Hobby Barn Composition a Concern

            Rochester’s Historic District Commission on December 20 reviewed revisions to a plan to construct a hobby barn for collectible cars at 0 New Bedford Road and generally liked what they saw.             The original plan for the parcel, which is within the town’s historic district, was a single 100×200 square-foot, pre-engineered, metal building to […] Read more »

McLaughlin Tabbed New Treasurer

            The Rochester Select Board held a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon at Town Hall to vote in Ashling McLaughlin as the town’s new full-time treasurer effective Monday, January 8.             “We had number of candidates, and Ashling certainly showed herself to be the best. … She interviewed well, he references were outstanding,” said Town […] Read more »

Dogs Draw Crowd at ZBA

            In a continued public hearing held November 30 in which applicants Benjamin and Elizabeth Frade had sought a Special Permit for an in-home, dog-training business at 16 Bishop Road, Rochester, Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Dave Arancio read into the record a November 21 letter from Representative Richard Manning that the Frades have withdrawn […] Read more »

One-Year School Improvement Plan Approved

            Alignment across the Old Rochester Regional School District, it was agreed by the Mattapoisett School Committee, is essential to strengthening learning at the most local level.             The committee met on December 7 to review and vote to approve the 2023-24 School Improvement Plan, which was presented by local elementary school principals Dr. Linda […] Read more »

Trees Will Not Be Heard

            Coming before the Mattapoisett Planning Board during their December 18 public meeting was Tree Committee Chairman Sandy Hering. Fresh from the well-attended Tree Committee meeting, Hering brought the Planning Board up to date on what had transpired and possible involvement, or lack thereof, for the Planning Board.             Hering explained that the Tree Committee […] Read more »

Johnson Hopes to Repeal Bylaw

            Now that the heat is apparently off south-coast homeowners to budget for a state-legislated upgrade to their Title 5 septic systems to costly denitrification technology, Marion Board of Health founding member Albin Johnson wants to take it a step further and find out if the board can repeal the recently approved town bylaw requiring […] Read more »

ZBA, Steen Agree on ‘Correction’

            Ken Steen and the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals decided that a written agreement requiring the developer to build a sewer line as a prerequisite to pulling building permits for Heron Cove Estates was the result of a scrivener’s error when occupancy permits were what was intended.             On November 30, the ZBA held […] Read more »

Goodspeed Island Violations Resolved

            The Mattapoisett Select Board heard from Conservation Commission member David Nicolosi and ConCom Chairman Mike King during the Select Board’s Tuesday night meeting on details of a wetlands violation on public lands.             As Nicolosi described, an abutter to 1 Goodspeed Island Road notified the office of possible unpermitted activity. An extension to the […] Read more »

Teamwork Helped Weather Storm

            Monday’s torrent of wind and hard rain eventually made the Silvershell Beach parking lot look like … Silvershell Beach itself at very high tide.             In reporting to the Marion Select Board during Tuesday night’s public meeting, Town Administrator Geoff Gorman was thrilled to discuss the team approach led by Fire Chief Brian Jackvony […] Read more »

Damage Not Confined to Mattapoisett

            While Mattapoisett’s August 8 encounter with an EF-1 tornado was widely chronicled, including property damage at the Water Treatment Plant, Vinnie Furtado said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee that the Town of Fairhaven was also hit.             “When the tornado went through Mattapoisett, it also affected […] Read more »