The November 24 meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission included a Notice of Intent filing by the town for the repair and reconstruction of the culvert that crosses Water Street. The culvert is located at the town beach, crossing from north to south as it empties into the town’s public beach.
Long an issue of “when, not if” because collapse of the aged culvert was considered imminent, it did just that, making it an urgent repair. Temporary measures were taken to buy time until the town could prepare for this major construction project.
Meeting with the commission on November 24 was Garrett Bauer, the town’s Highway superintendent. He said the stone culvert conveys water from a perennial stream that flows south. He said the work will be a complete repair with replacement of stones and other needed materials.
There was discussion regarding whether tides and weather events will impact the culvert’s functionality especially during high tides, thereby causing flooding into neighboring areas. The representative from Greenman-Pederson, the town’s consultant, did not believe that would be the case.
The plan is to begin construction on Labor Day 2026 and continue through the winter months, but presently the project is being reviewed by the Division of Marine Fisheries. The filing was continued.
Also coming before the commission on this night was Andy Stackpole of Field Engineering, representing a Notice of Intent filed by Michael and Tiffany Amaral for the construction of a garage with an attached accessory building. The project will impact the buffer zone. The project received conditioning and is located at 3 Harbor Road North.
Also conditioned was a Notice of Intent filing by Emery Warren and Barbara Johnson, trustees for 6 Waterman Street. The applicant will be installing a lift.
Continued was a Notice of Intent filing by the town for the repair of Long Wharf. Brian Post of Childs Engineering is the town’s consultant. The project was discussed in terms of what outstanding questions remained from the Marine Advisory Board and the commission. The use of flowable mixtures became a sticking point for the commission as they continued to be concerned over the quality of the mix planned and methods of installation.
Corrections were made to documents relating to the size of land underwater and shellfish beds.
Further discussions with the Marine Advisory Board are planned, as the issue of flowable fill remains an open question.
A Notice of Intent filed by Ladan and Mehran Mestchian for 1-84 Angelica Avenue for three parcels was reviewed. The project includes the construction of a stone revetment, the cutting of dead and dying trees, invasive plants and maintenance of an existing lawn. Creation of walking trails is also planned. The project was continued pending comments from Natural Heritage.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is planned for Monday, December 8.
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell