Friends of Bike Path Talk Amenities

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            On February 23, the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen met with Liz DiCarlo of the Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path to discuss possible amenities for Phase 1b and the Industrial Drive section that will one day link Mattapoisett to Marion via a continuous bike path.

            DiCarlo said the group had been working alongside Selectman John DeCosta to consider such matters as benches, fresh water, signage, bike racks, wayfarer’s kiosks, sanitary facilities, and rubbish containers. She described signs as those that might inform recreators about historical points of interest or environmental features such as salt marshes.

            The FOBP also wants to approach Old Rochester Regional High School for a possible art contest whereby the students could submit their creative takes on a compass rose that might one day become the model for a permanent piece of art imbedded into the bridge at Goodspeed Island Road. Selectman Jordan Collyer suggested opening the competition up to Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School also, given their “great graphics department,” he said.

            But Selectman Paul Silva, while agreeing amenities were important, said, “We have to talk about the two most dangerous spots along the bike path, Brandt Island Road and Mattapoisett Neck Road.… Until we know that those are going to be done, I don’t want to spend any money.”

            Silva was referring to the long-held concern that the intersections along the aforementioned roadways where the bike path is located must be made safer for both the bicyclists and motorists. Collyer agreed, saying, “I’m not in favor of doing anything until safety issues are addressed.”

            When Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said that funds would be needed to design the intersection and survey the area, both Silva and Collyer responded that that work had already been done. DeCosta said that any documents regarding such had not been found at Town Hall. “We’ve talked about placement of lights and identified all that,” said Collyer, who suggested that retired Town Administrator Mike Gagne be contacted to help clarify the matter. Silva quipped, “I don’t know why we need that much equipment – just get the bikers off the bikes (at the intersections), problem solved.”

            Collyer also suggested the group explore the concept of having residents purchase commemorative benches. The board agreed that the FOBP should move forward pricing such items as benches, bike rakes, and signage and return once figures are secured. The selectmen also concurred it was necessary to fast-track safety improvements at the intersections discussed.

            Coming before the board with an overview of the Waterfront Enterprise FY22 budget was Harbormaster Jamie MacIntosh. He explained that retained earnings were low and shared, as he had with the Finance Committee, his belief that a 20 percent, across-the-board increase was necessary for the department’s financial viability.

            “Dartmouth charges $205 for a 30-foot vessel, Mattapoisett charges $120,” McIntosh stated. He said the Towns of Wareham and Marion both support their harborside operations in combination with fees collected. He said a survey of the south coast and Cape Cod found Mattapoisett waterfront fees low by comparison. A meeting with the Marine Advisory Board in the coming days is planned to discuss fees in greater detail, he told the board.

            Silva asked what his retained earnings were, and Lorenco said that figure was $36,000. Lorenco added that some waterfront funds had been used to balance out the budget. MacIntosh said projects had been done; however, more harborside work was needed but not currently funded. “We’ll have to find some unique ways to pay for projects,” he said.

            Regarding one line item in the budget, indirect costs, Silva expressed dismay at the $76,000 noted. Lorenco said part of why that figure was so large was due to pension funds for the harbormaster position. Collyer said, “Paul, I’m with you; I firmly believe indirect costs are not correct for this department.”

            Silva and Collyer were also not altogether on board with the amount of increase MacIntosh was suggesting. Silva noted there had been a substantial increase in 2017. Collyer said increases should be incremental year over year. “Things cost more every year,” he said. Silva also didn’t consider Mattapoisett and Dartmouth to be comparable. “Our harbor is not as protected,” he said.

            MacIntosh also briefed the board on upcoming Capital projects such as the repairs to Long Wharf, but when he brought up using a $120,000 grant secured from the Seaport Economic Council for a harbor management study, Collyer questioned its importance. MacIntosh said such a study could put the town in a good position for securing new grant funding for such things as a new harbormaster building, but Collyer said, “What is a harbor management plan going to tell us that we don’t already know?” He asked MacIntosh to drill down and bring to light the benefits of such a study.

            Mike Huguenin of the Mattapoisett Land Trust came before the board to discuss the organization’s plans to submit “an expression of interest” letter for a future Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant application in the amount of $30,000 and another $10,000 match from the community. The money would be earmarked for survey work needed on Old Slough Road, an old town road previously identified as critical for emergency travel to and from Angelica Point in times of natural disasters. Huguenin said of funds needed for the match that the area’s residents would willingly donate based on many expressing the need for the emergency exit.

            On the good-news front, Lorenco said that the town had received $60,000 for two analyses that the University of Massachusetts will perform. One study will evaluate local school consolidation feasibility and the other the transfer station operation.

            The Board of Selectmen will meet on Tuesday, March 2, at 6:30 pm to continue its budget review and again on March 9 for its regular meeting, also at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

MLT Blanche B. Perry Scholarship

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The Mattapoisett Land Trust is seeking applicants for their $1,000 ‘”Blanche B. Perry Scholarship.” This award is available to a Mattapoisett resident interested in the field of environmental studies, science, technology, or a related field, and is a graduating senior from a secondary school by June 2021. The scholarship is made available through the Edith Glick Shoolman fund, a bequest left to provide support for children in the community. Offering this scholarship is consistent with the mission of “preserving land in order to enrich the quality of life for present and future generations of Mattapoisett residents and visitors.”

            Along with the application, the following additional information is required: 1. A personal statement about career goals as they relate to the mission of the MLT, past and present; 2. A signed community service form documenting a minimum of 20 hours of community service; 3. Professional letter of reference (teacher or guidance counselor); 4. A character letter of reference from an employer, scout, or community leader and or neighbor is required; 5. Official school transcript including credits and class rank.

            Applicants will be assessed according to academic achievement, personal statement, professional and personal references, community service, and financial need. Preference will be given to individuals who are members of the Mattapoisett Land Trust or whose parents or grandparents are members of the MLT.

            The participating schools are Old Rochester Regional High School, Bishop Stang High School, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, and Tabor Academy. The deadline for submitting the forms will be April 29.

            The recipient will be selected by May 20 and will be notified by mail. The recipient will be recognized at his or her school’s awards ceremony. The award will be disbursed after the student submits an official college transcript documenting a successful completion of his or her first semester in college to the President of the Mattapoisett Land Trust.

            The application forms will be found in the guidance offices at the local public and private schools and at the Mattapoisett Land Trust website at mattlandtrust.org/education/grants-and-scholarships.

Earle L. Sylvia

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Earle L. Sylvia, 85, of Mattapoisett, passed away after a brief illness on Saturday, February 27, 2021.

He was the husband of Mary-Jane (Silveira) Sylvia.

Born in Wareham, son of the late Joseph and Margaret (Hawley) Sylvia, he lived in Mattapoisett most of his life. He attended Center School in Mattapoisett, graduated from Fairhaven High School, and earned his Bachelor’s degree from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH.

Earle enjoyed racing cars at Lime Rock Park and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. He loved living near the water and working on his yard.

Survivors include his wife; his children, Paul Sylvia of New Bedford, and Michael J. Sylvia of Dartmouth; 3 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.

He is predeceased by his sister Eleanor Roche.

No services are scheduled at this time. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Mattapoisett. For online guestbook please visit www.saundersdwyer.com

Funeral Home Looks for Parking Upgrade

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            William Saunders’ good intentions at 50 County Road have not panned out as planned over the past quarter-century of operation, and to that end, a Notice of Intent was filed with the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission proposing the replacement of the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Funeral Home’s parking lot and a significant upgrade to the stormwater management system.

            There was no debate during the commission’s February 22 Zoom meeting over the project’s merits, laid out in a detailed presentation by representative Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon, and Leone Inc. The concern was brought to bear by southerly neighbors.

            Caty and David Fuerman, who live in the cul de sac at the northern end of Pepperbush Lane, don’t want to see the buffer between their back yard and the funeral home disappear completely.

            “We live south of there and so do our neighbors,” said Caty Fuerman. “Part of the construction was a barrier…. If there is something that could be done to protect the area south…”

            The arborvitaes originally planted overgrew and overtook the area, growing up to 25 and 35 feet high. They hid the pond, which was not maintained. The Fuermans are hoping their removal will not end there.

            The funeral home, located at 50 County Road, has been operating with the same parking lot since 1996. Not only the parking lot needs replacement, but the retention pond that was meant to catch stormwater needs to be rehabilitated.

            “The pond holds water most of the year…. It’s a mosquito magnet; we’re looking to correct that,” said Davignon, who indicated that existing stumps will be ground down to below grade but will not be excavated so as not to destabilize the banks. “The end product will be a nice looking pond that will function tremendously better than what it’s doing today.”

            The parking lot has 64 spaces, requiring a well-planned drainage system, and Davignon plans a deep sump catch basin with a forebay to recharge the groundwater as regulations require.

            The footprints of the parking lot and the pond will remain the same.

            ConCom Chairman Mike King praised the two-step system, calling it “excellent.” Another member of the commission complemented Davignon on his flagging for the site visit.

            Given the history of lack of maintenance, the Fuermans articulated concern that there is no mechanism whereby future maintenance can be ensured.

            “At some level, it’s out of our purview … but knowing the Saunders wanting to be good neighbors … I think that was the original intent of the arborvitaes,” said King.

            Davignon suggested that the commission has the ability to condition a certificate of compliance, so the owner is not required to continue filing permits just to do the right thing by providing scheduled maintenance to the area.

            “Great idea,” said King. “That will help address the concerns brought forth by the Fuermans.”

            ConCom voted to continue the public hearing to Monday, March 8.

            In another new case, Tim Dexter filed a Request for Determination of Applicability on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for proposed work at the intersection of Fairhaven Road and River Road.

            David Goldstein, the environmental analyst at MassDOT, represented Dexter’s application. The timeline could see construction begin as early as spring 2022 and completion as early as fall 2023. “It will depend on how many crews we have available. It will require no closers or detours. The sidewalk area will be closed,” said Goldstein.

            The floor was opened for public comment, and Marilou Newell, chairman of the Mattapoisett Historical Commission, told ConCom that the Historical Commission has a plaque at the Herring Run, and at the base of the plaque are commemorative bricks. “So, we want to ensure that any work won’t involve that area. It doesn’t appear as though it will, but if it should, would they have to come back with any conditions?” Newell specified that she was speaking in the meeting only in her role as chairman of the Historical Commission (see editor’s note).

            King said the project, filed solely as an RDA, is exempt because MassDOT is a state agency and told the meeting, “We would anticipate because it’s an RDA, issuing a Negative 3 Determination with notice to the office prior to the commencement of the work.”

            Goldstein was not aware of the plaque or bricks, but he invited Newell to send him an email highlighting the concern, and he, in turn, would forward the email to his project manager. “Hopefully, that gets worked down the chain when the work begins.” Goldstein stopped short of a promise because his involvement will be limited when construction takes place.

            As King anticipated, ConCom unanimously voted a Negative 3 Determination with notice to the office prior to the work’s commencement.

            A Notice of Intent filed by Armand Cortellesso/Brandt Point Builders LLC proposing the construction of a single-family home on a slab within the 100-foot buffer to bordering vegetated wetlands was presented by Al Loomis of McKenzie Engineering and, per rules for new NOI hearings, voted for a continuance to March 8.

            The NOI filed by Matthew Considine and Alex Monreal for landscape improvement at 20 North Street, including removing trees inside the buffer zone, was presented by Davignon and continued to March 8.

            Three other continued public hearings and a request for a certificate of compliance were continued without discussion.

            Conservation Agent Liz Leidhold reported that ConCom should expect to see a revised plan from Randall Lane Solar.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, March 8, at 6:30 pm.

            Editor’s Note: Marilou Newell is a regular contributor to The Wanderer.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo

ORR Stresses Significance of School Choice

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            Old Rochester Regional Superintendent Michael Nelson recommended on February 17 that the Old Rochester Regional School Committee consider maintaining the number of school-choice slots currently offered at the junior high and high school.

            Nelson wasn’t seeking a vote that night, asking only for the committee to consider offering 103 out-of-district students a desk at ORR schools while keeping in mind the significant impact school choice has on the district’s operating budget.

            “There would be ramifications if the School Committee chose not to continue with school choice,” Nelson said. “Our budget is offset by projected revenue costs,” to the tune of $535,000. “If we chose to go in a different direction, the budget subcommittee would have to come back together for (lower) revenue projections …”

            Nelson asked the committee to approve 27 open school-choice slots for the 2021-22 school year during the school-choice public hearing scheduled for March 24. Twenty-four school-choice seniors will exit ORR in 2021 so Nelson asked to replenish those slots and maintain the other three school-choice slots that went unfilled.

            ORR High School Principal Mike Devoll has for years considered ORRHS “healthy north of 700 students,” and he reinforced that view during the February 17 meeting. However, he added, “We have the potential to dip below that in the coming years.”

            The class of 2021 is one of the largest graduating classes at 190 seniors, and the class of 2022 now stands at 199. But after that, the student population of those subsequent senior graduating classes is only in the 150s and 160s, Devoll said.

            “So, we are open for business,” said Devoll, advocating for current school-choice levels.

            ORR Junior High School Principal Silas Coellner said the junior high had witnessed a decline in school-choice students from 26 two school years ago to just 14 this year. “But our enrollment numbers are also on the decline,” he said. The student population of 480 just a couple of years ago has leveled off at 415 this year.

            Some committee members asked on behalf of their constituents, if enrollment at ORR is declining, why not eliminate school choice and reduce the scale of programming? Nelson said the administration understands the concerns about falling enrollment and acknowledges that it could eventually lead to inevitable “serious conversations in the future.” Indeed, he said, factors like the coronavirus pandemic have affected enrollment in unforeseen ways. Still, “We don’t have a crystal ball at this point,” Nelson said. And although there has been some degree of discussion internally about the topic, Nelson said, “Next year those conversations are going to have to intensify, and that (scaling down programming and school choice) may be part of the conversation.”

            Nonetheless, despite one’s personal opinion of school choice, Nelson said, school choice allows the ORR School District to keep academic offerings robust, even as committee members have historically bemoaned how the $5,000 per school-choice student set by the state has not increased over the years. Nelson said the revenue from school choice does support a more diverse program at ORR and maintains it as tri-town enrollment goes down. Furthermore, as School Committee member Heather Burke explained, it also adds diversity in other essential ways.

            “What we really desire these students for is their contributions to the schools in any shape or form,” said Burke. “We feel like they bring in diversity and a different perspective that students who have been raised in just the tri-town really benefit from, and we feel like they’ve enriched our schools in many ways. So, that extra revenue is just a benefit, except the fact that our budget really depends on it, which is very unfortunate because that is not why we want to welcome these children into our schools, historically.”

            Devoll pointed out that while ORRHS gains students through school choice, it also loses prospective students to vocational and private high schools. “And there’s a cost to that, as well,” Devoll said. Part of why ORR wants to keep its academic offerings robust is to attract students who might attend another school for something not otherwise offered at ORR.

            Before switching topics to the FY22 budget, Burke reminded the committee that several large-scale housing developments are coming to Rochester and Marion “that could just change our numbers dramatically.”

            Ahead of the March 2 FY22 budget hearing, Nelson wanted to present an overview of the nearly $300,000 decrease in its initial budget proposal from January 11. Now at $20,261,158, this draft FY22 budget excludes several of what the district had previously assessed as needs and stakeholder priorities, said Nelson, deeming this updated draft a “responsible” budget based on student needs, able to provide level but cost-effective programming and staffing.

            The details of the FY22 budget will be spelled out during the March 2 hearing. Factors such as a reduction in state aid, lower than anticipated transportation reimbursement, utility cost increases due to COVID-19, third-year-teacher contract increases, and the overall fiscal climate amidst the pandemic culminated in producing what Nelson called “obviously not the easiest” budget process.

            As for town assessments, Marion is looking at a 0.8 percent increase, Mattapoisett a 0.39 percent increase and Rochester a 1.19 percent decrease, with each town comprising 30.24 percent, 36.91 percent and 32.85 percent of the total ORR budget, respectively.

            “I think that our towns should be very thankful that we are coming forward with such a reasonable budget request,” said Burke. “I don’t think that this budget necessarily meets all of the needs of our district, but I think that it moves our district forward in the key places and maintains our district’s excellence to go forward.”

            Burke expressed frustration over the state’s response to the current financial needs of education in Massachusetts, which she said has led to funding gaps that individual towns must cover.

            “This idea of schools versus towns is really manufactured by the state’s gap in funding,” said Burke.

            The next meeting of the Old Rochester Regional School Committee, and the FY22 budget hearing, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, at 6:30 pm.

Old Rochester Regional School Committee

By Jean Perry

Academic Achievements

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Sienna Wurl, of Mattapoisett, is among more than 500 students named to the Western New England University Fall 2020 President’s List. To qualify, students must earn a GPA of 3.80 or higher.

            Emily Newell was named to the University of Southern Maine Fall Semester Dean’s List. To be placed on the Dean’s List, full-time undergraduate students must complete 12 credit hours or more with a minimum of 12 letter-graded credits, with the exception of required, program-specific Pass/Fail credits, and receive a grade point average of 3.6 or above.

            The following Tri-Town residents made the Dean’s List at Rochester Institute of Technology for the 2020 Fall Semester: Daniel Bailey, of Rochester, who is in the business administration-finance program; Brianna Lynch, of Mattapoisett, who is in the ASL-English interpretation program; Meghan Johnson, of Rochester, who is in the software engineering program; Cecilia Prefontaine, of Rochester, who is in the ASL-English interpretation program; James DeMailly, of Mattapoisett, who is in the environmental sustainability, health, and safety program.

            Undergraduate students are eligible for Dean’s List if their GPA is greater than or equal to 3.4 for nine credit hours of traditionally graded coursework, they do not have any grades of “Incomplete,” NE, D, or F, and they have completed at least 12 credit hours.

            Students who achieved School Second Quarter Honor Roll status at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School include Grade 9 High Honors: Laney Cooper and Clifford Williams, of Marion; Grade 11 High Honors: Lucas Marcolini and Victoria Voye, of Marion; Grade 12 Honors: Bradford Arruda, of Marion.

Surfcasting the Cape Cod Canal for Striped Bass

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The Mattapoisett Library is pleased to announce that East End Eddie Doherty will be presenting a fishing seminar including a PowerPoint demonstration featuring stunning color photography by world renowned professional photographer and legendary surfcaster John Doble. “Surfcasting the Cape Cod Canal for Striped Bass” will be presented by the Mattapoisett Free Public Library via Zoom on March 13 at 2:00 pm. The free event is open to the public, but attendance is limited, so reserve a spot by sending an email to jjones@sailsinc.org for registration. A Zoom link will be sent by Library Director Jennifer Jones the day before the event.

            Doherty is a retired Massachusetts District Court Clerk-Magistrate and the author of “Seven Miles After Sundown,”which was announced on Amazon as the #1 New Release in Fishing and selected as an Award-Winning Finalist for American Bookfest in the Sports Category at the 2019 International Book Awards in Los Angeles.

ORR Made Most of Opportunity

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            It would be hard to blame any athlete or coach for turning on cruise control and coasting through the 2020-21 winter season. Given everything that went on in 2020, simply having the chance to participate in sports again could have been enough. During a point in time when the world is still in an odd place, games and practices provide athletes and coaches with a shred of normalcy.

            Rick Regan had reason to settle for that as much as anyone, entering his first year as head coach of the Old Rochester Regional girls basketball team. Not to mention, he only had one senior, Meghan Horan, on the roster. But he and his players showed from day one they had no interest in simply getting back on the court, capping off their perfect 10-0 season with a 41-35 victory over Dighton-Rehoboth in the South Coast Conference championship game.

            “We tried to take it a day at a time, and we talked about getting better every day. That goes for the girls, and that goes for the coaches, too,” Regan said. “We try to work at it so that way we prepare them. That’s our job. We prepare them, but they go out and do it. They just do a terrific job of listening and trying to do what’s in the best interest of the team.

            “What’s great about them is they’re not concerned about their individual accolades; they’re more concerned about coming together as a team. I think that was one of the big reasons (for our success), and Meg is a big part of that because she’s our leader and follows that idea and brings it forward. And the girls follow her.”

            As was the case most of the season, Horan led the Bulldogs with 16 points and 13 rebounds in their SCC title win. The lone member of the Class of 2021 on the roster won’t be forgotten as she closes this chapter in her basketball career, but her teammates will remember her for more than her strong play.

            “Although this season turned out the way it was— and it probably wasn’t how she wanted her senior year of basketball to go— I think Meg did a great job of being our captain,” junior Logan Fernandes said. “She held us all together. Whenever we were down, even if she was fouled out or not in the game, I would hear Meg screaming for us on the court. I think she was a great influence for the whole team. She was a great captain. I think she was a good leader, and I think Coach (Regan) did a good job.”

            On multiple occasions, Horan has expressed her excitement for ORR basketball going into next season. But her willingness to help guide her teammates wasn’t rooted in her investment in the team’s success next season, as important to her as that is. It’s just who Horan is. Being able to be herself in a strange, though successful, season allowed her to learn an important life lesson.

            “Flexibility and adapting to change,” Horan said. “This year, it was important to adapt to change quickly. From that, I was able to become more of a leader and a bigger voice on the court because I was flexible and grew into my position. Being able to accept that it was only going to be a 10-game season and working with other changes was important.”

            For those who will be with the program again in 2021-22, the experience from this season was extremely valuable. The Bulldogs, who battled various types of adversity, including a shortened schedule and pause in play to quarantine, were committed to working as one unit and were successful. The sky’s the limit next season.

            “I’m excited,” Maggie Brogioli said. “We’ll have a strong senior class. The majority of us have been playing together since sixth grade. I think we’ll be strong and have a good season.”

Sports Roundup

By Nick Friar

Drive-In Left Lasting Memories

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            People of a certain age will have memories of going to a drive-in movie theater. As little children, the back seat of the family car became a playground until it was time for the movie to begin. Then we’d be admonished to settle down with our buckets of popcorn, piles of candy, and tankards of soda pop.

            But who can remember when you didn’t need to leave the Tri-Town area to enjoy going to a drive-in? Rochester was home to one of the first drive-in movie theaters on the south coast. We cast a wide net to capture as many memories as possible of those days when people could go to a drive-in right here in Rochester.

            The Carreau family lived on Mattapoisett Road in Rochester. A large family with 10 children (six boys and four girls), the father worked long, hard hours as an overseer in the mills of New Bedford. Leo was an enterprising man who must have had a good amount of imagination coupled with know-how. As his son, the now 89-year-old Gerard, walked down Memory Lane, we were introduced to a father who was a fascinating and dynamic man.

            Carreau said his father held a high position in the mills where he worked long hours. His son said that “as a hobby,” he struck upon the idea of building a drive-in movie theater in his own backyard. “It was located next door to Church’s farm,” Carreau began. “There was a stage and a big screen in the backyard.” He described how his father constructed berms in two loops across the lot so that “the cars would pitch upwards at the nose.” The speakers were strung among the nearby trees.

            Carreau’s memories come to him as a river flows in spring, fast and easily. Exhausting a burst of memory, he waits quietly until another thought comes along. “He rented the films, I suppose, like ‘Frankenstein Meets the Werewolf.'” He chuckled gently at that memory as he also recalls the cowboy movies and cartoons.

            More memories came knocking. “At intermission, he’d play a game like ‘Name That Tune’ and, if you guessed right, you’d get a pot of big silver dollars!” Carreau laughs again, enjoying the opportunity to share what are obviously very fond memories. There was dancing and singing up on the stage, his memory offered, with everyone getting into the fun.

            Carreau said that his father also purchased a building shaped like a bucket from the Doane family of Rochester. He placed the building at the entrance to the lot and sold ice cream, candy, and, he thinks, possibly hot dogs and hamburgers. That structure would later be sold, he said, to Poyant’s Cider Mill in Acushnet. “The kids, us, we had to prep the food, you know.” It was all hands on deck, he said.

            The cost to enter the drive-in was either 25 cents a carload or 50 cents a carload, depending on whose memory one taps. Carreau said that he was about 12 when the theater was in operation around 1951. Others thought it ran until the 1960s. Carreau said his father only had the theater open for about five years, but, regardless of the cost of admission or the timeframe, the experience left an impression on many in the Tri-Town and surrounding area.

            “There would be crowds on the weekends,” Carreau recalled, but for him and his siblings, “We could watch the movies from our living room.”

            To protect possibly the most significant investment of all, the projector, the senior Carreau built a little house, his son remembered. “It was dug into the ground so the cars could see over it.”

            “This was before TV, you know,” Carreau stated, an era when going to the motion pictures was a popular form of entertainment as leisure time became a reality for working people.

            The first outdoor theater is said to have been built sometime in the 1910s, but the first patented drive-in theater came along in 1933. Richard Hollingshead of New Jersey was granted a patent. It must have been a significant personal triumph. As that story goes, Hollingshead wanted his mother to be able to comfortably watch movies. But the narrow seats in the indoor theaters were simply not wide enough for her. Later Hollingshead marketed the concept of outdoor movies as a welcoming place for the whole family, including noisy children.

            Taken as a whole, the popularity of drive-in pictures had a relatively short lifespan. The heyday came during the 1950s and ’60s as families grew in suburban sprawl farther away from town and city centers. In areas where large tracts of land were still affordable, business-minded folks only needed about 15 acres for a drive-in theater. Like this, new recreational attractions, many with playgrounds and some with full restaurants, sprang up across the country. There were an estimated 4,000 drive-ins during this time. Affordable for the family and suitable for date nights, drive-in theaters were extremely popular.

            Then came the ’70s. Technological advances in color televisions and later compact recording equipment made watching films at home convenient. Indoor theaters survived the advent of the video cassette recorder, but the drive-in became an endangered species as cars became smaller and land more expensive. As attendance at the outdoor venues dwindled, owners sold their land to developers. The age of the drive-in movies slipped away. Today there are only 300 drive-in theaters in the country.

            Herbert LaFleur recalls the Rochester Drive-In this way: “They had a big screen in the back of the house.… It cost 50-cents [and] every time I go by that place, I think about it.” Lois Ennis remembered the ice cream stand and the movie screen, but other images have faded with time. Art Brenner recalls the scary movies and going there with his mother, father, and brother occasionally. Several more people could remember the location of the theater, but memories of going, other than to say they went, were simply gone like the theater itself.

            But wait, one senior citizen remembers the Rochester Drive-In as if it were an oasis in a desert. Brad Hathaway of Mattapoisett was a young teenager when his father purchased land on Wolf Island Road to carve out cranberry bogs.

            “Oh, it was awful, hard, terrible work,” Hathaway began as his memories were revealed. His father conscripted him and his brother to the bullwork of turning swamps into bogs. “We wanted to be with our friends on Saturday, but we had to work on those bogs.” He described the blood, sweat, and tears of those Saturdays toiling in the swampy woods, but come evening, they were treated to movies at the Rochester Drive-in Theater. “It was great fun; it was our joy! If we didn’t have that to look forward to, we would have lost our minds,” Hathaway said with a laugh. He recalled Tarzan, Wolfman, and cowboy movies. “It was great; I could never forget the Rochester Drive-In.”

            Sadly, the Carreau family has no documented evidence that the Rochester Drive-In ever existed on Mattapoisett Road. But they do have many lasting memories of their childhood, including having one of the first TVs in Rochester and later one of the first color TVs. And yes, even a bowling alley in the basement for the family’s personal use. “We had pool tables, too,” said Gerard Carreau. “My father knew how to keep us busy.”

            Leo Carreau not only provided for his large family, but he also gave them and many others something far more valuable, the gift of happy memories.

By Marilou Newell

Mattapoisett Seed Library Ready for Checkouts

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Just restocked, the new and improved Mattapoisett Free Public Library’s Seed Library is ready to fill requests! Patrons can now pick exactly the variety of seeds they want by filling out an easy form. The form lists the many varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs, etc. that we have to offer. After the form is submitted, patrons will be contacted to arrange pick up of their seeds. Participants must be SAILS library patrons.

            If you are interested, you can find a link to the form on our website mattapoisettlibrary.org. If you have any questions or would like to request a link, you can email Michelle Skaar at mskaar@sailsinc.org or call the library, 508-758-4171.