Rates for Marion’s beach privilege sticker have been officially set at $10, members of Marion’s Board of Selectmen decided on Tuesday, December 3.
The stickers, which cover access to (and parking at) Silvershell Beach, have been separated this year from transfer station stickers, which will be issued separately. One beach sticker per vehicle will be permitted, and property owners will have the option to purchase a guest pass for long-term renters as well, explained Harbormaster Office Administrative Assistant Donna Hemphill. A $35 placard will be available for those who rent their properties short-term and for vacations, but will be limited to one per residence.
Hemphill noted that short-term renters – defined as those renting a house for vacation purposes – would not be allowed to use a beach sticker. They will have the chance to purchase a $10 daily pass, although there will be a cap on the number of daily passes available.
Marion residents above the age of 70 will also be allowed one free beach sticker, according to the town’s website.
The stickers will go into effect on January 1, 2020. Hemphill said that she hoped to begin selling them on December 17. Further information, she added, will soon be available on the town website.
Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail added that he and Hemphill had looked into offering “non-resident stickers” for members of neighboring communities. Ultimately, McGrail advised against it.
“When we did the research, the only towns offering non-resident beach stickers were towns that had more than one beach,” McGrail explained. “With one beach and limited parking, I think that would be more stress than Silvershell could handle.”
“When I mentioned the idea of non-resident stickers, I wasn’t thinking of the beach, but of parking,” explained Selectman John Waterman. “There are a few non-residents working in town, and they can’t park at Old Landing or Island Wharf as far as I know.”
“That’s something we can do,” said McGrail. “We can maybe add a non-resident parking sticker and get back to you with ideas on that.”
“We have limited parking,” pointed out Selectmen Chairman Randy Parker. “We’d have to be careful on how we distribute those stickers.”
“I don’t think there would be a ton of demand, except maybe for Tabor games,” Waterman reasoned. “We could ask for proof of town employment or something.”
McGrail said he and Hemphill would do further research and return with ideas at a future Board of Selectmen meeting.
Also during the meeting, the selectmen learned that long-time Marion police officer Anthony DiCarlo is resigning. Though the board members reacted with surprise, DiCarlo is leaving for an excellent opportunity; he will be joining the Massachusetts State Police.
“Oh, excellent!” Parker said, upon hearing the news.
DiCarlo’s resignation will leave a vacant position in the Marion Police Department for Chief John Garcia to fill.
In other business, Kate’s Simple Eats owner Kate Ross came before the board seeking an alteration of premises. However, as she pointed out, the request was simply an amendment to the cafe’s liquor license, rather than an alteration to the actual premises.
“When I got the liquor license three or four years ago,” owner Kate Ross explained, “I got the liquor license to cover the back area of the store and the patio. Now the cafe has expanded into more of the building, so I need to alter the liquor license to reflect that.”
Ross’s request was granted unanimously by the selectmen.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen will be held on Tuesday, December 17, at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
Marion Board of Selectmen
By Andrea Ray
Complete policies can be seen at:
https://www.marionma.gov/harbormaster/pages/sticker-policy-beachparking
https://www.marionma.gov/harbormaster/pages/sticker-policy-transfer-station