The Marion Board of Selectmen has joined in with neighboring towns Rochester and Wareham in extending the property tax deadline from May 1 to June 1. Those who can pay their taxes in keeping with the May 1 deadline are asked to do so in order to spare the town any unnecessary financial strain.

            “Unfortunately, on this tax bill, we have the (sewer) betterment fees,” said Marion Board of Selectman Chairperson Randy Parker.

            Assistant Town Administrator Judy Mooney instructed the board that the waiving of interest is not a Board of Selectmen authority but falls under the treasurer/collector. Nonetheless, it will happen. “You’re extending the due date so she will automatically waive that interest,” said Mooney.

            Department of Public Works Director David Willett researched approximately 50 municipalities and presented a revised street-opening permit for the board’s approval.

            The purpose is to make contractors more accountable to the town. It has a bonding requirement, and documents and amounts have been discussed with insurance agents. At present, Marion has neither a bond requirement nor an insurance requirement.

            Board of Selectmen member John Waterman said that, while the new permit proposal includes bonding, some of the procedures outlined are difficult to understand or buried deep in the document.

            Parker was happy to see flowable fill addressed but was unable to find compaction rates. His main concern was for someone filling a sewer box. “This is great coverage if you’re doing a $100,000 job, but if you’re doing a $5,000 job, it’s a little burdensome,” he said.

            “It’s really the little contractor that I’m trying to get to here,” said Willett, alluding to the many small projects and the town’s policy to inspect them. “There’s not enough time of the day to go out and inspect all those things.”

            It is hoped that more stringent accountability to meet requirements will lessen the load on the town. Willett said he is “more concerned with their personnel falling into a trench or getting hit by a car.”

            “This is what we’re asking them to do – spend a little more time. You drive down the street and there’s a thousand little dig-ups, and most of them are Eversource,” said Willett, who established a blanket bond with the utility company. “Normally I don’t like blanket bonds; I said $50,000 and they didn’t blink an eyelash.”

            Willett compared Marion’s revised permit as being similar to North Reading’s “street-opening permit.” The bond, he said, is typically two percent of the cost of the work. Marion issues approximately three dozen permits a year. Willett is asking all of the town’s designers to put two-year warranties on all of their projects instead of the (customary) one year.

            “This isn’t a big revenue-catching thing,” said Willett, who considers the measure a “first step” in the pavement-management program.

            The concerns of the Board of Selectmen varied.

            “I’m a firm believer in inspecting work,” said Clerk Norm Hills. “If there’s something that works, let’s just tell them to use it.”

            “We need to understand this process and minimize it for our smaller contractors,” said Waterman.

            “I’m trying not to create a place in Marion where we have one or two contractors,” said Parker, citing the importance of simple regulations, an authentic bidding process and the avoidance of a monopoly.

            McGrail said that, since the board is voting on April 21, he will obtain the relevant information regarding bond procedures. McGrail also said putting off a vote for two weeks will allow the town to get public comments on the matter. Residents can email McGrail at jmcgrail@marionma.gov.

            Dr. Ed Hoffer, the vice chairperson of Marion’s Board of Health and a practicing physician, attended the meeting to explain the closure of beach parking lots in Marion.

            “You read the (Boston) Globe or The New York Times or whatever newspaper and you know we’re heading into… the worst days coming,” he told the meeting. “There are still no vaccinations, no proven treatments. We’re trying very hard to limit the disease, and all we’ve got is masks, handwashing, and social distancing.”

            Hoffer found that people at the beach were not maintaining social distance. “You could set up 20 at a time for Silvershell (Beach), but we wanted to keep it down to people within walking distance.”

            Having seen a half dozen people walking at the beach since the closure of the parking lots, Hoffer was pleased. “We don’t want to keep people away from Silvershell; we just don’t want them packed so tightly,” he said.

            Hoffer and McGrail contributed to a public service announcement for the town.

            Citing the guidance from the governor and the May 4 target date to reopen public facilities, McGrail said he would be working with Hoffer within a few weeks on how to get the beach back open under some hours or schedule.

            Marion secured a $5.765 million bond for lagoon work, wastewater treatment plant and other projects including the Mill Street water main.

            “We did good on this one,” said Mooney, reporting a 1.4 percent long-term loan.

            In other business, the Board of Selectmen voted to continue Fieldstone Market’s application for a license for the retail sale of win and malt beverages for 60 days per town counsel’s recommendation to June 9 at 7:15 pm.

            The board denied the request for an abatement of $200 for a residence owner on Pine Hill Lane, whose water-meter reading was in failure since February 2018. The entire water bill is approximately $1,221.

            McGrail will be the primary representative and Parker secondary in Marion’s actions that allow residents the option of choosing their own electricity carrier.

            The contracts of inspectors of animals Sue Connor and Adam Murphy were renewed, effective for the next physical year.

            The Marion Board of Selectmen will meet at 3:00 pm on Thursday, April 9, and vote on a proposal to postpone town meeting to a date no later than June 30 and with at least 20 days’ notice.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo

            Superintendent of Schools Doug White praised the tech department while discussing a district-wide shift to remote learning during the April 2 online meeting of the Rochester Memorial School Committee.

            On April 3, White wrote a letter to the Tri-Town Communities stating that all six schools in the Old Rochester Regional School district were shifting to a remote-learning model. Furthermore, all staff members have been busy drafting remote-learning plans to share with parents, guardians, and students.

            ORR’s goal is that students can learn on and offline while away from the classroom until at least May 4 per state order.

            “We’re having dialogue about what that may look like and what we might do,” White told the Rochester School Committee assembled via video conference online. “Remote learning isn’t just a virtual experience… it could be a large group of people getting together. It could be an audio-conference, it could be a 1-to-1 student (session)… We’re trying to get that message out that it’s not just screen time or time with the teacher.”

            According to White, ORR is looking at a schedule of three hours only on the backs of their classroom teacher, roughly half the time of a school day. “Another thing that we’re asking is that teachers provide an hour of office time available to their families (i.e. office hours),” he said.

            This could be done by phone or via phone apps, computer programs or email, he said.

            Committee member Tina Rood suggested that there be one guaranteed place where families will know how to connect to a teacher. “We’re in what is a crisis with the families,” she said.

            White said the schools are already in such an active communication that the school will be the side performing regular maintenance of those situations.

            Principal Derek Medeiros said Rochester Memorial School will continue posting messages to remind families that this communication is being promoted.

            White told committee member Sharon Hartley that families would be advised as to how the day will proceed and the online platforms.

            “We have teachers who are using email and teachers who are using a website,” said White, who said work is ongoing on professional development for support of teachers to mobilize them. “We’re going to make mistakes and we’re going to do better.”

            White acknowledged the changing goals with the passing of time since it became apparent school would be out beyond the original prescription of April 7 to the present order of May 4.

            “We’re just under 300 Chromebooks lent out over all of the districts; that’s a continuing opportunity that we’re offering our students,” he said.

            Hot spots are also being addressed and alternative means of internet linkage.

            “Our teachers feel comfortable with the platforms that we’re using,” said Medeiros. “I think everybody’s going to be a Zoom expert.”  Jokes aside, Medeiros says online tutorials are being researched and sent out to teachers to support their efforts.

            Assistant Superintendent Mike Nelson suggested that if people visit the ORR website or any of the school webpages, then move to the Staff Resources tab up top and click on “PD for School Closure,” it will show the programs and resources that the ORR District is offering.

            Nelson discussed special education, noting immediate meetings upon the March 13 closure of schools, beginning weekly check-ins with homes and offering students newly needing social and emotional support to engage Central Office.

            “Our priority is providing as many services and support to our families as we possibly can, knowing that they’re not going to be looking the same,” said Nelson, who went on what he called a “Zoom marathon” to reach out to families with students with disabilities.

            Screen time was also discussed by the committee, acknowledging the necessary byproduct of online learning being additional hours spent by children at their computers.

            In his report, White thanked the ongoing work of cafeteria in ORR schools for the 145-170 lunches distributed per day. White said ORR will move to an every-other-day schedule to limit exposure by staff. There is no interaction between staff and those picking up lunches. Staffers maintain separate stations while working to prepare lunches.

            “There had been conversation about reimbursement… We’ve lost the ability to collect funds,” said White. “Just over the weekend, the (federal government) announced that they will cover it… Our cafeteria workers are not supported through our budget. We will keep you posted with that.”

            People who pick up meals receive lunch and breakfast for the next day.

            Classrooms are being cleaned more intensely and regularly and, if used, are being sanitized again. “We’ve been doing that in all three towns,” said White.

            Following the March 13 school closure, Medeiros reported having allowed teachers to come back into school to gather belongings for the ongoing absence.

            “I want to acknowledge that we are paving the road as we are walking on it, and we are walking on it,” said Hartley when opening the meeting. “I’m proud of many of the things that have happened in the past few weeks with our students, our children and their families. Thank you, everyone.”

            Class assignment for the 2020-21 school year in all ORR schools will be moved to mid-August, Medeiros confirmed, and March 12 meeting minutes were approved.

            The April 2 meeting began with committee approval of the appointment of Laurie Walsh as new recording secretary.

            The ORR School Committee is scheduled to meet on April 15.

Rochester Memorial School Committee

By Mick Colageo

            The Town of Rochester is extending its deadline for the collection of property taxes by one month to June 1. The motion passed unanimously during Monday’s live, online meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen.

            Noting that every week three million people lose their jobs due to coronavirus-related layoffs, Board of Selectman Clerk Woody Hartley said, “That’s going to have an effect.”

            “If it can help the people, I have no problem with that,” said Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar. “We’ll work with any financial ramifications… we’ll borrow… we’ll work with people.”

            A mailing has been created to notify taxpayers that they have this option.

            Hartley encouraged those who can to pay to do so because not paying on the original schedule will cost the town money.

            “We’re all in this together,” said Szyndlar, noting how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) extended the national income tax filing deadline.

            Szyndlar told the board that the town was holding at one COVID-19 case as of Monday’s meeting.

            “That’s all I know of right now,” said Szyndlar in her April 6 update to the board that included town hall’s compliance with Governor Baker’s order that all non-essential public buildings remained closed until May 4. The mailing of the town census has been delayed until that order is lifted.

            Board of Selectmen Chairman Paul Ciaburri reported that the town has made an ultraviolet-light treatment available that sanitizes face masks. Residents can drop off their masks in a zip-lock bag at Fire Station 1 with name, address, and phone on the bag. Ciaburri said viable masks can be sanitized up to 20 times.

            Szyndlar also noted that Rochester Town Fair’s property-use request stands, despite the rescheduling of all of the event’s spring-season fundraising activities.

            Hartley praised Szyndlar’s idea for a backup town administrator in the event she contracts the coronavirus and is unable to serve in her capacity. Town Counsel Blair Bailey, who hosted the April 6 meeting via Zoom, would serve in Szyndlar’s absence.

            Calling it a “wise idea” by Szyndlar, Hartley asked Bailey, “Are you feeling good, Blair?” Bailey answered, “I’m feeling fine.” The motion passed.

            Interim Town Clerk Paul Dawson’s position was also fortified, as the board approved the extension of his contract from April 9 to one day after the annual town election, whenever that is.

            Typically discouraged, Rochester is encouraging the use of absentee ballots for town election in 2020.

            “We are hoping to encourage folks to use this (link on town clerk’s website), for your safety and health as well as our workers,” said Dawson. “When the date is set by the Board of Selectmen, there will be an election. But people will be leery about coming in (to public-polling places)… Whatever day that election is scheduled for, those ballots will be tabulated at that time. Make sure your voice is heard.”

            In other business, Austin Alves was approved as a new part-time police officer appointed for duty in Rochester.

            An Old Rochester Regional High School and UMass Dartmouth graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Alves has been training in the police academy and working part-time as a dispatcher in another town.

            Chief of Police Robert Small called the appointment Alves’ “lifelong dream” and spoke glowingly about Alves’ preparation and “excellent testing.”

            Alves’ appointment is the first of two staff additions the police department is requesting. The board voted unanimously to approve his hire.

            “We wish him all the best,” said Hartley, who used the opportunity to ask Small how it is going for his department.

            “We have not changed our method of service at all, obviously trying to add a little physical distance,” said Small. “People have been very cooperative in town.”

            Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon confirmed that Tuesday’s Conservation Commission meeting would be recorded.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen was left at Szyndlar’s discretion.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo

            Meetings, in the new reality imposed on the globe by COVID-19, are now a virtual reality, so to speak. The Mattapoisett Water and Sewer met on April 1 via conference calls. Present were Chairman Daniel Chase, legal consultant Blair Bailey, along with commissioners Al Mennino and Dana Barrows.

            Also present was Water and Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld. During the course of his updates on various ongoing projects, Renauld said, due to the importance of assuring worker safety and the need to have healthy employees ready at all times, he has divided the staff into teams. Renauld explained that the departments’ workforce has been split into two teams working on a rotating schedule to try and ensure as much physical separation and viability as possible.

            “If one person in a team gets sick, the entire team has to be quarantined,” he said. He stated that many people are working from home. In a follow-up, Renauld told The Wanderer that he has tried to duplicate each position, setting up in-field teams but also providing for his replacement in the event he becomes ill. He said that retired superintendent Nick Nicholson would replace him if necessary. Office staff is also working on a rotating schedule, he said.

            Renauld wanted to assure the public that the water supply is safe and that twice-monthly testing is performed. He said that people do not need to buy bottled water. He told the commissioners that the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency uses a checklist for ensuring the safety of the public water supply. Mattapoisett’s water department and the Mattapoisett River Valley aquifer serves parts of Marion and Rochester, as well as Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. “There is no indication the pathogen can be transmitted in the drinking water,” he said. “I’m also having weekly conference calls with the EPA.”

            A bigger issue, Renauld said, was the flushing of various types of hygiene wipes into the municipal sewer system. He said private septic systems would also be impacted.

            “Every time there is a clog, we’ve got to put our staff in a trench.” While it is unlikely any pathogen could survive in the sewer system, Renauld said emergency maintenance situations put the worker in harm’s way.

            “Even if the package says the wipe can be flushed, don’t do it,” Renauld urged the public.

            In other business, Renauld updated the commissioners on the cost estimates for expanding the public sewer system from Route 6 north along North Street to the intersection with Industrial Drive.

            Renauld said that preliminary estimates found that each household would face paying $47,000 in betterment fees. When asked, he said that several years ago the estimate had been $40,000. “The size of the project is the problem,” he said. There simply aren’t enough residences to share the cost, he said. Too few homes would mean a heavy financial burden to each household in the expansion zone.

            The commissioners expressed their dismay at the high estimate, with Chase saying, “I’m appalled.” 

“It would be hard to present that to the residents,” Renauld stated. 

Barrows said, “Don’t even bother – that kind of money is obscene.” 

Renauld concurred saying, “Due to inflation, I don’t think the project is economical for the residents.”

            Barrows asked if another estimate using a different engineering group would be advisable before presenting anything to the public. Renauld said he would follow-up on that idea. Barrows said, “We need due diligence.”

            Chase said he wanted to focus on the next big sewer project, Pease’s Point, as the commissioners agreed to table further discussion on North Street sewer expansion at this time.

            Renauld also updated the commission on the Eel Pond sewer project, saying that grant monies would soon be released to cover some of the initial outlay that the town was required to fund, and that some environmental engineering studies completed for Phase 1b of the bike path could be used to satisfy some of the studies required by Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department had not been scheduled at press time.

Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Commission

By Marilou Newell