Freetown Select Board moves toward interim Harbor Master amid vacancy and mooring dispute

FREETOWN — September 23, 2024 — Freetown Select Board honors two retirees and moves toward naming an interim Harbor Master. The board recognized outgoing Harbor Master Mark Joose, who gave 44 years of combined service including 35 as Harbor Master, and Linda Rideies, who served the town in various capacities for 42 years; state Senate and House citations were presented at the September 23 meeting at the Freetown Police Station. Bob Ganam, Harbor Master of Somerset for 33 years, volunteered to serve as interim while the town drafts its first-ever written harbor rules and regulations, with a formal appointment vote expected at the board's September 30 meeting. The board unanimously approved a new collective bargaining agreement with Public Employees Union Local 272 covering highway department workers through June 30, 2027, and signed off on $116,540 in ambulance abatements and write-offs for August 2024. A second interview was held with Jessica Vanover for the town's new part-time human resources director position, with a hiring decision deferred to the next meeting.