The Rochester Board of Selectmen discussed Monday night the impending retirement of Council on Aging Director Sharon Lally who is expected to leave the Council effective the end of August 2019.
Chairman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley stated that the Board of Selectmen created a selection committee to seek applicants for the position of director of the Council on Aging. They are seeking three members of the community to be a part of the Director Selection Team. Letters of interest should be sent directly to Sharon Lally. Additionally, Council on Aging board member Ruth Philbrook submitted her letter of resignation from the council.
With a very light agenda, Hartley took the opportunity to answer questions he had received regarding the Chapter 61a tax abatement program run by the state. When a property comes out of Ch. 61a, Hartley said, the town has the opportunity to purchase the land. He has been asked why the town has not taken greater advantage of this opportunity. Hartley gave the parcel on the corner of Mendell and Rounseville Roads as an example, stating “[It’s] going out of 61a, it’s quite a few acres, but we didn’t even consider it because it is considered industrial because it has a solar array. In Rochester, we assess [this] land with solar on it at $250,000 a year, which makes that land worth millions of dollars. It would have been a nice piece of land, but not at that price.”
The board waited for an appointment with Lorraine Thompson for the use of the Pine Street property for a Lion’s Club/Fire Department Touch a Truck event, but she did not make the meeting. The board also briefly discussed the Town Hall and Annex hours of operation, but will take up the discussion again at their next meeting.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, September 17, 2018.
Rochester Board of Selectmen
By Sarah French Storer