The Seekonk Scene

From the Clerk

March is here, get ready to spring forward. This year, daylight savings time begins Sunday, March 12th at 2am. That means we lose an hour of sleep but it’s worth it to have a few extra hours of daylight. More good news, the first day of Spring is the 20th - only a few short weeks away!

HOUSING AUTHORITY-For Five Years Vote for ONE

• Open

LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES-For Three Years Vote for TWO

• Fred A. Slemon Jr., Candidate for Re-election

• Catherine E. Capello, Candidate for Re-election

TOWN MODERATOR-For Three Years Vote for ONE

• Peter R. Hoogerzeil, Candidate for Re-election

Craig

Mark your calendars for Seekonk’s Annual Town Election, which will be held on Monday April 3, 2023. All voting takes place at the Seekonk High School gymnasium 261 Arcade Ave. The polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. Due to the 2022 Votes Act legislation approved by the State last summer those voters who do not qualify for an absentee ballot may early vote by mail. You must complete the Vote-by-Mail application. You can find both the Absentee and the Early Voting applications on: www.seekonk-ma.gov

Once on the website go to Departments - Town Clerk - Helpful Documents.

Please remember applications for ballots to be mailed to you, must be received by the Town Clerk by 5pm on the 5th business day before the election, which is 5pm on Monday March 27, 2023.

We will also be offering in-person early voting at the Town Hall starting the week of March 27th and ending on March 31st. The voting hours are Town Hall hours and it will be held in the Board of Selectmen’s meeting room. The last day to register to vote for this election is March 24th. To register to vote or check your voter status go to: vote.gov/ register/ma

Also please note when completing your ballot fill in the oval completely for the candidate you are voting for. Do not use check marks or X’s and please use a black ball point pen or fine-tip felt marker. Do not use pencils, Sharpie’s or thick felt markers as they bleed through the paper making it impossible for the voting machine to read.

If you have any questions about voting for this election, please do not hesitate to call our office 508-336-2920.

Below is a list of the candidates who are running for Town positions:

BOARD OF ASSESSORS-For Three Years Vote for ONE

• Janet Parker

BOARD OF SELECTMEN-For Three Years Vote for TWO

• A. Adam Petronio, Candidate for Reelection

• Pamela Pozzi

• David J. Andrade, Candidate for Reelection

• Michelle A. Hines continued on next page...

TOWN CLERK -For Three Years Vote for ONE

• Florice K. Craig, Candidate for Re-election

PLANNING BOARD -For Five Years Vote for ONE

• Lee B. Dunn, Candidate for Re-election

SCHOOL COMMITTEE-For Three Years Vote for ONE

• Bernard James Luger

• Kyle J. Juckett

WATER COMMISSIONER -For Three Years Vote for One

• Guy D. Larrimer

*Plase note there is an official write in campaign for the Water Commissioner seat by: Jeffery Starr Mararian

There will also be non-binding questions on the ballot. The election results will be discussed after the election.

NON-BINDING BALLOT QUESTIONS

Is the Town in favor of changing its form of government from an appointed Town Administrator/ Board of Selectmen/Open Town Meeting to another form of government such as a Representative Town Meeting, elected Mayor/elected Town Council or appointed Town Manager/elected Town Council, or otherwise?

____Yes ____No

• Is the Town in favor of changing its form of government from an appointed Town Administrator/ Board of Selectmen/Open Town Meeting to an elected Mayor/elected Town Council form?

____Yes ____No

• Is the Town in favor of changing its form of government from an appointed Town Administrator/ Board of Selectmen/Open Town Meeting to an appointed Town Manager/ elected Town Council form? ____Yes ____No

• Is the Town in favor of changing its form of government from an appointed Town Administrator/ Board of Selectmen/Open Town Meeting to an appointed Town Administrator/elected Board of Selectmen/ Representative (elected) Town Meeting form? ____Yes ____No

Save the Date

The Annual Spring Town Meeting will be held Monday May 8, 2023 7PM at the Seekonk High School Auditorium 261 Arcade Ave.

Annual Rabies Clinic

Annual Rabies Clinic will be held Saturday March 11, 2023 at the Seekonk Public Safety Building Fire Division, 500 Taunton Ave. It is for both cats and dogs; the fee is $15.00 cash only. The attending Veterinarian will be Dr. Truesdale. If you bring proof of a current rabies vaccine your animal will be eligible for a 3-year rabies vaccine. If you don’t have proof of a current rabies vaccine you will be eligible for a 1-year vaccine.

Have a great month.

– Florice & Lorraine

Chick-a-Dee-Dee

Seekonk Land Conservation Trust

Winter is a good time to start watching birds. Their energy and activity enliven the quiet landscape, while leafless trees make it easier to spot even the smaller birds. Attracting common species to bird feeders provides the opportunity to appreciate the details of color and patters of plumage and to note the birds’ behaviors and interactions. Over time, you may be able to recognize individuals and start to develop an understanding of the relationships within the flock and between species.

On winter outings by ski or snowshoe, I listen for calls and chattering of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) as they move in small groups through the forest. Although chickadees are reliable visitors at bird feeders, at least half of their diet consists of animal prey. They spend considerable time investigating cracks and crevices in bark, exploring clumps of dead leaves, and examining twigs in search of dormant insects and spiders, including eggs and larvae. Groups of chickadees attract other songbirds who understand the chickadees’ calls and travel with them in feeding guilds gleaning for tiny prey. Traveling as a group can result in more successful foraging and also provides the birds more safety from predators.

The chickadee is the core species of the feeding guild that may include nuthatches, brown creepers, golden-crowned kinglets, and downy woodpeckers. The individuals in mixed-species flocks forage on different trees or different parts of the same tree. The members tend to have different bill sizes and shapes, which indicates that they are seeking different prey and are not in direct competition for food. Finding a flock of chickadees and their companions provides an opportunity to see less conspicuous birds like the brown creeper and golden-crowned kinglet that can be hard to spot otherwise.

Chickadees store seeds for the winter by tucking then into crevices, clusters of spruce needles, or any place the seeds will fit. A chickadee may store as many as a thousand seeds a day and can remember where they are stored. Birds that live in colder climates where storing food is important have a hippocampus — the part of the brain involved in spatial memory — that enlarges in the fall and shrinks in the spring. Blue jays are also expert at storing abundant seeds and retrieving them at a later date. This means of storing food is known as scatter hoarding and is found throughout the animal kingdom. A chickadee will excavate a snug cavity in a tree “snag” for roosting on winter nights. Red- and white-breasted nuthatches utilize old woodpecker holes for roosting. To make your yard a welcoming place for winter birds, it’s a good idea to allow some snags to remain nearby to provide roosting spots.

Winter birding invites the curious observer to develop a deeper appreciation for local bird life. And it assures us that the forest is an active place even in the cold and hush of the shortest days of the year.

Numerous resources offer information about birds and birding. The Cornell Lab website, allaboutbirds.org is a good place to start.

Reprinted from Adirondac magazine with permission of the publisher and author, Audrey Hyson.

For further information, please see https://www.seekonklandtrust.org or follow us on www.facebook.com/seekonkLCT

Seekonk Animal Shelter News

The 2023 annual rabies clinic, for cats, dogs, and ferrets, will be held on Saturday, March 11 at the Seekonk Public Safety Building Fire Division, 500 Taunton Ave. Clinic will be from 9 am to 12 pm. The fee is $15.00 cash only. The attending veterinarian will be Dr. Truesdale. If you bring proof of a current rabies vaccine, your animal will be eligible for a 3-year rabies vaccine. If you do not have proof of a current rabies vaccine, you will be eligible for a 1-year vaccine. All dogs must be on leashes. All cats/ferrets must be in carriers. It is Massachusetts law that all pets should be current on their rabies vaccines.

Recycling Tip from the Recycling Committee

The cash register receipts that you receive when you shop are not recyclable. The paper on which they are printed is chemically coated and that makes them too difficult to be recycled. Simply toss them in the trash if you do not need to save them for your records.

Lucky’s Pub Feeding the Hungry in East Providence & Seekonk

Last December, Lucky’s Pub in East Providence held a “Guest Bartender” fundraising event one week before Christmas. It was a football Sunday afternoon, and the bar was filled with friends of the volunteer bartenders Mike Tortolani, Mike Benevides, Karissa Bailey and Chris Dicecco, who tended bar for four hours while donating all tips to two local food banks. In addition, Lucky’s Pub donated 10% of all receipts for the afternoon, and then added several hundred dollars to reach a final donation of $4,000.00 from the event. Billy Lewis, the proprietor of Lucky’s Pub, pronounced the fundraiser a success and hopes to make it an annual event. We are fortunate to have such community-minded businessmen taking an active role in helping our neighbors in need. On behalf of the families you are helping to feed, we say “Thank You”.

Looking Back… to Old-Fashioned Thanksgivings

By Phyllis Dupere