The Old Rochester School Committee held its FY25 Budget Public Hearing on March 28 and voted unanimously to approve the budget for recommendation to voters at the three town meetings to be held in of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester all on the same night of Monday, May 13.             The proposed FY25 operations budget […] Read more »

Michael Walsh has been granted two variances that will allow him to build a 1,600 square-foot, one-story, wood-frame garage on his property 405 Neck Road. The Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals granted the variances in two unanimous votes after hearing from Walsh and abutter Jeremy Jones during the board’s March 28 public hearing.             Walsh […] Read more »

The Mattapoisett Select Board held its April 9 meeting, which included informal discussion full of historic undertones.             The agenda listed “cleanup” of town-owned Hammond Cemetery. In an email generated by the Cemetery and Monuments Committee, Chairman Ray Hanks wrote that the committee is aiming to begin cleanup on Saturday, May 4, with tree pruning […] Read more »

The March 26 meeting of the Rochester Planning Board included discussion about screening for the solar facility planned by Renewable Energy Development Partners, LLC at 109 Neck Road. The project will feature a number of ground-mounted panels, including a newer, solar-construction concept of “dual use,” solar-plus agriculture and placement of panels over cranberry-bog canals. But […] Read more »

            Marion Finance Committee Chairman Shay Assad is concerned that the deviation from the original plan to pay for a new $800,000 patrol boat may not sit well with voters at the May 13 Annual Town Meeting.             Before committee members voted during Monday night’s public meeting to recommend the proposal that will be seen […] Read more »

            Rochester’s Select Board Monday approved Fire Chief Scott Weigel’s request to increase his department salaries by 2.5% for FY25. Compounded atop the town’s 2.5%, across-the-board, Cost of Living Adjustment for its employees, the net 5% raise is designed to help Rochester lose fewer call firefighters to surrounding towns paying more.             Weigel’s request came […] Read more »

Coming before the Mattapoisett Planning Board on April 1, this time with a filing for an Approval Not Required petition, was applicant Colin Labrie, represented by Chris Vandenberghe of Civil and Environmental Consultants.             During an informal meeting in March, Labrie and Vandenberghe met with the board to propose an eight-lot subdivision in a 9-acre […] Read more »

            There is no controversy inside Marion town government as to the need for a new patrol boat in its harbor, but arguments on how to fund the boat bloated Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting well beyond three hours.             The concern brought to the board by Shay Assad is that voters are likely to […] Read more »

  After Rochester Finance Director Suzanne Szyndlar said the town needs to cut $300,000 from FY25 to end up with a balanced budget, that goal has been reached and in fact exceeded. At the conclusion of Rochester’s Finance Committee on Monday, Szyndlar said, “$327,921 has been reduced from the FY25 budget, so we are able to […] Read more »

            The Rochester Finance Committee made significant headway on Monday night in its effort to achieve the town’s half of $600,000 in requested FY25 budget trims, the other half to be made by the Old Rochester Regional School District.             The committee was not able to nail down the $300,000 in cuts that it seeks, […] Read more »