During the April 9 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen, the conversations centered on a variety of grants for a variety of projects and propositions for everything from land acquisitions to buying antique fire trucks. Coming before the board was Mike Huguenin of the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT). He enthusiastically discussed a large parcel […] Read more »
He might not have the position of town administrator listed on his resume, but James “Jay” McGrail had enough relevant experience for the Marion Board of Selectmen to make haste on April 8 and offer McGrail the job as Marion’s new town administrator. McGrail, a resident of Sandwich, told the board he was honored to […] Read more »
It’s no small task to prepare financial documents, warrant articles, bylaw language, and numerous departmental budgets in advance of the Annual Town Meeting. Mattapoisett Town Hall has been buzzing with action as department heads and committees get ready for the big night on May 3 at 6:30 pm in the ORRHS auditorium. On April 3, […] Read more »
The cost of removing our solid waste – trash and recycling, with its problematic greasy pizza boxes and the plastic windows in envelopes, is going to cost more. As the number of companies – and countries – willing to buy “clean recyclables” decreases globally, the pressure on cities and towns is increasing. One of Mattapoisett’s […] Read more »
Some annual elections are exciting, others not so much; but the democratic process at the local level is, in essence, our nation’s purest form of democracy – one person, one vote – and not one to forfeit simply because the only two contested races are for Planning Board and Board of Assessors. Marion is a […] Read more »
With a pretty straightforward agenda before them, the Marion Conservation Commission spent most of its time on March 27 issuing one enforcement order and resolving another. Enforcement and cease and desist orders were issued to M.P. O’Leary and K.J. Welch for their property at 82 West Avenue on Planting Island. The commission received a citizen […] Read more »
The budget the Marion School Committee approved for fiscal year 2020 might only reflect a 1.48-percent increase, but a steady rise in the need for special education services for the students at Sippican School has resulted in some tough cuts in the regular education budget. The overall $196,134 or 10.22-percent increase in the special education […] Read more »
The Marion Board of Selectmen ever-so-casually called on its constituency to write letters to the governor on behalf of the town for a $2 million state grant that could help cover the costs of its wastewater treatment plant upgrades. On April 2, State Representative Bill Straus paid the board another visit to discuss the town’s […] Read more »
With little fanfare, the Marion Planning Board on April 1 issued special permits for a village business, which included a reduction in the parking requirement, a point of contention in recent special permit applications before the board. Skin Med Spa, Inc. requested a special permit for a change of use for the second-floor office space […] Read more »
The Marion Board of Selectmen has asked Town Clerk Ray Pickles to resign from his town clerk position in light of the recent statewide grand jury criminal indictment for allegedly stealing over $600,000 from the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District (CMWRRDD). In a letter signed and dated April 2, the selectmen acknowledged the […] Read more »