The May 20 meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission found the commissioners unanimously voting to lift an Enforcement Order issued against restoration work taking place at The Bogs, a property of the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

            After winter storms flooded the project area, resulting in stormwater pouring away from the site into neighboring properties, the commission found it necessary to issue an Enforcement Order that included not only ramping up erosion controls but evaluating whether or not leaching of agricultural chemicals of a hazardous nature onto adjoining parcels had taken place.

            The BBC, along with Mattapoisett Conservation Agent Brandon Faneuf, met at the site weekly thereafter, monitoring conditions while all parties waited for a decision from the Select Board on whether or not the town would require further action in the form of chemical testing. Several commission members expressed concern over the movement of chemicals from flowing stormwater and sought to require third-party testing.

            At Tuesday’s meeting, it was confirmed that testing would be required.

            Conservation Commission Chairman Mike King stated, “…everything is now complete at The Bogs,” and that, “…the Select Board is in agreement with the (Buzzards Bay) Coalition for independent testing.” The Enforcement Order was lifted.

            In other business, the commission issued a Negative Determination ruling to Timothy and Carolyn Kelley, 2 Windwood Way, to demolish and reconstruct a shed.

            A Notice of Intent filed by Mark Whalen, Birchwood Street, was conditioned contingent on approval from the Board of Health on septic plans. Abutters articulated their concerns over proposed plans for a new home on elevated pilings, but King clarified the commission was only evaluating the project plans as they relate to the Wetlands Protection Act and furthermore was not involved with the aesthetic design of any future building. King told the audience that they had 10 days to appeal the commission’s decision.

            Certificates of Compliance were issued to: David Evans, 4 Sagamore Road; Jay Dupont, 12 Old Mattapoisett Neck Road and Alice McGrath trustee, 0 Cove Street.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, June 10, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

Rochester’s Conservation Commission Tuesday had to satisfy a roomful of concerned neighbors as it approved the wetland resource boundary limits for an address on Gifford Lane.

            Land surveyor John Romanelli told the commission that the property’s owners, the estates of James and Sharon Barton, want to come up with a value for selling the property, which abuts Snows Pond, and they want to get the wetland lines correct first.

            Conservation Agent Merilee Kelly said that as a result of her inspection of the property, she approves of the wetlands line that has been delineated. “It’s good,” she said. “I agree with it.”

            Neighbor Michelle Kirby then raised her hand to speak and explained why most of the seats in the meeting room were occupied by Gifford Lane abutters. She said they are concerned that any development of the parcel will adversely affect Snows Pond. Before the property is sold, Kirby said, “more needs to be taken into consideration.”

            Conservation Commission Chairman Christopher Gerrior reassured Kirby that this is just a very basic first step, and no development plans of any kind are being presented.

            “They have had a professional to flag where the wetlands start,” Gerrior said. “From there, they can say, ‘here will be a lot’ or ‘there will be no lots.’ This is just the marking of the lines. This is not even a step toward any kind of planning process.”

            Noreen Hartley wanted to know why the trust did not start with filing a Notice of Intent instead of the Determination of Applicability petition the board was reviewing. Gerrior said that’s because this is just a wetland line being approved. “This is just seeing how much wetlands there is,” he said.

            The commission voted to agree with the limits of the wetlands as shown, with Ben Bailey the only member to abstain. “I don’t we’ve ever had to vote to accept a wetlands line,” Bailey said. “We don’t do that. Registered engineers approve those lines.”

            In other action, Gerrior announced that a letter from the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District has conveyed a “thumbs up” endorsement of the commission’s plan to clear the sometimes-clogged herring-run area from Hartley Farm Pond to the start of the Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race. Kelly said she has started to create a Notice of Intent for the project.

            Kelly then updated the commission on her review of open orders of conditions. She said she has found around 50 of them, some as old as 1985. She said the owners of these properties will be contacted to “close them out” with certificates of compliance.

            The commission approved the Notice of Intent for an address on Bishop Road to permit the construction of a single-family home with on-site septic system within a wetlands buffer zone. Only the machinery to install the project will have to be within the 100-foot buffer, it was explained.

            The commission continued until its June 4 meeting the Notice of Intent public hearing for 96 Wolf Island Road’s plan to install within the 100-foot buffer to a vegetated wetland a gravel driveway, stone patio, walkway and landscaped area for an existing single-family home.

            Gerrior raised concerns about an existing shed on the property 25 feet from the wetlands “no-touch” zone. Consulting engineer Bob Rogers said the shed was there when the current owner, Marc Wilson, purchased it, and he could not say how old the shed was. The commission agreed to schedule a site visit there.

            The Rochester Conservation Commission set its next meetings for June 4, June 18, July 16 and August 7. It will meet next on Tuesday, June 4, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Michael J. DeCicco

            Jodi Lynn Bauer, Mattapoisett Select Board member, chairman and candidate won re-election on Monday night, fending off a challenge from Kathleen Costello, former principal assessor for the town.

            After publicly reading the results from four separate counts categorizing the tallies by precincts and early versus day-of-election voting, Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and her staff were still working late into the evening, tallying up “a handful” of remaining votes from Town Hall believed to be no more than a dozen that would not have swung any of the contested races.

            Based on the addition of the four categories Heuberger announced roughly 35 minutes after the polls closed, the incumbent Bauer outpaced Costello, 952-880, with one write-in vote and 34 left blank.

            Assessor Leonard Coppola lost his seat to Alan Apperson, who won 865-806 with 4 write-in votes and 192 left blank.

            With 1,176 votes, James Muse maintained his seat on the Mattapoisett School Committee, and Jack LeBrun won the other open seat by outpacing Kathleen Ann McArdle-LeClair, 1,091-876.

            Bauer campaigned on a platform that noted a lifelong commitment to her hometown and being a board member that would represent and serve all the people in the community.

            The Wanderer caught up with the two candidates prior to the polls closing to hear how they were feeling and any last-minute thoughts.

            Costello expressed she was a little anxious but looked forward to working collaboratively on matters brought before the board. She said that whether or not she wins, she would offer a helping hand with affordable housing making the top of her list of pressing matters for the town. She hoped that whomever won people would rally around and work together.

            After unofficial results were read by the town clerk, Costello said, “I wish Jodi all the luck in the world. It was a close race, and she ran a great campaign. Anything I can do to be supportive, they just need to let me know.”

            Bauer said before the polls closed that a daunting number of projects face the town from Long Wharf to roadways and drainage and that housing was top on her list. “We need to look at the bylaws, at accessory dwelling units,” said Bauer, expressing hope that voters would give her the opportunity to continue to work on their behalf. Her wish was granted on this night.

            After the count was announced, Bauer said she was ready to “get back to work.” She thanked family, friends and supporters, saying they are “great people.”

            Muse was thrilled with the turnout in Mattapoisett, which he said was of utmost importance.

            “Great election, fantastic turnout, I’m very happy that the people cared,” he said. “We have work to do; doing the job of running the schools is a big-time, full-time job just to be level, just to get it done.”

            “There are issues on our school committee, and I could have said a lot – I didn’t,” said McArdle-LeClair, who said she would like to see the committee be more transparent about how money is spent. She has not ruled out another bid next year. “I might, we’ll see what happens.”

            The Board of Health has a new member in Alexandra Nicolosi, who ran unopposed.

            Several incumbents who ran for re-election unopposed were successful, including Library Trustees Bill Osiers and Elizabeth Sylvia, Town Moderator Lizanne Capper Campbell, Water/Sewer Commissioner Albert Meninno Jr., Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer, Planning Board member Tom Tucker, Chuck McCullough of the Housing Authority and James Andrew Pierson and Susan Wilbur of the Community Preservation Committee.

            The lone question on the ballot, asking voters if they support a capital request from the Old Rochester Regional School District for facility upgrades, was approved by an 808-647 margin with 412 ballots left blank.

Mattapoisett Town Election

By Marilou Newell

Randy Parker took the seat of the Marion Select Board in the May 17 Town Election held at the Cushing Community Center, according to preliminary figures. Parker won with 572 votes, leaving challenger Diane Lopes-Flaherty well behind with 248 votes. Parker is set to serve another three-year term on the Select Board.

            In a voice call on Monday afternoon, Parker said voters stopped and talked with him outside about the roads.

            “That seemed to be front and center with the people I spoke with on Friday,” he said.

            Parker has served on the Select Board since 2018. During his time, he has helped see through renovations of the Town House, helped secure a school resource officer for Sippican Elementary School and worked on taxpayer credibility.

            Presently, Parker says he is focused on “incorporating the comfort-dog program with the Police Department, reducing the speed limit to 25 (miles per hour) in town (Article 32) and construction of the Department of Public Works facility.”

            Lopes-Flaherty was unable to attend the polls on Election Day due to a family commitment.

            There were 31 blank ballots and two write-in votes for Select Board.

            Marion School Committee members April Nye and Michelle Smith kept their seats with 560 and 413 votes, respectively. Challenger Kristina Callina finished with 389 votes in an unsuccessful bid to unseat one of the incumbents.

            Tom Friedman garnered 14 write-in votes that will result in him being offered the one open seat on the Open Space Acquisition Commission for a three-year term. Friedman presently serves on the Marion Energy Management Committee.

            Uncontested races from the election included the following incumbents re-elected: Dr. John Howard to the Board of Health, Jon Henry and Alanna Nelson to the Planning Board, George TJ Walker to the Board of Assessors and Brad Gordon as town moderator.

            Question 1 on the ballot asked if the town should pay for the final design and construction of the Department of Public Works facility. The question passed with some contention, votes tallying 492-289. Question 2 asked if the town should be responsible for the renovation and repairs costs to Old Rochester Regional High School, passing 483-271.

            According to Town Clerk Lissa Magauran, 838 out of 4,540 Marion residents filled out ballots.

            The Wanderer reported on February 23 that the town had mailed out 644 Vote by Mail ballots, out of which a small percentage had been received by the clerk.

Marion Town Election

By Jared Melanson

Rochester’s Planning Board, Historic District Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals met jointly Tuesday to hear a proposal by Marion resident Mark Briggs to construct two buildings to store and repair collectible automobiles, trucks and other motor vehicles on New Bedford Road.

            The project labeled “Briggs Hobby Barn” will require Site Plan Approval from the Planning Board, a Special Permit from the ZBA and a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission. Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman David Arancio called the joint meeting more “an ingestion of information” than anything else.

            The public hearing that preceded this summary started with Briggs’ attorney, Karla Chaffee, and architectural and engineering consultants Jason Maurer and Bill Madden explaining the design as it has been refined by over a year of previous meetings with town officials.

            On 3 acres of an 8-acre parcel, Briggs will build a private hobby barn with an attached silo-shaped observatory for a large telescope and a small repair shop. Access will be limited to family members and invitees. The two buildings will have seamless, metal-clad siding, shaded midnight bronze, lit by low-ballard lighting, and the structures will be angled, fenced in and covered by trees to make the complex hard to see from the roadway.

            “The architect will blend into the neighborhood with a barn-like feel,” Madden said.

            From board members, the strongest pushback came from Historic District Commission member Sara Johnson regarding the choice of siding. “In the entire Historic District, there is no precedent for metal siding,” said Johnson. “That’s not something we could easily endorse. I wish you’d explore other materials.”

            Chaffee said no one will see the buildings from any public way because of the shade of the siding and that other siding materials are “astronomically” more expensive. She added that Briggs and company have worked hard to redesign in the name of answering town officials concerns.

            “You have made a great effort in that regard,” Johnson admitted.

            ZBA member Jeffrey Costa pointed to Briggs’ contention that he will need a Class II license merely to get the right insurance but will not sell cars. “You will not be a commercial use but will get a commercial license?” Costa asked. “If it’s a gray area to me, it’s going to be gray to someone else.”

            Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson insisted a site-line test be conducted to determine what the public will see from the road, over Chaffee’s objections that this was not necessary.

            The three boards ended the meeting by continuing their parts of the hearing to their next meeting. The ZBA continued to Thursday, May 23, at 7:00 pm. The Planning Board continued to Tuesday, May 28, at 7:00 pm. The Historic District Commission continued to June 5 at 6:00 pm. All three meetings will be held at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic District Commission

By Michael J. DeCicco