Mattapoisett has joined Marion and Rochester in the market for a new town planner. A recommended candidate declined the Rochester job vacated last month by Steven Starrett, and Gil Hilario is leaving Marion this month to become town planner in his hometown of North Attleboro.
When Mary Crain stepped aside as Mattapoisett’s part-time town planner some six months ago, semi-retired former Town Administrator Mike Gagne stepped in to help the town and its Planning Board until the role could be filled. Time is now of the essence, it seems.
During the August 2 meeting of the Planning Board, Gagne asked the board members to prepare for his departure by creating a list of the most important and essential responsibilities of a part-time town planner.
“I’m probably better as a town administrator than a planner,” he quipped. Gagne said the Planning Board members should take the time to make a list of those areas of responsibility that they believe a 19.5-hour town planner could reasonably be expected to handle. Gagne also said that he would have a discussion with Town Administrator Mike Lorenco to determine if some clerical aspects of the position could be handled by existing staff members in Town Hall.
Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker stated in a follow-up interview that Gagne will be staying on until a replacement can be found and a smooth transition accomplished.
Members acknowledged that the board needs help but wondered about the budget with Nathan Ketchel, saying, “I have no idea what our budget is.”
Gagne said that the fee structure currently in place for Planning Board permits does not offset the cost of a part-time employee, but that the town would be looking for an offset to cover expenses.
Gagne had circulated to the board members a job description from another community also looking to fill the role of a part-time town planner. That was met with approval. Gagne also shared that he would talk to several retired planners he was acquainted with to ferret out their interest in working for the town short-term while it seeks a permanent hire.
In other business, the board members discussed the need to ascertain whether they are prepared to conduct site plan reviews based on new FEMA regulations as approved by Town Meeting voters in June. Gagne said the Attorney General’s Office had not yet approved the FEMA oversight requirements now expected to be executed by the Planning Board. They also discussed the need to set a fee for such site reviews and what associated documentation is required.
Earlier in the meeting, the board issued an Approval Not Required [ANR] for property located at Dupont Drive and David Street represented by John Romanelli of Zenith Land Surveyors. The approval grants permission for two neighboring property owners to swap lots.
Also approved was a covenant release requested by Carol Lawrence for property located on Sparrow Hill Road. The subdivision, which was filed in 1974, had little historical documentation to support previous boards’ requirements, but Gagne said that Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer has confirmed that the private roadway serving the lots is in fair condition.
Approval of an extension of a covenant for the Preserve at Bay Club located on Split Rock Road has been sufficiently satisfied by a cash surety, it was determined. Two lots were planned for release.
A discussion with new owners of property located off Crystal Spring Road that was formerly owned by developer Ryan Correia was discussed. The new property owner, John Muldoon, assured the board members that development plans include mindful use of any rocks removed from an existing stonewall as a driveway entrance and that part of the reason he chose that specific location to build his new home was because of the existence of the wall. Also discussed was the need to remove a tree on town property and the mitigation of same with the planting of two or more new trees.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, August 16, at 7:00 pm.
Mattapoisett Planning Board
By Marilou Newell