After multiple requests to continue the public hearing for LEC Environmental Consultants, affiliated with the proposed CVS project, the Marion Conservation Commission on May 27 wondered how much longer they should honor the company’s requests to continue continuing.
The first public hearing to address the Request for Determination of Applicability to establish the wetlands lines at the property located at the corner of Route 6 and Front Street was October 22, and the hearing has been continued several times since the beginning of this year.
Although a formal plan had not yet been submitted, a Conservation Commission majority informed the representatives of the CVS project during that October meeting that it adamantly opposed allowing any construction within the designated floodplain or wetlands buffer zone on the lot.
On May 27, with another request from the applicant to continue the public hearing until August 26, commission members started asking whether or not they should allow, or could cease to allow, any further continuations.
“It’s become a joke of just make an appointment and continue it,” said ConCom member Jeffrey Doubrava. “[They] make an appointment and continue it and any townspeople who would like to follow this case have had to essentially come to every Conservation Commission [meeting] in the last six months.”
Commission member Steve Gonsalves asked if there was any rule that prohibits the applicant from requesting continuance after continuance. Chairman Norman Hills said he thinks not.
In defense of the continuances, Gonsalves said he did not find the many requests “a bad joke,” and advocated to allow another continuance.
“The bottom line is, I know this is a pretty big project,” said Gonsalves, “and I can respect … that they want to have their i’s dotted and their t’s crossed.” He continued, “I think … we should give them what they need and work with them.”
Hills said that unless LEC Environmental comes back with some information, creates an escrow account for the commission to hire an engineer, or takes action to move the matter forward, the commission should close the public hearing and issue the RDA “with not exactly what they’re looking for.”
“To date, they have not posted that (escrow) money so nothing has happened,” said Hills. “They either need to post the money [or] come up with a plan that looks like they’re actually going to do something….”
Gonsalves suggested the commission makes those suggestions while continuing until the August 26 meeting, and the other members agreed.
“I think that’s fair,” said Doubrava, also retracting the word “joke” he used earlier when describing the string of continuances. “But this was originally posted in October.”
The vote to continue was unanimous.
“They’ve got three months to figure out what they need to do,” said Hills, “and it is the intention of this board to not continue it after that. So they need to decide what to do.”
The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for June 10 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry
