The Marion Select Board met on Tuesday for their first meeting with a newly elected member, John Hoagland. Hoagland won his seat with 521 total votes, 262 votes higher than the next candidate. Chair Norm Hills greeted him and introduced him to applause from the room. The Select Board met to go over various action items but began with a public hearing over dog complaints directed towards Hultsch at 20 Vine Street. That hearing was continued to June 3 at 6:15 pm, where said meeting will take place in the Police Station.
The first action item involved the reorganization of the Select Board. Chair Hills suggested he remain Chair, to allow the group of three to rotate assuming no alterations to the members takes place. Randy Parker disputed this and with Hoagland’s support, was elected to be Chair of the Select Board with Hoagland becoming Vice-Chair and Norm becoming Clerk.
Chair Parker then helmed his first action item, which was the approval and appointment of Nathan Oliveria to Full Time Officer under Chief Richard Nighelli. The officer was approved without question, making his first day May 25. Next was the appointment of John Morgan to Historic Commission. Chair of the commission, Meg Steinberg, spoke on his behalf as he was “taking a long-distance phone call from Tokyo.” The appointment was approved by the board.
Brendan Annett, Vice President of Watershed Protection at Buzzards Bay Coalition, quickly presented a conservation restriction request which was approved by the board without question. Following this, a Special One Day Alcohol Beverage License and Road Closure Request was granted to St. Gabriel’s Church on June 8.
Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman presented two discussions, both were approved. One was on Opioid Settlement Funds used through 2038. The next was for a letter from the US EPA regarding regionalization and the emission of phosphorus from local plants. Currently, the level of phosphorus emitted is too high per requirements. The letter stipulates work must be done within 24 months of receival. The board declared it too early to decide on a remedy, though they will work to meet with engineers and contractors to define costs and the best path forward. Chair Parker stated a special Select Board meeting would be beneficial to inform the public and receive feedback from them. He also sought to reach out to neighboring towns for partnerships or to learn what they’ve done to comply. Gorman commended House Representative Mark Silvia for his focus on environmental issues and pushing for this change.
Gorman spoke of his pleasure of Town Meeting and Town Elections. On day 1 of Town Meeting, 463 locals came with 191 coming the second day. There were 955 voters in the Friday election. Opening for suggestions, Hoagland said he would like to see Town Meeting move to Saturday Morning rather than Monday night, citing easing the population’s burden. Parker concurred on this point. Gorman then spoke on the Department of Public Works (DPW) building updates, stating it is coming along at-pace with concreting taking place on the ceilings. “The DPW is going great. We’re pretty excited about the way it’s looking” Gorman added. Utilities are installed, with the wait on Eversource for power hookup.
Schedules confirmations were the Memorial Day Parade, beginning at Marion Music Hall on May 26 at 9:00 pm. Parker joked he would now be the one speaking at the event, as Chair. The Independence Day parade is Friday, July 4 beginning at Town Hall. The parade will be led by the Select Board. The Marion Annual Town Party is Saturday, July 26 at Silvershell Beach. The move to later in the season was done to get away from mosquito season and to allow for more volunteers.
The next meeting of the Marion Select Board will be on Tuesday, June 3 in the Marion Police Station.
Marion Select Board
By Sam Bishop