From a new police vessel, parking issues at Island Wharf, and delinquent boat-mooring permits, the Marion Marine Resources Commission’s meeting on July 16 at the Island Wharf Dock office led to some long discussions.

            Parking issues around and on Island Wharf, within the village district, remains a growing concern for the MRC and other town entities. Commissioners mentioned that the MRC often is the target of complaints when people attend concerts nearby or weddings on the weekends and see boat trailers parked on the boatyard.

            Harbormaster Adam Murphy and MRC Chairman Vincent Malkoski Jr. say there are permitted commercial vehicles that have every right to park on Island Wharf. He also said that a fence blocking off parking at Island Wharf raised some concerns from residents recently.

            “There is a misconception of trailer parking. We sell commercial permits to any entity that uses the docks, piers and parking for the landing,” Murphy said. “So, when you see boatyard equipment in the parking lots, they are permitted to be there. … What I think is happening is we get a complaint or two, and it gets pushed further than it should be pushed.”

            Malkoski, who is on a subcommittee to address parking in that area, says the Department of Public Works, under the direction of the Select Board, installed that temporary fencing.

            Malkoski said this is a decades-old problem, and he has raised concerns since January. He has also attended three Select Board meetings on the matter. Both he and fellow MRC members say it is an issue that impacts the entire community, including businesses nearby that rely on summer traffic for revenue.

            Malkoski said swales in the area have also reduced the parking footprint over the years. The growth of music at the bandstand and weddings being held nearby have only worsened the issue. Murphy reported that on July 4 weekend, there were 400 cars parked in the area. He said that one positive trend is some Marine Division staff members have directed traffic on some busy Saturdays.

            “Hopefully, we will have some creative solutions,” Malkoski said. “We want people to use the harbor, but we do not patrol parking permits.”

            Murphy also unveiled the new harbormaster police vessel which was procured through a grant. He said this will come with blue lights and distinct lettering, as well as software to run background checks on boaters. It was mentioned the lights will distinguish it as a police boat only because oftentimes civilian marine staff members patrol the waterways but do not have enforcement authority.

            “It will significantly differentiate. People will know, when that boat comes, the police are there,” Murphy said.

            He said the former harbormaster police boat will be auctioned off and revenue will be allocated to the general treasury.    

            Murphy and the MRC are working on a comprehensive harbor management plan, and Murphy also updated the MRC on 50 moorings without vessels.

            Murphy said of those 50, 40 are commercial entities. Those commercial entities will be receiving a letter to resolve the problem. He said the 10 others will get a warning for not having a permit. If they do not pay, they will have to remove the moorings at their own expense.

            He also touched upon wind sticks that have been abandoned.

            Murphy said for the wind sticks, a good policy to adopt will be to send a letter to those people holding spaces, give them a set timeframe to remove them or harbormaster staff members will remove them.

            Murphy prefaced a topic for next month’s meeting: kayak racks at town waterfronts and people who pay for kayak rental space but are not using them. Murphy proposed that kayak rentals should be done on a first-come, first-serve basis but that topic will be addressed at the next meeting.

            The next meeting of the Marion Marine Resources Commission was not scheduled at adjournment.

Marion Marine Resources Commission

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

            The Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals met briefly on Thursday, July 26. The board saw over and approved three Special Permit requests with Building Inspector Bill McGrady present.

            They began with a Special Permit request from 7 Spruce Street, filed by owner Katherine Myatt. The owner seeks to remove the current deck and, in its place, build a three-season, enclosed room. The new room would encompass the already existing footprint of the deck.

            Architect Steve Keller presented the plans, explaining it is “really, a very simple project.” The existing house was built in 1955 and has seen some modification in that time. The new sunroom, the same as the existing deck, will measure 14×16 feet, with no alteration to the existing home. Following the presentation, the Special Permit was granted with a unanimous vote.

            Next was a Special Permit request for 9 Oakland Terrace filed by owner Joan Black. The applicant seeks to construct a 16×28-foot addition. This home was also built in 1955, with the addition to the single-family home adding another bedroom, totally three. The request was approved with a unanimous vote.

            Attorney Chris Markey filed a Special Permit request for 4 Beach Road on behalf of owners who seek to demolish and replace an existing garage with a finished space above, with the addition being classified as an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). The footprint would be “slightly larger,” though there is no major change to setbacks. Due to recent renovations to the home in the last 20 years, the board agreed the new garage would be more consistent with the design of the home. The permit was granted with a unanimous vote.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for Thursday, August 21 at 6:00 pm in Town Hall.

Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals

By Sam Bishop

            The Rochester Select Board Monday focused on important police appointments, Council on Aging donations, and accepting a plaque honoring the town’s long list of Eagle scouts.

            The board emerged from contract negotiations in executive session to sign the contract for and appoint Zachary Dupere as a Police Department lieutenant. Dupere is being promoted from the position of sergeant. Then, as relatives and loved ones stood in the back of the meeting room to observe, the board appointed Ms. Cailin White, formerly a resident of Barnstable, as a new full-time Rochester Police Department officer, and, as with Dupere, she was immediately sworn in by Town Clerk Marjorie Barrows.

            The Select Board’s next center of attention came from a $150,000 check. COA Board of Directors member Mike Daniel presented the board with a poster-sized facsimile of the check, as he announced the council has now raised that amount through its public fundraising effort toward building an addition to the town’s Senior Center on Dexter Lane. Daniel said such a plan has been a COA priority for years, and many volunteers have made it all possible; proceeds from the daily Senior Center breakfasts are a major contributor to that fund. He said the goal is to raise more, but this is the first such donation the COA wanted deposited in its town account.

            Without hesitation, the board accepted the check “with gratitude.” Town Administrator Cameron Durant told board members that what remains from what is raised for the renovations will be set aside for a partition wall for that addition.

            After the vote, Durant noted the breakfasts are continuing and more public donations are welcome.

            Next, the board approved Scout Troop 31 leader Kevin Thompson’s proposal to post plaques listing those in town who have earned their Eagle Scout badge on the walls at Town Hall.

            Thompson held two of these plaques. He said one honors Calvin Taggart, who started the local troop in 1961, for his Eagle Scout mentorship. Another lists town scouts who have earned their Eagle badge up to the year 2009. Thompson said, until now, the plaques were in a box at scout headquarters and that he would like to see them hung on the bare wall by the Treasurer’s office. “There’s a lot of success here for the children of Rochester,” he said. “And it was just sitting in a box.”

            Thompson told The Wanderer after the vote that he has yet to complete research on how many total Eagle Scouts Rochester has produced, but there have been a lot of them. “I expect as many as six more plaques,” he said, “and we’ll keep adding to them.”

            In other action, the board appointed Gayle Lawrence to the COA Board of Directors and noted remembrance of late COA Board of Directors member Dr. Andrew Revell, who recently passed away.

            The Select Board did not set a future meeting before adjourning.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco