Michael Jolliffe

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Michael Jolliffe died peacefully March 1. He was 81. Born in Scotland, June 19, 1936, he grew up in England and graduated with honors in engineering from Imperial College, London.

Early in his career when he worked for Ove Arup on the engineering design for the Sydney Opera House, he invented the single span pre-stressed concrete beams that allowed long open expanses with no need for support columns.

Michael moved to the USA in 1957. He joined Zaldastani Associates, Consulting Engineers, in Boston, later becoming President. Through the years Michael worked both in the Middle East and nationally. In the 1960s he was the structural engineer for the control tower and central parking at Logan Airport, and the renovation of Harvard Stadium. Notable other work included air rights projects at Copley Place, the Hancock Garage over the turnpike, and Back Bay station, allowing for the creation of a park over the Orange Line that knits together the Back Bay and the South End.

In retirement, Michael served on the board of Wheelock College and the New Bedford Art Museum. Michael and his wife Ruth designed and built an innovative and energy-efficient titanium-clad house, including the gardens surrounding it, on the south coast of Massachusetts. Together they wrote a book Bluefish, How to Build a Wonderful House.

In addition to his wife Ruth, Michael is survived by his three sons; Hylton, his wife Mimi, and their children, Zoe and Rye, of Jamaica Plain, MA; Oliver, his wife Camilla, of Los Angeles, CA; and Reeve; his step-children, Jeremy Evans, his wife Jennifer and their two sons, Bennett and Fitch of Hampstead, NH, and Amanda Bircher, her husband Jeremy, of Wyoming. He is also survived by first wife Sarah, his sister Destine, of Woodbridge, England, and his brother Terence, his wife Nora, of Loupiac, France and their two children, and a niece and nephew and two great-nephews.

A funeral service will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, 422 County Street, New Bedford, Saturday, March 17 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace Church Restoration Fund, 133 School Street, New Bedford, 02742 and The Alzheimer’s Association, Attn: Team Brave Hearts, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452.

From the Mattapoisett Town Clerk

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Mattapoisett Census/Dog Licensing: The Town of Mattapoisett mailed out their 2018 Census forms in January. If you have not returned your form yet, please do so as soon as possible. According to Massachusetts General Laws, if you fail to return your census form your voter status may be changed to inactive. On the bottom of the census is a form for dog licensing. If you enclose a payment, a current rabies certificate and a self- addressed stamped envelope, your dog license will be mailed to you. Dogs must be licensed on or before March 31, 2018. If you did not receive a census form in the mail, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-758-4100 ext. 2.

Mattapoisett Town Election Info: Nomination papers are available for the Mattapoisett Town Election at the Town Clerk’s Office. There are many offices on the ballot this year including Selectman, Assessor, Mattapoisett School Committee, Trustee of Public Library, Moderator, Water & Sewer Commissioner, Highway Surveyor, Board of Health, Planning Board, Mattapoisett Housing Authority and Community Preservation Committee. The last day to obtain nomination papers is Friday, March 30, 2018. The Town Election will be held on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. If you have any questions, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-758-4100 ext. 2.

Elks Student of the Month

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The Elks of Wareham and New Bedford, Lodge No. 1548 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools. The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school and community service, industry and farming.

We congratulate senior Sophie Gurney of Mattapoisett for being selected as Student of the Month for January by the Old Rochester Regional High School faculty and staff.

Sophie deserves the honor of student of the month, as it is her mission to learn. She always does her best work and displays excellent effort in both academics and athletics. She is well liked by her classmates and by her teammates. She is a strong leader both on and off the field. Her friendly disposition also serves as a positive in the classroom and she motivates others to model this attitude as well. She compliments and praises acts of kindness because she, herself, lives each day by demonstrating kindness towards others. Sophie also volunteers in a local homeless shelter, tutoring elementary school students once or twice a week. She is that student who would be most likely to write a thank you card, no matter how big the gift or gesture was.

Trash Trouble Mounting in Marion

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As the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District Committee studies the impact of the last five or so years of mismanagement of the district’s finances and facilities, members are finding that the former district executive director left them with a lot more to ‘dill’ with than just a financial pickle.

During the CMWRRDD Committee’s February 28 meeting, there were more disclosures of mismanagement during the last several years of ex-executive director Ray Pickles’ contract with the district. There was also confusion over contract benefits for retiring employee Eddie Florindo, whom committee member and former-DPW Superintendent Rob Zora defended by suggesting the district pay Florindo for sick time accrued beyond the scope of the contract.

With so many files and documents still unaccounted for after Pickles’ departure, the committee is unsure of how many accrued sick days and vacation time Florindo is entitled to. Furthermore, the committee believes Pickles may have “cherry-picked” aspects of the three individual towns’ employee union contracts years back, for example, when the Town of Wareham changed its health benefits cost-share ratio. Carver Town Administrator Michael Milanoski pointed out that Pickles chose not to adopt those changes in CMWRRDD employee contracts.

“That’s kind of a problem,” said committee Chairman Stephen Cushing.

In the middle of that discussion, Zora pulled out a file he said Pickles had given to him around two weeks ago, raising some eyebrows.

“I talked to Ray,” Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson said. “I asked him if he was in possession of any other files from the district.” Pickles told him no, Dawson stated.

Milanoski added, “We requested in writing that we need all district files, and all of a sudden this appears?”

Zora couldn’t explain it, saying only, “He may have run into it…”

What’s more, Pickles acted against the committee’s order when he issued Florindo a check back in December in the amount of $19,000 for a retirement-related payment; furthermore, the proper taxes were not deducted from the payment.

During the meeting, Milanoski said, “The board directed Ray to not cut any checks and he went out there and he ordered a check to be cut. We asked him not to cut a check … and he cut the check without the board’s knowledge.”

There was also talk about how no employee files with documented vacation and sick time were found after Pickles was let go, and the committee now hopes that the district’s payroll vendor will have some records of sick time and vacation time used to figure out how much sick and vacation time Florindo is owed. According to Zora, Florindo used up all his sick time and all that remained was vacation days.

Zora asked if the committee ever notified Florindo that he could only accrue so many vacation days before losing them, which Milanoski commented should be no more than 30 days, also adding that it is not the district’s responsibility to inform employees of what is already stated in their contract.

“How can the board sit here and penalize an employee?” asked Zora, adding that Florindo was a loyal employee of several decades. “I have a huge problem with that.…

This is an individual who probably never looked at his contract at all, worked here for forty- something years.… This board should do the right thing and pay him what’s on the books – what he [did] not use….”

Zora asked that the committee “let things slide” because, if Florindo had taken all of his vacation time, the Town would have had to pay another employee more for overtime. He said the committee should not “gyp” Florindo, which angered Milanoski.

“To say that the district is gonna ‘gyp’ somebody is the wrong statement to be using in a public session,” said Milanoski, as Zora tried interrupting him. “Can I finish?” He continued, “No one is talking about gypping anybody.” He said the committee would review what documents are available and pay Florindo what he is lawfully owed. “To say that we’re gonna ‘gyp’ someone is wrong,” said Milanoski.

“Keep in mind,” Milanoski added, “you’re basically bankrupt, so I don’t know where you’re gonna pay him from…. There’s a lot of bills that need to be paid,” such as OPEB and pension liabilities, said Milanoski, “So we don’t have money to throw away.…”

“At the end of the day, you’ll get your vote as a board member,” Milanoski said to Zora.

“Well, I just don’t want to see that happen … and I just have a right to voice my opinion as a member of this board,” said Zora. *

Some of the money used to reimburse Florindo for unused vacation would come from taxpayer money, said Milanoski, “So we need to do calculations and bring them back to the board to justify whatever the number.…”

And if that wasn’t enough, committee member Dave Menard gave an overview of his observations of the district’s three garbage facilities: the Carver landfill, and the two transfer stations in Rochester and at Benson Brook/Marion. Benson Brook was so bad the committee may have to shut it down.

“It’s a free-for-all,” Menard described the Marion disposal facility. “It’s poorly managed – they all are.” Menard said he saw vehicles without stickers entering and using the facility and trailers and other large equipment randomly scattered throughout the site.

Milanoski said in his own observations, he saw significant liability in the way things are set up and run at Benson Brook, prompting him to request that the committee authorize the three towns’ town administrators to devise an operations and management plan that could result in either fewer transfer station days or a consolidation of the multiple facilities.

“They’re not safe the way they’re structured right now,” said Milanoski, adding that the facilities are also running “too costly.” “There’s a liability the way they’re structured right now.”

Milanoski also observed several newer, large pieces of equipment at Benson Brook, including a new backhoe and excavator, possibly purchased without the committee’s approval.

“We’re not financially solvent,” Milanoski said. “A district of this size doesn’t need to have all this equipment. A lot of money has been spent on some equipment that is probably one of the many elements that has put us in this … [financial] situation.”

Furthermore, large quantities of animal waste are being dumped at the Rochester site; and at the Marion site, other prohibited items such as toilets, kitchen sinks, and old cabinets have been dumped, while outside contractors have been using the transfer station for dumping truckloads of wood chips, debris, and other materials without authorization to do so.

“We can no longer just accept the contractors from other towns … on the backs of the taxpayers,” Milanoski said.

Resident brush disposal is not being overseen effectively, the committee agreed.

Marion Selectman and committee member Norm Hills questioned the urgency of the liability issue, asking, “Do we need to stop people from going in there now?”

Dawson suggested addressing the matter sooner rather than later, saying, “Some containers walk up to stairs.… We’ve had falls in the past there before. It’s only a matter of time before it happens again.… Obviously, safety and liability issues are paramount.”

“It’s the right step to do,” Milanoski said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

As a result, two gates will be installed at the site – one at the transfer station entrance and another that will block access after the station entrance, where contractors appear to be illegally dumping. Currently, two temporary barriers are in place to deter further illegal dumping.

The committee also addressed so-called “volunteers,” for lack of a better word, said Dawson – “A couple of women from Wareham who are dictating the rules to anybody who walks in there” at the swap shed at Benson Brook. “It’s become a real thorn in everyone’s side down there,” Dawson continued, saying that even transfer station employees are “afraid” to talk to the women who have assumed the position of guardians of the swap shop. “It can’t go on.”

Since the meeting, the swap shop has been closed and it appears it will not re-open.

Before adjourning, the committee looked ahead to the future, speculating that perhaps they may need to add a fourth town to the district – Rochester – that also faces the imminent expiration of trash agreement with Covanta.

Rochester Selectman Brad Morse attended the meeting but did not participate, saying he was only there to listen and observe. The committee acknowledged his presence, and Cushing commented that it would be useful to include Rochester in the dialogue from now on. Morse said he agreed and would be approaching the Rochester Board of Selectmen on the matter during its March 5 meeting.

The committee authorized the three towns’ town administrators to devise a plan for the transfer stations and then notify the public of any transfer station closures. An update on this matter was added to the Marion Board of Selectmen’s agenda for the March 6 meeting. (See that article in this week’s edition of The Wanderer for details and the board’s comments.)

In other matters, the committee will select an auditing firm during its next meeting to conduct a forensic audit of the last five years. The committee has concluded that Pickles had not performed an annual audit as required since 2012.

The next meeting of the CMWRRDD Committee is scheduled for March 28 at 5:00 pm at the Marion Police Station conference room.

 

*Zora remains on the CMWRRDD Committee, although he is no longer employed by the Town of Marion and is no longer a resident of Marion. In a follow-up with Dawson, who claimed he was unaware that Zora had moved out of Marion, he said that Zora was appointed to the committee when he was appointed as Marion’s DPW superintendent. He said the Town’s committee policy would allow a non-resident to serve on a regulatory board until their term is up June 30 and “ride out the remainder of the year.”

Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District Committee

By Jean Perry

 

We Will Not Be Arming Our Teachers, Principal Says

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Safety in schools is an important topic currently being discussed all over the country, and it is also something that is being taken seriously at Old Rochester Regional High School.

Last week, the entire high school staff was called down for a pair of meetings that highlighted the current state of security at ORR and steps that can and will be taken to improve it.

There were a few immediate changes that could be seen throughout the final days of the week.

“We’re asking classrooms to remain in the locked position (with doors locked from the hallways) to better facilitate a lockdown, should the situation arise,” Principal Mike Devoll said. “Students also need to be held to a greater accountability of where they are in the building, as they always should be.”

School Librarian Allison Barker gave an example of how the tighter procedures work.

