Commission Approves Long List of RDAs

The May 9 agenda of the Marion Conservation Commission was packed with a number of Requests for Determination of Applicability, all of which were promptly passed relatively problem-free and given negative determinations (no Notice of Intent filing required). Stanley Russo received a Negative 2 Determination for his Request for Determination of Applicability to place some […] Read more »

The Tale of Two Town Meetings

There was no question as to the presence of a quorum for Marion’s Monday, May 14 Annual Town Meeting, but Tuesday’s ATM 2.0 was a relative trickle compared to the crowd that cascaded into the Sippican School multi-purpose room the previous night. Monday’s highlight was indeed Article 14, the nearly $7.9 million Town House renovation […] Read more »

Marion Recycling Heads Straight to Landfill

*Please note: The Town will continue curbside collection of residents’ recycling, although the materials will temporarily be sent to the Bourne landfill until the Town secures another recycling service to accept the recyclable materials. The Town wants residents to continue to separate their recyclables from their trash and place them out on the curb as usual. This article […] Read more »

Voters Say ‘Yes’ to Ban Marijuana Sales

There was an hour of debate. Those for and those against the passage of local bylaws that would ban retail business activities related to recreational marijuana sales and cultivation in Mattapoisett spoke their minds, pleaded their cases. There was passion. There was opinion. There was data. But when the smoke cleared and the votes carefully […] Read more »

Cease and Desist Issued for 324 Front Street

Christian Loranger’s 324 Front Street condominium project was issued a Cease and Desist Order on May 10 as the building permit undergoes the appeal process with the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Wanderer obtained a copy of the order in which Marion Building Commissioner Scott Shippey wrote that on May 4 he received additional information […] Read more »

Voters Reject Town House Renovation Article

The fate of the Marion Town House is as unclear as ever after two-thirds of the voters at the May 14 Marion Annual Town meeting rejected via secret ballot the appropriation of nearly $7.9 million to renovate the historic building. Once Article 14 was introduced, the chatter began amongst the people packed into the Sippican […] Read more »

Preservation Bylaw Moves Forward

There was widespread support on Monday night for the so-called Demolition Delay Bylaw at the May 7 Marion Planning Board public hearing. The bylaw is derived from a citizen petition to place the article before Town Meeting in the fall. Formally known as “The Preservation of Historically Significant Buildings” Bylaw, the regulation would provide owners […] Read more »

Sub-Division Rules and Regulations In Question

They were well into a continued conversation during the May 7 meeting regarding a proposed cluster housing project on Chapel Road when Mattapoisett Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain said, “I’m not sure if the SRD (Special Residential District) had ever been recorded.” The issue at hand revolves around whether or not the Planning Board and […] Read more »

Rochester Seeks Extension of Temporary Pot Ban

As requested by the Rochester Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board on May 8 held a public hearing for an Annual Town Meeting warrant article to amend the temporary marijuana retail sale moratorium by extending the moratorium until June 30, 2019. The moratorium, like similar ones adopted in the Tri-Town, includes temporary bans on recreational […] Read more »

Elephants, Transparency, and Action

Marion voters on May 3 met the candidates for the 2018 Annual Town Election during the League of Women Voters annual candidates’ night at the Marion Music Hall. Two races are contested this year – one for a seat on the Board of Assessors with an emphasis on transparency, and the other for a seat […] Read more »