Reviewing the warrant for the May 13 Annual Town Meeting, Rochester’s Select Board Monday paused longest over the one article it voted against recommending.

            That article proposes approving a $12,000,000 debt exclusion for the Old Rochester Regional School District to make capital improvements around the school campus.

            Select Board member Brad Morse motioned to not recommend this article, explaining, “The reason being it’s just an estimate,” he said. “I don’t know what it really funds.” Select Board member Adam Murphy elaborated that he has pressed the school superintendent to present to the board the study of the school district’s capital needs that has been prepared, but he has yet to see it.

            “This is a 20, 22-year decision we have to make,” Murphy said. “A decision that will affect our grandchildren. Questions need to be answered: Who will be in charge of this work? Is it in a five, 10-year capital plan? Has there been public comment? The superintendent had explained the projects when he was here but without documentation.”

            Even a member of the ORR School Committee, Joe Pires, said he had his doubts.

            “It’s all in good intentions,” Pires said. “The school is old. Once we researched things, we found there was not enough substantial information for this plan. I’ve asked specific questions; I couldn’t get an answer. I voted no on this plan.”

            Before the Select Board voted unanimously against recommending the article, Town Counsel Jay Talerman of Mead, Talerman, and Costa, LLC, explained that the article, however, must remain on the warrant because of the peculiar rules of membership in a regional school district. If all three towns in the district did not entertain this article on their town meeting warrants but “wash over it” instead, the measure would automatically be approved, he said. Only if the three towns actively disapprove the article would it be a dead issue.

            Talerman added that was also true of the related question to approve the ORR debt exclusion that will be asked at the Town Election. That measure must also remain on that ballot.

            In other warrant changes, the Select Board altered the proposed amount that would be spent for Capital Planning. Murphy recommended shaving $49,800 that would have been spent by the Rochester Memorial School for “asphalt repair and new sealant.” He suggested putting that expense on hold until after the installation of the solar canopy that is being proposed for the school’s back lot. His fellow Select Board members agreed to that deletion, leading to a new Capital Planning total of $121,180.

            Elsewhere across the 21-article warrant, the Select Board recommended the proposed FY25 budget of $22,022,613. The Public Safety Stabilization Fund will receive an additional $140,000. The Road Improvement Stabilization Fund will gain an additional $100,000, the Capital Improvement Fund $300,000 and a Rochester Memorial School emergency Special Education funding account $300,000.

            The board also recommended the Town Meeting proposal to spend $15,000 on repairing the Plumb Library roof after Town Administrator Glenn Cannon explained to Murphy why this expense was not a Capital Planning funding measure. Cannon said the request came late; the roof was damaged by a storm on March 19.

            In other action, the board approved Building Commissioner Paul Boucher’s request to raise and add Commercial Building Permit Fees. Changes include a rise in the permit fee for new commercial structures and additions to $6 per $1,000 of cost, $150 for a mechanical inspection and $150 plus $1 per $1,000 of cost for fire sprinklers and fire alarms. Under electrical and plumbing inspections, the change is to $150 plus $1 per $1,000 of cost.

            Boucher explained that new commercial development is coming to town. “We want to get ahead of the curve,” he said, adding that these changes are not to make more money for the town but to cover the increasing cost of inspection services.

            The board then rescinded its vote of two weeks ago axing early voting hours for the Annual Town Election. Town Clerk Marjorie Barrows said the earlier proposal wasn’t worded correctly. It would be better to rescind the decision and allow early voting, she said.

            The Select Board will meet next on Monday, April 29, at 6:00 pm at the Rochester Senior Center, 67 Dexter Lane. Cannon said this meeting will be for signing the Town Meeting Warrant.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

            A smaller crowd of concerned residents left the April 17 meeting of the Marion Select Board feeling better about the town’s cemetery regulations after member Randy Parker recommended during the continued public hearing that the fourth and fifth items be dropped from the Cemetery Commission’s revised proposal and Chairman Toby Burr agreed.

            The 2-1 vote struck from the revised regulations two-space restrictions to flower beds around gravestones. One would have limited plantings to a maximum 12 inches straight out from the front side only of the marker or monument and only to the width thereof. The other limitation proposed that was struck would have required that any edging added around the flower bed must be flush with the ground.

            The proposed restrictions were meant to ease the task of maintenance performed by the Marion Department of Public Works.

            DPW Director Becky Tilden said that most gravestones are large enough that planting to the side or behind them puts those flower beds on another plot. Jody Dickerson pointed out that the 26 acres of cemetery in Marion are maintained by the same size staff as they were 20 years ago.

            Former eight-year member of the Marion DPW Chris Washburn agreed “100%” with Dickerson and Tilden, recalling the many obstacles he encountered when on the job in the town’s cemeteries.

            Select Board member Norm Hills’ disagreement went beyond the merits of the two regulations related to plantings. He thinks the Select Board should stay of the Cemetery Commission’s business.

            Resident Joe Zora told Hills he had a problem with his involvement in the public hearing considering his wife Helen Hills serves on the Cemetery Commission. Helen Hills noted she has served on the commission longer than her husband has been on the Select Board. Norm Hills maintained his position that the decisions of the Cemetery Commission should not be subject to the Select Board’s vetting.

            The meeting room in the Marion Town House Annex building was packed for the February 6 public hearing that provided the feedback that sent the Cemetery Commission back to work before meeting on February 27 to review revisions to its proposed changes in the regulations.

            Among the proposals the Select Board agreed on was an adjustment to long-standing fees considered to be outdated. A $300 fee will be charged to fund the perpetual care of plots at the time of their sale, so residents will pay $300 per plot plus $300 in perpetual care, and nonresidents will pay $800 per plot plus $300 in perpetual care.

            The cost of opening and closing gravesites will be as follows: On regular weekdays, $600 will be charged for regular burial and $250 for cremains (add $50 per hour after 2:30 pm); and on weekends and holidays $750 for regular burial and $325 for cremains.

            Foundations will cost $125 per square foot (a 2×1-foot foundation would cost $250 and a 3×1-foot foundation would cost $325).

            An existing regulation stipulated that only burial plots with a full burial in place first can be used for both full burials and cremains.

            An added regulation states that “cemetery plots are for the exclusive rights of burial. Only the Town Department of Public Works (DPW) can perform burials, no private party is allowed to perform a burial.

            Some of the other proposals were written to clarify existing ones.

            Building Commissioner Bob Grillo presided over the meeting in the absence of Town Administrator Geoff Gorman.

            In three separate votes, the board approved one-day alcohol beverage licenses for three 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm events to be hosted by the Marion Social Club, 44 Pumping Station: the May 19 Clamboil; the July 21 Portuguese Feast and the August 18 Senior Chicken Bake.

            The board also approved a Water/Sewer commitment of $1,350 for a new water tap (April 2).

            Burr and Grillo shared the duties of the town administrator’s report.

            The Marion Board of Health has received grant funding to hold four seminars on stroke, the first on May 10 at 10:00 am at Cushing Community Center walking path, along with light refreshments and a raffle. Executive Secretary Donna Hemphill noted that Melissa Frappier hosted a wellness event last week.

            On Thursday, April 25, Marion will host a Town Meeting warrant review at the Music Hall. The warrant went out in the mail and was expected to arrive at residences early this week. The Marion Town Election is scheduled for Friday, May 17, at the Cushing Community Center.

            Grillo reported that the Benson Brook swap shop has opened, the construction of the harbormaster building remains on schedule and only slightly over budget while addressing land-fill issues including the discovery of some substandard materials.

            “It’s going to be a gem once it’s done,” he said.

            Bill Washburn, attending the meeting, suggested the town bring back the Harbor Days festival, noting the occasion of the new harbormaster building and how the town had over 500 people for a previous harbor tour.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, at 6:00 pm at the Town House Annex building.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo