Mattapoisett Lions Club’s (Free) Family Fun Festival postponed due to weather. The rain date will be Saturday, November 3from noon to 4:00 pm at Shipyard Park.
Sippican Historical Society
In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded one-half by the Sippican Historical Society and one-half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were catalogued and photographed. The results of the survey are in digital form on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website and in four binders in the Sippican Historical Society’s office (and at the Marion Town Clerk’s office).
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. The Sippican Historical Society will preview one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
This installment features 192 Front Street. Marion is fortunate to have a home designed by one of America’s most famous architects, Henry Hobson Richardson, who is noted for designing the Trinity church in Boston. This Shingle-style home at 192 Front Street was built in the fall of 1881 for Rev. Percy Browne (1839-1901) as a “country house.” This was one of the smallest and least expensive structures that Richardson ever built. In fact, Richardson designed the house on a wager, when Reverend Browne bet that Richardson could not design a small house for $2,500. The Shingle style of architecture is a uniquely American style in which the building is unified by a skin of wood shingles.
James M. Kelly
James M. Kelly, 71, of Marshfield died October 31, 2018 peacefully at Sachem Nursing Home after a long illness.
Born in Dorchester, son of Theresa M. (Kelly) Kelly of Fairhaven and the late Melvin Leo Kelly, he lived in Marshfield and New Hampshire before returning to the South Shore.
He enjoyed New England sports teams and painting.
Survivors include his mother; a brother, Robert Kelly and his wife Michelle of Mattapoisett; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was the brother of the late Patricia Ann Nickerson and Donna Marie MacFadden.
His Funeral Service will be held on Monday, November 5th at 12 Noon in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
The Boy Who Was Afraid of Halloween
There was a little boy who was afraid of Halloween. Not just of the shrieking ghost and ghastly ghouls of the season, but even of the trick-or-treaters who came to his door. Who knew what lay behind those masks? Certainly not the kids next door! He was afraid of it all, from the decorations to dark night lit by a silvery full moon.
As a toddler, the little boy would look out the window and see the wind moving the decorations. He was too little to know it was the wind, instead thinking the ghosts and witches and scarecrows were real. The little boy was also afraid of the neighbor’s dog that guarded its family’s decorations by taking up sentry on the front lawn. The little boy would look out the window and shrink back. His mother told him again and again that none of this was real – it was all make believe. His pre-school teacher told him, too.
This particular year, they were going trick-or-treating. “It’s all make believe,” his mother reminded him. “Not real, okay?” He nodded, but he still wasn’t convinced. So off they went on Halloween night, door to door to get candy in his plastic pumpkin. The little boy liked this part. But then he went to the house across the street. The neighbor’s dog was nowhere in sight, so he breathed a small sigh of relief. Clenching his mother’s hand, he noticed the decorations not moving in the wind. “Make believe – not –,“ he told himself while he closed his eyes tight and bit his lip. He opened them to see something white trailing toward them down the walk and he was ready to scream, heart beating wildly, when he saw a tail at the end of that ghost! Hey, wait a minute! It was the little dog! The little dog had become tangled in the ghost decoration and was running, trying to free himself, while at the same time greeting the boy. He laughed with delight.
The little dog wasn’t so bad after all, and there really was no such thing as ghosts! All along his mother and teachers were right – it is all make believe. He began enjoying Halloween each year after that and now is no longer afraid. That little boy was once in all of us, too – do you remember?
Happy Halloween!
Submitted by reader Jeanne McCarthy of Wareham
Our Halloween Cover Contest Winner…
The Wanderer wishes to congratulate the winner of the 2018 Halloween cover contest, Charlotte Lucas from Wareham!
Lucas’ painting of a spooky, possibly haunted house on a dark, stormy night titled “Trick or Treat?” garnered the most online votes winning her $100 cash.
In all, there were 22 spooktacular submissions, all of them worthy of gracing the cover of The Wanderer, in our opinion, but we have no say because it is you, the readers who get to choose!
If you submitted your artwork and didn’t win this time, Groundhog Day is only 93 days away – your next chance to win another Wanderer cover contest! So get to work on those groundhog-themed masterpieces! We can hardly wait!
Question One
To the Editor:
In a recent Southcoast publication, Keith Hovan (President & CEO of Southcoast Health) has made an impassioned case against Question 1 which sets safe limits on how many patients a nurse can care for.
Mr. Hovan, speaking as a NURSE and CEO, states “this initiative is estimated to add $38 million annually to our already burdened budget and require the hiring 255 additional nurses at Southcoast hospitals.”
Ironically, Mr. Hovan’s leadership has overseen a colossal operating loss of that very amount in 2017—$38 million. While other hospitals in the state are posting profits, Southcoast’s bond rating has been downgraded from A3 to Baa1 by Moody’s Investors Service and witnessed a biblical exodus of talented, dedicated physicians and nurses.
As an anesthesiologist at Southcoast for 20 years, I had the pleasure of working with many nurses in obstetrics, ORs, recovery rooms, and med/surgical floors. Nurses often complained to me about limited staffing, mandated overtime, and staying post-call after being up all night doing emergency cases. This understaffing has resulted in the loss of experienced nurses at our hospitals.
Mr. Hovan’s claims that this bill will require the hiring of 255 additional nurses is, in and of itself, an admission that the system understaffs nurses. In Massachusetts last year there were over 2000 formal complaints about staffing levels and over 70% of nurses believe they are understaffed.
Studies have shown that tired, overworked nurses are less effective, decrease quality of care, increase medication errors, and result in longer hospitalizations.
While not perfect, this bill will set up guardrails for safe nursing ratios. It is unfortunate that collective bargaining with hospital administrators has failed and this issue has become a ballot question, one which the same administrators have spent over $17 million dollars to defeat.
James J. O’Rourke, MD, Marion
The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wandererwill gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wandererreserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderermay choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wandererhas the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wandereralso reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.
Marion’s Stewards of Community Open Space
The Town of Marion’s Stewards of Community Open Space will be hosting a Public Information Session on Thursday, November 1at 7:00 pm at the Marion Police Station Conference Room to share the results of the recent Marion Open Space and Recreation Survey conducted by the Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission.
Results from the Marion Open Space and Recreation Survey will help inform the creation of a new Marion Open Space and Recreation Plan as part of the Town of Marion’s Master Plan. The last Marion Open Space and Recreation Plan was developed in 2005.
The Stewards of Community Open Space have been working with Bill Napolitano, Environmental Program Director, and Grant King, Director of Comprehensive Planning & Housing, from the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) to develop a new Marion Open Space and Recreation Plan. Napolitano and King will share results from the recent Marion Open Space and Recreation Survey on Thursday, November 1 as part of the planning process for the new Marion Open Space and Recreation Plan. The public is encouraged to attend this Public Information Session to share their comments and ideas about shaping a new Marion Open Space and Recreation Plan.
The Stewards of Community Open Space was formed by the Town of Marion in 2017 and is made up of representatives from the Conservation Commission, Marine Resources Commission, Marion Pathways Committee, Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission, Planning Board, Recreation Department, Tree & Parks Commission, Trustees of Washburn Park, and Sippican Lands Trust. The purpose of the Stewards of Community Open Space (SoCOS) is to develop, maintain, and advocate for a comprehensive and integrated plan for the use and management of open space land in Marion.
Police Engaged in Mattapoisett Manhunt (Updated)
On the evening of October 30 the Mattapoisett Police were searching to the area of Acushnet Road and Crystal Springs Road in Mattapoisett for a suspect who was possibly armed.
The State Police Air Wing, SWAT team, and a State Police helicopter joined the search as police tried to locate the person.
Residents in the vicinity received a reverse 911 call around 8:30 pm warning residents to remain inside with the doors locked as a man with a gun was reported in the area.
Acushnet Road was closed for several hours during the search.
The Mattapoisett Police Department issued this information:
At approximately 6:05pm (on October 30) the Mattapoisett Police Department was notified of an assault that occurred in town. The male party involved in the assault made statements threatening to harm himself and others including the police. The male suspect did have access to a firearm and reportedly left his home and went into the wooded area around his home.
The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) SWAT team was activated to assist in the search for the male suspect. The Massachussetts State Police Air wing was also notified and responded to assist in the search.
A reverse 911 notification was made to residents in the area requesting that they shelter in place and notify the police of any suspicious activity.
At just after 11pm the police had the suspect in custody.
ZBA Approves New Boats Display
The October 18 meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals took a bit longer to get through, despite a short agenda portending a short meeting with only one case to be heard.
Coming before the ZBA on this night was well known local businessman Todd Rodrigues whose Yard Boss business has been situated on Route 6 since 2010 and, more recently, lots at the same location were developed sprouting the Windswept Village complex, a multi-use structure for retail shops, restaurants, and residences.
Rodrigues’ application for a special permit asked the board members to allow the display of new boats on an existing new building foundation for his tenant George Fearons’ yacht brokerage. Fearon, a Mattapoisett resident from the Bay Club community, currently rents space in Rodrigues’ Yard Boss property from which he conducts his selling activities for Oyster Harbor Marine.
The new building foundation was poured when Windswept Village Phase 1 was under construction, in anticipation of future build-out. The site is a raw, undeveloped parcel with frontage on Route 6.
Rodrigues explained that only new vessels would be on display, and none would contain hazardous fuels or oils. Propellers would not be attached, and no more then five 30-foot boats would be on the property at any given time.
Rodrigues went on to say that the area would be landscaped in keeping with the rest of the finished spaces, and no other related business activities other then selling boats would take place on site.
“We live in a boating community. … It’s a great chance to display Mattapoisett that way, a great opportunity for Mattapoisett,” said Rodrigues.
There was some confusion on the part of the ZBA when one member thought the applicant was seeking to build a structure to house the boats, questioning the appropriateness of placing boats out in the open where children might be drawn to explore and climb on them.
Currently the zoning bylaw only allows boats to be warehoused in the Industrial district, noted ZBA member Gene Deslander.
Rodrigues said it was tough for Fearon to sell boats without having some on location, and that Fearon’s brokerage business, being run out of the Yard Boss structure, was within his right.
After some discussion on the height and overall size of the boats in question, more general impressions were shared when ZBA member Mary Ann Brogan demurred that the area would look “ugly.”
Chairman Susan Akin told Rodrigues that, if and when he planned to house the boats on the site, he would have to return to the ZBA with a new permit request.
But Deslanders continued to express his concern about children, saying of Windswept Village, “When you came before the board, you said children may live in the building, [and] this may be an attractive hazard for children.”
However, ZBA member Kenneth Pacheco wondered, “What is the big danger?”
Fearon said, “We live in Mattapoisett where every other yard has a boat in it,” a comment that Pacheco agreed with.
Brogan asked if he would put up fencing. Rodrigues said no, but the area would be attractively landscaped.
“I don’t think I’m ready to give you carte blanche,” Deslanders said.
Deslanders asked why he didn’t put the brokerage business at the Industrial Park, and Rodrigues responded that they didn’t want to do that. The Route 6 location was preferred.
“Zoning isn’t to accommodate you; you have to accommodate zoning,” Brogan said.
Pacheco again asserted, “Boats are everywhere.”
ZBA member Colby Rottler supported the request, saying the Mattapoisett Boat Yard had boats out in the open, and added, “Yard Boss has been remarkable, always looks nice, it’s good for the community, new businesses.”
But Borgan questioned if Fearon was a registered business owner in the town. After establishing that Fearon was a tenant of Rodrigues and not a business owner in the community, Brogan said, “His business doesn’t pay taxes to Mattapoisett.”
When the vote was cast, the sought-after Special Permit was granted 3-2, with Brogan and Delanders dissenting.
The permit carries stipulations that any changes to the site, number of boats, or use of the property will require a new application.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for November 15 at 6:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room if there are hearings scheduled.
Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals
By Marilou Newell
Alfred J. Gentili
Alfred J. Gentili, 85, of New Bedford passed away Saturday October 27, 2018 at Sippican Health Care Center surrounded by his loving family.
Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Ernesto and Rosa (DiPasquale) Gentili, he lived in New Bedford all of his life. He also summered at his beach cottage at Angelica Point in Mattapoisett for many years.
Mr. Gentili was formerly employed as a machinist at Berkshire-Hathaway, where he also served as shop steward.
During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army.
He enjoyed trips to the casinos with his family and friends.
The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at Sippican Health Care Center for their compassion and care given to Alfred.
He is survived by his nieces and nephews, Michael Gentili, Cathy Gendron, Gina Perry, Laurie Alfonse, and Paul Gentili; and his great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was the brother of the late Mariano “Muddy” Gentili and Ernest Gentili.
His Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday November 3, 2018 at 10 am at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Friday Nov. 2nd from 5-8 pm at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
