Old Rochester Regional Junior High and High students, the caboose on the train back to full-time school attendance, will have played catch-up by the end of April, according to Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson during his March 24 update to the Old Rochester Regional School Committee.

            While grades 3-6 in the Tri-Town are scheduled join K-2 students in a full, in-person return to school starting Monday, April 5, grades 7-12 are looking at Tuesday, April 27, as their target date.

            “Throughout this whole process, I’ve always wanted to be nimble and able to adapt quickly,” said ORR Junior High School Principal Silas Coellner. “Even last summer when we were preparing to open in the fall … whether we moved from one model to another … to try and be as least disruptive as possible.”

            Keeping some of the core rhythms with building operations, said Coellner, “hopefully would keep some consistency and fluidity for the students.”

            According to Nelson, when schools pivot to full, in-person learning, families will have the option of going fully remote. The hybrid learning model currently in practice since the opening of the academic year will be retired for duration of the 2020-21 school year.

            Based on updated state guidelines, social distancing will keep students 3 to 6 feet apart in the classroom, all staff 6 feet from students and one another, and facemasks will remain a standard practice for students and staff regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Students will maintain 6 feet social distancing for lunch, including in classrooms that will be set up accordingly for those assigned to dine in their classrooms.

            Reporting to the Mattapoisett School Committee on Monday night, Tavares said families were to meet for orientation with staff on Tuesday night via Zoom; 280 families have requested transportation, while 257 already have children riding on buses, an average of 37 students per bus.

            The Center School drop-off and dismissal times will remain the same (8:15 am and 3:00 pm), and Tavares called dismissal the school’s greatest challenge as cars are often backed up on Shaw Street close to Route 6. In response to the resumption of full attendance, drivers will be given new directives upon arrival for pick-up, which will be monitored by Mattapoisett Police.

            Old Hammondtown School will continue dismissing from the gymnasium but will now add the grade 6 wing as the second point of dismissal depending on grade levels. Tavares told the committee he had scheduled practice sessions for this week in cohorts.

            The Old Rochester School Committee met on March 24 and voted to accept the Memorandum of Agreement that the high school return to full, in-person learning, and, in a separate vote, that the junior high be included in that vote.

            Currently, the high school has 628 students in the hybrid model, and 87 in full remote. “We did do our survey, and we have less than a handful of students who will be switching learning plans. We’re ready should more seek to change learning plans,” said ORR High School Principal Mike Devoll.

            The high school class schedule will no longer rotate but will toggle between two schedules for the rest of the academic year. Classes will begin at 7:30 am and end at 2:00 pm. High school classes will be 85 minutes long and followed by eight or nine-minute outdoor mask breaks. Seniors have been allowed to eat lunches outdoors in the courtyard under a tent. That option will be expanded to include the junior class.

            High school students on full remote will remain on Gradpoint software, their teachers continuing in the supervisory role.

            Families will be invited to participate in an informational Zoom meeting on Wednesday, April 7, at 6:30 pm. Devoll said remote students participated in a Zoom meeting on March 23. Committee member Heather Burke asked how students will be able to access extra help. Devoll said students have used after-school appointments. Devoll added that, in order to avoid testing in the final weeks of school, MCAS testing for three grade levels and Advanced Placement testing for 17 courses will all be conducted in May.

            Committee member Francis Kearns also asked for public communication regarding the future of the lunch program. Nelson said he would work to meet the request.

            Prior to the reopening vote, Nelson told the ORR School Committee that 24 of the 100 School Choice students attending in the ORR School District will exit; therefore, he recommended that the ORR School Committee approve 27 new openings for students to attend ORR schools on School Choice for the 2021-22 academic year. Nelson recommended that no more than 15 be enrolled into grade 7, and no more than three in grade 8. The committee voted in favor.

            By March 24, ORR had received 30 School Choice applications, according to Nelson’s report. He said the School Choice lottery would most likely be held the week before April vacation.

            An initial discussion suggested Mattapoisett School Committee members are in favor of maintaining the district’s stance as a School Choice district. There will be a public hearing on the matter in May.

            After Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber presented the Mattapoisett School Committee a $7,511,872 budget for FY22, members voted unanimously to accept. The committee also voted unanimously in favor of a $70,000 allocation for School Choice.

            The eight students attending Center School on School Choice are all expected to return in 2021-22. Nelson told the committee that Principal Rose Bowman, prior to going on medical leave, anticipated class sizes of 19, 18, and 18 for grades K-2. Tavares said 54 invitations were sent out based on a survey. Nelson said it was not the result of any strategy that Old Hammondtown has no School Choice students and all are attending Center School.

            The ORR School Committee also voted to approve Devoll’s Early Childhood Pathway Program.

            Dr. Colin Everett of the Health and Safety Committee with Dan McAvoy publicly thanked the Town of Marion and Representative Bill Straus for their unsuccessful efforts to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for educators. Everett noted that, since many faculty members await their second dose, reactions increase the possibility of absences.

            In his Principal’s Report, Devoll reported that 285 ORR students are participating in Fall II season interscholastic sports. Spectators are allowed at outdoor sports up to 150.

            In his Principal’s Report, Tavares paid public respects to the late Gail Stetson, who had worked 24 years at Old Hammondtown, saying, “She is missed.”

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Monday, May 3. The next meeting of the ORR School Committee is set for Wednesday, May 12, and the Joint School Committee’s next meeting is set for Thursday, April 29. All meeting will be held at 6:30 pm.

School Committees

By Mick Colageo

            The Marion Finance Committee started making its article recommendations for the Annual Town Meeting Warrant on March 30, stopping near the halfway point to await a copy of the draft warrant for its next meeting.

            Finance Director Judy Mooney started by presenting a couple of small deductions in the budget: The town’s school budget is down by another $2,703, and the Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School budget is down by $4,700, bringing the total Fiscal Year operating budget to $25,473,928, a 2.84 percent increase over FY21.

            “That’s the lowest we’ve seen in at least five years,” said Mooney, “so it’s a pretty balanced budget there.”

            The committee quickly moved into article recommendations, recommending all of them starting with Article 1, a zero increase to elected officials’ salaries. Article 2, the operating budget, was also quickly recommended.

            The following articles were also recommended, some of them after a brief discussion: Article 3, the Water Enterprise budget of $2,463,476; Article 4, the Sewer Enterprise budget of $3,392,767, up 8.08 percent from FY21; and Article 5, $25,000 from Overlay Surplus to fund the Assessors’ three-year revaluation of real and personal property.

            The committee noted that this revaluation would likely affect Marion’s Old Rochester Regional School District assessment with the rising property values. However, it probably will not be evident until the year after revaluations are complete.

            Article 6 was recommended for $50,000 from free cash to fund the accrued benefits for retiring employees. Mooney described how this article differs from Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) by funding the sick-time, personal-time and vacation-time buyout of employees who announce their retirement, giving the town enough time to plan ahead. Mooney said she prefers to keep that funded at $75,000.

            Article 7 was recommended for $50,000 from free cash to fund building maintenance of town facilities, accounting for smaller or maintenance-oriented projects like painting that do not qualify for consideration as capital-planning projects.

            The committee voted to amend and then recommend Article 8 for $50,000 for fire hydrant replacements. The article originally had the entire amount appropriated from the Water Retained Earnings account, but Selectman John Waterman, present via Zoom, opposed using Water Enterprise money to fund a project that benefits not only water ratepayers but all residents in Marion.

            Town Administrator Jay McGrail said he figured that, since there was more money in water retained earnings this year than in free cash, he would take from the water earnings.

            “But it’s a matter of principle,” said Waterman. “It’s not a water expense; it’s a community safety expense. … We shouldn’t be setting a precedent for paying for fire hydrants …”

            As a result of further discussion, Fincom agreed that Article 7 would be funded by $25,000 in water retained earnings and $25,000 taken from Article 9.

            Article 9 was for $50,000 in free cash to fund tax foreclosure/tax lien processes; it was reduced to $25,000.

            Article 10 was recommended for $115,900 from free cash to fund the Community Center and Fire Station 1 sewer improvement project.

            Article 11 was recommended for $113,100 from Sewer Retained Earnings to fund the Hiller Road and Mill Street sewer improvement project; Article 12 for $190,000 from Sewer Retained Earnings to fund an inflow-and-infiltration (I/I) mitigation plan also received a swift recommendation.

            Fincom also recommended: Article 13 for $24,000 in free cash for ballistic vests for the Police Department; Article 14 for $10,000 in free cash to fund the Fire Station 1 bathroom design and construction project; Article 15 for $70,000 in free cash to pay for two Department of Public Works truck replacements; and Article 16 for $123,500 in free cash to fund the re-siding of the Town House and purchase a generator.

            All the exterior work slated for the Town House will be completed by the fall, McGrail said. Waterman credited McGrail for the accomplishment of having funded the entire exterior renovation of the Town House without having to borrow a dime.

            Article 17 was recommended for $16,000 from the Marine Waterways Account to buy a new outboard engine for the pump-out boat; Article 18 is for $81,000 in free cash to fund the Community Center storage addition.

            McGrail said the original project was scaled down after two Recreation Department mowers were moved to the DPW. The project calls for a storage addition on the back of the building that will replace the dilapidated sheds on the property and will also upgrade the roofline for cohesiveness.

            Fincom Chairman Peter Winters abstained from the otherwise unanimous vote, still unconvinced after a brief discussion that the project could not be scaled down further.

            Article 19, the only school-related article on the warrant, was recommended for $36,000 from free cash to fund the resurfacing of the Sippican School playground.

            The committee took its time discussing Article 20, the $2,475,000 of debt needed to, hopefully, complete the Wastewater Treatment Plant lagoon project.

            Town officials are hopeful that the Town will only have to borrow about $725,000, as long as an anticipated $1,750,000 grant pans out. Nonetheless, as it stands now, if the article fails at Town Meeting, Marion will suffer the consequences with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency.

            “This absolutely positively has to pass at Town Meeting or else we’re in a world of trouble,” McGrail said. He said he needs Fincom’s help in advocating for the article at Town Meeting on May 10; otherwise, the project will remain incomplete. Furthermore, the town is up for its next NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit next year so, “This would be a problem,” said Waterman.

            “I know that this is a tough pill to swallow,” McGrail told Fincom, “but this is one that we need you to swallow with us.”

            In total, the NPDES-mandated upgrades will eventually total $9,600,000 in borrowed money.

            Waterman realizes that it is “frustrating” that the town has had to go before Fincom to report cost increases three times now. He lamented how the Buzzards Bay Coalition had pressured Marion through a civil lawsuit to spend funds on wastewater plan upgrades instead of other areas that may have been more effective.

            Article 21 was recommended for $100,949 in free cash to deposit into the OPEB Trust Fund. Marion’s OPEB liabilities have increased by $2,000,000 from $9,000,000 to $11,000,000. Accounting for at least a part of the increase was the retirement of two relatively young police chiefs, beginning with Lincoln Miller at the start of 2018 and then John Garcia at the end of 2020. As Waterman pointed out, Chief Miller has still not reached the legal age for entering the Medicaid system.

            Fincom skipped ahead to recommend three more articles before adjourning: Article 34 for $2,000 to be taken out of the Chester Vose Fund and used for the reduction of taxes; Article 35 for $150,000 from Recreation fees toward the Recreation Revolving Account; and Article 36 for $17,500 from Health Department fees to fund the Health Department Revolving Account.

            The Marion Finance Committee meets again on Wednesday, March 31, at 7:00 pm to continue its Annual Town Meeting Warrant recommendations.

Marion Finance Committee

By Jean Perry

            Once the zoning ramifications of the Cranberry Highway Smart Growth Overlay District were settled, the road was paved for Steen Realty and Development Corporation seeking special permits from the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals for two monument signs sought on behalf of Rochester Crossroads LLC at 22 Cranberry Highway.

            In a continued public hearing during the ZBA’s March 25 meeting, Steen representative Phil Cordeiro of Alan & Major Associates clarified that Brockton-based Sign Design is creating a strip LED panel with illumination behind white panels, the voltage adjustable to meet the requirement of the law.

            “We don’t have a mock-up of that sign at present, and it’s our understanding under the (Rochester Zoning) bylaw that 22.60 D.9 allows the replacement of the sign, a swap-out of the sign so long as the square footage of the sign remains the same. And that’s what would be happening with that sign on (Route) 495,” said Cordeiro, who told the ZBA that the signs will advertise Rochester Crossroads Apartments and the businesses at Rochester Crossroads.

            What ZBA Chairman David Arancio questioned was how zoning might affect the size of the signs that should be allowed under Chapter 22.60 Section E.3, in which signs exceeding 9 square feet were proposed. Steen proposed entry signs at 50 and 46 square feet.

            Arancio pointed out that the parcel was rezoned at Rochester Town Meeting as the Cranberry Highway Smart Growth Overlay District, and deferred to ZBA member Richard Cutler, the chairman of the Bylaw Review Committee. Cutler told Arancio that the overlay district is still in a commercial district of the town. “So, the 50-foot sign limitations, in my opinion, are still correct,” said Cutler.

            With that, granting the special permits was only a matter of arriving upon clarifications of location, hours of illumination, and appropriate screening for neighboring homes.

            Arancio followed up on ZBA Vice Chairman Davis Sullivan’s question, confirming that the lighting and location would stay the same.

            “I would say absolutely,” said developer Ken Steen. “I wouldn’t see any reason to change anything. I think it’s just a function, as Phil just explained … it would be a function of modifying the sign so that the tenant panels match up with the tenants that we end up with on our site, as opposed to what they are now.”

            Steen also pointed to the lengthy Planning Board process resulting in a taller sign.

            “As a result of the Planning Board requiring us to relocate the ring road, which is presently closer to the Seasons Market, it’s being relocated approximately 125 feet to the north,” he explained, alluding to Seasons’ concerns about potential customers missing the entryway, costing the store in business. “That was really the basis of it, and part of the solution was to offer them tenant panels on the sign, which did in fact increase the size of the sign.”

            Cutler proposed stipulations for the signs, three that would be common to both.

            For the larger Sign No. 1 located on Lot No. 41.C4, Cutler proposed the following conditions: 1. Screening per the Planning Board shall be provided and maintained to shield the sign from view of residential homes within Rochester boundaries east of Route 28 (i.e., houses on Old County Road); 2. The business sign shall be illuminated only when the business represented on the sign is open; 3. No additional signs for businesses in the Rochester Crossroads complex are allowed under this permit, but business may apply for additional permits either individually or as a group; and 4. All other conditions of the Rochester Zoning Bylaws are to be met.

            The ZBA voted unanimously to approve the special permit for Sign No. 1 with Cutler’s stipulations.

            Sign No. 2, under similar circumstances, located on Lot No. 41.C3 on Route 28, was also approved. Stipulations 2, 3, and 4 apply to Sign No. 2, and the ZBA again voted 5-0 in favor of the special permit.

            Arancio and Gilmore credited Cordeiro for his thorough presentation.

            The ZBA has no more continued cases and no new cases at present, so the next meeting of the board has not yet been scheduled.

Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals

By Mick Colageo