After taking the matter into consideration, the Marion Board of Selectmen voted September 2 to maintain authoritative control over Sprague’s Cove, choosing not to hand over management to the Marion Open Spaces Acquisition Commission or the Conservation Commission.
Chairman Jon Henry referred to an August 20 memorandum the board received from John and Susan Teal, who spoke during the August 18 selectmen’s meeting about the nuisance of phragmites relative to Sprague’s Cove.
The memo gives a rough outline of a management plan, calling for regular observation, the mowing of the site, and herbicide application. It also cites phragmites as a serious fire hazard.
For months, MOSAC and ConCom have been rivaling to gain control over the management and maintenance of the constructed wetlands designed for water purification.
Henry acknowledged that the site needs a management plan – like any sewage treatment facility would require – but it needs to be “spelled out.”
Henry stated that the board should place an article on the next Town Meeting warrant for the funding, despite not having a plan for an engineer to analyze the site or a maintenance plan of some sort. He suggested a study committee of “stakeholders,” which would include the Department of Public Works.
“Nine out of ten times, it’s the DPW that’s gonna be doing the work,” agreed Selectman Jody Dickerson.
Henry’s bottom line was getting Town Meeting approval for the funding before making any concrete decisions on the future of the cove. He acknowledged openly that the board did not have the knowledge or understanding of the maintenance the cove requires, and Town Administrator Paul Dawson said he was unclear as to how to word an official document declaring the board’s decision, agreeing to word it that jurisdiction would remain “under the Town of Marion.”
“We gotta start somewhere,” said Henry.
Also during the meeting, the Friends of the Marion Council on Aging gave a brief summary of their recent plans for the future of a senior center in town.
The group has enlisted the assistance of the UMass Gerontology Institute to study the town’s senior citizen demographics.
The focus of their study will be caregivers of the elderly, residents over 45 years old, and local non-profit groups that might take an interest in creating a senior center that could also be used as a community center.
“We’re not here to ask for money,” said Priscilla Ditchfield. “The Friends is going to pay for this … but we do ask that you pay attention and come to these meetings as much as possible.”
In other matters, the board received an update from the Landfill Solar Array Evaluation Committee, which recommended accepting the RFP submitted by My Generation Energy, calling it “the number one contractor here.”
Bill Saltonstall from the committee said the company was giving the town the best deal, as well as satisfying the town’s goals for the project.
The town will lease the land to the My Generation Energy at $370,000, according to Dawson.
“That’s not a bad deal,” said Saltonstall.
Also during the meeting, after a rather long discussion, the board voted 2-1 against a water abatement for 49 Joanne Drive.
Dawson vehemently opposed granting the abatement totaling over $16,000 because the town had made 25 attempts since 2006 to enter the dwelling for an accurate meter reading, with no response from the property owner. The property owner for seven years had been paying an estimated water bill, which resulted in an undercharging of water and sewer usage.
Henry wanted to investigate further to see if a water leak was the culprit for the significant discrepancy in billing, but Selectmen Stephen Cushing and Dickerson both stated that it was the responsibility of the homeowners to respond to the town’s many attempts to rectify the issue over the past seven years – and they failed to do so.
By Jean Perry
