Murphy the dog is safe and warm tonight, but on December 20, Rochester firefighters and EMTs rushed to a cranberry bog off Sarah Sherman Road in Rochester to rescue poor Murphy who had fallen through the thin ice.

Although Jeff Eldridge called it “just another day” for him as a Rochester firefighter, it was no ordinary day for Murphy and witnesses of the rescue which had Eldridge crossing 300 feet across the water on top of an ice sled to reach the Brittany spaniel who had broken through the ice and could not escape.

Hours prior to the incident, Murphy had run off from his family and was not heard from or seen until someone walking near the bog heard Murphy’s yelps for help and called 911.             According to Eldridge, a second dog was spotted at the scene barking, but ran off when help arrived. Eldridge credited the dog for possibly helping to alert others to Murphy’s whereabouts from his loud barking.

A helicopter overhead captured the rescue on video as it unfolded, and Eldridge could be seen hoisting a willing-to-be-rescued Murphy onto the ice sled, and the two were quickly pulled to the edge where EMTs were waiting to take Murphy to the ambulance for treatment and warming.

“He was in trouble,” Eldridge said during a phone interview with The Wanderer on December 24. “The dog was fine and he went along for the ride.”

Animals falling through the ice and becoming trapped are not uncommon occurrences in Rochester this time of year, Eldridge said. He’s rescued dogs before, as well as five or six deer during his time with the department. Eldridge said he has only participated in one rescue of a human who had broken through the ice on Snipatuit Pond.

“It doesn’t matter if it was a dog or a person and anyone else. It’s what we do,” said the humble hero.

It surprised Eldridge that the story had reached the news in Akron, Ohio, and local television news sources were also reporting on the rescue and broadcasting the helicopter video footage.

Eldridge said he was glad there was a happy ending to this story and that Murphy was now back safe with his family.

“I never met the people who own Murphy, but to see the kid on TV happy his dog was home, it was a really cool ending. Seeing the dog running through the yard with the boy – I think that’s the best part about all of it.”

By Jean Perry

Thirty Marion residents have put their signatures on a Citizen Petition requesting an article be placed on the 2019 Annual Town Meeting warrant calling for a prohibition of adult use cannabis establishments in Marion.

This prohibition would include establishments that sell, distribute, cultivate, process, or package cannabis in any form.

Submitted by Henry Mauro of 19 Ichabod Lane, the petition was time stamped by the Town Clerk’s Office on November 8, but not introduced to the Marion Board of Selectmen’s agenda under the correspondence section until the December 18 meeting. The petition, however, was not discussed during the meeting.

A citizen petition requires a minimum of 10 verified signatures from registered voters for the Annual Town Meeting warrant.

Adding an article to the Town Meeting warrant is the first step Marion would need to take towards prohibiting adult use cannabis operations in town, given that voters approved the legalization of adult use marijuana by a narrow margin during the November 2016 state election. If voters adopt the article at Town Meeting, then the matter must move forward as a ballot question on the Annual Election ballot before prohibition is official.

Should the processing, cultivation, and sale of adult use cannabis products be banned in Marion, use of marijuana products remains legal, and adult residents would still be allowed to cultivate up to six plants per adult for a maximum of 12 cannabis plants per household for personal use.

Medical marijuana establishments would remain legal in Marion, but are restricted to the Marijuana Zoning Bylaw designated area, the Limited Industrial Zone located near the Sippican Industrial Park off Route 6.

In other news, the selectmen have authorized Town Administrator Paul Dawson to request a Reserve Fund Transfer from the Finance Committee for $6,000 to engage Weston & Sampson in a contract to explore solid waste and recycling options for the Town.

Temporary Department of Public Works Superintendent Jon Henry initiated the discussion with representatives from Weston & Sampson, with verbal support from Selectmen Jon Waterman and Randy Parker. Henry asked, should the Town outsource its trash collection and where should the solid waste be disposed of once the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District (CMWRRDD) contract with SEMASS expires at the close of 2020?

Board of Selectmen Chairman Norm Hills was concerned about redundancy, given that the CMWRRDD just hired a new executive director to explore these very options, but Parker felt the board should be leading this matter, saying, “Two years is a short time.”

“Having an engineer on board along the way, as a tool for them,” said Parker. “It’ll give us a little lead on what we should be doing. … Two years municipal time is tomorrow.”

But the CMWRRDD does have a contract to honor, Hills pointed out. “But it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan,” said Parker. “We need some leverage.”

“I think it’s a good investment for us without committing,” said Waterman. “I’m not convinced there’s benefits to sticking with the CMW long term.”

“I think it’s a tool that will actually pay a dividend in the end and keep us ahead of the curve,” said Parker.

There are several options the Town could adopt, said Waterman, including buying a new truck for waste collection, outsource curbside collection, or privatize.

“Any option voters will need to approve and maybe seek an override,” said Waterman.

“Any of those options are going to cost the voter more money.” He later said, “Maybe the CMW’s the best way to go long term, but we also have to think, is there an alternative … and what does that look like?”

“We’re not gonna make the ultimate decision; the voters are going to make the ultimate decision,” said Parker.

“I think it does have to be based on voter feedback,” Waterman said.

If the Finance Committee approves the Reserve Fund Transfer, the selectmen have authorized Dawson to execute a contract with Weston & Sampson.

Also during the meeting, the board approved Police Chief John Garcia’s request to change Lt. Richard Nighelli’s appointment as Lieutenant from probationary to permanent.

The board approved a petition from Verizon and Eversource to relocate a utility pole on Spring Street to accommodate the new Buzzards Bay Coalition building.

Dawson also received permission to apply for recertification of the Town’s Tree City USA status.

The board also acknowledged Dawson’s birthday after the meeting during a short celebration with cake before entering into executive session for legal strategy related to the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s lawsuit against the Town.

The next regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 8 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

Before hearing the cases on a rather light pre-holiday agenda on December 18, Rochester Conservation Commission Chairman Michael Conway said he had a few comments to make regarding one of the board members – Laurene Gerrior.

Conway said it was Gerrior’s last night as a commissioner as she is relocating to Middleboro. He went on to express gratitude for Gerrior’s many years of service to the community, which include being a Conservation Commission member since 2009, as well as working on the Open Space Committee, Historical Commission, Rochester Land Trust, and Cultural Council.

Gerrior said that she’ll be taking a year off from volunteering before filling her evenings with meetings in her new location.

Then it was onto the business at hand.

First up and taking up the majority of the meeting was a continued public hearing for an Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation filed by Steve Longo of Borrego Solar System, Inc. for property located at 75 Vaughan Hill Road. The property owner is Kiriakos Rentumis.

If Longo believed that this meeting would wrap up this portion of the proposed solar project, that belief was shattered when abutter Daniel MacGregor, 91 Vaughn Hill Road, questioned the location and number of vernal pools being reported.

There ensued a lively discussion of methods used by Longo’s engineering team to find and map all wetland and jurisdictional features on the property, with MacGregor asserting that some things had been missed. MacGregor said that the location of wetlands was important because it would impact the number and location of solar panels, including those that might be placed close to his home.

Rochester Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon said, “We’ve been at this for a while, it’s a big site,” and while she said she had confidence in Longo’s report and mapping, she also acknowledged that now was the time to ferret out any and all issues. “This is why we re-advertised and notified abutters again,” she said while adding, “We’ve been over this with a fine-tooth comb to ensure nothing was missed.”

Conway suggested that MacGregor and Longo walk the site together to find any inconsistencies between the two parties. Longo commented many times during the discussion, saying, “Ours is correct,” adding that tax maps were wrong, if that was what MacGregor had based his opinions on.

In the end it was determined that the hearing would be continued until January 15 and that Longo would provide MacGregor with documentation and mapping used to support the wetland delineation report he had defended.

In other matters, a Certificate of Compliance requested by Decas Real Estate Trust for 15 Cranberry Highway was continued until January 15.

Two other requests for Certificates of Compliance – one requested by Michael Williams, 692 Walnut Plain Road, and another by Sonia Amaral, 28 Snows Pond Road – were granted.

The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for January 15 at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Town Hall meeting room.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

The Old Rochester Regional School District welcomed its new business administrator on December 13 during the joint meeting of the ORR School District Committees.

Paul Kitchen will assume the position on January 7, 2019, replacing former business administrator Patrick Spencer, who passed away unexpectedly on October 1.

Spencer had been the school districts’ business administrator for over four years.

Kitchen is the current business administrator for the Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School and served as the business administrator for the Fairhaven Public School District for 11 years.

Superintendent Doug White introduced Kitchen, saying he had earned his Masters of Business Administration from Bryant College and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UMass Dartmouth. Kitchen, who resides in Fairhaven, also earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the Southern New England School of Law.

“He brings a wealth of experience to the district, not only around budgets, but also buildings, state reporting, revenue production, facilities management, and service oversight,” said White.

Kitchen is also a certified Massachusetts Public Procurement Officer and Building Operator.

“His collaborative style will be greatly appreciated in the district as he works with all the stakeholders,” White said.

The committee voted unanimously to make Kitchen’s employment with the district official.

The next meeting of the joint Old Rochester Regional School District Committees is scheduled for March 7 at 6:30 pm in the ORR Junior High School media room.

Joint Old Rochester Regional School District Committees Meeting

By Jean Perry