A bike path for Marion has the support of selectmen and residents, and encouragement from outside agencies, but what it still lacks is funding – approximately $300,000 in order to get the wheels turning for Phase I of the envisioned pathway that would run 5.5 miles from Mattapoisett to the border of Wareham.

The next step for the Marion Pathway Committee is to revitalize the Friends of the Marion Pathway Committee to spearhead fundraising strategies and events to raise the Town’s portion of the funding for engineering costs before state and federal agencies will provide the remaining $1.96 million for construction of Phase I.

The Marion Pathway would be one spur of the East Coast Greenway project, linking Providence to Provincetown, as part of a larger project that strives to one day link Miami to Maine through a series of bikeways all along the eastern seaboard.

Jeff Oakes of the Pathway Committee led a presentation on September 29 that included several slides of photos depicting the current state of the areas slated for the bike path, and then stepped aside to allow fellow Pathway Committee member John Rockwell give a bit of history on the progress of the pathway concept.

Rockwell said the town has been conceptualizing and striving toward a bike path in Marion for decades, and he himself has been biking along the Tri-Town area for around 25 years.

“I’m happy to say there are a lot more bike riders out riding around,” said Rockwell, but unfortunately, there are also a lot more vehicles on the roads, leading to some dangerous stretches of windy road. Rockwell said the committee envisions a safe area for kids to learn and ride their bikes, even to school at ORR, and a place for residents to bike and walk safely between the village and other points in Marion.

Residents have long expressed support for a bike path system in Marion, even stretching back to 1974 when the bike path was first mentioned within that year’s Marion Master Plan. According to Rockwell, who showed slides of data accumulated over the years, residents who were surveyed from 1986 through more recent years showed overwhelming support for a bike path system in Marion.

Phase I of the bike path would begin at the Mattapoisett Industrial Park, follow the abandoned railroad way to the intersection of Spring and Front Streets, over to Washburn Park and across to Point Road. Phase II will continue from Point Road to County Road to the Wareham town line. Designated parking areas would be located at the Mattapoisett Industrial Park, as well as at Washburn Park and along Point Road.

The pathway would link other parts of Marion to the village, as well as several Sippican Lands Trust properties along the pathway route.

The meeting the committee held at the Marion Music Hall served as an update for residents on the status of the bike path project’s progress, which has passed the initial planning and land acquisition phases. Application submittals to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation are ongoing, and eventually the process will move into the planning and building phase when the Town will apply for state and federal funding so the Town can solicit engineering services.

The most important phase now, though, is to reestablish the Friends of the Marion Pathway Committee to get initial fundraising off the ground.

A Marion bike path system would offer pollution-free community routes to various points of interest and business within town – including the schools – and encourage cycling by giving cyclists an alternative to Route 6.

The Pathway Committee emphasized the health benefits of cycling for recreation, while connecting bike riders with prominent town locations and conservation land.

“We are in the process for getting in line for some funding,” said Oakes, “[but currently] the funds are spoken for until 2018.” Oakes stated that, although other municipalities are ahead of Marion for state and federal funding, other projects could potentially fall through, allowing Marion an opportunity to jump ahead.

Oakes believes that if residents show enough support through fundraising efforts, the likelihood of receiving further support could increase.

“It may be more palatable at Town Meeting if there was some grassroots support,” stated Oakes.

Selectman Stephen Cushing said after the presentation that the bike path has always had the support of the Board of Selectmen.

“There’s an obvious need for a bike path,” said Cushing. “It’s kind of a logical thing to do,” he added, referring to linking up with other bike paths in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. “It makes sense.”

How can you help the Marion Pathway Committee build momentum toward realizing a bike path for Marion? Join the Friends of the Marion Pathway Committee, and “Like” the MPC’s page on Facebook. The committee implores residents to share their enthusiasm with other residents and to take a walk along the planned route and try to imagine what it will be like. The committee encourages Marion residents to share their ideas and keep an eye on the committee’s website (currently under construction) to which the Town’s website, www.marionma.gov will provide a link.

By Jean Perry

On October 20 at Town Meeting, Mattapoisett voters will face a 17-article Warrant. During their September 30 meeting, Mattapoisett’s Finance Committee approved all but three.

The three articles that the committee did not approve were outside their purview. Those three articles deal with proposed zoning bylaw changes; the other 14 required their careful consideration and review over the past several weeks. During this meeting, FinCom met with Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Department Nick Nicholson and Principal Assessor Kathleen Costello to discuss the final few articles in need of review.

The warrant still needs to be voted on and approved by the Board of Selectmen. The following is the working document.

Article 1: Acceptance of GL CH.59 Sec. 5L For Active Duty For National Guard and Reserve Personnel. Approval of this article would allow deployed service personnel to defer paying taxes during the length of their deployment. Costello felt it was the least we could do for those serving our country.

Article 2: Interest Reduction On Senior Deferred Taxes. Approval of this article would allow the Town to reset the interest on deferred tax payments by eligible taxpayers – must be 70 years or older and spouse must be 70 or older and income/assets must meet guidelines – from the current rate of eight percent to a lower rate. The percentage to be suggested to the voters will be determined by the Board of Assessors after reviewing rates used by other towns. Costello felt strongly that the current interest rate was too heavy of a financial burden on people already struggling.

Article 3: Petition For Special Enabling Legislation. Approval of this article will allow the Town to seek special legislation that would enable the Town to credit 100 percent of collected boat excise taxes to the Municipal Waterways Fund instead of the current 50 percent.

Article 4: Prior Year Bills. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $10,416 from Free Cash for the purpose of paying outstanding legal expenses of FY14.

Article 5: Regional Agricultural School Expense Appropriation. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $72,000 from the Regional School Expense Stabilization Fund to pay tuition for Mattapoisett students attending Bristol Agricultural High School.

Article 6: Funding for Road Improvements. Approval of this article will allow the Town to use the $275,000 cash raised from the sale of tax title properties for road repairs.

Article 7: Contribution To Capital Equipment Stabilization Fund. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $100,000 from Free Cash to fund the Capital Equipment Stabilization Fund.

Article 8: Contribution to Stabilization Fund. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $50,000 from Free Cash to fund the Stabilization Fund. This fund is used for unforeseen emergency events such as natural disasters.

Article 9: Funding of Easement for Bike Path. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $25,000 to secure the last easement needed for the bike path section proposed for construction from Mattapoisett Neck Road to Depot Street.

Article 10: Supplemental Budget Appropriation Water and Sewer. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $9,200 to supplement the FY15 Annual Operating Budget/Water and Sewer Department.

Article 11: Sewer Operating Budget FY15. Approval of this article will allow the Town to transfer $261,000 from Sewer Retained Earnings to cover projected revenue shortfall in the Sewer Enterprise Fund FY15.

Article 12: Fairhaven Sewer Apportionment of Sewer Costs for Mattapoisett. Approval of this article will allow the Town to pay $185,915 – Mattapoisett’s share of annual sewer system costs – to the Town of Fairhaven. Mattapoisett now uses 18 percent of the system’s capacity.

Article 13: Sewer Project and Grant Industrial Drive. Approval of this article will allow the Town to raise, appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds including state, Federal, or other grant sources to pay for the extension of public sewer service to the Mattapoisett Industrial Park. A second phase of this project will engage the residents north of #42 North Street to the municipal park and ride in dialog regarding the inclusion of their properties in this sewer extension. The town has submitted a state grant in the amount of $825,000 to help offset the anticipated $1.2 million price tag of the project. Betterment payments from Phase II will also offset the costs.

Article 14: Water Main Design and Engineering Costs. Approval of this article will allow the Town to appropriate $22,000 to replace the water main on Mechanic Street.

Articles 15, 16, 17: These three articles (in brief) are being proposed by Brad Saunders of D + E Management LLC (partners with Bay Club) via the Planning Board to see if voters will approve modifications that will allow Limited Industrial Districts to be used as open space, to see if voters will approve modifications that will allow the development of zero-lot line lots (duplex structures) where public water and sewer are available, and to see if voters will approve cluster housing developments in General Business Districts.

Town Meeting is scheduled for October 20 at 6:30 pm in the ORRHS Auditorium.

By Marilou Newell

Progress toward approval for a gas station with a convenience store and drive-thru coffee shop on Cranberry Highway picked up speed now that traffic concerns have been addressed and Rochester Planning Board members have run out of questions.

The board first addressed the engineering issues still unresolved, such as drainage, parking, and signage for the Shell station, Seasons convenience store, and Marylou’s Coffee slated for the site.

Ken Motta of Field Engineering reviewed the plans and made suggestions for some conditions of approval. There was some discussion about landscaping, storm water management, and renderings of the signage, as well as mention of a fire hydrant that engineer Mark Smith said he included in the site plan to address any tentative concerns from the Fire Department.

“I say it looks good,” said board member Susan Teal. “And I like the conditions.”

The board did not take issue with the 24-hour business hours Colbea Enterprises LLC requested, and no abutters present were opposed to the proposed 24/7 hours of operation.

“Let’s tackle traffic,” said Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson. The board has had lively discussions during several past Planning Board meetings about traffic, mostly surrounding the width of an access road off Route 58 and a right turn only exit onto Route 28.

A traffic study conducted by Colbea’s consultant raised many questions with the board back in August, so they hired James Noyes as a consultant to peer review Colbea’s traffic study.

Noyes determined that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) has jurisdiction over the entrance to the access road, as well as the point of egress that the board wants to condition as a right turn only. Noyes said Colbea would need an indirect access permit from the DOT, and the DOT could eliminate the concrete island the board proposed to encourage the right turn only exit if it wanted to.

“The only reason I bring it up is because it could affect the traffic,” said Noyes. If either point of egress is altered or eliminated and causes a significant enough change to the site plan, Colbea would also have to reappear before the Planning Board for a review.

“We can’t supersede the state,” said Johnson. “If they don’t want the island, they don’t want the island.”

The DOT could also require that the access road be widened from the proposed 24-foot road to the standard 30 feet, but Noyes said he did not see any issue with that at this time.

The board placed a condition of approval requiring Colbea to submit a request to the DOT to change the timing of the traffic light on Cranberry Highway to accommodate the change in the traffic pattern.

With no further questions, the board closed the public hearing and asked Town Planner Mary Crain to start drafting a decision for the next meeting.

In other matters, the board approved a driveway relocation plan for Betsy Downes of 264 Marion Road, a recognized Scenic Highway.

The board also approved rescinding a Form C subdivision plan after applicant Harris Real Estate Boston, LLC finished demolishing an existing house on the land, and granted an Approval Not Required application for the same property. Four lots of the subdivision will now be reduced to only two.

The board approved the release of a $25,000 bond for the Little Quitticas solar project.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for October 14 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry