On August 12, the Rochester Board of Selectmen met briefly to discuss an appointment and to affirm the appointment of a treasurer, and to go into executive session to discuss non-union personnel matters.
The board appointed Mike Kavacevich to the Rochester Cultural Council for a term of three years, and they affirmed the proposal of hiring Patricia Roderick as the town’s treasurer contingent upon employment negotiations.
They also met with resident Paul Meumier, 37 Boxberry Drive, who wished to discuss issues and possible solutions with respect to the issuance of parking passes for Rochester residents at beaches in the Town of Marion.
A longstanding agreement between Rochester and Marion grants Rochester residents the privilege of purchasing beach parking passes. Donna Hemphill, an administrative assistant to the Marion Harbormaster’s Office, said the parking passes cover access to Silvershell Beach, Island Wharf, and Old Landing, but that guest passes are not issued or granted to Rochester residents. Marion residents may receive one guest pass per season, Hemphill stated, “But if they misplace it, we can’t reissue it.”
Meumier brought to the board’s attention a circumstantial hardship, explaining that when his family visits and wants to access the beach, it is not safe or convenient for them to place child safety seats from the visitor’s vehicle inside one of his Rochester-registered vehicles. He said that a day pass would help to resolve the matter for his family but that such passes are not presently granted by either town.
Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar said in a follow-up that the matter will most likely be on the Tri-Town Selectmen’s meeting agenda scheduled for Wednesday, September 1. She said that the process of issuing beach passes and associated parking is clear for Rochester residents who own property and garage their vehicles in Rochester, but requires additional documentation if registration is tied to another community. She said that in those cases, the property owner needs to provide proof that the vehicle is registered in another community, like a business asset, but garaged with the resident at their Rochester location.
The Town of Mattapoisett suspended the sale of day passes in the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19. That hiatus of day-pass sales has continued into 2021, but people visiting Mattapoisett may park off-site and walk onto the beach.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen was not set at the conclusion of the August 12 public session.
Rochester Board of Selectmen
By Marilou Newell