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01:20:44 pm Plymouth County Under Hurricane Warning

Categories: News, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

The National Weather Service announced today at noon that Plymouth county is under a Hurricane Warning, prompting safety preparations in the Tri-Town.

At Mattapoisett Town Wharf, the tow trucks were busy pulling boats from the harbor as onlookers sat in the shade of the trees. Building winds tossed leaves and made the surf increasingly choppy, and the wharf ice cream stand was preparing to move back to Route 6.

The region’s Hurricane Warning indicates that Earl will bring hurricane conditions on Friday, including winds of 74 mph or more. Meteorologists are waiting to see if the hurricane will veer to the left; if this does happen, the wind speeds will be even more intense.

All three towns are urging their residents to use safety and to secure outdoor items like umbrellas, patio sets, and lawn mowers. If residents haven’t done so already, they should prepare hurricane survival kits (details can be found here: http://www.wanderer.com/information/HurricanePrep.pdf), develop family communication plans and stay informed via media sources throughout the whole warning.

The town of Marion is reminding residents of Planting Island to be especially cautious since they are “vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms”. Planting Island access has been cut off to traffic in past storms, and residents should be prepared to leave early in case a storm surge brings water over the causeway. According to a Marion press release, “it is important for Planting Island residents to realize that, once the causeway is under water, it will be virtually impossible for us to get emergency aid to you.” The Water department plans to shut off the water supply to Planting Island if the causeway is flooded.

If evacuations are necessary, Marion will open an emergency shelter at the Sippican School – no pets will be allowed into the emergency quarters. No emergency quarters have been sanctioned in Mattapoisett or Rochester yet, but the Wanderer will update this story as it develops.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

 

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11:31:21 pm Marion Block Party Honors Zora

Categories: Marion

A quintessential community event, the Marion’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Benjamin D. Cushing Post No. 2425’s Annual Block Party and Dance, offered a little of something for everyone last Saturday, August 28. Attendees feasted on swordfish kabobs, calamari, fish and chips and clam cakes as children took turns in the moonwalk and climbed a makeshift rock wall. Town residents also took a moment to thank Joseph Zora, a former selectman and staple personality in the community, who originally founded the Block Party event decades ago.

The threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) forced event organizers to change the usual evening event to a daytime affair. “[EEE] put a curveball on us, but we were pleased with what we saw,” reported Steve Gonsalves, the chairperson of the committee who organized the event. Mr. Gonsalves and committee members Joanne Byron, Sue Byron, Debbie Gonsalves, Rodney Hunt, Christine Winters and Peter Winters began planning the event months ago to ensure its success. “We’ve been working on this for months… it is a big undertaking but everyone came together and got it done,” commented Ms. Winters.

In addition to food and entertainment, volunteers Terri Santos and VFW Ladies Auxiliary member Joyce McWilliams manned a raffle table to support VFW programs. “They do give a certain amount of dollars to local community needs. That is what’s great about this event. It is a great time and money goes to good places,” Mr. Gonsalves said.

The time change did affect the atmosphere of the event, but Mr. Gonsalves stressed the importance of keeping the tradition alive. “We worked around it. With these types of traditions, you have to keep them going because if you have lapses, they never come back the same way,” he said, urging “young people to step up to the plate” to keep Marion traditions flourishing.

The event also is a testament to volunteerism in the community. More than three quarters of the food at the event derived from donations, Mr. Gonsalves said. Further, the event recognized Mr. Zora with a tree planting and dedication symbolizing his contributions to Marion. “He has truly been Marion’s Man of the Year many times over and is still going strong,” Mr. Gonsalves said of the man who initiated the event more than 30 years ago. “He is the man behind the dream and this day, and that is why it was very important to let him know we appreciate it, and we’ll carry it on for a long time to come,” he added.

Both Ms. Winters and Mr. Gonsalves said that attendance levels did drop this year due to the draw of the beach and the water, especially on that sunny Saturday after a long spell of rain. However, Mr. Gonsalves anticipates that the evening setting will be reinstated next year. Thirty years strong, the Marion Block Party and Dance isn’t going anywhere.

By Laura Pedulli

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11:31:18 pm Mattapoisett to Establish Aquaculture Regs

Categories: Mattapoisett

Mattapoisett’s recently formed Aquaculture Ad Hoc Committee is on “an aggressive schedule” to draft regulations or bylaws outlining protocol for current and future aquaculture applications, according to Town Administrator Michael Gagne. Such recommendations are slated to reach the Board of Selectmen (BOS), who will make the final determination on what is adopted this December.

Committee members represent interests related to new aquaculture businesses and include applicants and cove abutters. Board members include John Hinman from the Marine Advisory Board, Lisa Winsor, Horace Field III, Horace Field IV, Joyce Almeida, Paul Osenkowski and Jim O’Dowd. Mark Whalen will also advise on the committee as a non-voting member. Ex-officio members will be Mr. Gagne, Harbormaster Steve Mach and Natural Resources Officer Kathy Massey.

Mr. Gagne said the new committee will consider several issues while drafting its recommendations with a focus on establishing firm methods and measures. “They will need to look at the public versus private benefit and what we will use as a system to weigh that,” explained Mr. Gagne. He said concern over aesthetics and public recreational access will be factored into their analysis.

Six of the seven members reside in the Brandt Island Beach community, which is near a one-acre oyster farm proposed last spring by the seventh member, Mr. O’Dowd. Mr. O’Dowd emphasized that the committee will not investigate his specific application, however he hopes to educate committee members on aquaculture.

“People don’t realize what oyster farming is. You put the seed in water, keep an eye on it as oysters grow in the different bags. It is all done by hand. It’s not an industry,” commented Mr. O’Dowd, who said he has pored through “a whole stack” of state regulations, aquaculture bylaws in other towns, and information from the East Coast Growers’ Association on the practice. “People hear different things and don’t really understand what the whole thing is about. It’s a little frustrating. If people are educated, they can make informed decisions,” he said.

One issue the committee will tackle is the identification of suitable areas for aquaculture while balancing the interests of commercial shellfish businesses and general public recreational users, Mr. Gagne said. In addition to oysters, potential new applicants could pursue aquaculture businesses for quahogs, clams, and scallops, which require different environmental conditions favorable for growth. Mr. O’Dowd noted that aqua culturists tend to research at length potential locations for their businesses. “You can’t go into this blind. You’ll end up with dead animals,” he said.

How the town will benefit from aquaculture enterprises also will be studied at length. Mr. Gagne said that businesses on water do pay state taxes but do not contribute at the municipal level. Thus, members will evaluate if a leasing fee should be established to benefit the town and how that fee would be related to revenue potential. Transferability of licenses is another issue under consideration. “It could become a great money making venture,” Mr. Gagne said, stressing the need for protocol to establish the sale of a thriving aquaculture business to a new party. State regulations do require that individuals seeking to purchase an aquaculture business receive approval from a town’s BOS.

Mr. Gagne said new protocol also would include a pre-application assessment and assurance that proposed locations meet the requirements of the Division of Marine Fisheries. “It is a waste of time to have a three-hour emotionally charged meeting only to find the Division of Marine Fisheries would not allow the proposal,” he said.

Committee meetings, scheduled to occur every two weeks, are open to the public and will begin sometime in early September. “I’m hoping we can get through this with some real objectivity and develop a really good framework for aquaculture in Mattapoisett,” Mr. O’Dowd said.

By Laura Pedulli

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11:31:16 pm Library Aims to Reduce Junk Mail

Categories: News

How many times does this happen to you? You open the mailbox, hoping for a new magazine or some fun correspondence, but all you get are bills and a cascade of junk mail.

Well, nothing can be done about the bills. But the Mattapoisett Free Public Library is helping the public reduce their junk mail problems, thereby reducing paper waste and eliminating a serious source of annoyance for most people. The Junk Mail Reduction Kit, organized by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), can help you regain space in your mailbox and recycling bins again.

According to the Junk Mail Kit, the average adult is on 50 mailing lists, receives an average of 41 pounds of junk mail annually, and 44 percent of that mail goes unread.

So why do you wind up with so much junk mail? PrivacyRights.org, a non-profit consumer organization, says junk mail is the result of your information being sold to and from like-interest businesses. For instance, if you sign up for a newsletter or a contest from a flower and seed catalog, that company may turn around and sell your contact information to other gardening catalogs and companies. Likewise, if you donate money to a non-profit group, your information may be passed along to a similar non-profit group, who may send mail to solicit donations.

There are ways to avoid this, though, and that’s where the junk mail kit helps you, the consumer. You can continue ordering from the seed catalog. You can continue donating to your favorite organizations. Best of all, you can continue to enjoy a clean mailbox.

The kit helps you reduce your junk mail in three steps. The first step is removing yourself from existing lists by calling various credit groups and clearinghouses to remove your name from their lists, and by using www.CatalogChoice.org to make sure that you only receive the specific catalogs you request. The kit contains helpful phone numbers and a sheet of name removal postcards to send to the companies who are bombarding you with unwanted mail.

The second step in the kit is to prevent junk mail before it happens by being proactive: this includes writing notes in the comment field of your purchases and donations, informing the company/organization of your request to not sell your personal information to other groups.

The third step is to recycle the mail that you do receive. All of the recycling programs in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester accept junk mail.

The whole process takes a few months, so start now! Either stop by the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, located at 7 Barstow Street, for a kit (printed on recycled paper), or visit www.mass.gov/dep/service/greenliving.htm to order your own junk mail kit. The Green Living portion of the DEP website will also help you opt out of receiving the Yellow Pages.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

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11:31:13 pm Marion Concert Season Wraps Up

Categories: Marion

The Marion Concert Band wrapped up its popular summer series last Monday with tunes by the film composer John Williams. Unlike previous years, music lovers did not listen to the orchestra under a blanket of stars, but inside the Sippican Elementary School due to the threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

“I’ve been involved with the Marion Concert Band since 1974, and I never remember anything like this happening before,” said conductor Tobias Monte. The upside of an indoor performance meant fewer bugs and more comfortable seats for attendees of the free show. However, the unique atmosphere of an outdoor show was lost. “It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite what it was supposed to be,” said Mr. Monte. “The biggest difference is that no kids were running around.”

The first four Marion Concert Shows – one at the beach and three at Island Wharf – went on as planned during the mid-summer. However, on July 28 the Board of Health contacted Mr. Monte about the need to change venues. Mr. Monte investigated the Music Hall, but the stage could not accommodate the entire concert band, which includes more than 45 musicians. One show did not go on as planned due to the unexpected logistical challenge.

Luckily, the schools stepped up and offered Sippican School as an alternative venue. “Everyone in the school department was very accommodating of the unusual situation. They made it work,” Mr. Monte said, noting that Principal Lyn Rivet, Facilities Director Steve Murphy and Town Administrator Paul Dawson in particular helped facilitate the arrangement. In addition, he said Hannah Moore – Sippican School’s Band Director and a member of the Marion Concert Band – provided critical assistance with the logistics due to her familiarity with the school’s facilities.

Surprisingly, the venue change did not affect attendance levels. “The numbers were fairly comparable, which was a pleasant surprise to me,” Mr. Monte reported. He also recalled an impressionable moment when attendees stacked their own chairs at the end of the August 30 performance. “It was a wonderful community effort that made the situation work,” he said.

By Laura Pedulli

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11:31:07 pm Marion Aquaculture Project Continued

Categories: Marion

A meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission was held on Wednesday, August 25, and called to order at 7:00 pm by Chairman Norman A. Hills. Also present were members Lawrence B. Doman, Wendy Carreau, Sherman E. Briggs Jr., and Secretary Diane R. Drake.

The first order of business was a notice of intent filed by Lawrence E. Reinhart to construct a single-family dwelling, a septic system, a driveway, and associated filling and grading at Lot 70 East Avenue, Planting Island. Rick Charon of Charon Associates represented the applicant. Mr. Charon presented a revised site plan, which involved a dwelling with a 35-foot elevation with a drive in garage on the first floor. In order to avoid driving over the septic system, a gravel pathway will be used to access the garage. Details of the leaching field and other issues were discussed. ConCom asked about the water runoff from the roof and requested that “drip strips” or dry wells be used to manage the roof runoff.

Another issue raised by the ConCom was that the current plan has water running off onto the adjoining lot, which is also owned by the applicant. If the property was sold in the future, the water runoff onto the lot might become an issue with a new owner. “Let’s do all we can, now, to avoid a future problem,” said Mr. Briggs. The committee requested a revised plan to see how the water runoff issues would be addressed. The Commission voted to continue the hearing until the September 8 ConCom meeting.

The next order of business was a notice of intent by Catherine A. Brodeur to establish two 100-by-220-foot aquaculture projects – one off the north side of Ram Island and one off the easterly tip or “spit” of Planting Island. Ms. Brodeur and Bill Madden of G.A.F. Engineering addressed the committee in regards to the application. A request was made to approve the plans for both locations as Phase 1 and Phase 2.

The Ram Island project is a half-acre, 22,000 square foot area marked by four moorings connected by large poly balls. A series of bags that run between the floats are suspended and hung from a grid held together with chains. According to Mr. Madden, nothing will be submerged, no bottom disturbances will occur and the water quality should improve due to the “filter feeder” type of shellfish to be grown there. The committee noted that they were awaiting a report from the National Heritage and Endangered Species Program regarding an impact study on local wildlife, such as terrapin turtles, that needed to be reviewed. The Board voted to continue the hearing until their September 8 meeting.

The next order of business was a discussion of a request to raze and replace the existing shed at 3 Main Street, renovate and modify the dwelling, and make site improvements, including landscaping. Dave Davignon of Schnieder Associates represented the applicant. Mr. Davignon noted that the majority of work to be done was cosmetic, and included enclosing an existing porch, resurfacing the driveway with pea stone and extending it to the back of the house and repointing of the seawall. Several small bump-outs off the footprint were included to install and “square up” several bay windows. No work would be within 50 feet of the buffer zone, noted Mr. Davignon. Some trees and shrubs will be removed. The committee voted to approve and closed the hearing.

The next item discussed was a request by John Ludes to confirm that the stream running through 135 Converse Road is an Intermittent Stream. Dave Davignon, of Schnieder Associates accompanied Mr. Ludes. Photos of the area of the stream, taken on four consecutive days in early July 2010, were presented along with an aerial view of the stream, which flows into Sippican Harbor when active. It was agreed that the area was dry. It was noted that the property contains two lots, which Mr. Ludes plans to combine into one lot. The combined lots would allow ample room for a dwelling, with a water view, to be built if placed on the upland knoll on the property. The stream discussed, runs through both lots. The committee voted to approve the request and closed the hearing.

An appointment with John and Craig Lawrence for discussion regarding work in the buffer zone to wetlands at 5 Pawkechatt Way was rescheduled for the September 8 meeting.

In further business, Sherman Briggs handed out an “Informal Project Review Form,” used by the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission, which he thought the committee should review and consider using. The board agreed to review it and discuss it at another meeting.

In other business, minutes of prior meetings were approved.

The board voted to adjourn at 8:33 pm.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

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11:31:04 pm Heritage Days Canceled Outright

Categories: Mattapoisett

After a mid-August Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) scare in mid-August canceled and postponed most outdoor evening events, the annual Mattapoisett Heritage Days were rescheduled for mid-September. Now, Chairperson of the Heritage Days committee, Bobbi Gaspar, has announced that the 2010 Heritage Days have been canceled outright.

Part of the reason for the cancelation was the continued threat of EEE in the southeastern Massachusetts region. Despite the recent aerial spray that temporarily reduced the adult mosquito population, the threat of EEE remains significant. Both the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the local Boards of Health in Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester are enforcing a 6:00 pm curfew on town activities until the first hard frost comes to the region.

Heritage Days has been an August tradition since the town’s sesquicentennial in 2007, when the event was born. The Heritage Days committee tries to make a week of fun, family-friendly events available to the public at low-to-no cost. These events celebrate Mattapoisett’s past, and showcase all of the thriving industries of the region’s yesteryear.

The EEE postponement created an issue with vendor and event availability. Some of the events scheduled for Heritage Days – like the kite fly, the ecumenical service at Ned’s Point and the Salt and Cranberries presentation planned for the Museum and Carriage House – were easy enough to reschedule. Other events, like the Fairhaven Militia encampment on the Mattapoisett River and the American Legion clambake that were supposed to coincide with Heritage Days activities couldn’t be rescheduled. The organizers had difficulty getting vendors to reschedule as well, leading Ms. Gaspar to call the postponement “impractical.”

“It was hard to let go,” said Ms. Gaspar. The event was all set to go forward, despite the Board of Health curfew, but two-thirds of the crafters signed up for the event could not attend the rescheduled date.

Not wanting to operate at a loss, the Heritage Days committee started to consider a cancelation, since they feared that the threat of EEE would affect turn-out anyway. “We thought people aren’t going to come out because of the mosquitoes,” said Ms. Gaspar, “so we opted to cut our losses, basically. We run on a no-budget kind of thing.”

Heritage Days is a fairly new town tradition, and Ms. Gaspar hopes that the event’s absence for one year won’t remove it from the minds of residents. “The ideas for next year are already bubbling,” she said, urging people to get excited for Heritage Days 2011, and encouraging residents to even consider volunteering for the event and its preparation.

The t-shirts for the 2010 Heritage Days are still available though, and Ms. Gaspar thinks that they may be considered collector’s items for local Heritage Days enthusiasts. Those interested in purchasing a t-shirt can do so by emailing Ms. Gaspar at theseamstress@verizon.net. Anyone interested in volunteering for the Heritage Days committee can also email Ms. Gaspar.

Next year’s Heritage Days will take place from August 5-7, 2011, and will include some of the canceled events from this year, plus other new events.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

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11:31:01 pm Police Station Work is “Making Progress”

Categories: Mattapoisett

Work at the Mattapoisett police station is coming along nicely, according to police chief Mary Lyons on August 30. “We’re making progress,” said Chief Lyons, who listed electrical work and a transfer of 911 services as the remaining projects before the station can re-open. She said the process would likely take about two weeks.

The Mattapoisett police station has been closed since May 28, when a water pipe on the second floor burst and sent water cascading throughout the first and second floor. The building’s damage was “extensive,” according to Chief Lyons, and the building’s first floor was completely gutted. Damage on the second floor was mostly limited to floor damage.

Since the pipe disaster three months ago, the police station has been operating out of the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department Mobile Command Center with some assistance from the Fairhaven police department.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

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11:30:58 pm Students Return to Transformed RMS

Categories: Rochester

Rochester Memorial School (RMS) students will return to a transformed landscape this week, witnessing the result of the first major phase of construction for RMS’s $26.5 million renovation and expansion project.

“I’m very, very excited,” said school Principal Jay Ryan. “The entire construction crew worked miracles all summer. It’s amazing the amount they got done.” Mr. Ryan was confident that despite rumors, RMS would open as planned with few hassles for new and returning students.

The most notable change is the two-story addition that was constructed from brick precast panels with the help of a 190-foot crane during the hot July months. The crane swung panels, some of them weighing up to 22,000 pounds, into place, essentially building the entire structure in a matter of weeks. The new 34,000 square foot school building, which will include a new art room, 14 classrooms in addition to tutorial and special education facilities, will be ready for occupancy by fourth, fifth and sixth graders by Christmas. In the meantime, Mr. Ryan said the new building would be sealed off to ensure safety.

In addition, the existing school was gutted out and renovated extensively. According to Town Facilities Michael Meunier, who is overseeing the project, renovations included new seismic bracing and diagonal steel beams, the addition of HVAC and water lines, new heating pipes, a new sprinkler system for the cafeteria and gymnasium, and technology and electrical upgrades. He said the crews scrubbed, waxed and painted the interior to get the building in tip-top shape for returning students. Future improvements include the addition of a music room on the northeast corner of the building.

“I’m glad I’m on the job to make sure the town gets the most bang for its buck,” said Mr. Meunier. “We are working with great people and we have checks and balances to make sure things get done correctly,” he added.

“Wow, wow, wow!” said Diane Legasse, the principal’s secretary, upon reentering her office after spending the summer with Mr. Ryan at the Old Rochester Regional administrative headquarters. The teachers spent last weekend unpacking supplies and prepping the rooms for the first day of school on September 1.

Town Administrator Richard LaCamera also expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of the work. “The project has gone extremely well. I’m happy with what we’ve accomplished over the summer. I’m so excited about the pre cast addition that will be set in January. Things have gone really well,” he said.

The project will continue with the old section’s renovation during school vacations over the next year, and has a projected finish date of September 2011.

By Laura Pedulli

 

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11:30:54 pm Letters to the Editor

Categories: News

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

 

To the Editor:

It has been 45 years now since it was first recommended that Mattapoisett do something to protect its wetlands. It was in 1965 that Mattapoisett’s Master Plan recommended “town conservation of all wetlands and drainage ways”.

In 1989, the town’s Growth Management Committee urged adoption of “local wetland regulations.” In 1995, the Coalition for Buzzard’s Bay recommended the town “improve wetlands protection through the adoption of a local Wetlands Protection by-law which includes provisions for the maintenance of vegetated buffer strips between developed areas and adjacent wetlands.”

Several town meetings ago, a citizens’ non-binding petition asking the Conservation Committee to come forward at the next annual town meeting with a wetlands protection by-law passed by a vote of 72-18. That request was ignored.

Now at this year’s special town meeting, it is hoped voters will finally get a chance to enact comprehensive wetlands protection regulations. This should have been done generations ago. In the meantime, our wetlands – so vital to preserve groundwater resources – have been abused and desecrated. The losers are the taxpayers of Mattapoisett and the generations to follow as residents of this and neighboring towns look to us for their drinking water.

For several months now, at out request, the Coalition for Buzzard’s Bay has been guiding in drafting the necessary regulations to protect wetlands and buffer zones. The next hurdle will be gathering more than 100 signatures to place the matter on the October warrant.

To ease that chore, the Mattapoisett Land Trust has given permission to make use of the Dunseith parking area (the home of Salty the Seahorse at the corner of Route 6 and North Street) on Friday, September 3 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and Saturday, September 4 from 9:00 am to noon, to gather signatures. Otherwise, potential signers should call 508-758-3579 to make arrangements.

45 years is just too long to wait for nothing to happen. Our friends in Rochester first took action 17 years ago.

Brad and Priscilla Hathaway

Mattapoisett

To the Editor:

The Elizabeth Taber Library wrapped up this summer’s program for children, “Go Green,” on Thursday, August 5 with an End-of-the-Summer-Program Ice Cream Sundae Social.

Children 2-12 years old enjoyed storytimes, crafts, reading games, story tellers, a magic show, a fairy house building workshop, a pocket making workshop and drop-in activities over the course of seven weeks. Attendance for the summer program totaled 1,719. It was especially exciting, with the help of donations from a local sponsor and the Sippican Woman’s Club, to “Read for a Good Cause.” Each hour participants spent reading equaled $1 to support the work of Heifer International. Our readers were able to purchase one goat, one sheep, a flock of chickens, a trio of rabbits, honeybees and a hive to help needy families become self sufficient.

I would like to thank all of the participants (and parents, grandparents, baby-sitters, and nannies!) involved in our program, along with our eleven junior volunteers: Anthea Andrade, Alex Friedman, Lauren Gonsalves, Emily Cronin, MacKenzie Larkin, Aryana Hartley, Rachel Brealt, Julia Pardo, Christopher Savino, Ari and Bailey Sweet as well as our ever enthusiastic Library Director, Judith Kleven, and staff members Donna Ohlman and Peg Riley, and also Elizabeth Leidhold, Director of the Marion Natural History Museum.

Several agencies and businesses in town lent their kind support to the library’s summer reading program. I hope everyone enjoyed the library’s summer program and the delights of summer reading as much as I did!

Rosemary Grey

Elizabeth Taber Library

 

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03:00:53 pm State Waives EIR for Bay Watch Project

Categories: Marion

Developers of a 168-unit affordable housing complex, “Marion Village Estates,” will not have to complete a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR), said the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in a report filed on August 20, 2010.

In their report, the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (MEPA), claimed that since the “project has been reduced in size, and associated environmental impacts have decreased correspondingly,” the project’s developer, Bay Watch Realty, will not have to complete the full EIR.

At a special August 4 meeting, the Marion Board of Selectmen discussed the developer’s request for reduced environmental impact requirements. Since the project falls under the scope of 40B, the project’s authorization and ultimate approval comes from the state. After hearing from several citizens, who cited concerns about vernal pools and illegal clear-cutting allegedly committed by Bay Watch, the Board decided to have Town Counsel Jon Whitten draft up a letter to the state urging them to uphold the full EIR, despite reductions in the scope of the project.

In addition to environmental impact, opponents of the project cited concerns about impact to the town’s burdened water infrastructure and feared that the project would increase their already high taxes.

In a Notice of Project certificate (NPC) signed by MEPA secretary Ian Bowles, the preparer of the document stated, “Because the project’s impacts have decreased and several previously-identified issues have been resolved, I find that the project as currently proposed does not warrant the preparation of an EIR. I am confident that outstanding issues related to wetlands impacts and wastewater can be addressed through state and local permitting.”

The project, which is slated for construction on the Route 105 portion of Front Street, was originally filed as a 192-unit project with 425 parking spaces on 26.5 acres of land. The new project calls for 168 units with 299 parking spaces on 22.7 acres of land. The site is located within an Aquifer Protection District, but this district was not established until after Bay Watch’s initial project application.

The report from the state said that 25 percent of the project site will remain undeveloped, and the state urged the developer to consider placing a conservation restriction on that undeveloped portion.

The state requires that 10 percent of all housing in local communities be made affordable – that is, reserved for residents who make less than 80 percent of the median annual salary. Chapter 40B was established in 1969 to ensure communities work to achieve this 10 percent goal, giving jurisdiction to the state to ensure cooperation until the town reaches its requirement. Marion is currently at 4.3 percent for affordable housing inventory, and according to Town Administrator Paul Dawson, the Marion Village Estates project might bring the town up to the 10 percent threshold, but that number would have to be ultimately determined by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). If DHCD follows their usual formula, said Mr. Dawson, then Marion Village Estates would likely fulfill Marion’s affordable housing quota.

Despite the fact that the Board of Selectmen voted to uphold the EIR requirement, they expressed support for the project, which they labeled “workforce housing.” They hoped that the project would enable the Marion workforce – including teachers, police officers and firefighters – to live in the same community they serve.

A statewide ballot initiative is challenging Chapter 40B this year. On November 2, Massachusetts voters will have the chance to repeal 40B, reverting affordable housing jurisdiction to a local level.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

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