The Rochester School Committee unanimously voted during its March 23 public meeting to approve Superintendent of School Mike Nelson’s proposed FY24 school budget of $7,025,493.

            The figure above includes $200,563 for Bristol Agricultural High School, which is not included in the general operating budget of $6,816,930. The operating budget represents an increase of $179,137 (2.7%) over the FY23 total ($6,637,793.)

            ORR Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber told the committee during the public hearing that preceded the vote that the Old Rochester Regional administration’s goal has been to provide a zero-based budgetary method, while listening to administrators for school and department goals, including new curriculum initiatives needing planning, along with review and recognition of budgetary shortfalls.

            Barber reported $411,636 in total offset funding for FY24, including a $152,802 circuit breaker, $111,334 from the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), a $45,000 REAP grant, $35,000 in Project GROW (preschool) tuitions, $24,000 from rentals of Rochester Memorial School, $20,000 from ESSER III, $18,000 from Title 1 and an EEC grant of $5,500.

            In addressing changes to the FY24 school budget, Barber noted three factors: a maximized, zero-based budgeting process, planning for operational expenses and mandates costs.

            RMS will see six retirements from its academic staff at the end of the school year, and one of those positions will not be replaced. Barber said the savings are compounded by the canceled step increases among the retiring employees, some with 15-20 years in the system. The net decrease for FY24 is $108,000.

            A $67,000 increase in tuition-based programming is somewhat mitigated by a $47,000 increase in the circuit breaker, resulting in a net increase of $25,000 in student services.

            In sharing a budgetary comparison between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, Barber displayed how different departments compare.

            The $4,793,469 RMS budget is $78,207 less than FY23, but the total assessed operating budget figure including five other charges (Facilities, Central Office, Student Services, Technology and Transportation) that are all greater than in FY23 results in a 2.7% net increase for FY24 ($6,816,930 against $6,637,793 in FY23.)

            Although Bristol Aggie is down $81,135 from $289,698 in FY23 to $208,563 in FY24, total budget obligations for Rochester have increased from $6,927,491 in FY23 to $7,025,493 in FY24.

            The one eliminated faculty position notwithstanding, many departments are seeing small increases that add up to a net increase of $179,137 in the assessed budget for FY24.

            Rochester Chapter 70 (state aid) apportionment for FY24 is $2,399,312.

            At the conclusion of Barber’s budget presentation, Nelson credited the School Committee for the work the members did to put RMS into the position it is with the staff it has in place to face FY24 challenges. That work, he said, also helped ORR secure resources to continue improving on the primary academic goals related to literacy.

            In answer to committee member Anne Fernandes’ question, Barber indicated that feedback from the town’s Finance Director Suzanne Szyndlar was positive.

            With the absence of public comments, Chairperson Sharon Hartley closed the public hearing, and the committee went into a brief executive session.

            After voting for the school budget, the School Committee voted to approve the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the School Committee and the Rochester Memorial School Support Personnel Association.

            The committee heard a presentation on literacy assessment from The Hill.

            The Rochester School Committee also voted the following approvals: FY2023 Safe and Supportive Schools Grant of $10,000; $20,000 USDA and DESE School Nutrition Equipment Assistance Grant; the donation from Free Spirit Publishing of books “I Love You All the Time,” “You Wonder All the Time,” You are Growing All the Time,” and (pending librarian approval) “You have Feelings All the Time;” a donation of two boxes of sanitizer wipes and pump bottles from parent Joshua Rivera; donation of a set of bongos from Nancy Sparklin, chorus accompanist and donation of a steel drum from community member Damien McCann.

            According to RMS Principal Derek Medeiros, books donated by community member Greg Hardy, including “Life Skills for Kids” by Karen Harris; “Inspiring Stories for Amazing Boys” by Emily Green; “Inspiring Stories for Amazing Girls” by Eva Kinsley; “Empowering Stories for Amazing Girls” by Sophie Potter; “Little Lives Matter” by Elizabeth Johnston; “Elephants Are Not Birds” by Ashley St. Clair; eight “Otto’s Tales Today …” titles by PragerU; three books from the “Cubs to Bears” series by Brett Pike and “What Should Danny Do? On Vacation!” by Ganit and Adir Levey did not meet the professional standards of the library resource specialist.

            The School Committee engaged in discussion, then voted to decline the donation but asked Medeiros to follow up with the donor to see if he would like the books back or engage Plumb Library.

            In his Principals Report, Medeiros spoke of an event in which students learned about electricity. In the Chairperson’s Report, Hartley spoke of the resilience of the school throughout the past year. Nelson said two well-attended FORM concerts saw different schools come together with a special performance in music.

            During Open Comment, resident Karen Thomas expressed her disappointment in the school’s judgment about accepting or rejecting books. Resident Victoria Bradshaw asked questions as to the book donation process and said she would follow up with an email. Hardy said there is a bias being shown in ORR’s vetting of books.

            The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, May 4, at 6:30 pm.

Rochester School Committee

By Mick Colageo

            The March 27 meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission found its members sitting across the conference table from homeowner Katherine Wood, 1 Pinebrook Lane. Wood said that when she recently learned that cutting and clearing activities on her property were in violation of an issued Order of Conditions, she was surprised. She was further alarmed that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection might be involved.

            Conservation Commission Chairman Mike King explained that before Wood purchased her property, there had been considerable pushback from abutters over the subdivision originally owned by Greta Fox. Those disagreements led to the introduction of the DEP, which issued a Superseding Order of Conditions.

            The current commission became involved more recently when it was learned that Wood’s husband had cleared what was to have been a remediation area. Instead, chestnut trees were planted in the cleared space.

            Wood explained that she and her husband were not completely aware of the Order of Conditions and were concerned that invasive species and other unwanted vegetation along with dead trees were problematic for the family, which includes three small children. Wood expressed her concern over dead trees and the potential of related injuries.

            King said the commission is willing to work with her, to help her understand the limits imposed on landscapes in jurisdictional areas and that all future work needed to be brought before the commission for review before moving forward.

            The commission agreed to meet with Wood at the property for a baseline review of the conditioned areas and to help her establish next steps. Wood expressed her gratitude and willingness to work with the commission.

            In other business, the commission approved an Order of Conditions for reconstruction of Old Slough Road that included an Operation and Maintenance agreement, a replication area and a two-year cycle of the condition of the replication area, including reports.

            A request for a Certificate of Compliance for 139 Bowman Road by Jamie Bissonnette of Long Built Homes hit a bit of a roadblock when the commissioners heard from Conservation Agent Brandon Faneuf that the seller, Next Generation Solar, had in his estimation, “the most poorly constructed solar farm I’ve ever seen.” He noted that after a couple of years, there remained bare ground absent of any vegetation and erosion controls that were not effective.

            King asked Bissonnette if he could talk to the property owners, make them aware of issues at the site and hopefully move the requested Certificate of Compliance closer to approval. King noted that previous attempts to get Next Grid to fix problems at the solar field have been met with silence.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is planned for Monday, April 10, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

            The Marion Energy Management Committee wants to build a solar farm on a 1.4-acre patch of land at Benson Brook that eight years ago had been vetted by the Conservation Commission for the purpose of a leaf dump.

            In his research, committee member Bill Saltonstall discovered that hay bales bordering the site against the adjacent wetland area were the result of an Order of Conditions issued by the commission in response to a Notice of Intent filed by the town.

            Saltonstall figures that a solar farm located safely inside the area would be able to supply approximately two-thirds of the approximate 500 megawatt hours it takes to run the Wastewater Treatment Plant’s electricity.

            He told the EMC during its public meeting on Monday that Department of Public Works Director Becky Tilden told him the DPW has no plans for the site, which was briefly considered as one of the options for the DPW’s new operations center planned to sit a quarter-mile west on the opposite side of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

            Committee member Tom Friedman, an engineer newly out of the solar business, advised Saltonstall to seek 1.5 to 2 acres of land. “That’s with contingencies for all of the space and switchgears (changing of electrical equipment),” he said.

            “I think we could take this to the Conservation Commission for their approval,” said Saltonstall. “I’m at the point where I need to learn what this project might cost, and I think I need to develop a list of solar developers who could give us a proposal on the site.”

            Committee member Eileen Marum shared concern over getting a developer interested in such a small parcel.

            According to Saltonstall, the Sippican Lands Trust and a private party own parcels between the targeted lot and Route 6. “There’s no house anywhere near there, but a house could be built close to it,” said Saltonstall.

            The whole push to power Marion’s municipal buildings with electricity has proven complicated, partly because the town’s contract with Future Generation Wind (the large turbines visible from Route 25 in Wareham) has over the past four years inclusive provided 93%, 91%, 75% and approximately 80% of the town’s electric power.

            “It’s a difficult moving target. … I’m not sure what size project we ought to build exactly. We ought to define more exactly what that 100% (threshold constitutes),” said Saltonstall.

            Marum, who also holds a seat on the Bylaw Codification Committee and the Planning Board, confirmed that there is no time in the Town Meeting calendar to make changes in the bylaw.

            Saltonstall said the Select Board supports the idea of the EMC learning more about what it can do. “Beyond that, I’m not sure what we can do,” he said.

            EMC Chairman Christian Ingerslev said the committee will need permission to initiate a negotiation with a contractor. Saltonstall suggested the EMC write the Select Board about the matter.

            Ingerslev was waiting to hear back on a Green Communities grant that would upgrade the transformer and outdated temperature controls at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

            Saltonstall reported that Marion now has in place a new contract for electric power but said the price has gone up from 9 to 13 cents per kilowatt hour. He said the EMC had difficulty obtaining a price (9.5/KWh) from an energy aggregator. The new plan, estimated Saltonstall, could cost the town $30,000 to $40,000 for the year.

            “We need some professional advice,” said Saltonstall, citing Financial Director Judy Mooney’s agreement with his suggestion that the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) would provide a great help to towns looking at complicated electricity. The residents’ rate also expires at the end of year and needs to be negotiated, said Ingerslev.

            Marum reported having noticed two car-charging stations in the parking lot of the new Travis Roy Student Center at Tabor Academy. During Planning Board adjudication, she recalled asking Tabor for 25 stations and after being turned down, asked that the necessary wiring be placed in the ground in anticipation of the inevitable. “They decided no, they would probably go with four,” she told the EMC.

            Having appeared with Alanna Nelson before the Select Board on March 7, Marum and Saltonstall chalked it up as a positive meeting. Marum recalled giving new Town Administrator Geoff Gorman a historical background of the EMC, including recent work with heat pumps, LED streetlights and installations, saving the town nearly $1,500,000. “For a small town, I think that was a significant amount,” said Marum.

            Saltonstall’s brother who lives in Maine has been studying ways people there can capitalize money made available for preventing inflation. He said his brother is putting together a “cookbook” to take to several communities to explain how they can use government-sponsored incentive programs. Since many of the programs are federal, Saltonstall thinks Marion will gain valuable information.

            In a switch from the traditional 5:00 pm start, the next meeting of the Marion Energy Management Committee was scheduled for Monday, April 24, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Energy Management Committee

By Mick Colageo