The Rochester Board of Selectmen on December 16 voted to accept a LAND (Land Acquisitions for Natural Diversity) grant for $345,769 for the purchase of a conservation restriction on 109 acres of wetlands and open space.

            The 109 acres is located in the northeastern part of town off Walnut Plain Road and Old Middleboro Road and is owned by Decas Cranberry.

            The conservation of this particular land is especially important, said Rochester Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon. The state has mapped the land as “highly desirable” for conservation, given the presence of the Eastern box turtle and other threatened species that make this part of Rochester their habitat. According to Farinon, the state favors conservation acquisitions like this one when it considers its grant applications.

            The state’s LAND grant program helps municipalities acquire land for conservation and passive recreational use by reimbursing them up to $400,000 for land acquisition or for conservation restrictions.

            “This particular project rang all the bells and whistles with the state,” said Farinon.

            The Buzzards Bay Coalition assisted in negotiations with Decas Cranberry and will hold the fee in the property while the Town of Rochester will hold the conservation restriction.

            The land will be made available for the use of public passive recreation with the creation of a trailhead and parking area.

            The Board of Selectmen voted to authorize Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar to sign the LAND grant paperwork in order for the town to receive the funds.

            The next step will be a formal acceptance of the grant money at the Annual Town Meeting.

            The conservation restriction will be purchased by funds the town will front ahead of receiving the grant, and ultimately will be acquired at no cost to the town.

            In other business, the selectmen set the date for the next Annual Town Meeting for May 18, 2020, at 7:00 pm at Rochester Memorial School.

            The warrant is now open for citizens’ petitions and article submissions and will close at 1:00 pm on Friday, February 21.

            Also during the meeting, Rochester Water Commissioner Fred Underhill gave the board an update on the water main project that will provide water from Middleboro to the Annie Maxim House on North Avenue.

            “Finally, it looks as though it may come to fruition,” Underhill said.

            According to Underhill, the project will be put out to bid in January. He was concerned about an extra $10,000 charge the Annie Maxim House will face due to its agreement to install a bigger 12-inch pipe down North Avenue as opposed to a nearby field along the Middleboro border – a request from the Town of Rochester. Underhill said the $10,000 charge was ordered by the Middleboro Water Department to install a vault in the road with a metering system in order to accommodate any future expansion in water to Rochester.

            During her town administrator’s report, Szyndlar announced that the town has leased two new Chevrolet Volts, two fully-electric cars to replace the Kia Souls that only provided 90 miles per charge as opposed to the Volts that provide 260 miles per charge. At the end of the lease, the town will own the vehicles.

            In other matters, the Facilities Department has received an $8,480 grant to purchase maintenance software to track and schedule town maintenance projects. The software will be installed at the Highway Department office.

            “It will help improve the operations and just keep track of everything,” Szyndlar said.

            The Fire Department received a $5,551 grant to purchase firefighter gear.

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

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

            Two decades ago, a group of volunteers took on the massive task of crafting a Master Plan for the Town of Mattapoisett. Now, as the Mattapoisett Planning Board begins the process of facilitating the writing of a new Master Plan, the need for fresh ideas and new eyes was discussed.

            During the December 16 meeting of the Planning Board, members discussed the first steps toward creating a document that should guide the town as it moves deeper into the 21^st century – any Master Plan written now will have the potential expiration date of 2040.

            Grant King, director of Comprehensive Planning at the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) has been engaged by the Town to study one particular component of the new Master Plan: affordable housing. King’s recommendation for a Housing Committee suggested that members of existing committees such as the Community Preservation Committee, Conservation Commission, Planning Board, and others, should be part of that new affordable housing research community. But Planning Board chairman Tom Tucker felt otherwise when it came to a Master Plan committee.

            “It should be people in the neighborhoods,” said Tucker. “I think we know the town better than SRPEDD.”

            The nine elements of the 2000 Master Plan, generally used as the format for all such municipal plans were: Future Growth and Development Statement, Land Use Goals and Policies, Housing Goals and Policy Statement, Economic Development and Employment, Historic and Cultural Assets, Open Space and Recreation, Public Services and Facilities, and Implementation.

            Tucker also noted that the 2000 document found that barriers to growth were primarily a result of not having access to municipal sewer.

            Another concern is the public water supply. The 2000 Master Plan reads in part:

            “The foremost issue facing the Town is the potential threat to our water supply, both in availability and quality, due to possible overbuilding with overflow of excess nutrients. Based on estimates and usage statistics, fewer than 10,000 additional homes can be built in the four Towns (Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Marion) that depend upon the Mattapoisett River Aquifer for water.”

            The Planning Board debated the merits of asking volunteers from the 2000 Master Plan Committee to be on the 2020 committee, but Tucker held fast to his belief that “younger” members of the committee should also be considered, saying, “They are the future…”

            And while the board recognized the importance of an historical reference in terms of former committee members, they also suggested high school-aged students might provide a fresh viewpoint.

            There was an eight-member committee in 2000.

            Tucker said the committee should reflect the entire community and all neighborhoods and asked Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain to put out a press release asking for volunteers.

            The board hopes to receive enough volunteers to begin the process of writing a new Master Plan by the beginning of March 2020. To do so they would need the committee to be in place by the end of January 2020, Tucker said. Anyone interested was asked to contact Crain at 508-758-4100 or by email planning@mattapoisett.net.

            To view the 2000 Master Plan, visit www.mattapoisett.net/planning-board.

            In other business, the board met with members of the new Fire Station Building Committee. Committee Chairman Mike Hickey discussed traffic studies, working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for traffic signals on Route 6, and other fine points of the Planning Board’s written decision.

            Roland Cote, tree warden, also came before the Planning Board and received authorization to remove trees located along 62 North Street, contingent upon the homeowner agreeing to plant new trees.

            Cote said he would send letters to other property owners who had agreed to replant trees after the town removed trees, but have failed to do. He said there is also a program in partnership with the town’s Tree Committee whereby the town will plant trees along scenic byways on private property if the location is deemed acceptable to the town. The program includes the town’s care of these newly planted trees for a three-year period to ensure their survival.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for January 6 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

            Mattapoisett has become a favored location for road races, according to the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen. There is the now well-established and very popular Fourth of July race, the Lions Club Triathlon, as well as a Mother’s Day Tiara 5k, Veterans Day race, and the most recent Santa Run. Add to that the festivals, car shows, and an assortment of other events, the village streets of Mattapoisett see a lot of action.

            “As we close out the event season we need to look at the number of events taking place in the center of town,” said Selectman Jordan Collyer.

            Faced with neighborhood concerns over parking, pedestrian and motor vehicle congestion, and post-event clean-up, along with expenses they say are shouldered by taxpayers for police and fire services, the selectmen believed it was time to take a hard look at how the town permits such activities.

            “In the summer, people are trying to get to their boats, the beach or just around town,” Collyer said. “When is enough, enough? We need a written policy.”

            Selectman Paul Silva echoed those sentiments: “I felt it was time to bring the concerns of the neighborhood forward,” Silva told Collyer. “You are right on.”

            Silva said that if he lived in the village he’d be upset by the number of events – events that make getting around the village streets difficult.

“We need feedback from the community,” Silva suggested.

            The selectmen discussed ways to solicit community input to help them craft guidelines for the future. And while they believed the number of events should be reviewed, they also believed that charity events were worthwhile.; however, the cost to taxpayers was also a factor.

            “Whatever we do,” Silva said, “there’s money involved.” As for charity runs, Silva said he wants to make sure non-profit events would get the lion’s share of any monies generated. “Are they getting a good percentage?”

            Collyer said he didn’t want policy to be exclusionary.

            “I struggle with this,” said Collyer.

            Silva noted that the cooler seasons are not so much of an issue, but he returned his attention to the people living in the village neighborhood, saying, “People pay good taxes to live here.”

            They discussed how efforts to keep for-profit events out of Shipyard Park had worked, and that the ice cream trailer located in Shipyard Park – a permitted for-profit venue – contractually has to request permission via a Request for Proposal every three years.

            The selectmen agreed to do their due diligence, consolidate their thoughts, and, as Collyer said with a chuckle, “Go on a fact-finding safari.”

            Board of Selectmen Administrative Assistant Melody Pacheco said that recently a group of Old Rochester Regional High School students had approached her office with a request to consider a Memorial Day run. The students were invited to attend the selectmen’s meeting to discuss their ideas, but on this night the students were not present. Collyer said he would not be so concerned over high school students putting on an event to support their activities. He asked Pacheco to pull together a list of all activities taking place in public spaces, saying, “We’ve got to get this on the table.”

            The selectmen proposed having event organizers and residents meet in a workshop environment to help flesh out policy.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 7 at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

            Marion Town Planner Gil Hilario offered an “early Christmas present” to the Planning Board on December 16, when he notified board members that Marion had been awarded a $27,750 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

            “We’ve been awarded a Hazard Mitigation grant from FEMA,” Hilario said, noting that he had applied for the grant in 2018 and only just received word of the award. “It’s extremely important. It’s recommended that towns create or update a Hazard Mitigation Plan every five years or so. Marion’s is 15 to 20 years old.”

            A Hazard Mitigation Plan is a town-wide risk assessment that identifies buildings and resources at risk of storm or disaster damage and puts forward a plan to mitigate those risks.

            “It also opens up three grant opportunities,” Hilario mentioned. “With a Hazard Mitigation Plan, we can apply for pre-disaster mitigation for stormwater surges and culvert repair. We can also apply for floodwater mitigations.

            “If a resident was having substantial flooding issues, we could apply on their behalf,” he continued. “We would also be eligible for funding in the event that Marion was hit by a presidentially-declared ‘federal disaster.’”

            None of the funding, Hilario noted, is available without a current Hazard Mitigation Plan in place.

            The last declared federal disaster in Massachusetts occurred between March 2-3, 2018. Plymouth County, among other counties, was pummeled by severe winter storms and flooding. A total of $12.7 million dollars in FEMA aid was made available to the affected counties.

            “The award was excellent. We’ll be able to hire a good consultant to create a good Hazard Mitigation Plan,” Hilario told board members. “I think the Department of Public Works could also really benefit from this for areas of flooding or culverts that need repairing and maintaining.”

            Planning Board member Eileen Marum praised Hilario for his efforts.

            “You’ve got everything. I thank you for all your efforts and time in this; this is so important for Marion. Thank you, this is excellent,” she said.

            Also during the meeting, Marion resident Sherman Briggs came to the open comment section of the meeting armed with concerns; he suggested that Planning Board members reconsider its current affordable housing bylaw.

            Briggs pointed out that affordable housing units are taxed at a lower rate than market-rate units. The state mandates that 10 percent of all housing in any Massachusetts town be affordable housing. As new market-rate units spring up in Marion, the town will need to construct more affordable housing in order to keep the 10 percent requirement.

            Briggs pointed out that Marion, with little land left to develop, will in the future be unable to collect a large portion of market-rate taxes if further affordable housing construction is required.

            Planning Board member Andrew Daniel said he could see Briggs’ point.

            “Once we get to 10 percent, why are we putting more regulation on something we didn’t have to?” he asked. “If we have a project that could have more market-rate houses, but we’re required to include affordable housing, we’re hurting ourselves by not adding in units taxed at a higher value.”

            Planning Board Chairman Will Saltonstall considered Briggs’ comments, saying, “If [Briggs’ proposed condominium complex on Spring Street] goes ahead and pushes us over 10 percent affordable housing in town,” he mused, “should the bylaw then be revisited and looked at differently?”

            “I would love the flexibility,” said Daniel. “I feel like we might be over-regulating ourselves and therefore hurting positive growth in town.”

            “We shouldn’t lose any more of the little land we have to 40B tax rates,” said Briggs. “We should be bringing in new growth and higher taxes on the little land we have.”

            “We’ve reached the state target and that’s a good thing,” Hilario said. “We’re one of the first to do it, and now we have the opportunity to revisit what direction we want to go next.”

            Ultimately, Planning Board members decided to pursue a joint meeting with the Marion Affordable Housing Trust in order to discuss Briggs’ concerns in further detail.

            The next Planning Board meeting will be on January 6 at 5:00 pm at the Marion Town House. The meeting will be held early to accommodate the Route 6 Planning Meeting that will be held by SRPEDD on the same night.

Marion Planning Board

By Andrea Ray