The Rochester Planning Board continued their discussion of the Right-to-Farm by-law drafting process at their regular meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2012. The purpose of the town bylaw, which echoes state law, acts to emphasize that all citizens of the Commonwealth have a right to farm on their land. Though the draft is a long way from being ratified, its progress seems promising.
“I think there are two tweaks to this. One pertaining to notification and the other for the ground water issue,” said Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson. Their hope is to bring the issue to the table at the Rochester Town Meeting scheduled for the autumn.
There was also some discussion about offering information regarding the by-law to the public during the Rochester County Fair in August, as a way to touch base with the residents on the progress.
“We don’t want people to think it’s a done deal, we want people to know it’s still open for discussion,” said member Susan Teal.
The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board will be on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall.
By Eric Tripoli