At their meeting on Wednesday, April 15, the Marion Marine Resources Commission had a long list of action items that mostly centered around harbor management as well as the Harbor Management Plan, which is to be presented next week. The meeting was also attended by Select Board Vice Chair John Hoagland.
Following the approval of minutes from their April 1 meeting, the commission moved to discuss the Harbor Management Plan. They agreed to discuss the plan further the following week, on April 22.
First, they discussed Old Landing. For the floats that go against the boat ramp, commission members said they are currently buried and need to be “dug out.” They agreed this should be a priority as “fisherman are going to start calling,” one member said.
Next, the MRC discussed the selection process for the vacant harbormaster position. The question was raised as to who exactly would perform the selection process. Chair Vincent Malkoski, Jr. clarified a panel of various officials would perform a first and second review, with the Select Board being responsible for the final decision, using recommendations received by the panel. The panel would likely comprise the fire chief, police chief, Malkoski, Jr., MRC member Ray Cullum, Department of Public Works representatives, and Select Board member Norm Hills. Chair Malkoski stated he was still awaiting final confirmation from other board heads. “The pick lies with the Select Board,” the chair said, maintaining that other groups can only make recommendations.
Though “Kayak Racks” was on the list of action items, the chair stated, “I have nothing new to report.” The members did, however, discuss maintenance of the racks as well as enforcement for their proper usage, with the board noting in the past “there’s been everything but kayaks.”
Next, the chair moved on to discuss Island Wharf, a topic which has seen much recent discussion between MRC and the Select Board. Many town officials have spoken on parking at Island Wharf, as well as various levels of jurisdiction over the lot. For parking, Hoagland maintained an agreement where the topic of parking would be discussed at a Select Board meeting on Tuesday, May 5, thus moving another topic off the MRC docket for the night.
The MRC will meet to review the agenda for the upcoming Harbor Management Plan Public Meeting on Wednesday, April 22 at 6:00 pm in the Maritime Center and virtually through Microsoft Teams. The plan’s Public Meeting itself will take place on Tuesday, April 28 at 6:00 pm in the Marion Music Hall.
Marion Marince Resources Commission
By Sam Bishop