Mattapoisett Town Meeting 2019 Results

Mattapoisett held it's annual Town Meeting last night inside Old Rochester Regional High School's auditorium. Attendance was so robust that dozens of residents watched and voted for much of the night in the overflow room in the gymnasium.

The biggest issues of the night with the most debate were about whether or not to approve a new 9 million dollar fire station, whether or not to approve the cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes in the town's industrial park, and whether or not to fund two million dollars worth of improvements for athletics and arts for the high school.

Voters unanimously approved the building of a new fire department, bursting into a round of applause after the vote was taken. The issue will now advance to a ballot vote on May 21st.

It was thumbs down to a change in the Mattapoisett town by-laws. Developers were seeking approval to cultivate marijuana at facilities in Mattapoisett's Industrial Park. While the production of marijuana is already allowed for medical use, this new production would be earmarked for recreational use. The voting for the issue was so close that town moderator, Jack Ecklund, wanted to count the votes twice.

Eyes were heavy and yawns were contagious as the final article of the night was opened up for debate at nearly 11:30 pm. The 28th article of the night was about whether or not to approve a new synthetic playing surface for the main ORR field, a new track, LED lighting, and state of the art sound and lighting for the auditorium. The measure was passed by 196 votes to 89 votes. The issue will advance to the ballot box next Tuesday, May 21st.

Town Meeting was adjourned shortly before midnight.