“Students are supposed to have passes for coming to the library during their study or just for printing,” said Barker. “They also sign-in on library computers when they stay for study so we have a list of who is in the library.”

A couple of students who were encountered walking the halls at that time, like senior Alice Bednarczyk – students of the post-Columbine era – are a bit more skeptical towards some of the implementations.

“I think personally, we as students shouldn’t have to be worried about our own safety when trying to receive our education, so now it feels like we’re all going to be shut up because it’s become such a consuming thing,” Bednarczyk said. “With the locked doors on classrooms, I now have to knock to get back into the classroom so I have to both ask to leave and come back in.”

“And if something happens when you are in the bathroom or in the halls during passing times, then you can’t get to safety in any classroom if they are locked,” senior Noah Paknis added.

Of course, these aren’t the only security features that ORRHS is putting into place to increase the overall safety and security of students at school.

“We had a meeting Friday morning with the police chiefs from all three towns about an active student shooter situation,” Devoll said on the strengthening safety procedures. “We’ve developed a schedule for ALICE training. We’ve re-evaluated our full-site evacuation policy – how to bus students off campus, how to reunite with families.”

Devoll stressed, “We will not be arming our teachers.”

“We have an armed school resource officer in the building,” said Devoll. “We also are looking to have a consistent barricade method (since doors open both ways), and the glass school vestibule (front doors) is being redone with bulletproof glass this summer.”

At least one student, the freshman class president Lucy Zhang, said she is still more concerned with her grades than her safety at ORR.

“Our school runs multiple drills such as the ALICE drills. Now teachers are required to lock doors, students can only be in hallways with passes, and I’m pretty sure we have cameras at every entrance,” says Zhang. “I don’t know if all the school’s safety measures will guarantee no deaths if the unfortunate event of a school shooting occurs, but it will definitely prevent the loss of more lives.”

ORR Update

By Jo Caynon

 

Robyn Branco Appointed Executive Director

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The Marion Institute, a nonprofit organization that has worked to foster positive social change since 1993, has announced the selection of Robyn Branco as its new Executive Director.

Effective immediately, Branco will fill the vacancy created by Janet Milkman’s departure in December 2016. The selection was made after Branco stepped in to fill many aspects of the Executive Director role, working in tandem with Margherita Baldwin, co-founder of the Marion Institute and acting Executive Director during the interim.

“We are very pleased to announce this appointment,” said Michael Baldwin, Marion Institute Co-Founder and President of the Board of Directors.

“Robyn has been a loyal member of the Marion Institute team for over five years and has played an integral role in our continued success and development. She adds a breadth of experience and understanding of the work of the Marion Institute in the greater New Bedford nonprofit community. She has a deep commitment to our core values and mission and a capacity to strategically guide us forward in developing relationships that will allow us to broaden our impact.”

Branco has over 16 years of development, fundraising, communications and marketing experience in the nonprofit sector. A New Bedford native, she worked in nonprofit development and event coordination in both San Francisco and Washington, DC, before returning to New Bedford in 2007.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Studies and a minor in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In 2011, she was named one of the New England Business Bulletin’s top young professionals.

Branco is active in cultural organizations such as the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society, where she serves as a Board Member. She previously served as the Marion Institute’s Development & Programs Director, and has been with the organization since 2012.

“The Marion Institute has always strived to enhance the quality of life for our neighbors here in the Southcoast and I feel privileged to be a part of this work. I look forward to building stronger connections among our current programs and partners to expand the impact of our work,” Branco said. “I am especially excited about identifying and cultivating leaders in my hometown to strengthen our communities, promote healthy living, and increase sustainability initiatives.”

The Marion Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the organizational hub for programs focused on innovative approaches to healthcare, community-building, and sustainability: Grow Education, Southcoast Energy Challenge, Connector Series, BioMed Network, and the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute. The Marion Institute also acts as a fiscal sponsor for a range of smaller organizations which are working toward their charitable certification and are in need of administrative support and guidance. The Marion Institute strives to inspire and connect people of diverse backgrounds with the common goal of fostering positive social change.

Storm Plunges Tri-Town Into Darkness

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Ask around and people in our area will likely say they’ve never seen anything like it around here – branches lying in piles across the roads, trees barricading streets, telephone poles snapped in half and dangling from above, flaccid wires drooping along the majority of roadsides, and indoor basement swimming pools in just about every home. Orange plastic cones, the flashing red and blue lights of emergency response vehicles, and the yellow flashes coming from utility trucks were the only splashes of color amid the grayness of the sky, rain, and road.

This March 2 storm of high wind gusts and ample rain turned into a days-long disaster of power loss, flooding, cleanup, and school closings – not to mention the stress residents have encountered, often using up precious battery energy to take to social media to air grievances on the slow response by utility companies to make repairs to downed wires.

March of 2018 came in like a lion all right – a lion on the proverbial steroids.

On Friday, the three towns’ police scanners were a constant back and forth between officers and dispatchers, with calls mounting quickly about downed trees and wires blocking roads, and reports of live wires sparking and even catching fire.

By Friday afternoon, a tree had fallen on a house on Parkway Lane in Marion, and trees were blocking main routes and preventing school busses from driving children to their regular stops.

Power was reported out in the center of Rochester, Front Street in Marion, the east side of Marion, sections of Mattapoisett including Mattapoisett Neck Road, and even Route 6 was shut down to traffic. One after the other, residents took to Facebook to report their road’s power outage.

By Friday night, 91% of Rochester and 42% of Mattapoisett were without electricity, and 100% of Marion was in the dark, prompting the Saturday morning opening of Marion’s emergency shelter at Sippican School to provide a warm space for residents to grab a cup of coffee and charge their electronic devices.

By Saturday morning, 91% of Rochester was still without power, with no progress still in Mattapoisett and Marion. A collapsed telephone pole with wire and tree debris had shut down Delano Road in Marion for over 24 hours at that point. The wind was still whipping down the narrow village streets of Marion, which were deserted compared to any typical Saturday when the village is usually bustling with cars and pedestrians – both two- and four-legged.

Anyone who visited the emergency shelter was greeted at the rear entrance of the school by a white donation box lying on its side and the roaring of the emergency generator. Marion Police Chief John Garcia stood by the door to greet residents after a long night of little sleep on a cot inside the police station.

Friday through Friday night and into Saturday was a real ‘you-know-what’ show, said Chief Garcia. To sum the storm up in one word, Garcia called it “devastating.”

The police station lost Internet service for some time, limiting its ability to track the storm and stay on top of storm developments until Comcast was able to set the station up with an Internet generator.

Garcia increased staff on Friday night from one dispatcher at the desk to two and from two officers to seven. Garcia said he and Lieutenant Nighelli even responded to calls themselves. By Saturday at noon, things were finally starting to slow down.

A lot of the time cruisers had to be stationed at various locations just to block off roadways to protect drivers from downed live wires. It wasn’t until later that Eversource was able to provide enough of their own cars to block off dangerous roadways and free up the cruisers for calls reporting trees falling on top of several houses and on cars. The chief said there were no storm-related injuries to report.

“The damage of the trees,” said Garcia, “it was like a full hurricane. The only thing we were spared of was coastal flooding.” Although, he said, in the aftermath of the storm the Fire Department was going door to door assisting with the pumping out of flooded basements, many with a foot or more of water.

According to Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony, Marion Fire responded to over an entire two months’ worth of calls between March 2-5 – 213 storm-related calls in total. At one point on Friday, he said, “It was just too dangerous for us to be out there,” and he called off fire department presence at areas such as Point Road and Delano Road out of safety concerns for employees. The Town’s new ambulance was damaged when the doors opened and “were taken by the wind.”

Interim DPW Superintendent Jon Henry said the three departments he oversees – sewer, water, and highway – were affected when a generator would not start up, which also affected communication between the DPW, fire, and police for a spell. The communications system, once it lost its repeaters without power, had to bypass the repeaters in order to maintain communication.

The Highway Department, said Henry, used up 1,000 gallons of diesel with all the vehicle travel involved and had to call for a special delivery by its Plymouth vendor, which took quite some time to respond with more fuel.

In Rochester, according to the Fire Department, firefighters responded to well over 100 calls for service between noon and midnight on Friday. One storm-related non-life-threatening injury was reported on Friday in Rochester. To those who had access, the Rochester Police took to its Facebook page cautioning residents that it could take a while to get the power back on – “[So] settle in with a good book, board games, or whatever people used to do before Netflix,” they suggested.

On Sunday, many were still without power, so with 45% of Marion residents, 41% of Rochester residents, and a number of Eversource customers in Mattapoisett still without power on Monday, Tri-Town schools were canceled for the day.

As of press time on Tuesday, 8% of Rochester was still without electricity, and less than 1% in both Marion and Mattapoisett.

By Jean Perry

 

“Found Objects” at the MAC

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The Marion Art Center announces that it will host an exhibition entitled “Found Objects” from Friday, March 2 through Saturday, April 14. The exhibition, which will showcase repurposed and upcycled materials made into art, features seven artists including Bo Burbank, John deMelim, David Allen Edgar, Angela Fiori, Teale Haley, Joan Hausrath, and John Nadeau. Both the Cecil Clarke Davis Gallery and the Patsy Francis Gallery will display a selection of sculptures, furniture, mixed media and collage artwork.

Maureen (Albernaz) Kennedy

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Maureen (Albernaz) Kennedy, 68, of Rochester, passed away Saturday, February 24, 2018, at St. Anne’s Hospital, in Fall River, after a long courageous battle with Machado Joseph Disease. She was the wife of 43 years, of Daniel J. Kennedy.

Born and raised in Fall River, daughter of the late Louis and Rita (Pelletier) Albernaz, she lived in New Bedford prior to settling in Rochester, in 1997. She was a graduate of the Dominican Academy, in Fall River, and was Valedictorian of her class at BCC. She and her husband were the proprietors of Dan Kennedy General Contracting.

Maureen was very talented with her hands and made numerous needlepoint, paintings, dolls, clothing and quilted items.

She is survived by her husband; a son, Sean Kennedy and his companion Barbara Moco and their daughter Zoey of Fairhaven; a daughter, Sarah Kennedy and her husband Jesse Cannon and their daughter Sadie of Bristol, RI; a sister, Lorraine Camara of Fall River; three brothers, Louis Albernaz, Jr. and his wife Elizabeth of Fall River, Raymond Albernaz and his wife Lori of Tiverton, RI and Norman Albernaz and his wife Elizabeth of Somerset; and several nieces and nephews.

In accordance with her wishes she was cremated and a celebration of Maureen’s life will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are by the Donaghy Funeral Home, 465 County St., New Bedford, MA 02740.

 

Selectmen Set for Spring Agenda

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Town department budgets are being built and the Annual Town Meeting is in sight.

On February 26, the Rochester Board of Selectmen were briefed on the Town’s status heading into spring as Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar brought the board up to speed on late winter progress.

Szyndlar has been working closely with the Finance Committee and met again with department heads last Thursday, February 22, in preparation for a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee next Monday evening.

Szyndlar said she is eyeing May 20 for the 2018 Annual Town Meeting, pending availability of Rochester Memorial School’s cafetorium that night, as well as the town moderator’s availability.

Szyndlar said the potential deadline for town meeting warrant articles should be March 16.

In other town matters, selectmen will be interviewing a candidate for police chief to replace retiring Police Chief Paul Magee. Rochester Police’s Sergeant Robert Small is the one in-house candidate up for the position. The selectmen decided months ago to begin the chief selection process with in-house candidates before seeking candidates outside the force.

The public is invited to attend the public interview on March 3, but no public input or participation will be allowed.

Also during the meeting, the board approved the dates for two events coming up: the Tour de Crème on May 20 and the Patriot Half Triathlon on June 16.

An abatement request for Comstar was tabled until the next meeting in order for the selectmen to gather further information before approval.

The selectmen, under the advisement of the Conservation Commission, signed off on its Right of First Refusal for the Gayoski property on Alley Road up for sale that is slated for removal from Chapter 61A.

The board also approved an amendment to its Remote Participation Policy adopted on February 12 to make the policy effective February 12 as opposed to July 1 as it originally stated.

Also, Selectman and Town Clerk Naida Parker announced that the ballot for the April 11 Annual Election is official and off for printing at this time. Absentee ballots should be available at the Town Clerk’s Office in two weeks.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for March 5 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry