Cushing Looking at Solar

            Heretofore, the name of the game for the Marion Energy Management Committee has been patient, thorough research, interaction with state agencies and grant organizers, presentations on energy-related matters and a lot of waiting.             Be it a utility company like Eversource or responses from town government on the committee’s initiatives and proposals, the EMC […] Read more »

‘Junk’ Yards Running out of Time

            After inspections sparked by complaints of rodents in the area, Rochester’s Board of Health is giving the owners of 373 and 375 County Street 30 days to clean up their litter-filled properties or face court-mandated penalties.             Rochester Health Director Karen Walega reported to the board at its July 5 meeting that 373 County […] Read more »

2022 Drought Had Lasting Effects

            In a river-monitoring data review that Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory provided the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee on Tuesday, a slide presentation illustrated that the 2022 drought, combined with high pumping time, had lasting effects on area water supply for six to eight weeks.             It wasn’t until September […] Read more »

Value in Raindrops Caught

            Susan Miller brought an idea to the Marion Affordable Housing Trust on Tuesday night, and Terri Santos may have identified the missing link to make it work.             During the public meeting held at the Police Station, the two AHT members expressed interest in a collaboration that would put free rain barrels in the […] Read more »

Pilings Hold up Pier Project

            After engineer David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc., went through a list of changes previously requested by the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission for a Notice of Intent filing for proposed work at 89 Mattapoisett Neck Road, it was determined during Monday night’s public meeting that the case would be continued.             It was […] Read more »

Tree-Clearing Plan Key to Solar Proposal

Rochester’s Planning Board Tuesday informally reviewed a plan to place a 2.39-megawatt, ground-mounted photovoltaic solar array on 12.55 acres of a 30.2-acre parcel on Cushman Road.             Andrew Hamill, representing petitioner Blue Wave Solar dba/BWC Snows Pond LLC, said a site-plan-review application and Special Permit-review application will follow what he introduced as an informal discussion […] Read more »

New Marine Resource Officer Introduced

            Isaac Perry, Mattapoisett’s newly appointed Marine Resource Officer, was officially introduced to the town at the July 11 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board.             Doing the introductory honors was Police Chief Justin King, who said Perry came highly qualified, had been a police officer in the towns of Marion and Rochester, a shellfish […] Read more »

Water Access Maintained with Road to Solar

            Rochester’s Select Board voted Monday night to not exercise its Right of First Refusal to purchase 7.3 acres at 109 Neck Road that are being taken out 61A agricultural protection land for development of a solar energy array there.             But first, the board paused over Town Moderator and Finance Committee Chairman David Arancio’s […] Read more »

ORR Trio Gets College Boost

            The Marion Scholarship and Education Committee will need another meeting to kick off its campaign for the 2023-24 academic year after discussions addressing fundraising ideas and rubrics changes were put on hold during a brief, June 28 Zoom meeting.             According to Chairperson Sandy Smith, the three recipients of the committee’s scholarship award are […] Read more »

Collaborative Aims at Underfunded Services

            Emily Field, Mattapoisett’s public health nurse, reported to the Board of Health the status of a plan to regionalize some public health services and associated staff known as the South Coast Public Health Collaborative.             During the June 28 meeting of the board, Field expressed the need for greater focus on mental-health services and […] Read more »