A house on Delano Road could see an expansion soon if the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals grants a special permit to its residents.  A public hearing for the property was held at the ZBA’s regular meeting on Thursday, October 25 in the Town House.

Architect Will Saltonstall represented Joseph and Lucy Napoli, the owners of the residence at 468 Delano Rd.  The property sits at the corner of Delano and Ridgewood Lane.

Saltonstall asked the board for a special permit that would serve two requests.  The first request would be put an expansion in the rear of the house for an additional bedroom. The addition would be 18′ x 13.5′ in dimension. It would be a one-story gabled addition.

The second request would be permission to reconstruct a storage facility on the property.  The garage’s dimensions would be 10′ x 10′.

Both Saltonstall and Joseph Napoli said the spoke with all abutting neighbors about the project.

“I talked to each and every one about it and they’re all for it,” said Napoli.  “We value the property very much.”

THe ZBA has 90 days to grant the special permit, and if it is issued, residents will have a 20-day window to appeal.

The only other hearing on the board’s agenda requested a continuance until December 13.  The hearing was supposed to deal with the ongoing issue of Tabor Academy’s athletic fields and the Town of Marion.

The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals will meet again on Thursday, November 8 at 7:30 pm in the Town House.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Washburn Park is about to undergo some major changes.  Sections of the beloved park, which is home to endless summer baseball games and Independence Day horse show, have fallen into disrepair.  A new plan, spearheaded by Selectman Jonathan Dickerson, seeks to restore the park’s original glory.

The proposal includes restoration to hiking trails, new picnic tables, and benches at the skating pond.

The hearing tonight was continued from the last meeting when Selectman Jonathan Dickerson first brought it before the Commission, which was supportive from the beginning.

“After walking around and getting an idea, I think it’s a good idea,” Hills said.

“It’s looking beautiful all the time, there’s a lot of landscaping going on.  The overall park has come a long way,” said Briggs.

Dickerson is going to work with Briggs and Hills in order to come up with a more specific plan for maintaining the skating pond.

“We’ll keep working on the language and I think we’ll be headed in the right direction,” said Briggs.

The hearing was continued until the next meeting on November 14.

The Commission also had a public hearing for Anne Hatton of 183 Front Street, regarding her Notice of Intent to raze an existing garage and replace it with a new garage and deck.

“The homeowner is proposing to construct a two-car garage and a deck.  Our proposal is just fifty feet from the delineated wetland.  The area of disturbance is under the 5,000 square foot [threshold].  And we will be adding a dry-well,” said engineer Steve Carvahlo, who represented Hatton.

Commission Clerk Norm Hills was concerned that the plans also call for a bathroom and possible living space within the garage could pose a problem in the event of high floodwaters. Carvahlo said that the lowest section of the structure would still be higher than the surrounding velocity zone.

 “To be building in a velocity zone, you really should put it up on posts,” Hills said.

The Commission also felt that the submitted plans did not provide enough detail for them to render a decision.

“I think these plans are a bit shy on what we need to see,” said Chairman Sherman Briggs.

“I’m looking at this plan and I can’t tell that you’re proposing a two-story structure,” said Hills.

The hearing was continued so that the engineers can draw up more detailed construction plans for the consideration of the Commission.

Then, a hearing for the Town of Marion was held to discuss the town’s Request for Determination of Applicability to add sand to the existing beach and to use the beach house field as a staging area for regattas.  The proposal was fueled by concern over congestion in the harbor during races, which could include anywhere from 70 to 240 boats.

“This is a way to try to make it work for everybody and make things a little bit easier,” said Harbormaster Michael Cormier on behalf of the town.

With only one regatta scheduled next year, it will be difficult to prove whether or not the proposal would be successful in alleviating traffic issues around the harbor.

“I don’t anticipate a problem,” said Hills, who suggested the Commission visit the site next year after the race to determine the effectiveness of the plan and the Commission voted in favor of the project as presented.

Then, John and Shelley Keith came before the Commission for a hearing regarding their NOI to remove invasive plant species from their property at 15 Shellheap Road.

“When I first met with Mrs. Keith, she had indicated to me that there was a suggestion by the town that they may take part in this because of the work going on at Sprague’s Cove,” said engineer Kevin Forgue, on behalf of the Keiths.  “They would cut the invasive species, apply herbicide, and see how effective it is in a year or so.”

Hills voiced concern over the use of spray-on herbicides and how they could negatively affect the healthy vegetation in the area, but Forgue said that the Keiths were amenable to seeking alternative options for applying herbicide.

The Commission voted to accept the NOI.

The next hearing, for Indian Cove Trust, was held to amend an Order of Conditions issued by the Commission for work being done on Holly Pond Road.  The original proposal called for the construction of a new dwelling with septic system and driveway.  The amendment was to adjust the footprint and location of the house, to shorten the driveway, and reduce the size of the septic leach field.  A detached garage would also be added to the Order of Conditions.

 “We originally submitted the plan back in 2008, it was approved in 2009.  At that time, there was one adjustment to the wetland line and we added some boulder markers around the driveway,” said engineer Dave Davignon of Schneider and Associates.  “The new plans reflect the new flood zone changes.  In this case, the velocity zone actually pulled away from its original location, which allowed us to move the location of the dwelling.”

The footprint of the home must be changed due to a prominent rock ledge located under part of the construction area.

One issue that came up was the condition of a stream local to the neighborhood that empties out into Aucoot Cove.  The stream carries high quantities of nitrogen into the cove and acts as the only safe passage near the road for many animals.  The language of the plans includes dredging the stream, which could have a negative impact on the area.

 “This property was originally conservation land.  The only reason it was not transferred into conservation land is because there was a title issue.  This stream is extremely important to the health of Marion,” said Chris Bryant of the Sippican Land Trust, who indicated that he was not familiar with the specifics of the plan as he had only seen the NOI earlier Wednesday afternoon.

“We purposefully let that stream meander on down there to deliver nitrogen down into the cove,” he said.

Briggs said that mention of dredging was simply boilerplate language for the project and did not mean that the stream would actually be dredged as part of the plan.  The Commission voted in favor of amending the Order of Conditions.

The final hearing of the evening was held for the Kittansett Club, regarding an RDA to construction an irrigation reservoir, pump house, and to discharge salt water that would result from the excavation.

Engineer Susan Nilsen represented the club at the meeting.

“Part of the reason for the project is so the club can have extra ground water on hand during the dry time of the year,” said Nilsen.  During the summer, the club’s water supply for maintaining the golf course runs very low.

“I think this is well-thought out and it’s been a long time coming, for years,” Briggs said.

The Commission accepted the plan as presented.

In other business, there was a hearing scheduled for Sanford Russell Jr., regarding his NOI to replace a carport with a garage and to undertake extensive rebuilding of a stone wall and driveway at 5 Main Street.  The hearing was continued until the next meeting per the request of the applicant.

 The Commission also issued a Partial Certificate of Compliance for John and Sandra Beck, for construction of a walkway over a salt marsh on their property at 17 River Road.

The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission will be held on Wednesday, November 14 at 7:00 pm at the Town House.

By Eric Tripoli

Longtime Secretary for the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals Maria Cananzey is retiring after 23 years of service to the town. She will be retiring in five weeks, according to Town Inspector Andy Bobola, who made the announcement at the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting on Tuesday, October 23 at Town Hall.

“It’s going to be a very difficult pair of shoes to fill,” said Bobola. “She’s been an absolute asset to the town. Everything she does is first class.”

The town placed an ad to the union to see if there was any interest for Cananzey’s position, however they didn’t receive any replies. The town will now place an ad in local newspapers with the hopes of filling the position as soon as possible in order to sufficiently train the new employee.

“Maria’s job is one of the more demanding clerical assistant jobs in the building,” said Selectman Jordan Collyer.

Town Administrator Michael Gagne said the candidates applying for Cananzey’s job will be tested to see their proficiency in a variety of computer programs such as Microsoft Office, Excel and Word.

In other news, Highway Surveyor Barry Denham expressed the need for another employee in his department. Currently, he has four full-time staff members, and according to him, that is not enough help to continue the level of service they are providing to the town.

“It’s extremely difficult to cover all the bases with the help we have,” Denham said.

The Selectmen recognized the excellent work Denham has done with the Highway Department and trust his need for another employee.

“No one likes to talk about adding full-time positions because it’s a budgetary matter,” said Collyer. “One thing I can say since Barry has come on board is that he’s done a phenomenal job and the resources are managed very well. I have no problem hiring a part-time or full-time person to help Barry with what he needs.”

Collyer assured Denham that he would look at salary numbers to bring another employee on board for the Highway Department and get back to him.

Denham also told the Board that the road repairs following the summer are very minimal, and heading into the winter, the department is well prepared with both a dump truck and plow to help sand and clear the roads.

“This has been a good summer,” he said. “The roads are in very good condition and there are only a few that actually need grading.”

Library Director Susan Pizzolato expressed the desire to keep the library open additional evenings during the week in order to provide ample meeting space for groups and nonprofit organizations who need the space to convene. She proposed keeping the library open later on both Thursdays and Sundays.

“By adding just six hours a week, that gives us a lot more opportunity to hold meetings in the library,” she said. “It would be great to offer the community some additional hours in their library.”

The Board agreed it was a good idea to entertain the idea, and encouraged Pizzolato to see if her staff could accommodate the new hours.

“We use the library a lot, it’s a great resource,” said Selectman Tyler Macallister.

Harbormaster Horace Field met with the Board to discuss an alternative plan to replace the float at Barstow Wharf. The float, which was installed in 1958, needs to be replaced before next summer. In order to replace it, it would cost the town $25,000.  However, they would receive nothing in return to make back the money.

Field proposed spending $34,000 for a more expensive float that would hold between 20 – 25 dinghy spots for residents. Charging $100 per spot, the town would receive $2,500 annually, and would make back the money from the purchase in less than a ten-year period, according to Field.

“I think he makes a pretty good argument here,” said Gagne.

Field will work with the Selectmen to put the project out to bid in a couple weeks.

Gagne informed the Board that the public restrooms at Ned’s Point, the Town Beach and Shipyard Park need to be replaced because they no longer meet the state’s requirements for accessibility.

“They are woefully out of compliance,” he said.

The ramps are not high enough to give wheelchairs enough space to get into the doorway. Additionally, the doorways are not wide enough to fit a chair, the turning radius inside the restroom is too small and the partitioning of the handicap stall is not adequate for the wheelchairs.

Gagne suggested starting with the Town Beach House since that facility is in the worst shape.

Gagne also updated the Board on the repairs to Town Hall. He said that the roof of the building has been replaced, however, the gutter and the downspout system have yet to be fixed, and it is creating a severe mildew problem at the building. The gutters have rotted at their joints, and Gagne is concerned some animals have made their way into the hall’s attic space.

The town will move forward with the rest of the improvements to the hall as soon as possible.

The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will meet again on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:00 pm at Mattapoisett Town Hall.

By Katy Fitzpatrick