On Tuesday night, Mattapoisett’s Board of Selectmen met with Treasurer Brenda Herbeck and Lisa Dickinson, Vice President of UniBank, with whom the town executes various financial activities, including the sale of bonds and notes.
Dickinson started her discussion with the board by congratulating the town for achieving the rare triple A rating from Standard & Poor. Noting that today the rating firm uses criterion that takes risk into consideration, Mattapoisett was considered worthy. She said that due to the town’s conservative spending practices, budget, liquidity, and management environment coupled with the newly achieved triple A rating, investors saw Mattapoisett as attractive, ultimately meaning a savings of $440,000.
Dickinson presented the members with the written vote for the record regarding the bond sale. She said that the sale day had been exceptional. Bond Series A sold to Raymond James & Associates for $1,697,393; Bond Series B sold to Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. for $4,370,000; and sold to Eastern Bank was $598,750 in the General Obligation State House Note. The full notice is available at the Town Clerk’s office.
The board also took the time to present certificates of appreciation to Jeremy Collier, Recreation Director, and Ken Dawicki of the Conservation Commission. Collier’s many contributions to the plans for a vital and vigorous Recreation Department was noted by Mike Gagne, Town Administrator. Chairman Tyler Macallister said that Dawicki’s 31 years of dedicated service to the town was outstanding, and that he brought cohesiveness to a group whose members were from disparate backgrounds. Dawicki said he was just a “small dirt farmer,” but credited his father with getting him involved in the Conservation Commission.
Gagne gave his report to the board. He highlighted the ongoing work taking place at the town’s tennis courts, specifically mentioning the unique post tension concrete slab construction that will help eliminate cracking. The site will also accommodate two shuffleboard lanes and bocce courts.
The land gift from the YMCA to the town for the bike path was also mentioned by Gagne, and that he would be reporting receipt of the title to Massachusetts Department of Transportation when he meets with them soon.
Bonnie DaSousa was on hand to bring the board up to date on her research into ways to add safety features at bike path intersections. She recently found two examples of warning structures from bike paths on Cape Cod that might aid in alerting cyclists of an approaching intersection. She also said that the police department’s website has great information for the public on bike safety. Starting in May 2014, the bike path committee will be holding various community events geared toward safety, cycling rules of the road, and enjoyment of the bike path.
Other agenda items included: accepting the resignation of the Housing Authority’s Marcia Perry; candidates interested in filling the empty term are invited to submit a letter of interest to the Housing Authority; Mattapoisett’s Community Blood Drive will take place on Wednesday, October 23 at the Bay Club from 1:00 to 6:00 pm; Fall Town Meeting is Monday, November 18, 6:30 pm at the ORR auditorium; Town Hall is closed in observation of Veteran’s Day on November 11; the next meeting of the Selectmen is scheduled for November 12 at 7:00 pm.
By Marilou Newell
