With a unanimous vote, Marion Planning Board members approved a draft letter addressed to developers Robert Korff and Dean Holt of Mark Investments, LLC in response to recent pre-submission conferences, one of them attended by about 150 residents.

Board members agreed that during the last meeting, the representatives of the proposed CVS at the corner of Front Street and Route 6 provided sufficient information for the board to make an initial response to the plan.

The letter lists the requirements for when and if the developers proceeded with the application process, including all types of analyses and studies, and also a major site review. The list of requirements involved stormwater drainage assessments, environmental and engineering assessments which encompass traffic, visual impact analyses, and hydrologic and a hydro-geologic analysis, including impacts to wetland and surface water resources. Not to forget legal counsel.

The project would also have to move through the various town boards and committees, such as the Conservation Commission, Board of Health, Department of Public Works, Marion Resources Commission, Fire and Police Chiefs, and the Master Planning Subcommittee, among others.

“We urge you to seriously consider the recommendations made by the PB and members of the public at the October 6^th, 2014 meeting when planning any such applications,” the letter states.

Current concerns in the draft letter remain consistent with those addressed during the October 6 Planning Board meeting held at the Marion Music Hall, where many residents shared the same concerns as the board.

Maintaining the character of Marion, storm drainage, flood plain issues, traffic, and of course, the relocation of the Captain Hadley House were all touched upon in the letter.

“This list is not to be considered as all-inclusive of the PB’s concerns and is provided to be instructive as to the general issues this proposed application raises, and to summarize the PB’s initial comments,” the letter reads.

The Planning Board also affirms in the letter that the board has taken no position either for or against the proposed plan “regarding the project at either pre-submission hearing.”

The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for November 3 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

Apparently it does not happen often, but one property owner was lucky enough to ‘strike sand’ during a percolation test, winning him a variance to install a new septic system at a four-foot separation to groundwater level, instead of the Title 5 required five-foot separation.

On October 21, Kevin Forgue of G.A.F. Engineering told the Marion Board of Health that the current septic system at 35 Ichabod Lane was only about two to three feet above groundwater levels, so the four feet would be an improvement.

“We have a fairly high water table throughout that area,” said Forgue. “No matter how we looked at it and no matter what we did, we needed a pump chamber.”

Without the variance, Forgue said the backyard elevation would be one-foot higher than house level, diverting storm water toward the house and creating pooling in the yard.

Forgue clarified that the septic system would actually be four feet from the estimated high water table mark, not the actual water table mark. On a normal to dry day, Forgue said there could be as high as a four and a half-foot separation.

The soil conditions at 35 Ichabod Lane, belonging to Toby and Barbara Burr, were variable, said Forgue, much to his surprise.

“I think we just found a spot that had sand,” said Forgue. Regional Health Director Karen Walega said she, too, was surprised.

Board of Health member Albin Johnson commented that sandy soils are rare in Marion, and during a follow-up interview, Board of Health Chairman Dr. John Howard said that percolation rates on Marion properties tend to be high in silty and clay soils.

The Burrs just happened to have a random area of sand, a jackpot of sorts, when it comes to septic systems in Marion.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for October 28 at 4:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

The October 21 meeting of the Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board was yet another Town board that heard concerns and reasons from residents opposed to Daniel DaRosa’s application to build a 290-foot pier into Mattapoisett’s harbor. It was also a meeting called solely for the purpose of hearing from the public one more time as the board members put the finishing touches on their letter to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Coming before the MAB was Michael Huguenin and Peter Trow, two vocal opponents to the project.

Huguenin told the board he has gathered 180 signatures from residents who, like him, are opposed to this pier in this location. He impressed upon the board that time is of the essence, as Friday, October 24 is the deadline for comments directed to the DEP regarding the project. If comments are not received by that date, people will have forfeited their right to voice concerns in the future.

Huguenin pointed out that the sheer size of the proposed pier is the biggest issue he has with the pier, followed by the loss of recreational space, shellfishing, and catastrophic storm damage caused if the pier breaks up during severe weather. He said the Chapter 91 license being sought by DaRosa from the DEP safeguards the public’s right to protection of tidal areas.

Regarding the DEP process, Huguenin said that no public hearing is provided, so letters before the deadline date are critical. He said that he had just learned that the Planning Board does play a part in the process, but that typically in Mattapoisett the Planning Board only deals with matters on the land, not in or over the water. He planned to discuss this with Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker immediately.

MAB member Carlos DaSousa said, “…The pier is in a prime recreation area … we rejected an aqua-culture project for this location to conserve it for public recreational purposes…” He also referred to the MAB waterfront management plan that was fully vetted and approved by the Board of Selectmen in 2012, again saying that where the pier is proposed is a recreational area.

DaSousa said the letter MAB sends to the DEP should include all the minutes of their meetings from the year-long process of crafting the management plan and the large public participation that helped in its writing, as well as all their concerns of the impact of such a large project in this location.

“Our goal is to update the drafted letter, submit it to Michael Gagne (town administrator) and the Conservation Commission and then send it to the DEP,” said Chairman Alan Gillis. He said that he had had a conversation with the selectmen and was told they, too, are sending a letter to the DEP.

Expanding on the theme of waterfront protections, Trow said, “A bylaw supersedes ConCom and the DEP…”

Gillis replied, “We’ve been requesting that too.”

DaSousa countered that, by establishing bylaws, the Town would be guaranteeing the construction of piers.

“…You are setting parameters where piers will get built,” said DaSousa. “I think the waterfront management plan should be the bylaw.”

By the end of the meeting, Gillis said they had sufficient additional information to complete their letter. The MAB voted unanimously on the tone and the text of their letter. A copy of the letter will be made to the public as part of the public record.

By Marilou Newell