Developers of a potential solar farm off Snipatuit Road have offered to donate a 108-acre parcel of land abutting the 15 acres of proposed solar arrays to the Town, but the Rochester Board of Selectmen is hesitant to decide whether the Town or the Rochester Land Trust should accept the land donation.
On October 19, the board inched closer to deciding that the land trust should acquire the land, but held off on a formal vote until legal details could be assessed by town counsel.
Rochester Assistant Assessor Charles Shea told the board that tax revenue would be minimally affected if the land were taken out of Chapter 61 designation and converted to town-owned conservation land. Currently, he said, the Chapter 61 land is taxed at $50 per acre and assessed at $5,400.
The 15 acres of solar arrays are what will generate revenue for the town, valued at $500,000. In the agreement, Shea said the developer, Melink Corporation, would make a substantial payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) – the benefit of which will outweigh the loss of the Chapter 61 land tax.
The Conservation Commission once opposed a town acquisition of the land, but then reconsidered their position and advocated for either town or land trust acceptance. Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon said the land would connect to other parcels of recreational land and currently contains various hiking trails, a benefit to the townspeople. In addition, the land abuts environmentally sensitive areas such as Logging Swamp and two aquifers.
“These are the reasons why the Conservation Commission forwarded the memo and voted to recommend the acceptance,” said Farinon.
Selectmen discussed potential uses of the land, such as hiking and possibly hunting, although the board is divided on its stance on hunting, with Chairman Richard Nunes neutral on the issue, Selectman Naida Parker opposed, and Selectman Brad Morse in favor – as Nunes put it, “He’s an avid hunter, he’ll kill anything,” eliciting laughter.
The board agreed the land trust might have more flexibility in the uses of the land, while Town Administrator Michael McCue wondered if the town’s insurance would be affected by an allowance of hunting on a property of such a size.
The board held off on making a decision until all of the “down sides” to town ownership could be uncovered.
Also during the meeting, Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee defended his department to the selectmen in light of comments members of the Rochester Country Fair Board of Directors made at the board’s last meeting about the cost of police presence at the event.
Some facts were not discussed the night of October 7, Magee said, including how the number of detail police officers has not risen since 2010, and detail hourly costs have “only increased by $3 per hour,” a $372 increase in police detail costs for the country fair. Detail cops are one of the highest expenses for the country fair.
“I think for an event of this size … those increases have been very, very mild,” Magee said, adding that the department has made a “tremendous effort in keeping costs in check.”
Magee took offense to RCF BOD Co-Chairman Dave Souza’s assertion that the Fire Department was generous while the police was disappointing.
“In 2015, the Police Department provided 73 man hours to the fair at no cost,” said Magee. “I don’t think we could be more generous and accommodating at this point.”
That is a $3,100 savings to the country fair, Magee stated.
The chief said he thinks the problem lies in the Police Department’s practice of “operat[ing] under the radar.”
“We’re not out making a big deal about it. We’re not patting ourselves on the back,” said Magee.
As for Souza’s comparison of the country fair traffic and parking with the soccer fields on Dexter Lane on weekends, Magee said there is no comparison. The country fair brings in thousands over the course of four days, and with the soccer games only a couple hundred parents come to watch the game for a few hours. Magee compared the number of detail officers at the Rochester Country Fair with the Westport Country Fair, 128 and 230, respectively.
“And I can’t say that [the Westport] fair is twice as big,” Magee told the selectmen, “but know that we are trying to keep that as reasonable as possible.”
Year after year, he said, people comment on how there aren’t any problems at the fair and ask, why do we need so many officers? It is because of the police presence, commented Magee.
“I certainly very much enjoy working with the fair committee,” said Magee, “I don’t think you can find a better group of individuals more dedicated.…”
Later in the meeting, Laurene Gerrior of the Rochester Historical Commission and several fellow members put forth a notion that the historical district of Rochester Center must be preserved for its history, evidenced by many archeological finds, of which there may still be many undiscovered.
The area of focus was the land at and near the old cemetery adjacent to a large lot slated for a solar energy installation, although the solar farm was not specifically mentioned.
Gerrior talked of prehistoric Native American finds, such as a number of arrowheads and a “pound corn rock,” evidence of agriculture in the immediate area. She cited the Dexter Lane soccer fields as a site of significant archeological finds.
“There was a [Native American] settlement not too far from Rochester Center,” said Gerrior. “We need to be concerned with protecting and preserving the historical context [of the center].”
She is not anti-development, Gerrior stated, but the historic nature of the area is “both fragile and irreplaceable.”
“Once lost it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace,” said Gerrior. According to Gerrior, state law and the Massachusetts Historical Commission requires projects planned for a historic location such as Rochester Center to appear before the local historic district commission and historical commission for approval.
Parker called the Massachusetts Historic Commission “the big stick” the Town could use to fend off unwanted developments in the town’s historical district.
“It was there before us, and it should be respected,” said Gerrior.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for November 2 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
