The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club will gather on Thursday, September 19at 11:00 am for a Potluck Luncheon and meeting in Reynard Hall of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, located at 27 Church Street, Mattapoisett. Members bring their favorite dish; there is a brief meeting around 11:30 am followed by the luncheon. For more information, visit our website – www.mattapoisettwomansclub.org. or contact Christine Vose at 508-758-3348.
The Mattapoisett Scouts will host a Gaga Tournament Saturday, September 21from 12:00 – 2:00 pm at the Center School Gaga Pit. Please join us for gaga, spy training, other games, prizes and more. All ages welcome – bring your friends and see who can get through the Mission Impossible laser tunnel, try your hand at making a catapult, fish for prizes, and of course, try to be the last one standing in the Gaga Pit.
Have you ever thrown a tomahawk? Biked Nantucket? Slept at Carabiners or the Museum of Science? Carved a boat out of soap? Built and raced a Pinewood Derby Car? The scouts of Pack 53 and Troop 53 have! We want you to join in all the fun. Come to our next meeting and see what adventures our scouts have been up to. For more information, call or text Wendy Copps at 401-316-1202 or email us at pack53cubscout@gmail.com
The following students were named to the UMass DartmouthSpring 2019 Chancellor’s List in recognition of earning a semester grade point average of 3.8 or higher of a possible 4.0:
Marion: Ethan Anderson, Kevin Camara, Benjamin Lima, Lily Smith
Mattapoisett: Charles Berg, Isabella Bernardi, Abigail Field, Sean Lyon, Madison Miedzionoski, Sean Nutter, Troy Sjahfiedin
Rochester: Susan Brenner, Alexa Francis, Lauren Gaspar, Damon Ivester, Abigail Larkin, Danielle Marston, Caitlin Stopka, Joshua True
The following students were named to the UMass DartmouthSpring 2019 Dean’s List in recognition of earning a semester grade point average of 3.2 or higher of a possible 4.0:
Marion: Amanda Cote, Makenzie Despres, Tyler Molander, Jared Nye, Graham Poirier, Robert Stickles
Mattapoisett: Madeleine Lee, Avery Nugent, Trevor Oldham, Alexandra Salois, Noah Tavares
Rochester: Corbin Blanchard, Tessa Camboia, Madison Lawrence, Thomas Mydlack, William O’Neil, Mary Roussell, Riley Sherman, Elizabeth Smith
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission Chairman Michael King was impressed with Sara da Silva Quintal’s professional experience related to her role in the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s restoration project slated for ‘The Bogs’ as she introduced the preliminary steps of the project in two separate filings on September 9. Nonetheless, both hearings were continued until the commission sees a final letter of approval from the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
The BBC seeks to install four shallow groundwater wells and three surface water wells at the bogs in its Request for Determination of Applicability, and a Notice of Intent proposes an invasive plant species eradication and management plan to control the spread of phragmites inside 1.2 acres of the 50 acres of land and manmade wetlands off Acushnet Road.
The data the BBC will collect from the water wells is critical in order to understand the conditions of the site, Quintal said, and will provide engineers with information necessary to conceive a solid restoration engineering plan.
After a brief introduction of the NOI for phragmite control, King read some of Conservation Agent Elizabeth Liedhold’s comments on the proposal, including her recommendations for a licensed herbicide applicator and a professional wetlands scientist to oversee the project and monitor the ongoing management.
Luckily for the BBC, Quintal is both of those.
Quintal, a wetlands scientist, said she put together the phragmite control plan herself and is a state certified herbicide applicator currently overseeing several other BBC properties with similar invasive species control plans. Quintal also put together the habitat management plan included in the submission. She contested Leidhold’s suggestion for a wetlands delineation because the wetlands are a manmade resource area – cranberry bogs that are now decommissioned – with bog cells and canals with “very strict boundaries” that are mapped out by the Coalition. King concurred.
In response to Leidhold’s recommendation for a delineation, King stated, “For me, personally, I’m comfortable with the fact that it (the wetland resources) is well-defined.” He was also comfortable with Quintal’s explanation of the rather controlled hand application of the herbicide to the hand-cut stems of the phragmites that are still rather limited in number and situated in disconnected pockets. The goal is to “nip them in the bud,” Quintal said, before they spread further and take hold of the wetlands.
“We feel it’s very, very important to tackle those invasive species now before there’s any ground disturbance,” Quintal said. “We don’t want to have a bigger problem later. We don’t want to have to continue to wait to treat these because they’re going to be more challenging to treat later on in time.”
Speaking to Leidhold’s recommendation for ongoing monitoring and reporting on the progress, Quintal said, “We do not take invasive species plans like these lightly…It’s important to stay on top of them.”
King referred to prior NOIs for invasive species control plans of a similar scope from Maple Road and Aucoot Road where Leidhold’s recommendations were appropriate, but said, “[Those] were not manmade created features that had become resource areas… so it’s a little bit different.
“But I’m just one vote,” King continued. He said he was comfortable moving forward without a wetlands delineation based on Quintal’s qualifications and asked other commission members for their opinion.
“All you gotta do is stand out there and see everything’s that made,” said Chapman Dickerson.
“I think we’re okay to move forward with this,” said King. “After [Quintal’s] eloquent recital of her professional experience… I think we’re comfortable with moving ahead with the project.”
The commission was, however, unwilling to vote on either filing that night without that letter of approval from NHESP that has jurisdiction over the property due to the presence of Eastern box turtles. King said it was the commission’s policy to refrain from issuing approval without final NHSEP confirmation.
Both hearings were continued until September 23.
The BBC’s ultimate goal at The Bogs is to restore the wetlands to their natural state before they were altered for cranberry farming. To achieve this, water from Tripps Mill Brook nearby will continue to feed the wetlands at the volume in which it currently flows, but a plan is in the works to divert stormwater directly toward the bogs that will act as a flood plain of sorts.
“We’re hoping to… capture some large flows that can infiltrate and use that area instead of sending [all that stormwater] through culverts,” said Quintal. “We’d rather see that water be fed to the bog systems themselves…”
In other matters, the commission will take under advisement an application for a Request to Amend a Notice of Intent that resulted from an Enforcement Order issued to Jesse Davidson, 22 Pine Island Road, and continued the public hearing in order to consult with the building commissioner on how best to proceed.
Davidson’s representative, Bill Madden, tried his best to explain the discrepancy between the original plan of record and what was ultimately built, but Madden, whom Davidson recently hired to assess the situation, admitted that he still hadn’t “gotten to the bottom” of all the issues.
According to Madden, a different plan from the one filed with the Conservation Office must have been submitted to the contractors that led to work that included truckloads of fill used to elevate the work area to lift it out of the FEMA designated flood zone. An enclosed basement not permitted in the Order of Conditions was then constructed, which will have to be brought into compliance with current standards for flood zone construction as the basement is now considered a “concealed space” below base flood elevation.
“So, it’s not really just a simple task of us coming in with another plan,” said Madden, later adding that this particular assignment belongs on his list of “sticky situations” that he has addressed throughout his career.
Leidhold suggested that Madden should submit a new plan, and King was unsure as to whether the commission should amend the Order of Conditions or require Davidson to file a new NOI.
“I’m not sure at this point because I’ve never seen anything like this happen before,” King said.
The commission continued the hearing until September 23.
Also during the meeting, the commission issued a Negative 3 determination for an RDA filed by Keith Curry, 7 Shaw Street, to install a new mudroom and porch to the rear of the house over existing lawn within the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone. Curry was ordered to haul offsite any excess earth and other materials resulting from the work.
Joanne and Richard Cote, 5 Gary Drive, received a swift Negative 3 determination for their RDA to install a new septic tank and mounded leaching field and to fill in the existing septic tank and abandon the old leaching field.
The commission gave a Negative 3 determination for an RDA filed by Rad Williams, 31 Shore Drive, to remove a 12’x12’ deck and extend it out 8 additional feet onto existing lawn within the FEMA flood zone.
The commission approved a revised plan for an NOI filed by 56 North Street Realty Trust, Arnold Cestari, Trustee, for 12 North Street. The applicant’s request to divert water to convert existing eutrophic pools to improve wildlife habitat was withdrawn, and only the requests to remove stockpiles from the area and install a fence raised six inches off the ground were approved.
The NOI for Michelle Lacasse, 27 Fieldstone Drive, was approved for the construction of a new patio at rear of the house, to clear some trees and stumps up to the wetlands line, to remove overgrowth around the house bordering the wetland, and for some additional paving of the existing driveway in front of the house.
A Certificate of Compliance was granted to Marianne Hickey, 13 Waterman Street.
The commission withdrew an Enforcement Order issued to Pamela Fleming, 5 Laurel Street, because the approved work was never undertaken.
The continued public hearing for an NOI filed by Next Grid Bowman, LLC to construct a large-scale ground-mounted solar array field at 0 Bowman Road was again continued until September 23 at the applicant’s request.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for September 23 at 6:30 pm at the Mattapoisett Town Hall.
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission
By Jean Perry
This month’s meeting of the Rochester Historical Society will be September 18at 7:00 pm at the Museum, 355 County Road, Rochester. There will be a talk by Connie Eshbach on “Notable People of Rochester: Past and Present”, which is also the topic of this year’s exhibit. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.
Fall and Winter 2019 programs at the Marion Natural History Museum will include:
September 18– Open House – Getting to know your museum. This is a half school day so come on over to the museum to create with Legos, enjoy our displays and learn about our upcoming programs. We are open from 12:00 – 4:00 pm, free admission.
September 25– Netting at the Marion Harbormaster’s beach – while it’s still warm out let’s see what we can find in our harbor with the museum’s seining net. Please plan to get wet. Pick up will be at the harbormaster’s beach.
October 9– Massachusetts Turtles – What kinds of turtles do we have in Massachusetts? Did you know we have a turtle who likes to build his own house in hide in? What turtle is called a “stinkpot”. What should we do when we find a turtle? Let’s learn a little about these fascinating creatures with Brian Bastarache, Natural Resource Management Chairman at Bristol Agricultural School.
October 23– Fall is here! – What is our native wildlife doing to prepare for the coming cold? We’ll look at some winter survival strategies used by our local wildlife. Then we’ll head to the woods to look at how plants, trees and squirrels are getting ready to adapt for winter. Please be sure to dress for a walk outside!
November 13– Cranberries – This fruit has been a valuable product from the southeastern Massachusetts area for many years. Dawn Gates-Allen of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association will be introducing us to the life of a bog-owner, including the many challenges they face. We’ll be doing some experimenting and hands-on activities. Let’s find out a little more about what is involved in providing this important fruit for the holidays!
December 11– Holiday party 2019 – Our annual event is always a popular program. We will be having some fun using natural and recycled materials to make gifts for the holidays. Light refreshments will be served.
Registration forms are available at www.marionmuseum.org
To the Editor:
The Elizabeth Taber Library Board of Trustees and all those involved in Marion’s Elizabeth Taber Library would like to thank Nita Howland and her crew who unselfishly and tirelessly took on the work of administrating the 2019 Annual Elizabeth Taber Library Book Sale.
There are many shades of volunteers but few like Nita Howland. Each year she takes on the monumental task of putting on the daunting annual book sale, which includes 12 months of sorting through thousands of book donations as well as the set-up and sale each year.
As one of the only private libraries left in the state, the Elizabeth Taber Library must do significant fundraising each year to help balance our budget, including sponsorships, donations and events. The Annual Book Sale is our biggest fundraiser and this year, Nita and company made sure the book sale was another huge success.
Thank you very much Nita, and thank you to many others who helped including the Marion DPW, Charlene Sperry, Diana Markle, Genya Hopkins, Nicole Davignon, Sarah Mendes, Emma Williamson, Carol Houdelette, Karilon Grainger, Dana Janik, Laura Pardo, Jorie Borden, Connie Pierce, Stephen Carnazza, John Rolli, Mark Howland, Bob and Judy Rosbe, Meg and Barry Steinberg, Bob Raymond and Peter Sowden.
Without these people and the silent assistants not mentioned, this event would not have been possible. Thank you all for your time and your dedication in helping to make the Elizabeth Taber Library the center of our town.
Jen Jones
Elizabeth Taber Library Board of Trustees
The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wandererwill gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wandererreserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderermay choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wandererhas the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wandereralso reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.
During the September 10 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen, several matters related to public safety, and at least one impacting historical preservation were addressed.
Since the construction of a solar array field off Crystal Springs Road began several years ago, residents living near the historic stone bridge spanning River Road started sounding the alarm that large tractor trailers were damaging the walls of the bridge, slowly chipping away at a piece of Mattapoisett history.
After a year that saw the town’s Historical Commission and neighbors in the area lobbying Town Hall to limit travel across the bridge, a concept embraced by the board, the selectmen signed a letter that will ultimately place a weight restriction on the bridge. That letter confirms to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that the town wishes to limit heavy trucks from using the one-way bridge.
An August 26 letter from MassDOT reads in part, “…[We are] in agreement with the town regarding approval of a 24-hour heavy commercial vehicle exemption.” Vehicles 2.5 tons and greater will no longer be allowed to use the route across the Mattapoisett River including River Road to Crystal Spring Road, “…due to the geometric restrictions and safety concerns…”
The selectmen voted to express their acceptance of MassDOT’s decision. Signage will be posted at the intersection of Route 6 and River Road, as well as at the intersection of Acushnet Road and Crystal Springs Road.
In other matters related to traffic movement, Highway Superintendent Barry Denham presented the board with an inventory of all stop signs in the town. Town Administrator Michael Gagne said, about every ten years, cities and towns need to review stop sign inventory lists and move to accept them in order to make violations defendable should the stop be challenged in court. The selectmen accepted the inventory as presented.
But that wasn’t all. The selectmen also made a motion to have all non-posted streets designated with a maximum speed limit of 25 miles per hour. Police Chief Mary Lyons was on hand and concurred that posting the 25-miles-per-hour speed limit would help. Signs, if approved, would be posted at the eight entrances to the town and would read: “Thickly settled, Speed Limit 25 citywide, unless otherwise posted.” A letter will be sent to MassDOT requesting approval and acknowledging the town’s desire to move quickly in this matter.
Selectman Tyler Macallister also expressed his concern about cars parked illegally along Mattapoisett Neck Road where the bike path crosses the roadway. He asked Chief Lyons to increase patrols along that stretch and begin towing away violators.
There was preliminary discussion with Lyons regarding the possibility of adding a four-way stop at the intersection of Pine Island Road, Church Street extension, and Old Main Road, a move that many in the area believe would make the intersection safer as part of a large roadway project planned for the village.
Coming before the selectmen regarding a Home Rule Petition draft was Kathleen Costello, administrator of assessing, and Attorney Matthew Thomas. Costello said that for several years, assessors across the Commonwealth had been attempting to get legislation approved that would close a loophole in alternative energy regulations. As the laws currently stand, she said, cities and towns cannot impose personal property taxes or payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) programs on businesses setting up alternative energy operations.
After discussions that touched on Mattapoisett’s potential to see more large-scale solar array projects coming to the community with the closure of Brayton Point Power Station and Pilgrim Power, Costello and Thomas presented the board with a draft for a home rule petition that would require commercial energy producers to make a decision – either engage in a PILOT program with the town, or pay personal property taxes on the equipment.
Companies producing 1.25 times more energy than they need for their use would fall into the category of a commercial producer, as would those businesses constructing alternative energy facilities for the sole purpose of selling energy credits to a utility. This law would not impact homeowners and businesses using alternative energy for personal use.
Costello said that the home rule would “minimize legal action that might come to the town.” The selectmen voted to place the home rule petition on the warrant for the fall special town meeting scheduled for October 21 at 6:00 pm in the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium. If this is accepted at town meeting, Mattapoisett would be the first town in the Commonwealth to enact such a ruling, Costello said.
Also coming before the selectmen to receive final approval of his application for the transfer of a permit for a portion of the town’s 100-acre shellfish propagation area off Brandt Island was Dr. Dale Leavitt of Blue Stream Shellfish, LLC. The company would assist the town in clean up of the entire site previously held by Taylor Seafood, and Dr. Leavitt would continue to contribute his vast knowledge in the field of shellfish farming to the town and its shellfish operations. Furthermore, in addition to the $1,000 per-acre bond, Blue Stream would also be assessed $200 per acre to cover municipal oversight. The selectmen voted to approve Blue Stream’s 10-acre permit. Blue Stream may ask for additional acreage in the future if the first year is successful and the town is satisfied with the operation.
Leavitt said that the first year would be one of study to evaluate growth potentials for both oysters and kelp, which the company also plans to farm.
On the subject of family quahog permits, Selectman Jordan Collyer said that anyone taking shellfish from Mattapoisett should be required to use a container that measures the catch accurately. Gagne had said that shellfish wardens were concerned that people were using everything from “plastic bags to pillowcases”, which made measuring the haul impossible. Macallister said one peck per family was allowed. Edits will be made to the Shellfish Rules and Regulations requiring a measuring device be used by all license holders. Collyer agreed, adding, “The wardens should deal with anyone not complying.”
Wrapping up the meeting, Gagne said that a Tri-Town Selectmen’s meeting was planned for October 24 at 7:00 pm in the ORR Junior High School media room.
Free flu vaccinations will be available to all adults over the age of 18 on October 10 from 9:00 – 3:00 pm at the Southcoast Wellness Van, which will be parked at 22 County Road adjacent to Ying Dynasty.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for September 24 at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall conference room.
Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen
By Marilou Newell
Jack Matthews is easy to listen to; he likes what he is currently talking about – the publication of his first novel Arte Perdida, which translates to “Lost Art”. It has been, for Matthews, an eight-year labor of love. Now that the book has been published, he is on the road sharing his joy of research and writing at venues throughout the area.
On September 8, Matthews stopped by the Mattapoisett Public Library to talk about his book. A former Mattapoisett resident, the author has used the very shores of Mattapoisett Harbor and the town itself as a place of mystery and murder. What fun.
Matthew explained that the process of writing a book is no small task. But early in his life the love of reading was prominent, even necessary. “I’d go to the library with my mother and bring home stacks of books,” he remembered. As a youngster, he never imagined becoming an author. In fact, his life took several professional trajectories that included enlisting in the armed services during the Vietnam War, 34 years working for a non-profit organization, and later teaching at a college. Yet, somehow, somewhere along the way, a seed was planted – one that took many decades to germinate.
“I had a crazy idea to write a novel,” said Matthews. That thought bubble was formed more than 20 years ago. Then, eight years ago, he began to pull his thoughts together when a bit of spontaneous insight struck him during a return visit to his former home. “I was walking along and it came to me – it exploded in my head!” It was right here while walking along Water Street. The joy of that moment clearly delights him still.
But books don’t write themselves, and Matthews set the bar very high for himself. He wanted his novel to be believable and steeped in historical details that could not be refuted. Years of research ensued.
The plot of the novel follows the mystery surrounding the gruesome findings of various body parts turning up around Mattapoisett. It’s the story of works of art stolen by the Nazis during the bombing of Berlin and spirited away, eventually, to Mattapoisett. But to get from point A to point B, Matthews took his cast of characters and readers on a journey that includes such ports-of-call as Hamburg, Germany (think: third largest port in Europe), Bell Island, Newfoundland, New Bedford, and finally Mattapoisett.
The story isn’t just a romp through Europe; it is a very well researched and believable mystery.
To ensure he could give his readers detailed scenes, scenes that described locations to perfection, Matthews, along with his daughter, traveled throughout Europe. He also spent significant time understanding the inner workings of German U-boats and submarines, he said, “In case someone reading the book knew how they operated.”
Matthews also used members of his family to populate the storyline, such as the main character, Manny Pereira, a disabled decorated Vietnam vet. He used an aunt’s name and several other members of his family to add layers to the story. During his travels, as he met people and engaged with them in conversation, Matthews found more characters that could add context and interest to his evolving story.
Not wishing to give too much away from the book itself, Matthews focused on the process of writing, the necessity of being organized, and how and when inspiration strikes. “You’ve got to write it down right away.” He talked about the “hooks” used to keep the reader engaged and how he used people in his story to accomplish that. The people he knew and the people he would meet along his eight-years of writing Arte Perdidabecame the story, heavily seasoned with his love of the area. Matthews is a natural-born storyteller equally at ease with writing as well as speaking.
To learn more about Arte Perdidaand its author, Jack Matthews, you may visit his Facebook page: “Jack Matthews, Author”.
By Marilou Newell
Michael J. “Mike” Kralovich, 74, of Marion, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 after having been lovingly cared for by his family and Southcoast Visiting Nurse Association.
Mike was born in New York City and was the beloved husband of nearly 50 years to Margaret Kralovich. He was an Army veteran who had been stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Mike was a Certified Public Accountant who worked at Merrill Lynch and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. He was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Mike loved to fish, play bridge, talk, tell stories, listen to classical music, read, do crossword puzzles, root for the NY Yankees, and travel and socialize with friends and neighbors. Most of all, Mike loved being Papa to the love of his life, his grandson, Nicholas.
In addition to his wife, Margaret, he is survived by his much-loved children, Michael Kralovich and his spouse Kimberly Trowbridge of Seattle, Washington and Teresa Camara and her husband Vinny of Fairhaven; his grandson, Nick of Fairhaven; and his sister, Rosemary of Ohio. Mike also has several in-laws, Mary Fitzgibbon, Ann and Bob Hogan, and Thomas Donohue and several nieces and nephews that survive him.
His brother Bobby predeceased him.
Rest in Peace, Mike.
His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday September 16, 2019 at 10 am at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday September 15, 2019 from 2-5 pm at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
