No Changes to Personnel Comp Plan

on

It wasn’t the smoothest Town Meeting on record, but Moderator Kirby Gilmore, selectmen, town administration, and the voters got the job done on June 8, passing the fiscal year 2016 budget, as well as the Planning Board’s limited commercial district zoning bylaw amendment, among other things during the roughly two hour-long Rochester Annual Town Meeting.

Voters did reject the Board of Selectmen’s proposed Article 10 – to slow the annual advancement of step rate increases for non-union town employees – in the form of an indefinite postponement of the article motioned by Highway Surveyor and Fire Department Captain Jeff Eldridge.

The intent of the article, said Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard Nunes, was to save the town money by stretching out the three-percent annual performance-based step rate that non-union employees get every year. Nunes said the article proposed a longer time frame for advancing in step rates, which stops at step 10, currently at 10 years. Eldridge, however, was already poised at the microphone to speak in opposition to the article before Nunes even began to speak.

Eldridge challenged selectmen to overhaul the entire Compensation Plan for the employees and “fix all the deficiencies” instead of amending just one piece of it. This was followed by some confusion over motions made to adopt and to indefinitely postpone and which one should be voted on first. The motion to indefinitely postpone the article passed.

Assessor Diana Knapp left the doors of Rochester Memorial School after Town Meeting adjourned angry over an article that was rejected by voters due to what she considered unclear explanations by selectmen and Town Counsel Blair Bailey, which she said was confusing to voters. She said the article was presented “in poor taste.”

Article 22 proposed allowing elected members of the Board of Assessors to serve in appointed positions under the direct supervision of the Board of Assessors. This article was prompted by the recent election of Debra Lalli, a clerk in the Assessors’ Office, to the Board of Assessors. Adoption would not have affected Lalli’s position; rather, it would have affected future assessors looking to fill appointed positions.

Knapp said the problem for voters was not in the article itself, but with the way the article was put on the warrant. Selectmen, during one of their meetings, decided to remove the article, and subsequently Knapp collected ten signatures to have the article placed back on the warrant, which selectmen did.

During Town Meeting, though, it was discovered that the clerk’s office never verified and certified the signatures on the petition, which caused doubt amongst the voters.

“The Board of Selectmen voted to put the article back on [the warrant],” said Knapp during a follow-up interview. “Naida [Parker] is the town clerk. I guess if you aren’t supporting it and you got your wish…”

However, Selectman Parker was on vacation during the meeting and the days following when selectmen voted to return the article to the warrant, acknowledged Knapp.

“It wasn’t a clean article,” said Knapp.

Lalli said, as a clerk in the Assessor’s Office, she ran for the Board of Assessors because nobody else was. Lalli ran unopposed.

Selectmen motioned to indefinitely postpone its Article 14 to allocate $9,900 for a consultant to codify the town bylaws, as well as its Article 16 to change the town election hours. Article 17 to establish a semi-annual preliminary tax payment system was also indefinitely postponed at the selectmen’s request.

The articles that were adopted were as follows:

Special Town Meeting Article 1 to transfer $85,000 from free cash to cover the snow and ice removal deficit; Special Town Meeting Article 2 to supplement the ORR transportation budget in the amount of $22,946;

Annual Town Meeting Article 1 to accept the annual report; Article 2 to fix the salaries of town elected officials; Article 3 to amend Part IV of the Personnel Bylaw; Article 4 to create a revolving account in connection to the Tax Title process; Article 5 to approve the FY16 budget of $19,593,758; Article 6 to authorize revolving accounts for certain town departments; Article 7 to allocate $300 for shellfish planting in Marion; Article 8 to appropriate $305,717 for infrastructure repair; Article 9 to fund the Open Space and Recreation Plan with $1,500; Article 11 to transfer $8,000 from free cash to fund the OPEB audit; Article 12 to appropriate $15,000,000 from free cash to future OPEB obligations; Article 13 to fund an irrigation pump at the Dexter Lane Fields for $5,000; Article 15 to amend the Fingerprinting Bylaw to include language referencing the FBI; Article 18 to dissolve the Industrial Development Financing Authority; Article 19 to amend the Flood Plain District affecting the New Bedford Waterworks area; and Article 20 to amend the Zoning Bylaw to add Mixed Use Development in a Limited Commercial District.

By Jean Perry

ROatm_061115

Yoga at Brainard Marsh

on

The Sippican Lands Trust is offering a series of free yoga sessions throughout the summer at its beautiful, waterfront property, Brainard Marsh, located off of Delano Road in Marion. The first session will be Saturday, June 13 at 9:00 am. Kripalu-certified instructor Angela Curry will return to lead the event. For your own comfort, please remember to bring your yoga mat and water. Parking is available at the site. Bug spray is suggested.

The dates of the second and third sessions will be Saturday, July 25 at 9:00 am and Saturday, August 8 at 9:00 am at the same location.

Founded in 1974, the Sippican Lands Trust strives to acquire, protect and maintain natural areas in Marion. Its purpose is to conserve land, protect habitat and offer public access to the beautiful protected lands of our town.

Please do not hesitate to contact Executive Director Robin Shields at 508-748-3080 for more information. Visit us on Facebook and www.sippicanlandstrust.org.

Mattapoisett Recreation

on

Spaces are filling up but we are still accepting registrations for Seahorse Summer Explorers Camp!

Mattapoisett Recreation is excited to launch their second year of Seahorse Summer Explorers. The program runs for 8 weeks starting June 22 through August 14 and is open to girls and boys entering grades K-6 in September. Each week explorers will enjoy fun-filled days of sports, arts & crafts, swimming, tennis, library visits and more! Every week has a different theme with new activities and adventures. This camp offers parents scheduling flexibility. Program options include weekly full day for $170, weekly half day for $90, choose-a-full day for $40 or choose-a-half day for $30. Registration is available online at www.mattapoisett.net; go to MattRec and then Seahorse Explorers.

Join Mattapoisett Recreation to celebrate the start of the summer season and the opening of the newly-renovated Town Beach House at the Mattapoisett Town Beach. Opening Day is Saturday, June 20 and the party is from 12:00 – 3:00 pm. DJ Desmond Bourne will supply the music. Seahorse Explorer counselors will host the Beach Olympics – fun games and races for all ages! There will be crafts, face painting, popcorn and The Seaport Slip is hosting a free Ice Cream Sundae Party! Come kick off the summer with a fun afternoon filled with games and activities for the whole family.

St. Gabriel’s Fundraising

on

On Thursday, May 28 the St. Gabriel’s students gathered at the Fairhaven Animal Shelter to present Animal Control Officer Kelly Massey with a check for $1,727, one-third of their total cash fundraising efforts. The students visited with the cats and dogs currently housed at the shelter, and learned about how their donation would help provide care for the animals. They were even able to name three newborn kittens, which they named Liza (after one student who was celebrating her 8th birthday that day), Nena, and Bo. Back row, L to R: Clara Bonney, Liza Feeney, Alexa Zell, Ava Russell; Middle row, L to R: Paige Feeney, Isabelle Kelly, Hazel Kelly, Lauren Rapoza; Front row, L to R: Bryn Feeney, Grace Ward, Charles Bonney

StGabriels

Little League Sign Complaint Prompts Change

on

A complaint filed with the building inspector about Little League signs displayed at Gifford Park in Rochester brought the Old Rochester Little League before the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals May 28 for an amendment to the original 1993 special permit allowing the signs.

The board did vote to amend the signs, but only after some discussion with abutters who said they had negative experiences with the signs that have hung during months when they were prohibited, with some blowing into neighboring yards.

Paul Moore, who lives beside the field on Mary’s Pond Road, said all signs currently at the field are not painted green on the back like the special permit requires, and some are even lying on the ground.

“They just blow around,” said Moore. “They sit in the dirt.”

The signs – paid for by advertisers that support the league – are displayed along two of the ball fields facing the interior ball field fence so as to remain unseen from the road. The 1993 special permit required the backs be painted green with advertisements facing infield, limited to 42 signs no larger than 32 feet by 48 feet, and only displayed from April 15 to August 7.

“The fact that the signs are not being well maintained is beyond the scope of what we’re trying to do this evening,” said ZBA member Kirby Gilmore. Other than the number and size of, and the time frame for displaying the signs, “We don’t have any control…”

Abutter Karen Audet said she has found some of the signs in her yard, especially over the winter with the storms.

“I’ve never complained, but I’ve just put them back in the fields,” said Audet, recommending the league take the signs down every year when the season ends. “That way they won’t blow all over the place.”

Altogether, there is currently 930 square feet of signage at the field.

“Green Monster,” said ZBA Chairman Richard Cutler.

Representing the ORLL, Dave Nelson, secretary for the league, said the league was seeking to increase the period of time signs could be displayed, making it April 1 to November 15, since the league added a fall baseball season. Nelson said he was also seeking to increase the maximum total of signs from 42 to 62 so that more sponsors could support the league.

“Sign display is a major source of revenue for our league,” said Nelson. It keeps registration costs down, he said.

The board agreed to the requested amended changes, but emphasized that as per the original special permit, sign backs need to be painted green and taken down after the baseball season is finished.

The next meeting of the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for June 11 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

ROzba_060415

Scientist/Children’s Book Author Visits OHS

on

Loree Griffin Burns knew when she was a young student that she loved science – and writing – and on June 1 she shared her passion for both of her life’s callings with sixth grade students at Old Hammondtown School, highlighting her book Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion.

The story behind the children’s book began back in 1992 when shipping containers from a cargo ship fell into the sea, breaking open to release 30,000 floating bathtub toys into the Pacific Ocean. As Burns dove into the history of the accident that quickly turned into a unique study on ocean currents, she managed to weave into her presentation awareness on the damaging effects plastic is having on the oceans and marine life.

In 2003, Burns read a headline in her local newspaper that caught her attention. “Duckies floating to eastern beaches,” it read. It seemed that 11 years after the accident, these plastic bath toys had been carried from one coast to the other coast and were finally hitting the beaches of Massachusetts.

“I found this odd and fascinating at the same time,” said Burns. She found herself asking questions like, whose job was it to track 30,000 rubber ducks across the ocean? How would one do it, and, of course, why?

The idea captured her imagination, compelling Burns to contact the man who made it his business to track plastic toys floating across the globe on the ocean currents. Dr. Curt Ebbesmeyer is his name, and his passion is to understand the ocean movements and surface currents of the planet’s oceans.

Ebbesmeyer not only tracked the bath toys, but he even tracked the movement of 70,000 Nike sneakers that spilled from a shipping freighter into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Alaska.

Burns held up a sneaker and a bathtub toy like the ones Ebbesmeyer tracked.

“What could you possibly want to track in the ocean besides junk like this?” Burns asked the students. Oil spills was the most important, said Burns. “He (Ebbesmeyer) can say where the slick will move next.”

Burns found Ebbesmeyer and the bathtub toy accident “quirky and interesting,” resulting in her children’s book that explores the flow of the ocean currents and, ever so gently, exposes a growing problem of trash and plastic junk in the world’s oceans in a way that wasn’t “depressing,” she said.

Charles Moore, a scientist with whom Burns worked while researching the material for the book, also worked with the floating junk of the oceans, but he is more interested in what the plastic does rather than to where it floats.

The truth is, said Burns, people are still finding these bathtub toys 23 years after the accident, “And they’re basically in the same condition,” although, perhaps, a bit bleached by the sun and salt water exposure.

“They do not break down. The plastic itself will never break down into its basic elements,” said Burns. The way plastic “breaks down” is bit-by-bit, breaking into smaller pieces all the way down to the microscopic level and never ceasing to exist. The plastic that reaches the ocean remains in the ocean. Moore was onto an important study but, unlike Ebbesmeyer’s, “This is not so funny,” Burns said.

We have a lot of trash in the ocean, said Burns, “But this isn’t the book I wanted to write.”

What helped change the direction of the book to a more positive tone was a beach cleanup event she witnessed at Revere Beach affiliated with the “International Coastal Cleanup.” Burns asked the students how many of them had ever participated in a beach cleanup. Only one raised her hand.

Burns said the number one object recovered from the one and a half-mile stretch of beach during the cleanup in Revere was cigarette butts – roughly 3,500 of them.

School volunteer Debra Nettles asked Burns if plastic trash, such as the junk that washes ashore from cargo shipping accidents, could wash up in Marion and Mattapoisett, since the shoreline is somewhat “sheltered” by the bay.

“I think we’re kind of isolated,” said Nettles. And with the shape of the Marion Harbor, Burns said, the coast is rather protected from trash such as the bath toys.

“A lot of cargo ships lose cargo. I was astonished,” said Burns. Thousands of containers fall into the ocean every year spilling their contents. “But that’s probably about 10 percent of the trash on beaches…. The rest comes from land. It comes from us. We all need to deal with it.”

Burns’ book has been added to the Old Hammondtown Library at the school, and can be found at all three libraries in Tri-Town. After the presentation, Burns talked more seriously about the problem of plastic trash and junk in our waters.

Studies of ocean animals and marine birds show a high percentage of them all have some sort of plastic debris in their digestive systems.

“And they’re dying of starvation because they’re so full of plastic,” said Burns. “They don’t even know they’re hungry.”

Burns said our single-use culture has come to a pivotal point where biodegradable forms of plastic must be developed in order to cease producing more plastic waste that will enter the food chain of all marine life.

“It just gets really, really dark,” said Burns. “You educate yourself and you do what you can.”

A sixth grade student, said Burns, might find it hard to grasp the severity of the situation, “But if you can plant a little seed…”

“If the presentation grabs just one kid, then I’m happy,” said Nettles.

By Jean Perry

Loree-Burns-headshot-live

St. Gabriel’s Raises Funds for Charity

on

Since September 2014, Sunday School students at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Marion raised money for three charities of their choice: the Fairhaven Animal Shelter, care packages to deployed military service members, and Heifer International. Fundraising efforts included selling hand-drawn Christmas card sets, bake sales, and solicitation of direct donations from the congregation. Overall, the children were able to send 22 care packages to sailors, marines, soldiers, and airmen in five overseas deployments and on one aircraft carrier, and raised $5,180 in cash.

On Thursday, May 28 the students gathered at the Fairhaven Animal Shelter to present Animal Control Officer Kelly Massey with a check for $1,727, one-third of their total cash fundraising efforts. The students visited with the cats and dogs currently housed at the shelter, and learned about how their donation would help provide care for the animals. They were even able to name three newborn kittens, which they named Liza (after one student who was celebrating her 8th birthday that day), Nena, and Bo.

The remaining money is being split between Any Soldier Inc., an organization that provides support and care packages to deployed service members, and Heifer International. After the April and May earthquakes in Nepal, the students voted to direct their Heifer funds to that organization’s Nepal Disaster Relief efforts. Each charity received $1,727.

St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church’s Sunday School program runs from September to May for children in preschool through sixth grade. Nursery care for infants and toddlers is open year-round during the 10:00 am service (9:30 am during the summer months). Even though the Sunday School meets next in the fall, there are books, coloring pages, and other activities available for children on Sundays throughout the summer. For more information about the St. Gabriel’s Sunday School program, please contact Christina Bonney at christinabonney@gmail.com.

