An article on the May 20 Rochester Annual Town Meeting Warrant will ask voters to decide on whether to maintain the elected position of town clerk or allow the Board of Selectmen to appoint a qualified candidate.

            Town Clerk Naida Parker will retire from her position after 35 years as town clerk, prompting Board of Selectmen Chairman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley to ask his fellow selectmen for their opinion on offering up the position as an appointed one, subject to Town Meeting approval.

            “We’ve grown a lot in the last 25 years,” Hartley said on April 1. “We’ve changed a lot and I feel like the townspeople … deserve that the office of the town clerk be open the same hours as the town hall and that we have the opportunity to have a backup person who is authorized to do the same things the town clerk can do.”

            Hartley lamented that elected officials, including the town clerk, are allowed to set their own hours and schedules, which might have an impact on the citizens’ access to services at Town Hall. He added that the town should be able to have an assistant clerk in the Town Clerk’s Office as well so that someone can be in that office during Town Hall business hours.

            Hartley researched towns similar in size to Rochester and found that the trend is indeed moving towards an appointed town clerk, which offers some benefits to towns, including larger pools of qualified, experienced candidates from which to choose.

            “I’m in favor of presenting it to the voters,” said Selectman Brad Morse. “I think it gives us a chance to seek a level of professionalism in the office and appoint someone who’s up for the job versus …”

            Speaking over Morse, Hartley added, “It broadens our expanse to find somebody.”

            “The town has grown and people need access to the town clerk on a daily basis,” said Selectman Paul Ciaburri. “I think it should go in front of the townspeople and let them decide.

            “It’s a big jump to do away with an elected position,” Ciaburri continued, “but I think it’s time to look at the other side.”

            In other business, the town is hoping to be awarded a state recycling grant worth $20,000 to help educate Rochester citizens on effective single-stream recycling, but a provision of the grant would be implementing a program for recycle bin inspections to help curb dirty curbside recycling.

            The curbside recycling compliance program entails the hiring of several individuals to perform curbside inspections of 20 percent of recycle bins over an eight-week period. Hartley commented that the inspectors would likely be students or seniors participating in the senior tax work-off program.

            The inspectors would not be performing full inspections of the bins, but rather superficial inspections of the top items to check for problematic items such as plastic bags and dirty pizza boxes, the top offenders in dirty single-stream recycling. Those found to be noncompliant would be tagged with information on the noncompliant items inside the bin.

            The recycling grant will ultimately provide funding for informational mailings for residents as the town takes steps toward improving the recycling habits of its citizens.

            “The whole purpose is to make us better recyclers and, therefore, save the town money,” said Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar.

            Also during the meeting, the board voted to refer two zoning bylaw articles back to the Planning Board to hold the public hearings ahead of Town Meeting – one bylaw for the zoning of marijuana cultivation facilities and retail sites, and another for the Smart Growth Overlay Zoning District.

            Town Counsel Blair Bailey said the marijuana bylaw would restrict cannabis cultivation facilities to 5-acre properties throughout town, including within the agricultural/residential zoning district; laboratories and marijuana product processing facilities would be limited to the industrial zone only, while marijuana retail stores would be allowed in the general commercial zone.

            The overlay district bylaw article is what will accommodate the 40R residential complex on Cranberry Highway near the intersection of Routes 58 and 28.

            “It is the necessary step to move forward with Town Meeting’s approval of an overlay district [and] this is limited to that property,” said Bailey. 

            Szyndlar reported that Steen Realty, the developer of the proposed 40R, has completed its application with the state, and the financial impact analysis will begin next week. Results of the analysis on how the development will impact the town financially will be presented during another public forum the town will host ahead of Town Meeting.

            In other matters, the selectmen congratulated Cheryl Randall Mach as she was selected to be the next director of the Rochester Senior Center, replacing Sharon Lally as she retires August 1 after 13 years in the position.

            There will be an article on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant for voters to approve or deny allowing the Town to borrow $2 million to help fund the Old Rochester Regional High School athletic complex and auditorium upgrades project.

            There is a one-year appointed position on the Rochester School Committee open, as Meagan Bennett has resigned. Any letters of interest may be addressed to Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar at the Rochester Town Hall.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for April 15 at 6:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

Planning board meetings are the venue for holding public hearings on issues related to bylaws such as amendments, changes, or the inclusion of new bylaws. “But that doesn’t mean we have to sponsor them,” said Mattapoisett Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker on April 1.

            The meeting agenda read, “Discussion and Vote On Sponsorship: Zoning Bylaw amendment to permit an increase in lot coverage in the Limited Industry District from 50-percent to 70-percent based on the availability of sewer service.”

            Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain explained that Town Administrator Michael Gagne had sent a letter to the board members instructing them to consider the zoning bylaw amendment that would impact this business area; however, the actual amendment, one that would eventually have to find its way to Town Meeting, was not provided.

            Attending the meeting was Highway Superintendent Barry Denham, who said he was on the committee tasked with preparing plans and documents related to the future expansion of the town’s Limited Industry District – land confined to an area off North Street and wedged between what is now the Bay Club and Route 195 to the Marion town line.

            “The original lot coverage was based on those lots having on-site septic systems,” said Denham. That’s why so much land was set aside.” He continued, saying that plans being explored include providing municipal sewer service to that area that could ultimately mean an increase in available area for development, larger buildings, or possibly multiple buildings on a single lot.

            The committee has been investigating grant proposals that could fund an even larger multi-million dollar project that would include a new roadway with infrastructure improvements like the continuation of the Mattapoisett bike path from North Street to the Marion town line, along with the opportunity for new businesses.

            “Now there is a proposal to run sewer, so land can be freed up for building purposes,” Denham said. “It’s important to the tax base.”

            Lot coverage and how it is calculated was questioned by Planning Board members Karen Field and Nathan Ketchell who suggested parking and impervious surfaces as a necessary component in preparing calculations versus simply just the size and number of structures.

            Denham said each lot would have to have stormwater systems sufficient to handle water on site, but Ketchell inferred that there might be a way for existing businesses to circumvent making changes in stormwater management planning simply through the Building Department.

            Arriving to address some of the questions that night was David McIntire, a prime mover and property owner in the land being discussed.

            “Anything over 1,000 square feet will come to the Planning Board for review,” McIntyre stated.

            Planning Board member Janice Robbins said, “I don’t feel informed enough to know if 70 percent is reasonable. We haven’t even seen the draft yet. I can’t vote on something I haven’t seen.”

            Field also asked McIntire where he was proposing to locate a marijuana cultivation operation, a topic not slated for discussion on this night but brought up by Field. McIntire said there were three possible locations within the Limited Industry District, including a former hat factory, which he said he was in negotiations to purchase.

            Tucker said the Planning Board didn’t need to sponsor the amendment being discussed, but that it is required to hold the public hearing on the proposed amendment article before it could advance to Town Meeting.

            “The selectmen can sponsor it if they want to,” Tucker stated.

            In other matters, engineer Doug Schneider represented Andre Rieksts for an informal discussion for a two-lot subdivision off Park Place. He described the project as “evolving”, and inclusive of a plan to construct a more than 400-foot long private driveway extending from a currently constructed but unimproved public roadway known as Park Place. 

            The proposal would include Park Place being improved by the developer and continuing on across the former railroad easement to a cul-de-sac.

            Schneider described water management systems that would include the installation of culverts and wetlands considerations such as replication areas and turtle crossings. He explained that the two new lots would be serviced by municipal water and sewer services currently available along Park Place.

            The project received a favorable first impression from the board members. 

            The board also re-visited a Form C Definitive Subdivision project proposed by Scott Snow to be located off Prospect Road, known as Eldridge Estates. The proposal includes a five-lot design.

            Tucker said that the applicant was seeking a continuance until May 8. Snow offered that difficulties had been ironed out with the Sewer Department regarding private septic plans for some lots and municipal sewer tie-ins for others, and assured the board that plans would be completed by the hearing date, May 8.

            Another discussion item was a request by Joseph Furtado to grant building permits for residential construction at the Brandt Point Village subdivision. This request inspired Tucker to look up from the table saying, “The developer didn’t even come in!” Then ensued a lively discussion regarding the historic lack of responsiveness on the part of the developers, incomplete or insufficient completion of work on Phase One – most notably, the ill-working community septic system – and three incomplete structures now suffering the ravishes of time and weather.

            Crain said she would again ask for developer representatives to present themselves at a future meeting and also request an updated report from peer review consultant Ken Motta of Field Engineering. The request for new building permits was denied.

            Before adjourning, Crain said she would be requesting assistance from SPREDD to aid in the development of Zoning Bylaw amendments.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for May 8 at 7:00 pm at Old Hammondtown School.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell