Sippican Historical Society

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Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. Over 100 were cataloged and photographed. SHS will feature one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.

            This installment features 288 Wareham Road. The c. 1860 Greek Revival cottage at 288 Wareham Road was built for Peter A. Holmes, a butcher who resided here by 1879. By the early 1900s, Asa F. Holmes, the town’s road surveyor, owned this property. He lived here until 1910.

William Edward Schuler

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William Edward Schuler, 42 of Fairhaven passed away peacefully Thursday May 7, 2020 at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital.

            Born in New Bedford, Bill grew up in South Dartmouth with his mother, Mary Lou (Brown) Schuler and his sister, Carolyn. Bill graduated from Bishop Stang and Roger Williams University. He was formerly employed by New Bedford Public Schools where he enjoyed teaching Computer Technology at Roosevelt Middle and Hayden-McFadden schools. Most recently he worked for the Westport Public Schools. Billy was happiest when he was spending time with his family and helping so many with their computer problems. Survivors include his mother, Mary Lou Schuler and her husband Paul Souza of Mattapoisett; his sister Carolyn and her husband Chady Nassar, Bill’s niece Clara, and nephews Caden and Christoph. Bill’s uncles include Rick and Jean Brown, Robert and Nancy Brown, Ralph and Donna Brown, Paul and Cheryl Brown.  

            He was the grandson of the late Richard J and Mary E Brown.  

            Remembrances in his name may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Funeral services will be private for the immediate family; a Celebration of Bill’s life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Mattapoisett.  For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Bowman Road Solar Project Continued Again

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            It was another long night of debate when the Mattapoisett Planning Board reopened the site-plan review application for the Bowman Road solar array proposed by Next Grid., aka Next Grid Bowman LLC. Board members attending the remote meeting were acting chairman Nathan Ketchel and board administrator Mary Crain, along with members Karen Field, Arlene Figardo, and Janice Robbins. Mattapoisett Town Counsel Jonathan Silverstein was also present. Chris King of Atlantic Design and attorney Joseph Pacella represented applicant Daniel Serber, also present in the virtual meeting room.

            Representing the abutter, the Mattapoisett Land Trust, were Michael Huguenin and Paul Osenkowski, the latter of whom said he would also be speaking as a private citizen. Abutter to the project present for the meeting was Becky Zora of Martha’s Way and longtime conservation advocate Brad Hathaway.

            Pacella began stating first and foremost that recent Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources emergency requirements did not apply to this project. Those changes as noted on the agency website stipulate that, if a solar project can establish that it meets all permitting requirements and has an agreement with a utility for service interconnection within six months of the statue’s April 26 publication date, the project would essentially meet Smart Energy standards.

            However, the document also states some exemptions would limit proposed land use for solar projects. Those lands are described as Priority Habitat, Core Habitat and/or Critical Natural Landscape. It goes on to say that lands deemed to contain such sensitive areas by 50 percent may not be used for solar projects.

            This point would generate much dialog as the evening advanced into night.

            Pacella said that this project was grandfathered, “…so it will be held to the prior standard.”

            Silverstein, when asked if the state’s emergency order applied to the project, responded, “The short answer is whether or not the project qualifies, that is not relevant to the Planning Board.” He said that the site-plan review was “separate and apart” from their responsibilities related to site-plan review.

            The discussion turned to site issues when King said that technical issues previously raised such as MSDS sheets for transformers were submitted, requirements for emergency hazardous substance containment addressed, and confirmation from the fire and police departments that the project met with their departmental oversight. Construction practices such as off-site staging of equipment and project materials and limitations to truck travel on Bowman Road were also discussed by King.

            Serber added to the conversation saying, “The biggest issue of concern is Bowman Road.” He said the only large equipment delivery to the site will be the transformer, but that police would be hired to manage traffic, and notice of the approximately three-hour process would be advanced to the residents in the area.