 

StGabriels

Marion Town House Public Meeting

on

The Marion Town House Building Committee together with T2 Architecture invites the public to attend an informational session to discuss options to renovate the Marion Town House. The meeting will be held at the Marion Music Hall on Tuesday June 23 at 7:00 pm. The committee and the architects will discuss options for renovating the historic town house as well as possibly building a community center consisting of the Town House, a Senior Center and an expanded modernized Elizabeth Taber Library.

The purpose of the meeting is to invite townspeople to express opinions and share ideas on this important project. No final designs have been developed as the team needs public input first to help shape the process. A follow-up public meeting will be held later in the summer when the architects will present their conceptual designs.

The Marion Town House Building Committee was formed by the Board of Selectmen last summer to explore four options for renovation of the Marion Town House. The Marion town meeting last year approved funding for the first phase, a feasibility study. The building committee together with the selectmen selected Turowski 2 Architecture of Marion this spring to develop conceptual designs of the four options and produce cost estimates for review by the townspeople.

The ultimate goal of the study is to provide modern functional town facilities in beautifully renovated buildings compatible with the special character of the town. Public input is essential to achieve the desired result.

Regular Season Draws to a Close

on

Here is a look at the eighth week of scheduled games for Old Rochester Regional High School spring athletics.

Baseball: The Bulldogs closed out their regular season with three big wins this week, one of which clinched a co-conference championship. The boys started out their week with a 4-3 victory over GNB Voc-Tech. Thanks to an RBI from Jordan Menard, ORR broke a 3-3 tie to earn their fifteenth victory of the season. The win would prove pivotal, as the boys’ next win, a 19-3 victory over Case, secured a co-SCC Championship with Fairhaven. Had the boys lost either game, Fairhaven would have secured the title outright. Luckily for ORR that didn’t happen, thanks to strong performances by Bryant Salkind and Will Hopkins, each of whom recorded four hits for the Bulldogs. From the mound, James Leidhold dominated, striking out six and only allowing one hit over the first four innings. The co-championship marks the second straight year the Bulldogs have had at least a share of the title. Finally, ORR closed out their week and season with a 2-1 victory over Coyle-Cassidy. Their final regular season record is 17-3.

            Boys’ Tennis: The boys’ tennis team closed out their regular season with a 5-0 shutout over Dartmouth this week. Though the Bulldogs beat out-of-conference Dartmouth earlier in the season, at that time Dartmouth was missing three varsity players, raising some questions as to if ORR could really beat the Division 1 team. They proved more than capable this week, thanks to wins from Owen Sughrue (first singles), Alex Bilodeau (second singles), Sam Pasquill (third singles), Josh Lerman and Maxx Wolski (first doubles) and Stephen Burke and Jahn Pothier (second doubles). The boys finish their season with an 18-1 record, an SCC Championship, and a hopeful playoff bid that has yet to come.

Girls’ Tennis: The girls’ tennis team finished their season with a tough 3-2 loss against Bishop Stang. The girls got wins from Olivia Bellefeuille (third singles) and Sophie Church and Katelyn Bindas (second doubles), but were not able to secure that needed third point to claim the victory over the Lady Spartans. Though the girls’ regular season ends on a sour note, they look to get back on the more positive side of things during their upcoming state tournament run.

Boys’ Lacrosse: The Bulldogs started their week off with a tough loss to out-of-conference Sandwich, but managed to turn things around with a 9-8 victory over Dartmouth. The win was largely in part to Gerald Lanagan, the ORR senior goalie who recorded 12 saves including one in the final minute that secured the ORR lead until time expired. Offensively, the boys were led by Ethan Lizotte (three goals), Thomas McIntire (two goals), and Landon Goguen (two goals). Pat Kiernan and Ryan Manning also scored in the boys’ 16th victory of the season. The boys received the number two seed in the Division 3 South Tournament, and will look to start their postseason march against Cardinal Spellman on Monday.

Below are the overall spring team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of May 31.

