At their September 25 meeting, the Marion Conservation Commission held several hearings on routine matters, mostly involving property additions. 

            The presence of Japanese knotweed and the presence of an elusive stream around the Wareham Avenue area drew some conversations but no controversy.

            The commission started the meeting by approving three notices of intent filed by three applicants – one for a septic upgrade, another for a screened porch in a buffer zone, as well as a deck addition.

            The proposed deck on a Brooke Haven Lane property is smaller than the original blueprint, but drew the attention of Conservation Agent/Town Planner Doug Guey-Lee for a different reason.  Guey-Lee, citing his site visit and conversations with the owner, said the applicant has been battling Japanese knotweed and was putting in mitigation measures. Guey-Lee said that the commission wants to limit them within wetland resource areas.

            According to web resources, Japanese knotweed is one the world’s most invasive plants and a top invader of wetlands, streams, and other water resources.

            Guey-Lee said keeping an eye on it is helpful for conservation commissioners. Guey-Lee also mentioned if the commission revisited that property, the presence of the knotweed would be the main concern.

            Marion Realty LLC applied for a request for determination of a stream on a lot on Wareham Avenue, which floods onto town property at times.

            Engineers reported that there is a coastal river there but the water’s height varies depending on weather. Sometimes, water levels appear like a “monsoon” while other times the area is fairly dry, making it difficult to determine the volume of wetlands in the area before new development proceeds.

            The commission put it on its next site visit list and will revisit the issue at its October 9 meeting.

            In total, the commission held six mini-hearings on issues connected to home additions, such as pool additions or other property upgrades within buffer zones.

            A West Avenue applicant proposed plans for removing and rebuilding a garage and rebuilding a seawall near a coastal beach.

            Guey-Lee said all plans look as though it will not impact the beach area but asked for erosion measures so the work does not disturb the adjacent property.

            The commission also announced it is working on a new website that is more user-friendly and does a better job highlighting the wetlands protection act and other information for a general audience.

            The site is still in progress but now has links to the state Department of Environmental Protection website, as well as commission member names and when their respective terms expire.

            “It said some things that were nonsensical and out-of-date,” said Guey-Lee of the previous web site, also stating that he and administrative assistant Natashja Molina took a look at it with fresh eyes.

            Guey-Lee asserted the commission wants to make the site more of a public resource with consistent language and readable to a general audience.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

            During the October 7 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board, open discussion about earth-moving activities at the motel located on Route 6 were aired. Member John Mathieu said that the owner of the property, who was never named during the discussion, had a right to perform certain activities. But he asserted several times, …”it is not a motel.” Mathieu likened the business as more of an apartment complex than motel and that over the years there had been many issues at the site. He said, “It doesn’t add anything to the town.”

            Mathieu said that people living at the “motel” had been living there on a long-term basis. The board agreed that before any redevelopment could take place, the unnamed owner would have to come before the Planning Board. He also said that construction at the site would entail drainage issues due to the hill upon which it rests.

            In other matters informally discussed, Chairman Tom Tucker inquired of Mathieu if he still was contemplating density plans, a residential overlay along Route 6 that would allow for new housing stock featuring two-bedroom units, and various styles of structures. Mathieu said that the state changes to merged lots coupled with opportunities for ADUs (accessoory dwelling units) was pushing this forward in his mind. He’ll continue researching and draft language for the board to review.

            Mathieu said, as the board took up discussions around an updated solar bylaw, that the present draft was confusing and that much of the language was unnecessary. The members will continue editing the document.

            Earlier in the proceedings the board voted not to accept the right-of-first-refusal for lots on Crystal Springs Road owned by Dennis Mahoney.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board will be a public hearing set for October 21, 6:30 pm at the Fire Department conference room to receive input on ADUs in advance of spring town meeting.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

            The Rochester School Committee on October 3 reviewed a plan to join a program partnering with the national group devoted to stemming school gun violence, the Sandy Hook Promise.

            Assistant Superintendent Dr. Shari Fedorowicz said the Sandy Hook Promise school program’s mission is to promote safer schools by empowering students and educators to identify potential risks of gun violence within Rochester Memorial School and thereby “build positive school climates and foster a culture where everyone looks out for one another.”

            Using a slide show to illustrate her points, this will be done in three ways, she said: Education, Empowerment and Engagement. Students will be educated with activities that foster a sense of belonging, kindness, and support among all students.  A SAVE Promise club will form to empower its members who will then engage the student community to promote a safe school by better connecting students to their school and community. 

            Students will be taught to say hello to that student who might be standing alone or looking unhappy as a way to reduce social isolation and build connections, she said, “to recognize warning signs and seek help from trusted adults.”

            The next step to starting the program within RMS, she said, will be the school’s Project 351 members, known as ‘influencers,’ joining this SAVE Promise Club and receiving the training needed to strengthen their impact within the new program. She added the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office is fully funding this program.

            Committee member Ann Fernandes asked how many student influencers are currently in the school’s Project 351 program. Rochester Memorial School Assistant Principal Charles West reported there were 25 of them in the last school year. Fernandes said he would love to see what the program’s training and professional development will be like.  Fedorowicz said that part of the program has not been designed yet.

            Later in the meeting, the committee also received an update on a new “Portrait of a Graduate” program being implemented at RMS.  Superintendent Michael Nelson explained it as “a strategic plan but on a smaller scale.”  The controlling question here, he said, is “How do we ensure that all of our graduates are leaving RMS with the skills they need to thrive?”  He elaborated that this graduate profile will be done by determining “the skills that your graduates know and can do that will help them to thrive in their adult lives.  What the student should look like.”

            Nelson said this portrait will be created beginning with identifying the various stakeholder groups who will be impacted by this design and who would have vital input to inform the design. Nelson, however, could not predict when the RMS portrait would be completed.  “It won’t done this year nor the next,” he said.

            In other action, the committee approved the donation of 70 toothbrush kits for the Kindergarten classes from All Hands Dentistry and Sullivan Family Dentistry as well as two ukuleles to the music department from parent Madeleine Duarte.

            The committee also announced the resignation of school secretary Alison Guard.

            The next Rochester School Committee will meet next on November 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the Rochester Memorial School band room, 16 Pine St., Rochester.

Rochester School Committee

By Michael J. DeCicco