The Rochester Board of Selectmen on March 5 officially appointed Sergeant Robert Small as the next police chief to replace Chief Paul Magee when he retires this year on September 14.

Small engaged in a brief public interview that evening, during which he stressed readiness to take over the department. Small completed an executive development class with the Municipal Police Institute, a course specifically designed to provide extensive training towards the position of police chief and other upper level law enforcement positions. Small also attended a civilian ‘team building’ program, he said, “that’s to sort of get an idea on how to be a little more proactive in taking advantage of peoples’ particular skills they possess … and being able to make the most out of what we can get out of our officers.”

“Recently, I’ve taken on more administrative tasks,” Small stated, including taking on the leading role in this year’s fiscal year 2019 budget process with Magee’s assistance. He said that in recent months, in addition to daytime supervisory responsibilities, he has undertaken many other responsibilities to ensure a smooth-as-possible transition into the chief’s position.

Selectman Naida Parker pointed out the issue of speeding in Rochester and its ranking as a “hot button topic” in Rochester, asking Small how he plans to address residents’ concerns.

“I think maintaining a lot of the stuff we do is really important and just being consistent,” said Small. He said he would follow through with Magee’s public forum he held last fall and continue that activity if the public wanted it. Other avenues, said Small, would be acquiring equipment to assist in catching speeders and possibly involving residents in tracking speeding in certain areas.

Small said he plans to continue efforts to expand police involvement in the schools and maintain all that is currently in place that enforces communication between the Police Department and the schools.

“We can look to do more,” Small said, but the bottom line is funding. Would a school resource officer be a direction he would like to go in? Yes, he said, and he would explore options to fund one, possibly through grants. “I think that would certainly be great for opening communication with the younger kids, not just at the high school age but even younger. Having them see us in a different forum opens up communication…”

Small started his career in law enforcement in 1991, was hired full-time by Rochester Police in 1998, and appointed Sergeant in 2013. He’s been a certified sexual assault investigator since 1995 and runs the department’s R.A.D. System (Rape, Aggression, Defense) self-defense program for women.

A department’s reputation is critical, says Small, and he will work to ensure that the Rochester Police Department lives up to it.

“I’ve been here for a long time,” Small said. “I’m very invested in this town and this department. I care about the image and the reputation of the town and the department.” He continued, “I certainly feel that we have a group of officers that I’m very happy to work with and are very involved in the town and actually care about the relationship with the town and the department…. To me, that’s really important. They go hand in hand.

“We should strive to do more, and I think we do…” Small said.

At that, Parker, saying she was surprisingly choked-up and emotional, made the motion to appoint Small as chief, pending contract negotiations. The vote was unanimous.

Also during the meeting, the Finance Committee told the selectmen that roughly 85% of the Town’s budgets have been reviewed line by line, with four budgets currently on hold: police, fire, highway, and EMS.

“We’re looking good,” said Finance Committee Chairman Kristian Stoltenberg. “I would say, based on what we have for revenue and what we have for budgets … we’re looking pretty good this year.”

In other matters, selectmen have taken under advisement a request from the Rochester Country Fair Committee to serve beer during the Friday and Saturday evening entertainment events. A “beer garden” space would be closed off and contained where people with wristbands would be allowed to consume one beer at a time. One officer would be stationed within the beer garden for security, and no one would be allowed to roam the fairgrounds outside the beer garden. The hours would be limited to between either 4:00 or 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm on Friday and Saturday only. Chief Magee gave a nod for giving this first year trial a go, and the selectmen took the matter under advisement and will make the decision during the next meeting.

The Rochester Country Fair will be August 16-19 this year.

Also during the meeting, the board appointed Brad Morse to serve as the board’s representative to the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District. The appointment stems from concerns raised at the last CMWRRDD Committee meeting about the future of trash disposal in the area, the imminent closure of a Rochester transfer station, and the possible closure of an additional transfer station in either Rochester or Marion belonging to the CMWRRDD.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for March 19 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

A small group of Marionites wants to bring Elizabeth Taber back home to Marion.

Tinker Saltonstall, Al Winters, and Judith Rosby and Frank McNamee from the Sippican Historical Society have formed a committee committed to commissioning a life-size statue of Elizabeth Taber so her likeness can be seen every day by her beneficiaries – the people.

“We hope to bring Elizabeth Taber back to Marion,” said Saltonstall during the March 6 meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen.

Former selectman Al Winters told the selectmen, “We need to have a statue of Elizabeth Taber in this town. We need to have her visually among us.”

The committee has chosen to commission a life-size bronze statue to honor the town’s beloved benefactor.

Rosby said the committee has met twice and will soon begin interviewing five different local sculptors. It will take roughly three months to create the sculpture’s design, and then an additional six months to create.

The committee wishes to place the statue upon Town-owned land, and they have narrowed it down to either a spot between the Town House and the library, or across the street at Bicentennial Park.

“I personally like between the library and the Town House,” said Selectmen Chairman Jody Dickerson.

No decisions have been made yet as to Taber’s gestures or whether she would be sitting or standing. The actual cost is unknown at this time, but McNamee said he expects it to be between $30,000 and $50,000.

“We are not asking the Town for money,” said Winters. “This has to come from the people. It’s the people that she benefitted … and it’s appropriate that the people are the ones who put this special statue up.” Winters said he doesn’t think it will be a hard task raising the money, saying, “This woman was the mother of the Town,” who ultimately procured the character of Marion that it is today.

Once details are cleared, the committee will update the selectmen and reveal their chosen form of fundraising.

Not on the agenda, but the two chiefs and interim DPW Superintendent Jon Henry attended the meeting to debrief the board on the storm.

The three department heads say they encountered some hiccups during the storm, mostly to do with town-wide interdepartmental communication.

Henry said all three town departments share a generator to the DPW barn, which powers the communication system. That generator failed to start when the power went out, but it did eventually get started.

The Highway Department also almost ran out of diesel well into the storm, and fuel had to be ordered from the Town’s Plymouth vendor, which took longer than Henry would have hoped.

Furthermore, with the heavy rain, Henry said he observed a heavy increase in sewer treatment plant inflow, suspecting that there may be some serious infiltration and inflow (I&I) issues in areas that the Town might not have suspected – neighborhoods that are newer and have more current sewer infrastructure, he said.

“I think there is a big amount of inflow which is from some connected device to the system,” Henry said, “Some area in the system we’ve not closely looked at.”

I&I, said Henry, has a negative impact on the functioning of the sewer treatment plant, since it relies on bacteria to break down the sewage, and with more water diluting the effluent, the bacteria cannot effectively break it down.

Before leaving, Henry announced that the Town would start collecting brush and storm debris on Monday, so residents should leave brush piles by the side of the road. The Town will continue to collect debris and brush until Friday, but after that, residents will be on their own, Henry said.

Also at the meeting, Fire Chief Brian Jackvony announced that his application to the Department of Defense for a new safety boat was accepted, and the boat has already been delivered. The boat will replace a boat that was damaged during a storm last October and, if it were to be purchased brand new, would retail at $400,000.

The boat needs some work, which will cost the Town $65,000, significantly less than two other boats Jackvony had priced – one for $208,000 and one for $137,000.

In other matters, Town Administrator Paul Dawson brought the board up to speed on the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, with some bad news for those who enjoy the swap shed at the Benson Brook transfer station.

The shed where re-usable items can be left and taken has officially been shut down and will likely not re-open in the future.

The operation, Dawson said, became too much of a liability with non-employees who have taken the initiative in ‘supervising’ the swap shed, so to speak.

“It’s become sort of a difficult operation to maintain and regulate,” Dawson said. “It was a great idea. The problem is there’s never been any established rules for it and people have taken over that … and made it difficult to manage.”

Dawson said he knows some people will be upset by the closing, and perhaps they will re-visit the matter in the future, “But I don’t expect the ultimate decision to change,” said Dawson. “It’s just become more of a burden than an asset.”

Dawson also announced that the Hazardous Waste Day would not take place this year due to a lack of staff and resources.

During the meeting, the board met with Richard Coletti and appointed him as constable.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for March 20 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Selectmen

Jean Perry

After his next-door neighbor decided to file for approval for a new pier, William Mansulla took a look at his old dilapidated ‘pier’ and thought, “Maybe I should see what I need to do in order to have a nice pier, too.”

On February 28, the Marion Conservation Commission gave Mansulla some guidance on the process of filing an application for a pier, which ultimately led Mansulla to one conclusion: “I think it’s gonna be a pretty costly project either way.”

Mansulla, who has owned 287 A Delano Road since 1965, said there was always an old pier-like structure on the water, but over time it crumbled and crumbled some more. Since Mansulla and his family had never been active water recreationalists, he never sought to have the pier repaired. Now, however, summer tenants have been enjoying the water and have been using whatever is left of the pier for water sports. Mansulla thought it would make the experience nicer for his tenants if he pursued a pier repair or reconstruction.

The problem, however, is that the solid fill-type dock that is there is no longer allowed and was never properly licensed. The commission agreed that Mansulla could probably work around the existing pier or pick a new spot for it, but he would have to go through the rigorous process with the help of a qualified engineer.

Conservation Commission member Shaun Walsh advised Mansulla that he would require a Chapter 91 license and other subsequent approvals along the way, making an engineer essential.

“I knew it was nothing simple,” said Mansulla.

Unsure of whether he would proceed or not, and whether he would even receive approval, Conservation Commission member Jeff Doubrava told him that during the years he has served on the commission, “I don’t think I’ve heard of a dock that was proposed that was not allowed eventually,” adding, however, that people have had “hoops to jump through to get it.”

Before Mansulla left, the commission reminded him that before he were to do any work, including any repairs to an existing seawall, he would have to appear before the commission.

In other matters, the commission anticipates a request to withdraw without prejudice the Notice of Intent for pipe repair and invasive removal/mitigation at Great Hill. The commission had given the applicant’s initial Request for Determination a positive determination, requiring the filing of a NOI because the proposed work would later affect the wetlands in some way. The representative for Cathy Stone, on behalf of Great Hill–Marion, LLC, said, because of the requirement to file a NOI, along with a letter from the Department of Environmental Protection expressing some concerns, the project has ballooned outside the scope originally intended.

Also during the meeting, the commission issued an Order of Conditions for the Notice of Intent to construct a timber pier with a gangway and float to provide deep water access at 282 Delano Road. The hearing for applicant Carolyn Martin was continued from February 14, and on February 28 the commission granted approval for the 175-foot long pier with a gangway at the end with a 10- by 20-foot float to be installed upon four pilings, one at each corner to allow for easier seasonal removal and replacement. The project had already received approval from the harbormaster, the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, the Division of Marine Fisheries, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The MassDEP Waterways Program was waiting for an Order of Conditions and Planning Board approval before issuing its permit; the Planning Board agreed it would approve the application once the Conservation Commission issued the OOC.

The commission granted a Negative Determination (no Notice of Intent required) for an RDA filed by the Estate of Marie L. Ahearn for an upgrade to a Title 5 compliant 1,500-gallon septic tank and 1,000-gallon pump chamber and raised leaching area at 534A Point Road.

The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for March 14 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Jean Perry

The Town of Mattapoisett on February 26 received a citizens’ petition containing 47 verified signatures proposing an all-out ban on registered marijuana dispensaries in Mattapoisett.

When a citizens’ petition is filed with the Town Clerk’s Office and at least ten of the signatures of registered voters are verified, an article can be placed on the next Annual Town Meeting warrant.

After the February 12 Special Town Meeting adoption of a moratorium for commercial and recreational adult-use marijuana dispensaries and establishments, Mattapoisett’s Planning Board was set to begin the process of addressing what sort of language zoning bylaws might contain while also soliciting public input through their regularly scheduled public meetings. But as Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain told The Wanderer on March 5, “We’ve suspended any further work until our April 2 public meeting.”

Crain said that with the submission of the citizens’ petition, undertaken by resident George Randall, the Planning Board will present that for public discourse at the April 2 meeting. She said if the public appears to support a town-wide ban on registered marijuana dispensaries, the Planning Board would not, at this time, craft bylaws. Crain said the board would still craft bylaws for medical marijuana establishments and that would be brought up during the meeting.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne said on March 5, “We’ll gauge public opinion.… There was no point in the Planning Board doing a lot of work [on bylaws] if they didn’t have to.”

Gagne said the Planning Board will still have to look at the medical marijuana issue. He also said that during the upcoming Annual Town Meeting in May, town counsel will be present to address any specific questions that may arise around the discussion of marijuana as a whole.

It is important to note that because Mattapoisett in November 2016 voted against Question 4 to legalize recreational marijuana use, the Town has the option of banning recreational marijuana establishments in town via a Town Meeting majority vote.

It is also important to note that the personal adult recreational use would not be affected by a ban on commercial sales, and the private home cultivation of marijuana (six plants per adult in the residence) would also likely not be affected.

The Cannabis Control Commission will approve and release its final recreational marijuana regulations by March 15 and begin accepting applications for licenses of recreational use registered marijuana dispensaries on April 1.

By Marilou Newell and Jean Perry