During a public hearing (sans any public) on Tuesday, September 13, the Marion Board of Health voted in favor of adopting a bylaw that outlaws the sale and purchase of synthetic drugs – synthetic marijuana, synthetic stimulants, and synthetic psychedelics/hallucinogens – but not without a moment of hesitation beforehand. The bylaw reads, “No person shall […] Read more »
The September 6 meeting of the Marion Planning Board was dominated with discussion regarding the master plan draft from SRPEDD. Board members in attendance were Chairman Robert Lane, Stephen Kokkins, Jennifer Francis, Eileen Marum, Will Saltonstall , and Michael Popitz. Also in attendance and leading the master plan discussion was Town Planner Ken Buckland. The […] Read more »
The long awaited repairs to the town-owned Grassi Bog property hit a bump in the dike road when it was discovered that measurements on the NRCS engineered drawings were wrong. Formerly the U.S. Conservation Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Services agency is funding repairs that will result in improved drainage and stormwater management to the […] Read more »
The Town of Marion has officially been presented with an offer for the donation of the Benjamin D. Cushing VFW Post 2425 building at 465 Mill Road, and the offer will appear on the October 24 Special Fall Town Meeting warrant. The VFW made the offer in a letter addressed to the Marion Board of […] Read more »
Ever since Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee read the news coverage of the June 9 meeting of the Rochester School Committee, he has struggled with a “personal issue” stemming from comments made specifically by School Committee member Sharon Hartley about the chief’s proposal before the Rochester Board of Selectmen to hire a part-time resource officer […] Read more »
Referring to the long, drawn out process he has gone through with multiple hearings before various town boards as “nerve wrecking,” Jim Vogel accompanied by his wife, Holly, and attorney George Boerger, were once again before the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals on August 25. Since the June ZBA hearing on whether or not the […] Read more »
Mike Camara, CEO of ABC Disposal, the owning company of the Zero Waste facility off Cranberry Highway in Rochester, told the Rochester Planning Board on August 24 that after filing for Chapter 11 protection and a subsequent fire, he is unable to give the board what it wanted that night – a timeline for construction. […] Read more »
The owner of the Silvershell Inn, a bed & breakfast at 460 Front Street, agreed on August 25 to allow the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals to re-open its public hearing for a Special Permit to add a third bedroom to its inn, and then promptly asked for a continuance. Innkeeper Kate Hill told the […] Read more »
If you have spent any time this past week anywhere near Mattapoisett Harbor, you may have taken a deep breath in, expecting the fresh salty sea air to fill your nose, but instead found yourself in an olfactory funk. “Peeeeuuuu! What is that smell?” We have all said it. The smell lingered for days, especially […] Read more »
Rochester Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar announced on August 22 that the Department of Environmental Protection has awarded the Town of Rochester a grant to acquire three electric vehicles and charging stations under the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program. The grant provides up to $7,500 per battery electric vehicle and up to $10,500 per charging station. […] Read more »