Marion Conservation Commission associate member Shaun Walsh said on May 10 that he wanted to go on the record in response to what he said were allegations of a conflict of interest.

Walsh, an attorney for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, wanted all residents of Marion to know that whenever a denial for an application is made by the Marion Conservation Commission and appealed to the DEP, another DEP attorney is assigned the case – not Walsh.

“To the world,” Walsh stated, “I have nothing to do with any appeal from any decision that this board makes. And that has been discussed with the state ethics commission as well.”

Also during the meeting, the commission issued an Order of Conditions for Notice of Intent applicants Nancy Edmonds and William Murphy to raze an existing single-family house and build a four-bedroom single-family house at 296 Delano Road. The proposed house is in the ten-year flood plain and within the buffer zone of a coastal bank.

The commission also issued a Certificate of Compliance to George Silvestri of Seaside Lane for vista pruning. The pruning was rather “aggressive,” the commission noted, pointing out that underbrush clearing was too rigorous and too close to the 15-foot no work zone. Chairman Cynthia Callow said she blamed herself for not articulating any limits of underbrush clearing while she was on the site consulting with the property owner. The commission was concerned about any future buyers of the property not understanding that future vista pruning would have to again go before the commission, since Silvestri is currently trying to sell the undeveloped property.

The commission continued the public hearing for Virginia and Barrett Levensen of Cross Neck Road at the request of the applicant until the next meeting.

The commission will also request that an employee from the Town of Marion appear before the commission for an update on the Enforcement Order issued for unpermitted work at Washburn Park roughly two years ago.

“I think they’re waiting for us to go away,” said commission member Jeffrey Doubrava. “It’s probably the most egregious thing that’s been done in the town since I’ve been on the board.”

The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for May 24 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Jean Perry

Mattapoisett elementary schools will not increase School Choice participation next year, now that the Mattapoisett School Committee on May 15 took Superintendent Doug White’s recommendation to refrain from offering any further slots for the upcoming school year.

“Currently, we have a few students who are participating in School Choice,” said White, “but over the last few years, we have continued not to open up new slots.”

White cited limited resources and class sizes as the main reasons for keeping a lid on School Choice at this time.

In other matters, the committee accepted a donation of $80 to go towards a “buddy bench” at Center School.

Principal Rose Bowman said a few years ago, Business Administrator Patrick Spencer shared with her a story of a student in the North Shore who suggested that her school install a buddy bench for students who need a playmate at recess time.

“So if you’re outside and you don’t have somebody to play with, you sit on this bench and that’s the message to the others to come,” said Bowman. “And the only requirement is that whoever comes to invite you to play, you don’t turn them away.”

Bowman shared this story with her first and second grade students a while back, and on that Thursday, she said, she found a card in her mailbox from a first-grader with a check for $80 inside. The card read, “Dear Mrs. Bowman, I really want Center School to have a buddy bench…” Bowman said the student shared the buddy bench story with her parent who offered to match whatever she was able to fundraise for the bench. Having raised $40, her parent matched that $40.

Bowman said she has some funds set aside donated from Lifetouch to cover the remaining cost.

“So in September, if you will accept this donation, we will have a buddy bench at Center School.”

The committee accepted the donation unanimously.

“This shows the difference that one person can make … and how it’s rippled out into many schools and to makes a difference,” said. “Her caring and empathy toward others just really moved me tremendously.”

Also during the meeting, administration said farewell and expressed gratitude to School Committee members Carter Hunt and Jim Higgins during their final meeting as committee members.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for June 12 at 6:30 pm in the Center School cafeteria.

Mattapoisett School Committee

By Jean Perry

The Marion Board of Selectmen on May 16 approved the water and sewer rate increases recommended by Finance Director Judy Mooney and the Water/Sewer Rate Study Committee.

“This is probably one of the things I don’t like to come to,” said Mooney, fixing to present the data gathered over the last few months.

Mooney gave some brief history of the water and sewer rates for perspective, starting with 2007 when Marion had its first significant water and sewer combined rate increase of 70% across the board, she said. At that time, the base rate was established and then the three tiers for consumption.

Mooney said the Town, at that time, did not anticipate any further rate increases for at least five years as reserves were established and built up over time to keep rates low.

In 2015, billing went from semi-annually to quarterly, and it was not until 2016 that the town faced its next increase with 2.5% on the water rate base charge and a 10% sewer rate increase on all tiers.

“We couldn’t avoid it,” said Mooney. “It was the only way we could spread it out … in 2016.”

Last year, water rates increased 2.5%, but the three tiers stayed the same. Sewer rates went up 2.5% on the base rate, with a 0% increase on tier 1, 10% on tier 2, and 15% on tier 3.

Mooney stressed that data is collected by looking at “actuals” as opposed to estimates, but she emphasized, “Water and sewer is not like your tax rate. It’s very easy to give an estimate on what the estimated tax rate will be because it’s very fixed. It’s based on our property value.” Factors with water, Mooney said, include dry seasons when users conserve more. “So it’s not that easy to just come up with, hey! This is what the increase is going to be. We try our best to come up with what we consider the average house based on usage.”

For 2018, there will be modest rate increases on water – 1% on the base rate, with a .5% increase on tier 1, a 1% increase on tier 2, and 1.5% increase on tier 3.

“This is based on what we’ve had for historical data,” said Mooney. “That’s the good news on water,” she added.

Breaking it down, Mooney said the average tier 1 (one-person) home will see an annual water increase of $2.20, a tier 2 (2.5 people) home will see a $4.76 increase, and a tier 3 (five-plus household) will increase, on average, $16.60 annually.

For sewer, there will be a 2.5% base rate increase.

“We’re trying to keep that base charge as low as possible,” said Mooney.

Tier 1 sewer users will see a 3% increase ($15.60) annually, tier 2 will see 4% ($32.44), and tier 3 will see 5% ($96.96).

“We tried to level it off, but last year we didn’t hit the first tier at all and we just couldn’t eliminate that again this year,” said Mooney.

Also during the meeting, the selectmen sat through a presentation from members of T.U.R.F. regarding the proposed overhaul of the athletic fields at Old Rochester Regional.

With an over $7 million price tag, offset by revenue, the three towns’ contributions would be $1.67 million per town. Revenue potential stands at $206,000 annually and $3.9 million over 15 years.

Gonsalves expressed a concern over geese droppings on the synthetic fields, but he said he is “totally in favor of it.”

Hills suggested the group contact the Marion Capital Improvement Committee about the project. “We need to get this into the [Capital Improvement] plan,” said Hills.

Dickerson’s main concern was maintenance of the fields.

“With all due respect to the high school,” said Dickerson, “they’re not known for maintaining things. I’d hate to go forward with this if there isn’t a maintenance plan.” Dickerson said a commitment from the school to maintain the fields would be critical.

More information is available at www.ORRturf.com.

In other matters, the Marion Historical Commission had expressed a concern that the Civil War Monument located at the Marion Music Hall is about to topple over.

Dawson said he reached out to Facilities Director Shawn Cormier who said the statue had been knocked down in the 1970s during an act of vandalism and since then the statue has been slightly bent. Dawson said the monument itself is completely intact and level, although the illusion is that it could topple over.

“It’s a pretty sound structure and it’s going nowhere,” said Dawson.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for June 6 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

The Town of Marion is having a difficult time answering the question as to whether a town bylaw was violated during the May 8 Annual Town Meeting when Town Moderator Jeffrey Dickerson proceeded after 10:00 pm to allow voting on articles appropriating over $1,000.

The bylaw reads, “Articles of the warrant shall be acted upon in the order in which they appear on the warrant unless otherwise determined by a vote of the meeting, except that no article to appropriate a sum in excess of $1,000 shall be introduced after 10:00 p.m.”

As Town Meeting slogged on slowly and as 10:00 pm approached, it was announced to Dickerson and to voters that no articles to appropriate money are allowed past 10:00 pm. Dickerson urged voters to quickly wrap up any comments so that they could rapidly run through the remaining money articles before the 10:00 pm deadline.

But as 10:00 pm came and passed, Dickerson continued to introduce four more articles appropriating Community Preservation Act funds, all over the $1,000 appropriation maximum set by the bylaw, and one of them amounting to $203,100.

Marion Town Clerk Ray Pickles on May 16 during a phone interview first stated that the five appropriation articles (Articles 30-34) were to “transfer and appropriate” funds, which is allowed, and not “raise and appropriate” funds, which he stated is not allowed. The bylaw, however, does not contain language distinguishing which type of appropriation cannot be acted upon after 10:00 pm.

Articles 30, 31, and 32 themselves also do not contain language referring to “raise” or transfer”; rather, they simply state “appropriate.”

Article 33 does mention “transfer”; however, it was to appropriate $40,000 to be transferred from the CPA undesignated funds directly to the Department of Public Works to purchase 164 acres of drinking water conservation land.

Pickles then stated that the decision to keep going was that of the Finance Committee, the moderator, and the Board of Selectmen, and had nothing to do with the town clerk.

“Why they did that, I don’t know why,” said Pickles. “You’d have to ask them.”

On May 16, Town Administrator Paul Dawson said he was unable to answer the question as to whether or not the appropriation articles should have been introduced.

“The moderator made a decision to move forward,” said Dawson. When asked if the moderator had the authority to move forward with the appropriation articles past the 10:00 pm cutoff, he replied, “I don’t know how to answer that.”

In response to Pickles’ assertion that the decision to move ahead was that of the Finance Committee, the moderator, and the Board of Selectmen, Dawson replied, “I’m not aware of any discussion that took place with the FinCom and the Board of Selectmen at that time,” unable to confirm it either way.

Dickerson did not respond to a request to contact The Wanderer for comment via Dawson.

The Wanderer spoke with a press representative from the Attorney General’s Office, who was looking into the matter but did not respond with further assistance before deadline.

By Jean Perry