Rochester’s Select Board Monday hosted a presentation of the plans for a new Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School building and predictably focused on how much the project will cost the town.

            The Old Colony School Building Committee, along with its consultants, have completed the schematic design phase for the preferred solutions to the current building’s deficiencies as identified during a Feasibility Study for the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which will approve and help fund the project. In the Council on Aging Senior Center meeting room, aided by a slide-show presentation, project consultants Walter Hartley and Bob Williams on Monday took attendees through the entire study process.

            The School Building Committee is now advancing into the funding phase of the project after evaluating the options to address deficiencies that include smaller spaces than modern vocational shops need, failing and leaking windows, lack of handicap accessibility, outdated electrical, HVAC, and plumbing systems, and the absence of a fire-protection system. Fifty-two options for addressing Old Colony’s facility needs were narrowed down to seven and eventually to the need for a new building on the 80-acre North Avenue property where the current 50-year-old facility sits.

            To answer current vocational industry needs, Hartley and Williams said, the new, sprawling two-story building would add Plumbing, HVAC, and Dental Assistant programs, more space for its other programs and even a larger gym, kitchen, cafeteria, and an outdoor courtyard. To reduce energy costs, solar panels and windows allowing natural light into classrooms will be installed. Additional water resources for fire protection would come from a connection to the Middleboro water system.

            The presentation revealed the current estimated project cost is $288,743,683. The MSBA reimbursement for the project is projected to be $129,675,235. The share from district members (Acushnet, Carver, Lakeville, Mattapoisett, and Rochester) of the project costs would be approximately $159,068,448. The Estimated Impact for the Average Single Family home quarterly would be $161.72.

            Both Select Board members and attendees worried aloud about those costs. On November 18, an election across all member towns will vote on approving the new building project. The Select Board asked whether a debt-exclusion vote would be on the same election warrant. Town Administrator Cameron Durant said a debt-exclusion vote would need to be a separate warrant. The ballot question on November 18 will be for approving the project. Each town will then have to decide how to fund the expense.

            Kristen Nash, Rochester resident and a retired school superintendent, asked about the project’s financial impact on the town in other ways. She said town residents need more information on what the full impact will be on them before they vote on November 18. Since towns pay Old Colony an assessment based on the number of students, will more students, attracted to a new facility, make the town’s assessments go up? She asked with Select Board member Brad Morse adding a related question: Will a new building’s operational costs alone make the town assessment go up?

            Old Colony Superintendent-Director Aaron Polansky answered that the student-enrollment levels will fluctuate year to year. It’s an unpredictable factor. Chair Adam Murphy said Polansky and the consultants need to provide more data; a more detailed overview of the assessment increases will be seen. “Give us a spreadsheet,” he said.

            Polansky promised to get these answers. Hartley and Williams noted they will continue giving presentations and meeting with communities across the district until the district-wide ballot vote on November 18 (polls will be open from 12:00 pm noon to 8:00 pm).

            For more information available online, they directed people to oldcolonybuildingproject.com/documents.

            The long-range project timeline sets construction to begin sometime between March of 2027 and August 2029. The current building would be demolished sometime between July and December of 2029.

            In other action, the Select Board approved the Board of Assessors’ recommendation to set a single, rather than a split property tax rate for FY2026 at $10.59 per thousand dollars of value. Assessor Karen Trudeau noted roughly 83% of the town is zoned as Residential and only 13.6% of Rochester is zoned Commercial, Industrial or Personal Property. “Much of that is small businesses and ‘Chapter’ land,” she said. “Therefore, historically a split rate has not been implemented.”

            The board granted Town Clerk Marjorie Barrows’s request to appoint a permanent assistant town clerk. The board moved that she may use a $4,500 stipend amount currently in the Select Board administrator’s account to increase the hours of current administrative assistant and the town clerk’s part-time helper, Emily Dumas-Harding.

            The board approved a Rochester Police Department Mutual Aid Agreement that will allow town officers to train in other local communities.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, October 6 at 6:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

            The Marion Water and Sewer Regulations Review Committeemet on Thursday, September 4 at the Town Hall Annex. The committee, formed by the Select Board and granted its powers on July 11 by its Committee Charter, sees its purpose as to “review, assess, and recommend updates to the town’s regulations and policies governing municipal sewer and water services.” This can be seen primarily to delineate its power and alleviate stress away from the Select Board, which currently also serves as the town’s Water/Sewer Commission.

            Committee member Sean Sweeney stated a major goal of the committee is to streamline and “make regulations easier to understand.”

            Select Board Vice Chair John Hoagland was present, serving as the liaison between the board and committee. Also present at the meeting was Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman who briefed the committee on various budgetary goals, such as referencing trying to spend around $90,000 on water and $200,000 on sewer annually, “though it’s been a tough couple of years,” he added. Gorman also said the big priority is to maintain the setout budgets, and “what we don’t want to do is, at the end of the year, have to go to Town Meeting to get money to fill a gap.”

            Most of the extensive meeting was spent with members getting a grasp of the budget and various issues, deciding what they should prioritize. The prevailing disagreements over grinder-pump installations were the first major topic of discussion, with their lifespan, efficiency, and various manufacturers debated.

            The meeting served as a point for various representatives to meet and discuss water and sewer-related issues, outside of regular government meetings. Some members of the public were also present to participate in discussions.

            The next meeting of the Marion Water and Sewer Regulations Review Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 11 at 3:00 pm in the Town Hall Annex, 14 Barnabas Road, with a short list of action items on the docket.

Marion Water and Sewer Regulations Review Committee

By Sam Bishop

The September 3 Marion Board of Health meeting left off where the August meeting began – Chair Albin Johnson contending with fellow board members and with two residents and calling septic denitrification systems an “overkill.” Johnson is adamant that more studies should be done to determine whether they are needed in Marion.

            A resident and Select Board member, Norm Hills, wrote a letter about the issue and debated the merits of these systems with Johnson at the Police Station meeting room.

            Johnson repeated what he said at the August 7 meeting, asserting that there is no data in Marion supporting the theory that the state-required Title V septic systems are allowing nitrogen to pollute town waterways and the harbor.

            Johnson and his opponents on the issue agreed that nitrogen has no impact on potable drinking water, but it does create algae in waterways, polluting them and building up algae.

            Johnson argued that nature breaks down algae and other pollutants from septic systems and that, while some communities on Cape Cod have a need for denitrification systems, there is no direct data proving that Marion has that same need.

            Residents and officials at the meeting said that data across the state and in other states confirms that nitrogen pollution is connected to septic systems. Proponents of the system mentioned that 11 areas in Marion were studied for connection to the town sewer line but five areas, due to distance and costs, were not candidates.

            “Were any studies done of the amount of groundwater pollution in those five areas?” Johnson asked.

            Board of Health Vice Chairman Dr. Ed Hoffer said that a 2023 approved wastewater comprehensive management report indicated that the town should consider a code, now approved, that orders new homeowners, not eligible for the sewer line, to install a septic system with denitrification technology.

            Johnson continued to contend that the denitrification system is actually a private wastewater plant that private homeowners must own and manage when there is no data in town to support the theory that Title V systems are insufficient to protect town waters.

            At the August meeting, Hoffer had expressed interest in exploring a study for Marion, but that idea appeared to lose momentum at the September 3 meeting.

            “We are not inclined to make any changes at this point. We are in line with the town’s comprehensive water management plan. We are aligned with what a number of other coastal communities are doing. And I see no compelling reason to change that,” Hoffer said.

            In other Board of Health news, it was reported that town beaches are clean of bacteria and contaminants, and there will be a flu and COVID-19 clinic offered by the Health Department later this month.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Thursday, September 18 at 4:30 pm in the Marion Police Department conference room.

Marion Board of Health

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

            The Board of Directors of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging met on the morning of September 3, and the meeting began with a welcome back following a summer hiatus. Chair of the board Linda Clifford firstly introduced new COA Director Sarah Landry to her first meeting as “the new sheriff in town.”

            The new director, in her report, stated they are about two months into the fiscal year, noting nothing is thus far “out of the ordinary.” In discussing the budget, Landry noted a desire to further seek the assistance of volunteers and doners to continue to offer free events, such as crafting classes, or events that would have free food, like pizza parties. “I have been spending a lot of time with the accounting and finance department – to hash out these numbers,” she stated, also referring to grant management. The budget, as presented, was approved unanimously by the board.

            Landry stated their events have been a great success, with emphasis on continuing and expanding them where possible. Bingo, “no surprise there,” has been a great success, with the ice cream social event being scheduled just before to encourage participation in both events.

            The director stated many podiatrists have retired recently, making it necessary to call in their regular doctor, Dr. Alan Chen, more frequently for foot care and checkups. She also mentioned rides taken advantage of more frequently, though fewer rides are being taken overall. In other words, more people in each ride at a time, fewer rides overall. “We are almost at a point where we need to hire another driver,” she concluded, though this hasn’t been planned as of yet.

            Landry stated The Second Half classes will continue to be offered to all ages, with a small tuition fee. She mentioned cooking, history of rock and roll, art, and other classes will become available.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging Board of Directors is scheduled for Wednesday, October 1 at 8:30 am in the Mattapoisett Council on Aging, 17 Barlow Street.

Mattapoisett Council on Aging Board of Directors

By Sam Bishop