The Marion Finance Committee met with Town Administrator Jay McGrail on January 15 for an update on progress toward a balanced fiscal year 2021 budget, which McGrail said is still off by roughly $100,000-$150,000. McGrail said a prior shortfall of $300,000 in December is “pretty common for that time of year” in the preliminary stages […] Read more »
After a short delay to the start of the January 16 meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals, as hurried outgoing calls were made to alternate members in an effort to make a quorum, the first meeting of the evening was eventually and quickly dispatched. Richard and Carol Allen, 7 Highland Avenue, represented by […] Read more »
The Marion School Committee received an introduction to the school district’s fiscal year 2021 budget on January 15, a budget that, with additional funding from state special education reimbursement and grants, will cost the town a mere one-tenth of a percent more than last year’s budget. “So it’s pretty good,” commented Superintendent Doug White. Overall, […] Read more »
Marion Finance Director Judy Mooney is officially the town’s new assistant administrator. Mooney’s full new title, approved by Marion’s Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, January 21, is Finance Director and Assistant Town Administrator. Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail said in a previous meeting that he had been angling to give Mooney the position for quite […] Read more »
The Rochester Board of Selectmen on January 21 accepted the resignation letter from longtime Town Clerk Naida Parker, effective February 7. Parker has been the town clerk for 38 years. Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar thanked Parker for her many years of service at Town Hall, adding, “Her intuitional knowledge was phenomenal, she was a great […] Read more »
“It is our intention to move forward with the proposed site at 413 Wareham Road by seeking a slight rezone/overlay of the freestanding parcel,” began Ericca Kennedy, the Massachusetts Economic Empowerment partner of Lighthouse Recreational Cannabis Dispensary, a business that is attempting to open its doors to customers from the former Cumberland Farms property. “The […] Read more »
The Marion Conservation Commission on January 8 approved and conditioned the Notice of Intent for Judith and Henry DeJesus to construct a detached garage in the wetlands in exchange for a wetlands replication area on the 25 Holly Road property. The original plan had a footprint for the garage that would alter 476 square feet […] Read more »
A select few of Marion’s Zoning Board of Appeals members ran through a brief meeting on January 9, continuing both of the items on the agenda until the next meeting. Only three ZBA members were in attendance at the meeting, where Stephanie and Richard Harding presented a request for a variance in order to construct […] Read more »
The Rochester School Committee on January 9 listened to a brief presentation from Rochester Memorial School Principal Derek Medeiros about the way teachers and school administrators assess student performance and skill growth beyond MCAS score data. During the last month’s meeting, Medeiros presented the RMS MCAS data, which Medeiros was relatively proud of; however, School […] Read more »
The Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals did not take a vote on January 9 to approve or deny a variance request for Tom Kennedy, 177 Marion Road, and instead voted to simply overturn the building inspector’s decision to deny Kennedy a building permit for his garage. It was a long and winding discussion, though, one […] Read more »