Baseball: (17-3-0) (14-2-0); Softball: (8-10-0) (8-8-0); Boys’ Track: (6-2-0) (6-2-0); Girls’ Track: (8-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Tennis: (18-1-0) (14-0-0); Girls’ Tennis: (14-5-0) (13-3-0); Boys’ Lacrosse: (15-2-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Lacrosse: (12-5-1) (7-3-0).

By Michael Kassabian

 

IDC Seeks to Dissolve, Article 17 Passed Over

on

The Rochester Board of Selectmen and the Industrial Development Commission (IDC) met June 1 to discuss Article 18 of the Annual Town Meeting warrant to dissolve the IDC, and selectmen also decided to skip over Article 17 on Town Meeting floor.

The IDC came to discuss its future and the future of the $88,335 that had remained unspent in its allotment since 1984.

The IDC decided that, as an organization, it was no longer needed in the Town of Rochester and it should be dissolved to free up the IDC funds for other needs.

“What the IDC would like to do is to withdraw those funds, to close that account, and so that that money can be appropriated for the snow and ice removal (costs from this year),” IDC member and Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard Nunes said.

The IDC was created as a source of funding earmarked to assist industrial businesses in developing in the Town of Rochester. According to Town Administrator Michael McCue, there has never been a situation of that sort in town since the creation of the fund.

Town Counsel Blair Bailey explained why there was no longer a need for the IDC.

“This issue is that in small towns, such as Rochester, the statute that the IDC is under has very limited reasons or purposes that you’re allowed to use the money,” said Bailey, “for certain things like industrial development studies and things like that.” He continued, “While we certainly appreciate the creation of it when SEMASS started it, it’s really not something the Town of Rochester needs, frankly, and this money’s been sitting there for quite a long time.”

This $88,000, once freed up, is how the Town hopes to cover some of the cost of the over-expended snow and ice removal budget from fiscal year 2015.

Money will initially be taken from the stabilization fund to pay for the snow and ice removal for the 2014/2015 winter, which brought more than 60 inches of snowfall for the town by the end of March and caused the total cost of snow removal to exceed $160,000. The corresponding amount will then be applied from the newly-dissolved IDC account to the stabilization fund.

The vote passed unanimously following little discussion.

Prior to the IDC meeting, the Board of Selectmen heard from Chuck Shay, appraisal technician for the Town on the subject of Article 17.

According to Nunes, Article 17 was intended as a way to do a preliminary semi-annual tax collection to estimate tax bills from the previous year.

“The reason for doing that would be so that we could send out a tax bill and get revenue,” Nunes said after the meeting. “What’s happened in the past is that tax bills have to go out before the end of the calendar year and the Department of Revenue has had typically been unable to certify the tax rate at the end of the year.” Nunes continued, “So the treasurer would have to request the Board of Selectmen do short-term borrowing into the stabilization fund so that we can pay the Town’s bills.”

He further explained that this practice would hurt the Town’s credit.

“If they’re looking at you, having to do short-term borrowing from your stabilization, they frown upon it because it shows you’re not managing things well,” he said.

During the meeting, Shay and the other representatives from the Board of Assessors said that Article 17 was unnecessary as they would be able to get the Town’s tax bills out by October, thus eliminating any need for the Town to borrow from itself.

The board agreed to withdraw Article 17, but it must be officially passed over at the June 8 Town Meeting since the warrant has already been posted.

During the meeting, McCue delivered a warning to members of the public that there may be disruptions in new services from Eversource as the union representing the local workers has ordered work stoppage until a dispute is settled.

McCue reminded the public that Constitution Way in Rochester will be closed to traffic July 27 through July 31 as part of the First Congregational Church’s week-long Bible camp.

McCue also updated the board on the initiative to get Rochester named a Tree City, USA. He reminded those in attendance that the Town celebrated Arbor Day this year and planted a tree in honor of the holiday. The application for Tree City is completed and will be submitted later.

The next scheduled meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is June 15 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Andrew Roiter

ROsel_060415