Members of the Rochester Board of Selectmen on February 16 expressed disappointment and frustration over the commonwealth’s dissemination of seemingly constantly changing COVID-19 information and the lack of vaccine availability to municipalities.

            Selectboard Chairman Paul Ciaburri said the Emergency Management’s COVID-19 team has had to return to a weekly meeting schedule because, he said, “Things change on a daily basis — sometimes twice a day. It’s maddening, and it’s so hard to plan anything with this.”

            Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar added that vaccine access for municipalities has become more restricted, prompting Ciaburri to refer to the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson’s hopefully soon-to-be-approved vaccine that would be more widely available because it does not require the ultra-cold conditions other brands of COVID-19 vaccine require during transport and storage.

            “Hopefully, we could possibly get our allotment,” said Ciaburri. “If that’s the case, then we would probably wind up doing it (in Rochester) like a flu-vaccine clinic, depending on how many doses we get at one time.”

            Ciaburri lamented the many weeks the town spent devising a COVID-19 vaccine-distribution plan, even carrying out dry runs on how fast workers could inoculate vaccine recipients using a drive-through method.

            “We were ready, but everything just [fell through],” said Ciaburri.

            Selectman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley said the Council on Aging already realized that Rochester seniors would not be receiving their COVID-19 vaccine in Rochester any time soon. He said the COA had received over a hundred calls from seniors looking for information on when and how they might get vaccinated.

            “When it became clear over the weekend … that we had actually missed the window … and now it was too late because there were no more vaccines,” Hartley said, those working at the COA started to plan for how they could get their seniors aged 75 and up vaccinated as soon as possible.

            Hartley said the COA would begin calling eligible seniors to ask them if they would be willing to travel to Gillette Stadium, one of the commonwealth’s mass-vaccination sites. If so, the Rochester COA would provide the transportation and help set up their vaccine appointment.

            “And we will get as many of them that want to get inoculated as fast as we can,” Hartley said. “We have one going tomorrow.”

            Ciaburri is relying on that Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saying that once Rochester gets an allotment, “We will be giving that out. We will be doing it.”

            “That’s fine,” said Hartley, adding that it likely won’t be approved for some time, and then it takes weeks to get it to their intended destinations.

            Ciaburri said he recalled that the state had promised to get vaccines out to places like Rochester, which then responded by preparing to efficiently handle the vaccinations.

            “We did all this work, and they basically told us no, which is discouraging,” said Ciaburri.

            In other business, SEMASS’s PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) disbursements to the town have recently decreased significantly in size, with its most recent payment for January 2021, $262,943, about $95,000 less than the January 2020 payment.

            Szyndlar reported that a major plant outage in January is to blame for the PILOT decrease, adding, “But the trend overall in our receipts for [Fiscal Year 2021] have been lower.” One reason, Szyndlar said, was the drought condition last year that she said “makes trash weigh less,” affecting profits. Also, a recent major construction project at the Cranberry Highway waste-to-energy plant impacted production at the plant from having to shut down operations during that timeframe. When she compared FY20 to this point in FY21, Szyndlar said Rochester so far has seen $319,000 less in PILOT revenue from SEMASS.

            “It’s a considerable amount of money,” Szyndlar said, adding that the decrease will affect the town’s free cash account.

            Selectman Brad Morse said that back in January he spoke with representatives from SEMASS, and they are well aware of Rochester’s concerns. Still, another operations shutdown is scheduled for March, said Morse, to install upgrades that will help the plant run more efficiently.

            “But we do have an open dialog,” Morse reassured.

            In other money-related matters, Szyndlar reported that she had received a notice from Bristol County Agricultural High School informing the town that Rochester and other non-resident towns would soon be issued a debt assessment in addition to their annual non-resident tuition for their students.

            According to Szyndlar, Bristol Aggie is imposing a per-student debt assessment cost of anywhere between $5,200-$6,000 to fund a significant project at the school. Rochester currently has 13 students that attend Bristol Aggie, which Szyndlar said means an additional budget strain of $68,000-$78,000.

            Szyndlar said she met with Bristol Aggie representatives to ask why non-resident communities must be “on the hook,” given that the school is in another county “and we are not a member town.” This added cost will create a severe impact on Rochester’s budget “for many years to come,” Szyndlar said, for the entire life of the loan, she told the board. She suggested the town seek assistance from State Representative Bill Straus, who Morse commented once helped Rochester deal with transportation funding issues regarding Bristol Aggie.

            Szyndlar also plans to reach out to other non-resident towns with students at Bristol Aggie for their input.

            “This could be very detrimental,” said Ciaburri.

            Also during the meeting, the board adopted a Town Hall key-card policy for the use of a set of new electronic key fobs to enter and exit the building. Szyndlar said the policy would help keep track of who is in possession of the relatively costly key fobs, should they be lost or stolen and need deactivating and replacing.

            The board also adopted an updated surplus-property policy to include instructions on how department heads should report surplus property to the chief procurement officer, Szyndlar, via a new sign-off sheet.

            Hartley reported that Rochester did not receive the grant it was counting on to construct a patio at the Senior Center, but suggested he would work with others to apply for a SRPEDD grant that could potentially provide funding for an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible walking path around the center of town.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen will be held on Monday, March 1, at 6:00 pm.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

            Before beginning his FY22 budget proposal presentation during the February 11 meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee, Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld responded to a question from Chairman Pat Donoghue about rate increases. “Every year you come before us with expenses around 2 percent, then suddenly there are rate increases. How do we look at revenue versus expenses?” asked Donoghue.

            Renauld explained that “A few projects came in over budget,” such as the Pease Point water and sewer project that he said was over by approximately $220,000. He noted that the overage had to come out of retained earnings, leaving that fund at a low of only $51,000. He said it became necessary to look at rates to bring in more revenue. When asked, Renauld said that presently retained earnings for the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds stand at $327,000 and $317,000, respectively.

            “So, Pease cost more, do you come back to Town Meeting for more?” Donoghue asked. Renauld requested $200,000. “A grant covered 25 percent of the original bid, but the Coastal Zone Management grant couldn’t cover the difference,” he explained. “We will recoup the cost of the project with betterments.” In a follow-up, Renauld said the betterment fees were under review.

            When Donoghue asked if water rates had been increased to pay for the project, Renauld said the town’s rate is 25 percent under the current rate as reported by engineering consultant Tata & Howard.

            Renauld also told the members that a $3 million expense, Mattapoisett’s portion of a plant upgrade to lower nitrogen levels at the Fairhaven plant, was coming. The total estimated costs of the project stand at $23 million.

            On the theme of large-ticket items on the Capital Planning spreadsheet, Renauld said the sewer pipe that crosses the Eel Pond breach would cost approximately $3 million and that the town’s portion, should another Coastal Zone Management grant come through, would be about $750,000. Another sewer line project in the Hollywood Beach neighborhood would have to be pushed out to 2024, he said.

            Renauld also talked about the need to evaluate the Water and Sewer Departments’ offices and equipment storage. He said that currently, the two operations are spread out over the town at various sites, some with rental agreements amounting to approximately $3,800 per month. He said the town owns more than one property that might be appropriate for building a combined facility and that he wanted to spend about $30,000 on conceptual plans to “get a whole new building.” He said the small lot on Church Street currently used by the Water Department could be sold to offset new construction. Donoghue asked, “What about maintaining a new building?” Renauld said that would all be part of the study.

            The proposed FY22 budget for the Water Department is $1,559,960, a 0.18 percent increase, and the Sewer Department is at $826,336, a 0.2 percent increase.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for Thursday, February 18, at 4:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

            The Old Middleboro Road Solar array project came up for discussion in the Rochester Conservation Commission meeting held on February 16. Though the project has already entered the construction phase, development has come to a halt after issues relating to the ancient way bordering the site were raised.

            Austin Turner, representing the project, explained that due to faulty survey data of the area, a previously plotted ancient way noted in the plans had been drastically misrepresented. Turner explained that where it was previously believed that the ancient way would fork and travel around the site, the reality is that the ancient way runs directly into the proposed area of work.

            Under the provisions of the project filing, the applicants for the solar project are required to ensure that the ancient way is maintained and is upheld as one continuous path from start to finish. As such, Turner now faces a major dilemma in project development, as construction cannot be completed according to the Order of Conditions without satisfying the Ancient Path requirements.

            The position of the path also makes relocation within the limit of work even more challenging. A stormwater basin, also a requirement for the construction of the solar array, sits in direct conflict with the simplest route for reconnection of the ancient way. This means that Turner will need to snake the path around the basin in order to reconnect it.

            Turner admitted that he had limited time to arrive at a solution for the problem but advocated for a selective amount of vegetative clearing outside of the proposed limit of work to redirect the ancient way around the site.

            Conservation Commission Chairman Michael Conway explained that conducting work outside of the predetermined boundary would likely require an amendment to the Notice of Intent or a complete refiling for the project.

            Turner told commission members that he would work to create a new proposal that would be more agreeable to their requirements and limit or completely eliminate any work outside of the project’s boundaries. Once they receive an updated proposal, commission members agreed to visit the site to gain a more detailed understating of the issue.

            Bill Madden of G.A.F. Engineering joined the meeting to provide updates on an Enforcement Order issued to Makepeace regarding complaints issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

            Madden provided commission members with an overview of the Morse Swamp Reservoir, which has come under review due to dredging activities and soil displacement in the area. The roughly 30-acre reservoir is the primary water source that feeds into the Makepeace cranberry bogs located nearby.

            According to Madden, constantly fluctuating water levels in the area made it difficult to accurately determine the scope of the reservoir. He explained that the area in winter looks significantly different than in spring or summer.

            Conservation Commission Member Kevin Thompson expressed the importance of accurately determining the limits of the reservoir and surrounding wetlands areas, as a misrepresentation could lead to the destruction of protected resource areas if they are not accurately identified. Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon echoed Thompson’s sentiment and recommended that commission members make a site visit to the area to further understand any work that might be proposed in a future Notice of Intent filing.

            The next Rochester Conservation Commission meeting is scheduled to be conducted via Zoom on Tuesday, March 2, at 7:00 pm.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Matthew Donato

            Marion Conservation Commission member Jeff Doubrava recused himself from his commission role for his February 10 public hearing as an applicant in a Notice of Intent to improve access from 47 East Avenue to the waters of Planting Island Cove, Sippican Harbor, and Buzzards Bay for recreational boating, fishing, and swimming by removing the longstanding, bottom-anchored chain system with a plan to replace with a pile-held anchoring system.

            The chain system tends to scour the bottom and mess with eelgrass and shellfish habitat, according to Conservation Commission Chairperson Shaun Walsh.

            Representing Doubrava, Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon, & Leone told ConCom that all feedback from the state Division of Marine Fisheries has been positive and that the Army Corp of Engineers has signed off on the project. The National Heritage and Endangered Species Program also communicated approval, according to Davignon.

            Walsh asked for an explanation about the proposed float expansion that will require a Chapter 91 license due to the expansion on the seaward end of the piles. Doubrava confirmed that the 3-foot expansion to the existing float is intended to make it easier for boats to load and unload passengers.

            “It’s an environmental improvement to that area, so it’s a good project,” said Walsh, who called Davignon’s presentation a great overview of the project.

            Four piles instead of two will make it possible to chain the piles together, allowing the owner to hoist the float up to the level of the pier to offseason storage, eliminating the need for a boatyard to haul away the float.

             The public hearing was continued until February 24.

            As an abutter, Doubrava recused himself from the case of John A. & Carole F. Whittemore, 51 East Avenue, in their Notice of Intent to improve access to the waters of Planting Island Cove, Sippican Harbor, and Buzzards Bay for recreational boating, fishing, and swimming by removing the existing bottom-anchored chain system and replace it with a pile-held anchoring system.

            Representing the Whittemores as well, Davignon said the project was filed at the same time and is on the same path as Doubrava’s project of the same nature with all the same endorsements. Calling it a “no-brainer,” Walsh only asked Davignon if the chains would be permanently removed after the completion of both projects. Davignon confirmed that to be the plan.

            The public hearing was continued until February 24.

            The continued public hearing in which Blankenship Trust, LLC filed a Notice of Intent to construct an in-ground swimming pool, perimeter patio, and retaining wall with clearing, filling, and grading at 468 Point Road ended with ConCom issuing a special Order of Conditions, green-lighting the project.

            In a continued case, ConCom voted to issue the Town of Marion Facilities Department a Negative 3 determination of applicability for its proposed installation of two 100-gallon propane tanks at Pumping Station Road.

            In another continued case, ConCom voted to issue Karen Chacon a Negative 2 and 3 determination of applicability, clearing the way for the construction of a ramp on the side of her house at 98 Dexter Road.

            The Kittansett Club’s repeated continuances for its NOI to expand parking is delayed as the club works with an abutter and the town to potentially modify the plan. According to Walsh, the Planning Board reached out to the engineer, learning that a revised plan is in the works, but Kittansett requested and has been allowed a three-month continuance to May 12.

            Arthur Brenner of Alewives Anonymous, Inc. provided Marion with a compact disc containing photographs of his company’s cleaning along the Sippican River. Alewives Anonymous, Inc. has been moving fallen trees and other obstructions out of the way of herring that need to swim to their breeding grounds in Snipatuit Pond in Rochester.

            Under correspondence, the commission received a copy of a site plan from Rochester-based Charon (engineering) Associates for a Title V septic upgrade filed by Rivier University (New Hampshire) for property at 9 Pleasant Street.

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo