Just one night after discussing its limited commercial zoning bylaw amendment with selectmen, the Rochester Planning Board on February 24 made some finishing touches to the language and now looks toward presenting it to residents living in or near the affected zones.

Based on issues brought up the night before, the board reviewed some notes sent by Town Counsel Blair Bailey meant to clarify certain sections of the bylaw – mainly points brought up by Planning Board member Ben Bailey about objective language subject to interpretation.

Language in one section of the bylaw mandating a 20 percent green or recreational space of the “disturbed” area of the development was tightened to include explicit examples of such spaces, like pedestrian walks, decks, paths, plazas, and gardens, among other things.

Bailey’s concern over the term “harmonious” led to a bit more discussion on the matter, but the term will stay put in the bylaw, regardless. Bailey wondered how one would decide what was harmonious.

“Isn’t it like pornography?” Planning Board member Susan Teal asked Bailey. “You’d know it when you see it.”

Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson added that this section of the bylaw serves more as a parameter for development and less as design restrictions. Bailey conceded.

“I understand that you can’t write a bylaw that protects the neighbors that doesn’t have subjective language,” said Bailey, adding that he stood mostly for property owners’ rights and fewer restrictions placed upon them. “But what I would do to this, nobody would vote for.”

The board decided to send the changes made to Bylaw Subcommittee Chairman Richard Cutler to review instead of calling another meeting of the subcommittee.

Johnson asked the board to make suggestions on a date for a Saturday public forum for residents living in or near the limited commercial zones affected by the bylaw amendment, and determined that March 28 at 9:00 am would be best.

“I would like to see a dry run of the presentation for the board no later than our second meeting in March,” said Johnson, who would prefer to answer all of the concerned residents’ questions at the forum rather than explain it on Town Meeting floor.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for March 10 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

This snowy and icy February has drained the Town’s snow and ice removal budget, prompting the Marion Board of Selectmen on February 20 to vote to allow deficit spending to cover the expenses from the last storm and any further storms to come.

The snow and ice removal budget was set at $50,000 and is now $19,475 in the red, which Town Administrator Paul Dawson told selectmen does not include the payroll from the February 14 snowstorm.

Selectman Jody Dickerson commented that, instead of the roughly $70,000 the Town has spent so far, he was surprised to hear the total was not yet more like $100,000 spent.

“We may be by the time we’re done,” said Dawson, “but we are not there yet.”

Dawson said snow and ice removal from Winter Storm Juno, which blasted the area with roughly 20 inches of snow and blizzard conditions on February 7, might be eligible for reimbursement from FEMA and MEMA due to the calling of a state of emergency during that storm.

“So we are marching forward with that assumption,” Dawson said. The February 14 storm did not reach the threshold for a state of emergency in the Tri-Town region, so the Town does not expect any reimbursement from that storm.

Also during the Friday special meeting of the selectmen, the board voted to award the contract for construction of the new Great Hill water tank to DN Tanks of Westfield, MA, the lower of the two bids the Town received for the project.

The bid was for a total of $1,352,200, which is lower than the Town Meeting approved maximum of $1.5 million.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for March 3 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

Investigators have not yet officially named the source of the fire that destroyed two apartments and damaged two others at Marion Village Estates off Front Street the night of February 19, but Fire Chief Thomas Joyce said Tuesday, February 24 that a propane construction heater in use was likely the cause.

“It appears to be unintentional and accidental,” said Joyce. “It all sort of proved non-suspicious in the end.”

Joyce said Deputy Chief Joseph Dayton, leading the investigation, is still handling paperwork for the case, but inspection of the scene leads to the conclusion that a propane heater that was used that evening to dry fresh plasterwork somehow tipped over, igniting the floor and burning downward.

“Based on where it started and how it burned,” said Joyce, “that’s where the heat source was.”

Firefighters who arrived at the scene at about 6:30 pm observed that some housing units appeared to have been entered by force, rousing suspicion of a possible arson. However, workers at the development who first spotted the fire said they initially busted into the units in their attempt to put out the fire as emergency response was en route.

Initial 911 calls reported a fire and billowing smoke coming from one of the complexes at the affordable housing development still under construction behind BrewFish.

The first police officer that arrived at the scene sounded a second alarm and mutual aid was called from the Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Wareham Fire Departments.

At about 7:00 pm, command on the scene called for the evacuation of all firefighting personal from the building for safety reasons, and a third alarm was sounded at 7:20 pm, requesting aid from Plymouth County Fire.

Weather conditions were windy with frigid cold wind chill temperatures.

There were no injuries reported and the housing units were unoccupied.

Manager of Marion Village Estates Ken Steen could not be reached for comment.

By Jean Perry

When workers shoveling snow off of the Old Rochester Regional High School roof discovered a potential structural issue possibly caused by the weight of the snow, school was canceled Monday, February 23 as a precaution.

Students got an extra day of February vacation to allow an engineer to examine the possible deflection, as ORR Facilities Director Gene Jones described the “footprint section” in question.

“Everything was fine,” said Jones on Tuesday during a phone interview. “There was no leakage, no visual damage.

Jones said a crew had been shoveling the roof during vacation week ahead of expected rain for Saturday and Sunday, and encountered the possible deflection on Sunday in the roof above the cafeteria kitchen and serving area of the building.

“It felt a little bit flexible,” said Jones, likening it to walking on a plank and having it slightly bow beneath one’s feet. “It was very minute. But anytime you have a question, you have to check. It’s the norm.”

An engineer was called and subsequently the building commissioner certified the building as safe for occupancy.

The safety of the staff and students is paramount,” said Jones. “It was all a safety factor. That’s what they pay me for. To provide a safe environment and school facility.”

By Jean Perry