Town on Target for Revenues

In her Town Administrator’s Report, Suzanne Szyndlar told the Rochester Select Board during Monday night’s public meeting that the town is on target with revenue projections for Fiscal Year 2022.             Estimates were approximately $246,000 for FY22 (July 2021 to June 2022,) and so far Rochester has received $142,000. “It looks like we’re on target […] Read more »

Detention Pond Removal Questioned

Concerns over the removal of a detention flood pond on private property located at 2 West Silvershell Avenue consumed the lion’s share of the January 24 Mattapoisett Conservation Commission meeting.             Property owner Donald Middleton submitted a Request for Determination of Applicability, which if favorably granted, would permit the filling in of a large flood […] Read more »

Capital Planning Begins 20-Year Forecast

            Mattapoisett’s Capital Planning Committee has been on a mission for over a year now, a mission to cast a wide net that will capture every possible expense over $10,000. To that end, the committee chaired by Chuck McCullough has developed new processes geared to aid department heads whose responsibilities include fiscal planning well into […] Read more »

Easement Opens Gate to Merry Way

            Once the Rochester Planning Board arrived at the most expedient way of gaining an easement to property being divided for the sake of creating a residential lot off Mary’s Pond Road, Decas Cranberry Company LLC made substantial progress with its plans.             Tuesday night’s public hearing at Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School library […] Read more »

EMC at Critical Stage of Influence

            The Marion Energy Management Committee is at a critical stage in its effort to influence the energy-consumption designs of two major municipal construction projects facing Marion voters this year, as both a new Department of Public Works operations center and a new Maritime Center will be on the May 9 Town Meeting warrant.             […] Read more »

Rochester Contemplates New Fire Station

            On January 19, the Rochester Select Board met with members of Rochester’s Public Safety Committee to discuss a wide range of topics from the need for portable generators to the need for a new fire station.             Heading up the discussion relating to a new fire station was Chief Scott Weigel, who introduced Bruce […] Read more »

Bike Path Comes under Scrutiny

            The Mattapoisett Community Preservation Committee fielded four requests during its January 14 meeting, and of greater interest than the merits of three of the projects was their funding sources.             One familiar project came under more direct scrutiny, and that was $120,000 request from both the Mattapoisett Bike Path and Friends of the Mattapoisett […] Read more »

Last-Mile Funding Discussed

            During the January 12 meeting of the Mattapoisett Bike Path Study Committee chaired by Steve Kelleher, funding needs for aspects of Phase 2a, deemed “The Last Mile” from Railroad Avenue to North Street, was discussed.             Kelleher said that a grant application to the town’s Community Preservation Act Committee had been filed in the […] Read more »

Cell Tower Case Continued

            An application for a special permit to construct a cell-phone tower off High Street was heard on January 13 by the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals, which after lengthy discussion voted to continue the public hearing to its next meeting.             The public hearing opening Case No. 1170 involves Industrial Tower and Wireless, LLC, […] Read more »

Phragmites Postgame Gets Complicated

            Oscillating somewhere in between the unprecedented and the ironically familiar, what at first seemed like a molehill grew into a mountain of debate for the Marion Conservation Commission during its January 12 meeting.             The wrinkle that set off what otherwise would have been a feel-good granting of a Certificate of Compliance to Joseph […] Read more »