The Raynham Channel

Raynham Select Board 12/23/2025

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0:00 | 12:25

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

Decisions that seem small often shape how a town feels day to day. We walk through a crisp year-end agenda that touches giving, business oversight, celebration of service, environmental care, and essential public services—each one a practical choice that sets up Raynham for a smoother 2026. We start with clarity on tag day permits, simplifying how local nonprofits apply and when they can fundraise, then move to a scheduled hearing for Shaw’s manager change and approval of the Raynham Girl Scouts’ packed calendar of dates. Safety and compliance stay front and center with an amusement device license renewal pending inspections, a reminder that steady standards protect both businesses and residents.

Community pride takes the spotlight as we approve a Raynham Recognition Award for the Senior Center director, honoring leadership that makes programs welcoming and effective. That leads naturally to a call for volunteers to rebuild the Friends of the COA board, a separate nonprofit with the power to raise funds, support programs, and even drive long-term expansion. We share how peer towns used donations, partnerships, and grit to build facilities, and why that model matters for Raynham’s future.

We also secure forward motion on the Johnson Pond Management Program, subject to appropriation, and authorize the highway department and town administrator to enter agreements for Mass DEP grants. Those decisions fuel better water quality, invasive species control, and resilient recreation spaces—practical environmental work with clear public benefits. Finally, we detail transfer station permits, updated fees, senior discounts, extra Saturday hours, and payment options that make access easier and fairer. Clear policy, steady process, and a spirit of service: that’s how local government quietly makes life better.

If this conversation helps you follow what Town Hall is doing, share it with a neighbor, subscribe for future updates, and leave a review with one thing you want us to cover next. Your input guides what we take up in 2026.

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SPEAKER_00:

Meeting to order of the Rainham Select Board here on Tuesday, December 31st, 20, I'm sorry, December, how about December 23rd, 2025, here at Veterans Memorial Town Hall at 558 South Main Street here in Rainham. 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 Raycam for replay on the Rainham Channel. Please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. I Pledge of Allegiance to apply the United States of America. Thank you. Our next uh item is the acceptance of the minutes. We have the regular session minutes of our last meeting on December 16th, 2025. Do we have a motion to accept the minutes as printed?

SPEAKER_02:

So moved. Second.

SPEAKER_00:

Motion is made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing then all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? So voted. We have no department head reports this evening. Appointments. We have the reappointment of Lewis Borges Jr. as constable, and we do have the paperwork with the police chief's approval.

SPEAKER_02:

Motion to approve.

SPEAKER_00:

Motion is made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? So voted. Um we have no public hearings scheduled this evening. Completion of older continuing business. Do you have anything, Mr. Pachie? Mr. Collins, Mr. Barnes? We have none. New business. We have discussion and vote on the amendment to the policy on the tag day permits. And we have that has been on the town website. We have a copy of it here. Basically, the change was just section C and D that all local nonprofits are asked to submit their requests for the 2026 calendar year no later than January 15th and no later than December 15th for every year thereafter. The select board will consider the requested tag day dates and vote to approve them as soon as possible at a subsequent meeting. Thereafter, all requests for local in-town and out-of-town nonprofits will be accepted for consideration for the remainder of the year. Those requests should be submitted no less than 21 days in advance and no more than 60 days in advance to allow for adequate time for consideration by the board and determination at a regularly scheduled meeting.

SPEAKER_02:

So moved.

SPEAKER_00:

We have a motion to move to approve and a second. Any discussion? Hearingmen, all in favor? Any opposed? It is so voted. Next, we have a change of manager for Shaw's Supermarkets incorporating, incorporated, doing business as Shaw's at 300 New State Highway. We need to set a hearing date.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh motion to set for January 6th.

SPEAKER_00:

We have a motion and a second to set the public hearing for January 6th. Any discussion? Hearing and all in favor? Any opposed? So voted. Next we have a tag day request for calendar year 2026, and this is from one of our in town local nonprofits. Ladies for the Rainham Girl Scouts for January 3rd, January 4th, January 10th, January 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th, and 31st. February 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 28th, March 1st, 7th, 1st, 7th, 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29, and then December 5th, December 6th, December 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th, and 27. We have some very busy proposals.

SPEAKER_02:

Motion to approve and second.

SPEAKER_00:

Motion is made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing on all in favor? Any opposed? So voted. Next we have an automatic amusement device license renewal contingent upon building and fire inspections for Route 44, doing business as video extra at 1832 Route 44. Do we have a motion? Motion to approve. Motion is made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor. Any opposed? So voted. Next we have discussion and vote on Iranian recognition award. You will see that basically I just updated the form to make it reflect that we are now the select board rather than the board of selectmen. And so that is just an update. And we do have and we have received a nomination, and that comes from the Rainham Council on Aging, from John Texera as chairman. We, the board of the Senior Center, voted today to recommend Erin Madeiros for the Rainham Recognition Award. She is an outstanding director of the Senior Center in all the ways she plans for the seniors' activities and carries through with efficiency and style. She is well liked and her efforts are appreciated by everyone who meets her. We feel she's very deserving of this award. And then you'll see in the packet, you will also have the form filled out. So we can either take this on your advisement until the board has had a chance to consider, or we can go ahead and vote.

SPEAKER_02:

It is up to I haven't had a chance to read it all, but if the board is comfortable proceeding, I won't object to it. I would be willing to vote on top.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you want to make that motion? Second. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? Any opposed? So voted for the normal form would be I will send a letter to um Erin notifying her, and we'll schedule a time when she and the members of the Council on Aging, if they're interested, can come in for the presentation. Okay, next we have discussion and vote of fiscal year 2026 contract for Johnson Pond Management Program with water and wetland. This is subject to appropriation.

SPEAKER_02:

So moved.

SPEAKER_00:

Motion is made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor. Aye. Any opposed? So voted. And last under new business, we have permission to allow the highway department and town administrator to enter into an agreement and expend funds for our fiscal year 2026 mass DEP grants.

SPEAKER_02:

Motion to approve.

SPEAKER_00:

Hearing none, all in favor. Any opposed? So voted. That brings us to our town administrators' report, Mr. Barnes.

SPEAKER_01:

I just want to reinforce we do not have a meeting on December 30th. Um there will be no night hours on December 30th. And wishing everyone a wonderful uh Christmas and uh New Year's uh day.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you, Mr. Barnes. Selectman's reports on Mr. Kitchener.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Just echoing the administrative comments, wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. Afternoon report. Merry Christmas, everybody, and happy new year.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, thank you. Just want to remind everybody, too, that the 2026 Rainham Annual Transfer Station trash permits are now available. They're available at Rainham Town Hall on the second floor in the select board office. And at the Rainham Highway Department during normal business hours, the highway department will also be open for this purpose on Saturday, January 24th, January 31st, and February 7th. Please note the highlighted changes. It is now$100 for a full-year permit, second permit, same address as$10,$50 for half-year permits, and senior permits for those ages 65 and older,$90 for the full-year permit. Second permit is also the$10, and$45 for the half-year permit. And payment may be by check, credit, or debit card. And other than that, I also just want to join Mr. Barnes and both of you in wishing everybody the happiest of holidays. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, whatever your holiday is. I hope it's great, it's safe, and you have a wonderful holiday. We will not be here next week. Our next meeting will be in 2026. Awesome. Correspondence. We have a letter from the actually director of community services regarding the friends of the Rainham COA. Do we have that copy?

SPEAKER_02:

I didn't have one in my back yet.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you know basically I can summarize it? I think I mailed it to you, Mr. Barnes, but maybe it got lost in space. But I certainly know what it's all about. The Friends of the Library, they of the library, of the Senior Center organized, I think in 2022, and they've had a difficult time trying to get a group. They did have, they need, according to their bylaws, they need seven members for the board of directors. And the seven members do not want to continue. And so they reorganized. It'll be Thursday, January 8th. So if anybody is interested in serving on the Friends of the Rainham COA, please come to that meeting. You can call Erin, obviously, at the COA if you want more information about that. It is a separate organization. They can raise funds to support the senior center. One of their goals is to raise funds to assist the center and also maybe at some point actually fund an addition. I did have the opportunity to visit a few senior centers this past year with some of the COA members. And in West Bridgewater, they actually have a beautiful senior center that was totally constructed and paid for through donations. Businesses in town donated goods and equipment and labor, and they raised funds, and they were able to do that through their funds group. So this is a really important organization to support our town. So if anybody is interested in that, anybody can join. You don't have to be a senior. I just want us to support our remaining seniors.

SPEAKER_02:

So I will see January 8th and do you think?

SPEAKER_00:

It's going to be January 8th, I believe, at 3:30. But um we'll have a double trip. Yeah, definitely. And um Erin did post the letter on Facebook, so it is there, but again, that's uh an important uh organization to support us. So that was our correspondence. We have no one from the press.

unknown:

Do you have any emergency business, Mr. McClellan? Mr.

SPEAKER_00:

Bonds, the emergency business. We have no citizen and community input this evening. Uh, just to report under performance of administrative duties that I and the finance director have reviewed and signed off on the invoice and payroll warrants dated December 23rd, 2025. And with that, it's an early one. Oh my goodness, it's almost as quick as drum meetings, Mr. Kuchiko. It's 7 12 p.m. Looking for a motion to adjourn.

SPEAKER_02:

So all in favor? Aye.

SPEAKER_00:

So voted we are adjourned. Thank you all for joining us. And again, happy holidays.