News Notes

State Primary Election Being Held Sept. 19
The Special State Primary Election for the Bristol & Norfolk Senate seat previously held by James Timilty will be held on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. All three precincts will be open – Precinct I, the Town Office Building at 148 Peck Street; Precinct II, the Gladys L. Hurrell Senior Center at 55 Bay State Road and Precinct III, the South Fire Station at 102 Pleasant Street - 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters who will be out of town on Election Day or who will be unable to get to the polls may contact the Town Clerk’s Office to obtain an absentee ballot; a written request to the Town Clerk with the voter’s original signature is required to obtain a ballot. Absentee Ballot Applications are also available at the Rehoboth Post Office, Blanding Library, and Senior Center. Absentee ballot request forms are also available online. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is 12 noon on Monday, September 18th.

If you are not sure if you are registered to vote or what precinct you vote in, visit the Secretary of State’s website. For further information, call the Town Clerk’s Office Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 508-252-6502, ext. 3109 or 3110.

Fall Special Town Meeting to be Held November 6
The Board of Selectmen voted to hold a Special Town Meeting on Monday, November 6. The warrant for the Special Town Meeting was opened on August 21 and articles for the warrant must be submitted to the office of the Board of Selectmen by noon on Thursday, September 14. The Special Town Meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at the Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School, 2700 Regional Road, Dighton, MA.

Wheeler Street Bridge Grand Opening Scheduled for Sept. 5
The town will hold an official opening of the Wheeler Street Bridge on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. The bridge opened to traffic in June, but the grand opening was delayed because they had to re-engineer a drainage issue that occurred during a heavy rain, according to Highway Superintendant Mike Costello. The problem has now been resolved. The bridge had been closed since it collapsed in a torrential rainstorm and flood in March 2010.

Rehoboth Girls Wins Open Water Swim Event in Caribbean
Amanda Abbott, 11, of Rehoboth took first place in the 8thAnnual Race for the Conch Eco-Sea Swim on Grace Bay in the Turks & Caicos Islands on July 1. Race for the Conch is an all ages open water event designed to promote the sport of swimming and develop awareness of the ecosystem and reefs in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Amanda, a 6th grader at St. Mary Academy Bay View, returned this year to compete for the third time in the half mile event. She won first place overall in both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions, with a time of 7:52.3, a full 22.7 seconds ahead of the next finishing competitor. Amanda earned a beautiful conch shell trophy made by local island artists. When interviewed by the local television news station, PTV8, Amanda stated “It was fun. I could have gone a little bit faster I think, but I did good.”

New Wells to be Dug for Elderly Housing Unit & COA
Selectmen recently recommended that two new wells be dug for the new elderly housing project in the former Anawan School being developed by the Women’s Development Corp. A recent analysis of the existing well that serves the COA/Senior Center found that it cannot be used for the new housing project. There was not enough space for the required 100-ft buffer between the well and the new septic system needed for the senior housing. Each building will have its own dedicated well. The developer is expected to cover the costs of both new wells. Further discussion will be held with the Women’s Development Corp. and the zoning board of appeals will also review the project.

Rehoboth Police Cracking Down on Texting while Driving & Driving While Impaired
Last month the Police Department conducted an operation using plainclothes officers to watch for drivers who were texting behind the wheel, according to an article in the Sun Chronicle. Those drivers were pulled over and cited. The department reportedly plans to conduct similar operations in the future. The project was funded by a state grant. The Police Department is also increasing patrols to look for drivers impaired by alcohol and marijuana, according to another Sun Chronicle article. This operation, which is also funded through a state grant, is part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The Highway Safety Division is providing funding to the state police and more than 150 local police departments to conduct a zero-tolerance impaired driving enforcement effort in which patrols will be conducted at high incident locations throughout the state. State statistics show that marijuana and similar drugs were the most prevalent drugs found in people killed in car crashes from 2010 to 2014, according to the article. Also, fatalities involving alcohol-impaired drivers increased 14 percent from 2013 to 2014.