The May 20 meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission found the commissioners unanimously voting to lift an Enforcement Order issued against restoration work taking place at The Bogs, a property of the Buzzards Bay Coalition. After winter storms flooded the project area, resulting in stormwater pouring away from the site into neighboring properties, the […] Read more »
Rochester’s Conservation Commission Tuesday had to satisfy a roomful of concerned neighbors as it approved the wetland resource boundary limits for an address on Gifford Lane. Land surveyor John Romanelli told the commission that the property’s owners, the estates of James and Sharon Barton, want to come up with a value for selling the […] Read more »
Jodi Lynn Bauer, Mattapoisett Select Board member, chairman and candidate won re-election on Monday night, fending off a challenge from Kathleen Costello, former principal assessor for the town. After publicly reading the results from four separate counts categorizing the tallies by precincts and early versus day-of-election voting, Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and her […] Read more »
Randy Parker took the seat of the Marion Select Board in the May 17 Town Election held at the Cushing Community Center, according to preliminary figures. Parker won with 572 votes, leaving challenger Diane Lopes-Flaherty well behind with 248 votes. Parker is set to serve another three-year term on the Select Board. In a […] Read more »
Rochester’s Planning Board, Historic District Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals met jointly Tuesday to hear a proposal by Marion resident Mark Briggs to construct two buildings to store and repair collectible automobiles, trucks and other motor vehicles on New Bedford Road. The project labeled “Briggs Hobby Barn” will require Site Plan Approval from […] Read more »
The Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals on May 9 granted a side-setback variance to allow the construction of a 20×40-foot, inground pool and 8×10-foot sundeck at 276 Snows Pond Road. The homeowner, John Kirk, needed a variance of the requirement that such a construction be located no closer than 40 feet from the lot’s […] Read more »
The one obstacle to organizing a plan to find Rochester a new town administrator has been cleared. The board on May 9 approved the roster for the Town Administrator Search Committee that it originally proposed after Town Counsel advised that Personnel Board Chairperson Kristine Nash was wrong when she argued on May 5 that […] Read more »
Monday night’s Annual Town Meeting at the Sippican Elementary School proved a vast majority of voters agree that the Marion Harbormaster Department needs a new, 33-foot, $803,000 patrol boat. What also emerged was the taxpayers’ priority on avoiding debt, even if it means going halves on the cost. They voted 92-60 in favor of splitting […] Read more »
The May 13 Mattapoisett Annual Town Meeting included moments of verbalized personal attacks and frustration during an hour-long debate on the pros and cons of the establishment of a new committee to help oversee the village road reconstruction project. Voters supported the creation of the committee, technically authorizing Select Board to act on the […] Read more »
A zoning article brought the most residents to the microphone as Rochester’s Annual Town Meeting otherwise breezed through its 21-article warrant on Monday night at Rochester Memorial School. The meeting’s 178 attendees passed a bylaw amendment mandating that lot access shall only be allowed through or across a viable, legal road frontage and […] Read more »