Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Superintendent Nick Nicholson oversees an infrastructure that is all about clean water and wastewater. That would seem pretty straight forward – right? But toss in the complexities of underground pipes, valves, pumps, aging systems, river flows, aquifers, rainfall, budgets, and oh yes, state government regulations and now you’ve got a job others might find overwhelming. Nicholson’s passion for his profession keeps him fueled and focused on the needs of the town while keeping a weary eye on the State House. And it was a comment he recently made while attending a Finance Committee meeting that precipitated questions that needed asking. His comment was, “…and they want to impose water restrictions across the board…”

What he was referring to, I subsequently learned, is that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) believes the time has come to impose water use restrictions that could have wide-reaching implications.

Nicholson said that a new water management act presently being drawn up by the DEP would mandate and set use levels at 62 gallons per capita (per person per day) and would dial back fresh water pumping levels to those used nearly a decade ago. He said that given the larger customer base that nearly all cities and towns now have due to population growth, those earlier use levels would require water restrictions such as the discontinuation of outdoor watering.

So, why now, I asked? What is driving this at the state level? Nicholson said there has been a ‘state water management act’ in place since the 1980s. Sometime in the 1990s, that act expired. Since then, the DEP has been toiling to put updated rules and regulations in place. Concurrently, the DEP has received increasing pressure from various interest groups who have lobbied that decreased river flow and dropping water table levels need to be taken into consideration. “The new triggers are flows and rivers,” he said.

Explaining further, he said that the data being used to write these proposed new regulations is most likely flawed. Speaking to Mattapoisett specifically, he said that we get our water from the aquifer and not the Mattapoisett River. The water shed area for the aquifer is fed by rivers and streams and is impacted by seasonal changes. Typically, he says the summer months are drier. Adding to the problem of using river flow as a measure for assigning water use rates is the fact that the Mattapoisett River has a clay bottom that does not allow for good absorption into the aquifer.

In spite of his growing concerns that new state legislation would force his office to shut down outdoor watering during the summer season when water levels are typically at their lowest, he is encouraged that Mattapoisett’s residents are currently only using 50 to 52 gallons of water per capita – well below the state mandated rate of use.

From what he and the other Massachusetts Water Works Association members have seen so far, the new legislation would direct cities and towns to implement state conservation plans with no latitude to implement municipal policies that would be based on local conditions. It would be the state rules over the town’s reality, period.

Summer water use is double that of other seasons due to more residents and visitors consuming fresh water resources, gardening, and keeping lawns green, Nicholson stated. He continued, “I’ve never been a fan of automatic sprinkler systems.” He believes that if people haul hoses and sprinklers around a lawn, they tend to be more conservative in their watering of grasses versus automatic irrigation systems that silently spin water meters. Having said that, however, he was happy to report that, “Mattapoisett is not a big water user. Our residents are pretty well educated (on conservation issues) and they want to do the right thing.” Regardless, using less water will not and does not equate to lower water rates. “We still need money to handle debt services,” Nicholson stated.

Contributing to Mattapoisett’s conservative use of water, he believes that more homes are equipped with devices that lower volume flow such as toilets, shower heads, and new water meters that help to detect leaks leading to lost water. The total amount of water used on the average per day by the town is 200,000 gallons. The water and sewer department uses a rate of 12,000 cubic feet (one cubic foot equals 7.48 gallons of water) per household to set the water and sewer rates. The more accurate average is around 8,800 cubic feet he said, noting the public’s willingness to conserve water.

So what does the future hold? For now, Nicholson along with other concerned superintendents throughout the state are keeping a close eye on the DEP. Nicholson’s advice: “Use as much as you need, but don’t waste it.”

This brought me back to when I was a child and was taught the following by my Father, whose conservative use of all utilities equated to money left in his pocket: “Shut the lights off when you leave the room” and “Don’t let the water run down the drain while you brush your teeth…” That is some old-fashioned advice that would serve us well today.

By Marilou Newell

It did not take long for the Rochester Finance Committee to give the thumbs up for several articles involving financial matters on the Fall Special Town Meeting Warrant during discussions with the Rochester Board of Selectmen on October 6.

During a follow-up interview with Rochester Town Administrator Michael McCue on October 7, McCue said the Finance Committee voted unanimously to endorse the six out of nine articles pertaining to account transfers and financial appropriations that McCue referred to mostly as “simple housekeeping.” The remaining three articles relate to amendments of the Town’s Zoning Bylaws and are not subject to Finance Committee endorsement.

Both the Finance Committee and the selectmen reviewed the warrant with Moderator Greenwood Hartley III in preparation for the October 20 Special Town Meeting scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Rochester Memorial School cafeteria.

Plumb Corner Market will now be allowed to sell alcohol on Sundays between the hours of 10:00 am and 11:00 pm, now that the board has approved the store’s new amended liquor license application.

The law will change as of October 23, 2014, allowing off premises retailers of alcohol to begin selling alcohol at 10:00 am on Sundays. Although the right to sell alcohol is granted by the Commonwealth and not by the local authority – the Board of Selectmen – the store was required to inform the selectmen and amend their liquor license hours of operation.

Also during the meeting, Library Director Gail Roberts briefed the board on a new grant the three Tri-Town libraries have received to fund a new program entitled “In My Own Back Yard: Exploring the Ecosystems of Southeastern Massachusetts (MOBY).” The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is funding the grant.

The agenda was light, resulting in a brief meeting during which the selectmen voted to sign the warrant for the Massachusetts General Election on November 4.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for October 20 at 6:30 pm at Rochester Memorial School just before the Fall Special Town Meeting at 7:00 pm.

By Jean Perry

Sippican School ranked highly in state MCAS scoring, and Marion School Committee Chairman Joseph Scott, Superintendent of Schools Doug White, and Sippican School Principal Lyn Rivet congratulated the students and educators October 1 during a relatively brief school committee meeting.

In third grade math, Sippican School ranked 12^th out of 942 Massachusetts elementary schools and 14^th out of 544 for sixth grade English, bringing the school’s rating up from a Level 2 to a Level 1 school.

“This is a great accomplishment,” said White, “and everybody should be proud of this accomplishment.”

The Sippican School received a certificate from the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, recognizing it as one of just 42 Commendation Schools in Massachusetts. This is to applaud the school for its high achievement and progress in the MCAS exams last year. White referred to the achievement as an “A plus” of sorts.

The committee held off on approving new guidelines for the Student Activity Account so they could be reviewed more closely. The Student Activity Account is used to fund field trips, for example, and the new guidelines will ensure proper management and operation of the account.

“I think it’s important that we get a strong process … in place,” said White.

Key elements, said White, are the involvement of Business Manager Patrick Spencer, who will review the account with Sippican staff members on a monthly basis to ensure that everyone is “on the same page.” White added that the guidelines would also protect employees via diligent documentation of receipts and deposits.

“It seems to make sense to me,” said Scott. “[It] hopefully will help us handle our funds a little better.” Not that there have been major problems in the past, of course, Scott emphasized.

In other matters, White briefed the board on his recent exploration of practices pertaining to technology classes with a “one-to-one environment,” looking for ways to integrate the instructional use of personal electronic devices such as iPads and tablets. White said he has visited classrooms outside the district that have implemented similar programs with success.

The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for November 5 at 6:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

At the request of the Marion Pathway Committee, the Marion Board of Selectmen October 7 authorized the submission of the project initiative form to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation – the first step in the process to solicit federal and state funding for Phase I of the Marion Pathway.

Marion Pathway Committee Chairman Jeff Oakes told selectmen that the form was a standard DOT form, and walked acting Chairman Jody Dickerson and Selectman Stephen Cushing though each part and attachment of the form.

Phase I of the proposed bike path will run 3.84 miles from the Mattapoisett border to the Interstate 195 overpass on Front Street. Oakes explained that the Town would need to acquire the funding for engineering services – estimated at $300,000 – in order to receive any further federal or state funding.

Oakes requested that the selectmen authorize the form, which needs to be submitted on official Town letterhead to both the Mass DOT and the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development Division (SRPEDD) by October 16 in order to make the SRPEDD Project Review Committee meeting on November 6. According to Oakes, that committee only meets two or three times a year, so if the form is not submitted by October 16, they will have to wait until April of 2015.

“So that gets us on the radar,” said Oakes, “and gets us in the queue for funding.”

Town Administrator Paul Dawson said all the form needed was some minor changes to the language that pertains to an easement near the intersection of Spring Street and Front Street, and he would seek advisement from town counsel.

Oakes said the Marion Pathway was one of the Mass DOT’s Priority 100 Projects that would create a vital link between the bike paths of Mattapoisett and Wareham.

“We’ve been working on this for, what, 20 years?” asked Cushing. “I think by now we finally got our act together.”

Also during the meeting, Dawson addressed an enforcement order that the Marion Conservation Commission issued the Town of Marion for an unpermitted rock wall placed above the high tide mark at a section located between Sprague’s Cove and near Silvershell Beach.

The Army Corps of Engineers issued a letter to the Town ordering it to either remove the 100-foot by 150-foot placement of rocks, or file for an after-the-fact Notice of Intent with the Conservation Commission. The board chose the latter option.

“It’s not even a wall,” said Dawson. He described it as a placement of rocks intended to control erosion at the site, specifying that there was no malintent in placing the rocks. “I guess we got a little too close [to the high tide line].”

Dawson said there has been “talk around town” that the intent was malicious, but dispelled the rumors.

“It just wasn’t that,” said Dawson. “It was just the DPW trying to shore up a little erosion.”

Dawson said it was possible that with the way the rocks were placed and the angle at which the rocks were laid, the rocks could have caused further erosion to the shoreline rather than inhibiting the erosion.

“And we will fix it,” said Dawson, adding that the Town would be soliciting the assistance of JC Engineering of East Wareham.

Cushing and Dickerson briefly debated the term “rock wall,” saying they did not consider the rocks a wall, per se.

In a follow-up interview, Dickerson denied having any prior knowledge of the placement of the rock wall near Silvershell Beach, and denied authorizing Marion Department of Public Works Superintendent Rob Zora to build the rock wall.

Dickerson is also the Director of the Recreation Department, which oversees operations at Silvershell Beach.

In other matters, the Town is considering regionalizing its Veteran’s Services Department in light of the retirement of current Veteran’s Agent Bill Titcomb.

Mattapoisett and Rochester regionalized their Vet’s Services Departments, and Marion may join the two other towns as an alternative to filling the position.

“It’s a system that works really well for them,” said Dawson, “and I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to tap into a well-established resource.”

Also during the meeting, the board authorized Dawson to execute the fiscal year 2015 On-Call Consulting Agreement with the engineering firm CDM Smith, not to exceed $30,000. Dawson called this a retainer of sorts, and no money will be expended just by authorizing the execution. As services are required, the Town will expend from the $30,000.

The board also authorized Dawson to execute the Phase I contract with CDM Smith for the DPW Garage Master Plan, as authorized by a Town Meeting vote back in May. The contract estimated at $46,500 is for feasibility studies of the Benson Brook Road location.

The board authorized Top of the Hill Package Store to sell alcohol starting at 10:00 am on Sundays after a new state law passed, allowing liquor stores to sell alcohol earlier on Sundays beginning October 23.

Selectmen accepted the Town Meeting approved gift of Lot 44 at Indian Cove.

A contract to purchase a surplus boat motor was given to Extreme Marine, the highest bidder at $2,800.

The board signed the warrant for the State General Election on November 4, and Comcast announced in a letter to the board that it would be closing its 149 Wareham Road location.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for October 21 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry