The dissolution of the Country Fair has left a void in the community life of Rochester residents and town employees. One of those town employees, Executive Assistant Amanda Baptiste, did some recent fact-finding and on Tuesday night brought a proposal to the Rochester Select Board.
She wants to form a Town Event Committee.
Baptiste has been in touch with Town Planner Nancy Durfee regarding Rochester’s Master Plan and determined that without the fair, Rochester needs a new town event. So she requested an advisory committee that would consist of herself, Durfee, Highway Surveyor Jeff Eldridge, Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel and two at-large members. (Those interested in joining an Events Committee are asked to reach out to Baptiste at Town Hall by calling 508-763-3871.)
Her concept is a core group to explore feasibility options before opening the floodgates to many volunteers.
The idea struck a positive cord with the Select Board, but member Brad Morse responded carefully, telling Baptiste to be weary of creating a similar scenario as what happened with the Country Fair.
“It can’t be the town. For instance … tax dollars shouldn’t be used, nor should employees be spending a lot of their time outside the normal scope of their work,” he said.
Select Board member Adam Murphy noted that Rochester does not have a recreation department. “I understand using town employees and resources … since we don’t have a recreation department to host, I don’t have an issue to explore a small event …,” he said.
Morse reinforced his cautionary tale that town employees avoid weeks on end working on an event.
“This is the kind of core group that worked on Memorial Day and the tree-lighting event,” said Baptiste, who also discussed the matter with Finance Director Suzanne Szyndlar “to see what we could do to accept donations so it wouldn’t be town funds.”
Resident Mary McCann said that while the town would like to run an event as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the town has the authority to run an event.
“We do, but we have to be fiscally responsible to all residents,” said Morse.
Town Administrator Glenn Cannon alluded to confusion among residents over donations that they thought were going to the Country Fair when they were actually going to the Town of Rochester. He said forming a nonprofit would make a new event a cleaner operation.
Morse recommended the board wait until two at-large members have been identified, at which point the board should revisit the matter with an approval in mind.
“It’s nice to see the employees of the town trying to put something together – thank you,” said Murphy, addressing Baptiste.
In his Town Administrator’s Report, Cannon told the board that tax bills have gone out and are due on November 30, which is earlier this year. He said Rochester ranks 22nd among the top towns in the commonwealth, and the board members publicly thanked the Assessors Department.
Rochester has been certified for $1,400,000 in free cash, down from $1,800,000 last year. Cannon said $500,000 goes into the operating budget, $15,000 to the retirement fund, $300,000 to the capital improvement fund and $200,000 to the public-safety and highway stabilization funds.
Cannon came away from a meeting with Murphy and representatives on Cape Cod with information that state revenues are down and “indicators that the budget is going to be a little tight this year.”
He said Rochester relies heavily on its arrangement with SEMASS.
Cannon reported having sent memos to department heads seeking their capital-improvement requests. He said the town has used $22,000 in an 80/20 match to purchase a $111,000 van.
He also noted a citizen’s complaint about the volume accessing public meetings at home via Zoom. Cannon said he would reach out to ORCTV.
Murphy reported on the first meeting of the Public Safety Building Committee and said he wants to clear the air on the financial estimates that have been thrown around.
Recently dissolved after meeting several times during 2023, the Feasibility Study Committee necessarily discussed scenarios for the upgrade to fire and police facilities with hard and soft- cost estimates.
Murphy indicated that money will not be discussed by the Public Safety Building Committee until it has run its own course in getting the most affordable solutions for the town.
The plan will include: the development of a new fire station on existing town-owned property; improvements to the existing police station by first incorporating in-house construction methods using the Capital Improvement Fund as reviewed by the Capital Planning Committee and construction of a fire substation at the intersection of Ryder Road and High Street.
Reading from a prepared statement, Murphy said, “The (Public Safety Building Committee) acknowledges the obligation we have to our residents to be fiscally responsible throughout this process; therefore, the committee is taking proactive steps to explore multiple avenues to help mitigate rising costs.”
One strategy Murphy identified is completion of preliminary site work in-house and reviewing options associated with prefabricated, metal building construction.
“The committee is committed to presenting a pragmatic, streamlined yet achievable project for the voters at Town Meeting and the ballot. The pandemic has led to an unprecedented surge in construction-related costs. Despite these adversities, we are resolved in our pursuit of a solution that will serve our community safety needs, while being mindful of the economic constraints faced by our citizens.”
Murphy said the committee will hold a field trip on Thursday, October 26, to look at the fire and police stations, identify immediate needs and strategically pick what’s going to take precedence.
“We want to make it clear that we’re not going to throw out any numbers, we’re going to do our homework and report to the community,” he said.
In other business, the Select Board approved the 10th annual Frosty Runner Road Race at Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School on Saturday, January 27, 2024. The event will include 10-mile and 3.1-mile (5k) races beginning at 10:00 am. The rain date is February 3, 2024.
In two votes due to different lengths of the terms, Mary McCann, Erin Lewis and Elizabeth McGrath Garvey were appointed to the town’s Cultural Council, McCann and Lewis to an April 30, 2024, expiration, and McGrath Garvey to an April 30, 2025 expiration.
McCann and Mark Wellington were appointed to the town’s newly formed By-Law Review Committee.
Select Board Chairman Paul Ciaburri thanked the new members “for stepping up.”
The board voted to appoint Murphy to the negotiating team with the Rochester Memorial School Teacher’s Union and Support Staff Union contract negotiations. “Happy to do it,” said Murphy. Morse had represented the board for the last six contracts.
A Finance Director contract amendment on the meeting agenda was tabled.
The board adjourned public session and entered executive session to discuss three issues: Ben Bailey’s Open Meeting Law complaint against the Select Board; strategy with respect to the police union, the Rochester-Middleborough Water Agreement and Harvey Waste & Recycling Services; and to consider a lease agreement for solar panels at Rochester Memorial School. Executive session also vetted minutes of executive sessions going back to January 2018.
The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, November 6, at 6:00 pm at the Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Select Board
By Mick Colageo