On May 22, Mattapoisett poll workers saw 252 voters, or a mere 5.35% voter turnout, face the daunting task of voting on a ballot that contained absolutely no contested races.

Perhaps, though, this task was not as daunting to the voters as it was for Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and her team of poll workers who faced a long day of waiting to serve the public inside Old Hammondtown School. To pass the time, the team said they spent the hours getting to know one another and eating great food catered by local venues.

But later in the evening after polls closed at 8:00 pm, write-in votes for the ballot’s blank five-year seat on the Planning Board slowed the counting down to a snail’s pace as 77 ballots were hand tallied.

When all the counting was done, a relative newcomer to the community, Arlene Fidalgo, won the seat with 34 votes.

Fidalgo recently retired from her job with Comcast and has lived in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts her entire life. Fidalgo said her professional background was as a technical operations manager for Comcast with the responsibility of 115 cities and towns throughout the region with a staff of 110 employees. After taking the last two years to focus on relaxing, she said she was ready to put her energy into the community.

Coming in second place for Planning Board with 28 votes as a write-in candidate was Mike King, the chairman of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission, an appointed position.

Seeking re-election was Board of Selectman incumbent Paul Silva for another three-year term. Silva received 205 votes.

When asked for a comment on the re-election, he said, “I’m happy to have won re-election and go for another three years working on new things and what we’ve been working on over the past nine years.”

Other incumbents re-elected: Moderator (one year), John Eklund with 213 votes; two seats for Community Preservation Committee (three years), Jodi Bauer with 210 votes and John Decosta with 205 votes; Water/Sewer Commissioner (three years), Albert Meninno with 205 votes; Highway Surveyor (three years), Barry Denham with 209 votes; Assessor (three years), Leonard Coppola with 201 votes; two seats on the Mattapoisett School Committee (three years), Carole Clifford with 204 votes and James Muse with 192 votes; Board of Health (three years), Russell Bailey with 199 votes.

Non-incumbents elected: Trustee of Public Library (one year), Marcia Waldron, 213 votes; two seats for Trustee of Public Library (three years), William Osier with 185 votes and Elizabeth Sylvia with 203 votes; Mattapoisett Housing Authority (five years), John Vaughn with 204 votes.

One of the biggest decisions that voters faced was a ballot question that asked voters to decide whether or not to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2½ for general repairs and improvements to roads within the town, known as Phase VIII Road Infrastructure Improvement Plan. The question passed, 171-54.

As the poll workers wrapped up the night, putting away chairs and cleaning off tables, they softly cajoled one another saying, “Make sure you take a sandwich home!”

By Marilou Newell

Rochester voters approved extending the Town’s temporary moratorium on recreational cannabis retail establishments during the Annual Town Meeting on Monday night, May 21.

Article 25 was brought forth by the Board of Selectmen and recommended by the Planning Board, and seeks to buy the Town more time to write its own zoning regulations for cannabis retail.

A temporary moratorium was passed at last year’s Annual Town Meeting, an action that over half of the Commonwealth’s municipalities also adopted in order to allow the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to release its own regulations surrounding the recreational cannabis establishments, which includes dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and laboratories.

The Attorney General’s Office allowed for a moratorium good up until December 31, 2018, and has expressed that it would not approve moratoriums beyond the December 31 date.

Rochester’s Article 25 proposed extending the moratorium until June 30, 2019, a date that Planning Board Arnie Johnson admitted during the article’s public hearing on May 8 might not fly with the AG’s Office.

Resident Chris Gerrior recalled approving the moratorium last year, and pointed out that the plan was to address the regulations once the CCC released them in March. Gerrior’s argument was that other towns now have their regulations in place and are ready to accept cannabis establishments and reap the financial benefits of doing so.

“I would like to know what Rochester would gain (by extending the moratorium) and how we would benefit,” said Gerrior.

Town Counsel Blair Bailey said, “Those towns already had facilities in the pipeline as far as applications…. There are no companies that have even applied as far as Rochester goes in that pipeline…”

Bailey said the delay is to ensure regulations can be crafted in time for next year’s annual town meeting, should a special town meeting not be held this fall.

An article to purchase a fire tanker/pumper for the Fire Department for up to $498,000 passed after some brief discussion.

Resident Dan Ferreira asked to amend the article on the Town Meeting floor to specify that it should be a “new” tanker/pumper and not a used apparatus.

“We don’t need outdated equipment that’s somebody’s giveaway,” Ferreira said.

The language of the article did not stipulate that the tanker/pumper had to be a used one, but Ferreira’s motion to amend was accepted by voters and the article passed as amended.

The town will borrow the $498,000 within its borrowing budget, and will not be a tax override.

Voters approved the Town’s fiscal year 2019 operating budget of $21,529,051, but only after two motions to amend the Board of Assessors’ salary line – one that failed, and one that passed.

The amendment stems from the Board of Assessors’ decision to accept a one-year contract with Principal Assessor Charles Shea with a 5% salary increase (including the 2% cost of living raise), a year after the Board of Selectmen signed a three-year contract with Shea.

Resident Bill Milka motioned to amend the budget by reducing the entire Board of Assessors’ salary line item by $20,000, expressing his contention over the Assessors’ alleged over-taxation of open land farm properties, saying, “They’re gonna be taxed to the point where they can’t afford their land…” Milka said the result would be more subdivisions, houses, streetlights, and “tremendous growth.”

The motion garnered quite a bit of support from other voters during a hand count, but failed 33-53.

Selectman Greenwood Hartley then made his own motion to amend only the principal assessor’s salary line by $2,350, which equals the additional 3% requested by the Board of Assessors.

Java Cavanaugh, a member of the Board of Assessors, pointed out that only two weeks prior the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee had voted to accept the FY19 operating budget as presented for the warrant.

“So I would like to know why it’s being challenged now,” said Cavanaugh.

The BOS’s recommendation of that particular line item passed 2-1, Hartley said, and confirmed that he did vote to recommend the entire budget as presented.

“I wasn’t going to say ‘nay’ for the entire budget for this one line item,” said Hartley.

Hartley’s motion to amend the assessor salary line item passed, making the total approved $204,755.

The FY19 budget was up $275,854 or just over 3% from FY18. Breaking down the budget, the Rochester Memorial School budget of $5,645,353 is an increase of 1%, with special education up by $121,480 or 36.6% totaling $453,155. The Town’s ORR assessment decreased this year by a modest 0.13% or $6,274 totaling $4,774,677. The Police Department budget rose 4.47% to $1,305,303, and the Fire Department increased by 10.7% to $271,645. The Highway Department budget saw an increase of 15.7% to total $523,582.

Voters passed an article to strengthen the existing Solar Bylaw to redefine “large-scale” solar farms as 200 kilowatts instead of 250 kW. It also establishes a setback of 300 feet from any public roadway within an Agricultural Residential District and establishes a side and rear setback of 100 feet from the property line.

Johnson said the Planning Board recommended the article that would give the board more control over project aspects such as screening, bonding, and allows for further abutter input.

Johnson said the board had received several complaints from residents after solar developers began constructing a solar farm with a kilowatt output of 249 kW, just under the threshold for requiring a Special Permit from the board. And as for the new 100-foot setback, Johnson said large-scale farm structures already had to adhere to a 100-foot setback to the property line, so solar arrays should as well.

“We’re trying to be consistent and fair,” Johnson said, adding that a developer could try to seek a waiver from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Article 11 appropriating $31,000 to waterproof the basement of the Town Hall passed, but created some discussion as resident Dan Gayoski questioned the ability to waterproof a stone foundation basement.

“Is there a guarantee that this will stop leaking…?” asked Gayoski. “With a stone cement foundation … you’re not gonna stop the water.”

Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel described the three separate systems that would be installed, saying, “You can’t stop the water from coming in, but what we can do is control it once it does,” specifying that there are three separate basement areas, not all of which are of a stone foundation.

Other articles that passed: Article 1 to accept the annual reports of Town officers and committees; Article 2 to set the salaries of elected officials; Article 3 to amend the Personnel Bylaw pertaining to the classification and compensation plan; Article 5 put a spending limit on the Town’s authorized revolving funds capping them as follows: Library materials $10,000, Recycling Program $20,000, Hazardous Waste $10,000, Rochester Country Fair $70,000 (amended on Town Meeting floor to increase maximum spending from $65,000), Local Cultural Council $6,000, COA Programs and Activities $10,000, Flu and Medical Clinics $25,000, Tax Title $2,500, Fire/EMS Equipment $50,000; Article 6 for $300 to plant shellfish in Marion; Article 7 to accept Chapter 90 funds; Article 8 to appropriate $15,000 to fund the Town’s OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) liability; Article 9 to spend $8,000 to fund the ‘GASB 75’ audit for OPEB; Article 10 to spend $12,000 on a generator for the Town Hall; Article 12 for $30,845 for the Police Department to purchase Tasers; Article 13 for $20,600 for a fire gear washer/extractor; Article 14 for $24,000 to upgrade the technology infrastructure at RMS; Article 15 for $68,000 for a Highway Department truck and plow; Article 16 for the senior center to install a new bathroom floor and privacy partitions totaling $14,500; Article 18 to establish a Road Improvements Stabilization Fund; Article 19 to establish a Public Safety Capital Equipment Stabilization Fund; Article 20 to fund the approved Road Improvements  Stabilization Fund with $50,000; Article 21 to fund the Public Safety Capital Equipment Stabilization Fund with $30,000 (amended on Town Meeting floor from $50,000); Article 22 to appropriate $80,000 to the School Assessment Stabilization Fund; Article 23 to appropriate $50,000 to the Stabilization Fund; Article 24 to enter into a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the developer of the solar farm at 248 Mattapoisett Road with some discussion; Article 27 to amend the Town’s Zoning Bylaw Section 2 to insert language pertaining to “Uses Available by Special Permit” by the Planning Board.

Rochester Annual Town Meeting

By Jean Perry

As the clock in the tower at Center School accurately ticks down to the last day of the school year – June 25 – the Mattapoisett School Committee met for the last time on May 21 to give reports and share successes on a wide range of topics.

Sandy Hering, a member of the Mattapoisett Garden Group/Women’s Club announced that her group wished to install a memorial butterfly garden on Center School grounds to honor the late Suzanne Sylvester, a former teacher.

Hering described the area as a pollinator garden that would not only provide a tribute to a teacher whose passing is still felt, but would also give students an opportunity to study the importance of pollinating insects such as butterflies on the overall health and well-being of the environment.

Hering explained that with the assistance of Charles Dupont, a local landscaper, and Gene Jones, school facilities manager, the location of the proposed garden was evaluated and that with some selective pruning, invasive species removal, and updated design, the garden could be ready by fall.

The design as currently planned includes a memorial bench and, from Dupont, the donation of a yellow magnolia tree. Hering added that she is cultivating milkweed seeds at her residence and that those plants would be used to attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Principal Rose Bowman said, “Remembering a person who has made such a significant difference in the students’ lives is wonderful. Gardening was her passion.”

The committee voted to accept the garden as presented.

Winging their way back to the black and white issues that face educators and their institutions, District Superintendent Doug White gave the financial update.

While a recent refrigeration problem (a failing unit at Old Hammondtown School) had caused a wrinkle in the operating budget, some $288,000 remained in the fund with $172,000 earmarked for special education programs and $116,000 for regular day student needs.

White later thanked the voters of Mattapoisett for supporting the schools during the Annual Town Meeting and announced that contract negotiations were now nearing completion. School Committee member James Muse said that the FY19 budget had been signed.

White noted that the problem of securing talented computer programmers was recently discussed at a conference he attended. He said that the issue of educating students, not only with digital literacy but in computer programming, was critical and might be a career path students are not necessarily considering.

“We need to think about how we can help students consider computer science as a major,” White said.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Elise Frangos reported that she had attended a seminar on “empathic discipline” methods for Grades 6 through 12. “It’s restorative justice,” Frangos said.

The discipline model allows the offending student to meet with peers to hear how his/her actions have hurt others, and then to make amends that allow the student to remain in the classroom versus being punitively removed from the school.

“Rather than the ejector seat … it’s a new way to think about discipline,” Frangos said.

School Committee member Carol Clifford said that during her professional life as an educator in Connecticut this method has been employed with great success.

Also during the meeting, Bowman emphasized the importance of the morning meetings that take place before the start of each school day that help to frame the students’ school day by providing social and emotional support.

“This leads them to making better responsible decisions,” she said. Younger children are allowed time to work off energy after arriving at school with a walk around the auditoriums and learning yoga, Bowman said. “It’s amazing to see the change.”

Bowman also thanked and appreciated the partnerships the schools enjoy with the YMCA, PTA, Mattapoisett Land Trust, and Buzzards Bay Coalition. She also mentioned the important role of the Mattapoisett Free Public Library in supporting reading achievement with the Quahog Reading Program and summer reading programs.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for September 17at 6:30 pm in Center School.

Mattapoisett School Committee

By Marilou Newell

Rochester’s participation in the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC) in Duxbury officially started on Tuesday, May 22, after months of preparation and a long list of communication infrastructure upgrades.

Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar reported that on Monday the system underwent one final testing in preparation for the switchover, “And radio testing was really great,” she said.

“It was successful, loud and clear,” said Szyndlar. Previous problem areas in town such as near the New Bedford Waterworks, the Annie Maxim House, and inside SEMASS, Szyndlar said, “All came in at least acceptable or loud and clear.”

One of the Rochester dispatchers will now be police secretary, and the rest of the Rochester dispatchers will remain on the job until May 31.

The ROCCC issued a public service announcement to Rochester residents, assuring them that they would not notice a difference in service when dialing 911.

In other matters, the board approved tractor pull fundraisers for the Rochester Country Fair – one for June 9 and one for June 16, which was initially the rain date for the June 9 fundraiser, but because a fundraiser in May was canceled, RCF Committee Co-Chair Kelly Morgado requested allowing the additional date, “So we don’t lose that money,” said Morgado.

During the town administrator’s report, Szyndlar reported that the ADA bathroom at the Town Hall was now complete, “And it looks really great,” said Szyndlar. “The floors in the conference room have been polished and everything is looking really nice. [Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel] did an outstanding job. He’s very dedicated.”

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for June 4at 6:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry