Shawmut Associates received swift approval for amendments made to its site plan for the Cranberry Highway trash and recycling center with little discussion required on April 8 after extensive discussions during prior meetings.

Changes include enlarging the building square-footage from 88,900 to 94,270 after enclosing all waste handling operations, and modifying the pavement limits in the area of the building expansion for traffic to travel around the building.

The board chitchatted a bit about the project status with Greg Wirsen of Green Environmental Engineering. He asked Chairman Arnold Johnson, “So, how’s the view from [Route] 495?”

Wirsen said thousands of yards of concrete have already been poured and some parts of the old structure have not yet been demolished.

Board Member Gary Florindo said he had recently visited the site himself and “it looked like a war zone.”

Needing a super-majority for the motion to pass, Wirsen took a gamble with only five members present, the sixth being the absent Michael Murphy. The motion passed, but not without Board Member Bendrix Bailey first objecting to the motion just to see what Wirsen’s face would look like.

The board also discussed the flood plain by-law amendment headed for the Annual Town Meeting warrant on May 19, but took no action on the matter.

Bailey expressed his disapproval of the FEMA flood maps, saying his own house was erroneously designated as being located within a flood zone. He specified that the FEMA map had his house marked at level with Snipatuit Pond, and he says his house is elevated 23 feet.

“The more I look into this, the more I see there are errors in the map,” said Bailey. “My house that is not in a flood plain is underwater on the FEMA map.”

Bailey said he would not vote to recommend the Town’s by-law to Town Meeting, and he vowed to oppose it on the Town Meeting floor.

“We’re really being bullied by a big government organization,” said Bailey. He said he would no longer be able to build an addition onto his house without a special permit because of the map. “Their map is wrong,” he stated. He said he would not support the by-law until FEMA corrected its maps. He also said his neighbors are affected and, quite possibly, other mistakes were made throughout the state.

After some discussion over the details of the by-law, Johnson suggested the board speak with Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon for more information.

The board continued the hearing for a request to rescind a Form C Subdivision Approval for King’s Highway until May 13 in order to straighten out a discrepancy between the assessor’s information and the plan previously approved by the board back in 2006.

The applicant’s representative said two existing buildings stand on one lot, according to the assessor; however, the chairman said the assessor was wrong and the plan reflects the two buildings each stand on two separate lots.

“We can only go by what we have approved,” said Johnson. “As far as this board is concerned, it’s sitting on two separate lots.”

In other business, the board talked about the Limited Commercial District amendment, although Johnson stated that the matter would not make it in time for either of the May 19 town meetings.

By the end of the discussion, board members agreed that language within the by-law should be changed to reflect the removal of the height restriction for buildings in order to address the plans on a case-by-case basis.

Johnson said it would be best to grant permits based on how the building would harmonize with other buildings in the area and keep with the character of the neighborhood.

The board also received a letter from the attorney general’s office informing the Town that a 2011 by-law passed by Town Meeting was rejected because of a clerical error in the delivery of notification for a hearing. The by-law pertained to the “sunset provision” for building plans.

According to Johnson, a letter requesting further information about the Town’s by-law was sent to Town Clerk and Selectman Naida Parker but was never passed along or followed through.

Johnson said, with the by-law, the Town was just trying to align itself with the new regulations of the State, doing away with the two-year expiration on building plans that were never developed.

“You know what?” said Johnson. “To heck with them.”

The next Rochester Planning Board meeting is scheduled for April 22 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

Sometimes selectmen have to hold small meetings to address the small details of running a town, like on April 7 when a relatively full-looking agenda produced less than 20 minutes of meeting time.

The Rochester Board of Selectmen referred to the Planning Board its amendment of a proposed by-law pertaining to the flood plain districts in town that will appear on the May 19 Annual Town Meeting warrant.

Chairman Naida Parker commented that the by-law failed to receive Town Meeting approval during the fall, and Parker emphasized that Town Meeting members should accept the by-law as presented because it would save residents money on flood insurance rates.

Then the board approved a new town employee group health insurance policy that Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said brings Rochester into compliance with state and federal health insurance guidelines.

During his town administrator’s report, LaCamera asked selectmen if there were any further items, in addition to the ORCTV contract and the ORR cyber theft matter, that they want added to the Joint Boards of Selectmen meeting on April 10. No other business was recommended for inclusion on the agenda.

LaCamera said so far only reserve fund transfers will be featured on the May 19 Special Town Meeting, and the warrant should be ready for the selectmen to view at the April 21 meeting.

As for the fiscal year 2015 budget, Old Colony recently passed their budget with Rochester’s assessment totaling $800,695.

“There’s no millions in it,” said Parker sarcastically.

“Not yet,” replied Selectman Richard Nunes with cynicism.

ORR has passed their budget as well, and the Rochester School Committee approved their FY15 budget during their last meeting.

“We’re getting to the end of it,” said LaCamera about budget season winding down. “We’re pretty much ‘there’ now.”

The board thanked Rochester School Committee Chairman Michelle Cusolito for her years of service on the board. Cusolito did not run for re-election.

The board re-appointed Michael Gagliano to the Old Colony School Committee, and Parker reminded the public of the April 27 rabies clinic from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at the Grange on Hartley Road.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is April 14 at 6:30 pm at Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

The board had a lengthy discussion regarding the Zoning Bylaw, Table of Principal Use Regulations-Solar at their meeting on Monday evening.  Building Commissioner Scott Shippee also attended the meeting as well as Marion Energy Committee members Bill Saltonstall, Jennifer Francis and dual board member Norm Hills.

What appeared to be a clarification of the Table of Principal Uses (similar to a Table of Contents) in the Solar By Law opened a heated discussion on possible changes to the wording of the by-law,which which passed at fall town meeting in 2013.

EMC member Bill Saltonstall spoke and said that the EMC came up with the by-law because they knew the town needed one and the planning board was not addressing the issue.  “We knew it needed to be done and so we did it,” said Saltonstall.

Both the planning board and the EMC worked on their proposed by law for over a year before it was presented to the town at town meeting where it passed.

“There is nothing in the by-law that is being changed, we are just clarifying a line in the table (of contents) and we never imagined that it would turn into a discussion of this magnitude,” said EMC member Jennifer Francis.

Some planning board members questioned whether the submission process of the by-law to the planning board and board of selectmen in the first place was procedurally followed.  The by-law was reviewed and approved by town counsel, Jon Whitten, and placed on the town meeting warrant.

At their Special Planning Board meeting held on March 25, the Planning Board voted on an article to be placed on the warrant for spring town meeting to amend Section 4.2 of the zoning bylaw to clarify the Table of Principal Uses to make it easier for residents and other interested parties to find what they are looking for within the many pages of the Solar By-Law.   The Special Planning Board meeting was held because the warrant was closing within a few days.

At that March 25th meeting, member Ted North presented a revised version of the Table of Permitted Uses with a chart outlining which type of solar system was permitted within the various zoning districts in town.

At the March 25th meeting, the board voted to present two Tables of Principal Uses to the public at town meeting including the one published in the meeting notice and the one presented by Ted North.  It was unclear if the two amendments would be combined in one warrant article.

At this past Monday’s meeting, Mr. Saltonstall address the revised Table of Principal Use Regulations-Solar proposed by planning board member Ted North and said that the EMC had multiple comments on his proposal.  Chairman Pat McArdle asked the EMC to send their comments to her for distribution and discussion by members of the planning board at a future meeting.

“Our intent is for the current solar bylaw that we passed stay as is without any confusion being created,” said Saltonstall.

A public hearing on this issue is scheduled for April 22 at 5:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

In other business, the planning board is now receiving applications for the position of Part Time Planner.  Applications are due by April 14.  At that time, a planning board subcommittee will open and review the submissions.

Terri Santos, planning board secretary is working on the web site to make improvements.  Member Norm Hills presented a list of considerations for the site and board members discussed his proposed improvements.

The board decided to make no comments to the Zoning Board of Appeals regarding appeal issues at 54 South Street and 41 Dexter Road.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry