Anyone who has visited Mattapoisett’s ye ole town hall building will see that the structure is in rough shape. After decades of what Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said was the town’s “kicking the can down the road” when it came to improvements, even simple maintenance and the ravishes of continuous use finds it woefully out of step with the needs of the 21^st century.

            Lorenco was instrumental in finding a way to study the needs of a town hall, along with possible solutions including school consolidation and moving town offices into an underutilized school. To better understand the town’s building assets and the town’s need for safe town office space, the University of Massachusetts Collins School for Public Management was engaged to study municipal buildings, school enrollment and school buildings, as well as fiscal and management needs of the Transfer Station operation.

            Coming before the Capital Planning Committee on January 31, Lorenco discussed these matters with an eye towards understanding the financial implications. He began by sharing some of the immediate concerns he has with respect to the Town Hall’s physical health.

            “Everything has been done piecemeal,” said Lorenco, describing the three boilers serving the building, one of which that recently required replacement, a leaking gas pipe and vegetation growing out of clogged gutters to name just a few of the problems that linger. “Things pop up with a building that has not been maintained.” And while smaller problems have been handled as they became evident, “There hasn’t been any maintenance over the years,” he said.

            To add to the complexity of the problems facing the building, it is located in a FEMA flood zone, has an outdated phone system, flooring with multiple “soft spots,” the likelihood of mold under the carpeting and a cellar that cannot be used due to regular flooding. Simply put, everything is a “hodgepodge” according to the town administrator.

            “We are waiting to see what comes out of the Collins study,” Lorenco told the committee. “Do we build a new town hall or consolidate schools?”

            Either way, it will prove costly, he said. Regarding any major repair or renovation work on the historic town hall building, Lorenco said everything is on hold for now. He said the study had paused briefly but that it would ramp up again now that the Select Board has agreed that the study should in no way be tied to the work of the Master Plan Committee.

            Lorenco said that the Select Board wants to move forward with a solution no later than 2025. In the meantime, early indications from the study seem to indicate that school consolidation is possible, he said. Rough estimates for new construction hover around $13,000,000.

            The Transfer Station operation was briefly addressed. Lorenco said that the loader, which needs $40,000 in repairs (a sum approved at the 2021 Spring Town Meeting,) would have to be transported off site. The committee agreed that a placeholder in FY30 in the amount of $150,000 for a new loader is needed, as well as another placeholder in FY27 in the amount of $167,000 for a scale.

            Lorenco said that currently without a scale to weigh the items being brought to the Transfer Station, staff members have to “eyeball” the items in order to charge a fee. Lorenco did say that Board of Health Agent Gail Joseph has been successful in initiating a textile-recycling program. He also cautioned that with the sale of ABC Disposal Inc. to a Texas-based firm, new dynamics in the contract are anticipated.

            Also coming before the committee was Mattapoisett Public Library Director Jennifer Jones, who agreed to get cost estimates to the committee for new carpeting as well as estimates for repairs to the historic roof section of the building that will be needed in the coming fiscal cycles.

            Jones has requested $25,000 in FY23 for outdoor lighting and $10,000 for security cameras both outside and inside the library. For FY26, FY28 and FY30, a sum of $2,500 was placed for computer upgrades. However, that expense may well become part of the operating budget for the library as the committee continues to improve the Capital Planning process.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee is scheduled for Monday, February 7, at 6:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee

By Marilou Newell

            The little moments sometimes speak volumes, and Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Sirois was eager to share a story from a recent recess in which students were putting their imaginations to work.

            “One day I was out there working with some kiddos and found a group of kids building a fort with a fire, and they used berries for the flame. It was really adorable so I know it’s hard that things are different, but they’re really finding ways to collaborate and work together and really have some fun out there,” Sirois told the January 12 meeting of the Marion School Committee.

            Phase 3 of Old Rochester Regional School District’s Acceleration Road Map may evoke technical images, but Sirois talked about interaction with the children and a team approach toward connecting with them.

            “As we ring in the New Year, we will bring our focus back to responsive teaching. The staff is looking at the links that are provided by DESE, and we will be unpacking all of that as a team,” said Sirois.

            Holiday season activities were back in full swing, and Sirois thanked VASE for refilling children’s recess bags last month.

            Sippican’s Kindness Crew organized a toy drive in December that drew 68 donations to Toys for Tots. The school’s concert choir also joined the Tri-County Symphonic Band in their annual children’s concert that kicked off the Marion holiday stroll. Sirois publicly thanked Hannah Moore, Patricia Richard and Jessica Barrett for making sure the holiday traditions came back in 2021, including the in-school concert.

            Before the coronavirus pandemic, Sippican library’s STEM and STEAM program received a Lighthouse Fund grant, and the school’s K-1 students built a sail that flashes lights and completed a tower challenge.

            ORR’s six schools have been going through the tiered focus monitoring that Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson said used to be known as the CPR audit in which the district’s schools are examined by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for their special education programs and civil-rights regulations.

            Nelson credited Director of Student Services Craig Davidson for his work on a cumbersome project. In summarizing the process including DESE’s visits, data inspection and interviews with special-needs parents, Davidson said that ORR was found to be in full compliance. He said that there is no corrective action required at this time.

            Davidson also reported on a 10-part, online Community Talk series that began on January 5 and deals with anxiety in children. It was attended by 62 families.

            Marion School Committee Chairperson April Nye announced multiple donations. “Looking at the donations, it just reminded me of the amazing community that we do reside in,” said Nye, thanking Tri-Town Against Racism and the many local businesses that assist Sippican Elementary.

            “This is a list of 25 books, but next month I know there’s going to be more books on the list because they continue to support us in that way with the books as well as our bulletin boards, which we really appreciate,” said Sirois.

            Nelson echoed the sentiment. “We appreciate their continued support in many ways, especially when it comes to reading materials,” he said, recognizing TTAR co-founder Tangi Thomas who attended the virtual meeting.

            The Ludes Family Foundation has donated $500 to support Sippican’s Project GROW classroom. Project GROW was established to serve tri-town preschoolers in families that have been unable to enroll in another program and who desire a preschool experience, providing those children with special needs services in an inclusive preschool learning environment.

            TownWear donated $65.78 to support spirit wear at Sippican, and Coca-Cola donated $26.71 through its Coca-Cola Gives program.

            Citing the number of donations, Nelson called it a “nice agenda item to have,” saying the district appreciates the support its schools get from the community.

            In making a brief budget presentation, Nelson thanked Marion Finance Committee Chairman Shea Assad, who attended the Budget Subcommittee meetings.

            Sippican’s FY23 budget represents a 2.46 percent increase in operations over FY22. The difference, said Nelson, is in making a part-time social worker a full-time employee and the addition of paraprofessionals.

            “I’m really proud of the budget that we’re going to be bringing forward. I think it’s fiscally responsible, and I think it meets the needs of the building,” said Budget Subcommittee member Christine Marcolini.

            The next step in the process is to bring the budget before the School Committee for a public hearing.

            In his Central Administration’s report, Nelson thanked all staff members. “We are going through a (Covid) surge like everyone else,” he said, calling the Sippican staff “flexible problem solvers.”

            The state has extended the facemask requirement to February 28.

            Nelson said substantial progress has been made on the egress road out to Route 6.

            Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Jannell Pearson-Campbell talked about the iExcel program.

            The committee viewed the proposed 2022-23 school calendar for the first time. ORR receives feedback from individual member school committees to be shared with the Joint School Committee, which votes on the calendar.

            The opening day of the 2022-23 school calendar is Tuesday, August 30, with faculty reporting the day prior. Labor Day weekend will see off days on Friday, September 2 and 5. Monday, October 10, there will be no school for Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day.

            The Thanksgiving break is planned for November 23-27, and Christmas vacation begins with an early-release day on Thursday, December 22, and would run through Monday, January 2. Monday, January 16, is Martin Luther King Day, and the next day ORR will hold a full professional-development day. Monday, May 29, is Memorial Day. With no cancellations, Friday, June 16, 2023, would be the last day of school.

            Committee member Michelle Smith applauded the juxtaposition of professional-development days against the return days from extended breaks in the calendar, but she said she is concerned about the lateness of an August 30 start and its potential implications should snow days push the end date deeper into June.

            In his report to the committee, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber said that Sippican still has approximately $540,000 of available funds.

            On behalf of the Marion Teachers Association, Grade 6 Sippican teacher Nicole Boussy publicly thanked Pearson-Campbell, who is leaving her post.

            “She has been known in our school community as somebody who is knowledgeable, somebody who is helpful, somebody who is pleasant. All of us at the school have been fortunate to work with her a few times, and we’re just going to miss her warm smile and all of her support,” said Boussy.

            Rios agreed and Nelson thanked Boussy for the comment.

            Early in the meeting, Nye moved executive session for Reasons No. 3 and No. 7 to the front of the agenda.

            The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, at 6:30 pm.

Marion School Committee

By Mick Colageo

The January 27 meeting of the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals heard only one petition, but through carefully examining that petition, a process that took almost an hour, a favorable decision was delivered.

            Coming before the ZBA with a request for a variance was Ben Bailey for property located at 0 Gerrish Road. In the announcement of the public hearing, it was noted that Bailey sought relief from frontage requirements of 225 feet to 79.8 feet, a difference of 146 feet. At issue was whether or not the variance, based on a perceived hardship, was self-induced and one that the applicant could have avoided.

            From Bailey’s perspective, as he articulated, “the (ZBA) has the opportunity to do what the Planning Board can’t,” namely approve a private driveway 12 feet in width versus a standard roadway 20 feet wide.

            Bailey is a member of both Rochester’s Planning Board and Conservation Commission and has recused himself from deliberation and voting in prior public hearings before those bodies.

            The property in question, which borders on Longbow Lane, has been owned by Bailey for some time. As he explained to the ZBA, he had previously received a Form C subdivision approval from the Planning Board. Now he wished to gain access to Lot 29B via a 12-foot-wide driveway but filed with the ZBA for a variance due to the lack of required frontage. Bailey said the driveway would be a “kinder, gentler” accessway than a road that would be much wider and would necessitate cutting down many large trees, especially along Longbow Lane.

            Delving into the technical aspects of the request were members Kirby Gilmore, Donald Spirlet, Jeff Costa, Richard Cutler, Davis Sullivan, Tom Flynn and Chairman David Arancio.

            Each member asked questions geared to better understand why the request constituted a hardship, could the hardship have been avoided and just what the future of various lots in the subdivision might be.

            Bailey said the lot would be sold and has been approved by the Planning Board. He was asked if Lot 29E would be developed. He responded that it would not be and that it is currently a tree nursery. He also said that Lot 29F “has plenty of uplands.”

            But in coming back around to the issue of whether or not the variance requested was indeed a hardship, Flynn said, “I understand the petition, it’s reasonable, but is this a self-imposed hardship. Can zoning issues be resolved by using part of Lot 29E for frontage?” Bailey said that it was always intended that Lot 29E be combined with the lot where his house is located.

            In support of his contention that the building of a roadway (which would be his right to construct) versus allowing, via a variance, the much smaller driveway, Bailey said, “The plans are already approved, but a road would create a hardship for the neighbors. … This is an opportunity for the ZBA to do what the Planning Board cannot.”

            Once the board members were satisfied with their questioning of the applicant, the public was invited to speak. Of the half dozen abutters making their voices heard, every single one was in support of the less intrusive driveway plan.

            Given the overwhelming support of those most impacted by the construction of an accessway, they agreed to grant Bailey the variance requested.

            The Special Permit hearing for a monopole telecommunications facility filed by Industrial Tower and Wireless LLC was continued without being reopened until February 10.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for Thursday, February 10, at 7:00 pm.

Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals

By Marilou Newell