As the clock ticks down to the Annual Town Meeting, municipal departments including local schools, natural resources, water and sewer, and police and fire are busy tweaking FY18 budgets.

To that end, the town’s Capital Planning Committee has met with department heads who presented their lists of needs for the upcoming fiscal year.

On March 29, CPC members Alan Apperson, Ellen Driscoll, Gerry Johnson, and Robert Ball met with Town Administrator Michael Gagne to discuss the list and rank the top 14 requested items.

Coming in at the top of the list was $40,000 for the construction of enhanced security at Center School.

Gagne said construction should have taken place during the week of February school vacation; however, cost estimates had been much higher than anticipated so the project was not done. Gagne surmised that the plan to complete the work in one week had been too aggressive and most likely would have incurred overtime expenses, pushing the estimate higher than expected. He said the plan now is to do the work once school has closed for the summer.

Number two on the list was $13,000 for new fire hoses. Gagne said this request was the third and final phase needed to bring the fire department hoses up to national safety standards.

Coming in number three was a packaged bundle of small necessities needed by various departments for items such as new office desks and chairs, file cabinets, and a copy machine. He noted that the copy machine used by the building department was nine years old.

Number four was $60,000 for roof repairs to Old Hammondtown School’s kitchen. While this sum had been voted on during the FY17 town meeting, during the special town meeting the monies were moved from that line item to school security upgrades, a more pressing issue, Gagne said.

And number five was $10,000 for software upgrades needed by the fire department. Gagne describe the technology as part of the GIS system. He said the department would be able to input data that will make responding to emergencies safer for the firefighters. Gagne said, “They can upload the location of burn permits and hazardous chemicals so that when a call comes in they will know what to expect at the scene.”

The remainder of the list was ranked as follows: $25,000 – local school floor tiles; $14,400 – ambulance infusion pump; $40,000 – Phase 3 highway barn updates; $91,000 – two new police cruises; $19,000 – police station window replacement; $70,000 – highway department truck replacement; $14,100 – highway department sander/spreader; $24,000 – COA replacement vehicle; and $13,000 – fire station roof repairs.

The list totals out at $474,050.

Regarding the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund and its capital needs, Gagne reported that two line items are proposed to be funded via debt service: a water tank replacement on Jane Lane for $1.2 million and Fairhaven sewer line relining for $2.1 million. Other FY18 needs for the department are: $10,000 – GEO graphic system; $80,000 – backhoe/excavator; $30,000 – grinder pump repairs; and $30,000 – water well updates.

On the horizon for FY19 and beyond, the Capital Planning Committee will be asked to consider a new vehicle for natural resources, the replacement of roadway guardrails at various locations, upgrades to the building at the Holy Ghost grounds, sewer catch basin cleaner, and highway yard upgrades.

Members of the CPC are scheduled to meet with the Finance Committee to present their findings on Thursday, April 6, at 6:30 pm in the town hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

The continued public hearing for the proposal by the Buzzards Bay Coalition for the field operations barn slated for the corner of Route 6 and Spring Street was the central discussion at the Marion Planning Board meeting on April 3.

Susan Nilson of CLE Engineering addressed the concerns and questions posed by the Planning Board and its consulting engineer, Ken Motta of Field Engineering.

Nilson began with an overview of the site, specifically the drainage basins, further described as wet swales, which will catch, retain and remove pollutants from stormwater runoff from the site. The wet swales will be planted with species of grasses, sedges, and other wetland plants that will help reduce pollutants in the water before it leaves the site.

“The controlling design factor,” as Nilson described it, “is an eight-inch pipe in an existing drainage easement for water leaving the site.” This pipe runs southerly across other private property and ultimately connects to a 12-inch pipe.

Nilson demonstrated to the board and concerned abutters who attended the meeting that the 100-year lateral flow from the site will be almost identical to the current flooding conditions. As Chairman Robert Lane noted, “Theoretically, there should be no change to the existing flooding conditions.”

Motta agreed, but cautioned the neighbors whose properties are part of the private drainage easement, stating “[The Buzzards Bay Coalition] is not putting any more water into the system, but if any fill on adjacent properties is placed in the easement, the flooding could change.”

Board member Jennifer Francis raised the issue of the grass pavers, which will be used at the site to minimize the use of impervious pavement. She remarked, “It looks to me like the drainage will be greatly improved with the grass pavers over the existing conditions on the site.”

Nilson also noted that both the Marion Fire and Building Departments signed off on the use of the grass pavers, as long as they are installed according to manufacturer’s specifications.

The discussion moved to the question of lighting the site. Board member Will Saltonstall indicated that the applicant and the board should be mindful of the impact of lighting on the surrounding homes, suggesting, “Lighting should be done well and not be a distraction to the neighborhood.”

Lane concurred, but pushed for lighting at the back of the building and along the southerly side for safety reasons.

Nilson said the building will have lights in the back and that the site is well lit due to the streetlights on Spring Street.

Although both Nilson and Motta noted that there will be a 1-foot wide gravel filter strip between the grass pavers and the southernmost wet swale, which would provide a visual and auditory warning to drivers, the board considered the area to be a safety risk and requested both lighting and a barrier be placed in this area.

Mark Rasmussen, president of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, agreed with the board’s request, asking that the barrier complement current design plans for the site.

“There are low stone walls along the front. Perhaps we could use a row of low bollards to keep people out of the swale?” The board concurred with that.

The discussion turned to the traffic accessing the site. Nilson stated that the site is designed for one-way traffic, specifically as it relates to the boat trailer owned by the Coalition. As demonstrated on the engineered site plan, the turning radius within the site is adequate for the truck and trailer.

Lane proposed the board approve the site plan in principal, and the final draft decision to be completed so that it reflects all that was agreed to this evening.

Rasmussen requested that the public hearing be closed so that the project could move forward, since contractors were hesitant to schedule work without official board approval. Lane declined to close the public hearing, for fear of having an issue with the action taken this evening that would need to be remedied, saying, “This would place the project in a greater bind than this two-week delay.”

In other business before the board, a request by Dan Crete for a one-year extension of a Site/Special Permit Approval by Saltworks Marine LLC located at 291 Wareham Street was approved without comment.

Francis, who has been developing the Transportation and Circulation Task Force, presented the names of the selected members to the board: Michelle Russell, Norm Hills, John Rockwell, Chris Bryant, Suzannah Davis, Jed Cornock, Kerry Saltonstall, Jonathan Howland, Mike Devoll, Heather Sylvia, and Diane Kelley.

Francis will initially represent the Planning Board on the task force until it is up and running. She remarked on the chosen members, saying, “We have a really excellent group with diverse knowledge and which has lived in town a long time.”

Lane will attend the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on April 18 to present the Planning Board’s request that BOS approval of remote attendance at meetings, which the BOS had approved on a one-year basis, be made permanent.

Due to the Monday holiday, the next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18 at 7:00 pm in the Marion Police Station Community Room at 550 Mill Street.

By Sarah French Storer