Gibbs Gains Approval Paving Way for Sign

            The secret sauce to Daniel Gibbs Jr. legalizing his effort to hang a sign for his roofing business on his father’s property at 459 Mill Street was ironically in withdrawing the application for the sign.             The prior application with the Marion Planning Board, officially filed by Daniel Gibbs Sr. for a Special Permit […] Read more »

Town Looks Back and Ahead

            Board of Selectmen Chairman Paul Ciaburri recognizes the need for the Town of Rochester to modernize so it can preserve its past.             Ciaburri, whose term expires in 2021, was voted during the board’s September 21 hybrid meeting as the Selectmen’s representative to the MBTA Advisory Board. He is also in his 33rd year […] Read more »

Planning Board Discusses Master Plan Committee

            The discussion of what is happening at this point in time regarding the development of Mattapoisett’s new Master Plan sounded, at times, like the famous Abbott and Costello routine, “Who’s on first… what’s on second…” during the September 21 meeting of the town’s Planning Board. But there were also expressions of concern that the […] Read more »

SRPEDD to Help Assess Town’s Needs

The Marion Affordable Housing Trust voted to support two financial requests during its September 15 meeting at the Music Hall.             In the first request, the Trust asked the Community Preservation Committee for $45,000 in 2015 and needed to do so again in 2020 to fund a feasibility study approved at Town Meeting and meant to […] Read more »

New Health Nurse Hits Ground Running

            In her first Public Nurse Report to the Board of Health at its September 15 Zoom meeting, Lori Desmarais said there have been no new COVID-19 cases in Marion. There have been 18 overall.             Of lingering concern is Marion’s personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, which has been challenged ever since the town reported being misled […] Read more »

Less Is More When It Comes to Variance Requests

            In their public meeting held September 10, the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals quickly concluded its business and minutes from their previous meetings in order to address a complicating zoning issue on New Bedford Road. The appeal in question pertained to a request for multiple variances for approval of a lot with reduced frontage, reduction […] Read more »

Anti-Racism Resolution Adopted; New Subcommittee Will Address Policy

            As students were in the final week of summer vacation, the Old Rochester Regional School Committee voted to adopt an Anti-Racism Resolution and create an Anti-Racism Subcommittee during its September 9 Zoom meeting. With Mattapoisett School Committee’s unanimous votes on Monday night, all the ORR district school committees have adopted the resolution and the subcommittee. […] Read more »

Old Business Seeks, Sometimes Finds, Conclusion

            Though the members of the Rochester Conservation Commission had little new business come before them during their September 15 meeting, they addressed several outstanding requests relating to projects that have been continued from meetings earlier in the year.             Stephen Meltzer of Edgewood Development Company, LLC addressed the commission with the hope of receiving an Extension […] Read more »

Anonymous Complaints Leave Town’s Hands Tied

            In what could go down as the shortest Board of Selectmen public meeting in the history of the town, Mattapoisett’s selectmen met for just about five minutes on September 15 to discuss a complaint their office had received.             Well, discuss may be a stretch; the board actually didn’t discuss the complaint or the alleged infraction […] Read more »

Enforcement Order Yields Results

            After issuing an Enforcement Order to property owned by Christine Gibbons, 37 Water Street, for use of chemicals in a wetlands resource area, plans are being developed to remediate the damage. During the September 14 meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission, abutters Jeff Jordan and Chris Ketchel expressed their concerns regarding the type of remediation […] Read more »