The Mattapoisett Planning Board had its work cut out for them on the night of Monday, April 2 as they tried to wade through questions regarding the new special residential subdivision on Brandt Island Road. In a recent Conservation Commission meeting, several abutters to the developing properties raised concerns that what was being built in their neighborhood was not what was approved by the town. In an effort to clear the air, the Planning Board held a public hearing tonight to hash out some of the details with the abutters and John E. Williams, Esquire, who represented the builder of the first and only home thus far in the new development.

The Board said that the initial drawings submitted before the official plans were accepted are quite different and caused concern that the project is not being completed as approved.            “My concern is this: This board approved a set of plans, and you as the developer are taking what was presented and doing something completely different,” said board member Ronald Merlo.

He noted the placement of the driveway was inconsistent with the approved plans.        “These drawings are just the conceptual ideas for the development,” Williams said as he addressed those concerns. He argued that all of the houses were all going to fit within their respective building envelopes, which was, in fact, in line with the approved plans.

“Every one of those lots has a building envelope on it, and you approved those plans,” Williams said.

After almost an hour of back-and-forth, the Board asked Williams to discuss with them any potential changes in the plans before they begin constructing on other lots.

The Planning Board also held a public hearing to further discuss the plans of Industrial Tower and Wireless to build a 145-foot cell phone tower and maintenance facility off Marion Road. Kevin Delaney, from Industrial Tower, exhibited a Power Point presentation illustrating where the tower would be erected, what it would look like, and where they expect to see improved communication coverage.

The hearing was continued so that Industrial Tower and Wireless could conduct a balloon test, which would give Mattapoisett residents an idea of the visual impact of the tower.  Delaney said that since the area is so heavily wooded, the tower would not be noticeable.

The Board also spoke with Town Administrator Mike Gagne and Department of Conservation and Recreation representative Eric Carlson to discuss changes in the flood plain maps. The updated maps now include several hundred more residents who may be required to purchase flood insurance for their homes. Under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance program, homeowners living in flood areas may purchase flood insurance from the government at lower cost than purchasing insurance from private companies.

Banks require homes within flood plain maps to have flood insurance in addition to homeowner’s insurance. Without flood insurance, many residents would not be able to afford their homes. Board member John Mathieu took issue with the program, suggesting that the federal government is not offering any other alternatives other than to force homeowners to buy into the program.

“It’s like the federal government is saying, ‘Take it or take it.’ There’s no choice here,” Mathieu said.

Gagne, however, cited the fact that FEMA reimbursed the town of Mattapoisett for much of the damage incurred by Hurricanes Irene and Bob, and without that money, the town would be faced with an immense financial burden.

The Board decided to schedule a special hearing on April 30 to continue the discussion so that it may be brought forth at Town Meeting later in the spring.

The next regular meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board will be on May 7 at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall. There will be no meeting on April 16 because of Patriots Day.

By Eric Tripoli

The Marion Planning Board is examining whether it needs to get involved in the town’s long term planning – with an eye towards better management of local assets.

At the board’s Monday, April 2 meeting, Ted North presented the first out of four presentations on the state of Marion. He spoke of the need to get a handle on the town’s current and future debts, especially as the town’s capital needs grow.

In his PowerPoint presentation, North provided an “80,000 feet from above” overview of the town of Marion – which is made up of 3,626 residents and 2,417 taxpayers. He said that 30 percent of residents are 60 and over and likely living on a fixed income, and meanwhile the town is currently facing $57 million in debt but only bringing in about $22 million in revenues per year.

“[The annual town revenue] is not a lot of money,” he said. The recently drafted Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning, he said, “is making more money than the total revenue of Marion.”

North criticized the recently proposed $27 million sewer project that he said would cost each taxpayer $46,000 to $50,000 over a ten-year period.

“It’s a big number for a town this size,” he said.

Given the challenges ahead in maintaining current capital projects and future needs – such as upgrading the sewer plant which is nearing the end of its 15-year life cycle, maintaining the water tower, and addressing the leaking lagoon issues – that the need for strong fiscal planning and coordination is great.

“This town is not very good at planning. Right now … we’re headed for a physical and fiscal train wreck unless we do some decent coordination of planning on this stuff,” North said.

“We have to spend our money wisely. Every time we issue a 20-year bond, you’ve committed a generation to pay that debt,” he added.

The board was overall receptive to North’s message.

“That was excellent,” said Sherman Briggs of the presentation.

“It’s a wake up call,” said Chairman Jay Ryder. Although he said it remains to be seen what role the Planning Board will play, “I think [North] and the Capital Planning Committee are charting a decisive path for us.”

In other agenda items at the meeting, the board sailed through two public hearings on proposed amendments to current zoning bylaws. These amendments will be considered at the Marion’s May 21 Annual Town Meeting.

One warrant article on accessory association piers would allow residents to construct them even if their lots do not currently conform to zoning requirements. Specifically, bylaw language would allow pier construction for property that abides by current zoning “or was lawfully in existence on May 1, 1996”.

The second warrant article concerns accessory dwelling units,  and would increase the allowable square footage for them from 850 to 1,200 square feet.

Marion resident Richard Shafer provided the only comment on either warrant article, and he spoke in favor of them.

“What’s proposed here makes a lot of sense. The rug was pulled from under a lot of people’s feet when this was unwittingly done,” he said of the up-zoning bylaws in the 1990s that restricted pier construction.

Shafer said, however, that a similar bylaw was voted down in recent years and urged the Planning Board to review concerns presented at that time before Town Meeting.

Lastly, Ryder reported that construction of the new two-story Cumberland Farms is going well.

“Every comment I’ve heard is positive. The building looks good,” he said.

 By Laura Fedak Pedulli

Around 1:30pm this afternoon the Mattapoisett Police, Fire and EMS responded to a crash for a vehicle, which rolled over into the median woods. The crash was on route 195 at the Mattapoisett North Street exit. Med  Flight was called to transport one of the victims but they were unable to transport due to a mechanical failure. Mattapoisett EMS was already committed to a previous call at the time of the crash and Fairhaven Medic One transported the patient to Providence Hospital. The highway was shut down for about an hour while the scene was being worked on and while Med Flight landed. The State Police requested a photo team to document the accident, but did not request an accident reconstruction team.

Photo by Felix Perez