With only one public hearing scheduled before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals conducted business on November 19. The applicant Dwight Smith of Wakefield would not have to wait until after the New Year to learn the disposition of his request. Represented by David Davignon of N. Douglas Schneider & Associates of […] Read more »
Improving the hydraulic controls at Grassi Bog since the system failed and flooded during the spring of this year has been a slow process and was further halted on November 18 by the Marion Conservation Commission as a result of its own engineer’s written comments on some perceived inconsistencies in the improvement plan. And when […] Read more »
Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne told the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen during its November 24 meeting that after receiving a press release from the Police Department and having had a follow-up conversation with Police Chief Mary Lyons, he feels there are concerning safety issues at the Hillside Motel located on Route 6. In order to […] Read more »
Amending the Limited Commercial District zoning bylaws won’t protect the town from any perceived negative impacts of the large-scale solar installation proposed for the historic center, but as Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson pointed out on November 24, better safe than sorry – better too late than never. The Planning Board had recently forwarded three […] Read more »
For several months, the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission has attempted to find a way to control unauthorized water taking from the Mattapoisett River by local landscaper Yard Boss. During the November 23 meeting, the commission invited both Vincent Furtado, Department of Public Works superintendent of the Town of Fairhaven, and Yard Boss owner Todd Rodrigues to […] Read more »
Rochester Fire Chief Scott Weigel presented the town’s new ladder truck to the Board of Selectmen on November 23, nearly two years after Town Meeting approved the appropriation of $75,000 to buy the used engine. Weigel said he had had his eye on this particular truck for some time, waiting for a chance to make […] Read more »
It was a crowded session at the November 17 Rochester Conservation Committee meeting. The commission had no less than five public meetings and hearings to attend to and bench space was in short supply. The meeting opened with a Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Eagle Scout Corbin Blanchard who was seeking permission to […] Read more »
Representatives of Bell Mobile Atlantic, on behalf of Verizon, asked the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals once again on November 12 to overturn an earlier decision made by the building commissioner to deny a building permit that would add 12 new cellular antennas to an existing tower off of Cranberry Highway. The denial means that […] Read more »
Planning Board member John Mathieu during the November 16 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board stood by his assertion that it was essential to receive “legal written opinion” for many cases and issues the board handles on behalf of the town. “It is my opinion that we need a little back-up in our file, legal […] Read more »
The new owner of a Front Street house that was historically used as a two-family wants the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals to grant a Special Permit for an official conversion of the single-family to two-family, but opposition from a neighbor and a cautious ZBA could keep it a single-family house. Richard Schaffer, the attorney […] Read more »