The Marion Select Board met on December 2 at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center to wrap up some annual work before 2026.
The board approved all annual business licenses for 2026, and it also set the estimated seasonal population at 5,428. The latter number helps determine the number of alcohol licenses the board can issue, per the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission’s guidelines.
The board also approved all numbers and funding sources tied to the Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) for the Town House renovation project. Included in that approval were sidewalks, as well as road and way repairs. The project was approved at the Annual Town Meeting last May. Those approved were Article 17, Town House Renovation, and Article 51, Sidewalks Road and Ways Repair.
The board approved a Water/Sewer commitment of $1,269.59, based on a late-November reading.
This short 15-minute meeting allowed for some updates on news connected to the holiday season.
Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman noted that the new wooden buoy tree is up and secure next to the Music Hall. Last month, Tabor Academy students Morgan Karvonen, Taylor Karvonen, and Deming Dwyer received approval for a new tradition – a wooden tree with 300 ornament buoys on them. The three high school juniors said they have started a non-profit, which will go to a food pantry in Wareham.
Gorman also said that the Buzzards Bay Coalition has donated a holiday tree to the town – another holiday tradition.
The meeting was a short one, though it had many discussion points, action items, and approval votes. The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16.
Marion Select Board
By Jeffrey D. Wagner