To the Editor: It is my understanding that there will be an article in the Rochester Town Meeting Warrant proposing for Rochester to withdraw from the Marion Rochester Regional Health District. This article is in direct opposition to the recommendations of the members of both the Marion and Rochester Boards of Health. I believe that [...] Read more »

To the Editor: The Marion Spring Town Meeting Warrant has arrived in your mailbox. The warrant contains two solar zoning bylaw articles to be voted on at the May 13 Meeting. Yes, Marion needs good solar bylaws. There is no disagreement on this basic issue. Marion needs to protect our neighborhoods and property values form [...] Read more »

To the Editor: We have a lot of rights as citizens of the United States and as property owners in the town of Marion. Let’s paint a fictionalized picture: I’m overlooking the pool from my deck where my two children, their four friends, and our dogs are playing in a joyful (read: loud) manner, enjoying [...] Read more »

To the Editor: The media reports extolling the virtues of a proposed solar garden by Marion’s Energy Management Committee sited on the Marion landfill needs to be placed in a proper context. An EMC objective is to change Marion’s zoning bylaws to allow “as a matter of right” zoning for the purpose of siting its’ [...] Read more »

To the Editor: We’d all like to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and save money, right? Solar photovoltaic panels are a great way to achieve this, but not all of us are fortunate to have a roof that isn’t shaded and that faces the right direction, a suitable yard for ground-mounted panels or the [...] Read more »

To the Editor: A common sense approach to the Marion sewage lagoons is needed. Selectman John Henry got it right when he said that it is a waste of time arguing whether the lagoons are leaking or not. The most sensible approach is to have CDM work on determining how to line the lagoons and [...] Read more »

To the Editor: If you live anywhere in Mattapoisett in a residential zone, don’t think you are safe from business or industrial development next door. Ask those folks on Jane Lane who will now abut an industrial cellular tower. Shouldn’t that be a good enough reason for home owners in every area of Mattapoisett to [...] Read more »

To the Editor: The last letter discussed the ramifications of the stretch building code requirement for the Green Communities designation for Marion. A stretch building code can be voluntarily adopted by a majority vote of the Town Meeting. The purpose of a stretch code is to promote energy efficiency in Town construction projects by imposing [...] Read more »

To the Editor: Marion needs a solar bylaw that serves and protects both its businesses and its residents, while allowing access to the benefits of energy from the sun. At present, the town’s zoning bylaws do not specifically address solar installations, leaving the Building Inspector and potential applicants without definitive guidance. Massachusetts General Law 40A, [...] Read more »

To the Editor: A significant Green Communities designation requirement is for the Marion Town Meeting by a majority vote to adopt a state approved “stretch building code.” Marion now uses a standard state building code, “the base code,” for construction and remodeling administered by the Town’s building inspector. This more restrictive and stringent building codes [...] Read more »