Residents should cross out October 17 from their meeting calendars. The Fall Town Meeting scheduled for that date was cancelled on September 1 after the Rochester Select Board approved Town Administrator Glen Cannon’s recommendation to nix holding the October meeting after he noted only one warrant article had been proposed.
Cannon said the Zoning Board of Appeals has decided not to proceed with a proposal to enact a moratorium on permitting any new solar facilities in Rochester. Such a moratorium would have put a stop to any new solar farms moving to town for up to a year.
The Planning Board was considering language changes to the town’s marijuana sales bylaw but has agreed to save the article for the spring Town Meeting.
Cannon said it made little sense to hold such a meeting for one article. “It costs a lot of money to hold one,” he said. “It would be a waste.”
“No use going through the trouble,” Select Board member Bradford Morse agreed.
Before this agenda item, the Select Board approved a plan to send town data to the cloud. The members endorsed Cannon’s proposal to move town records, using a new town-hall-based server to an internet-cloud data-storage service. The contract will be with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a sub consultant to the town’s IT consultant (ICS Unified) in the amount of $9,038.86 for five years, a total contract amount of $45,194.30.
Cannon said cloud data storage keeps town records more secure; hackers cannot access them. At the same time, cloud data is easier for town employees working from home to access.
The board then approved the three-year contract for the Rochester Police Department’s new lieutenant, Catherine Connolly, who was most recently a police officer for the Berkley Police Department.
Next, the board revealed that former Select Board candidate Adam Murphy has expressed interest in being appointed to the newly proposed Personnel Board. Select Board Chairman Woody Hartley said the board would hold on to Murphy’s application until two more members volunteer.
The board then approved contracting with Northborough-based CMRK Inc. to pick up used clothing from town residents. The reason for needing this service, Cannon said, is that as of November 1, the state Department of Environmental Protection will no longer allow SEMASS to collect such items for recycling purposes. Residents will be unable to add these items to the trash collection.
CMRK Inc. will place its collection bins at various town-owned parcels around Rochester and will pick up used clothing items from residents on a regular schedule. The service will earn money for the town at $7 per pound of clothing picked up. The selectmen agreed a flyer will need to be sent to residents announcing the change.
Lastly, the board approved the details of the proposed Public Safety Building Feasibility Study Committee. The committee’s charge will be to advise the town on what option is best for the town’s police and fire/rescue services; a new shared facility and separate public safety facilities are both under consideration.
The committee will consist of between seven and nine members and will include: one Select Board member or designee, one Finance Committee member or designee, Police Chief Robert Small and Fire Chief Scott Weigel, the town administrator as a nonvoting member and four residents not connected to Rochester’s public-safety departments.
Hartley said his most important message is that residents step forward to be a part of this committee. They should contact Town Hall or the town administrator.
The board then set Thursday, September 22, as the date it will interview the three finalists who have bid to become the feasibility study’s architect. This meeting will be held at the Council on Aging Senior Center starting at 6:00 pm and will be open to the public and accessible remotely via Zoom.
The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, September 19, at 6:00 pm.
Rochester Select Board
By Michael J. DeCicco