On September 22, the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen meeting was dominated by discussions around the importance of giving residents safe streets in terms of walkability, cycling, and signage.

Bonne DeSousa met with the selectmen to discuss a wide range of items including the success Mattapoisett had in being awarded as winners of the Southcoast Bikeway Challenge and the need for additional funds that would allow the town to begin the permitting phase for the continuation of the bike path through the YMCA property.

The award, DeSousa said, included the participation of 33 riders from Mattapoisett who clocked in an amazing 22,010 miles, beating Fairhaven who was last year’s winner.

Of a $34,000 funding shortfall in the next phase of the bike path process, DeSousa said that the Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path had launched a crowdfunding effort. Later in the evening after DeSousa had left the meeting, Selectman Jordan Collyer asked about the possibility of the town matching funds collected in this latest funding activity. The board took that under advisement with Selectman Paul Silva noting that, with so much invested at this point, the town couldn’t let the permitting phase slip away.

DeSousa then told the board that a meeting of the Municipal Bike and Pedestrian Plan group sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation would be held on October 8 at 6:30 pm at Center School.

“It’s important for towns to have a plan because there is a 50 million dollar pot of money for grants,” said DeSousa.

The meeting will allow residents to air a wide range of concerns including the conditions of roadways for walking and biking.

Both Selectmen Tyler Macallister and Collyer asked if something could be done about signage at the bike path crossings at Brandt Point Road and Mattapoisett Neck Road due to cyclists darting into oncoming traffic.

DeSousa said engineers who designed the bike path have placed signage in specific locations and she could not move or alter those. However, she suggested partnering with the Mattapoisett Recreation Department to provide safe cycling classes for children. The board agreed to this and also in working with the schools.

She also asked the board to support the inclusion of Mattapoisett’s bike path as part of the Eastcoast Greenway and the installation of an all-weather bulletin board that had been donated by St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion. The board agreed to both of these requests.

Coming before the board from the Buzzards Bay Coalition were Allen Decker and Brendan Arnett seeking the board’s support in filing for grant monies to purchase 114 acres of land in the Mattapoisett River Valley from the Tinkham family. The purchase price is $628,000. Arnett said the state grant would pay for one half, and with the assistance of the town, other funding sources including the town’s Community Preservation monies would be sought.

Silva wondered why the coalition wasn’t seeking funds from Fairhaven as well, given their vested interested in protecting the water supply that also services their residents. Allen and Arnett agreed to that possibility, noting that every avenue for funding would be explored. The board agreed to complete the necessary state grant application to get the funding effort in motion.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne updated the selectmen on several projects, including the town’s effort to get the state to improve and approve new crossing lights along Route 6. Gagne said flashing lights would be installed at the high school and Pearl Street. He is awaiting certification from the state to move forward.

Gagne also updated the board on the status of the Acushnet Road repairs. He said utility work and tree removal had begun. A group meeting with residents had produced positive results as the residents heard the work is planned for completion by mid-November.

In dates to remember and other news, the Fall Special Town Meeting is scheduled for November 9 at 6:30 pm at the ORRHS auditorium.

Winter farmers’ markets will begin at the ORRJHS beginning October 24 through April 23 every second and fourth Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Flu vaccinations will be available to residents 60 years and older at the Council on Aging on Thursday, October 8 between 8:00 am and noon; a $5 donation or non-perishable food item is suggested.

Household hazardous waste day is scheduled for September 26 from 9:00 am to noon at the Highway Department located at 200 Ryder Road. This collection is only for Rochester and Mattapoisett residents. The cost is $30 for up to ten pounds of material and $50 for material up to 25 pounds.

The COA is seeking to fill two open positions on the Board of Directors. Interested parties should contact Jackie Coucci, COA director, if interested.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for October 13 at 7:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

The Marion Planning Board, despite no agreement on a sum for the decommissioning escrow account, approved the Special Permit and Site Plan review for the Clean Energy Collective solar farm off Tucker lane on September 21, concluding a weeks-long contentious argument amongst board members.

