Anyone who has ever traveled along Route 6 knows it’s a road from another era. Once the main highway that carried vacationers from points south and west to Cape Cod, many parts of this state roadway now run through economically depressed sections of cities and towns, while others intersect the very hearts of vital communities.

New retail congestion in many locations adds to the travel flow issues, and intersections more dangerous to pedestrians, posted traveling speeds too high, insufficient lighting, and maintenance are all issues faced by those who live near Route 6 or those who use it to get from Point A to Point B.

Now the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District is poised to study Route 6 from Route 240 in Fairhaven to Main Street in Wareham.

Marion had reached out to SRPEDD for assistance with Route 6 issues as they completed their Master Plan. That impetus, along with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation seeking assistance in this matter, will result in a phased study.

While the study will look at the roadway itself, it will also shed light on surrounding land resources. SRPEDD’s team will delve into key areas such as “village style” development, mixed-used commercial development, and opportunities to develop a greater variety of housing types.

The prepared notification from SRPEDD dated January 2018 and circulated at the April 10 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen notes, “…SRPEDD staff have continually heard that Route 6 was inaccessible to bicyclists and pedestrians, the intersections were difficult to navigate, and the corridor essentially separated the north side of town from the village area to the south.”

Town Administrator Michael Gagne said, “This is very exciting.” He said that in conversations with the police and fire departments safety issues along Route 6 were a constant theme. Gagne said that he is often approached by residents who echo their concerns about the safety of Route 6. He thanked Representative William Straus for helping to shepherd the project into reality.

The first phase of the study will collect data on such topics as intersection geometrics, signaling, freight and truck movement, crash data, land use, and bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure assessments.

Also during the meeting, selectmen re-opened the public hearing on the matter of licensure of aquaculture fields held by Taylor Cultured Seafood, Inc. At the previous meeting, Guy Rossi and Zach Sun, owners/operators of the 100-acre site, said they were surrendering the license. They were advised to provide a letter from their corporation demonstrating that a vote had been taken to relinquish the license and were to have returned that letter before the April 10 meeting.

Failing that, the selectmen moved to revoke the license.

Taylor Seafood and its various owners had held the license since 1988, but more recently had not appropriately maintained or cultivated the sites.

Mattapoisett currently has three smaller active aquaculture licenses located in Brandt Cove and Nasketucket Bay.

Gagne reminded the public that the Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for May 14, and that Article 1 will be the citizen’s petition seeking to ban recreational marijuana sales in Mattapoisett.

Selectmen Tyler Macallister urged the public to participate in local government, exercising their right to vote in elections and to participate in town meetings. He said the selectmen need to hear “your voice.”

Gagne said that on April 21 in Plymouth at the DPW station located at 169 Camelot Drive there would be a household hazardous waste collection day from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. He also said he would look into costs associated with holding such an event closer to home, possibly in partnership with Rochester, Marion, or Wareham.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for April 24 at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

According to officials in Marion, the impromptu emergency shelter that Marion and Mattapoisett opened at Old Rochester Regional High School during the March 13 storm worked out quite well, kicking off a conversation amongst the Marion Board of Health, Marion Public Health Nurse, and Marion Police Chief on April 10 about coordinating with their neighbors in regionalizing the shelter.

Marion Police Chief John Garcia told the board that Marion and Mattapoisett combined their shelters “out of necessity,” saying, “It wasn’t something that was done out of a plan.”

Garcia said that a telephone pole broke, which then blocked access to the rear of Sippican School, Marion’s designated emergency shelter.

“We were concerned for the safety of people coming through,” Garcia said. “It was done on the fly out of necessity. We intended on opening it up at Sippican School.”

Marion Public Health Nurse Kathleen Downey pointed out some of the benefits of having the shelter at ORR, especially with staffing as a result of combining the two towns’ workers and volunteers. People who used the shelter appreciated having the library in which to pass the time, Downey said, and in longer-term shelter scenarios, the presence of the showers at ORR would be ideal.

Garcia said a regional shelter would be less taxing on Marion and Mattapoisett volunteers and personnel, as the two towns would be able to cover more ground and longer periods of time with more people between them, especially since on that night Mattapoisett was short on human resources.

There were some minor drawbacks, though, like the longer hike for senior citizens to get to the restrooms, and some aspects of communication were weak. Downey said at one point a post was circulating on Facebook saying the shelter would be closing at 6:00 pm, which neither police chief had announced.

This was only the beginning of the conversation, said Garcia, as other entities of the Town of Mattapoisett would need to be involved, but Garcia said that during a meeting last Friday with the police chiefs from Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, and soon-to-be Rochester Chief Robert Small, the chiefs considered it as an option worthy of exploration, as opposed to four separate shelters staffed and using up resources with maybe only three to five residents in need.

“That discussion has been started,” Garcia stated. “It’s just going to take some time to sit down with the other chiefs to see what we can work out,” he said, adding that local boards of health would also be involved.

Downey did mention that she had heard some “pushback” coming from Mattapoisett about the combining of the two shelters that night, although the decision was mutual between the two police chiefs.

Downey added that she found the school district – in Marion and Old Rochester Regional – especially supportive this year during the active storm season.

“They were just stupendous,” said Downey. At ORR, she said, “We had meals … when we got up to Old Rochester there was coffee and soup and munchies for people to have through the night.”

Garcia agreed, saying, “They’ve been very, very accommodating. I can’t say enough about the cooperation…”

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for April 24 at 4:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Health

By Jean Perry