It is still well within the original budget for the project, but on November 18 the Marion Board of Selectmen approved an amendment to the Great Hill water tower construction agreement, increasing the cost by $11,500 to pay for unforeseen engineering costs. The project total increased from $93,000 to $104,500.

Citing complications with easements, land swaps, and construction logistics, Town Administrator Paul Dawson said that after a number of re-draws and tweaks to the plans, the engineering costs went up higher than he had hoped.

Should the Town expect any further kinks in the process, Selectman Stephen Cushing asked Dawson.

“I don’t see any on the horizon,” stated Dawson. “This has been a very successful project.”

The Town will advertise for bids just prior to Christmas, said Dawson, and bidding will begin in mid-January. Construction should begin in late March and be completed in August.

In other matters, the board approved a contract for the Marion Music Hall roof replacement project awarded to Celcore, Inc., of New Bedford in the amount of $46,600. The 50-year shingles will be installed beginning, weather permitting, just after the holidays.

The board voted to ratify the membership list of the Marion Cultural Council as indicated by the State’s membership list, which was slightly different than the Town’s list.

The Cultural Council’s function is to recommend which local organizations should receive grant monies from the State for cultural activities and cultural events.

In a 2-0 vote, with Chairman Jon Henry abstaining, the board voted to deny a water abatement in the amount of $154.60 for the sewer portion of a water bill at 120 Bullivant Farm Road. The board had continued the water abatement action during its last meeting in order to gather more information.

Dawson, along with the Marion Water & Sewer Division, recommended denying the request due to the consumer’s “conscious and deliberate use of the water,” despite suspecting a leak in their swimming pool.

Henry resisted denying the abatement, but Dawson warned the board that approving the abatement would set a precedent for granting abatements under similar circumstances.

Selectmen approved the relocation of a telephone pole jointly owned by Verizon and NSTAR after-the-fact, which was already moved prior to the meeting. The pole required relocation in order to accommodate the handicap access to the new sidewalks being constructed in the South Street and Pleasant Street area.

A public hearing for the Board of Assessors Classification Hearing was continued until December 9, the next scheduled meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen, beginning at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

The majority of the Marion Conservation Commission, with just a bit of contention amongst its members, took a no tolerance stance on building within a velocity zone on November 12, with Chairman Norman Hills refusing to budge on allowing four large storage containers to be temporarily placed in the V zone of the proposed location at 291 Wareham Street.

The owners of Saltworks Marine, LLC will take what they can get rather than risk denial from the commission to erect a specific, more secure temporary structure to which Hills was adamantly opposed.

The original plan called for the placement of four large storage containers, two of which would fall within the V zone, to serve as the base of a Quonset vinyl boat-shaped structure. Instead, in order to receive approval for any kind of storage structure, Saltworks Marine owner Daniel Crete settled for a Quonset structure anchored by jersey barriers, despite a hearty debate with the commission.

Forget about whether or not other businesses may or may not have similarly erected structures in velocity zones, as suggested by Crete and his engineering representative, David Davignon of N. Douglas Schneider & Associates, Inc. As far as Hills was concerned, the commission was there November 12 to uphold the Wetlands Protection Act and act upon matters under ConCom jurisdiction, not to uphold town bylaws.

Commissioner Jeffrey Doubrava asked why the structure could not be shifted two more feet away from the V zone. Davignon explained that the applicant would be filing plans for further development on the property and a shift in the placement would affect construction logistics.

ConCom member Stephen Gonsalves showed support for the project right from the beginning.

“It’s amazing and quite an improvement on that property,” said Gonsalves. When the discussion heated up, Gonsalves was the first to question the relevance of the V zone between December 15 and May 15, the five-month time period Crete is seeking for the temporary structure. “Velocity zone, to me, means hurricane season,” stated Gonsalves.

“So if we move this outside the velocity zone, you’ll be okay with it?” Crete asked the commission, before adding that the move would hinder the construction process.

Davignon asked the commission, “What kind of ‘velocity’ are we talking about in the winter?”

“Common sense obviously doesn’t play a role,” snapped Gonsalves during the height of the debate.

Crete said other companies situated alongside his at the waterfront very often have temporary structures raised during the summer months, the active hurricane season.

“Every single weekend, [they] have a huge structure in the velocity zone with a permit from the Building Department,” said Crete. “We’re obviously not going to have a hurricane in the middle of the winter.” Crete said the Quonset structure was built “to withstand everything short of a tornado.”

Hills asked Crete to which companies he was referring, and Crete’s only named example was Sperry Tents.

Crete said he could use jersey barriers weighing about 6,000 pounds each instead of the storage containers as the base of the structure, but it would cost him more and the site would be less secure without the actual storage containers.

“It’s a much greater cost, but we gotta do what we gotta do,” Crete resigned.

Hills said he could agree to that, but not the storage containers.

“I’d really like to see this project go forward,” said Gonsalves. “I think this would be a win-win for the Town.”

The commission granted permission for the temporary jersey barrier-anchored Quonset structure and issued a negative determination.

Also during the meeting, the commission voted in favor of endorsing a conservation restriction for 105 Allens Point Road. The existing house would be demolished and the driveway removed, and the area returned to its natural state with the planting of indigenous plant species. The conservation restriction, if approved by the Board of Selectmen, would prohibit redevelopment of the oceanfront property.

The commission approved an amended Order of Conditions for Marshall and Wilma Bailey of 41 Dexter Road for a proposed pier reconstruction and shed reconstruction. The pier will be shifted away from a neighboring pier to add more space between them.

The commission determined that no wetlands exist at 8 Thomas Lane, the property of Chad and Gina McLeod, who plan to construct a four-bedroom dwelling on the land.

Engineer Nick Dufresne discussed his client Ashley Briggs’ Notice of Intent to build a single-family house and garage within the 100-foot buffer zone at 73 Cove Street, and the matter was continued until December 10.

The Request for Determination for LEC Environmental Consultants to confirm the wetlands boundaries at 345 and 390 Wareham Street was continued until December 10 at the request of the applicant.

The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for December 10 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

During its November 18 meeting, Conservation Agent Laurell Farinon reported to the Rochester Conservation Commission that volunteers are urgently needed to assist in crafting the 2016 open space plan.

The current plan is set to expire in October 2015, but with a lack of citizen participation, creating such a critical plan will prove difficult.

Open Space plans tie into a variety of other town plans, and are oftentimes required by the State of Massachusetts and federal government when cities and towns apply for grants and funds.

Anyone interested in lending their time and talents to this effort should contact the Board of Selectmen, Farinon told the public. Letters of interest can be sent via email to vlafreniere@townofrochester.com or by mail to: Board of Selectmen, Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way, Rochester, MA, 02770.

Farinon also discussed options for updating websites and web pages for the Conservation Commission.

She said that they could pursue a stand-alone site until such time as the Town’s main website is overhauled. A stand-alone site would be linked to the current Town site, costing about $1,890 to create and $30 per month for outside maintenance and uploads.

The commission asked Farinon to move forward in talking to the Board of Selectmen about possible funding sources, including from fees collected from Notice of Intent filings.

Public meetings included a Negative 1 determination for tree removal at property owned by Thomas Ferreira on Walnut Plain Road. Ferreira proposes to build a home on the lot.

The commission issued Certificates of Compliance for David and Linda Gomes of 13 Briarwood Lane; and David Fredette for the City of New Bedford, 1 Negus Way, for a new gas service that has been installed for the Quittacas Water Treatment Plant.

The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for December 2 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell