Members of the Marion Board of Selectmen were concerned December 9 about a draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would essentially eliminate the Town’s use of the Marion Wastewater Treatment Plant Sewage Lagoons.

The problem, stated Town Administrator Paul Dawson, is that Marion’s sewer plant was designed and built around the utilization of the three large sewage lagoons located at the end of Benson Brook Road.

“This is going to be very problematic, to say the least,” said Dawson, calling the news startling.

Dawson said engineers for the Town have been busy since last Friday reviewing the matter and engaging in teleconferences with state EPA officials in an effort to understand new water quality levels that Dawson said were far below the levels even the latest technology could produce. Dawson said he did not know if this was due to an oversight in the preparation of the preliminary draft NPDES permit, and only time will tell as new information reaches his office.

“We’ve known for a long time that this was coming,” said Dawson, avoiding the minutia of the technical aspects of the draft NPDES permit for the time being. However, if the Town was compelled to cease the use of the sewage lagoons, Dawson said it would cost roughly $10 million to replace it, costing more than the current facility cost to build.

“It’s not surprising,” said Chairman Jonathan Henry. He said that although he feels the Town has made advancements relative to the sewage system, “technology doesn’t stand still.”

Dawson asked the selectmen to authorize him to request that the EPA grant an extension of the public comment period from 30 days to 180 days, but he said he would settle for 90 days. The board approved Dawson’s request.

In other news, the Board of Assessors, during its annual classification hearing, told selectmen that the tax rate will remain unchanged for the coming year, with one flat tax rate to continue for both residential and commercial.

“It makes no sense to change it,” said Town Clerk Ray Pickles. Selectman Stephen Cushing concurred, and Henry commented that businesses would be adversely affected by a shift of the tax burden from residents to businesses during a time when it is “trying to promote it.”

Also during the meeting, selectmen declined to act on the approval of a conservation restriction for 105 Allens Point Road, wanting to know more details about any negative impacts –

aside from a loss of tax revenue – that could result.

Doug Watson, one of the joint owners of his family’s inherited property, asked the board to approve a conservation restriction that would prohibit any future development on the waterfront property, but selectmen were reluctant to make a motion before taking the matter under consideration.

Several parties spoke in favor of the request, including Marion Conservation Commission Chairman Norman Hills and Sippican Lands Trust President Chris Bryant; however, all three selectmen were hung up on any possible legal repercussions, asking for an opinion from town counsel to determine to what extent the public would benefit from an approval.

“I’ve never asked for a legal opinion on conservation restrictions,” stated Dawson, clarifying that this was not a legal decision, rather a public policy decision.

Mark Robinson, executive director at the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, speaking on behalf of Watson, pointed out that the conservation restriction is in alignment with Marion’s Open Space & Recreation Plan of preserving the natural resources of the town.

Despite all the advocating in favor of the conservation restriction, when Henry called for a motion to approve, Cushing and Selectman Jody Dickerson shook their heads no. The board will take the matter under further advisement and possibly add it to the agenda of an upcoming joint meeting of the Tri-Town Selectmen scheduled for December 15 at 7:00 pm in the ORR Media Room to discuss Comcast contract negotiations.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for December 30 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

What do walking trails, sidewalks, bike paths, trees and pedestrians have in common? If you ask Bonne DaSousa, just about everything would be her answer.

DaSousa came before the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen during the December 9 meeting and outlined the need to establish a new committee to develop a “Complete Streets Certification Program,” as recommended by the Southeast Regional Planning & Economic Development District.

DaSousa recently attended a SRPEDD conference on the Complete Streets Program, a program that would accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists and would be funded by federal and state money to the tune of $50 million dollars.

She suggested dividing the town into sectors, each one with its own subcommittee, which would look at the pedestrian needs of their sector, the current state of trails and sidewalks, as well as future needs, wants and desires. These subcommittees would then come together to share information and work on the larger full-town plan.

And there are many challenges. DaSousa noted the gaps in the network of walking trails in land trust parcels and public lands, the bike path, and sidewalks, as well as difficulties presented by Route 6 and North Street, both of which are major traffic corridors with significant pedestrian movement.

DaSousa said it would take some years to fully implement a Complete Streets Plan that could connect the village with the north side of town with the coastal areas and so forth, but that a plan was necessary for Mattapoisett to get in line for funding.

Selectman Paul Silva suggested that the best way to start would be to bring this new committee under the Bike Path Committee. Town Administrator Michael Gagne suggested that Highway Superintendent Barry Denham be part of this new committee given his expertise and knowledge of all things roads.

DaSousa will bring the information back to the next meeting of the Bike Path Committee.          This topic tied in to Gagne’s report on the work of the Tree Committee. He said a recent survey of Main Street, Water Street, Beacon Street, and Marion Road had been conducted and that the Tree Committee was asked to evaluate all the trees along these roads.

Not a small task, he said. The Tree Committee’s report was then given to the state engineers the town has been working with for their comments. Once the state has completed its review, public hearings would be conducted to give the general public opportunity to understand the work that was needed along these historic streets.

Gagne said the town needed to have a 25 percent completed design for the village re-development plan in order to be eligible for Transportation Improvement Program funding.            Silva asked Denham when the road design would be completed. Denham said that first they needed to complete the stormwater management plan, a critical component to roadway improvement in the village areas. He said that Field Engineering was nearing completion of that portion of the design work and then they would move into the roadways and sidewalks. He anticipated the 25 percent design to be done within the next 12 months.

Tree Warden Roland Cote was on hand as Gagne spoke to the pruning and tagging of trees and limbs that NSTAR has been doing along scenic roadways throughout town. Gagne said that he and Cote went on a field trip and found many trees tagged for either complete removal or heavy pruning. He and Cote were alarmed and concerned that without oversight by the Town, the subcontracted tree cuttings might be too harsh, leaving behind damaged trees.

Gagne said the Planning Board needed to be involved, along with the Tree Committee and Cote, to ensure that the town comes up with a plan supported by good documentation so that they could work more closely with the NSTAR arborist.

The federal government is now fining utilities if it can prove that poor management of trees within their easements were the cause of electrical outages during storm events. Gagne will send a letter to NSTAR advising it of the need to work closely with the Town during pruning operations.

“I know how much this community loves their trees,” said Gagne. “We need to make sure what we do is right and not over-kill.”

Kathy Costello, principal assessor, addressed the board upon the request of Silva to share with the public the work just completed on updated tax classification and the hearing that had preceded the selectmen’s meeting.

She said that over the past year, her team reviewed the town’s tax base and rate schedule. The end result is that the new rate is set at $13 per thousand without a split rate. Costello said that Mattapoisett is about 95 percent residential versus commercial, and a split rate would have put a burden on the small number of businesses in town. The new rate is 2.2 percent higher than last year.

Earlier in the meeting when the board was discussing streets and sidewalks, Silva had asked Costello if the GIS system could be overlaid with the FEMA flood plain maps. She said they were, but at the present time, that was not available to the public.

Silva questioned why not and insisted it was public information; therefore, the public should have access. Costello said that she preferred to get the input of the building inspector and other departments before giving the general public that type of access.

Silva seemed miffed by that, since the public already can get the information from the FEMA website. The concern is that residents will become outraged if their property was now in a flood zone location where previously it may not have been deemed as such, and the resulting impact on departments in Town Hall.

In other business, the board appointed three new members to the Capital Planning Committee – Gerald Johnson for an at-large position (returning to the committee after a seven year hiatus), Michael DeBuc to represent construction topics (a new resident in town with a background in capital expenditures as the CFO of Morse Brothers Inc, a cranberry grower located in Easton and in Canada), and Robert Ball as alternate (retired aircraft engineer with Northrup Grumman).

Then things went to the cats. Gagne asked the selectmen to consider a cat registry at Town Hall. He said that when a cat is lost or found, it is very difficult to reunite the pet with its owner because there isn’t a licensing policy in Massachusetts for felines.

Gagne said that with a full-time Animal Control Department and a voluntary registration program with no associated fees, it would not overburden the department. Gagne was given permission to move forward with the plan.

In upcoming events: the annual tree lighting will be held on Saturday, December 13 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Shipyard Park; the winter farmers’ market will be open from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, December 13 in the ORRJHS gym with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving by fire engine at 11:00 am; on January 12, 2015 at 3:15 pm the public is cordially invited to attend the Mattapoisett School District’s celebration of receiving a ‘Commendation School’ recognition from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The event will be held at Old Hammondtown School.

Town Hall will close at noon on Wednesday, December 24 and reopen on Friday, December 26. The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 13, 2015 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell