Building projects, street improvements among big-ticket items at Mattapoisett Town Meeting

MATTAPOISETT —  Voters will be asked to approve funding several projects, funds transfers and other town business at the upcoming Fall Special Town Meeting. 

The meeting is Monday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at Old Rochester Regional High School Auditorium located at 135 Marion Road. 

There will be nine issues up for vote at Town Meeting. 

Two of them involve funding building improvements. Voters will be asked to approve transferring money originally set aside to replace the culvert on Water Street to instead be used to renovate  the Highway Department building. 

They will also consider spending or borrowing about $4 million to design and build a new Water and Sewer Department building. The departments currently operate out of a rented building, and the new building would be built in a property already owned by the town. 

Town Administrator Michael Lorenco said contractors have already bid on both projects, and approving them means allowing the town to move forward with current prices instead of waiting for ever-increasing costs to rise. He said approving the projects will also have no impact on current taxes. 

“They're ready to move forward once being approved at this meeting,” Lorenco said. “We can't move forward with either project until people come, and if they don't come now the project costs will increase.”

Three of the issues up for vote involve streets in town. Town Meeting will consider accepting Cooper’s Way, a road into a small housing development near Old Hammondtown Elementary School, as a public way. 

Voters will also be asked to consider spending $500,000 to reconstruct portions of Main, Water and Beacon streets and Marion Road. They will also consider allowing the Select Board to acquire any easements it might need to complete the Water Street culver replacement. 

Another issue up for vote is the approval of funding for several small projects, including replacing a rooftop air conditioner unit at Center School, digitizing files and performing building and grounds maintenance. 

“I know they may seem minor, but if people don't show up, these projects will get kicked down the road,” Lorenco said. 

Town Meeting will also be asked to approve the transfer of $50,000 to the town’s Grant Matching Fund. This allows the town to double grant award amounts by contributing the same amount as the original grant. 

Two issues up for vote involve the Transfer Station at 60 Tinkham Hill Road. First, Town Meeting will be asked to approve spending about $1,000 to pay for any unpaid obligations from previous years. 

It will also be asked to vote on transferring the management of the station to the Select Board. This would mean the board would regulate the Transfer Station’s rules and fees and make all other decisions regarding its operations. The Board of Health currently manages the facility.