Even with September’s rain, water remains a serious subject, and the Marion Select Board was eager to hear from Meghan Davis of the Department of Public Works during the board’s September 7 public meeting at the Police Station.

            The news was positive, as Davis’ well rehabilitation project update yielded benchmark information.

            The Mary’s Pond Wellfield is in its final stages of completion. Only minor roof repairs and rough spots on the interior of the aluminum railing remain. The new well pumps will be installed when the new chemical-feed building is ready for start-up.

            The chemical-feed building, which is linked to the East and West wells, is midway through construction with an early-November completion target. Once the chemical-feed building is complete, said Davis, three wells will be up and running. The anticipated timeline for that is January, “pending any major difficulties,” according to Davis. “We haven’t had any so far.”

            The Mary’s Pond wellfield permitted volume is 280,000 gallons per day. East and West wells are permitted at 280,000 and 230,000 respectively. Marion’s total permitted withdrawal is 740,000 gallons per day.

            “Once all our wells come online, it will produce the majority of our water,” said Town Administrator Jay McGrail. “We’ll be utilizing (Mattapoisett River Valley Water District supply) much less, which will help financially.”

            A manufacturing problem with pumps resulted in an order for new pumps that as of the board’s September 7 meeting had arrived but had yet to be installed. Davis clarified for Select Board Chairman Randy Parker that the DPW is waiting to install the replacement pumps so as not to prematurely enact their warranty period. Marion is not liable for what went wrong with the prior delivery.

            Davis, who represents Marion to the MRV, told the Select Board that this summer, Marion has “backed off” from its intake from the MRV Water Supply District from 180-200 gallons per minute to 155 gallons per minute. Meantime, Davis explained, Marion is now relying more on the Perry Hills wells for its water. When Marion’s three wells come online, the DPW will again consider reducing its intake from the MRV. (The MRV serves Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and to a lesser extent, Rochester.)

            “We’ve seen an overall reduction in pumping (in 2022 relative to 2021,)” said Davis, who attributed people’s postpandemic return to workplaces as a key factor. Select Board member Norm Hills asked if the drought had run the consumption up. Davis said Marion’s water restrictions “helped out quite a bit.”

            Benson Brook water tower has maintained its capacity. Parker confirmed that the tower is billed directly by the MRV.

            “I think the long-term strategy, once we have Mary’s Pond, East/West, all of the well fields and MRV up and running … we don’t rely on one in particular – they all balance each other out so we don’t burn out any of the usage,” said McGrail, citing prior discussion with Davis.

            “I scratch my head and wonder how bad off we were before we started all these projects,” said Parker.

            “All we had was the MRV that’s it,” said McGrail, noting an emergency connection with water-rich Wareham was being pursued at that time. “Once we get all our well fields up and running and everything going, really MRV’s our emergency connection.”

            Regarding the drought, Marion issued water restrictions from June 15 to September 15. If tanks drop below a certain level, then another restriction would be required per the state Department of Environmental Protection, but Davis said levels are nowhere near such a trigger.

            Faced with the option of letting annual mandatory water restrictions expire on September 15 or extend them to the board’s October 7 public meeting, the Select Board voted to wait and reevaluate the situation on October 7. McGrail said the restrictions have not resulted in complaints.

            Davis said the Point Road water tower is out of commission, but Mill Street (Route 6), Great Hill and Benson Brook towers are all at proper levels. The Point Road water tower was taken offline due to roof damage. The aging tank is under consideration for rehabilitation or permanent decommissioning. Parker requested a report from Davis on the status of the Point Road water tower evaluation.

            In his Town Administrator’s Report, McGrail told the Select Board that the town has officially hired Saltonstall Architects to design the new DPW operations center. McGrail said it was a competitive selection process and that Will Saltonstall will offer design options.

            The Building Committee, meantime, will soon conduct site visits of wood, rod-iron and steel and Morton constructions. Visits to the Kittansett Club maintenance facility and the Rochester DPW will be on the tour. The Building Committee will meet again later this month.

            McGrail also shared positive news on the solar project at the Benson Brook landfill. The Eversource interconnection is complete, and the connection to the grid has been approved.

            Construction will cost more than what the bid proposal estimated, so the additional cost will lower lease payments from $140,000 to $100,000 per year. The financial lease cost remains under evaluation. Next steps will see McGrail meet with CVEC and contractor General Electric, and in November, he will present amendments to the agreement for the Select Board’s review.

            Interviews for a third member of the Board of Health will be conducted in joint session with the Board of Health (Dr. John Howard and Dr. Ed Hoffer) during the Select Board’s next meeting on September 27. Alvin Johnson, Mary Nelson and Tina McMichael are up for consideration for the spot vacated earlier this summer by Dot Brown. A joint vote is planned for October 4.

            McGrail is working with Marion Police Chief Richard Nighelli and Sippican School on planning a stronger police presence at the town’s public elementary school. A proposal will be presented to the Marion School Committee at its September 14 public meeting.

            McGrail shared positive reports on three activities fronts: a successful Town Party last month at Silvershell Beach (McGrail publicly thanked Donna Hemphill and the rest of the volunteers); the opening of the Sippican Elementary School playground (McGrail credited ORR Facilities Director Gene Jones) and an immensely successful U.S. Senior Amateur golf championship held August 25 to September 1 at the Kittansett Club.

            Marion is also looking at installing four pickleball courts on the site of the tennis courts no longer in use at the Point Road playground. McGrail is working with Recreation Director Scott Tavares on an application for funding to be made to the Community Preservation Committee.

            Fire Chief Brian Jackvony and Police Chief Richard Nighelli appeared in an appointment to introduce the new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): Nicole Barros, Donna Hemphill, W. Dale Jones, Douglas Katz, Margaret Malkoski, Vin Malkoski, Lawrence Robert, Lauren Roberts and Helen Westergard. Absent were: Eileen Molloy, Maria Rowley and Jeannie Sheets.

            FEMA training led to all volunteers on the team passing a final exam, setting up a graduation. Marion has recently gone to the national CERT concept that allows participation from community members of different backgrounds and skillsets. Nighelli publicly thanked EMT/MMA graduate Jack Mills and Marion Police Department Administrative Specialist Lauren Roberts.

            Under Action Items, the Select Board voted to approve several proposals including authorizing DPW Director Nathaniel Munafo to act on the town’s behalf for the MassDEP DWSRF Lead Service Line (LSL) Inventories loan application. MassDEP will fund the inventory program of $20,000,000 in 100 percent refundable loans. Marion must submit its inventory to the state by October 16, 2024. McGrail said the town does not believe there are any lead water lines in Marion but is required by the state to conduct the inventory.

            Also on the list: a two-week, motor-home permit for Sheila Mitchell at 507 Delano Road; the declaration of September 10 as National Suicide Prevention Day and September as National Suicide Prevention Month in Plymouth County; a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the Sippican Historical Society’s donation of a new HVAC system for the Music Hall and McGrail thanked the Historical Society for its benevolence.

            Several events were approved, including the Marion Art Center’s request for street closures for its annual Halloween parade on Monday, October 31, from 4:00 pm to conclusion; a one-day liquor license to the Marion Social Club, 44 Pumping Station Road for its Ham & Bean Supper scheduled for October 15 from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm and street closures from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm for the annual Christmas Stroll on Sunday, December 11. Parker thanked Eiv Strand and his team for “keeping this going.”

            The board also voted to approve the following appointments: Matt Shultz to full membership with the Conservation Commission (Marc Bellanger has resigned), alternate member Wendy Bidstrup to full voting membership with the Cultural Council and several other applications and recommendations to boards and committees. The board also approved McGrail’s revisions to the town’s Memorial Policy.

            The board voted to approve a $612.12 water/sewer credit (final readings August 8), along with water/sewer commitments of $612.12 (August 9), $520.55 (August 9) and $546.46 (August 18) and an agreement with a private homeowner at 50 Oakdale Avenue to build a water main to town standards and to be turned over to the town at completion.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, at 5:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

The Rochester Planning Board Tuesday night approved the waivers required for the owners of the “Arch at the Meadow” performance and event venue to change their layout.

            Owners Glenn L. Lawrence and Laurie Whitney-Lawrence wish simply to move their driveway to their home lot, instead of its current location, in order to straddle the business and home lots.

            But even that required the Planning panel to waive the need to address four town regulations in order for the Lawrences to move forward with their proposal: stormwater-protection regulations, the bylaw section on landscaping regulations and the rules for parking and lighting.

            Before motioning to approve the section on parking, Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson said a condition needs to be included that will ensure the petitioner will return to the board if ever he or she plans to pave any surface there.

            Before motioning endorsement of the lighting section waiver, Johnson said further lighting plans would also have to come before the board for approval. He then noted the project’s final draft approval would be ready for the board’s next meeting on September 27.

            The Planning Board also endorsed the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s progress on its project on Marion Road. The panel approved the Notice of Work permit to clear street trees there as part of the coalition’s Scenic Roadway permit application, after the coalition representative reported the agency had both removed and replanted trees there.

            The Planning Board recently complained that around two years ago, the coalition had cut trees on 55 acres that it owned on Marion Road without allowing the board to review the project details. What has been done since on the property now owned by Elliot Farms, LLC is an improvement, board member Michael Murphy admitted at the time. “But documentation to us is still needed,” he said.

            Next, the board voted to conduct a site visit of the Clearway Energy Corporation solar project at 453 Rounseville Road because of construction-work progress. They will meet at the site on Tuesday, October 4, at 4:30 pm.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, at 7:00 pm at Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School library and by Zoom.

Rochester Planning Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

            While the Mattapoisett School Committee was eager during Monday night’s public meeting to share in the same positivity pervading the Old Rochester Regional School District at large, the potential consolidation of school building lurks as the UMass Boston Collins Center carries out its study.

            Committee Chairperson Carly Lavin and ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson met with Collins Center representatives on September 8 in what was called an “initial project-oversight team meeting.” Nelson said school-side stakeholders achieved agreements on communications, data sources and impact and also agreed to meet regularly, the next meeting scheduled for October 6.

            The next steps will include site visits in September and October with town-side and school side representatives. It is anticipated that the Collins Center will finalize its report in April 2023.

            “It’s a very aggressive timeline,” said Lavin, who at the same time was pleased with Nelson’s summary. The school district is pushing for two opportunities for the school committee’s participation, one in the evening and one during the day.

            Later in the meeting while giving her first Chairperson’s Report, Lavin told the committee she appreciates the participation of Town Administrator Mike Lorenco and also Chuck McCullough, who filled in for Select Board Chairman Tyler Macallister.

            While many messages indicate district-wide teachers and administrators are happy to be back in school, ORR Director of Student Services Craig Davidson said that for many, school never closed.

            Davidson reported that over 200 students participated in ORR’s SAIL summer learning program, for which he publicly thanked coordinators Charlie West and Kyle Letendre. A summer enrichment program that piggybacked on the SAIL program with afternoon opportunities was attended by 100 other students.

            High school students played a key role in the success of the program, especially as the younger participants sought out the high schoolers as role models and leaders. “The most rewarding part of this program,” said Davidson, was that it brought the community together. “We didn’t want summer to end so we applied for another grant and ran a second Acceleration Academy,” he added. The Acceleration Academy focused on literacy for younger students up through Grade 4.

            In all, ORR’s summer of 2022 saw seven weeks of programming facilitated by 136 staff members, 115 of which are current educators in the Tri-Towns or high school students. “Some actually joined us after the summer so it was truly a rewarding summer,” said Davidson.

            The committee’s Open Comment session near the end of the public meeting yielded two impassioned remarks, one from within the committee and one from without.

            Committee member Jim Muse reported that this summer, after a decade of advocacy at the state house, Massachusetts higher education laws were amended to open up state colleges and universities to students with intellectual disabilities or autism.

            Before the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) grant program, explained Muse, unless someone was in a grant program, a student between ages 18 and 22 with an intellectual disability or autism who did not pass MCAS testing and did not receive a high school diploma was prohibited from even auditing in the state educational system.

            The change in the law has been codified and barriers removed. As a result, students with disabilities will be able to participate as nonmatriculating students and participate in extracurricular aspects of campus life.

            “I can’t tell you what a big deal this is,” said Muse, who said that for the first time in the state and “hopefully” as a trend-setting law that could expand across the country, “individuals with disabilities and autism will be able to be life-long learners. This is something that can definitely be on their horizon. … This is a great event for education as a whole.”

            The second comment came from Tom Kearns, 8 Fairview Drive, who told the committee he was looking for a town with antiracial, antibullying policies when he moved his family to Mattapoisett.

            “We believe everyone has a right to exist in a nontoxic atmosphere,” said Kearns.

            Despite the ORR administration’s antiracism policy, resolution and subcommittee, life for students is not without reminders of the past. Kearns told the committee that last school year his daughter ran into some bullying problems, and only three days into the new school year, his son was targeted by racial slurs.

            “I just think we have to do better as a community. Racism is alive and well, so instead of playing whack-a-mole on a case-by-case basis, we need (stricter policies that take the judgment out of the hands of teachers,)” said Kearns, stressing that the vast majority of students conduct themselves as if they have excellent role models. The outliers, he suggests, learn racism. “They’re not born to be racists, they’re taught this. There has to be a clear set of rules.

            “I lost a daughter to this a few years back so I have a personal vested interest. If X, Y and Z happen, your parents are going to get involved.”

            Kearns suggested that bus monitors be positioned midway down the aisle of the seating area, the end game being zero tolerance for racist behavior under the watch of the school system. Kearns readily admits the efforts can only be effective where the message has teeth. “It’s just in this school system, it shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “It’s a small population … doing this. The educators are great; this should not be put on them.”

            The committee voted to approve changes made in the Student Handbook that serves both Center and Old Hammondtown elementary schools. Changes are accessible on the district and schools’ websites, but Old Hammondtown Principal Kevin Tavares said he would make sure parents seeking a copy of the Student Handbook could get one.

            The committee voted unanimously to approve three donations from the Mattapoisett Parent-Teachers Association and the plan for a student run to support improvements in athletic facilities on school grounds.

            The PTA donated $1,745.63 to replace the unsafe surface under the swings at Old Hammondtown, $1,137.21 fix a loose and rusty staircase and $3,000 for new backboards and rims and new paint for the basket supports at the basketball court.

            The PTA is also hosting an October 18 Fun Run fundraiser event to be simultaneously held for K-6 runners at both Center and Old Hammondtown. Funds raised will pay for playground safety improvements, help defray the cost of field trips and provide programs for enrichment.

            New staff was recognized, including new Center School Principal Linda Ashley, along with three teachers, Jillian Lakey (halftime reading), Allison Dunn (halftime Remedial Math) and Grade 5 teacher Jocelyn Mare. They will help replace Principal Rose Bowman, halftime-reading teacher Diane Lizotte, halftime math teacher Patricia Cooney, reading teacher Holly Maloof and Paraprofessional Teresa Camara. Two teachers transferred: Carolyn Pawlishen from Grade 4 teacher to reading teacher and Kristen Sunde from Grade 5 to Grade 4.

            Pre-school screening will be held on Oct 25 for district-wide families at Rochester Memorial School.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Monday, November 14, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 29. Both meetings are to begin at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett School Committee

By Mick Colageo