A look back at 2023 in the Tri-Town
A lot can happen in a year. In the Tri-Town, beloved annual events went off without a hitch, the community rallied behind good causes and supported each other through tragedies.
A tornado, a post-tropical cyclone and a late-December storm tested the mettle of first responders as emergency personnel worked around the clock to keep Tri-Town residents safe.
This summer, South Coast communities caught a case of bear-fever as a black bear made its way through the Tri-Town.
Here are some other top stories from Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester:
Marion
Marion said “hello” to new Town Administrator Geoff Gorman, who hit the ground running in March, taking over from former Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail, who resigned in 2022.
“We're just going to try to continue to make those human-sized steps to this [becoming] a better and better town,” said Gorman, who is now in his ninth month on the job.
In January, the town also said farewell to a Norway Spruce tree that stood outside Sippican School for 100 years.
The tree was the centerpiece of the school’s Memorial Garden and a “cradle of memories,” said Sippican School music teacher Hannah Moore. In June, the memorial garden was redesigned and re-dedicated.
During the summer, the Beverly Yacht Club hosted the Marion-Bermuda Boat Race which saw Thirty-two sailboats separated into five categories set out from the waters of Marion aiming to reach the island of Bermuda, 645 nautical miles away.
Marion also dealt with its share of tragedy. In early March, Camp Hadley, home to Marion Boy Scout Troop 32 caught fire. No Boy Scouts were injured in the blaze. The scouts returned a few weeks later to help the Marion Fire Department clean up the camp.
At Marion’s Spring Town Meeting, residents voted to allocate funds toward capital improvement projects, including a $1.2 million ladder truck for the fire department.
Marion’s Fall Town Meeting saw voters borrow $922,000 for the construction of a new harbormaster facility that drew comment and criticism from town residents.
Marion’s town election was quiet as incumbents retained their seats on the Select Board and school committees.
Marion also had its share of community events, such as the annual town party, NolanFest, the Marion Garden Tour, a number of exhibitions and theater productions at the Marion Art Center and Holiday House Tour to wrap up the year.
Mattapoisett
The Mattapoisett Boatyard reaffirmed its commitment to rebuild as it announced plans to construct a 15,000 square-foot facility at an estimated cost of $2.5 million. The facility will include a waterfront office, climate-controlled workspaces and an event space.
According to Mattapoisett Boatyard co-owners David and Ned Kaiser, the business “never really skipped a beat.”
The town also saw the completion of the Shining Tides Mile of the Mattapoisett Bike Path in April which connected Goodspeed Island Road to Reservation Road. The path opened just in time for the annual Tour de Creme bike ride.
Mattapoisett also hosted community events like a town-wide garden tour, the launch of a hand-built wooden boat and the continuation of a vintage car show at Shipyard Park.
The Old Rochester Regional School District saw several months of controversy as 10 books in the Old Rochester Regional High School and Junior High School libraries came under fire for what some called sexually explicit language and imagery.
The 10 books were unanimously approved to remain in libraries by the school’s Standards Committee.
The school district also saw successes, such as a promising run at the Massachusetts Div. 3 Basketball Championship that was cut short in the semi-finals, a state championship win for the school’s varsity track team, the formation of a high school alumni association, too many music and arts events to mention and the hiring of a new high school athletic director.
At Mattapoisett’s Spring Town Meeting, residents rejected a ban on nips and voters at Fall Town Meeting advanced the reconstruction of Old Slough Road.
The Mattapoisett town election was a sweep for incumbents who retained their seats.
And of course, Harbor Days made its annual return to Shipyard Park.
Rochester
Rochester started its year by honoring its oldest resident, 104-year-old Mary Bellotti.
Her secret to a long life: “I never drank, I never smoked and I never had sex,” she said jokingly, while flanked by her two daughters, Susan Silva and Marie Crompton.
In the town’s May election, Rochester voters favored incumbents for all but one contested seat. Marion Harbormaster Adam Murphy beat incumbent Woody Hartley 845-673 for a seat on the Rochester Select Board.
Rochester residents also made their voices heard at Spring Town Meeting and voted to leave the Massachusetts Green Communities program, the first municipality in the Commonwealth to do so.
Rochester Town Meeting voters — along with those in Mattapoisett, Lakeville, Acushnet and Carver — also supported a feasibility study for Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School that will allow it to look into construction possibilities to accommodate a growing enrollment and provide additional courses.
“I had complete faith in our towns to support it but then there was a piece of me that knew if [for] some reason it didn’t pass that it would be a very heavy weight to carry,” said Polansky. “I just want the best for our kids and our staff.”
This wasn’t the only success that Old Colony saw in 2023. The school graduated its first cohort from an adult welding program in March, Old Colony Football Coach Brandon Mendez was named Massachusetts football coach of the year by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association after a successful varsity football season, and the school kicked off the fall with a festival in October.
The Rochester community came out in force for its annual Memorial Day Boat Race, which saw participants from across the Tri-Town take on the 12-mile journey toward Mattapoisett.
Rochester ended the year with its annual tree lighting ceremony outside town hall.
