Neighbors Respond to CVS Proposal

To the Editor:
The proposed CVS development for Mattapoisett is not a positive step for our community.

A 13,000 square foot building would dominate the Route 6 corridor and change the aesthetic of Mattapoisett forever. In addition, there are 10 retail pharmacy outlets available in the area. This level saturation begs the question of what happens if this site doesn’t prove profitable. The town would be left with an empty big box in one of its most visible locations.

CVS/Caremark has 7,200 stores and $96 billion in revenues. The idea that it will make a significant effort to produce a store reflecting the unique character of Mattapoisett is questionable. More likely, the chain’s designers will “interpret” the architectural vernacular resulting in a big box store with a pseudo-colonial facade. This is the usual course of action.

The elimination of affordable housing on the corner of North Street and County Road must also be considered. The removal of such housing would reduce the diversity of housing available in the Town, which impacts negatively on the community. And as the Planning Board recently noted, traffic on what is already a busy corner and a residential abutting area is a concern.

The suburban sprawl we see in Fairhaven and Dartmouth did not happen overnight. It was a step-by-step progression. The Town must be vigilant. A 13,000 square foot store at the busiest intersection would be a significant step toward that type of sprawl.

The project simply does not provide significant value to Mattapoisett. It should not be built.
Thank you,
John A. Theriault

To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the CVS Presents Preliminary Plan article in the Nov 24th issue.

As a resident who lives very close to the proposed site, I was pleased to read that Chairman Thomas Tucker put on record “no drive-thrus” and stated that the special “village business” district is subject to even stricter bylaws than the general business area. But sadden to learn that CVS’s only obstacle will be to get approval from the Board of Appeals (and we know what happens there, just look across the road at Dunkin’ Donuts/Tedeschi).

A thank you goes to board member, John Mathieu, for pointing out that North Street is a residential tree lined street. Trees, a precious commodity in today’s community, will have to be destroyed to accommodate CVS’ entrance/exit driveways – a reverse action when money is being spent to plant trees in our communities to help our environment.

Shame on you, Mr. Beck the CVS representative from Gershman, Brow and Crowley. You cannot wait eight months for an accurate traffic study. So where do you live in this village? Certainly not on North Street.

Everyone knows that you cannot possibly imagine unless you see it for yourself, what the summer months bring between May and November, endless boats small, medium and very large with their trailers, campers, convoys of SUVs, groups of bikers and pedestrians all hours of the day. Now combine that with our newly paved street, North Street has already become a hazardous street to maneuver from our own driveways. And I haven’t even mentioned the intersection of North and Route 6 at the traffic lights. I have lost track on the number of barely missed collisions. Mr. Beck, you want to put more vehicles on this road. Shame on you.

Please don’t make the argument for a drive thru on the shoulders of our senior population. I have worked with seniors for over thirty years and I have yet to hear a senior say that they prefer a drive thru window to the one on one personal face-to-face attention of the pharmacist. Since it is not uncommon for prescription refills to be mishandled, customers should open and check their medication before leaving the store. That would be a huge inconvenience at the drive thru window. CVS, if you are truly concerned about providing a convenient service to a sick resident of Mattapoisett, then provide free home delivery so all ages would benefit from a local CVS Pharmacy.

It goes without saying that Wayne Walega, owner of the property and a resident himself of North Street (although not close to the proposed site), has every right to sell his property. No one wants it to become a blight eye sore now the stores are empty.

Mr. Walega speaks of a CVS design in keeping with the Cape Cod seaside theme but one wonders how much control he will have when the property is sold. Let’s be honest, CVS is a major business and their goal is to sell products not to be the local friendly pharmacy of days gone by. Once the dust has settled, Mattapoisett will just be another store on their books and the management’s focus will be on competing against Tedeschi.

I am not part of the NIMBY (not in my backyard) group, so CVS, should you decide to be part of our seaside village, please don’t subject us to a drive thru, exits on North or Mechanic, a typical monster building with a neon sign with loud HVAC units going 24/7. Instead, work with the community, meet with the neighbors and abutters, listen to our concerns – they are valid – and not just give us lip service.

After all you want our business and we all know how powerful a group of taxpayers and citizens can sway a situation – just read about Bank of America and those fees!

Yours truly,
Christine Voss
Mattapoisett

To the Editor:
I was pleased to see an article about “Remembering Seniors During the Holidays” in last weeks Wanderer. Laura Fedak Pedulli presented good information about some of the reasons that the holidays may be difficult for seniors. Jackie Ashley, of the Rochester Council on Aging, reminded people of the good work that Outreach workers in Rochester, and all over Southeastern MA do at the holidays and throughout the year.

She, however, reportedly gave some information that I have to take issue with. I am a mental health professional with a specialization in working with elders. Jackie reportedly said… “the elderly of the elderly, they are depressed… Laughter is the best medicine”. No, treatment of depression is the best medicine. Depression is not something that happens to all elders, nor is it a normal part of aging. It can happen at any age. It is an illness. And, there is treatment available.

Please, do visit your elder friends, family and neighbors. Please, do notice if they are suffering from depression symptoms. Frequently, elders tell me they are not depressed, because in their minds depression would mean they would be sitting in the corner crying. More often, depression consists of the individual sitting in the corner doing nothing. There are other symptoms. Depressed people have lost interest in life, they are fatigued, may experience insomnia or be sleeping all of the time, may not want to eat or may overeat, may have difficulty concentrating, may have difficulty remembering things (Depression in elders can create a pseudo-dementia), may be irritable and may have frequent thoughts of death. Please, help people of any age, with the symptoms of depression, to get to treatment. Primary Care physicians, may miss depression because they can only treat what they know about. You can call an individual’s doctor and let him/her know what is going on with your loved one or yourself if you see symptoms.

There are excellent counselors and psychiatrists in private practice and in mental health clinics throughout SE Mass. They have information about depression and can provide treatment. Don’t wait – seek treatment for yourself or your loved one, by looking in the yellow pages, looking on-line, or asking your doctor about resources for treatment.

Chris Korben, LICSW
Rochester

Dear Parents and Friends of Old Rochester Little League (ORLL):
Recently your child may have brought home from school registration materials for Rochester Youth Baseball (RYB), causing some confusion, which we would like to clear up. RYB is an independent baseball league run and operated by parents of Rochester and is not affiliated with Old Rochester Little League. While we have had discussions about merging the two leagues as recently as this year, RYB has decided not to join ORLL. Although we were disappointed, we respect their decision to remain independent. Other Tri-Town area youth sports programs have thrived under this platform (football, soccer, lacrosse) and we are firm believers that it remains in the children’s best interest to have them competing with each other. It also provides the kids with valuable, personal relationships well in advance of them attending middle school together. Above all, ORLL is committed to providing the best baseball experience to the children of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester.

We would like to share some highlights from the past season:
• Had over 250 children from the Tri-Town area participate in ORLL’s inaugural season
• Fielded over five teams in each of the four levels of competitive play
• Had over two dozen parents from all three towns participate on the ORLL board
• Had over 120 children ages 5 to 8 participate in seven weeks of former MLB player Brian Rose’s baseball clinic
• Fielded tournament teams at the U8, U9, U10, U11, and U12 levels and won numerous tournaments at different levels.

Though ORLL is off to a great start, we have not been resting on our successes. We have been working this off-season to improve the baseball experience for the children of the Tri-Town area and look forward to another great season in 2012.
Please look for registration materials to be sent home with your children from school in the next couple weeks.
Old Rochester Little League is affiliated with Little League Baseball, founded in 1939 in Williamsport, PA, the world’s largest youth sports program with more than 2.8 million children and 1 million volunteers in more than 100 countries. More than 30 million people have played in Little League programs. This year, approximately 300 children will compete in several divisions of play in baseball in Old Rochester Little League.

Have a safe and happy Holiday season! We look forward to seeing you at opening day in 2012.

Sincerely,
Old Rochester Little League