Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Scholarship Deadline Extended

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Are you looking to continue your education in a certificate or degree program? The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is extending the deadline for its $1,500 Continuing Education Scholarship until May 31. This scholarship is for residents of Mattapoisett who have attained their high school diploma or GED and is intended to assist individuals who have applied to or are enrolled in a program to upgrade their skills, facilitate a career change, and/or pursue or finish their college education. This includes professional, technical, or trade certification programs as well as in any college degree program.

            Applications and additional information are available on the MWC website at www.mattapoisettwomansclub.org/about/mattapoisett-womans-club-scholarships. All applications and supporting documents must be received at P.O. 1444, Mattapoisett, MA 02739, ATTN: Scholarship Committee, by May 31, 2023. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

            The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is a philanthropic organization that plans and executes fund-raising events to help generate the revenue for these scholarships, other charitable donations, public programming and community outreach. The MWC scholarship program in particular helps to support the larger community that has partnered with the club in its fund-raising efforts.

Mattapoisett Republican Party Meeting

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The Mattapoisett Republican Party invites everyone interested to join us on Wednesday, May 3 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Ying Dynasty, 24 County Rd, Mattapoisett.

            Topics for discussion are:

1) The upcoming town elections

2) Volunteering opportunities

3) Other local meetings that are of interest to everyone.

            Several local candidates will be at the meeting to introduce themselves and to answer questions.

            If interested, please attend or contact by email: ChairMattGOP@Gmail.com

Buzzards Bay Water Quality Improved since 2015

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In its quinquennial State of Buzzards Bay Report, the Buzzards Bay Coalition points to three drivers that led to an uptick in the overall Bay Health Score, the first increase since the organization began tracking Bay health in this way in 2003. The report’s findings also caution that changes attributed to climate change, including warmer weather and rising sea levels, may soon outpace these gains.

            Based on a rubric with nine criteria, a “perfect score” of 100 is based on the state of the bay as documented by European explorers at the time of colonization in 1602. Given the significant human activity that has occurred in the centuries since, the Coalition estimates that a restored, healthy Buzzards Bay would likely score a 75. The newly issued report pins today’s score at 46.

            According to Coalition President Mark Rasmussen, “This is the first time since we began these assessments in 2003 that we’ve seen the Bay Score improved. It’s a win for the bay’s restoration, but the score would have increased even more were it not for the damage that climate change is already having on our Bay.”

            Rasmussen attributes the good news regarding the bay’s health to a reduction in both nitrogen and toxic pollution, pointing to actions at the federal and local levels. Ongoing attention and amendments to the Clean Air Act have helped to reduce environmental pollutants falling on the Bay from fossil fuel burning power plants and automobiles. And town-based initiatives – including an increase in sewering and requirements for nitrogen-reducing septic systems – are also helping to move the needle. He also describes the forest cover of the bay’s watershed, at 76-percent, as its “secret sauce” when comparing Buzzards Bay to other, more degraded East Coast waterbodies, like the Chesapeake.

            There were declines in the Watershed Health scores however, which Vice President for Watershed Protection Brendan Annett tied to an increase in development and the loss of forested lands to solar farms, “More than 600-acres of forest have been lost since 2015 to the creation of solar farms. The use of alternate energy, including solar, is key to the bay’s long-term health, but we want to ensure that the development of these facilities doesn’t occur adjacent to stream buffers and other forested areas that are vital to bay and watershed health.”

            Salt marsh loss has also contributed to lower Watershed Health scores, which Coalition’s Vice President for Bay Science Rachel Jakuba, Ph.D. attributes to climate change- driven rising sea level as well as human-made alterations. She also warns about the impacts of rising water temperatures on the local environment, “Warming water caused by climate change is creating a more welcoming environment for bacteria and will – over time – make it more difficult for living resources like eelgrass, bay scallops and river herring to thrive.” Eelgrass serves as a vital habit for a broad range of marine life, including bay scallops, while river herring are a “foundation fish,” an important part of the bay’s ecosystem on which striped bass, bluefish and other sportfish feed.

            A complete copy of the report may be found at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/about-us/publications/state-of-buzzards-bay/. Hard copies of the report are also available by emailing info@savebuzzardsbay.org.

Arlene R. (Govoni) Sullivan

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Arlene R. (Govoni) Sullivan, 91, of Mattapoisett passed away Tuesday April 25, 2023. She was the wife of the late Daniel J. Sullivan.

            Born in Fairhaven, the daughter of the late Carl J. and Rose E. (McDermott) Govoni, she lived in Fairhaven for most of her life before moving to Mattapoisett upon her marriage in 1990. She was a graduate of Fairhaven High School.

            Arlene spent her entire working career with Cornish & Co., Inc. Insurance Company, becoming a partner in the business in 1979. She served the last 21 years as President and Treasurer before retiring after 46 years of service. In addition to her own insurance agency duties, she also assisted her late husband in the operation of his funeral homes, especially during his illness and subsequent passing. She had also been a 25-year member of the Board of Trustees of Riverside Cemetery.

            She is survived by her sisters, Mary T. Brito and Phyllis C. Goulet; her stepchildren, Daniel Sullivan, Shauneen McDermott, and Jason Sullivan; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

            She was predeceased by her twin sister, Ann E. Borges.

            Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday May 2nd at 10 am at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven. Visiting hours are omitted. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

June (Billings) Bryant

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June (Billings) Bryant, 105, of Wareham transitioned peacefully at Tobey Hospital on April 25, 2023. She was the loving wife of the late Willard (Bill) Bryant.

            Born in Brockton on June 29, 1917, June moved to Onset with her family when she was three. She was the devoted daughter of the late Fred Billings and Dorothy (Holmes) Billings.

            June graduated from Wareham High School in 1935 and married Bill in 1942. After World War II, they settled in Buzzards Bay, later moving into the Bryant homestead on Sandwich Road in Wareham, where they raised their family and ran Bryant’s Farm Fruits and Vegetables. In 1962, they purchased Superior Oil, running the business until it was sold in 2005. The couple bought a camp in Bartlett, NH where they explored hiking trails in the White Mountains. They also loved vacationing in Ogunquit, ME. Devoted Boston football fans, they held Patriots season tickets for over 20 years.

            June was a member of the Cates Club, a ladies’ social luncheon group, and over the years took painting classes and enjoyed line-dancing, antiquing, yard sales, and listening to music, especially opera and jazz.

            A life-long learner and enthusiastic reader, June shared many passions with her friends and daughters, including nature walks, swimming at Onset Beach, blueberry-picking (for her homemade pies), arts and crafts projects, and attending performances at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford.

            June continued to live at the old homestead after Bill’s sudden passing in 1994. After 69 years, she moved (at the age of 101) to Keystone Place in Buzzards Bay, where she enjoyed art and exercise classes, musical events, and (always the party girl) the Happy Hours.

            June is survived by her daughters Nona Bryant of Rockland, Beth Bryant of Marlborough, and Ann Bryant of Mattapoisett, grandchildren Kevin Weaver and his wife Amanda Wallas, and Daniel Weaver, 4 nephews, and her beloved care companion of over 7 years, Rita Mattos. June was predeceased by her sister, Natalie (Billings) Boynton, a son, Willard Bryant, Jr., and her sister-in-law, Lena (Bryant) Malone.

            A Celebration of June’s Life will be held on June 29, 2023 (which would have been her 106th birthday), from 4:30 – 7:30 pm at the Onset Bay Center. In lieu of flowers, please donate in June’s memory to CHAMPS Animal Shelter, PO Box 332, Marion, MA 02738.

            Arrangements are by Chapman Funerals & Cremations – Wareham, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham. To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, visit: www.chapmanfuneral.com.

Janice A Kirby

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Janice A Kirby, 77, of Rochester, passed away peacefully in the comfort of her home on Thursday April 27th. She was pre-deceased by her beloved husband George A Kirby III.

            Janice was born in New Bedford MA, the daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Veary) Stringer.

            Jan met George at the Portuguese Feast in 1963 and it was love at first sight, or as she so often said when reminiscing about ‘Kirb’, ‘he took my breath away’. They married in the mid-sixties and raised their family in Rochester MA. Jan worked alongside her family as clerk at George Kirby Jr Paint Company. Janice loved country life, cooking, music and gardening. Over the years she had many loyal dogs. Jan was known as the ‘Plant Lady’ when she’d sell houseplants out of her greenhouse and the ‘Soup Lady’ when she’d deliver soup to Rochester’s elders and neighbors. Jan was fun-loving and witty and happiest spending time at home visiting and laughing with family and friends. She had a unique sense of humor, a great laugh and loved scallops and Chinese food. Janice was especially fond of Sundays spent with her best friend, the late Elaine Gifford. Jan was one of a kind and will be greatly missed.

            Survivors include: three children, George Kirby IV and wife Shari (Meyer) of Rochester, Michelle Kirby and husband Andy Hammerman of Ecuador and Rochester, Dean Adam Kirby of Auburn, MA, and Kathy (Stringer) who Janice and George raised, and husband Matt Brady of Auburn, MA; four grandchildren, George V and Yary (Moeuy) Kirby and great granddaughter Kaliyan, Zachary and Erica (Vozzella) Kirby, Samuel Kirby, and Katherine Grace Kirby. Siblings Dan (wife Linda Morgan) Stringer, Cheryl Stringer, sister-in-law Marie (Blanchard) Stringer (wife of the late James Stringer), Meryden Kirby (late husband Bruce Hartshorn) and Ruth-Ann Kirby Flynn (husband Charles Flynn). Three nieces, Shawn-Ann Schafler, Dana-lyn Hartley, Jessica Phaneuf and four nephews Mark Hartley, Matthew Hartley, Jonathan Stringer, Michael Stringer and many great nephews and nieces.

            The Kirby family would like to thank Southcoast Visiting Nurse Association/ Hospice for their professional and compassionate care and support.

            A Celebration of Life will be held at the First Congregational Church of Rochester on Saturday May 13th at 10 am. Visiting hours were held Tuesday May 2nd at Fairhaven Funeral Home.

MOU Paves Way for Phase 1b

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            It was received as good news when on April 25, three business days after the Mattapoisett Select Board meeting held April 20, it was learned that Phase 1b of the Bike Path is to open.

            Select Board member Jordan Collyer, who has taken the lead on dealing with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on the Memorandum of Understanding, told The Wanderer on Tuesday that they have received an acceptable MOU.

            “The board plans on meeting Thursday (April 27 at 6:00 pm) to review the MOU. I can’t speak for the board, but I’m comfortable with it,” said Collyer.

            This comes after the April 20 Select Board meeting in which Collyer railed against “name calling” on Facebook that he said, “wouldn’t solve anything.” He said that language and specifically the word “maintenance” without a definition as to just exactly what maintenance might mean in this context was the problem.

            Now with this resolved, plans are underway for opening the security gate and letting the public, at long last, enjoy the pathway from Fairhaven to Mattapoisett village.

            It took some time on April 20 for the Mattapoisett Select Board and Finance Committee to review Article One, Elected Officers’ Compensation. The sticking points were two pay raises being requested, one by the current Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and the other by the Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer.

            The meeting established which articles the board and the committee would support or decline support during the May 8 Town Meeting. The board and the committee had already reviewed budgets with all department heads leading up to the meeting, but Finance Committee Chairman Pat Donoghue questioned Bauer’s requested $7,500 increase, which would bring his salary up to $87,500.

            Donoghue asked, “What message are we sending the other town employees? I’m troubled by this.” Member Kevin Geraghty said that the salary was originally set at a lower level than that of former surveyor Barry Denham, who had held the position for over 20 years.

            “Garrett took a haircut, we gave him a reduced rate. He runs a good ship,” said Collyer, noting that during bad weather, roads remain open, that Bauer has a degree and that market rate for a job such as his ranges between $90,000 and $95,000. “If we had to look for a qualified person, we’d be paying more,” he said.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco noted that Bauer holds a CDL license and that when necessary, “…is in the ditches doing the work.”

            Also adding her support for the increase was Select Board member Jodi Bauer. “He puts in a lot. You are getting a lot for your buck. He could be gone,” she said.

            Lorenco said that Garrett Bauer had been looking at salaries paid in private industry as well as other towns to compare. “Yes, increases should be based on merit,” said Lorenco, adding that Bauer “was at the low end.”

            Donoghue was steadfast in her belief that it appeared as though elected officials were getting more. “I went to Town Hall and said the streets aren’t being cleaned. I was told we don’t have the people to do the work. Why aren’t we looking at that?” she asked.

            Regarding the town clerk’s requested increase of $3,600 to a salary of $75,000, Lorenco said Heuberger’s current salary of $71,400 was in line with other communities.

            When the two groups voted whether or not to support the pay increases in Article One, the Finance Committee members were all in favor, except Donoghue. The Select Board voted unanimously for Article One.

            The proposed compensation in Article One reads: Moderator $290 up from $282; Board of Selectmen Chairman $5,945 up from $5,829, Board of Selectmen members each $5,358 up from $5,253, Assessors each $5,358 up from $5,253, Town Clerk $75,000 up from $71,400, Board of Health each $678 up from $696, Highway Surveyor $87,500 up from $80,000, Mattapoisett School Committee each $692 up from $687, Water/Sewer Commissioners each $678 up from $692, Tree Warden $10,500 up from $10,083, and Herring Inspector $988 up from $968.

            While Article One garnered a large piece of the meeting, Article Two General Operating Budget was swiftly and unanimously (by both the board and the committee) supported at $32,405,674.

            Article Three asks voters to appropriate $204,000 for OPEB liabilities, Article Four $160,000 appropriation for the School Assessment Stabilization Fund, Article Five to authorize Departmental Revolving Fund expenditure limits, Article Six $45,000 for Cyclical Annual Property Revaluation and Town Mapping, Article Seven $4,500 for actuarial analysis of the Town’s OPEB liability, Article Eight Personnel Schedules and Article Nine Acceptance of the Capital Planning Committee report.

            Regarding the Capital Planning Committee Requests and planning are listed in Article Ten as follows: $20,000 for a security server for local schools, $170,000 CAT Backhoe/Loader, $19,000 replacement of fire panel in schools, $55,000 Fire Department SUV, $65,000 Police cruiser, Road Improvements $250,000, $19,500 school kitchen oven, $48,150 roof soffits and gutters for schools, $45,000 library carpet replacement lower level, $85,000 library slate-roof repairs, $35,000 Town Hall study, $20,000 repair window seals at schools, $25,000 replace VCT flooring in schools, $25,000 furniture and equipment replacements for Town Hall, $15,000 reorganization, repairs and cleanup at the Transfer Station.

            Waterfront Department requests are: $30,000 for Long Wharf boring study and $35,000 for dredging of the inner harbor. Water Department needs are: $120,000 village watermain replacement, $30,000 lead and copper study and plan and $30,000 for well upgrades. The Sewer Department is requesting $35,000 for lift-station upgrades.

            Article Eleven asks voters to approve the borrowing of $3,700,000 for necessary Fairhaven Sewer Treatment Plant upgrades. Article Twelve asks voters to approve the appropriation of $4,830,000 for the purchase of approximately 241 acres of primarily agricultural lands in the Mattapoisett River Valley for the purposes of conserving the area for drinking-water protection. The article notes that grants from the Community Preservation Act and other entities will be sought.

            Article Thirteen $48,000 for the Old Colony Debt Authorization for Feasibility Study is requested from member communities based on enrollment so that school expansion options and upgrades can be explored, and Article Fourteen will appropriate $1,437,000 for reconstruction of Oakland and Pearl Streets.

            Articles Fifteen through Twenty allocate revenues for the Community Preservation Act, with $25,300 for Housing, $25,300 Historic Preservation, $25,300 Open Space and $115,000 Budgeted Reserve. Article 16-20 are FY24 grant requests from: Mattapoisett Historical Commission for survey funding $15,000, Florence Eastman American Legion Post 280 for ADA improvements and restroom repairs, Mattapoisett Housing Authority for window replacements and other repairs $150,000 and Mattapoisett Christian Church/Museum for damaged exterior walls, windows, and other improvements $38,000.

            Article Twenty-One Water Reserve Account appropriates $10,000 from Water Retained Earnings for establishing a reserve for unforeseen expenses and the same for Article Twenty-two for the Sewer Reserve Account.

            Article Twenty-Three would reduce property-tax obligations for those veterans who perform volunteer services, Article Twenty-Four would beef up the language in Mattapoisett’s General Bylaws regarding the removal of trees on scenic roadways, and Article Twenty-Five would establish a Cemetery Commission for the purposes of developing care planning and to act as facilitators for the Barlow and Hammond cemeteries.

            Articles Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight seek to amend and/or modify appointment of alternate members placed on the Capital Planning, Finance and Conservation Commission.

            Article Twenty-Nine would amend the town’s Dog Waste Bylaw in an effort to improve adherence to dog-waste removal by responsible parties. Article Thirty would ban the sale of “nips” in an effort to control trash pollution along public roadways, and Article Thirty-One would allow the Town to exit the landfill agreement, which is unsigned, with NEXAMP for property located at the Transfer Station.

            Before the joint meeting began, the Select Board voted to accept July 4th Road Race route changes that will now avoid travel along Route 6. They also approved a request from Tastebuds for outdoor dining during the summer season. The board also approved the spending of $34,450 for test borings on Long Wharf.

            Town-sponsored student scholarships were discussed having received two applications recently. The fund currently holds $4,500, monies donated by property owners. They tabled a decision on how much to gift the students.

            The Select Board also voted to appoint Ben Church as a full-time Police officer.

            The Mattapoisett Select Board plans to meet on Thursday, April 27, at 6:00 pm to review the MOU related to the Bike Path. The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 8, at 6:30 pm in the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium. The next regular meeting of the Select Board has not been announced.

Mattapoisett Select Board and Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

Comedy Illustrated

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Laughter is good for the soul. No, no wait. Laughter is good for the body and soul, and no one knows that better than those artists who ply their talents in an industry that continues to generate guffaws, chuckles, smiles, or just a confirming nod that itself says, “I get it.” Enter the cartoonists.

            On April 20, the Mattapoisett Council on Aging hosted an hour-long conversation with award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski, whose view of the human condition and all its really humorous pratfalls was as delicious as it can get outside a bakery shop.

            Stromoski had a dream. He wanted to draw and tell funny stories through his artwork. He was enraptured by Charles Schulz and thrilled by what he eagerly consumed from MAD magazine as a youth, but it was a grade-school teacher who really helped Stromoski explore the depth of his burgeoning talent. The teacher made a deal with the young Stromoski: If he did his schoolwork and kept his grades up, she’d allow him free time to draw. He had to keep a B-average. He scored an A. BINGO!

            But when it came to moving on into the higher-education phase of life, college was not for Stromoski. Coming from a family of 12 children, tuition for college was out of the question anyway.

            “I studied everything from books and artist’s magazines,” he said. “(MAD magazine) had no sacred cows, everything was on the plate. There were about 12 artists, and they were all my heroes.” He said each artist had their own style, thus he learned a variety of techniques and methods for not only drawing comic pieces but finding the humor to deliver it in his own way to the public.

            “Ideas come from first and foremost focusing on one thing, (such as) word play, drawing cliches … cartoonists tell stories with or without words.”

            Stromoski is the creator of the popular strip “Soup to Nutz.” He explained the process for submitting cartoons to publishers and newspaper syndicates and the thrill of receiving his first paycheck, the princely sum of 7 dollars. But that didn’t matter, he was doing what he believes he was always meant to do, create humor out of everyday life.

            Like so many who have gone before him, Stromoski gets his best ideas from his own, rather large family. “Dinnertime in a family of twelve is like a zebra running on the Serengeti!” he said.

The tools of his trade may have changed over the decades, but the origin of humor remains much the same – people.

            Today, instead of drawing on paper using inks and colored pencils, Stromoski uses digital software. “It’s an amazing tool,” he said, explaining that using a touchpad is much like traditional drawing methods, only more forgiving. “It’s improved production.”

            There is a major downside, however. “We don’t produce original works of art,” he said. Today, drawings done by famous cartoonists can earn vast sums, but the art market is a fickle creature. “People don’t really buy that much anymore.”

            What has happened with the advent of computer graphics is the speed with which cartoons can be created, freeing up artists to do other artistic pursuits. For Stromoski, that is producing graphic novels.

            This genre of publication is on the rise and is giving cartoonists a new place to create, not only the single-pane gag but full, two-page spreads with a story line that captures the attention of the young and or the young at heart. It is also saving careers.

            Stromoski lamented the slow death of print media at not only killing off news, especially at the local level, but also the outlet by which cartoonists reached an audience. But the graphic novel is filling that void. Where his comic strip “Soup to Nutz” enjoyed 18 years entertaining its followers, now through the graphic-novel format Schnozzer and Tatertoes have come alive.

            He said the target age for his graphic novels is the six to nine-year-old camp, but I reckon anyone who likes the silly, weird or just plain funny stuff will want to tag along with these characters as they (as his promotional material asserts) “… TAKE A HIKE … an epic journey as they encounter killer bees, quicksand, angry bears and even nose spiders (Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated 2023.)” To learn more, visit rickstromoski.com.

By Marilou Newell

Machacam Club

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The next meeting of the Machacam Club is scheduled for Wednesday, May 3. We meet at the American Legion Eastman Post on Depot Street. Doors open at 5 pm for social time followed by dinner at 6 pm. Our speaker program begins at 6:45. Colby will be preparing a filling and delicious meal. New members are always welcome. Please contact Chuck at cwmccullough@comcast.net with questions.

Mattapoisett Candidates’ Night

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The League of Women of South Coast is hosting a Candidates’ Night at Old Hammondtown School on Wednesday, May 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Don Cuddy will act as Moderator for the event.

            All candidates running for Town Offices have been invited to participate in the event.  There will be three components to Candidates’ Night:

            1. Meeting the candidates:  Candidates running unopposed will have 5 minutes to introduce themselves, give a brief overview of their qualifications, why they would be a “good fit” for the position, and their understanding of the scope of the office they are seeking.

            2. Debates:  Candidates running contested races will be given the opportunity, in debate form, to explain their qualifications and lay out their understanding of the scope of the office they are seeking.  Debates will be in accordance with League of Women Voters debate guidelines, e.g., “no empty chair” or proxy for a candidate.

            3.  Review of the Town Warrant by Mike Lorenco, Town Administrator.