The February 14 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board found the members not only filling empty seats on various boards and committees but also noting the number of seats that are up for reelection or to be filled with new faces come May 16.
Mattapoisett’s 2023 Election Nomination papers have been available since January 30 with the last day to request papers being March 24 at 5 pm. One of the seats that will become vacant is that on the Select Board. Tyler Macallister’s term will be ending. When asked if he will seek reelection he stated, “The jury is out.”
Other seats coming available include that of Town Moderator. After more than 20 years as the Town Meeting voice (along with other responsibilities) Jack Eklund is hanging up (or dropping) the microphone. In a letter to the Board, he said he would not be seeking reelection in May.
Another pivotal position up for reelection is that of the Town Clerk. Other seats are: assessor, Mattapoisett School Committee, two seats on the Old Rochester School Committee, two seats on the Trustee of the Public Library, water/sewer commissioner, Board of Health, Planning Board, Mattapoisett Housing Authority and two seats on the Community Preservation Act committee. Complete details are available at Mattapoisett.net.
On this night, the Board also appointed five new members to various committees. They are, Jan Brodie to the Mattapoisett Tree Committee, Lauren Rosa and Cecile Callahan as members of the Council on Aging Board of Directors, Bonne DeSousa to the Mattapoisett Bike Committee and Jennifer Wong as a member of the South Coast Bikeway Alliance. The Board also accepted resignations from Seth Asser from the South Coast Bikeway Alliance and Steven Cassidy from the Old Colony School Committee.
The Board also formally established the Holy Ghost Reuse Committee charge the essence of which is to explore opportunities for effectively using the 5-acre parcel. The committee will be comprised of members from the Recreation Department, Highway Department, Council on Aging, Capital Planning, an interested party for a future dog park at the location and two at-large members to be selected by the committee. Lorenco said that the town is seeking grant opportunities that may be used to make improvements and renovations to the existing structure and the grounds.
Updated Harbor Rules and Regulations will finally see the light of day after several years’ worth of meetings, discussions and revisions by the Marine Advisory Board. Chairman Carlos DeSousa said the majority of the changes were formatting issues and grammatical errors that needed to be corrected. The new edition will also include a fee schedule that was also recently updated. All that is left to do now is post the revised document for public review and comment and hold a public meeting, Board Member Jordan Collyer stated.
The Board discussed the opening of bidding for one concession location at Shipyard Park. It was noted that every three years, the singular concession site must be opened to requests for bids. Those interested will find details at Mattapoisett.net at the end of February.
Lorenco updated the Board on the status of the Long Wharf construction project. He said the town’s engineering firm Childs Engineering is researching contractors to perform test borings and exploring possible cost saving measures. He also said that the 2021 Annual Report was now complete and will be posted to the town’s website.
The Board will meet on February 15 at 6 pm to discuss departmental budgets for Water/Sewer Enterprise Funds, Highway Department, Town Library, Board of Health and Council on Aging.
The next regular meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is planned for February 28, time to be posted.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell