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Somerset
Somerset news from South Coast 360, built from the town's posted agendas, minutes and notices.
Latest from Somerset
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Listings from official town pages, checked by our desk. Each one links to its source.
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Zoning Board of Appeals hears one battery storage case Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.
The Zoning Board of Appeals meets Thursday, Oct. 15 at the Fairfield Inn and Suites on G.A.R. Highway. The agenda lists one public hearing, a planned development for a commercial battery energy storage system in an industrial district on Riverside Avenue. The meeting is recorded for YouTube.
Diman Vocational School Committee meets Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m.
The Diman Greater Fall River Vocational School Committee meets in Room A103 at the school, 251 Stonehaven Road, Fall River. A housebuilding and facilities subcommittee meets at 5 p.m. the same day. The town calendar lists both.
Zoning Board of Appeals has five hearings Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at the library
The agenda for Thursday, Oct. 22 lists five public hearings: a home bakery special permit, two variance requests, an appeal of a building commissioner determination and a planned development for a quick-serve restaurant on G.A.R. Highway. It can be watched on SATV Channel 96 if available or on YouTube.
Elections
Early voting at Town Office Building runs Oct. 17 to Oct. 30
Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Oct. 19 to 22, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct. 26 to 29, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Somerset deadlines: register by Oct. 24, mail ballot application by Oct. 27
The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election is Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. Early vote by mail or absentee-by-mail applications are due Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. In-person absentee voting at the clerk's office runs until noon Monday, Nov. 2.
Ballot processing for the state election begins Oct. 28 at the library
Advance processing of early and mail ballots is listed for Oct. 28, 29 and 30, starting at 9 a.m. each day at the Somerset Public Library.
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Nov. 3 state election: Somerset polling place and early voting site
Election Day voting is at Somerset Berkley Regional High School's student dining hall, 625 County St., from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early voting is in the first-floor hearing room of the Town Office Building, 140 Wood St.
Notices
Transfer station opens Saturday, Oct. 17 and Nov. 7, 8 a.m. to noon
The Highway Department's transfer station on Brayton Point Road is open the first and third Saturdays through November: Oct. 17, Nov. 7 and Nov. 21. Hours are 8 a.m. to noon unless the schedule says otherwise. Schedule may change.
Trash and recycling slip one day after Columbus Day and Veterans Day
Somerset's 2026 packet says collection does not happen on Columbus Day (Oct. 12) or Veterans Day (Nov. 11). When a holiday falls Monday through Friday, trash, recycling and yard waste are delayed one day for the rest of that week.
Town warns of fraudulent email posing as the Zoning Board of Appeals
Somerset says a fake email, appearing to come from the ZBA, asks for an 'Application Review and Approval Fee' by wire transfer. The town says not to send money or reply and to verify through an independently obtained official phone number or website.
Library
Nonfiction book club meets Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
The library's Non-Fiction Book Club meets Monday, Oct. 19 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to discuss a history book on the Civil War. Registration is required; call 508-646-2829.
Thrills and Chills book club meets Oct. 20
The library says this club meets the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. That is Oct. 20. All are welcome.
Library weekly programs: mah jongg, scrabble, bridge and board games
Mah jongg Mondays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; knitting and crochet Mondays 6 to 7:30 p.m.; scrabble Tuesdays 1 to 3 p.m.; board games Tuesdays 5 to 7:30 p.m. (ages 13 and up); bridge Thursdays 1 to 3:30 p.m.
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Monday matinee movies start at 1 p.m. at the library
The library's Monday Matinee begins at 1 p.m. Titles are posted on the library's movies page.
Schools
No school for Somerset Middle School students Oct. 22, parent-teacher conferences
The K-8 calendar marks Thursday, Oct. 22 as no school for middle school students only, with Somerset Middle School parent-teacher conferences.
No school for students Nov. 3 and Nov. 11; term ends Nov. 6 and Nov. 10
Both districts list Nov. 3 as no school for students and Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) as no school. The K-8 middle school term 1 ends Nov. 6; the regional high school's term one ends Nov. 10.
From the district2026-2027 Somerset Berkley Regional School District Calendar (PDF)
Elementary early release Nov. 18; no-lunch early release Nov. 25
The K-8 calendar lists early release for elementary schools only on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and an early release without lunches Nov. 25 (dismissal 11 a.m. middle, 11:30 a.m. elementary). Thanksgiving break is Nov. 26 and 27.
What we are watching
Zoning board will take up a proposed battery storage system and a new fast-food restaurant
Two Zoning Board of Appeals agendas include planned developments under Section 6.10 of the zoning bylaw: a commercial battery energy storage system on Riverside Avenue (Oct. 15) and a quick-serve restaurant with parking and stormwater work on G.A.R. Highway (Oct. 22). Both are hearings, not decisions.
How we read Somerset
Somerset is in Bristol County. Its top elected body is the Board of Selectmen. Somerset shares Somerset Berkley Regional High School with Berkley.
We start with what the town posts: agendas, minutes, notices and budgets. Each story names the document it came from. If you know of a document we should read, send it with the town selected.