Marion Election and Voter Information

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Nomination papers are available in the Town Clerk’s office for the May 15, 2020 Annual Town Election. There are several positions available and we encourage you to get involved! The nomination papers must be signed by at least 20 voters registered in Marion (which will be certified by the Registrars) and must be turned in by 5:00 pm on Monday, March 23. For more information, please call Lissa Magauran in the Town Clerk’s office at 508-748-3502 or email her at lmagauran@marionma.gov.

            Absentee Ballots are now available in the Town Clerk’s office for those of you who will not be in Marion for the presidential primary on March 3, 2020 or in Marion for early voting which will take place beginning Monday, February 24 through Friday, February 28, 2020 during normal business hours in the Town Clerk’s office. You may come into the office and fill out an absentee ballot request and vote “in office”; you may come in and fill out an absentee ballot request application for you or an immediate family member and we will mail the ballot to you and/or the family member, or you may print, scan and email the absentee ballot application to Lissa Magauran at lmagauran@marionma.gov and the office will mail you a ballot. Please note: No matter how you request the ballot, other than voting “in office”, the ballot MUST be mailed to you. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is March 2 at 12:00 pm. Please be aware, even then, the ballot must be mailed to you unless you come into the office to vote.

            The Voter Registration deadline for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary is Wednesday, February 12.

            You can register to vote online here: www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/. For copies of the aforementioned forms, email lmagauran@marionma.gov or call the Town Clerk’s office at 508-748-3502.

Socks of Love at Mattapoisett Congregational Church

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St. Valentine Day is right around the corner. Come join us at Mattapoisett Congregational Church as we share our love with the homeless preparing gifts of warm socks and needed toiletries. This Sunday February 9 we will have a short service at 10:00 am and then gather to prepare the Socks of Love. We have received some donations but are still in need of bars of soap, hand sanitizers, small shampoos, chapsticks and small combs or brushes. The Socks of Love will be delivered to Mercy Meals and More and the CEDC (Community Economic Development Corp) in New Bedford. We hope you will join us in this project to show our love to our community. Coffee and light refreshments are available. All are welcome.

Home Rule Petition Submitted As 2021 Budgets Begin

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            On January 22, Mattapoisett’s Administrator of Assessing Kathleen Costello, along with town counselor Matthew Thomas, presented Home Rule Petition 4244 at the Massachusetts State House. If passed, the petition would grant Mattapoisett the legal right to assess solar developments with fees known as P.I.L.O.T. programs, aka, payment in lieu of taxes. 

            While the town currently has several P.I.L.O.T. programs successfully executed with Blue Wave Solar, Costello has held that a loophole in solar legislation, meant to ease the tax burden of residential taxpayers who install solar energy systems in their homes, could be used by businesses. Costello believes if that were to happen, the town could find land being developed for commercial solar enterprises without the ability to assess new taxes, thereby hindering revenue growth.

            Representative William Straus presented the petition, which was then defended by Costello and Thomas. The petition, Costello said, will now go to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for debate.

            According to Costello, Mattapoisett is the first municipality in the Commonwealth to attempt such tax-levying protection. 

“If this passes it will go a long way in protecting the town against frivolous lawsuits solar developers could file. We’ve been lucky so far,” she stated in working with Blue Wave Solar. “But Mattapoisett is like a field-of-dreams for solar developers.”

Costello said that Mattapoisett had a great deal of undeveloped property unsuitable for subdivision development. However, when it comes to solar, those same parcels might be permitted for commercial, alternative-energy development. The town does not currently have a solar bylaw.

            Costello expressed concern that any number of solar developers could seek permits in Mattapoisett while trying to circumvent paying any taxes at all. With a Home Rule Petition securely in place, “The town will be able to budget,” using new revenue sources, “…for capital improvement projects and other financial decisions,” she said.

            And budget time is indeed here with the Finance Committee convening on January 29 to begin crafting the 2021 budgets.

            Town Administrator Mike Gagne said that he had been in discussions with Old Rochester Regional School District Superintendent Doug White regarding medical insurance costs. Gagne shared that ORR was able to reduce medical-insurance expenses for 2021 by four percent. Another savings the town will receive is the expense of the high school resource officer. Historically that expense had been solely funded by Mattapoisett. Now that expense would be shared across the towns. 

            Gagne said there were plans to include a Capital Debt Stabilization Fund noting, “…all tri-town administrators agreed on this.” He said that planning for capital expenses at the schools meant that projects wouldn’t have to be totally funded by debt exclusion.

            FinCom Chairman Pat Donoghue asked about enrollment. Gagne responded that overall ORR enrollment was declining with five fewer students from Mattapoisett, 20 fewer from Rochester and 12 fewer from Marion. These figures were contrasted against expected increases at Old Colony with three students from Mattapoisett and two from Rochester. An additional five Rochester students are scheduled to attend Bristol County Agricultural School. 

            The proposed 2021 ORR budget currently stands at $19,612,589, a 2.09-percent increase over 2020.

            The committee met with Highway Superintendent Barry Denham, who said he would be presenting a levelly funded budget with a 2.5-percent increase but was awaiting salary figures from the treasurer’s office.

            Denham discussed the condition of both private and public roads, saying that 26.7 miles were in good condition, 10.7 miles in fair condition, and 9.64 miles in poor condition. Of those falling into the poor category, 3.6 were dirt roads. 

            Regarding the bike path, Denham said that currently, his department spends approximately 108 hours maintaining the asphalt pathways. He said when Phase 1b is completed that figure will rise and that the wooden bridge will require repair and maintenance as well. 

            Donoghue asked if the Highway Department had begun drainage-improvement projects, which had been supported at the October Special Town Meeting. Denham said, “A lot goes into drainage, we may only have enough money to fund the engineering design.” 

            Denham said that currently, the town had one mile of ADA compliant sidewalks and that 20 catch basins out of 700 met new EPA regulations. “The four main outfalls go right into the harbor untreated,” he said, adding that drainage overall hadn’t been worked on since 1979.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, at 6:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

Adult Programs at the Mattapoisett Library

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On Saturday, February 15 at 10:30 am, join us for Adult 3D Print Workshop. We will go over the basics of how our 3D printer works, the uses of completed 3D prints, how to find designs, how to create designs, and after answer your questions. Please call or visit the library register before February 8.

            Also on Saturday, February 15 at 1:00 pm, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail will hold a special presentation of the history of the suffrage movement in Massachusetts. Reflective of the trail of the same name, travel through the streets of Boston learning about the greatest influencers and events of the suffrage movement without ever leaving your seat! It will include information about the arrest of suffragists during President Wilson’s visit to Boston in 1919, the 1915-suffrage parade, and women including Lucy Stone, Alice Stone Blackwell, Julia Ward Howe, and others. No registration required. If you have any questions please contact Michelle Skaar at mskaar@sailsinc.org or by calling the library. 

            On Tuesday, February 18 at 11:00 am, join Heather Hobler for her Creating Balance with Yoga program. Learn simple yoga poses and subtle breathwork to create equilibrium in body and mind in this one-hour free workshop. Yoga mats are not necessary. Wear comfortable clothes. For adults and teens. Register by calling the library or stopping at the circulation desk.

Please contact Michelle Skaar at mskaar@sailsinc.org or call the library for more information. All programs are free and open to the public. If special accommodations are needed, please contact the library at 508-758-4171 for assistance.   

Donald Morse Savery, Jr.

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Donald Morse Savery, Jr. 68 passed away peacefully after an illness at St. Luke’s Hospital Palliative Care on January 30, 2020 surrounded by his loved ones. He was born and raised in Marion and was the son of the late Donald M. Savery, Sr. and Florence J. Savery.

            He attended Old Rochester Regional High School and was a naturally talented musician playing with various groups up and down the East coast including Fwd.Axis, Me and the Boys, Bijou McCue and the Matinees and the Otis Campbell Band. He recently retired from a long career as a pipe technician with Piping Systems in Assonet, Ma.

            Donnie was loved by everyone due to his charisma and upbeat personality. We will all remember his sense of humor and how he could always make us laugh. He had an amazing way with animals. He loved them and they loved him back. Especially birds! He dearly loved trips to the Vineyard with his children and their mom Karen and canoeing down the river they lived on in Dartmouth. “Every year he would go on his Memorial Day weekend canoe trip with his best friends”. He and his children also went on many a bike ride.

            He leaves his two children, Leigh M. Savery and Lauren M. Savery, both of Dartmouth. He also leaves his sister, Gloria Bassett and her husband Cliff of Yarmouth and his brother Larry Savery and his wife Betty of Marion and many loving nieces and nephews and an incredible number of friends!

            Burial will be private with a memorial gathering at a later date.

            Arrangements are placed in the care of Perry Funeral Home 111 Dartmouth St. New Bedford, MA 02740. Please see our website: www.perryfuneral.com for condolences.

Search Begins for New Library Director

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            For more than a decade Mattapoisett’s Free Public Library has been at the heart of the community, keeping pace with evolving technologies and the needs of the people it serves. At no other time in the library’s history has it seen such swift-moving changes and associated demands. And there, deftly and expertly guiding this critical institution, has been the Library Director Susan Pizzolato.

            But nothing lasts forever. Pizzolato recently announced that she would be retiring in June. Now the library trustees face the daunting task of replacing a highly respected and much-appreciated library director. The general consensus from town hall to neighborhood streets is that Pizzolato will be very hard to replace. 

“She will be tremendously missed,” declared Selectman Paul Silva, noting that since Pizzolato was hired, the changes and improvements that she has made to the library programming and the management of the staff reached, “…levels that could never have been imagined.

“I’d match our library up against any in the state,” said Silva. He said finding someone to replace Pizzolato would be difficult at best, noting not only her professionalism but her “warm, caring manner.”

            Echoing those sentiments was Selectman Jordan Collyer who said, “Of all the retirements (he has had to face during his tenure), she’s the one I’m going to miss the most! She has been phenomenal… there isn’t a generation in town that doesn’t like to talk to her.”

            Silva and Collyer concurred, “…those are big shoes to fill.”        

            Aiding the town’s search committee is Community Paradigm Associates, LLC, a professional recruitment firm headed by Bernard Lynch. 

After meeting with the search committee, which includes Library Trustee Chairman William Osier, Ruth Jolliffe, Jennifer Russell, Jennifer McIntire, and Bill Coquillette, Lynch said that a job description will be drafted and posted by mid-February. Applications will be received through March and reviewed through April with the goal of securing viable candidates for the Board of Selectmen’s review in May. 

            The task will be made difficult, both Jolliffe and Osier said, because of the high bar set on every level by Pizzolato. 

“We’ll need someone with imagination, able to craft programming, someone who is respectful with the same attention to the staff,” said Jolliffe. 

            “She’s earned her time off,” stated Osier but, “…it’s a job with many facets. It’s important that we find someone with a vision for the future.” 

Osier said Pizzolato’s retirement is also going to be felt by the staff she leaves behind.

“She is well-loved by the staff,” he said. “It will be a difficult transition so we are going to involve them all along with way… no surprises.”

            For her part, Pizzolato feels blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve Mattapoisett.

“I love Mattapoisett,” she quietly said. And she was thinking about the library staff when she sat down with the Wanderer, giving them much credit for the high level of programming and satisfaction the community feels about their library. “The library staff’s opinions are critical.”

            Pizzolato said that libraries have to be safe welcoming places no matter how people define themselves. On that point, she said that the library and its staff have worked with the Healthy Tri-Town Coalition and other school programs in serving the LGBT community. “They are discrete in helping those who are looking for materials, helping them discover what they need,” she said.

            From computer technology to fishing rods, from three-dimensional printing to telescopes and baking pans, and reading and writing programs for all ages, the libraries of today must address much more than books, Pizzolato said. “People are still surprised when they come in and find all the things we have for them.”

            Adding the cultural events, lectures, classes on cooking or jewelry making and poetry reading, under Pizzolato’s leadership the Mattapoisett Free Public Library has blossomed into a community center with something for everyone. 

            Yet the challenges of the future include the most basic element, serving the public. When asked what she felt the biggest challenges facing the library and a new director, Pizzolato said, “…reaching out to people in the community to those who may not be served.” 

Her own commitment to public service is the driving force in everything she has striven to accomplish. “I’m proud that the library has met the expectation of the community… people are excited about what they find here. We are so much more than just novels.”

            Pizzolato also expressed the importance of having a town administration that believes in the “value-added” of a strong library. “Some communities don’t have that; our town leaders really see the importance of the library.” 

            Pizzolato looks forward to having time off, time that she can use to enjoy her own reading and writing as well as attending cultural events and visiting her out-of-state family. But retirement can be bittersweet.

“Public service has given me a great source of pleasure,” she sighed before gently adding, “Mattapoisett has been very good to me.”

Mattapoisett Free Public Library

By Marilou Newell

Spring Session of The Great Decisions Program

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The Mattapoisett Free Public Library is pleased to support a spring session of “The Great Decisions Program,” one of the world’s largest discussion groups of both civic and foreign policy-related topics. The program provides background information and policy options for eight of the most critical issues facing America each year and serves as the focal text for discussion groups across the country.  

            As a participant, you become part of a community effort to discuss and critically examine policy-making decisions for global issues. This is a nonpartisan discussion series that encourages different viewpoints with respect for each other. We especially welcome those who have not yet experienced this kind of discussion group – it’s a wonderful and casual learning experience in a friendly environment.

            Topics for 2020 include: Climate Change and the Global Order, India and Pakistan, Red Sea Security, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle, China’s Road into Latin America, the Philippines, and the U.S. and Artificial Intelligence and Data.

            This series starts with its first session on Wednesday, April 15 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm and runs for eight consecutive weeks on Wednesdays. The cost (for materials) to participate is $37 for individuals and $45 for two people sharing one text. 

            To register, please send a check made payable to the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, with your printed name, address, and telephone number plus email address to: the Mattapoisett Public Library, PO Box 475, Mattapoisett, MA 02739, Indicate on check memo: Great Decisions. The maximum capacity is 25 people. Deadline for registration is March 15.

            The books will be available and distributed after the first week in April at the Mattapoisett Library by Marion (Penny) Aymie. For further information or questions, email Penny at marionaymie@gmail.com. Meetings will be held in the accessible community meeting room, Mattapoisett Free Public Library, 7 Barstow Street, Mattapoisett, 02739. Don’t be left out – register now.

Academic Achievements

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The following students have been named to Emerson College’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2019 semester. The requirement to make the Dean’s List is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher that semester.

            Sophie Polonsky of Marion majoring in Media Arts Production, and a member of the class of 2021.

            Isabella Rodrigues of Mattapoisett majoring in Writing, Lit and Publishing, and a member of the class of 2022.

            Samantha Babineau of Rochester majoring in Communication Disorders, and a member of the class of 2020.

            College of Charleston congratulates more than 1,800 students who were named to the fall 2019 President’s List and Dean’s List:

            Finnian Cashel, of Marion, majoring in Marine Biology.

            Hannah Perry, of Marion, majoring in Business Administration and Hospitality/Tourism Management.

            Julia Jeffries, of Marion, Undecided.

            Max Gryska, of Marion majoring in Economics.

            To qualify for President’s List (Highly Distinguished), students must earn a GPA of 3.800 or higher and complete a minimum of 14 semester hours. To qualify for Dean’s List (Distinguished), students must earn a GPA of 3.600 or higher and complete a minimum of 14 semester hours.

            Northeastern University is pleased to recognize those students who distinguish themselves academically during the course of the school year. The following Tri-Town students were recently named to the University’s Dean’s List for the fall semester, which ended in December 2019. 

            Mattapoisett resident James Goulart, majoring in Chemistry.

            Mattapoisett resident Evan Roznoy, majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

            To achieve the dean’s list distinction, students must carry a full program of at least four courses, have a quality point average of 3.5 or greater out of a possible 4.0 and carry no single grade lower than a C- during the course of their college career. Each student receives a letter of commendation and congratulation from their college dean.

            Jake Mourao of Mattapoisett, a Freshman at the University of South Carolina was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2019 semester. A minimum GPA of 3.5 is required for this honor.

            The University of Rhode Island is pleased to announce that more than 6,000 undergraduates have qualified for the fall 2019 Dean’s List. To be included on the Dean’s List, students must have completed 12 or more credits during a semester for letter grades with at least a 3.30 quality point average. Part-time students qualify with the accumulation of 12 credits with a 3.30 quality point average. The list includes students who have not yet declared their majors as well as those from all of the University’s undergraduate academic colleges.

            The following students from your area have been named to URI’s fall 2019 Dean’s List:

            Jarett Johnston of Rochester 

            Maddy Kistler of Marion 

            Tyler Menard of Mattapoisett 

            Ally Sylvia of Rochester 

            Named to the Dean’s List at Saint Michael’s College for the fall 2019 semester was Elsie A. Buckley, a first-year student psychology and elementary education major from Rochester and a graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School.

Land an Issue for Affordable Housing

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If Rochester is to make significant progress toward the creation of affordable housing, the town will first need to determine what parcels of land are needed for already established projects.

Rochester Affordable Housing Inc., a 501c3, not-for-profit organization, is seeking land from the town for that purpose, but Gianno Letteri, the organization’s president, and vice president Paul Wellington seem no closer to starting a project after appearing before the town’s Board of Selectmen at its February 3 meeting.

Citing only four to eight units of so-called affordable housing in the town, Wellington appealed for the land to build more targeted at people over age 60 and veterans.

“We’re definitely looking to increase that at this point,” he said. “If you folks turn (the necessary land) over to us, we’re going to own it, we’re going to manage it.”

Wellington said he had over 40 years of experience in real estate, and is working with Richard Cutler to establish plans based on what land can be obtained.

The snag with his proposal was two-fold in that it wasn’t specific enough, and the competition for land is steep in Rochester.

“I couldn’t let a piece of property go for less than fair-market value because we may have to buy other properties,” said Board of Selectmen Vice Chairman Brad Morse, acknowledging the proposal as a “valid concept.”

Given discussion of a new fire station (see below) and a potential transfer station among other things, town land is at a premium.

“We have some needs with some of these parcels of land, and I don’t know if we’re at the point where we can decide… If we respond… what does the Town of Rochester have afterwards?” said Board of Selectmen chairman Paul Ciaburri, asking Letteri and Wellington if they had considered establishing a partnership with Annie Maxim House Inc., a charity for senior housing. 

Rochester Selectman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley III estimated there are 50 501c3 organizations in Rochester, including sports programs and groups, that would expect the same land charity that RAHI seeks. While the responsibility would not lie with the taxpayer, he argued, it would be a dangerous precedent not to seek fair market value for a parcel of land.

Wellington asked the board if it would consider leasing the land, but the board was hesitant to entertain any transfer of property without specific plans in writing.

“If you were coming in here as a Rochester board, we would be having a different conversation,” said Hartley, noting that some surrounding towns have housing authorities. Rochester does not. “We need a master plan. We have some big projects coming down the road. Plans like that change in five years because things change so fast. We support the concept, but we need it to be more developed.”

Wellington said Cutler would produce a Request for Proposal (RFP).

“We’re trying to fill a hole that does not exist.  We continue to look for any opportunities that we can,” said Wellington. “We’re not doing this for anyone other than town residents or vets that are in town.” 

In a much briefer discussion, Rochester Fire Chief Scott Weigel addressed the Board of Selectmen to initiate discussion and seek ideas regarding the need for a new fire station in town.

Hartley suggested more boards be involved in establishing a building committee. 

“I’d like you to give a little summary of where we keep our equipment now,” said Hartley, noting the need for specifics on the value of equipment needing protection. “People need to understand where we are right now, if you think that’s a good idea.”

Weigel said he would like to see a building project underway within a couple of years and agreed to send a letter to all the town’s boards seeking potential committee members. Weigel also noted that Rochester is owed close to $200,000 in ambulance fees that he is looking to collect.

It was agreed to table the subject until more information was obtained.

Rochester resident Paul Dawson addressed the Board of Selectmen and gained unanimous approval as the new Interim Town Clerk. 

He will work from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Monday-Thursday and 4-6 pm Monday afternoons and fill the position until the next election when it’s determined whether the position will be elected or appointed.

“The goal,” said Dawson, “is to have a town clerk’s office that is readily available or is open when the town hall is.”

Dawson brings a wealth of experience to the position, having recently retired as Marion’s town administrator while also having held comparable positions in Winthrop and Stoughton.

The board also issued a citation of gratitude for retiring town clerk Naida Parker.

In other news, Emmanuel Matias has been appointed a part-time police officer in Rochester. Matias, a Dartmouth High School graduate who worked as a deputy sheriff in Bristol County, was proposed by Chief of Police Robert Small.  

Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar gave a preliminary financial report featuring progress toward the town’s financial goals. 

Also at the meeting, Hartley noted that the Old Rochester school district search committee sent three names to the school committee for consideration for superintendent. The committee accepted those and will conduct interviews and make selections. The process is expected to be completed by March 1.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectman is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo

Rochester Council on Aging

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The full monthly newsletter and calendar are available on our website www.rochestermaseniorcenter.com.  Like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/rochesterma.com

            On Friday, February 14 at 1:30 pm, the Rochester Senior Center will hold the annual Year of Remembrance event.  This event is for friends and families who have lost a loved one in the past year. It is open to the community.  

            The Rochester Senior Center is holding a special luncheon on Monday, February 24 at 12:00 pm. This homemade meal will be prepared by Hanna Milhench and friends. Everyone is welcome to attend. Advanced sign-up and a donation of $5 are necessary to ensure there is enough food for everyone. 

            The Rochester Senior Center will be closed on Monday, February 17 in observance of President’s Day.

            On Tuesday, February 18 at 10:15 am, the Senior Book Club will meet at the Rochester Senior Center. This group is led by the Library Director and welcomes everyone. The book being discussed at this meeting is Silas Marner, 262 pages, written by George Eliot in 1861. It is the story of a linen weaver and is known for its strong realism and inclusion of topics such as community, religion and industrialization. The story takes place in the English countryside. The main character, somewhat of an outsider, is wrongly accused of stealing funds from the Calvinist congregation while he is caring for the very ill deacon. Next month’s novel is a national bestseller, The Lager Queen of Minnesota, written by Ryan Stradal.  

            COA transportation is available for Rochester seniors. Transportation is available to and from local medical appointments, treatments, the Senior Center, and errands. Drivers are responsible for transportation and the vehicle. If assistance is needed by the rider, please feel free to arrange to bring the escort of your choice. Drivers are restricted from providing any personal assistance. The Senior Center is hoping to obtain a new van in the future. The new van would be a modified passenger van, and will replace the older, larger commercial style van. COA transportation is a free service. However, donations of $5 per ride help to defer costs of van maintenance and driver compensation.