On March 26, the Rochester Board of Selectmen held its meeting in separate locations as members navigated, called in and, after several attempts, found the way to see and hear each other. It’s a new day in conducting the town’s business, as remote-access meeting platforms are taking center stage. After a bumpy start, however, the […] Read more »
Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar and Health Director Karen Walega confirm that the Town of Rochester has been notified by Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) officials of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Town. The individual is currently in isolation per DPH orders. Additional contact tracing by health officials is underway. Close contacts (defined […] Read more »
Town Counsel Jonathan Witten advised the March 31 emergency meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen that video-conferencing is not an adequate platform for public hearings. The town is trying to work its regulatory boards back into business and, while Witten endorsed the use of Zoom conferencing for public meetings, public hearings are another matter. […] Read more »
On March 30 the Wanderer received a call from Mattapoisett’s Board of Health Agent Kayla Davis stating, “We wanted to let you know we are releasing a statement today, there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Mattapoisett.” By 2:30 pm, Marion had announced its first case. The notice on Mattapoisett’s website, mattapoisett.net, was available for all […] Read more »
Not only are Mattapoisett’s Board of Selectmen facing the challenges of being a two-person board, the added necessity of social distancing came into play on March 19. That morning Selectmen Paul Silva and Jordan Collyer, along with Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, consultant Mike Gagne and members of the media dialed in to hear that the […] Read more »
Officially at least, the Old Rochester Regional School District is aiming at a return to school on the state-prescribed April 7 date. Optimism, however, is sparse, and most of the concerns expressed to Superintendent of Schools Doug White during Monday night’s online-only meeting of the Old Rochester/Union No. 55 Joint School Committee were aimed at […] Read more »
On March 19 there was some good news coming out of at least one committee in Mattapoisett – the Fire Station Building Committee. Chaired by Mike Hickey, the committee was the first volunteer group to attempt virtual meetings via telephone conferencing. It went smoothly once everyone calling in found the mute button. Once the ambient […] Read more »
And now for something completely different – let’s talk roadway improvement that is slated to bring economic development to Mattapoisett. That’s what was discussed and taped on March 18 when Highway Superintendent Barry Denham, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, and former Town Administrator Mike Gagne gave their presentation at Town Hall, albeit to an empty room. […] Read more »
The March 24 emergency meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen served to update the March 19 meeting with new developments and information. It was the second straight Marion Board of Selectmen meeting held via live video-conferencing using the Go to Meeting web program. A key development on Tuesday, March 24, was the board’s approval […] Read more »
The last public meeting held in Mattapoisett Town Hall before the building was effectively closed to public gatherings was a meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee held on Thursday, March 12, at 4:30 pm. The committee has been meeting weekly with various department heads to discuss FY21 budgeting and to share how FY20 plans and […] Read more »