It was received as good news when on April 25, three business days after the Mattapoisett Select Board meeting held April 20, it was learned that Phase 1b of the Bike Path is to open.

            Select Board member Jordan Collyer, who has taken the lead on dealing with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on the Memorandum of Understanding, told The Wanderer on Tuesday that they have received an acceptable MOU.

            “The board plans on meeting Thursday (April 27 at 6:00 pm) to review the MOU. I can’t speak for the board, but I’m comfortable with it,” said Collyer.

            This comes after the April 20 Select Board meeting in which Collyer railed against “name calling” on Facebook that he said, “wouldn’t solve anything.” He said that language and specifically the word “maintenance” without a definition as to just exactly what maintenance might mean in this context was the problem.

            Now with this resolved, plans are underway for opening the security gate and letting the public, at long last, enjoy the pathway from Fairhaven to Mattapoisett village.

            It took some time on April 20 for the Mattapoisett Select Board and Finance Committee to review Article One, Elected Officers’ Compensation. The sticking points were two pay raises being requested, one by the current Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and the other by the Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer.

            The meeting established which articles the board and the committee would support or decline support during the May 8 Town Meeting. The board and the committee had already reviewed budgets with all department heads leading up to the meeting, but Finance Committee Chairman Pat Donoghue questioned Bauer’s requested $7,500 increase, which would bring his salary up to $87,500.

            Donoghue asked, “What message are we sending the other town employees? I’m troubled by this.” Member Kevin Geraghty said that the salary was originally set at a lower level than that of former surveyor Barry Denham, who had held the position for over 20 years.

            “Garrett took a haircut, we gave him a reduced rate. He runs a good ship,” said Collyer, noting that during bad weather, roads remain open, that Bauer has a degree and that market rate for a job such as his ranges between $90,000 and $95,000. “If we had to look for a qualified person, we’d be paying more,” he said.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco noted that Bauer holds a CDL license and that when necessary, “…is in the ditches doing the work.”

            Also adding her support for the increase was Select Board member Jodi Bauer. “He puts in a lot. You are getting a lot for your buck. He could be gone,” she said.

            Lorenco said that Garrett Bauer had been looking at salaries paid in private industry as well as other towns to compare. “Yes, increases should be based on merit,” said Lorenco, adding that Bauer “was at the low end.”

            Donoghue was steadfast in her belief that it appeared as though elected officials were getting more. “I went to Town Hall and said the streets aren’t being cleaned. I was told we don’t have the people to do the work. Why aren’t we looking at that?” she asked.

            Regarding the town clerk’s requested increase of $3,600 to a salary of $75,000, Lorenco said Heuberger’s current salary of $71,400 was in line with other communities.

            When the two groups voted whether or not to support the pay increases in Article One, the Finance Committee members were all in favor, except Donoghue. The Select Board voted unanimously for Article One.

            The proposed compensation in Article One reads: Moderator $290 up from $282; Board of Selectmen Chairman $5,945 up from $5,829, Board of Selectmen members each $5,358 up from $5,253, Assessors each $5,358 up from $5,253, Town Clerk $75,000 up from $71,400, Board of Health each $678 up from $696, Highway Surveyor $87,500 up from $80,000, Mattapoisett School Committee each $692 up from $687, Water/Sewer Commissioners each $678 up from $692, Tree Warden $10,500 up from $10,083, and Herring Inspector $988 up from $968.

            While Article One garnered a large piece of the meeting, Article Two General Operating Budget was swiftly and unanimously (by both the board and the committee) supported at $32,405,674.

            Article Three asks voters to appropriate $204,000 for OPEB liabilities, Article Four $160,000 appropriation for the School Assessment Stabilization Fund, Article Five to authorize Departmental Revolving Fund expenditure limits, Article Six $45,000 for Cyclical Annual Property Revaluation and Town Mapping, Article Seven $4,500 for actuarial analysis of the Town’s OPEB liability, Article Eight Personnel Schedules and Article Nine Acceptance of the Capital Planning Committee report.

            Regarding the Capital Planning Committee Requests and planning are listed in Article Ten as follows: $20,000 for a security server for local schools, $170,000 CAT Backhoe/Loader, $19,000 replacement of fire panel in schools, $55,000 Fire Department SUV, $65,000 Police cruiser, Road Improvements $250,000, $19,500 school kitchen oven, $48,150 roof soffits and gutters for schools, $45,000 library carpet replacement lower level, $85,000 library slate-roof repairs, $35,000 Town Hall study, $20,000 repair window seals at schools, $25,000 replace VCT flooring in schools, $25,000 furniture and equipment replacements for Town Hall, $15,000 reorganization, repairs and cleanup at the Transfer Station.

            Waterfront Department requests are: $30,000 for Long Wharf boring study and $35,000 for dredging of the inner harbor. Water Department needs are: $120,000 village watermain replacement, $30,000 lead and copper study and plan and $30,000 for well upgrades. The Sewer Department is requesting $35,000 for lift-station upgrades.

            Article Eleven asks voters to approve the borrowing of $3,700,000 for necessary Fairhaven Sewer Treatment Plant upgrades. Article Twelve asks voters to approve the appropriation of $4,830,000 for the purchase of approximately 241 acres of primarily agricultural lands in the Mattapoisett River Valley for the purposes of conserving the area for drinking-water protection. The article notes that grants from the Community Preservation Act and other entities will be sought.

            Article Thirteen $48,000 for the Old Colony Debt Authorization for Feasibility Study is requested from member communities based on enrollment so that school expansion options and upgrades can be explored, and Article Fourteen will appropriate $1,437,000 for reconstruction of Oakland and Pearl Streets.

            Articles Fifteen through Twenty allocate revenues for the Community Preservation Act, with $25,300 for Housing, $25,300 Historic Preservation, $25,300 Open Space and $115,000 Budgeted Reserve. Article 16-20 are FY24 grant requests from: Mattapoisett Historical Commission for survey funding $15,000, Florence Eastman American Legion Post 280 for ADA improvements and restroom repairs, Mattapoisett Housing Authority for window replacements and other repairs $150,000 and Mattapoisett Christian Church/Museum for damaged exterior walls, windows, and other improvements $38,000.

            Article Twenty-One Water Reserve Account appropriates $10,000 from Water Retained Earnings for establishing a reserve for unforeseen expenses and the same for Article Twenty-two for the Sewer Reserve Account.

            Article Twenty-Three would reduce property-tax obligations for those veterans who perform volunteer services, Article Twenty-Four would beef up the language in Mattapoisett’s General Bylaws regarding the removal of trees on scenic roadways, and Article Twenty-Five would establish a Cemetery Commission for the purposes of developing care planning and to act as facilitators for the Barlow and Hammond cemeteries.

            Articles Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight seek to amend and/or modify appointment of alternate members placed on the Capital Planning, Finance and Conservation Commission.

            Article Twenty-Nine would amend the town’s Dog Waste Bylaw in an effort to improve adherence to dog-waste removal by responsible parties. Article Thirty would ban the sale of “nips” in an effort to control trash pollution along public roadways, and Article Thirty-One would allow the Town to exit the landfill agreement, which is unsigned, with NEXAMP for property located at the Transfer Station.

            Before the joint meeting began, the Select Board voted to accept July 4^th Road Race route changes that will now avoid travel along Route 6. They also approved a request from Tastebuds for outdoor dining during the summer season. The board also approved the spending of $34,450 for test borings on Long Wharf.

            Town-sponsored student scholarships were discussed having received two applications recently. The fund currently holds $4,500, monies donated by property owners. They tabled a decision on how much to gift the students.

            The Select Board also voted to appoint Ben Church as a full-time Police officer.

            The Mattapoisett Select Board plans to meet on Thursday, April 27, at 6:00 pm to review the MOU related to the Bike Path. The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 8, at 6:30 pm in the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium. The next regular meeting of the Select Board has not been announced.

Mattapoisett Select Board and Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

Marion Harbormaster Isaac Perry made his first appearance before the Marion Resources Commission since he recovered from a winter back surgery. Perry began with “a huge thank you to Adam (Murphy) and Dave (Wilson) for keeping the ball rolling while I was out.

            “(Their efforts) really made the transition from surgery and recovery back to working quite a bit easier than I thought it was going to be,” said Perry.

            Perry’s summary of Harbor Management and Capital Projects included a report that the town had collected $121,000 in revenue as of the MRC’s April 17 public meeting and estimated that with fee increases, there is another $400,000 left to collect.

            The Marine Center, he said, will be on the Special Fall Town Meeting warrant. The town hopes to get it out to bid sometime in the summer, at which point Marion will have concrete numbers to put before voters.

            Deputy Harbormaster/Shellfish Officer Adam Murphy is taking a conservative stance this year on oysters.

            After reporting that shellfish is coming in for propagation specific to what is owed to Marion, he told the MRC he is not doing oysters, noting that Tabor Academy still has 150,000 continuing to grow, MRC member Scott Cowell asked Murphy about buying scallop seed.

            Murphy said he has not.

            “My goal would be to meet with the town administration and figure out, one, the propagation permits and the fees and where all the money’s going and work to figure out what we can spend on buying larger seed so that we can put out,” he said. “It costs more money to buy it, but I’d like to not waste money on smaller seed or scallops or oysters, whatever we decide, and use the money that we’re generating for propagation and actually buy the animals larger that we can put out with a better survivability and more of an abundance.

            “So instead of just throwing money away, if you will, I figured we’d take a step back this year and figure out how many permits we’re selling and kind of study it a little bit, figure out what kind of revenue we’re bringing in, and then figure out what’s the best course of action as far as spending that money on what’s appropriate for the community.”

            “You should start looking,” said Cowell, “because they usually don’t become available until back of July.”

            “I’ve got to figure out how much money we can spend,” said Murphy. “We have $6,000 that we usually spend, so we have the up-waller, we have the quahog seed coming, but like I said, I didn’t want to buy oyster seed just to spend the money. We’re walking across oysters at this point.”

            MRC Chairman Vin Malkoski referenced the winter appearance of Finance Director Judy Mooney and suggested it’s time to revisit the subject of indirect expenses, especially with the new revenue resulting from increased fees.

            MRC member Peter Borsari addressed the controversial matter of indirect costs to the Harbormaster Department, asserting that the town unfairly holds down the Waterways Account.

            Malkoski acknowledged that the town can legally take 50% of excise taxes. “But where it gets fuzzy,” he said, “is the discussions we had about the dinghy slips because those are bottom-anchored. And some of the other things where money’s being withdrawn that again, we contend. … Where that money comes from is part of the discussion.”

            “We were told that the money never left,” said Borsari.

            “That reality is, it’s not in the Waterways Account, and it’s being shown on the town record as being used for these other purposes,” said Malkoski.

            “A portion of the indirects are costs that are generated by the (Harbormaster) Department,” said Perry, rattling off insurance policies, fuel and electricity as examples.

            Borsari insisted he had been instructed that those monies are not taken away from the Waterways Account and said the matter remains confusing.

            Murphy clarified that he had spoken on the matter at the MRC’s last meeting and said he is still seeking answers “on where, why, when and how” of indirect costs that also left him confused.

            The dinghy dock revenues of $48,000, said Murphy, go into the general fund rather than the Waterways Account. “But the Waterways (Account) is supporting that through our budget to maintain it, so there’s a lot of things on there that I don’t think the town understands what goes into supporting that general-fund money.”

            Murphy suggested it’s the MRC’s mission to make the town understand the Harbormaster Department’s plight.

            “The floats in particular, that’s a 10-A permit, all day just like anyone’s mooring permit out there. There’s no difference,” said Perry. “So how that revenue goes toward the General Fund versus the Waterways Account is beyond me. I know the Finance director is going to look into that. That’s another thing we have to make sure of because, like you said, that’s a big chunk of change.”

            Vice Chairman Greg Houdelette noted that the FY24 budget has been finalized for the May 8 Town Meeting, so there is no great rush to iron out the matter.

            “Let me be clear, none of us are suggesting that the money is going someplace it shouldn’t go. It’s being used (by the town),” said Malkoski, who also noted that by state law, the harbor cannot serve as a profit source for the town.

            Cowell finds it unacceptable that the three-person Harbormaster Department is hired at will and is not under contract like every other department head. Police reform has complicated their roles.

            MRC member Cheryl Souza suggested the commissioners can appropriately plan a course of action once it’s known how things will shake out from the Police Department side of the matter.

            Perry also reported that he anticipated Tabor Academy’s “day of service” to yield assistance in preparing boats for community service and plans to freshen up Island Wharf. Floats, he said, would be in the water two to three weeks behind last year’s schedule but in time for most boaters who arrive near the end of May and the beginning of June. Channel markers were expected over the final two weeks of April.

            The Department of Public Works and the Water Dept, said Perry, will help the Harbormaster Department replace the sewer line at Island Wharf.

            The sea wall at Island Wharf requires the filing of a Request for Determination of Applicability with the Conservation Commission. Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee assisted in the preparation of the application.

            The new motor purchased through grant funding last year has been installed in the pump-out boat.

            “Big thanks to (Murphy and Wilson) keeping the lights on while I was away,” said Perry.

            The next meeting of the Marine Resources Commission is scheduled for Monday, May 15, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Marine Resources Commission

By Mick Colageo

The Rochester Planning Board critically reviewed rather than approved the projects they were presented on Tuesday night.

            The panel started with informal discussions over site plans for a marijuana retail establishment on Cranberry Highway and a native tree and wildflowers nursery at 157 Vaughn Hill Road.

            Megan’s Organic Market, the marijuana retail facility, will be located at 621 County Road and will be one of two stores on a 7,500 square-foot pad. It will include 44 parking spaces, a front entrance for customers and a rear entrance for deliveries, and all drainage will be underground, said project representative Phil Cordeiro.

            Board member Ben Bailey expressed concern that the marijuana shop, according to the measurement scale on the informal plan, might sit less than 500 feet away from a daycare center, which state law forbids. Board Chairman Arnold Johnson instructed Cordeiro to return with the list of waivers being requested on the project’s formal application.

            Charles Anderson said he and his wife Jennifer are from Virginia, where their nursery business started, and have recently moved to Mattapoisett. “Tree Talk Natives” on Vaughn Hill Road is his wife’s creation. On 2½ acres will sit an 8×10-foot shed, a parking area and strips of land for the trees and shrubs that will be grown in large pots. “We grow everything from seedlings,” he said.

            Board members criticized the plan the Andersons presented as not being as detailed as the panel needs them to be for a firm, formal decision. They even criticized the list of waivers presented as too vague.

            The Andersons said they were trying to avoid the huge expense of an engineered plan but agreed to create a more formal, detailed layout plan and return with it with their formal application.

            Next, the board reviewed the draft decision to approve a canopied, solar-energy array at Rochester Memorial School. Here, too, the panel stopped short of voting a decision.

            Project representatives asked if the screening of the site from abutters had to be completed by the time construction started. The board responded pointedly that this was, indeed, an important requirement. “With every one of our solar projects,” Johnson said, “we’ve required building the screen first. We’ve never wavered from that.”

            The ensuing discussion also revealed the construction may still be ongoing when the 2023-24 school year begins in September.

            The board said that means more revisions to the draft plan. A life safety plan must now be included. Johnson said that plan will be added, “Then maybe we can bring this to a vote.”

            Next, the board reviewed a complaint from Conservation Commission member William Clapp that when he met with the board on November 16 seeking approval of two 1-1 lots, he was wronged when Johnson said his lots “don’t pass muster.”

            It made him consider spending money on his plans on the assumption Johnson was right. Clapp asked for Johnson’s apology for being wrong about his lots. He recently told The Wanderer he would go to the Ethics Commission if he did not receive that apology. “If I took his advice,” Clapp said, “I would have lost out on developing a second lot that would have caused me a financial hardship.”

            Johnson apologized, but Bailey added that the Planning Board did approve Clapp’s lots that night and asserted that Clapp would have had no loss to take to an Ethics-based lawsuit. “If you made a financial decision based on a rumor, that’s on you,” said Bailey.

            Clapp said he was satisfied.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board was not announced upon adjournment.

Rochester Planning Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

            The Rochester Select Board made a significant, last-minute change to the Annual Town Meeting warrant, as they reviewed the draft articles on Monday night. The board followed member Brad Morse’s recommendation to combine all the measures on the warrant related to withdrawing from being a designated Green Community into one article.

            Article 29 proposed rescinding the Town Meeting’s previous vote to adopt the Stretch energy codes that tighten the base building codes in the name of more energy-efficient construction but are an expensive part of being a Green Community.

            Morse said he wanted to rescind the town’s Stretch codes and withdraw from the Green Communities program in one article. Town Administrator Glenn Cannon said he felt the town should rescind the code itself first. Morse wondered aloud what would happen if one article passes and the other article fails. This is the better way, Morse said, and the board agreed, combining both measures into one article.

            As the Select Board and the Finance Committee voted to recommend the warrant articles, their discussion revealed that another highlight will be a move to change the town clerk’s position from elected to appointed.

            Select Board member Paul Ciaburri asked if the town would be able to go back to an elected town clerk if it so chose after the Town Meeting vote. Town Clerk Paul Dawson, attending the meeting remotely on Zoom, said he did not know, and the town would have to refer the question to Town Counsel.

            Discussion of Article 4, the FY2024 budget, featured Select Board member Brad Morse questioning why an executive assistant was being upgraded to a higher salary. He said this is a position under the Select Board office’s jurisdiction and the board should have been a part of the personnel decision. Both the Select Board and the Finance Committee approved this article but hinted they may re-address this concern at Town Meeting.

            The town will be asked to fund $100,000 for the first year of a reconstruction plan for Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School. An article to fund a new storage shed for the Highway Department will be removed, as will a move to purchase 15 acres of land on Mendell Road, a measure tied to plans to build a new fire station.

            In his report following the review, Cannon announced that childcare services will be available at Rochester Memorial School during the Town Meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, May 22.

            In other action, the board approved Police Chief Robert Small’s recommendation to appoint Daniel Allende, a resident of Fairhaven, as a new part-time Rochester Police officer, and it reappointed Sharon Cruz to the Old Colony School Committee.

            The Select Board then approved raising building inspection fees and instituting new ground-mounted, solar-project inspection fees. Prior to this vote, Cannon revealed the state of these fees last July was the reason a town building commissioner resigned quickly after taking the job last summer. “The building commissioner resigned because we hadn’t raised our inspection fees and pay in seven years,” Cannon said. “We lost a good building inspector because of this.”

            As recommended by current Building Commissioner Paul Boucher, the building inspection fee will climb from $25 to $50. The new fees for ground-mounted, solar-project inspections will be $12 per 1,000 square feet of a building and $6 per 1,000 square feet of electrical work.

            Next, the panel approved Rochester Country Fair president Kelly Sullivan-Morgado’s recommendation that structures and other property remaining at the Country Fairgrounds on Pine Street all be declared surplus.

            “We’ve closed the fair,” Sullivan-Morgado said with some regret in her voice. “I had to list all of the fair’s assets. It was a large list I had to narrow down to small.”

            She said the Select Board must vote what to do with all or most of it. The ensuing discussion revealed that sheds on the site that were donated by private parties will go back to those people. The Fair Committee will donate a tractor and a monitoring board to the Westport Fair. Money in the town’s Fair Account totaling $18,000 will likely be dispersed as scholarships. The town owns three box trailers at the site. These are among the items that will be declared surplus for Cannon to dispose as he sees fit.

            For the rest of these surplus items, Sullivan-Morgado said, “we’ll soon get a big dumpster down there.”

            The Select Board then appointed a Steering Committee for the new Master Plan project. These members will be: Arnie Johnson and Nancy Durfee to focus on Land Use; Brad Morse, Economic Development; Matthew Monteiro, Historic and Land Trust; Andrew Daniel, Services and Facilities; Jeff Eldridge, Transportation; David Hughes, Open Space and Recreation; and Jordan Latham, Natural and Cultural Resources.

            The board will next meet on Monday, May 1, at 6:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way, for an agenda that will include signing the warrant for Town Meeting.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco