After weeks of debate, The Joint School Committee on March 24 voted to bring back the Good Friday holiday for 2017 after weighing the particular placement of Good Friday on the day before the start of April vacation. The committee was scheduled for a vote on the final school year 2016/2017 calendar, which still had […] Read more »
Todd Rodrigues’ application for an amendment to a site plan previously approved was an opportunity to showcase his plans at the March 21 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board. Rodrigues’ original plan was for the construction of two generic looking two-story buildings with parking between the two structures at 81 Marion Road The new plan […] Read more »
The Old Rochester Regional School Committee has approved the ORR School District’s proposed $17,640,793 budget for the 2016-17 school year. The budget has been a source of contention, and the committee pared down by $660,947 the originally proposed budget amount of $18,301,919. At the same time, the committee approved seeking a debt exclusion of $603,206, […] Read more »
“It’s that time of year again,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Stephen Cushing as he picked up a copy of the draft town meeting warrant. The fiscal year 2017 budget is now balanced and the articles for the 2016 Annual Town Meeting listed, and selectmen on March 22 voted to close the annual and special […] Read more »
When it comes to making a town beautiful as well as functional, it takes a consortium of talents, resources, and, well, imagination. That is just what is taking place in Mattapoisett. Town Administrator Michael Gagne, at the behest of Selectman Paul Silva, has begun exploring the idea of a ‘community garden’ for Mattapoisett. Gagne said […] Read more »
During the March 17 meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals, the hearings were easily handled with nothing complicated or contested – that is, until the final hearing of the night. David and Deborah Epstein, practicing massage therapists who were seeking a special permit to allow an accessory use within a residence, came before […] Read more »
Rochester Resident Arrested for Animal Cruelty Rochester Police Department Press Release As the result of a state required animal and barn inspection conducted Tuesday afternoon, March 22, Rochester Animal Control Officer Anne Estabrook uncovered a farm with deplorable conditions and sick and dead animals. Estabrook reported her discovery to the Rochester Police who in turn […] Read more »
The Mattapoisett School Committee proposed its 2017 budget on March 14. The fiscal year 2016 approved budget was $6,385,750, and the proposed budget increase of $396,485 will set the 2017 proposed budget at $6,782,235. The initial budget increase had been $522,374; however, the committee was able to pare it down by such methods as cutting […] Read more »
During a Notice of Intent hearing at the March 9 meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission, commission member Jeffrey Doubrava questioned Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering, Inc. on how effective breakaway walls would be if used on new construction proposed at 20 Front Street. The applicant, Ann Severance, is planning to raze the existing home […] Read more »
A hiking trail at the Rounseville II Preserve located off Mary’s Pond Road that was damaged by illegal ATV use will be enhanced with a series of bog bridges that will stretch across some of the affected areas, making them passable again by foot. Eric Boyer of the Wildlands Trust, Inc., custodians of the preserve, […] Read more »