The Mattapoisett and Marion School Committees each met over the past two weeks to review the full, in-person return of Grades K-2 and to hear a presentation of the FY22 budget for ORR and the elementary schools. On February 24, Marion School Committee was told by ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson that on February 23, Governor Baker told municipalities to ready their plans to get all elementary school students back in the building on a full-time basis as early as April.

            “I’m proud of the work we’ve done since spring and summer. We have so many of the mitigation models already in place,” said Nelson. “I know that the Sippican School community will be ready to do what we need to do moving forward.”

            “Who would ever have thought that kids wanted to be in school?” said Marion School Committee Chairman Michelle Smith, who publicly thanked the teacher’s union for its partnership amidst an unprecedented challenge.

            Sippican’s Grade K-6 numbers as of February 24 stood at 61 fully remote learners, 135 full in-person, 185 hybrid, and 21 home-schooled.

            “I’m not sure if the parents were more excited or the children,” said Sippican School Principal Marla Sirois of the recent K-2 return, noting that school buses now back up to Park Street, and traffic flow is more like it was before the pandemic.

            Having hit the wall as individual towns seek more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Tri-Town collaborated last week with ORR and Representative Bill Straus on a pitch to become a regional vaccine distribution center for educators. Marion already succeeded at distributing the Moderna vaccine to first responders from Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Wareham.

            In his Reopening Update to the Mattapoisett School Committee, Nelson thanked many for a successful K-2 reopening that commenced on January 19. Mattapoisett K-6 numbers as of February 22 stand at 153 Center School students and 216 Old Hammondtown students attending full in-person, 23 fully-remote, and 11 home-schooled.

            Mattapoisett School Committee member Carly Lavin spoke about the Joint Labor Management Committee’s work that examined several hypothetical return-to-school scenarios and plans for another meeting for this week.

            Old Hammondtown School Associate Principal Kevin Tavares said the school made some minor adjustments to dropoff and pickup of students.

            A day before DESE told towns to prepare to bring back grades 3-6 as early as April, Mattapoisett School Committee member Shannon Finning asked about grade 3 and when families will learn about plans for the fall.

            Nelson indicated his anticipation of new information (that would come the next day) on reopening guidance, and Lavin acknowledged the urgency of a full grade 3 return while reinforcing grades 4-6 to be of comparable importance.

            “[Grades 4-6] have missed the opportunity, social opportunities to be with their friends, social-emotional learning as well,” said Lavin. “Grade 6, it’s really an important year for them as well before they move on to the junior high.”

            In presenting an adjusted FY22 draft budget to the local school committees, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber referenced “numerous meetings” with budget subcommittees and that “decisions were made collaboratively” in achieving what he called a “level budget.”

            School committees were not expected to take action in last week’s meetings in which they were presented overviews in their towns.

            Marion was presented a decrease in the original December 2020 projected budget of $6,408,874, a $225,647 or 3.65 percent increase over the approved FY21 budget of $6,183,227, down to $6,243,227 (a $213,588 or 3.42 percent increase over FY21).

            Mattapoisett was presented a decrease from a January 13 projected budget figure of $7,481,174, a level-service budget indicating a $208,699 or 2.87 percent increase over FY21, down to $7,466,815 (a modified, zero-based budget maintaining level services at a $194,340 or 2.67 percent increase over FY21). This is a 2.67 percent increase over Mattapoisett’s FY21 approved budget of $7,272,475.

            The figures do not include the tuition for sending Tri-Town students to Bristol County Agricultural High School. Marion faces a $126,600 hit ($9,000 increase over FY21) to support Bristol Aggie based on cost per student. Mattapoisett’s four students attending Bristol Aggie cost $86,456 plus $40,290 in transportation, a $41,750 increase over FY21.

            Net increases in Marion in student services for FY22 include tuition-based programs at $74,000, bus transportation at $58,000, bus monitors at $25,000, and regular day transportation $25,000. Net decreases in Marion include building-based materials at $5,000, tech-based software and equipment at $5,000, and supplies at $3,200. Chapter 70 (state aid) funding of $872,434 is assumed in Marion’s budget and includes a proposed $30 per student increase, a net increase of $31,500 over FY21.

            Barber told Mattapoisett School Committee that its FY22 budget includes no staff reductions, albeit in light of two retirement notifications and pending contract negotiations.

            Mattapoisett schools project FY22 net increases of $20,000 (superintendent’s operations), $20,000 (transportation), $59,000 (utilities and maintenance), and $12,000 (tech-based software and equipment). Net decreases in Mattapoisett include: Chapter 70 (state aid) funding of $851,365 that is assumed in Mattapoisett’s budget and includes a proposed $30 per student increase, a net increase of $11,880 over FY21 or 0.01415 percent.

            Offsets in both towns’ proposed school budgets include $120,000 in grants, $62,000 in circuit breaker reimbursement, and $65,000 in revolving funds (outside building rental and early-childhood programs).

            Barber set April 7 as a target date for the Marion School Committee meeting to approve the FY22 budget. Mattapoisett School Committee is anticipating a budget vote within a few weeks. Nelson clarified that Bristol Aggie is part of the ORR school budget but is not included in ORR’s 2.5 percent increase.

            In other business, the Mattapoisett School Committee voted to approve the Student Opportunity Act, enacting a three-year program focused on early literacy. The program’s goal is to identify high-need students at a young age and close the gap for those students and ultimately impact MCAS testing and graduate rates.

            Nelson acknowledged that Mattapoisett Principal Rose Bowman was out of school on leave at the time of the committee’s meeting and that she is in the thoughts of the ORR faculty, staff, and committee members.

            Nelson told the Marion committee members that personnel changes that have transpired over the last couple of weeks would be on the agenda for the committee’s next meeting.

            The Marion School Committee is scheduled to meet again on April 7 at 6:30 pm. Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled to meet on March 29 at 6:30 pm.

Marion, Mattapoisett School Committees

By Mick Colageo

Mattapoisett’s Capital Planning Committee continued its review of departmental needs exceeding $10,000 and with a lifespan of up to 10 years when its members met on February 24.

            Coming before the committee with Mattapoisett School District capital expenses was Old Rochester Regional School District Facilities Director Gene Jones. In the FY22 column are listed $25,000 for the continuation of floor repairs to Center and Old Hammondtown Schools, along with a $50,000 sum for telephone updates.

            Regarding the floors, Jones said that every other year he plugs in the $25,000, given that the floors are continuously repaired in a loop and, by the time all floors are repaired, it’s time to start the process. He said he manages the expense in this manner so that, “You’ll never see a big bill.”

            Jones was also asked why what seems to be a maintenance expense is listed as a capital expense. “It started out as a capital expense for the whole floor,” he said, explaining that former Town Administrator Mike Gagne had instructed him to “do it this way.” Jones conceded that the expense could also become part of the school’s maintenance budget but added, “It does meet the criteria for a Capital Planning expense.”

            The local schools’ current telephone system, which operates on older technology, copper transmission lines, was then discussed. Jones said he wanted to move the telecommunications to a modern voice-over I.P system with high-speed internet conductivity. “It would be 40 percent more reliable than then what we have today,” Jones said, emphasizing added security and safety that a modern system would provide.

            CPS Chairman Chuck McCullough asked Jones to provide maintenance costs for the current system to help the committee understand the cost-savings benefits of a newer system. Committee member Mike Rosa thought that possibly bundling the schools’ upgraded equipment with other departments might be prudent, with member Ellen Driscoll adding that upgrades could be phased in over time.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said, “If we can consolidate some of these contracts when we go out to bid, we’ll do that.”

            Although the capital needs of ORR Junior High and High School were not on the agenda, the subject did come up, given that Jones oversees those facilities as well. “My list contains $132,000 for the track and $25,000 for asphalt repairs to the parking lots,” said Jones. Lorenco asked, “How are you going to fund the track? …I don’t know how the district is approaching it.” Jones conceded he did not know the answer. “That’s a big question,” Lorenco said. “They have to know how they are going to fund it. I don’t have space for another $100,000 for the track; that’s why you develop a 10-year plan.”

            Also coming before the committee was soon-to-be-retired Highway Surveyor Barry Denham. For FY22, Denham has listed $250,000 for road improvements and $84,000 for a sidearm mower. Road improvements would include sidewalk construction at the intersection of Pearl and Hammond Streets and Route 6. Denham explained that the $230,000 annually received from the state’s Chapter 90 program only covers a fraction of all the work needed. “It’s usually in excess of $500,000; I can’t do it with just Chapter 90 money. We can’t repair roads without appropriations,” Denham said.

            Denham said the Industrial Drive roadway improvement would cost the town $750,000 as part of the grant received, but that other projects like the repaving of River and Crystal Springs Roads would cost up to $400,000.

            “There are 47 miles of town roads. To keep up with maintenance, we’d need to do two miles every year,” Denham stated. But he said that the department hadn’t received any funds for the last two years. “You can’t get me enough money for all the roads,” he concluded with a chuckle. “The best thing to do is to assign a sum to each road on a rotating basis, a program that is dollars-driven so we can work on a particular number of roads every year.”

            Lorenco said it is planned to allocate a portion of the revenue generated from the town’s landfill solar array to roadway improvements. “Having a dedicated source of funding would be ideal; that’s the goal,” he said.

            Before adjournment, Lorenco told the committee that he is looking into making Mattapoisett part of the state’s Green Communities program. “Right off the bat, we’d receive a $134,000 grant.” He said it would take about two years to receive certification.

            McCullough said that, after the committee completes the FY22 review, it will focus efforts on crafting a far more detailed 10-year plan.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee was scheduled for March 3 at 5:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee

By Marilou Newell

            Having engaged in more intense scrutiny of 10 applications for FY22 Community Preservation funding on February 26, the Marion Community Preservation Committee heads toward its March 5 public hearing. CPC votes will determine which projects are taken to Town Meeting floor this spring and in what amounts.

            Applications include seven made by the Town of Marion and one each by the Sippican Historical Society, Sippican Women’s Club, and Elizabeth Taber Library.

            Before beginning the public hearing, the committee will, according to its March 5 agenda, review and vote to support the selectmen’s request for a Town Meeting article allowing CPA funds previously approved for waterproofing the front part of the Town House basement to be used for its entire basement.

            Marion is looking to use CPC funding to nearly complete its Town House renovations, including $90,000 for the Annex building exterior and Main Street entrance, which have been supported thus far by public and private sources. If successful, the only remaining related project will be the outdated concrete steps to the Main Street-side doors.

            The Main Street-side project was originally estimated at $221,000 but was lowered to a $90,000 request. It still bids for $21,000 in design-and-bid documents, $22,000 for mahogany doors, and $21,000 for windows, with the remainder paying for paint, siding trim, and related construction.

            The town has declared the entire structure a historic preservation restriction, an application that sits with the state for approval, according to Town Administrator Jay McGrail. The goal, McGrail told the CPC, is to move all employees to the first floor and potentially rent out the upper floor. The construction will strive to replicate the original design, and handicap accessibility will remain the same.

            CPC member Margie Baldwin asked if the committee should anticipate future requests, noting that there are four already. McGrail confirmed that to be the case, citing the removal of the vault in the Town Clerk’s Office and related work. “We’re exhausting every funding source we can to get this done,” said McGrail.

            The town has also applied for $5,375 for veterans’ graves markers in an effort to finish an ongoing project. Jody Dickerson explained that the town purchased 550 markers in 2020 for the five cemeteries in Marion, but more graves were missing veterans’ markers than originally thought, going all the way back to the Revolutionary War. The goal is to start the job when funds become available on July 1 and finish it by November 11, Veterans Day.

            At least in its current form, the application least likely to succeed is a $30,000 request by the Recreation Department to purchase equipment to help fund the Marion Rec’s Community Sailing program. The reason is that CPA funding is limited in scope to permanently anchored items, which rules out boats, kayaks, and the like.

            Recreation Department Director Jody Dickerson told the committee that the town’s learn-to-sail program started in the 1980s and has been funded over the years by the Friends of Marion Recreation.

            CPC Chairman Jeff Doubrava noted himself as a ground-floor member of the program and encouraged program representative Chris Collings to resubmit a more applicable pitch next year, calling it “maybe a great idea that’s not quite ripe yet.”

            Marion Historical Commission has applied for $30,000 in CPA funding to continue with the town’s historical and cultural inventory. In commission chair Meg Steinberg’s absence, Will Tifft told the CPC that the project conforms exactly to Marion’s Master Plan.

            Judy Rosbe of the Sippican Historical Society said that, while the society did the last such survey, she considers it “more appropriate for the commission to do it, though we support it greatly.”

            Doubrava articulated concern that the project’s annual reappearance among CPA funding applications takes on the look of maintenance, but Tifft assured Doubrava that CPA funding is common for such a project. The state matches funding, and each application represents a different area of the town to be surveyed.

            Leslie Piper appeared on behalf of the Sippican Historical Society to request $25,000 to support the society’s ongoing archival catalog, specifically to hire a professional archivist to hopefully complete the archives’ digitization of all Marion’s history. “They are of no value to the town if they’re not available online,” said Piper. “Most research is done online these days.”

            The $27,000 application filed by Candy’s Tavern to restore the 1812-built stage-coach stop acquired by Sippican Women’s Club in 1923 is limited in consideration to approximately $4,200, considered a loose bottom line for the restoration of the building’s front and kitchen doors. Gable vents were also sought; however, not being part of the original design, they do not apparently qualify.

            Silvershell Beach is looking for $10,000 to replace the split-post and rail fence originally installed in 1991 after Hurricane Bob. The fence, located along Front and Lewis Streets, is considered to be beyond repair.

            Taber Library requested $4,866 to complete a project, 70 percent funded by the town and partly by the library, to add four granite books under the benches that will reflect diversity among authors.

            Randy Parker’s suggestion for an estimate on concrete, as opposed to the asphalt proposed for a walking path on the grounds of the Cushing Community Center at the cost of $3,500, yielded $18,000 more, according to Harry Norweb’s research. Besides, Norweb received feedback suggesting walkers prefer the lower impact of asphalt.

            The next meeting of the Marion Community Preservation Committee is scheduled for March 5 at 5:00 pm.

Marion Community Preservation Committee

By Mick Colageo

            The Rochester Board of Selectmen likes how it’s going as a member of the Duxbury-hosted Regional Old Colony Communications Center and anticipates a renewal of its inter-municipal agreement (IMA).

            ROCCC provides 911 police, fire, and EMS emergency dispatch service for six towns, as Director Michael Mahoney told the selectmen during their March 1 hybrid meeting that Hanover is joining the group that also includes Halifax, Hanson, and Plympton.

            Mahoney proposed a six-month extension of the current contract in order to synch its expiration with the end of Fiscal Year 2021. Mahoney said the IMA, a five-year run drafted to expire on January 1, 2022, is “an oversight on our part; we should have carried it through to July.”

            ROCCC is hoping to bring all its members into synch, establishing a new IMA for all six towns on July 1, 2022, the start of FY23. Mahoney anticipates two- or three-year agreements.

            “Most of the towns start doing their budgets mid-fiscal year for the following year,” said Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar. Mahoney said, “I’m open to whatever it takes…. We’re not waiting to the last minute by any means…. My concern is we land on that uniformity…. This way, we’ll be able to address them all at the same time. I’ll make sure everybody has what they need, so they’re not up against any budgeting deadlines.”

            Selectman Woody Hartley noted that Rochester had targeted a budget date around April 1.

            Mahoney updated a new receiver at the site in the Braley Hill side of Rochester priced out at $50,000. Mahoney also pointed to a $4 million competitive development grant and said he wouldn’t know if ROCCC is awarded that grant until July or August.

            “Anything up at that end of town would be helpful,” said Rochester Chief of Police Robert Small, who also noted that switching to Motorola equipment has helped mitigate problems.

            Mahoney said he expected the project would have been completed by now if not for the coronavirus pandemic.

            In her Town Administrator’s report, Szyndlar discussed the assessment that Rochester received last week from Bristol County Agricultural High School. Rochester is not a member town, and the town is dissatisfied with an interpretation of a 2018 legislation that non-residents pay for Bristol Aggie’s debt.

            “The response is because we’re not a member, and they’re trying to pass on costs. Passing on the debt strikes me as double-dipping,” said Town Counsel Blair Bailey.

            Szyndlar told the selectmen she had asked Bristol Aggie for its agreement with its member towns. “They claim it reflects school choice. I do not know what they charge for the [member-town] students,” she said. “I don’t recommend that we put in any appropriation.”

            Hartley explained that member towns pay a county assessment, then pay the school a smaller cost. “The costs are well hidden. It’s even hard to research their budget,” he said, crediting Szyndlar for her effort trying to research the matter on Rochester’s behalf.

            In a 6:05 pm appointment, the selectmen voted to approve a street name request made by the Village at Plumb Corner, a new 55+ residential development with new public ways to be called Sarahbeth Lane, Katlyn Circle, and Hayley Circle.

            Rochester has learned that FY21 annual Chapter 90 state funding for road projects will be set at $308,083 pending final passage, an increase over last year’s $302,161 total.

            SEMASS Covanta will distribute $10,000 this week in FY21 outreach money per the agreement. The selectmen annually review requests and appropriate funds for various community projects according to departmental needs. Last year, the money was put on hold at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

            The selectmen voted to accepted public safety donations from the Annie Maxim House, Inc. for $100 each for the Police, Fire, Highway, and Ambulance Departments.

            Szyndlar told the board she would attend the Massachusetts Municipal Accountants and Auditors Association meeting on Wednesday and Thursday of this week and next to maintain her annual certification as a governmental accountant. The meeting is virtual this year.

            In a 6:00 pm appointment, the selectmen voted to approve Small’s recommendation that Brian Delmonte be appointed as a full-time police officer.

            Delmonte, a Bridgewater resident and 2016 graduate of Bridgewater-Raynham High School, recently graduated from the full-time police academy. He joined the Marines and was deployed to Southeast Asia. He is an active participant at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Bridgewater and volunteers at Bridgewater’s Senior Center. Delmonte graduated last month from the state police academy in New Braintree and is working toward a degree in criminal justice.

            Bailey said that an in-person ceremony with Delmonte and his family would be held when possible.

            Selectman Brad Morse said that, while Rochester’s new association with Marion in the use of its Benson Brook transfer station has been successful, he is still meeting with the Board of Health on a Plan B. “We’re still talking about getting land surveyed just to see if we could do something,” he said. The survey would be funded through the town’s recycling revolving fund.

            Hartley told the selectmen that The New York Times recognized 2020 Wanderer Keel Award winner Kelsey Robertson as one of the nation’s kids who make a difference. The selectmen responded to the news by exclaiming, “Well done. Kelsey!”

            The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, March 15, at 6:00 pm.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo

            The Marion Board of Health learned on March 2 that a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts has resulted in the town having to cancel its March 5 vaccination clinic to administer a second dose to residents that received their first dose last month.

            Marion was authorized back on January 30 to receive 100 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to administer to Marion residents 75 and older and held a vaccination clinic to inoculate the town’s oldest citizens in descending order on February 5. A month later, the state says there isn’t enough vaccine at this time for Marion to complete the vaccination series, forcing Marion to cancel its clinic for Friday, March 5, and wait to hear when the next shipment of doses will be ready before rescheduling another.

            “Oh, Lori, I’m so sorry,” BOH member Dot Brown told Public Nurse Lori Desmarais. “That’s terrible.”

            Desmarais said the state still promises to deliver Marion its 100 doses for round two of vaccinations, but when that will be is unknown right now. When she receives word from the state saying when those next doses will arrive, she will contact those residents who were scheduled to attend the March 5 clinic and inform them of the new date. She anticipates that vaccine recipients would maintain their scheduled times, with the only change being the actual date of the vaccination clinic.

            Desmarais was pleased, though, that she was able to administer the vaccination to homebound residents of Marion with the help of the Fire Department before the vaccine shortage.

            BOH Chairman Dr. Edward Hoffer commented on the recent CDC emergency authorization for the Johnson & Johnson version of the vaccine, but commented that Massachusetts had only received a “very small shipment” of the anticipated “game changer,” as Hoffer put it, and won’t receive another shipment for another four weeks.

            “At least in Massachusetts, it’s not much of a game charger, unfortunately,” said Hoffer.

            Desmarais gave a COVID-19 case update for the board and reported that Marion currently has 11 active cases for a total of 385 since the beginning of the pandemic.

            Sippican School has two positive cases currently in isolation, with two people in quarantine awaiting test results. There have been 31 confirmed cases linked to Sippican School so far. Old Rochester Regional Junior High has zero in isolation or quarantine, with 24 cases so far in the pandemic. ORR High School currently has three positive cases in isolation, two in quarantine, and a total of 77 cases.

            Over at Tabor Academy, ongoing routine testing has not resulted in any positive cases so far.

            Sippican Healthcare Center has gone 20 days without any new confirmed cases, and only some residents or staff are still waiting to receive their second vaccine dose for the state.

            Health Agent David Flaherty said he has responded to four COVID-19 compliance complaints in Marion establishments over the past week, with none of them resulting in a temporary shutdown.

            Flaherty is leaving his part-time health agent position in Marion to join Fairhaven as its full-time health agent, and Anna Wimmer was introduced during the board’s meeting as Flaherty’s replacement.

            The Marion Board of Health meets again on Tuesday, March 16, at 4:30 pm.

Marion Board of Health

By Jean Perry