With so many vacancies on various boards and commissions in Mattapoisett, it was surprising to see four residents come forward vying for a single slot made available with the departure of Tom Copps from the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission.

Chairman Bob Rogers invited the candidates to briefly share their backgrounds and reasons for tossing their hats in the ring saying, “Most time it isn’t fun being up here.”

Richard Francis said he has lived in town for 35 years and works for a local excavating company. He said he wanted to get into town politics and thought that the Conservation Commission was a good place to start.

Dianne Tsitsos told the commission that her background was in international business development and, more recently, she was consulting for local businesses. She said she was not familiar with the Wetlands Protection Act, but felt up to the challenge.

Mike Dubuc, a cranberry farmer, also is seeking a seat on the commission. He is a fairly new member of the community and is presently on the Agricultural Commission. He said he was somewhat familiar with wetlands regulations and was willing to help the commission.

Joan Belknap told the commission she is a science teacher and school principal, is currently working on projects for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and was part of the team that wrote the harbormaster plan for the City of New Bedford. She said she is familiar with the Wetlands Protection Act and other waterways regulations.

Rogers told the candidates the commission would review the resumes they had submitted and make a selection at their next regular meeting. He said the next step was sending the Board of Selectmen their chosen candidate for review and appointment. The group was thanked for their willingness to assist the town.

Earlier in the evening, David Davignon of N. Douglas Schneider & Associates, representing Jay and Julie Duker, came before the commission for a continuance of a hearing for the construction of a private recreational pier into Aucoot Cove.

Davignon had come before the board on several other occasions regarding the Duker application, each time being asked for additional information. On this night, Davignon was accompanied by Stan Humphries of LEC Environmental Consultants.

Humphries said the barrier beach that the proposed pier will traverse was acceptable or “to the performance standards” necessary to achieve a Chapter 91 license. On the issue of the beach being more or less viable as a reliable location for the pier, Humphries said, “I think it will take a significant storm to create a breach…. If that comes in the future, this owner has come forward with many ideas for improving the area … including beach nourishment at the low tide mark….”

Rogers voiced concerns that the pier would one day be disconnected from the shoreline due to the movement of the barrier beach and questioned the wisdom of placing a pier in this location.

Abutters Brad and Jane Hathaway were present to voice their concerns. This is not the first time the Hathaways have attempted to draw attention to the movement of the barrier beach over the decades and the rising waters.

“The high tide washes over that area now,” Jane Hathaway said, “…and the water is getting higher and higher with global warming.”

Brad Hathaway asked the chairman, “Does the Conservation Commission have any interest in eel grass?” He said the letter LEC had submitted to the commission claimed there wasn’t any eelgrass present where the pier will be constructed, but Hathaway countered that his pictures told a different story.

Rogers said a letter from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries wasn’t strongly worded enough.

“They tell us to do everything in our power to protect eelgrass, but will they stand up if this gets appealed to the DEP?” said Rogers. “I don’t feel they’ll stand up,” he told Hathaway.

Hathaway said, “But if you allow this, then the abutters have to spend the money to appeal. If you deny it, they, the applicant, has to spend the money.”

This roused commission member Peter Newton to reply, “Whatever action we take, we take based on our conscience.”

Of the pier itself, which Davignon described as one that would be used only for small craft, Jane Hathaway asked, “You keep saying small craft, but who polices that? …What if the Dukers sell and someone wants to come in with a big boat in the future?” Newton and Rogers said that the Chapter 91 license would be pulled if that came to pass.

The hearing was continued until August 10, at which time Davignon was asked to revise the engineered drawings to reflect that all beach areas in the construction zone were barrier beaches and to show the wedge anchoring system that will be employed.

Rogers said a determination on the project would take place at the next meeting.

In other business, a Notice of Intent was withdrawn by Daniel and Lisa Craig of 4 Seabreeze Lane. The commission will issue an Enforcement Order and ask the Craigs, along with all the residents with deeded easement rights through the Craigs’ property, to attend the next meeting. The commission has been attempting to work with the Craigs in an effort to have encroached lands remediated. Rogers also said that he would ask the Buzzards Bay Coalition to attend the meeting.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for August 10 at 6:30 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

While one new business owner found a clear path when asking for a license to conduct business in Mattapoisett, another found bumps in the road.

Katherine Gauvin, a local resident, came before the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen on July 23 requesting permission to operate a catering and food concession truck in Mattapoisett serving what she described as “healthy” sandwiches. That prompted Selectman Chairman Jordan Collyer to exclaim, “What, no bacon?”

Alice’s Food Truck, as Gauvin explained, will provide on-site catering services for events, fairs, or special occasions. The truck will be fully fitted with Board of Health approved operating kitchen equipment and sanitation practices. Gauvin’s request was approved.

Also approved was Eric Desrosiers’ request for a Class II Used Dealer’s License to sell used automobiles online, but not before Vera Gibbons, his landlady, complained and voiced concerns.

“Captains Way is a private residential road,” said Gibbons. “We wouldn’t want business there.” Her concern was that used cars would be paraded on the roadway and increase traffic due to Desrosiers’ conducting business from the home she owns.

Gibbons even went so far as to say his living arrangement might be put in jeopardy if he was permitted to do business – even paperwork – from the residence.

After being told by Collyer to settle down, and that restrictions on how Desrosiers conducted business could be included in the license, Gibbons said, “Strike what I said then.” She was reminded that the meeting was being publically aired and that media was present.

Police Chief Mary Lyons was present to say she had no problem with the business when asked for her opinion. Desrosiers confirmed he was fully insured and bonded.

Desrosiers was issued a license with the restriction that paperwork and other business transactions would not take place on or near his residence. The used car business will be Internet based only, with up to three vehicles being warehoused at Mattapoisett Self-Storage when space becomes available.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne reported to the selectmen that the town is beginning the process of pursuing electrical aggregation with the assistance of SRPEDD and Good Energy LP, Conway, MA.

Electrical aggregation is a program by which cities and towns form a collective buying group so that the residents can benefit from a set electrical unit price. The towns nearby that have also agreed to such a plan include Acushnet, Rochester, Marion, and Attleboro to name a few.

Gagne said the aggregation document from Good Energy will be uploaded to the Town’s website, with a hardcopy available at both Town Hall and the library. He also said there will be public hearings to fully vet the benefits and receive resident input in the coming weeks. The public comment period begins August 11. Comments can be via email or dropped off at the Selectmen’s Office.

Roadwork on the Acushnet Road culvert was updated with Gagne stating that P. A. Landers, Kingston, MA was the low bidder at $578,000.

Casting and curing of the culvert can now begin, he said, noting that one portion of the project would be the most time consuming. He also confirmed that Mass DOT has approved the design, and he believed that the additional hydraulic figures they requested were just a formality.

In other matters, Selectman Paul Silva and Collyer questioned why the Harbormaster’s Office was closed at 5:00 pm, given the amount of boating activity taking place during the summer evenings, and why it seemed that on weekend mornings no one was there at 8:00 am.

Gagne said he would look into that and report back, although he thought the hours had been set for 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

A letter received from Brad Hathaway, 87 Aucoot Road, was read into the meeting. In the letter, Hathaway asks for the selectmen’s support in getting all public hearings regarding the proposed private pier planned for Aucoot Cove to be held locally. Silva said to put his request on the agenda for the next selectmen’s meeting to give the public opportunity to comment on his request.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for August 11 at 7:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell