What's Going on in Seekonk This Month?

Annual Town Election April 4
The annual town election is scheduled for April 4. Polls will be open at Seekonk High School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is one seat open on the board of selectmen because Selectman Mike Brady is not running for re-election. Three people have taken out papers for the position. They are: Town Moderator and retired Seekonk Police Lt. Michelle Hines, Housing Authority member Christopher Zorra and TV9 Host Jeffrey Starr Mararian. There are also two seats on the school committee and former Selectmen and School Committee member Robert Richardson and newcomer Elizabeth Eklund have taken out papers. Douglas Brown, former member of the Board of Health, has taken papers for the Water Commission. Michael Durkay and Ann Caldwell are seeking re-election to the Library Board of Trustees. There are three seats available on that board. Phoebe Dunn has taken out papers for the two-year Planning Board seat and James Roach has taken out papers for the five-year Planning Board seat. Hines and Eklund have returned their papers. No one has taken out papers for the Board of Assessors or the Housing Authority.

Reminder: Presidential Primary in March
The Presidential Primary is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1. The last day to register to vote in the primary or change party enrollment is Wednesday, February 10.

Seekonk Police Promote Dowd
The Seekonk Police Department promoted Sean Dowd to Sergeant last month. Dowd has served the department for more than five years. He is also an EMT and member of the police honor guard.

Sam’s Club in Seekonk is Closing
The Sam’s Club membership store on Route 6 in Seekonk is closing its doors on February 5. Walmart, owner of Sam’s Club, is also closing its Sam’s Club store in Fall River and more than 250 other stores, 154 of them in the U.S. About 150 employees will be laid off from the Seekonk store, but the company said it will try to find other positions for them in Walmart stores. According to an article in the Sun Chronicle, a spokesperson for Sam’s Club said the store is being closed because it did not attract enough members. The company, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, has 11,000 stores worldwide.

Seekonk Fire Department Awarded Grant
Seekonk was one of eight towns/cities in the area to earn grants for fire and life safety education for children and senior citizens. More than 225 fire departments across the state received the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) program grants to work with classroom teachers to deliver fire and life safety lessons. Of these, more than 200 departments also received a Senior SAFE program grant to work with seniors on fire and life safety. Seekonk and Rehoboth will each get $4,237 for students and $2,716 for seniors. The S.A.F.E. Program provides $1.25M through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to local fire departments, according to the agency’s website.

Former Town Administrator Dies
Former Town Administrator Pam Nolan has died. Nolan served the town for two years, from 2011 until 2013. Nolan was working as the town manager in Narragansett, Rhode Island. She was from the Syracuse area and the funeral will take place there.

Seekonk Library Seeking Public Input
The Seekonk Public Library is planning to renovate its facility and is asking the public to complete a survey on how the library can better serve the community. The library’s facility study committee is working with Tappe Architects on the initial planning. Tappe has more than 30 years experience in library planning and design. The survey asks what people like about the library, what they don’t like and what changes they would like to see in the future. The survey is available on the library website at www.seekonkpl.org. Click on “Building Study Survey.”

Several Area Police Departments Had Phone Service Disruptions
On Jan. 17 several area police departments, including Seekonk, had phone service disruptions for a few hours in the afternoon, according to a Sun Chronicle article. Other towns experiencing problems included Norton, Somerset, Marshfield, Hanson and Norwell. The problem was reportedly due to Verizon regional service issues and it primarily affected non-emergency calls to the stations.

Rabies Clinic to be Held in Seekonk
A rabies clinic will be held 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 12 at the Seekonk Public Works Department garage on Route 44 and Lake Street. The clinic is open to non-residents and Rehoboth and Seekonk animal owners. Cats must be in carriers, dogs on leashes. Owners must bring previous rabies vaccination certificate. The clinic is open to dogs, cats, and ferrets. Cost is $12 per animal, with payment in cash. Proceeds benefit the Seekonk Animal Control department.