free pizza and goodies before the event was over by 1:00 pm.

            This year’s open house was rescheduled from the usual weekday evening time to the Saturday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm time slot due to the enduring threat of eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in the region.

By Jean Perry

The Women of Lockerbie

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“The Women of Lockerbie”, written by Deborah Brevoort and directed by Jennifer Palmer, opens next weekend on Friday, October 18at 7:30 pm at the Marion Art Center.

            The Year is 1995. A mother from New Jersey roams the hills of Lockerbie Scotland, looking for her son’s remains that were lost in the crash of Pan Am 103. She meets the women of Lockerbie who are fighting the U.S. government to obtain the clothing of the victims found in the plane’s wreckage. The women, determined to convert an act of hatred into an act of love, want to wash the clothes of the dead and return them to the victim’s families. The Women of Lockerbie is a poetic drama about the triumph of love over hate

            Show dates are Friday, October 18to Sunday, October 20and Thursday, October 24to Sunday, October 27. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 pm, while Sunday matinees are scheduled at 2:00 pm. The cast features Kate Fishman, Jessica Harris, Susan Massey, Frank Mitchell, Linda Monchik, Margo Ruggiero, and Jacob Sherburne. Tickets on sale now at www.marionartcenter.org/events/women-of-lockerbie/

Rochester Historical Society

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The Rochester Historical Society would like to thank the Rochester Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, for the grant we received which made this year’s Museum exhibit, “Notable People of Rochester: Past and Present”, possible. We hope local people will stop by on Sundays to view it.