On January 19, the Rochester Select Board met with members of Rochester’s Public Safety Committee to discuss a wide range of topics from the need for portable generators to the need for a new fire station.

            Heading up the discussion relating to a new fire station was Chief Scott Weigel, who introduced Bruce Dillion of Dore and Whittier Architects of Newburyport. As noted by Weigel, the company is well- known and well-entrenched in the design and project management of public safety structures such as fire stations.

            Dillion gave an oral presentation outlining the type of services his company can offer Rochester. “The first step is to perform a feasibility study,” he said. That study would look at the three stations now in operation throughout the community located on Pine Street, Neck Road and Ryder Road. That study would also take into consideration current structural conditions, compliance with NFPA codes and ability to service the needs of the community. He said that a GIS expert would layer in data for run times for the existing stations.

            Dillion said that once armed with this data, the process could proceed to schematic designs for conceptual fire stations. He said another aspect of the project would be programming which would help the town consider whether operating three stations remains prudent. Once all the pertinent data is collected, modeling for cost estimating could be developed.

            When asked how long the feasibility study would take, Dillion estimated two or three months. He said the town would need to submit a public Request for Quotation given that the full preconstruction costs would exceed $30,000. He also advised the committee and board that the town will need to assemble a building committee for the proposed project, a committee with decision-making responsibilities.

            With Town Meeting scheduled for May 23, Select Board member Woody Hartley said the architect’s work would need to be completed by April. “We need to get ourselves organized to bring it before the people for their support,” he said.

            Where a new fire station would be built was briefly discussed. Select Board Chairman Brad Morse said a local property owner is ready to work with the town. “We don’t have a lot of land,” said Morse. Hartley indicated that any discussions regarding land acquisition needed to be a more public process. “Post something publicly for anyone out there … open to everyone,” he suggested.

            On December 11, 2021, the Town of Mattapoisett dedicated a new fire station at an estimated, all-inclusive cost of approximately $10,000,000.

            In an update regarding grants, Weigel reported that the Fire Department has received a $14,200 grant from the Department of Fire Services for 10 self-contained, breathing-apparatus air cylinders. He said the department has also applied for a grant in the amount of $248,000 to replace 26 Scott SCBA (self-contained, breathing apparatus) units. He said the department’s SCBA’s would become NFPA noncompliant in 2023.

            Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel suggested the purchasing of portable generators in the event a wired-in unit goes out of service. He also said that interior and exterior camaras would soon be installed at the Council on Aging building. Daniels said, given the population served by the center, falling accidents are possible. He also said security would be enhanced by external units.

            During discussions with Jilayne Mitchell of Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA,) the need for training to help understand and avert cyberattacks is becoming increasingly important. She said that grants are available to help fund the training.

            That brought the group to the failing condition of the town’s internet server. Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar suggested that Rochester consider moving to a cloud-based server at a cost of $2,000 per month.

            The next joint meeting of the Select Board and the Public Safety Committee was not scheduled at adjournment.

Rochester Select Board and Public Safety Committee

By Marilou Newell

            The Mattapoisett Community Preservation Committee fielded four requests during its January 14 meeting, and of greater interest than the merits of three of the projects was their funding sources.

            One familiar project came under more direct scrutiny, and that was $120,000 request from both the Mattapoisett Bike Path and Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path to fund pre-design documents for Phase 2a.

            Chairman Chuck McCullough told the committee that the Community Preservation Act has already resulted in close to $400,000 in funding for the bike path spread out across six to eight awards.

            “We have not always fully funded their application. This is a lot of permits and it’s a ton of money … for a mile. Some of the justification for it, I just don’t see it as reasonable,” said CPC member Bill Hall.

            Member Margaret DeMello took issue with the route, and McCullough said that it is so wet up by the state building there may need to be some type of bridge. “We may end up meeting with the Bike Path Committee on two occasions,” he said, noting that the same discussions will occur with Mattapoisett’s Capital Planning Committee.

            Member Marilou Newell clarified that an award from the current request would be used solely for exploratory purposes.

            It was also noted that the Marion Pathways Committee sent the CPC a letter supporting the plan’s entry point to the neighboring town.

            The CPC fielded two requests from Mattapoisett’s Select Board. A $54,495 request would fund repairs to the existing skatepark behind the fire station and Center School basketball courts, along with the construction of new pickle ball courts. A $10,000 request would fund repair of the swordfish weathervane seasonally located on Long Wharf.

            Along with the obvious question as to why the Select Board delivered these requests, a philosophical question arose of CPA funds addressing projects that at least in part could be classified as maintenance.

            Having heard at the completion of the fire station that the town would repair the area disturbed by construction, McCullough asked, “Why isn’t the skateboard park falling under that umbrella?” He also wondered aloud where the Recreation Department fits into the situation.

            Committee members were unclear on the location of the pickleball courts in the funding request, some suggesting that they shared the same space as the basketball court.

            Hall shared concern over the din of repeated pickleball pelting near neighboring houses. “Pickelball’s an annoying noise, it’s the smacking of that pickleball,” he said. “I know it sounds foolish, but the ball against the paddle is noisy.”

            CPC member James Pierson agreed with McCullough that the requests should be resubmitted as separate line items because, if one fails, they all fail.

            As a member of the Field family known for its care of the swordfish weathervane, CPC member Sue Wilbur provided context to the Select Board’s $10,000 request, explaining that the original construction would be repaired a final time, taken out of harm’s way and displayed indoors. The request would include the construction of a replica model with modern materials better suited to brave the elements.

            “I think that their goal is to get the fiberglass one up for the summer, but this one should not go back up,” said Wilbur, noting that Jimmy Broadwater has offered to recast it and Triad Boat Yard offered to take it down with its crane. “A lot of people have volunteered their time that are not looking to get paid.”

            Newell suggested a fundraising opportunity for the summer months, the goal being to avoid dipping into the Historical Commission’s budget to complete the project.

            Another $10,000 request, this one from the Historical Commission, would fund a town-wide inventory of historic sites, buildings and other features conducted by a professional historic researcher. McCullough compared the effort to the digitizing of Cushing Cemetery records, an endeavor he considered entirely worthwhile.

            Newell told the committee that the town’s Historical Commission was charged with identifying historic sites in the late 1970s into the early ’80s. As a result, Mattapoisett’s Town Hall, for instance, is not on any list of importance.

            The Town of Marion has extensively gone through the two-year process and offer Mattapoisett officials guidance.

            A historic survey, said Newell, would reveal the historic value of parcels north of Route 6.

            McCullough plans to send out a draft of questions to guide presentations to be made in what likely will necessitate four future CPC meetings inviting the Select Board, Historical Commission and Bike Path Committee.

            The next step, he said, will be a public meeting of the committee where the members will rank the requests with use of a scoring tool.

            The next meeting of the CPC is scheduled for Friday, January 28, at 5:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Community Preservation Committee

By Mick Colageo