            Further discussions over potential oil spillage into sensitive wetlands and decommissioning cost estimates were brought up by Ketchel. Details of the mechanics associated with notification of a spill and emergency measures were given by King. On the issue of decommissioning cost estimates, Ketchel questioned what would be done to the site upon decommissioning such as plantings and associated costs. By the end of the evening, cost remained an open question with Serber agreeing to pay a peer review consultant to review Next Grid’s plans and decommissioning bond price. The area that would be impacted is approximately 4.5 acres, he said.

            Field asked whether the developer was going to be paying property taxes. Silverstein answered that he could accept a PILOT program as other solar developers have done, a lump-sum, yearly payment in lieu of real estate taxes.

            Pacella said those discussions have not taken place because of the land court case the applicant filed when he appealed the Zoning Board of Appeals decision not to grant a special permit for the project.

Subsequently, the town and the applicant agreed to have the project reviewed by the Planning Board under the site-plan process. If accepted and conditioned by the Planning Board, the court filing would be dropped, he had said during the April meeting.

            With no further questions from the board members, Ketchel invited Hathaway to speak. Hathaway asked how many trees would be cut down. Serber’s team could not give an exact number but said that both grasses and tree planting would be planned during the decommissioning process. Hathaway then commented on the over $1,000,000 that various town, private and state agencies have paid to develop a “greenway” between Angelica Point and Marion, saying “…this defeats the purposes.”

            Serber said that Next Grid would be giving approximately a quarter of an acre to the land trust for conservation, that the property his company now owned on Bowman Road had been for sale for years prior to their acquiring it, and that it would be returned to a treed parcel. During the April meeting Huguenin had been surprised to learn of the property gift since it had not been discussed with the land trust to his knowledge.

            Serber shared that at every public hearing for solar development the issue of real estate values had been raised and that he had been able to find only one independent study out of the University of Texas that found property values were not impacted by the proximity of a solar array.

            Zora spoke to her wish for a gate at the end of Next Grid access roadway off Bowman Road to discourage hunters and day-trippers from accessing her property situated more deeply in the wooded area. She also asked that portable toilets being used by the construction teams not be placed near her property. Serber agreed.

            Osenkowski spoke to the land trust’s efforts to acquire the property and the limitations imposed on them making purchase impossible. He spoke to the issue of harsh storms and hurricanes that would flood the area. He called the project a “despoiling” of the forest. With each utterance Osenkowski became more passionate, finally telling Serber, “For crying out loud, wake up. You have no right to do this, to come from California… go back to California put up your solar array there!” He pleaded, “I implore the Planning Board to protect the town.”

            Huguenin was the last to speak. He said that the land trust had consistently raised concerns about the site, calling the project a public utility. Now with the project receiving site-plan review he said, “We have a chance not to make a mistake.” He said that the recent emergency measures put in place by the DOER prevented the project from moving forward. He said the site was not suitable for the project and asked the Planning Board to deny review based on the state’s criteria.

            Crain later told The Wanderer that Silverstein had made it clear to the Planning Board that their review of the project was not encumbered by state regulations, that those were separate and should not be part of their decision-making process.

            Robbins agreed with Silverstein. “Our job under site-plan review is pretty limited. Personally, we might not like the use but we can’t reject it on use,” she said. Ketchel concurred with Robbins saying, “… it’s also not our job to play intermediary between the applicant and the state.”

            Pacella asked the board to close the public hearing and vote now, stating, “There’s no public welfare issue here.”

            Instead citing Governor Baker’s emergency orders that grant cities and towns extended review time before having to render a decision, up to 45 days, the site-plan review was continued until May 21 at 7:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

Buzzards Bay Swim Canceled

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The Buzzards Bay Coalition has announced that the 2020 Buzzards Bay Swim will be canceled due to the unprecedented and still-evolving conditions presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

            “The health and well-being of our participants, volunteers, emergency personnel, staff, and our community is our top priority,” Coalition President Mark Rasmussen said in a message to this year’s swimmers. “Under the current circumstances, and based upon the guidance of public health officials, we concluded that this year’s event cannot take place safely.

            The event, which has been run annually since 1993, brings hundreds of participants to New Bedford each June to swim across New Bedford Harbor to Fort Phoenix State Park in Fairhaven, where the event ends with a beach party brunch. Last year’s event raised more than $187,000 to support education, conservation, water quality monitoring, and advocacy work.

            “I’m sure that you share our disappointment in this year’s cancellation of the swim, but I hope you take solace in the fact that your early fundraising has already contributed more than $25,000 to sustain Bay protection efforts,” Rasmussen told swimmers. “In the current environment, those funds are more critical than ever to continuing our water quality monitoring, land conservation, public education, and clean water advocacy work.”

            The Coalition has other events planned later this summer and fall. The organization will field a team of runners for the Falmouth Road Race, which will be held as a “virtual” run on August 16, 2020. And on Sunday, October 4, the Coalition will host the Watershed Ride—an event in which cyclists ride one of three overlapping courses, the longest of which stretches 100 miles from Sakonnet Point to Woods Hole.

            Registered swimmers have multiple options due to the cancelation, including deferring registration until the 2021 swim or transferring their registration to participate in the upcoming Watershed Ride. Full details are included in the memo to registrants.

Withdrawing from Planning Board Race

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To the Editor;

            Call the event a black swan, force majeure or material adverse change, COVID-19 is causing significant disruption in life’s paradigm. With the public safety and health risks of this pandemic and to maintain important Planning Board continuity, I am withdrawing as a candidate for election to the Marion Planning Board.

            I thank all of you who supported my election run. For an aging, higher-risk Boomer, it’s time to stay socially distanced and safe in the woods of East Marion enjoying summer evening “Quarantinis.”

            Marion voter interest would be best served by returning all board incumbents to office. My withdrawal reduces potential vote-splitting and supports the retention of Planning Board continuity as it works on significant development projects, bylaws, and the town’s Master Plan. The Board of Selectmen are solid as John Waterman moves to board chair with strong community support. The town has excellent leadership with our new administrator, James McGrail, and capable staff. The assessor’s office incumbent is state certified. A pandemic is not a good time to make unnecessary political changes to our town boards.

Ted North, Marion

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will 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 Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Maude Ann (Nye) Adams

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Maude Ann (Nye) Adams, 84, passed away on Monday, May 4, 2020 at Tremont Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Wareham. She was the wife of the late Carlton Adams.

            Born in New Bedford, daughter of the late Ichabod and Florence (Parker) Nye, she was raised in Marion. She resided in Assonet for many years and returned to Marion later in life. She was a graduate of Wareham High School, class of 1953.

            Maude was an avid reader, loved to crochet and do jigsaw puzzles. As was her loving nature, she was a special caretaker who babysat many children in the family and the neighborhood through the years. By many, she was lovingly referred to as “Nan”.

            She is survived by her daughter, Maureen Corrieri and her husband Robert of Marion; her son, Robert Adams, Sr. and his wife Theresa of Assonet; five grandchildren, Coreen Veloso and her husband Joshua of Marion, William Menard, Jr. and his wife Justina of Wareham, Rachel Adams of Taunton, Robert Adams, Jr. of Assonet and Zachary Adams of Assonet; two great grandchildren, Deryn Veloso of Marion and Oliver Menard of Wareham; two brothers, I. Harry Nye, Jr. and his wife Ann of Marion and James Nye and his wife Cheryl of Fairhaven; sisters-in-law Rosalind Nye and Patricia Nye both of Marion; and many nieces and nephews.

            She was predeceased by six siblings: Eleanor Gibbs, Emma Bennett, Florence Bessette, Nathan Nye, George Nye, and Thomas Nye.

            In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Congregational Church of Marion, 28 Main St., Marion, MA 02738 or the Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090.

            At the present time, funeral services will be private. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are in the care of Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford. For online tributes, please visit: www.rock-funeralhome.com

Dates Unofficial, But Town Meeting, Election Finding Form

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            A Monday, June 22, Town Meeting and Friday, June 26, election are not yet official in Marion, but details for both events took shape during the Board of Selectmen’s May 5, remote-access meeting.

            After several weeks in which it seemed an alternate-format Town Meeting would only address budgetary articles, Tuesday’s meeting produced consideration of certain other articles and, finally, the possibility that the entire Town Meeting might be held.

            Town Administrator Jay McGrail presented a scenario in which Sippican Elementary School would house 130 attendees and Tabor Academy’s fieldhouse another 70. All attendees would arrive wearing facemasks and line up standing 6 feet apart to be checked in by staff wearing masks and face shields. Then they would be seated 7 feet apart. The gymnasium, McGrail said, may seat couples together, increasing a safe capacity. In either scenario, live attendance accommodating 130-200 preregistered attendees would be vetted for participation. 

            The rest of the voters would watch via Zoom and be able to preregister with the town clerk for their own remote participation up until 6:00 pm for the 7:00 pm meeting. Remote attendees would be pre-vetted as residents of Marion.

            In each location of the in-person meeting, a viewing screen would operate on a closed-circuit system managed by ORCTV, and remote participants would be able to use a chat feature to ask questions.

            “I think we can pull it off,” said McGrail. “The biggest issue is the voting. What would make me comfortable about this scenario is as long as we have 50 (a quorum).”

            In its May 19 meeting, the board will determine what articles it wants to run with. Town Planner Gil Hilario said Marion can hold a May 19 determination of the warrant, giving the town the required two weeks.

            “The 19th (of May) is going to have to be our drop-dead date on articles,” said McGrail.

            Once different members began batting around which articles could be added, Selectman John Waterman asked, “What would it take to do the whole thing?”

            “If we’re not going to just do the monetary articles and start picking here and there, we either do 1-4 or the whole thing, that’s my opinion,” said Chairperson Randy Parker.

            At the very least, voters will be asked if they approve plans to leave the Marion-Rochester Health District, opt out of the Carver-Marion-Wareham transfer-station agreement and approve the town’s water/sewer plan and INI funding. Because some warrant items require public hearings, discussion expanded and Parker insisted that the town has to open up all public hearings.

            Town Clerk Lissa Magauran rolled out an election-day plan based on adjustments to a model being used in a western Massachusetts community.

            Marion will slightly shorten poll hours from the traditional 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and open the polls from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Some towns are going with minimum-allowed, four-hour window, but Magauran believes that could lead to potentially unsafe crowding of the polls. Citizens are encouraged to vote by mail.

            All precautions will be taken, including the hire of a younger group of poll workers and the distribution of kits in plastic bags with masks, gloves and pens. Voters are asked to bring their own, but the town plans to assemble 200 packets. If people refuse to wear a mask, McGrail said the Board of Health will need to give Chief of Police John Garcia the authority to impose fines.

            Polling stations will be at least 6 feet apart and will be sanitized in between each vote. Staff will wear face shields in addition to masks. The floor will be marked and the staff will hold a dress rehearsal to see how many booths the Recreation Center can accommodate.

            A mass mailing will solicit requests for absentee ballots.

            Marion’s Memorial Day parade has been canceled, but the town has planned a quiet celebration limited to four participants that will be aired after the fact on ORCTV. Along with a virtual celebration planned to air on ORCTV on Memorial Day, a brief event will feature the reading of the names of deceased Marion veterans, the laying of a reef and the playing of “Taps” by trumpet player Chris Berg.

            The time of the event is being withheld so as not to attract spectators. The ceremony will air later on ORCTV.

            “Our mission here is to honor the nation’s war dead but not draw a crowd,” said Andrew Bonney, who joined the meeting from Hanscom Air Force Base while on active duty with the National Guard.

            Citing the statistic of 1.7 percent of COVID-positive cases among ages 18 and younger, Waterman reasserted a position he took several weeks ago that towns need more autonomy and what might be the right safety practice for Boston, for instance, does not necessarily apply to Marion.

            “We shouldn’t be requiring everyone to self-isolate just to protect older people,” he said with an eye on relaxing practices after May 18.

            The Board of Selectmen will meet in joint session with the Board of Health on Tuesday, May 19.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo

Essential Workers Continue to Provide a Lifeline

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            With the entire state under stay-at-home orders, local towns have undergone rapid transformations. The normal springtime awakening that livens local communities has been replaced with desolate shopping centers, barren restaurants, and empty roadways. Amidst the isolation, only our communities’ essential workers remain acting as indispensable lifelines. 

            Workers like grocery cashiers, delivery people, and public transportation drivers now put themselves at risk on a daily basis in order to ensure that our lives can continue to function with some semblance of normalcy. Often unnoticed or underappreciated, these workers, now facing the growing risk of the COVID-19 infection, support the infrastructure that allows non-essential workers and their families to remain safely at home under lockdown orders. 

            The drastic transformation to that infrastructure can be seen in any of the grocery stores or gas stations that have remained open throughout the COVID crisis. At a Cumberland Farms in Marion, blue duct tape marks the positions where customers should queue in order to remain safely distanced. Plastic shields line the cashier stations in order to guard the employees from the potential spread of the virus. The employees themselves are concealed behind masks that hide the majority of their faces. 

            Despite the protective facial coverings, and plastic shields, it seems easier to connect with these workers who have now become the frontline in providing essentials to local families. Despite the hazards of their workplace, they are still quick to ask about our well-being, and you can still spot a smile behind the creases in their face masks. 

            In speaking with numerous essential workers, it is clear that many of them expressed pride in continuing their work and conquering new challenges as they come. That said, unsurprisingly, many have expressed fears related to their own health at the workplace and the safety of their families at home. 

            “We are all worried about bringing the virus back to our families,” said Donnie, an order-fulfillment worker at the Target in Wareham. “[The virus] is constantly on our minds. If we slip up once, it could mean infecting our friends and families.” 

            Thankfully, many stores have adopted plans to maximize the safety of customers and employees, like markers indicating where customers should wait at appropriate distances, and employees constantly sanitizing the self-checkout machines. 

            “We are doing everything we can,” said Donnie. “Our managers encourage us to take more breaks to wash our hands, and certain employees have been given the specific job of sanitizing every checkout station.” 

            Though he did explain that he feels safe at work under the current policies that the store adopted, he expressed uncertainty about whether this is the best possible option for his family. 

            “I would definitely prefer to wait it out and avoid exposure altogether,” he said. “Unfortunately, most of the essential workers just don’t have the financial stability to stay at home.” 

            Despite the $2 trillion relief package passed by Congress, the reality is these essential workers still have bills to pay. Regardless of the hazards to which they are exposed in the workplace, they still need to work to provide for themselves and their families.  

            “The relief check was just enough to give me time to transition into a new job,” said Donnie, “but there is no way anyone could live on just that amount or even cut their hours to reduce the risk of exposure.” 

            With no clear end to the stay-at-home orders, these essential workers continue to provide the foundation which allow for local communities to remain safely at home during the COVID-19 crisis.

By Matthew Donato

Harbormasters Mobilize for Boating Season

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            Along the South Coast of Massachusetts, springtime brings more than flowers. It brings the beginning of a very active boating season. Boat owners’ thoughts turn to all things maritime, from having moorings set, engines tuned-up, sea-worthy testing to launching their watercraft at public boat ramps or planning outings. But this spring there are other considerations – serious considerations. COVID-19 considerations.

            On April 22, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs published a three-page memorandum on the subject of “boating and various other marine and inland waterway-related activities.” It was written in light of Governor Baker’s stay-at-home advisory and essential-services order. Yet how to enforce distancing requirements, how to ensure that only family groups are on a given vessel, remain unclear and fall to self-policing and local harbormasters.

            First let’s take a closer look at the memorandum itself. It first addresses inland boat ramps and canoe launches. It makes the clear statement that, “ramps and launches… managed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts remain open for use by boats being launched by vehicles registered in the Commonwealth…” Exempted are locations already closed; those remain closed. Launches and ramps managed by municipalities remain open subject to the discretion of the individual town.

            Mattapoisett Harbormaster Jamie MacIntosh said that any vehicle not bearing a Massachusetts registration will be turned away at the public ramps. Of the restrictions listed by the MEOEE he said, “Really it’s common sense stuff… Don’t congregate around the boat ramp, that allows things to keep moving.” MacIntosh said that some harbormasters are adopting the slogan “Launch-Hail-Leave” as a way to drive home that point.

            Over in Sippican Harbor, Isaac Perry, harbormaster for the town of Marion, said that the memo was quite clear but for one bullet point, the very last bullet point that he thought was at best ambiguous. In this section under the heading “For Hire Boating” the line reads, “…any other operation or use of a vessel that is not registered to the passenger,” is not permitted.

            That raises the question: Where does that leave launch services?

            MacIntosh said, “The Coast Guard still controls activities on the water,” adding that the Coast Guard views launch services as “essential” and wondering aloud if that might supersede the state mandate. “It’s a wait-see situation… we are holding off on launch service right now… it’s pending.”

            Meetings in both Marion and Mattapoisett on Tuesday set initial plans in motion.

            Perry attended Tuesday’s Marion Board of Health meeting with a plan to open docks and floats on Wednesday, May 6. Marion will restrict its floats to the owners or those approved by the harbormaster. “This isn’t going to be a transient dock where the people are going to be coming and going,” said Perry, who will oversee a 20-minute limit of usage.

            In addition to keeping all state orders, Marion is keeping its public bathrooms and public showers closed.

            In Tuesday’s Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen meeting, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco in his report discussed measures including the necessity of face coverings, social distancing in and around public launch, and other boating outlets. The measures also mandate that boats may not congregate, that people on a boat must live in the same household and that boats for hire, whale watching and other recreational boating activities remain prohibited. To view the memorandum, visit mattapoisett.net.

            Lorenco has said in prior meetings that commercial fishing is considered an essential service, that the harbormaster would be putting up signage regarding the public launch area, and that only Massachusetts vehicle registration would be permitted at the public launch.

            On May 1, the MEOEE sent out additional guidelines regarding launch service. Those are: “a Captain of the launch boat and staff must keep distance and wear PPE as well as person boarding the shuttle boat; if social distancing cannot be done then separate trips must occur to adhere to six-foot social distancing requirements; persons using the service must wear PPE/face masks and practice social distancing; after dropping off passengers, on reverse trip the launch service boat must be disinfected after every trip; same rules for the floating docks, any tools that are used by boatyard staff at any time must be disinfected and PPE must be used.”

            According to MacIntosh, Mattapoisett will regulate people as they come to the boat ramp, require distancing in the dock and launch areas, and limit the number of people on the wharves at any one time. “Vacating the area quickly will speak volumes,” he said.

            The memo notes, “Masks and face-coverings should be worn in public in accordance with DPH advisory when distancing is not possible.”

            Other activities not permitted include charter-boat fishing, sailboat rentals and lessons, canoe, kayak, and paddleboard rentals, rafting rentals, organized fishing tournaments and derbies, whale watching and other pleasure cruises.

            Recreational boating requirements state that only family groups from the same household are allowed on a boat, no multiple household groups permitted on ramps, docks, piers and strict social distancing employed, and that boats on the water must maintain distancing (no grouping of boats permitted).

            As of April 30, when Massachusetts faced an extension of Governor Baker’s emergency order until May 18, boaters with the ability to adhere to restrictions and requirements have been allowed to begin boating again. Others will have to trim their sails a bit longer.

            To view the memorandum, visit mass.gov/eea, mattapoisett.net and marionma.gov.

By Marilou Newell

Academic Achievements

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Tome G Valadao of Marion, Adrian Paul Kavanagh of Mattapoisett, and Brianna Grignetti of Rochester Receive Bachelor’s Degrees in February 2020 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.