After more back and forth over the reasonability of the $75,000 escrow amount proposed originally by Chairman Robert Lane, half the board accepted Lane’s latest compromise of $67,500 – a split between Lane’s $75,000 and developer Greg Carey’s previous compromise of $60,000.

Discussion began with Lane presenting three different documents for the board to review: a first draft written by Town Counsel Jon Whitten that Lane referred to as the “latest draft”; a second that contained superimposed comments made by board members Norman Hills and Jennifer Francis; and a third draft that was a rewrite by Whitten in light of Hills’ and Francis’ comments.

“The latest draft,” said Lane. “That’s going to be our baseline for conversation.”

Hills reiterated some comments he made at previous meetings regarding the scrap value of the project and how it relates to an escrow account, should the solar energy facility be abandoned in the future and the town must decommission the site. Lane stopped him immediately, citing the escrow amount as the most contentious of the issues to be saved for last.

Hills said, when it came to certain board members’ concerns over environmental impact of the project, Hills attempted to debunk their belief that solar arrays posed a risk to the environment.

Solar panels are made of steel, plastic, and solar cells, said Hills, which will not leach into the ground. There are no volatile materials, he continued, the panels do not leak gases, and any of the “unknowns” that fueled the board’s concerns at prior meetings were meaningless at this point in time.

“Unknowns are really not a factor in this discussion,” said Hills.

Moving on, Lane insisted upon including language that would require the developer provide a maintenance plan of the site, on the Special Permit, as well as the Site Plan Review approval, which Whitten suggested the board combine into one decision.

“Because, if there is no requirement for a maintenance plan,” said Lane, “somebody has to complain about it and the Town has to make an effort to get them to comply.”

Hills suggested there was no need for such a requirement, since the developer is required to upkeep the site as written in the plan record.

“I think it’s just extreme,” said Hills.

Lane went ahead and included notes on his copy of the draft for Whitten to include in the final draft. Meanwhile, Carey and Clean Energy Collective’s attorney, Richard Serkey, sat quietly listening to the discussion, since Lane had already announced that no further discussion outside of the board’s discussion would be permitted because the public hearing was closed during the last meeting.

Then it was time to discuss the decommissioning escrow account.

Hills asserted that the board had two different quotes to consider: the $40,000 quote from the developer’s engineer and the $50,000 quote from the board’s consulting engineer. He said he researched escrow account amounts in neighboring communities and they all averaged around those two numbers.

“It’s not so far off,” said Hills,” so I don’t believe that the $75,000 number is reasonable based on the data that we have.”

Lane again rejected Hills’ amounts. Board member Michael Popitz, the one tasked with seeking out quotes for decommissioning the site, disagreed with Hills. He said many of the numbers he came across were lower than what they should be, simply because many of the projects were town-operated and located on town property, so higher escrow accounts weren’t a priority for those municipalities.

“I really have no problem with the seventy-five,” said Popitz. “I think seventy-five is reasonable.”

Francis said she also researched the neighboring towns, including Dartmouth, and only two of the municipalities in her collected data went above $60,000 in their required escrow amounts. She suggested that higher arbitrary amounts might harm this and any future renewable energy projects in Marion.

“It is incumbent upon us that our decision be based on facts and … data,” said Francis, and not based on what someone’s opinion is of an amount and then seeking data to support that number, she continued.

Board member Eileen Marum shared Francis’ point of view, and she questioned the “scientific data” Lane used to come up with his $75,000, which Lane considers a compromise from his initial $100,000 to $110,000 figure.

“This is our first [solar] project (in Marion) and I don’t think we should set such an onerous bar that would discourage … industries from wanting to put solar energy in Marion,” said Marum. “A huge cash outlay could kill this project.”

Marum said she was concerned for the citizens in Marion, since they would benefit from the solar energy project.

“I want them to have a discount on their electric bill as much as possible,” Marum said.

Lane said he based his number on what the board’s engineer quoted as an amount for seven years out when the escrow amount is reviewed again, as it shall be every seven years for the duration of the project.

“If this amount of money ($75,000) is going to be an impediment to this deal, then the engineer is not doing his job,” said Lane, estimating the worth of the project at $2 million. “I’m not going to change anybody’s mind on the board,” continued Lane, “and you’re not gonna change mine.”

Reconsidering the $75,000, Lane suggested meeting the developer halfway at $67,500, “And let’s put it to bed and say things are done.”

Hills told Lane, “Nothing in the bylaw says that we can take a value seven years out and bring it back and say this is what we need now. We can’t make this stuff up as we go along.

“Let’s do $67,500 and call it a day and move on,” Lane said. After further discussion, Lane later asked Hills, “Do you want this (the project) to die? I am strongly urging the board to accept that [amount] and move forward.”

The motion was made, seconded, Hills shook his head in visual bewilderment, and let out a begrudging ‘aye.’

The vote to approve the project was unanimous, 6-0.

In a follow-up interview, Carey said Clean Energy Collective will have to wait to receive the final decision of the board in writing before assessing where the project would go from there.

“Then, we’ll review it and make a decision from there,” Carey said.

The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for October 5 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

The Town of Marion has agreed to plow private ways, but the majority of residents who live on those private roads must inform the Town no later than October 16 that want to formally opt in to the service, and certain conditions must be met before the Town will assume the snow and ice removal of those private ways.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson on September 22 listed five criteria during the Marion Board of Selectmen meeting that roads will have to meet in order to protect Town equipment from damage and liability. These conditions, said Dawson, would have to be met by November 1.

First, all speed bumps must be removed.

“It just becomes a nightmare,” said Dawson.

Second, any obstacles along the side of the road such as brush, trees, basketball hoops, and bike racks must be cleared to allow a distance of 2 to 4 feet of space to push the snow from the road and keep enough room for future snow.

The third requirement is that all potholes must be filled and repaired, Dawson continued.

The fourth, overhanging branches and limbs must be cleared to a height of 13 to 15 feet to prevent damage to the vehicles.

“While that may not seem like much of a problem now,” said Dawson, once the snow and ice weighs them down they will create one.

“They create a hazard to the trucks,” Dawson said, “and we’re trying to avoid damage to our equipment.”

Finally, the roads have to have sufficient space to allow the trucks to turn around. Dawson said the Town will not allow its drivers to back out of private ways, nor will they be allowed to back into a private driveway for the purpose of turning around.

“We have to be ready to accommodate the worst-case scenario,” said Dawson. “There has to be a way for the truck to turn around.”

Private roads that want to opt in for plowing and sanding must inform the Town no later than October 16, Dawson said, in the form of a letter from road trusts, neighborhood associations, or some other group with the authority to make the request. If there is none, Dawson said, then a letter expressing the majority’s desire to opt in is acceptable.

Although the road would remain under private ownership, the property owners must not restrict public access and use of the roads, since they will be maintained using public funds. Some private ways have formally opted out of the Town’s plowing service, such as Piney Point and Bass Point Road.

“It’s imperative that they get a hold of us as soon as they can,” said Department of Public Works Superintendent Rob Zora. “There’s only so many I can add to the existing routes that I have … and we’re not going to sacrifice the service that we’ve been doing over the years.”

Although the criteria apply to all private ways opting in, the selectmen agreed that judgments on certain aspects of the criteria would ultimately be up to Zora and would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

In other matters, the board approved the sewer connection for existing houses on Point Road that are already near the main sewer line. The board determined that the connection would not qualify as an extension, and the capacity exists for the small group of existing homes.

Also during the meeting, Dawson announced that fire hydrant flushing has begun, so residents who notice discolored water or a loss in water pressure should be aware that hydrant flushing will be taking place over the course of the next eight weeks.

Dawson also told the board that, although he has no concrete information to deliver about the town’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, he said they should expect a final permit to be issued by September 30.

“So we’re holding our breath and waiting to see the extent of the comments,” said Dawson. “It will continue to have our attention … as we begin the process of figuring out how to deal with it, what we’re going to do, and how much it’s going to cost.”

Meanwhile, Dawson said, CDM Smith, the engineering firm hired by the Town, has been working diligently to find possible solutions to the pollution discharge of the current wastewater treatment plant and the new restrictions imposed by the NPDES draft permit the EPA issued the Town.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for October 6 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry