The Raynham Channel

Raynham Select Board 09/16/2025

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(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)

A quiet roll call turns into a full portrait of how a town grows, cares, and keeps its promises. We start with the nuts and bolts: hundreds of permits and inspections driving steady revenue, new housing starts at Blackwood 40B and along Pine Street, and a wave of retail changes—from a truck outlet at the former grocery site to a likely Tractor Supply, plus Popeyes filing and Raising Cane’s on the horizon. These aren’t just business moves; they reshape traffic, jobs, and everyday errands.

Then we shift to the infrastructure that holds it all together. The Old Colony Ave/South Street Bridge has reopened after critical repairs, restoring two‑way travel without new restrictions. It’s a timely relief with a clear caveat: a full superstructure replacement is slated for 2027. In the same spirit of practical service, we highlight Household Hazardous Waste Day logistics and a simple but meaningful improvement—new LED lighting in Town Hall that saves money and brightens public meetings.

The heart of the conversation centers on care and trust. We introduce a voluntary Elderly and Disabled Taxation Fund, enabled by state law, that lets residents donate via a checkoff to help neighbors facing short‑term hardship. We explore real safeguards—independent committee oversight, needs‑based criteria, and transparency—to prevent undue influence and ensure awards go where they matter most. Community voices add texture: small, household‑level donations can still make a difference when the rules are clear and the process is fair.

Finally, we bring order to street‑level generosity with a draft tag day policy that sets simple, consistent rules for nonprofits: first‑come scheduling, local priority, store approvals, and visible donor tags to avoid confusion at entrances. Along the way, we celebrate the high school marching band’s big win, share updates from the senior center renovation, and flag a joint meeting with regional partners on school budgets—plus a look at proposed legislation on deer population control.

If you care about how policy meets pavement, how small donations can bridge big moments, and how local rules shape daily life, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a neighbor, and leave a review to tell us what safeguard or improvement you’d add next.

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SPEAKER_00:

Of the Rain Am Board of Selectmen here on Tuesday, September 16th, 2025, at Veterans Memorial Town Hall at 558 South Main Street. Call the meeting to order at 7 o'clock P.M. This meeting is open to the public. It is also being broadcast live on the Rainham Channel, on Comcast Channel 98, and Verizon Channel 34. It is also being recorded by Ray Cam for replay on the Rainham Channel. Please join us with a Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the Club, the United States of America, and to the Republic for Experience, undergo, indisclosed liberty, and justice law. Thank you. Our next agenda item is the acceptance of the minutes of the regular meeting of September 9th, 2025. Do I have a motion to accept the minutes as printed? So moved.

unknown:

Second.

SPEAKER_00:

Motion has been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor. Any opposed? It is so voted. Next we have our department head reports, and this evening we have Robert Iafredi, our building commissioner, with his quarterly report. Welcome, Mr. Ifradi.

SPEAKER_03:

Good evening. How is it tonight?

SPEAKER_00:

Good.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Um my report for tonight is uh year to date from January 1st. We have uh electrical permits 239, plumbing 277, building and sign permits 368, 68 sheet metal permits, 15 trench permits. Um total revenues to date is$390,740,$42. Excuse me. Um starting to get a little busy. We have a few projects underway in town, as everyone knows. We have the Blackwood 40B off at Church Street. I think I told you last time I was in front of you. That's a busy place. Um they're selling units there, so they've been actively um moving forward with you know building permits and projects, and I think they have um several more sold, so that's that's a continued busy location, and I'm there probably three or four times a week. Uh and now we have uh Elm Street, I mean Pine Street, East and West. Uh they just got approved a couple weeks ago. They already have five permits, uh, so that's gonna be a busy area also. So we'll be spending a lot of time doing inspections there. Out of the about 59 new homes, I'm probably gonna have about five to six hundred inspections there. And they're gonna move through as quick as they can or as quick as the economy lets them move through. Um, other than that, um we have scattered residential permits around town. Uh, not a whole lot of activity, but those two locations are basically where we spend most of our time and where I do most of my inspections. A couple other things uh that the planning board's also dealing with, the old stopper shop building. As everyone knows, that's gonna be truck outlet for Greco Motors. Um did have a meeting with a company that wants to occupy the Big Lots building, which is across the street from the Greco Motors. That's gonna be tractor supply that's coming in front of the planning board shortly. We're gonna have a pre-submission meeting in the middle of October. Uh Popeyes finally submitted an application for a building permit. So you're gonna get more chicken in town.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, that's been a long time coming.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh speaking of chicken, um, we also have a company called Raising Cain. It's new to the area, but I think a lot of people know that uh down south. They are also a chicken-based fast food drive-thru location that's gonna go possibly where the old uh Party City building is at 600 South Street West. Um 1900 Broadway, uh, waiting for more um permits from the state. So we renewed their temporary Oxy permit, so they're occupying that building for office space only, not for the public, for another six months. I'll keep you posted if anything changes there. Um other than that, um, answer any questions if you have any.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, thank you, Mr. Pachico.

SPEAKER_04:

No, no questions, thank you, Bob. Mr.

SPEAKER_00:

Collins, I don't have any questions.

SPEAKER_04:

Thank you very much. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Good report. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Okay, we have no appointments scheduled this evening. We have no public hearings scheduled this evening. Completion of old or continuing business. Do you have anything, Mr. Pachico? No, I'm sure. Mr. Collins, I do not. Mr. Barnes, do you have any older continuing business? I do not. So we'll move to new business. We have a tag day request for September 19th for NMR, the Buddhist Meditation Center. This is again for September 19th. And obviously the date is available, Mr. Barnes, correct?

SPEAKER_02:

That is correct. Motion is approved.

SPEAKER_00:

Motion is made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing and all in favor? Any opposed? It is so voted. Next, we have a one-day alcohol license request for golf tournament October 3rd, 2025, and Thanksgiving dinner on November 23rd, 2025. This is at the Rainham Lions Club at 1470. No, the Rainham Lions Club, that's on King Phillips Street. I said, wait a minute, did they move? Yes, on King Phillips Street. And we have a letter from Tim McCrae, Director of the Park and Recreation Commission Department, Department Director letting us know that the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the two one-day liquor licenses for the Randy Lions Club. Um events are scheduled as stated. Do we have a motion?

SPEAKER_02:

So moved.

SPEAKER_00:

Any discussion? Hearing not all in favor. Okay, so that would be subject to approval of the police and fire. Any further discussion? Hearing not all in favor? Any opposed? It is so voted. Next on our agenda, we have discussion and vote on supporting a town meeting article to create an elderly and disabled taxation fund. And Mr. Pachico, you brought this for us. Yes. So if you want to explain a little bit about it, this is actually allowed by the state.

SPEAKER_04:

It is correct. It's a provision in the law that the state allows. Um, a few other towns, apparently, Mr. Barnes' old town has it. I was telling him earlier that would have been nice, it would have saved me a lot of research. Um, but no, I think you know, folks sometimes have the misconception that we set tax policy, and as this board knows, we do not set tax policy. That's done at the state level and the federal level. And so I think uh always, but more particularly in an economy like we're in right now, we should be exploring any opportunities we can to assist in providing any type of relief we can to those who are most in need. And so that is why I brought this forward for the board to consider, uh, and then hopefully subsequently town meeting.

SPEAKER_00:

And basically, it would be um a voluntary donation that town taxpayers could make by checking off on whether it's on the tax bill or the excise bill or whatever. So it's totally voluntary and uh the town manages the account. Yes. Very good. Um do you want to make a motion to remove it?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, please.

SPEAKER_05:

So move the second for discussion and then you can discuss yes. So I I fully support it, I love the idea. The only reservation I had when I first read it, and maybe it's something we can just monitor. Me being like a specific time to think, all right, if I'm a Ken Collins developer, you know, am I gonna make a$200, you know,$200,000 donation two years in a row with an anticipation of maybe getting favorable treatment down the road because I've been making donations for$200,000. You know what I mean? So again, I think the spirit of it's awesome. I want to do it, I will support it. I just think that's something we have to keep a close eye on in the future. And I just get weary of wealthier people being able to make donations and maybe expect expect something in return for it. I get reservations about that.

SPEAKER_04:

No, I think that's the fair concern. I mean, my assumption is I hadn't thought of that, but that it's probably it's structured in such a way as we wouldn't be the decision makers on it, it would be an independent committee. Um we'd appoint some, and some of them are by statute, the treasurer and the chair of the board of assessors, and so we wouldn't have a seat on it, the planning board wouldn't have a seat. Um, and so I think it takes away that element to it at all, and it makes it purely, and if you look at Dartmouth's example, an application as well. So it's gonna be based upon need, and uh we probably wouldn't even know if the donations came in because it's a voluntary checkoff on a tax bill. So I think it's an awesome idea. I love it, I support it.

SPEAKER_00:

Um and I would imagine we would have to put together guidelines on Mr. Barnes.

SPEAKER_02:

Your phone is some proposed guidelines right here that well samples from what's right.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, very good.

SPEAKER_05:

But I'll second that motion for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Um do you want to comment, Mr. Barnes, on it before we vote?

SPEAKER_02:

Or um uh it it is uh I think it's more common than I I think there are a number of communities that already do it. It's not a panacea, you know, it's dependent on donation, and you know, you you you're not gonna get uh uh unless you have some very generous people in town, you know, be in the thousands, not in the hundreds of thousands or anything like that. But uh it is a way to help the elderly and disabled. Um in Dartmouth we tried to gear it toward those who had a short-term problem versus uh a structural problem. You know, they had an accident or something as opposed to you know having a long tan uh long-standing issue uh of income not matching the their expenditures.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you, Mr. Barnes. Any further discussion? Hearing on all in favor, any opposed? You just so voted, and obviously it will go to the fall town meeting for the voters to decide. Okay, next we have discussion and review of a draft policy on tag day permits. We've been receiving obviously lots of requests for tag day permits, and we had some questions about it. We couldn't find, I'm sure there was a policy at some point, but we couldn't find it actually. So Mr. Barnes and I worked on coming up. This is just a draft, so we look for input from both of you before we vote on it, and actually um we could probably put it on our website to see if um any other department heads or anybody wants to comment on that. But basically, again, as they said, it's a draft policy, and it's in order to support nonprofit groups or organizations in their efforts to publicize their groups or organizations and/or fundraise, the Board of Selectmen or Select Board will consider and vote on whether to award a tag day permit for a particular date or dates in accordance with the criteria and conditions as outlined, and it gives the criteria. The group or organization must be a nonprofit entity and must be able to document their status as such. If the group or organization is affiliated with a public school or church, confirmation from an official of the school or church will be accepted. The date and dates must be available as only one permit will be issued for any particular date or dates. All tag day permits will be issued on a first-come first-served basis with priority given to nonprofit groups or organizations that serve the Rainham community. The request should be submitted in a timely manner, no less than three weeks, to allow for adequate time for consideration by the board and determination at a regularly scheduled meeting. Once the tag day permit has been issued for a particular date or dates, no other tag day permits will be issued for those particular date or dates. And there are certain conditions. If the tag day request is approved, the group organization must present a copy of the permit received from the town to the management of the store before any tag day activity takes place at any location. Same goes if we're then reserving the dates with the particular location. Tag day permit allows the group or organization the ability to conduct the tag day activity at any place of business in town. Multiple locations for the same date are allowed, provided approval is received from the management at each separate location. And if the group or organization is not providing the donor with a product in return for the donation, then the group or organization must have some sort of tag to give all donors to signify that they have contributed. And obviously, violations of the conditions will result in the loss of tag day privileges for the remainder of the current year and for the following year. And as always, the Board of Selectmen reserves the right to suspend any of the criteria or conditions, if warranted, for any reason being appropriate by the board. So that's again just informational at this point. We'll give you both a chance to look over it and we can put it on the agenda for discussion next week. Okay. All right, next on our agenda we have our town administrators' report. Mr. Barnes.

SPEAKER_02:

For those who have not heard, and hopefully most have heard, uh, I'm happy to report the Old Colony Ave South Street Bridge is reopened. It reopened on September 15th, uh, which was uh yesterday at uh 1 p.m. Um The bridge had been closed since early August in order to allow for critical repairs to occur to shore up the bridge structure and ensure public safety. Um it is important to stress that at some point a longer closure will still be required to allow for the full replacement of the bridge superstructure along with associated roadway improvements. At this point, that's targeted for 2027. Uh, so there will be a period of time uh where it will be it should be open for for some time until it needs to close for uh some uh uh the the complete replacement of the superstructure. But um uh vehicles, uh there are no restrictions and that weren't already there before, so buses, trucks, um, right, vehicles can go go through, and it is two ways on both sides of the roadway. Um secondly, um just a reminder to all that on September 20th is the household hazardous waste day. Um that will be at uh the transfer station at 1555 King Phillip Street, first come, first serve. Uh place all items in your truck, uh trunk with Titan caps and with lids, do not mix chemicals, proof of residency is required. Um the website there is a flyer um extensively outlining what you can bring and what you cannot bring. Um finally I mentioned that we were um going to be fixing the lighting in this room, and uh uh we now have all brand new LEDs, so if the public uh notices we're a little brighter now, it's because we have all new lighting.

SPEAKER_00:

So very good, thank you, Mr. Bones. A selectman's report, Mr. Pachica.

SPEAKER_04:

Thank you, madam chair. Just one quick thing. I think it's that time of year we begin to start the evaluation process for our town administrator, so I just wanted to put that on uh folks' radar.

SPEAKER_00:

Seems like we just did it right today. I have nothing news for the just to have a couple of quick things. Um I understand congratulations to the Bridgewater Renum Regional High School. I understand they had a very successful event this past Saturday with uh marching bands from all over the area coming and competing. And our Bridgewater Renum band actually, marching band, actually won first prize. So congratulations to them. I had the opportunity to stop by the senior center today, and the new renovated bathrooms are awesome and really nice job on that. It took a long time coming, but everybody's very pleased with that, so good work on that as well, Mr. Barnes. And um, just a reminder that there is a joint meeting tomorrow night at the Rainham Middle School in the library, the upstairs library, and that is a joint meeting with the Bridgewater Rainheim Regional School Committee, the Bridgewater Town Council, and this board, um, and the town administrator and the town manager from Bridgewater. And that's to discuss budget issues, obviously. And uh and our last planning meeting already for Ranium Community Day is next Monday, um, and that will be actually at 6 30, but it will be at the Senior Center, which obviously is the location for Community Day. So we'll be meeting over there this coming Monday. That's the 22nd, 630, last planning meeting for Radium Community Day, which obviously is also coming very quickly on Sunday, September 28th from 12 until 4 at the Borden Colony Complex. And that is all that I have for that. For correspondence, we did receive notification from the Bridgewater Rhanium Regional School Committee that it is the town of Rainham's turn to serve as the representative of the member communities for the purpose of approving a collective bargaining agreement between the Bridgewater Rainham Regional School Committee and the Bridgewater Rainham Education. I mean Bridgewater Rainham American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. In this case, it's the maintenance custodians and grounds. And they will be voting that at their regular meeting on Wednesday, September 24th. If either of you wish to do that, I would gladly um let you do that. If not, I will I'd be happy to take it. Do you want to do that, Mr. Collins? Excellent, excellent. Very good. I will pass this to you and I will let them know that you will be representing the board for that. Okay, and uh that is all that we have for correspondence. Oh, we did receive just receive correspondence from um Representative Markey, Christopher Markey, and he's writing to bring to our attention legislation that would prove beneficial to our community. The bill which he filed is um establishing a deer population control commission. Um, and um, so that's informational as well. And that's all we have for our correspondence. Press time. Would you, yes, welcome. And please just give us your name and the paper you're representing or the entity you're representing.

SPEAKER_01:

Hello, everyone. My name is Gerard, and I am a student reporter from the University of Rhode Island. And I just wanted to ask two quick questions, kind of going back to the elderly taxation fund. And my first question is what provisions would the committee have to kind of like update the current guidelines that you have from Dartmouth currently? Because um obviously that you use some of like the Dartmouth guidelines to kind of help form this fund. Do you have any like idea what the committee would have for provisions to update it?

SPEAKER_04:

No, part of the way the law reads is once it's uh the committee has been approved and assembled, they can formulate uh within the parameters of the law. And so I think using Dartmouth and any other sister communities as a resource would probably be what that committee would would look to do and and get best practices that fit for our community.

SPEAKER_01:

And I have a question for you, Mr. Collins. So you referenced earlier that you had a slight concern about wealthier residents making donations and they might expect certain treatment in the future. Um, can you just elaborate a little bit more on that?

SPEAKER_05:

It was just like a hypothetical, and it I use myself as hypothetical. I don't like have anybody in mind, but it's just anytime I hear of donations being made, I get it's great, and I want it, and like I said, I fully support it. It's just something I have to keep, you know, I would want to keep an eye on and make sure that it's not taken advantage of. And you know, and I think it was explained pretty clearly by uh Mr. Pichico that those things are would be more out of our hand, but it we would be able to monitor it. Um so it's just like a reservation I had when I first heard it's like people are making donations, but what happens, you know, there's a tit for a tattoo thing, but just a concern. Nothing major issue.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it probably could be even addressed through the guidelines that making a donation does not uh um give you any financial content going forward.

SPEAKER_01:

And lastly, will the board have any say on what the committee puts into like the guidelines for the fund? Or excuse me, yeah, would the board have any say, or would the board would have to would say completely out of the hands of the board, I should say?

SPEAKER_04:

I I don't know to be honest. I mean, I we've always, I think, given latitude to committees that we appoint or co-appoint uh and trust their judgment, so I would suspect um that that would probably be in line unless any of us individually or us collectively felt like it was missing something or would benefit from you know something in particular. Um but I I think you know in the Dartmouth example it it's pretty straightforward. Uh and I agree with Mr. Barnes' instinct about giving it for one-offs. You know, the I I similarly am not expecting a windfall of cash to be there. And so it you know it's meant to assist in very uh targeted or limited circumstances uh as a bridge, as a pathway to to hopefully better times for folks. If it's if it's uh an in sus unsustainable situation, then I don't know that this fund is the solution.

SPEAKER_01:

So all the questions I have appreciated emergency business, Mr.

SPEAKER_00:

Beachel? Mr. Collins, Mr. Barnes, any emergency business? No. Citizen and community input. For the minutes, please.

SPEAKER_07:

And Becky Mello, 147 Carroll Drive. Um, I do want to talk about the um elderly and uh disabled tax fund. Um Dighton, I does have it. I am not in the Treasury Collector's Office anymore, but how that pretty much worked was it like a little card would go out with the bills, and people could send it back with their payments for their taxes. And what I've seen is they have to be a separate check, but it would uh ten dollars from a resident. It I don't I don't think I've ever seen anything come from commercial businesses. Um it was mostly residents. I think the most I ever saw was$50. You know, that's so it's kind of it's not really a big, like you said, windfall. It's you know, it's a help. Powerball. Yeah, yeah. Not that we're posted the power bowl, that's all they have, but if you want, I can get some um yeah, see if what the card looks like. I can see if I can get a card, and I think the accountant is probably the best person indicated to talk to about that because she knows which type of funding account it goes into, and then we can't.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's totally new for us at this point, so we'll be you know exploring questions for that.

SPEAKER_05:

I didn't mean for this cause anyway, reservation with the first, but I think it's a great idea.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, um, performance of administrative duties, just to report that I, along with the our um accountant, our um is have a finance director has have reviewed and uh signed the town of remian invoice and payroll warrants dated today, which is again September 16th, 2025. And with that, with no other oh, I'm sorry, we were look going into executive session. So I'm going to be looking for a motion to go into executive session in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 38, Section 21A6, to consider the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property if the chair declares that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the public body, and this is concerning the Borden Colony property, and we will return to open meeting for the only purpose of adjourning with no additional business to be conducted. Do I have a motion? To move and a second. We'll call vote, Mr. Vitch. Aye. Mr. Collins. Chair votes aye. We are going into executive session at 7 25 p.m. Thank you for joining us.