Becky Tilden, director of the Marion Department of Public Works, appeared for an appointment with the Marion Select Board on January 17 to give the members a rundown on DPW matters.

            Marion has 47.44 miles of road (up and down, so just under 95) to work, including the trimming back of road edges and filling of potholes. The DPW has replaced 80% of the town’s road signs, paved County Road, Joann and Jenna Drive, repaired Coves End Road and crack-filled 15 roads.

            The town’s pavement-management plan is coming to fruition with update and new five-year plan, including a three-year maintenance plan. A sidewalk evaluation is also being done.

            The Transfer Station had 15,485 visits last year, up by 5% over 2022, according to Tilden. The station is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

            The Swap Shed will open on April 10 on a trial basis with a Wednesday schedule so it can be staffed and to prevent the loitering that occurred last time Marion tried to operate a swap shed.

            The DPW has been involved in site preparation for its new headquarters and also the harbormaster’s new headquarters.

            The town held 46 burials in 2023, including 18 full burials.

            The plan for Spragues Cove is for the DPW to cut back the vegetation at the 3-acre area of shellfish beds in the western section of Sippican Harbor and to then follow up with a plan for the treatment of phragmites. An environmental consultant will help the DPW safely dispose of the vegetation removed.

            Marion’s annual water-flushing program added a directional program that Tilden estimates achieved 25% completion and will resume in the spring.

            Wells at Mary’s Pond are expected to be back online in March, followed by the east and west wells.

            An asset-management grant program being conducted by Tata & Howard engineers will evaluate the Main and Perry Hill water stations and recommend a plan for the town. Select Board member Randy Parker asked about easements at Perry Hill and power lines. Tilden said wetlands have crept in, and the DPW is communicating with the Conservation Commission.

            “This is a whole plan that will help us get a maintenance program in line,” said Tilden.

            Wolf Island and the East well share a portable backup generator, but Tilden told the board a permanent solution is in the works. The generator will also serve Mary’s Pond and the West well, all being in the same area. The Main and Perry Hill stations’ old generators will be replaced.

            The Creek Road Water main project now underway will correct the situation with the installed, 600-foot pipe that remains inactive. Tilden said that pipe’s replacement will rid the town of the double dead end and help flows, including for fire emergencies and give water to the Creek Road Sewer Station.

            The DPW is conducting its engineering work now with a plan to seek funding for the replacements in the next cycle.

            Hydrants are about to go out to bid at various locations. One of Marion’s newer hydrants on County Road was incapacitated by a recent car accident. Some of the older hydrants are operable but being scheduled for replacement. No movement on Route 105 will occur for the next three years due to a state-ordered moratorium on that road.

            A fecal-coliform issue has been elusive for the DPW to locate, and Weston & Sampson is working with the town to figure out ways to isolate the source.

            With 5 inches of rain over the first week and a half of January, Tilden reported “very high” flows and reported 916,352 gallons in the Main station as of January 11. Tilden anticipates an infiltration/inflow (I/I) report from Weston & Sampson.

            On a sad note, Tilden reported that Frank Cooper, the first treatment-plant operator for Marion, passed away on December 31.

            She concluded by crediting her team for its strong commitment and cooperation.

            Select Board member Randy Parker asked about Delano Road. Tilden said not the entire water main will be replaced, but plans are in place and awaiting funding for culvert repair and partial force-main replacement.

            Chairman Toby Burr asked Tilden’s opinion of the recent discussion with Mattapoisett and Rochester officials on sharing equipment and combining bids on public projects that affect multiple towns.

            “I think it’s a great idea,” said Tilden, referencing conversation with Town Administrator Geoff Gorman on the possibility of a Tri-Town, hazardous-waste drop-off event. “Because we really need to have one of those, and it would definitely be easier on all the towns if (the three towns took turns hosting such events.)”

            Town Administrator Geoff Gorman and the board thanked Tilden for her thorough presentation, and Gorman recommended the Select Board entertain a department’s visit for such an update on a monthly basis.

            In his Town Administrator’s Report, Gorman recognized the Alves family for Sippican Elementary School student Davin Alves’ donation to the Marion Food Pantry exceeding $1,000.

            The foundation of the new harbormaster facility has been redesigned from helical piles to a mat (or raft) foundation after South Coast Improvement was unable to drill to the prescribed depths to accommodate the original plan. The mat foundation is designed to distribute the weight of the building evenly across its footprint.

            Gorman told the board the schedule calls for the DPW building bid opening for late March. He said this will give the town plenty of time to complete the bid process in advance of the April 2 closing of the Town Meeting warrant and May 13 Town Meeting.

            Marion’s new website will debut on Thursday, January 25, funded by the Community Compact Grant from the state. Gorman publicly credited several individuals for their work.

            Cemetery Regulations and fees are likely changing after Cemetery Commission member Margie Baldwin said the commission presently allows 12 inches of plantings in front of headstones. Jody Dickerson of the DPW said the biggest maintenance challenge is mowing around graves that exceed the allowable 12 inches of plantings in front of the headstones.

            Burr asked if the commission would find it beneficial to hear from the public, but Baldwin noted that the town owns the land around the graves. “People get a little carried away with the mementos … colored lights,” Baldwin said. “It’s not an amusement park, but it’s not an arboretum either. … We have to find the balance between the two.” Baldwin said she received a complaint that a bird feeder at one headstone had led to desecration of the adjacent headstone.

            New regulations would spell out what is and is not allowed. Parker agreed with Burr that a public hearing should be held to make the public better aware of what changes are proposed and why.

            “If you let people talk, at least they have the opportunity to express their opinions,” said Burr.

            Select Board member Norm Hills sided with the commission that it is not a matter of a few dissenting opinions but only a matter of controlling town-owned property, but Burr and Parker reiterated their support of a public hearing.

            The matter was officially postponed until February 6, when a public hearing is anticipated.

            In other Action Items, an Administrative Consent order update was reviewed by the Select Board, which approved the dates therein.

            Gorman was appointed approval agent, and Finance Director Heather O’Brien was appointed preparing agent for the administration of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

            Daniel Eling and Derek Krein were appointed as regular members of the Pathways Committee.

            The board voted to accept from Vareika Construction the donation of a copper rooftop for the Bicentennial Park gazebo.

            The board voted to accept from A.D. Makepeace the donation of gravel for the Point Road Bike Path.

            The board approved four one-day liquor licenses for the Marion Social Club, 44 Pumping Station Road, for events on January 27 (1:30 pm to 5:30 pm), February 4 (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm), March 24 (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm) and April 21 (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.)

            The board approved two one-day liquor licenses for ICJ Corporation for events at the Marion Music Hall on April 5 (a trivia-night fundraiser for Taber Library 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm) and May 4 (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.)

            The board approved a Water/Sewer commitment for $671.89 (final readings January 4.)

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6, at 6:00 pm at the Town House Annex Building conference room.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

The Rochester Special Town Meeting’s lone negative vote Monday was also its most debated.

            After Council on Aging Friends Chairman Michael Cambra complained the town was trying to take away the council’s power to govern itself, a quorum of 163 residents gathered at Rochester Memorial School voted down Article 8, a bylaw amendment that would have made the Select Board rather than the Council on Aging responsible for the hiring of COA employees.

            Cambra entered the motion to disapprove the article, as he noted his group of seniors was taken totally by surprise by the article, had not been given advanced notice or consulted The no-vote will allow the COA to follow the same hiring procedures and policies as other noncontract, bylaw employees, Select Board member Adam Murphy argued.

            Cambra asked the town officials on the stage if they knew of any COA employees who are not following town employee policies. “Doesn’t the (COA) director consult with the town on decisions?”

            Murphy explained that right now, the COA bylaw is not in line with town bylaw, such as with the procedures for grievances and sexual-harassment complaints. “The COA is not under that bylaw,” Murphy said. “Compensation is not equal.”

            Murphy added that, yes, he knows of COA employees not following town bylaw, but he would not name them in a town meeting. We’re not taking away your ability to hire,” he said. “This is to make sure there is a process that is the same.”

            Cambra countered that the article clearly states that “The Select Board shall appoint such employees as it may require.”

            “How is that not taking away our rights?” he said. “We’re not going to give up our rights.”

            “For years we’ve hired our own,” former Select Board member Woody Hartley said. “We made our bylaw so that we can be independent.” Turning to the voters assembled in the Rochester Memorial School cafetorium, he added, “Please deny this article.”

            The resulting vote opposing the article drew a round of applause.

            The Special Town Meeting, however, began with a more positive note.

            Voters approved adopting a law that mandates the town boost the pay of any town employee who is away serving in the military “to receive pay without loss of ordinary remuneration as a public employee” during this service.

            Police Chief Robert Small explained in a previous meeting that he has one employee now serving in the National Guard at the United States’ southern border. Accepting this provision will allow him to pay that town employee to make up for what money he is losing as a military employee.

            They also approved Article 2, amending the town’s senior tax work-off program by increasing the amount of tax liability that may be abated through a work-off to $1,500. The previous limit was a $750 abatement. On Town Meeting floor, officials added the amendment that anyone disabled and unable to do such work may have someone take their place to earn an abatement on their behalf.

            Approval of Article 3 transferred $400,000 from the town’s Stabilization Fund to “improve various roadways in town.”

            Article 4 transferred $54,380 from Public Safety Facility Feasibility Study funds, as this part of the planning process has been completed, to Public Safety Facility design funding.

            Article 5 transferred $30,000 from free cash for the cost of hiring a temporary employee or a consultant to fill unexpectedly sudden, vacant positions. Town Administrator Glenn Cannon explained in a previous meeting that people have been hired in this fashion to cover vacancies in the treasurer’s and town clerk’s office through other town funds. The purpose needs its own funding source.

            Article 6 transferred $21,270 from Capital Improvement Funds for a variety of town expenditures, including $7,000 for Counsel on Aging walkway repairs, $5,000 for a Council on Aging walk-in cooler and roof and $3,500 to hire a consultant to review and revise Planning Board rules and regulations.

            Article 7 authorized the Select Board to file a Home Rule Petition to allow Fire Chief Scott Weigel, who turns 65 in April, to remain in the position past his mandatory retirement age. Cannon has said the chief wishes to stay on to see the completion of the Public Safety Facility project. The article reads that he may not stay in the position past age 67.

            Article 9 revised the Cranberry Highway Smart Growth Overlay District at 621 County Road to include an additional 1.3 acre parcel at the County Road end of the district. Project developer Ken Steen explained on Town Meeting floor that the measure adds land where a house has been demolished after he acquired the additional property “after the fact.”

            Article 10 authorized the town to seek legislative approval to grant a liquor store license for that new Smart Growth Overlay District property. Cannon has explained that the town was granted one more liquor license than the town was allowed for the district. Now that license must be deemed allowable on the additional parcel.

Rochester Special Town Meeting

By Michael J. DeCicco

The trend for Marion’s boards and committees has been to move their public meetings back to the newly renovated Town House Annex Building, but the Marion Conservation Commission is content to remain at the Police Station on Route 6 with proven, hybrid-attendance options.

            The commission’s January 10 meeting saw one public hearing result in project approval, three certificates of compliance issued, two permits extended and comments made to the Zoning Board of Appeals on three applications.

            Thomas deGroot was issued a Negative Box 2 Determination of Applicability for the addition of a 12×20-foot attached porch to the west side of his house at 8 Aucoot Avenue. The project will be entirely in the flood zone, but as a second-story addition will not alter or dredge the area.

            Three requests for certificates of compliance were met with approval of the commission.

            Byron Hensley was issued a complete Certificate of Compliance for a pier construction at 95 Holly Road. The pier attaches to the deck and goes out approximately 200 feet; the pier is slightly lower than the deck.

            Kenneth and Darla Parsons at 27 Dexter Road with noted deviations from the plan, including a staircase from rear covered porch was slightly reconfigured. Deviations were considered minor, and the full COC was issued.

            Michael Popitz, 123 Indian Cove Road, was issued an invalid COC for a project that never took place at 64 Indian Cove Road (the parcel adjacent to Popitz’s home.) Work never commenced, and the associated permit had long expired.

            John and Sandra Beck’s request to extend their permit to continue phragmites remediation at 17 River Road was based on a 2011 Order of Conditions to construct a raised walkway across a marsh and the phragmites remediation.

            A partial COC had been issued years ago, but the phragmites aspect of the permit was requested for renewal. A site visit indicated the phragmites still exist, and the commission voted a three-year extension on the permit.

            Also approved was a permit extension to Carmen and Beth Martignetti for work mostly finished at 71 Moorings Road. The applicants await approvals from the state and Army Corps of Engineers.

            The ZBA hit on two out of three requests for comment.

            The ConCom determined that John P. Kendall Trust’s project at 39 Water Street is inside flood zone and possibly inside the buffer zone to wetlands so a permit will be required.

            The commissioners also determined that Johnson Family Investments LLC (aka Fieldstone market’s) plans to extend its 806 Mill Street store westward, raze a small house out back and add parking is within the commission’s jurisdiction.

            “I believe there is wetlands in this area, so they should at least file an RDA,” said Chairman Jeff Doubrava.

            Planting Island 25 West Avenue LLC at 25 West Avenue was judged to sit outside the flood zone and more than 100 feet back from the coastal bank so it was determined to be outside the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission.

            The commission briefly discussed the opportunity to shift its meeting location to the Town House Annex Building conference room facing Main Street, but the consensus was that the hybrid attendance system currently used at the Police Station is preferrable and is often needed by Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee.

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, January 24, at 7:00 pm at the Police Station on Route 6.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo