The Mattapoisett Select Board recommended all nine articles for the November 9 Special Town Meeting during its October 20 meeting, including funding for municipal building projects and an increase in the proposed allocation for online permitting software.
Town Meeting will begin at 6:30 pm at the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium. Voters will consider the spending requests and other proposed changes.
Article 1 would expand the authorized use of funding approved for the Water Street culvert replacement to include renovation of the highway building. Town Administrator Michael Lorenco said grant funding secured after the spring Town Meeting would cover the culvert project, allowing the town to redirect the existing authorization.
Lorenco said highway building bids came in below the available funding, including a contingency, but recommended retaining flexibility for unexpected conditions during renovation of the aging building. Any unneeded borrowing would not be undertaken, he said.
Article 2 seeks an additional $3,956,500 for the water and sewer building on Industrial Drive. Officials discussed using retained earnings and borrowing to fund the request. Debt payments would affect water and sewer rates rather than the general property tax levy.
The Select Board and Finance Committee recommended increasing Article 6 from $250,000 to $300,000, raising the online permitting allocation from $25,000 to $75,000.
Board members favored providing enough money upfront to select and implement a system that would serve residents and multiple departments, rather than starting with insufficient funding and returning to Town Meeting in the spring. No software provider was selected.
The article also includes $100,000 to replace a rooftop heating and cooling unit serving the Center School cafeteria; $75,000 for digitizing public records; $25,000 for building and grounds maintenance; $15,000 for engineering review of the landfill cap before solar installation; and $10,000 for website accessibility improvements.
Article 8 requests $500,000 for the Main Street, Water Street, Beacon Street and Marion Road improvement project. Lorenco estimated approximately $300,000 would complete engineering work, with the balance supporting easement appraisals and assistance working with affected property owners.
He cautioned that additional funding would be needed for acquiring temporary and permanent easements. The project involves more than 200 easements, he said.
Article 9 would transfer management and regulatory responsibility for the transfer station to the Select Board. Lorenco said operational oversight could then be assigned to the highway surveyor, reducing demands on health staff.
Other articles address acceptance of Cooper’s Way as a public way, unpaid prior-year transfer station expenses, public works easements and replenishment of the grant-matching fund.
In a separate hearing, the board deemed Dash, a 6-year-old Irish Setter owned by Cindy Pemberton of Church Street, a nuisance dog because of excessive barking.
A neighboring resident testified that barking disrupted work, use of the home and potential rental income. Supporting witnesses described hearing prolonged barking and difficulty studying at home.
Pemberton attributed the barking to separation anxiety. She said Dash generally accompanies her to work but remains home alone for four to five hours on Wednesdays and Fridays. She described efforts to reduce the disturbance, including arranging care with a friend and trying a bark collar.
The board required documentation of training addressing the barking and limited the dog’s time alone to a maximum of five hours on Wednesdays and Fridays. It planned to review progress within 45 days and requested written logs documenting time alone and barking incidents.
The board also approved Eversource’s road-crossing petition. During discussion, officials said Eversource would pay to replace approximately 100 feet of aging water main on Crystal Spring Road and repave the affected road section.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Jeanne Hopkins