Residents from Inland Road came before the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night asking for a by-law allowing private roads to have snow plow services. “We have trash pickup, postal delivery, water and sewer, newspaper delivery, UPS delivery, utility maintenance, but no snow plowing because we are a private road,” said Al Caron, a resident of Inland Road.

“There are nine households on Inland Road and we pay taxes, but feel that we are not fully vested in the town without snow plowing,” said Caron. The development was built back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the builder made the road private. “We want to have the road plowed in the winter to be sure fire, emergency and medical services can come down the road,” added Caron.

The proposed by-law would include all private roads in Marion.

“Do we know how many private roads there are in Marion?” asked Selectman Steve Cushing. Town Administrator Paul Dawson estimated that there are over 50 private roads in town.

“What does this mean in terms of mileage for plowing?” asked Cushing. “This could involve a huge financial consideration, and we need to gather more information on this issue.”

Dawson noted that a by-law change effort would have to start with a petition with 200 signatures from town residents to make it a ballot issue at town meeting and consideration by the Board of Selectmen.

The board agreed to take the issue under advisement and gather more information.

A discussion was held regarding the cell antenna lease at the Mill Street tank at the town dump. Nextel, a cell phone company, has been renting space on the tower for several years and now wants out of their contract with the town. According to Dawson, many cell phone companies are abandoning the use of water towers and are seeking higher towers for better band width for cell service.

Dawson said that the Marion Police Department has equipment on the Marconi Tower and is very interested in moving over to the water tower at the dump. Nextel, in their attempt to end their contract with the town, has agreed to leave the existing equipment on the tower, possibly to be used by the Marion Police Department, thus saving money on cell equipment purchases. “This issue is still being explored, but it could be an opportunity for the town to benefit from the situation presented,” said Dawson. Currently, the contract is being examined by town counsel.

A discussion regarding capital planning for the Department of Public Works facility on Benson Brook Road included the idea of possibly relocating the DPW garage, currently located on Mill Street, over to the Benson Brook facility. The town garage location is approximately two acres while the two lots on Benson Brook are thirteen acres. “Road salt storage, vehicle storage, and maintenance facilities are currently on Mill Street within a very small area,” said Dawson. “Rob Zora, DPW Chief, is asking us to look into this possibility of moving it over to Benson Brook as a long-range capital improvement plan.” Selectman Jon Henry said that if that possibility occurred, it would be an opportunity to expand the cemetery.

A draft of the Upper Cape Vocational Technical School was presented, and the board asked Dawson to confirm the number of students from Marion who were attending during the fiscal year. The budget will be discussed at the next meeting.

The board agreed to appoint Rob Zora as the representative for the Carver-Marion-Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District.

In other business, the board voted on the final readings for the water and sewer commitment in the amount of $4,067.14 as of February 24, 2014.

The board approved a one-day all-alcohol license for the Marion Social Club for a birthday party to be held on March 15 from 12:00 to 4:00 pm.

The board also approved the appointments of Robert Hoey and David Cowan as Special Police Officers.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

At just after 6pm on Tuesday, March 4, the Rochester Police and Fire Department’s responded to a motor vehicle crash on Neck Road near the causeway at Snipatuit Pond. Initially there were three person’s injured in the crash of a vehicle that had hit a telephone pole with one of the parties being ejected from the vehicle. Medflight was called due to the severity of the injuries and NSTAR electric was called as the telephone pole had been broken off and was hanging by the wires. Patients had to be extricated from the vehicles prior to being transported to the hospital.

Early reports were that there was possibly a fourth person in the vehicle during the crash but that person was not found at the scene. Canine units were called to assist with the search for the fourth passenger. The State Police reconstruction team was also called to respond to the scene. Marion and Freetown EMS assisted with patients.

The Rochester Police Department issued this press release on March 5:

On Tuesday evening at approximately 5:55pm a Rochester Police officer was on routine patrol heading north on Neck Road on the causeway. He observed a vehicle headed southbound at an extremely high rate of speed. After passing the cruiser, the vehicle rounded a slight curve in the road and ran off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle became airborne, sheared off a telephone pole, and rolled over ejecting two of the three passengers.

The vehicle was occupied by three males from Middleboro ages 18, 19, and 20. Two of the occupants were transported to Rhode Island Hospital by ambulance, the third was airlifted to Mass General. All three were seriously injured. Police are withholding the victims names pending the notification of family.

Police received conflicting reports about a possible fourth passenger in the vehicle. A search was conducted involving a K-9 from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, the SEMLEC Search and Rescue Team, and the State Police Airwing with negative results. Police and the Rochester Communications Dispatcher were later able to determine that there were only three occupants.

Rochester Police Chief Paul Mage said, “It was a violent high speed crash. The vehicle involved was completely destroyed.”

Neck Road was closed to traffic for 6 hours while Rochester Police Sergeant William Chamberlain, Officer Kevin Flynn, and the State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section investigated the crash. Power was out in the area as NSTAR crews waited for the vehicle to be removed.

Rochester Fire, Rochester EMS, Freetown EMS, Marion EMS, and the Rochester Highway Department all rendered services at the scene.

Lee Carr was appointed to the fill the vacant seat on the Planning Board during a March 3 joint meeting between selectmen and members of the Planning Board.

Carr had written a letter expressing his interest in serving on the Planning Board; however, it was a couple days too late to submit nomination papers before deadline and get his name on the ballot for the April 9 election.

In light of this, Carr will run as a write-in candidate, while serving on the Planning Board as an appointed member the month leading up to the election.

The Planning Board is a seven-member board, and has had quorum concerns since December when former Board Member Bob Francis resigned. Having seven members present for meetings is crucial when someone applies for a special permit; it requires a positive majority vote of five out of seven to pass.

Selectmen Chairman Naida Parker pointed out that Carr was the only resident expressing interest in running for the Planning Board, and emphasized that the appointment by selectmen was not an endorsement “showing favoritism.”

“Lee Carr is an easy name to write in,” commented Planning Board member Susan Teal.

Both boards took two separate unanimous votes appointing Carr to the board. If you blinked, you might have missed it – the meeting was only two minutes long.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for March 24 at 6:30 pm at Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

Rochester might be in for more solar power in the near future.

According to Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Richard Cutler, the Board recently received correspondence from Building Commissioner Jim Buckles notifying them of the potential for a 250-kilowatt solar array on Theodore Brillon’s property at 287 Snipatuit Road.

“My guess is he’s going to build it where the cranberry bog is, or was,” said Board member Kirby Gilmore.

Cutler said that the potential project, which is still only in its preliminary phases, was entitled the “Crimson Cranberry Bog Solar Project,” and would be on 1.1 acres of property.

“[Brillon] either has been or will be doing a significant amount of excavation there,” said Cutler, noting that this type of project is classified as an “Accessory Structure for Profit.”

In other Zoning Board news, a motion was approved to remove stipulation #2 as shown on an old special permit for Janet Dugan’s property at 124 High Street. That stipulation stated that the property is non-transferable.

Dugan hopes to sell her home, which is a two-tenement, but said she could not do so because of the preexisting stipulation.

“I can’t sell it because of that,” said Dugas.

The Board unanimously approved the motion to lift the stipulation, and any appeals must be filed within 20 days of the filing for this decision in the town clerk’s office.

The next meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for March 13.

By Nick Walecka

The hard work of trying to give the town’s departments all the items on their ‘wish lists’ and coming in at a figure that voters will accept has begun. The Capital Planning Committee, chaired by Chuck McCullough, meets between February and May each year to craft financial requests in excess of $10,000 that will be part of the town meeting warrant. These expenses are then prioritized by the Capital Planning Committee and sent to the Finance Committee for their review. Once the Finance Committee has determined if the request is viable, the voters will then either approve or deny the requested sum during May’s town meeting.

Working from a spreadsheet that spans 2014 through 2023, the committee members met with Police Chief Mary Lyons and Highway Surveyor Barry Denham on February 26. Chief Lyons discussed the need for two new cruisers and a new ambulance. She noted that the trauma unit to which her department transports victims is located in Rhode Island. The plan asks for $32,500 for each cruiser and $200,000 for an ambulance.

Next up was Highway Surveyor Barry Denham. He told the committee that his department has completed a number of road sign upgrades that are part of his five-year plan. Due to Federal regulations, the town is required to replace all street signs before 2018. He said that of the 782 signs in question 374 have been replaced, concentrating on roads that have speed limits greater than 25 miles per hour. The importance of moving the remaining costs associated with this project from departmental budget to capital expenditures was suggested by Town Administrator Mike Gagne, who felt that the new signage was critical for public safety. He said that many roads in town are in very discrete locations, making it difficult to locate streets and intersections if the street sign is of poor quality. This project needs $22,500 for completion. The committee agreed that it should be included in capital planning as a lump sum.

Denham went on to discuss repairs to the town barn and shed structures and what remains to be done. The plan has $40,000 plugged in for 2015. Roads and drains will continue to be funded at $400,000 – a figure that has remained static since 2014 and that is proposed to remain static into the foreseeable future. Although not part of the 2015 capital plan, Denham once again advocated for a three- to five-ton roller and a road grader. He said that his department oversees the maintenance of four miles of town roads and eight miles of private gravel roads.

Gagne told the committee that he is looking for some funding through the Community Preservation Committee for the bath house at town beach that needs repairs and retrofitting for limited mobility access, as well as repairs to town wharves.

When the committee meets again on March 12, they are scheduled to review requests from the Fire, Water/Sewer, and Recreation Departments.

By Marilou Newell