The July 15 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen was primarily an evening of appointments and reappointments.
The board appointed William Cantor, 4 Prospect Road, as an alternate member of the Board of Appeals and Ken Pacheco of 1 Lynfield Lane as a regular member of the Board of Appeals. They also voted to reappoint Bob Rogers and Marylou Kelliher to the Conservation Commission.
The Fire Department roster of appointments and reappointments included, for firefighters: Gary Bowman; Ross Macedo; Todd Henshaw; Tim Murray; Hayden Vieira; Tom Checkman; Darren Boucher; Micheal Muldoon; Marc Nadeau; Samuel Hill; Ned Kaiser; Adam Katz; Rebecca Smith; Cory Silva, and Steven Mills. Zachery Olivier and Pierce Randall were appointed as probationary firefighters.
Senior officers reappointed were Walter Morgado, call deputy chief; Capt. Michael Behan; Capt. David Scott; Capt. E. Robert Garde; Capt. Jordan Collyer; Lt. James Harlfinger, and Lt. Justin Dubois. Fire Alarm Superintendent is Fire Chief Andrew Murray, and assistant fire superintendents are Jordan Collyer, Robert Lincoln, and Matthew Whitlow. Dispatcher is Patrick Dawson and, for fire prevention, Andrew Bobola.
The Selectmen voted to accept the resignation of Cecile Callahan from the Recreation Committee.
Secretary Melody Pacheco shared with the board that town employees along with the family and friends of Charles Ouellette will be holding a memorial service at Ned’s Point on July 26. Pacheco can be contacted at Town Hall for the time of the service in the coming days.
The herring count has been completed and Selectman Tyler Macallister told the other members about the impressive results for the Mattapoisett River. The count was 55,000 up nearly 30,000 over last year. He said that the Sippican River’s count also indicates an uptick in the local herring population. Mattapoisett will maintain a fishing moratorium on herring until further notice.
Town Administrator Mike Gagne reported that water leaks have been repaired on the town wharves, as have the electrical wiring problems. He applauded the efforts of Barry Denham and his team, as well as Harbormaster Jill Simmons and her team for getting the work completed.
The Eagle Scout project to create handicapped access ramps at the Ned’s Point restroom has been completed, as has the handicapped access work at the town beach bathhouse.
Regarding the summer Recreation Department camp program, Gagne was happy to share that it has been a great success and gave credit to Deb Allaire and her team.
Rounding out his report was the ongoing evaluation and surveying of Water Street, Beacon Street, Main Street, and Marion Road for reconstruction, sidewalks, and storm drainage. Gagne said that, with help from Field Engineering, he should be able to prepare necessary documents for submittal to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Mattapoisett’s Tree Committee has also been conducting an investigation into the health of all trees along the scenic roadways in the village, and numbering each tree. That report, he said, would be included in upcoming public meetings. Those meetings will give the public full details on the scope of work proposed.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for August 5 at 7:00 pm.
By Marilou Newell
