One of the highlights of each year for me is standing before the bookshelf in my study and beholding the completed collection of the entire year’s issues of The Wanderer – 51 to be exact, with one online-only edition, which this year happens to be the one you are now reading. It’s a moment of reckoning of my life’s work over the past year, the accumulation of all that I have produced meant to inform, expose, enlighten, and ultimately pay the bills.
It’s more than that, though. This stack before me literally represents a year that I … that we … have lived. I feel sentimental about it when I look through them for the most notable news to highlight – the main issues that each community experienced and the people endured in this little corner of the void we call Tri-Town.
Having said that, I bring you your Tri-Town: A Year in Review…
Rochester is changing. And much like in 2016, 2017 in Rochester was mostly about the conversion of open spaces into fenced-in solar farms.
Rochester is now home to multiple large-scale solar energy facilities, with the last one slated for Rounseville Road at the corner of Mendell Road already permitted and ready for construction in 2018.
This latest project, like other solar projects that came before, was vehemently opposed by abutters. Abutters of the solar farm established on Route 105 sought to amend the Town’s solar bylaw to prohibit future large-scale solar projects from designated scenic byways, like Route 105.
Under the jurisdiction of the Planning Board, the article was vetted during a public hearing in September during which Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson said that perhaps residents behind the citizens’ petition should consider an all-out ban of solar farms on designated scenic byways unless the topographical features of the land naturally screen the project from view.
That notion had the initial support of Town Counsel Blair Bailey, who agreed the Attorney General’s Office might consider the article acceptable; however, the night of the October 23 Special Town Meeting, Johnson said Bailey had reconsidered and could no longer recommend moving forward with the bylaw amendment as Johnson had suggested before. Also, that night the resident representing the article was not present when it was called; therefore, no change in the bylaw resulted.
As for Rounseville Road, Borrego Solar Systems will be developing 13 of the 81 acres of the land that corners Mendell Road, now that the Site Plan Review process with the Planning Board has closed and the Special Permit issued.
There could be further solar farms in Rochester in 2018, particularly (and speculatively) on Marion Road (Route 105), now that Craig Canning, developer of a proposed farmer’s market/agricultural operation, has withdrawn his applications with the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board, despite having received prior approval from both boards.
Many of Canning’s abutters supported the agriculturally-based project, except for Kenneth and Maryann Cutler of 223 Marion Road, who sued Canning and the Town Of Rochester to stop the project.
Back in July, Canning submitted a request to withdraw his application for the project, but scores of supportive abutters and townspeople came out to support Canning, who said he was overwhelmed by the public’s support, and Canning subsequently changed his mind.
Still, Canning faced the Cutlers’ mounting opposition.
“I do not want it across the street,” said Mrs. Cutler on August 23. “I don’t want a commercial building in that field.”
For months the public hearings continued, and Canning received his Special Permit in November. Yet on December 13, Canning sent a letter to the ZBA and the Planning Board to again withdraw his applications.
“Unfortunately, projected litigation costs make the project economically unfeasible at this time given the two lawsuits filed…” wrote Canning.
Canning had commented before that, if this farmer’s market project were not to come to fruition, he would have to explore alternative means to maximize the property’s financial outcome, including solar.
Wellspring Farm, the experiential and therapeutic horseback riding mental health facility at 42 Hiller Road, took the entire year to achieve Planning Board approval. However, it still faces opposition from abutter Cathy Mendoza who says owners Holly and James Vogel are still in violation of Planning Board conditions and, now, also State noise level regulations.
The ZBA on December 21 deferred to the Planning Board before it continued the matter until its next meeting on December 28, when again the appeal was continued until January 4.
Also in 2017, Rochester received and planted a special sapling from an ancient ginkgo biloba tree from Hiroshima that survived the hydrogen bombing of WWII. The sapling was donated to the town by former Town Administrator Michael McCue and dedicated on August 6. The tree’s new home is at the rear of the ball field on Dexter Lane.
Not to leave him out, but 2017 was to be the final full year of service for Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee who announced in September that he would retire on September 24, 2018. Magee served the Town of Rochester for 14 years as chief, for a total of 30 years as an officer.
And finally, the firing of Rochester bus driver Ralph Stinson caused a calamity amongst parents who vowed to the Rochester School Committee that their fight to support Stinson was not over.
In Marion, there were plenty of significant news stories to read about.
First, the best news of the year was likely the completion of the renovations to the old VFW building on Mill Road and the opening of the Town’s very own Benjamin D. Cushing Senior/Community Center. The center held an open house on August 12, unveiling the newest town-owned facility to the public and announcing that the center was officially open for business.
Speaking of the VFW building, which added a new facet to the Town House renovation debate, could it possibly house a new town administration building complex in the coming future?
The Marion Town House Building Committee stood by its years of work and maintained that its $7.9 million Option 3A – to renovate the Town House but exclude a previously proposed 996 square-foot addition – was the best option for the town.
Former Selectman Stephen Cushing on February 7 commented rather pessimistically that most of us present that evening would be dead before we ever saw the results of the years of Town House renovation discussions, but the board went ahead with a ‘why not’ vote to allow a VFW site option exploration, which led to the formation of a building subcommittee proposed by former Planning Board member Rob Lane and Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard.
The results of the feasibility study, which received approval for $35,000 by voters at the October Special Town Meeting, will be reported in 2018.
And after years of efforts, voters approved the town’s new Master Plan, a project three years in the making.
And the Board of Health, although no actual steps have been taken to move the town closer to a new regulation, reignited its debate on banning flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including menthol cigarettes.
The Board of Health attracted the attention of “Big Cig,” the tobacco industry, who cautioned the Town that any move toward banning menthol cigarettes would result in lawsuits – a threat that was countered by the Public Health Advocacy Institute of Northeastern University who pledged free legal support for the Town should the Town be sued.
The matter also attracted attention across the state, with many arguing against the motion, whether it be for personal rights of adults, protection for local retailers who rely on cigarette sales for business, or for minority rights – especially since the majority of menthol cigarette smokers are of the black community.
The board held its final meeting of 2017 on December 12 without making any further decisions.
Before 2017 ended, town officials began voicing their support of a re-zoning effort for the Briggs property located off Spring Street. Although Town Meeting voters have numerous times struck down an article to rezone the lots from Industrial/General Business into residential E, the town this time is hoping to assist Briggs in this business venture while adding a few affordable housing units – something Briggs adamantly opposes. The year 2018 will either see re-zoning approval with a residential condo complex sans affordable housing, or perhaps another 40B, which Briggs has threatened the town with if it did not help Briggs avoid including affordable housing units that he says would make his investment financially unfeasible.
Marion dodged a wastewater-related bullet when the Environmental Protection Agency allowed the Town to explore alternative measures in its NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems) permit to try to reduce nitrogen pollution, celebrating for only a short while before the Buzzards Bay Coalition issued its intent to sue the Town of Marion for violating the Clean Water Act. We’ll see in 2018 if this floats or not…
And of course, Police Chief Lincoln Miller has retired effective December 31, and Lieutenant John Garcia has taken his place as the town’s new police chief.
Over in Mattapoisett, the home of the reigning 2017 Miss Massachusetts Jillian Zucco, the meetings with the highest turnout of residents would be the “Swamp Subdivision” and the Brandt Island subdivision that Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker once said was so bad it looked like Afghanistan.
The Brandt Point Village subdivision saga has been ongoing for years as the subdivision has changed developers a number of times, and it appears as if the saga will continue well into the New Year.
As for the aforementioned Swamp Subdivision at the end of Snowfield Road, some abutters have requested that Conservation Commission Chairman Mike King recuse himself from discussion and voting, calling it a conflict of interest – an allegation King denied.
Abutters also accused King of not honoring his pledge to uphold the Wetlands Protection Act by him showing some support for the project.
King commented that it was his job to understand both sides of the application process, and that he supported property owners’ rights to develop their properties. He refused to recuse.
Also notable in Mattapoisett’s 2017 was the planning for Phase 1B of the Bike Path reaching 100 percent, and construction of the bike path will begin later in the New Year.
Phase 1B was started back in 2009.
The Town secured TIP (Transportation Improvement Plan) funding from MassDOT to help fund the project, which is estimated to cost a total of roughly $4 million.
And looking ahead for Mattapoisett, 2018 will see the Town enter into a Community Compact Agreement with the Charlie Baker Administration, which will enable the town to receive grant money earmarked specifically for Community Compact municipalities. Mattapoisett will join Rochester and Marion as Community Compact towns.
Overall, remember that partial solar eclipse we witnessed back on August 21? Just wait until April 8, 2024 at 3:29 pm when the moon eclipses the sun again, this time at 92.6 percent!
There is surely much to come in 2018 – including recreational marijuana sales. How far will you have to go to legally buy your weed? Since Rochester already has a moratorium in place until the state releases its own guidelines, and with Mattapoisett poised to take similar action possibly during an upcoming Special Town Meeting, could it be Marion?
Stay up to date with The Wanderer in 2018 to find out.…
Happy New Year, Tri-Town!
By Jean Perry