The Marion Annual Town Meeting on May 8 started out with all smiles during fifth grader Nolan Gibbons’ rendition of the National Anthem, but over five hours later and just two minutes shy of midnight, the barely-a-quorum crowd ended the evening with yawns and an urgency to get business wrapped up in one night. With […] Read more »
Mattapoisett voters were handed numerous pages of reports, spreadsheets and supporting documents as they arrived at ORRHS to take up the Annual Town Meeting Warrant on May 8. There were enough financials to keep those with fiduciary predispositions busy until next fall. But in the end, it wasn’t so much about the $25 million operating […] Read more »
It was proposed as a “forensic audit” of past ORR School District spending, but during the Tri-Town Board of Selectmen meeting on April 27, Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne said it would be more helpful to seek a financial assessment of current and future school spending, especially relative to OPEB (other post-employment benefits), how the […] Read more »
During the public hearing of the Rochester School Committee on April 27, the committee voted to abstain from adding any additional School Choice slots at Rochester Memorial School for the next school year. “The staff feels that, due to our current staffing and our resources, the school is not in a position to participate in […] Read more »
Arriving a bit late from a site visit for the 7:00 pm start time, the Rochester Conservation Commission was quickly able to dispatch agenda items on May 2 with only two hearings and both of those being continued. A Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Clifford Hedges, 55 Pierce Street, for property located off […] Read more »
Each year, Covanta’s SEMASS energy-from-waste facility grants the Town of Rochester a $10,000 donation for the Rochester Board of Selectmen to divide amongst various town departments and projects. On May 1, the board awarded $5,000 to the Rochester Country Fair, as it has done in the past. In addition, the selectmen also granted $2,000 to […] Read more »
During Marion Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane’s final regular meeting as a member, he concluded the pre-submission informal hearing for the proposed additional Tabor Academy dormitory with a unanimous vote to approve two waivers for the Spring Street project. Lane’s concerns expressed at the previous meeting regarding the continuity with new board members were allayed […] Read more »
It’s been nearly two decades in the making, but with a healthy real estate market for high-end residences regaining momentum, the prime movers – that is, sellers and developers at The Bay Club properties – are looking at final plans. The massive subdivision has seen its fair share of fits and starts since it first […] Read more »
Progress on the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center has come a long way, Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson told the Board of Selectmen on May 2. “There has been a tremendous amount of work that has been done,” said Dawson. He gave ‘kudos’ to Facilities Manager Shaun Cormier, as well as to Recreation Director (and […] Read more »
Rochester Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson essentially told Wellspring Farm owners Jim and Holly Vogel to hold their horses before continuing any further work until the board completes its Site Plan Review of the therapeutic horse riding facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities at 42 Hiller Road. Before getting too deep into the […] Read more »