The Town of Mattapoisett is going to fight the Boston Passport Agency’s abrupt decision to close the U.S. passport office at the Mattapoisett Town Hall as of March 31.

In a March 10 letter from the agency addressed to Passport Agent Paula Butterfield, the agency cited low numbers in participation as the reason behind the decision, but Town Administrator Michael Gagne told the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen on March 24 he disagrees that servicing 64 residents last year is low, considering the smaller population of the town.

“Washington says that any agency that’s not processing 250 or more passports should be shut down,” said Gagne. He told the Boston Passport Agency representative over the phone, “I beg to differ with you.”

Gagne said one could not simply compare a number between two cities or towns, for example, Brockton and Mattapoisett. Getting nowhere with the representative over the phone, Gagne contacted Representative Bill Keating’s office for assistance and then filed an appeal with the Boston Passport Agency.

Gagne said the local office often services the elderly, and parents have come in with their children, making the service much more convenient and comfortable than going to the city to process passports.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Gagne. “I don’t understand.”

Also during the meeting, the board appointed two new members to fill the two vacant seats on the Mattapoisett Agricultural Commission after brief interviews with the two applicants.

Michael King, also a member of the Conservation Commission, and newcomer Michael Dubuc will each bring their own experience and expertise to the commission, which serves as a an agency providing advocacy and representation of residents involved in farming and agriculture as issues arise.

This appointment precedes an article on the 2015 Annual Town Meeting warrant that would officially designate Mattapoisett as a “Right to Farm Community.”

Dubuc told selectmen he has many years working in the cranberry industry, both in Quebec and Massachusetts.

“I‘m very involved with cranberries,” said Dubuc. “I figured, I’m in agriculture … I thought I could throw my hat in.”

King told selectmen that for three years he has been learning the regulatory processes of agriculture and his service on the ConCom would enhance his service on the Agricultural Commission since many farms involve encroachment of wetlands resource areas.

“I think it’s a great benefit to the Town and I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Town,” said King.

In other matters, Gagne reported on Highway Surveyor Barry Denham’s attendance at the Plymouth County Highway Association meeting and provided some “interesting data,” as he put it.

Reading from a sheet of data from various towns pertaining to the expenses related to the “winter of misery,” Gagne called the information eye-opening, and he also celebrated that Mattapoisett fared better than most other towns on the list.

Mattapoisett, with 59 miles of road to plow and salt, expended $129,362 so far this fiscal year. That boils down to $2,192 per mile. Other towns did not do as well.

Lakeville with its 79.7 miles of road spent $275,962 or $3,462 per mile. The numbers varied, with the highest example being Hanover, which expended $929,722 to plow and salt its 90 miles of road, at $10,330 per mile.

Gagne praised Denham for his management of snow removal during the worst storms this year and said, luckily, that Mattapoisett will be able to use free cash to cover the budget shortfall, in addition to federal dollars ranging from $24,000 to $30,000 in reimbursement still to come.

Also during the meeting, Gagne asked residents to visit the Town website to express any interest in learning more about the Van Pool Ride, which requires 14 residents to sign up for more information in order to begin the process for consideration. Gagne said so far he only has eight people signed up, and he encouraged residents to sign up even if they are only somewhat interested in hearing more about the commuter service.

Conservation Commission members are seeking resident feedback on a proposed draft wetlands bylaw, viewable on the Town website under “town news.” Residents can leave comments and feedback online.

The board met briefly with the Tri-Town Herring Inspectors who told selectmen the drawn-out winter has delayed the herring count, with ice still covering much of the still-cold waters. Counters are usually placed in the second week of March, and the gentlemen do not anticipate placing the herring counters until at least the first weekend in April.

Members of the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee were present long enough to reappoint Ray Andrews to the committee.

Gagne asked anyone who has signed their cat up in the Town’s new Feline ID Program to please submit a photo of your cat if you have not done so already.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is tentatively scheduled for April 14, pending the presence of a quorum.

By Jean Perry

For some residents, the start of the new trash and recycling collection program in January was a challenge, with February bringing some of the worst winter weather in recorded history. ABC Disposal Operations Manager Jerry Dugan even called it the worst February in his entire career while talking trash with the Rochester Board of Selectmen on March 23.

“You couldn’t have picked a worse week,” said Chairman Bradford Morse, looking back on the start of the program.

Having said that, though, Dugan reported very few issues related to the new trash and recycling system – about 50 concerns out of the roughly 2,000 customers.

A lot of people wanted smaller carts, said Dugan, so some were granted smaller recycling carts.

“A lot of people didn’t want to use it (the new system), or couldn’t use it,” said Dugan, adding that some with certain circumstances could be accommodated using the trash receptacles they already had. The snow banks so far have kept the new automated arm trucks out of use, while the older manual disposal trucks have been used until recently. Those trucks are now ready to go.

“All in all, I think it was pretty successful,” said Dugan. However, there were a few issues for the trash collectors, especially in the more rural areas of Rochester. “Some of the directions, like, ‘take a left at the oak tree’ were kind of tough to get to,” said Dugan.

Town Administrator Michael McCue said Dugan and his people have been “extremely responsive” and accommodating to make the transition as seamless as possible.

“I’m very surprised,” said McCue. “It was a major change for the residents…. I won’t say it’s been completely seamless,” he continued, “but it’s been the next best thing.” McCue gave a knock on wood on the table. “I think we’re over the hump.”

Some residents are still overloading their trash carts, however, and by the beginning of May, the Town could start notifying some residents deemed to be abusing the trash system and barely using their recycling carts, or not at all.

“The [recycling] cart should be pretty full every other week with a standard size family,” said Dugan. One can tell when one is not recycling. Having said that as well, recycling is indeed up, with recycling amounts increasing “incredibly,” as Dugan noted.

Residents with any further concerns should contact the town administrator’s office.

Also during the March 23 meeting, Sharon Lally from the Rochester Council on Aging presented the board with an update on the goings-on at the Rochester Senior Center.

After a half-hour discussion, one thing was clear – contemporary senior centers nowadays are a lot more than just a bingo hall. And even with a budget that only accounts for just one-percent of the Town budget, the COA is still able to act as a vital community service, thanks mostly to the 144 volunteers.

The value of the over 14,000 hours of volunteer service, said Lally, is the equivalent of about $223,000.

“We really are blessed. We have so many wonderful people,” said Lally. “I’m very proud of our volunteer program.”

Of the roughly 1,300 seniors in Rochester, Lally said the COA services about 1,000 of them. The outreach worker who helps clients connect with transportation and home care services assisted 511 different clients during the last fiscal year.

“We provide them with information and resources … so they can live a better quality of life while living in their home,” said Lally. “Any service they need to exist as independently as possible in their own homes.”

Twenty percent of the Rochester population is over the age of 60, and that number, Lally said, is expected to rise to 30 percent by 2030 as the baby boomer generation continues to age.

The Senior Center is working on a few improvements to the center, namely an addition to the building to accommodate a new senior day care program, as well as the reorganization of the center to add an additional activities room to host a small fitness center.

Lally said the Friends of the Rochester Senior Center have raised about $125,000 in four years to help fund the projects, even though the fundraising hit a snag last year when the organization’s 501(c)(3) status was held up.

Lally said the COA FY15 budget was $213,468, but additional grants brought the center’s overall expendable funds to $234,029. Lally added that the in-kind value of the services provided by town departments like the Highway Department and the Facilities Department would total $107,700.

“I think that’s pretty darn good,’ said Lally.

COA board member Greenwood “Woody” Hartley told selectmen, “It’s a half a million-dollar program that you’re getting at half price … and it’s because of all the volunteers.”

“It’s come a long way from what it was,” said Selectman Naida Parker. “You’ve done a great job.”

In other matters, the snow and ice removal budget is about to exceed $190,000 and could exceed $200,000 once the Town pays the invoices from last weekend’s wintery weather. That amount is about $122,000 over the FY15 budget, with $68,000 allocated for snow and ice removal.

“Every town and city in the state … is grappling with excessive [debt] as a result of this atrocious winter,” said McCue. He said FEMA money would probably make its way to Rochester – eventually. “The money will come. I’m just not holding my breath.”

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is March 30 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

The Marion Planning Board has tabled its Zoning Bylaw amendment that was slated for the Annual Town Meeting warrant after several local small business owners voiced their concerns and posed questions the board was unprepared to answer. Little by little, the bylaw amendment was torn apart in the absence of its primary author, Co-chairman of the Zoning Bylaw Subcommittee Rico Ferrari.

It was a long night – over two and a half hours long – for the Marion Planning Board and those in attendance at the March 16 meeting, which included not only the zoning bylaw public hearing, but also a discussion about board member behavior followed by another of the board’s disagreements over the accuracy of meeting minutes.

The Planning Board and its bylaw subcommittee had been laboring since December over a draft bylaw amendment to regulate the size of new business structures, prompted initially by the tentative CVS project involving a 10,000 square-foot building at the corner of Front Street and Route 6.

Over time during the bylaw’s evolutionary process, it’s been whittled significantly down to the addition of another column added to the current bylaw’s dimensional use table that would restrict maximum lot coverage for new buildings and impervious surfaces, and an attempt to define ‘maximum lot coverage.’

“The kindest word would be ‘scary,’” said Steve Riley of 35 Pine Hill Road about the bylaw changes. “Scary that we could potentially affect everybody in town because we’re afraid somebody might come into town.” It is throwing the baby out with the bathwater, Riley continued, and would lead to a number of unforeseen and unintended consequences.

The maximum lot coverage column would restrict Residence A, B and E districts to 50% lot coverage, Residence C and D to 40%, Limited Business to 80% (an increase), General Business to 60%, and Marine and Limited Industrial to 70%.

As soon as Planning Board Chairman Stephen Kokkins introduced the bylaw amendment, board member Norman Hills’ face was buried into his palm, shaking his head side to side.

As Hills has maintained all along, “I don’t think that this answers the question that we’re trying to answer. I think the numbers … I don’t particularly agree with them.” He said many of town counsel’s recommendations were excluded from the document. “I don’t think I could support it.”

Board member Dr. Michael Popitz said the bylaw amendment would give the board a better leg to stand on when businesses like CVS come to Marion, he commented.

“It’s not meant to hurt anybody who wants to build their dream house … but to give some sort of limitations to what people can do (case by case),” said Popitz.

Board member Steve Gonsalves was next to question the bylaw. “I think we really need to think about this,” he said.

‘Ted’ of Ted’s Automotive at 391 Front Street worried about decreased property values with an imposed maximum lot coverage in most business zones.

Hypothetically speaking, he said, “Now with this bylaw saying I can only use 60 percent, that means somebody is going to take away 40 percent of that use. It’s gonna reduce the value of that property by 40 percent.”

Board member Robert Lane corrected him, saying that areas currently unusable because of setbacks would count as part of the 40 percent mandated green space.

“Then it’s vague,” said Ted.

Owner of Saltworks Marine Dan Crete was uneasy about the blanket statement for ‘impervious surfaces.’ He said he would like to see wording specifying, for example, gravel surfaces that are not drives for vehicles.

“My nursery is a classic example,” said Gonsalves. “By this law, my nursery is totally impervious.” He said this bylaw wouldn’t even allow him to open up a lemonade stand at the site.

Kokkins said the board should seriously consider that, and Hills said he has brought that issue up a number of times in the past.

“We need to address permeable and impermeable surfaces and how they affect stormwater requirements,” said Hills.

Crete never even knew that gravel was considered an impervious surface, he said. “I also have a concern with setting a hard number…. That’s a really difficult target to hit when you’re standing on this side of the podium.”

Resident Bill Saltonstall said the bylaw seemed unclear, especially in the absence of adequate definitions of terms such as building areas, parking lots, and structures. Gonsalves called that food for thought.

Riley urged board members to take a look at Route 6, with all the abandoned or empty lots left unoccupied.

“Let’s admit that, probably, all the easy picking lots have been taken in town…. A lot of the ones now that are left are a challenge.” He continued, “Let’s not punish every other lot on Route 6…”

Kokkins, accepting Riley’s comments, disagreed that lots would be “penalized very much,” and that the intent is “to keep the sensible use of land.”

“I think that we have some work that we can still do to change and improve what we’ve done,” said Popitz. “…The part of the purpose of doing this is also to maintain or to develop the future of Marion … into being still a beautiful town instead of making it more like Fort Lauderdale.”

Lane wanted to be clear that this bylaw, although prompted by CVS, was not aimed at CVS specifically.

“Zoning by its nature is restrictive,” said Lane. With those restrictions come both benefits and conflicts. “We have to balance that.”

Randy Parker, who said he developed the Frigate property project, said the setback requirements back then were restrictive already, and these new ones might have prevented the project from moving ahead.

“I understand you need more tools in your toolbox,” said Parker. “I don’t think fixed percentages are the way.”

Sherman Briggs, owner of an excavating business in town, said the bylaw changes would inadvertently penalize owners of smaller lots.

“I think we need to go back to the drawing board,” said board member Eileen Marum.

Lane said he was comfortable with what they were trying to achieve, but perhaps this was not the vehicle to get them there.

The deadline to submit the final draft bylaw would be March 20 – not enough time to proceed to the Annual Town Meeting warrant in May. The matter was tabled; Parker clapped.

“It’s an eye-opener,” said Gonsalves. “A lot of good intentions, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions … and it’s not pervious.”

Later, Kokkins passed out to the board what he called suggestions on how it should conduct itself. It includes language about respect and courtesy, and the principle mission of the board: To serve the town.

“…The primary objective of our service is to benefit … the Town of Marion … over the injection of any personal agendas or political beliefs.”

This was promptly followed by contention over four sets of meeting minutes needing approval, resulting in the criticism of accuracy, the defending of it by Lane, clerk for the board, and the acceptance of only one set of minutes.

The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for April 6 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry