Monthly News Notes

Elections Set for Vote on Timilty Replacement
Special elections will take place in September and October for the state senate seat held by James Timilty, who resigned recently to take the position of Norfolk County treasurer. Timilty represented the Bristol and Norfolk District which includes Seekonk, Rehoboth, Norton, Mansfield, Foxboro, Walpole, Medfield and parts of Attleboro and Sharon. The primary election will be held on Tuesday, September 19 and the general election will be held on October 17. According to the Sun Chronicle, five candidates have announced plans to run thus far. Democrats Paul Feeney, former Foxboro selectman and former chief of staff for Timilty; and Ted Phillips, aide to state Rep. Louis Kafka, D-Sharon are running. Republicans are Tim Hempton, a periodontist and Walpole representative town meeting member; and Mike Berry, a former Walpole selectman and the current legislative director for the Mass. Dept. of Transportation. Also, former WBZ-TV reporter Joe Shortsleeve is planning to run as an independent. The deadline for submitting signatures for certification in the race is Aug. 8

Date Change for Rehoboth Fall Town Meeting
The date for Rehoboth’s fall town meeting has been changed from Monday, October 16 to Monday, Nov. 6. The change is due to the face that the general election for the state senate seat is Tuesday, October 17.

Special Election Scheduled for June 27
A special election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 27 in Rehoboth for residents to vote on two ballot questions for temporary tax increases to fund school building repairs. One of the questions asks voters to approve $87,203 for the installation of door security systems at Palmer River Elementary School, Beckwith Middle School and D-R High School, to be paid through a one-time tax increase for one year only, called a capital exclusion. The other question is for $3,576,000 for roof and window replacement at Palmer River Elementary School and window replacement at Beckwith Middle School. At press time, town officials didn’t know the exact amount that residents’ taxes will increase. At town meeting last month, voters approved Articles #6 & #7 which allocated $3.6 million for these repairs. The election is taking place soon because school officials want to do the repairs over the summer. All three precincts will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last day to register to be able to vote in the election is Wed, June 7. The town clerk’s office will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day.

New Committee to Review Town Building Projects
Selectmen appointed three people to a building review committee, according to a Sun Chronicle article. Bill Costa, Chris Cooper and Joe Nunes were named to the committee, which will review bids from engineering firms for an assessment of town buildings.

Selectmen Approve Resolution Opposing the Compressor Station
The board of selectmen has issued a resolution in opposition to the proposed gas compressor station which is part of the Access Northeast gas pipeline expansion project. The resolution includes the following: “the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Rehoboth hereby resolve and declare that they oppose any effort to locate Spectra Energy’s (Enbridge, Inc.) 10,320 hp gas compressor station within Rehoboth’s borders and to disallow the construction of any and all similar projects that may later be proposed…” Copies of the resolution were sent to Governor Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, state and local officials, Spectra Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The complete resolution is available on the town website: www.town.rehoboth.ma.us on the Board of Selectmen page.

New Football Coach Named at D-R High School
Dave Moura is the new football coach at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, according to an article in the Sun Chronicle. He succeeds Dave Driscoll, who retired recently after 36 fall seasons and more than 240 victories. Moura has served for the past 14 seasons on the D-R football staff. He has been defensive coordinator for the past three seasons and is also a history/social studies teacher and coach of boys’ spring track.

Bill Would Increase Physical Education Requirement for Students
A bill introduced in the state legislature by state Sen. Tom McGee (D-Lynn) would require elementary school students to participate in at least 150 minutes of physical education each week and students in middle and high school to take physical education for at least 225 minutes, (3.75 hours) per week, according to an article in the Taunton Gazette. Similar versions of the bill have been introduced in the past, but failed to pass. A representative from the Mass. Assoc. of School Superintendents said the requirement may not be practical because of the time required and because schools emphasize the core academic subjects, since students are evaluated on these subjects. The bill has been referred to the education committee.

Voters Pass Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 at Town Meeting
Voters approved a $26 million budget for the next fiscal year beginning July 1. For details on all the articles voted on at town meeting, see Town Clerk Laura Schwall’s column in this issue.

Two Friends from Rehoboth Are Top of the Class at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School
The valedictorian of the Class of 2017 at D-R High School is Brooke Barlow and the salutatorian is Megan Moran. Barlow, daughter of Kenneth and Sheryl Barlow, plans to attend Boston College in the fall where she is going to study biochemistry on a pre-med track. Moran, daughter of Richard and Tracy Moran, will attend College of the Holy Cross in Worcester to study biology, also on a pre-med track. Graduation is Friday, June 2.