Members of the Fairhaven Finance Committee and the Fairhaven School Committee are at odds about the move to use more than $700,000 for extra add-ons to the high school s turf project.
Last year, town meeting approved $1.2 million for the project that would change the natural grass field at Fairhaven High to an artificial turf. An additional $200,000 would be provided by alumni for a total of $1.4 million being allocated to the athletic field.
However, Lisa Plante, Vice President of the Fairhaven Finance Committee, said that the project currently underway down at the field has ballooned into much more. I looked through the plans yesterday and noticed it is a much larger scope of a project than what Town Meeting approved, she said. In all my time as a town meeting member, when we vote on something the article is voted by word. You can t change things like this.
May 24, 2021
Every agenda item at Rochester’s Town Meeting, held at Rochester Memorial School on May 24, was passed with little discussion. Photo by: Aidan Pollard
ROCHESTER There wasn’t much in the way of passing Annual Town Meeting articles on May 24.
Every agenda item at Rochester’s Town Meeting, held at Rochester Memorial School, was passed with little discussion.
Voters at the meeting passed the town’s $22.9 million overall operating budget an increase of $350,000 over the Fiscal Year 2021 with no discussion.
“What a difference a year makes,” Finance Committee Chair Kristian Stoltenburg said in a budget explanation before the meeting’s opening, noting the committee recommendations for the budget indicated “a growing sense of normalcy and optimism unlike last year.”
Board of Selectmen renamed ‘Select Board’
Sandy Quadros Bowles May 10, 2021
Voters at Town Meeting on May 10 approved a name change of the town’s governing board and a $450,000 debt exclusion for road improvements. Photo by: Sandy Quadros Bowles
MATTAPOISETT The town’s governing board has a new name, and the town has issued a new Mattapoisett-specific meals tax.
Voters at Monday’s Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved a change of the board’s title from Board of Selectmen to Select Board.
“There shouldn’t be gender bias,’’ select board member Jordan Collyer said.
The name change, Collyer noted, mirrors the term adopted by many towns across the state. “It’s about time Mattapoisett does the same thing,’’ he said.
Mattapoisett Town Hall. Photo by: Grace Ballenger
MATTAPOISETT Voters at the May 10 Town Meeting will be asked to approve a temporary tax hike to fund road repair and change the name of the town’s governing board to the gender-neutral Select Board.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 10, at Old Rochester Regional High School.
All registered Mattapoisett voters are entitled to attend and participate. Attendees will be asked to weigh in on a variety of municipal issues.
Voters will be asked to allow Selectmen to temporarily override the tax-limiting Proposition 2½, to take on $450,000 in debt for a project to improve Main Street, Water Street, Beacon Street and Marion Road.
Kate Robinson Apr 29, 2021
A group of seniors poses for a photo underneath balloons at the Old Rochester Regional High School lobby. Photos by: Kate Robinson
Kids milling in the lobby before the first class starts.
Junior Edward Gonet made the morning announcements on the first day back, as he does most days.
Desks are spaced six feet apart in the cafeteria.
Students are allowed to remain three feet apart with their masks on in classrooms, like Mr. Kane’s first period math class.
Parents set up a selfie station in the lobby.
On April 27, students came back to Old Rochester Regional to learn in person for the first time since schools closed in March 2020.