A meeting of the Joint School Committee took place on Thursday, January 23 for their first meeting of 2025. The meeting focused on mid-school year updates as well as ongoing and future initiatives. The meeting began with Chair Michelle Smith recognizing new members from Rochester and Mattapoisett.

            Superintendent Mike Nelson then began his report by expressing appreciation for the efforts of the school committee, administrators, and staff. He highlighted the significance of collaboration, saying, “It’s nice to see all of you in one place. I feel like I see so many of you at different meetings at different times, but it is nice to all come together and talk about all the great things that are happening here in our schools.” He acknowledged the contributions of the administrative team, many of whom were present at the meeting to support discussions on the agenda items, and he expressed gratitude for their dedication to the district’s goals.

            The superintendent also provided a mid-year update on the progress of the current school year and connected this work to the district’s Vision 2028 plan. He noted the importance of the monthly newsletters sent from his office to help keep committee members informed in real time. “Tonight’s meeting has a lot of important work on the agenda, and it’ll help set the stage for a successful second part of the school year.” He also teased further updates on Vision 2028, specifically mentioning its relevance to improving outcomes for students and staff in the district. The five-year strategy sets to inspire students to “think, learn, and care.” Nelson expressed enthusiasm about the plans ahead and the joint efforts that would ensure their success.

            Following the superintendent’s comments, Project 351 presentations from acclaimed students commenced. The state-wide initiative sets out to encourage youth leadership and community service. A standout feature mentioned was the “Playbook Initiative.” This component of Project 351 was developed in partnership with the Boston Celtics. It focuses on building leadership skills and promoting inclusivity. Students from the meeting shared how the initiative has shaped them into better leaders, with one mentioning it teaches participants to “be energy givers” in their communities rather than “bad apples.” Through peer-led discussions and partnerships with other schools like Dartmouth, the committee excitedly claimed Project 351 continues to expand its reach and influence in empowering young leaders – skills they will carry into adulthood and community betterment.

            Following these presentations came more updates on Vision 2028, the five-year guideline for schools going forward. Successes from the guidelines first year, 2024, included the “portrait of a graduate” framework to better define skills students should have by graduation. This was informed by surveys to both students and parents, as well as local business leaders. Professional development (PD) and curriculum review was also touched on, highlighting the focus on collaborative curriculum development as well as new PD strategies to better align with the aforementioned district goals.

            Going forward, the district will be focusing on refining and honing these programs in order to better integrate them into schools. Nelson stressed Vision 2028 is a “living document,” meaning the initiative will be changed and adapted through data accumulation and feedback.

            The next meeting of the Join School Committee will take place midway through the summer, on June 12, following the end of the current school year.

Joint School Committee

By: Sam Bishop

            The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals met Thursday, January 23 to discuss a continuance from the last meeting for a special permit for 17 Kabeyun Road.

            Per notes from the board and abutters at the last meeting, an updated site plan was presented. The plan removes the deck on the east side of the property. This leaves an eight-foot deck on the west side of the house. The new deck would be seven feet beyond the required 15-foot setback. The owner is seeking a special permit for the west side deck, as it exceeds the normal limit. A survey team assessed setbacks, resulting in a proposed front setback of 27.1 feet for the new structure. A comparison of the proposed and existing structures showed the new building would encroach less into setbacks than the current one, reducing the encroachment by about 190 square feet.

            The board confirmed that the special permit request is solely for the deck on the west side. There was some clarification on whether this deck would have the same dimensions as originally proposed, and it was noted that the only issue being discussed was the size of the deck in relation to the setback.

            The board made sure everyone understood that the special permit was only about the deck. The meeting ended with a general agreement that the project was in line with the rules, and there was no objection to the special permit request. It was approved unanimously.

Marion Zoning Board of Appeals

By: Sam Bishop

It may have taken 11 years, immeasurable meeting hours, and the patience of Job at times, but at long last the Mattapoisett village streets roadway reconstruction project is moving into 75-percent design. Barring unknown and unknowable roadblocks (pun intended), several years from now Mattapoisett’s village center will have gone through a metamorphosis.

            On January 28, the Select Board, in the presence of community members who did not object, voted to accept the 25-percent design. Now the project design can move forward with nearly all sticking points dispensed with.

            Several years into the design process, the Select Board faced a public whose concerns centered around the loss of trees. It seemed at times that the more the community talked about the project pros and cons the further away from a consensus they drifted. But on this night, after an engineering presentation that spelled out how and why certain decisions had been made, the board members accepted the plan as presented with only small deviations.

            VHB gave project updates that included confirmation that the Main Street section will begin at Tobey Lane, gas main to be replaced by Eversource, water main to be part of the TIP project with MassDOT providing installation, and the town to fund materials.

            It was further decided that underground utilities were not feasible, raised traffic calming features would not be installed and that the creation of one-way traffic flow would not be part of the plan. Police Chief Jason King gave a presentation that highlighted the dangers inherent in one-way traffic flow saying he was opposed.

            What had been a real hot button topic, the removal of trees, 31 at last count, met with little to no resistance on this night. Tree Committee Chairman Sandy Hering who has objected to the loss of trees said at the end of the public comment portion of the meeting that she was “disappointed with the plan.” She said the plan didn’t increase parking or address how to control traffic flow. But more significantly she said, “…people wanted to keep the look of the village.” She also stated that pruning of trees that will be spared from being removed needed to be pruned now.

            Hering also asked that the engineers look at permeable soils to help ensure the health and viability of new plantings. She received assurance that would be the case.

            Sidewalks were a main topic as the meeting went on. According to the report the design now shows no sidewalk on the west side of Main Street between Route 6 and Depot Street while adding sidewalk on the south side between Pearl and Cannon, Mechanic and North Street. The complete report will available on the town’s website.

            The now $20,000,000 Transportation Improvement Project (aka TIP) is currently on the 2028 TIP list which runs from October 2027 to September 2028. A public hearing will be held in the spring of 2025.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell