Accolades went around the table at the Wednesday evening meeting of the Marion School Committee at the Marion Town House. According to state standards, Sippican Elementary School was at a level 2 last year, but due to improved MCAS scores and other various improvements, it moved up to Level 1, a Massachusetts educational rating, which was celebrated by the school and School Committee last evening.

In other business, volunteers from Marion, young and old are needed to come and give input to the school on four issues involving the future of education in the community.

The board is looking for anyone in the community who has an interest in giving input on any of four areas being researched. Areas include: Academic Rigor, Twenty-First Century Technology, Organizational Goals, and Relationships Between the Town of Marion and the School District. Anyone interested in joining in can call Diana Russo at (508) 758-2772, ext. 195

In Superintendent Doug White’s report, he highlighted the success of the Abigail Adams Scholarship and said that almost one-third of the graduating class had received a tuition waiver for up to eight quarters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts state college or university.

These ORR students have scores of advanced and proficient on grade 10 MCAS tests in English language arts and mathematics and have combined scores on MCAS tests that place them in the top 25 percent of students in the graduating class in their district.

“This is an amazing number of our local students receiving this incredible advantage,” Chairman Joseph Scott said. “This is an incredible success story.”

Next up was Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Elise Frangos. Frangos said that on December 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, a highly noted speaker will give a talk for parents, grandparents, and students on the responsible and ethical use of social media. The talk will be held in the ORR Junior High library, and all are welcome.

“Sexting, texting, and all about what is ethical and appropriate will be discussed,” Frangos said. “We encourage parents, grandparents, and others to attend.”

A statistic quoted by Frangos noted that those between the ages of 16 to 34 years old regretted social media notes and data that remain in the social domain years later and may be resulting in fewer job opportunities and future options.

A parent of a student came before the board and asked for permission for a fundraiser for the sixth-grade class at the school. His proposal was for students to draw a map of the town of Marion, with local advertisements around it, as seen in many towns, and distribute it, free, to local businesses. The board, after a brief discussion, agreed to the request.

In other business, Gene Jones, Director of Facilities, reported that the interior and exterior light upgrade at Sippican is 95 percent completed.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

After a lengthy meeting regarding town issues, the Marion Board of Selectmen went into Executive Session to discuss the route of the Marion bike path that has only several feet to be confirmed and completed on paper. After that, grants and other fundraisers can come to pass to connect the Mattapoisett and Fairhaven bike paths.

The board also discussed a leak in the River’s Edge area with DPW head Rob Zora. The DPW, utilizing a contractor, had a camera sent 54 feet into the pipe to view the suspected leak area. The issue is still under investigation.

“The DPW needs a PR person,” said Selectman John Henry. “We’ve spent millions on our plant here in town, and we need to restore public confidence in it.”

Zora told the board that on September 19, nine years ago, an open house was held for the water treatment plant, and three people came. Zora appealed to the people watching the meeting on ORCTV: “Come by, and we will show you that we are proud of our upgrades and tell you about our proposed upgrades.”

Henry told the audience that water came to Marion in 1908 and sewer came in 1910.

Wells in Rochester, where Marion water comes from, were also discussed. Samplings done by town contractors Tata and Howard showed that water quality is improving.

In other business, the Selectmen approved a one-day alcohol license for the VFW Post 2425 for a Spaghetti Dinner on November 16 from 5:30 to 9:00 pm. Another one-day alcohol license was OK’d for the Loft School for a “wine tasting” fundraiser at the Marion Music Hall from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on November 14.

The Selectmen noted that this is the 14th year the town has been a part of Tree City USA, and agreed to continue to support the participation of Marion in the effort to plant trees. Henry commented that Olive Harris, a longtime Marion resident, founded the committee back in 1995.

The Selectmen agreed to a street closure for the Marion Business Community Association for the Christmas Stroll to be held on December 15.

A request for a $250 sewer abatement for John Doran of 120 Dexter Rd. was rejected.

The Selectmen also agreed to keep the same tax rate for both business and residential residents. Henry spoke on the issue, saying “We want the businesses in town to stay, like Lockheed Martin and others who have been here for years, and to attract new business … I support the “no split rate” between residential and business in Marion.”

The board agreed to a street closure request by Cub Scout leader Leo Grondin asking for a closure of the top of Holmes Street and a part of Pleasant Street for the Scouting Soap Box Derby, which will be held on Saturday, November 11, from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm, with a rain date of November 17. The board agreed to the request upon approval of the Marion Police Department.

Lastly, the Selectmen agreed to send Henry as their representative to attend the annual Veterans Day Parade to be held in Wareham this year.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

The Marion Planning Board met once again with attorney Doug Troyer on Monday to discuss the Cumberland Farms parking lot at the corner of Route 6 and Front Street. This time, the parties reached some resolution, with Troyer expressing confidence that his client would carry out improvements to the site.

Those improvements include an additional seven parking spaces – which will not require additional area – and a paint job intended to alleviate confusion, particularly on the rumble strip near the ingress and egress point off of Front Street. Currently that strip, while drivable, is concrete-colored as opposed to pavement black, causing some drivers to avoid it.

Planning Board members expressed a belief that this is restricting traffic flow and compounding delays at the location, which has received complaints about efficiency and safety, especially during peak hours.

“People feel like they can’t drive on it,” Building Commissioner Scott Shippey agreed. “It’s a psychological thing, because it’s a different color. So, if they paint it black, blend it in, and make it so that people don’t park there, it will be fine.”

The Planning Board voted unanimously to present Cumberland Farms with the requests and deemed them “insubstantial” changes on the advice of Town Counsel Jon Witten, who had said that other courses of action would trigger a major site plan review, which could complicate and delay the process.

“It’s commendable that you guys have been so cooperative,” said Planning Board Chairperson Patricia McArdle. “I’m not ready to sing ‘Kumbaya’ just yet, but I appreciate your being here, because I know you don’t have to be.”

Planning member Stephen Kokkins called the resolution a “cooperative step in the right direction,” but with the caveat that Marion expects Cumberland Farms to continue studying traffic, safety, and efficiency concerns.

Troyer got the message.

“I take it seriously, and my client takes it seriously,” he said. “We’re hoping that with the additional hire [of more store management], there will definitely be more training on site. We’re doing our best to make this a better site.”

Elsewhere on the agenda, the Planning Board just couldn’t resist discussing the Solar Bylaw once more for old times’ sake. The Solar Bylaw passed at the recent Fall Town Meeting, and Witten responded to some members’ concerns about Moderator David Titus’s refusal to hear their motion to scrap the solar farm provision from the language.

Witten told the Planning Board that all case law he has come across supports the notion that Town Meeting Moderators, as elected officials, are the final word on the floor in the absence of any malice or bias.

“The law is clear,” Witten said. “That’s how it works. That’s the process. It’s an imperfect system.”

Witten was also in attendance to advise the Planning Board on its eventual handling of medical marijuana zoning bylaws. While member Ted North said that Marion could approach zoning dispensaries from three angles – geographical designation, licensing agreements, and sizing restrictions – in anticipation of a potential vote at the Annual Town Meeting in the spring, Witten added a fourth option for the time being: a “short-term moratorium,” which the state has found acceptable in recent instances, giving officials more time to formulate language, perhaps until a 2014 Fall Town Meeting.

By Shawn Badgley