What appeared on paper as a simple and seemingly innocuous agenda item – the removal of two trees on Acushnet Road – inspired a discussion between Tree Warden Roland Cote and Mattapoisett Planning Board members Karen Field and Janice Robbins.

Cote appeared before the board with Kyle Barry of Eversource seeking permission to remove a Norway maple and a Linden tree located at 116 Acushnet Road. He said the two trees were problematic, given their entanglement with the utility wires. Cote also said Eversource had planted two replacement trees of a flowering variety on the lot owned by Diane Zartman.

Zartman was present and said she was in favor of removing the two trees, one of which dropped branches and debris over her driveway.

But Field and Robbins expressed concerns.

“Is this going to set a precedent?” Field asked Cote. Robbins shared her fear that the vast number of trees in town that are vying for canopy space with wires would eventually face similar fates.

But chairman of the Tree Committee Sandy Hering, representing both the committee and the Mattapoisett Land Trust, didn’t agree.

“Norway maples are invasive species,” she said. “Eversource is funding the planting of fourteen trees throughout the town,” Hering noted, saying that in this case the removal of these trees would actually add to the visual beauty of the area.

When Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker called for a motion to permit the tree removals, only Gail Carlson, who made the motion, was in favor of it. The silence stretched for several uncomfortable moments.

Cote said, “The new trees are under these trees,” which prompted Robbins to say that their planning might have been “premature.”

Field said to Cote, “You know how I feel about trees,” adding that the trees are currently fully leafed out providing a nice green canopy. But in the end, she yielded and seconded the motion. The tree removals were approved.

Also during the meeting, Planning Board member Gail Carlson, a resident of Brandt Point Village, gave a brief update on incomplete work on Phase 1 of the subdivision that was to have been completed by June 1.

The punch list of pending items includes guardrails, turtle tunnels, landscaping, the installation of a mail kiosk, septic system test reports, and improper overhead street lighting. She said deep trenches along Narragansett Road, remnants from completed roadwork, were now filled with standing water.

Tucker asked Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain if she had received responses from developers Armand Cotelleso or Marc Marcus who were asked to attend the meeting and report on their progress. Crain said Cotelleso had not responded and that Marcus indicated he would be unavailable. Tucker directed Crain to send a certified letter requesting their presence at the next meeting.

In other matters, Tucker asked the board members to plan on completing bylaw revisions begun many seasons ago, specifically for signage, screening, and parking during the next meeting. Field asked about a marijuana bylaw, tree bylaw, and wind energy bylaw. “Let’s finish what we started first,” Tucker said with a grin.

Tucker also asked that the board members be prepared to begin revisions to the Master Plan, including developing a sub-committee comprised of residents from various neighborhoods, “…to get an idea of what residents want to see in a Master Plan.”

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for June 19 at 7:00 pm in the town hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

The Marion Planning Board took the opportunity of a light meeting agenda on June 5 to thoroughly discuss its current budget and future needs. The board efficiently addressed bylaw codification and voted to secure funding for assistance with the Town’s Master Plan.

Board member Norman Hills, a member of the Bylaw Codification Sub-committee, notified the board that he would be bringing a series of bylaw revisions to be reviewed by the board over several meetings.

Hills said, “I want to give the board a heads-up that there are eighty bylaws to be reviewed and I’d like to bring ten to each meeting,” adding that there are currently 52 ready to be reviewed.

The sub-committee would like them to be ready for the Fall Special Town Meeting.

Vice Chairman Stephen Kokkins noted that Town Meeting had approved a list of routine corrections, which now must be approved by the state Attorney General’s Office.

Hills said that the bylaws the sub-committee is now addressing are ones that need more discussion, and he cautioned, “Twenty are going to be really tough to talk about.”

Board member Will Saltonstall suggested that the board get the bylaws ahead of time, which Hills agreed to, but he also emphasized the prudence of members only reviewing the 10 that the board would be discussing at the current meeting.

Chairman Eileen Marum concurred, saying, “It’s a worthwhile effort doing it in increments. We will have a better understanding of what’s going on in the codification.”

New Board member Christopher Collings asked if the document the sub-committee was working on could be reviewed in its entirety, to which Hills replied that he would be happy to provide to everyone, but it is a living document and it could become somewhat confusing. The sub-committee is changing the document weekly, and Hills would rather not have comments on drafts that may be irrelevant to the current discussion.

Saltonstall urged that there be public input early in the process so that the bylaws have the best chance of success to be approved at Town Meeting, to which Hills replied that there must be a public hearing on all the bylaws after the Planning Board approves them.

Hills again took the lead on the discussion regarding the state of the board’s FY17 budget. Planning assistant Terry Santos, Chairman Marum, and Hills met earlier with Finance Director Judith Mooney to get an overview of the current budget.

Hills noted that there was roughly $12,000 left in the part-time wages line item of the budget, which is what the board uses to pay for the assistance from SRPEDD for the Master Plan. There is currently approximately $3,100 outstanding to be billed to the board by SRPEDD, which leaves roughly $9,000.

Hills recommended to the board that it encumber that amount to be used for a new contract with SRPEDD. After Town Meeting acceptance on the Master Plan this fall, the Town will need assistance from SRPEDD to implement the Master Plan, including support for new sub-committees that will be created, as well as help in developing the priorities of the Plan.

Hills noted that if the funds were not encumbered, they would be lost at the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

Saltonstall, while supporting the vote to secure the funds, underscored the “big task of educating the public before Town Meeting, [making sure] it is not the first time they are seeing this stuff…”

The board voted to approve the contract with SRPEDD using the designated funds as described by Hills.

In other business, the Zoning Board of Appeals requested comments from the board regarding a project at 6 Allen Street in which a Special Permit is being requested for a non-conforming structure. Saltonstall recused himself from the brief discussion. It was noted that the existing structure to be modified is a garage at the rear of the property and is not visible from Allen Street. The structure will be increased greater than 50% in size, making it over 500 square feet, which Hills noted would trigger a Minor Site Plan review by the Planning Board. The board agreed to send this recommendation to the ZBA, with Collings remarking, “We should be as modest as possible in our oversight.”

In other matters, board member Jennifer Francis noted that she and Hills continue to interview town planner candidates, but as Hills put it, “I’m not sure we are where we want to be yet.”

The next Marion Planning Board meeting is scheduled for June 19 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House, not the police station as noted on the meeting agenda.

Marion Planning Board

By Sarah French Storer

Marion Police Chief Lincoln Miller gave the Marion Board of Selectmen on June 6 a brief update on the goings-on at the police station, which ultimately became a public announcement of his impending retirement. The department is about to once again undergo the process of accreditation, which happens every three years. Miller said Marion is only one of 70 police forces in the state (out of 351 municipalities), and only one out of four in Plymouth County, that is accredited.

“It’s a very intensive process to do,” Miller said, adding that there are evaluations, reviews, and a number of assessments involved.

Miller also said the department is involved with the Plymouth County Project Outreach, a program that reaches out to victims of opioid overdose and their families for support. Miller said victims are offered rehabilitation opportunities and families can receive support. Once the offer is accepted, social services takes over.

“It’s been a really positive experience,” said Miller. “It’s something that worked out really well.”

Board of Selectmen Chairman Jody Dickerson commented that Miller would indeed be missed and praised his leadership.

“I’m proud of the way this has all panned out over the years,” said Miller. “I’m very proud of having had the opportunity to serve here. But change is good … and it’s definitely time.”

Miller will retire effective December 31, 2017.

Also during the meeting, local condominium developer Christian Loranger, owner of 324 Front Street, requested that the board, acting as the Water Commissioners, approve his request to provide sewer to the 12 existing bedrooms in the structure he purchased to renovate. The Town has previously assessed the multi-family home at five bedrooms, but Loranger said a proper interior assessment was never made.

The Zoning Board of Appeals had denied in a 3-1 vote a Special Permit to Loranger in favor of Loranger’s formerly proposed project; however, the project required a supermajority vote of 4-0.

He is currently appealing the ZBA decision.

Loranger said he was not applying for an increased use of sewer service, just that it be properly authorized for 12 bedrooms.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen with it, whether there’s going to be a new building there or whether I’m going to build a new structure,” said Loranger.

The board said they would review the materials submitted by Loranger and make a decision at the next meeting.

In other matters, the Town has received a $289,000 donation from Peggy Repass and family to enhance the accessibility of the Elizabeth Taber Library. Resident Nancy Braitmayor has also donated the funds to cover the cost of architectural plans for the project; all that is left is for the Town to follow a process to accept the donation and enter into a philanthropist agreement with the donors. Groundbreaking could take place sometime after June 17.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson and Dickerson mentioned that they and several others had engaged in a meeting with Tabor Academy Head of School John Quirk in an effort to strengthen communication between the two parties. Dickerson said the meeting was positive and a first step towards future cooperation.

Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard and former Planning Board member Robert Lane approached the board with a list of their suggested names for a subcommittee that Town Meeting approved to explore the VFW site for a town hall.

Minard and Lane wish to appoint themselves to the subcommittee, as well as former Planning Board member Michael Popitz, Caroline Bobick and Lars Olson.

Dickerson asked if the two gentlemen had advertised in the local newspapers that the Town was seeking members for a subcommittee to study the VFW site for a possible town hall. After a pause, Minard told him that they had not.

Dickerson said he preferred to refrain from making any appointments to the subcommittee until after the subcommittee positions were advertised for at least one week, as are all other committees and subcommittees in town. People interested, Dickerson said, should contact the Selectmen’s Office.

The board also refrained from accepting Lane’s request to allow him and Minard to expedite the architectural study process by appointing their preferred firm to get straight to work on the exploration of the site. Dickerson preferred to delay until the next meeting so that members eventually appointed to the subcommittee could have a say.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for June 20 at 6:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry