During a brief working meeting on April 11, Mattapoisett Selectmen Tyler Macallister and Paul Silva along with Highway Surveyor Barry Denham discussed the May 16 annual elections, the upcoming spring town meeting, and the continuation of repairs to village roadways.
Denham was congratulated on securing a Baker-Polito Administration Municipal Small Bridge Program grant. Denham said that with the assistance of Field Engineering, grant documents were prepared identifying a bridge on Acushnet Road in need of repairs.
The grant was established in September 2016. A press release published at that time quotes Massachusetts Department of Transportation secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack as saying, “Seemingly small-scope projects such as small bridges can actually be critical for citizens’ ability to travel throughout their communities.” The $500,000 will allow the town to make necessary repairs and keep this vital rural artery open to traffic.
The selectmen voted to place a debt exclusion question on the annual election ballot for the purpose of continuing its Road Rehabilitation Projects Phase VII in the amount of $500,000.
Regarding debt and the town’s ability to finance large-scale projects, Town Administrator Michael Gagne wrote, “Over the course of the project period (Phases 1-6 road improvements), a total of $281,535 of various town and school project principal and interest costs have been freed up. Over the course of the six phases of the road-improvement-borrowing-program, we have a total interest and principle yearly payment of $195,204 as of FY18. The remaining debt capacity without increasing our excluded debt capacity at present is $86,331.”
Silva said, “What that tells me is that we have $86,000 that we can reinvest.”
On April 12, the Board of Selectmen met with municipal department heads regarding the FY18 budget. Mattapoisett’s Annual Town Meeting will be held on May 8 at 6:30 pm in the auditorium of Old Rochester Regional High School.
By Marilou Newell