The Marion Pathway Committee met on Thursday, March 12 to give general updates on the Marion Shared Use Path, like the path’s current timeline, land appraisal, and the land swap to be voted upon at next week’s Special Town Meeting.
Chair John Rockwell began the meeting by saying, “Well, we have a good timeline right now guys.” He added there will be a “conflict resolution meeting” on April 6 between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the project engineer to ensure “any little things that have to be fixed, they’ll come out of that meeting.”
Rockwell also said the date at which construction will begin is currently August 15, though he mentioned the current grant to fund appraisals/acquisitions for the project expires towards the end of June, saying, “It’s gonna be close,” but added they have requested an extension on said grant. Another grant for acquisitions doesn’t expire until June 2027, the Chair said. He also stated appraisals can soon begin with ROW (right-of-way) Appraisal Contracts currently under review.
For the land swap, Rockwell explained, “there is a three-thousand-foot corner of the Washburn Park extension that’s being crossed,” and added there is currently an existing deed restriction that prevents desired developments without a property transfer. The property is owned by the town but was originally intended for use by the Department of Public Works, with the thought at the time being it could possibly be used for a DPW building. The original wording of the agreement means any non-DPW development is not currently allowed.
The reason this land swap needs a Special Town Meeting is due to timing, as the delay on waiting to the May Town Meeting could push the project past its grant deadlines.
The Marion Special Town Meeting will be on Monday, March 23 at 6:45 pm in Sippican School, 16 Spring Street.
The next meeting of the Marion Pathway Committee was not scheduled at adjournment.
Marion Pathway Committee
By Sam Bishop