Johnson Hopes to Repeal Bylaw

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            Now that the heat is apparently off south-coast homeowners to budget for a state-legislated upgrade to their Title 5 septic systems to costly denitrification technology, Marion Board of Health founding member Albin Johnson wants to take it a step further and find out if the board can repeal the recently approved town bylaw requiring that Marion property owners performing any new construction upgrade their septic systems to include denitrification technology.

            Having been approached by some constituents regarding alternative septic systems in Marion, Johnson indicated that the state’s effort to leverage upgrades to denitrification technology will not succeed on the mainland side of the Cape Cod Canal. He said the new technology being pushed by state government through incentive programs is time consuming and not cost effective.

            “Be that as it may, it appears that … at the state level, the (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection) was unable to convince enough state legislatures that the program that they put the cape on is sufficient for this area of Buzzards Bay,” said Johnson during the December 7 public meeting of the Marion Board of Health. “So we were left off the mandate that we have everybody upgrade immediately. We’ve been left dangling out there with the Marion Sanitary Code, and where it is just the Marion Sanitary Code, I’d like to look into the ability of the Board of Health to go back to our relying on Title 5 for the septic systems of the town before we get too many of these sewer-treatment plants in private houses. Because that’s basically what they are, sewer-treatment plants.”

            Johnson has always been skeptical of the associated studies, especially in Marion.

            “I question some of the studies that have been done, not so much down cape, but we are a completely different geological area, and we couldn’t find any nitrogen leaking from the town (Wastewater Treatment Plant lagoon) up there on Benson Brook Road, and yet they continue to insist that that was where most of the nitrogen was coming from. And it cost us $13,000,000 (for the sludge cleanup.) So I’d like to save some of the residents of the town who might not be as close to the harbor,” he said. “I question the … efficacy of putting these (denitrification septic) systems up in the north end of Marion.”

            During her tenure on the Board of Health, scientist Dot Brown authored and gotten passed a Marion bylaw requiring any new construction in town needing septic to include an upgrade to denitrification technology. Cost estimates for such installations in single-family homes have ranged from $20,000 up beyond $30,000. In order to operate efficiently, the systems also call for consistent maintenance and management by the homeowner.

            “Well I think it is reasonable to try to find out what the evidence base is, and it’s always nice to know if you have facts as opposed to opinions,” said Dr. Ed Hoffer, the current chairman of the board. “I would suggest that maybe both you and I can do a little interrogation of those that are pushing it and see if we can find facts.”

            “That would be fine with me,” said Johnson, who questioned MassDEP as to why Marion was not notified and informed of a November 28 meeting the state agency held with the Town of Wareham, with which Marion shares the Weweantic River.

            The IA database annual user fee will increase from $50 to $60.

            Hoffer suggested the matter go on the first agenda of the 2024 season; in the meantime, he and Johnson will conduct a fact-finding mission as a prelude to any decision regarding how to henceforth regard the denitrification bylaw.

            In her Public Health Director/Nurse Update, Lori Desmarais reported that Marion has administered 533 flu vaccines and 105 COVID-19 vaccines in 2023 and has only five Covid vaccines left. “We still have flu vaccines if people need them,” said Desmarais.

            Marion’s association with Dementia Friendly Massachusetts led to an informational meeting on December 6, and the town is now working on a pamphlet with information for citizens.

            In a review of correspondence, Hoffer said the Health Department’s FY25 budget only reflects cost-of-living increases.

            The board discussed a letter sent to the owner at 15 West Avenue, denying permission of an application and a memo copying the decision to Building Commissioner Bob Grillo. The address “is not a single-family dwelling but a rental property at this point,” according to Hoffer, who anticipates the matter falling into the purview of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Desmarais also suggested sending the decision to the Planning Board.

            Health Agent Shallyn Rodriguez reported that 38 Rockey Knook Lane now has a new Title 5 septic system.

            In discussing the Massachusetts Transient Noncommunity Drinking Water Systems – 310 CMR 22.00, it was noted that the Ansel Gurney House, 403 County Road, has been serving water from a well under the purview of MassDEP. Hoffer said that tying into Wareham water was found to be “ridiculously expensive” for another Marion-based interest. Desmarais researched other towns for protocols and found that extensive testing is being done, especially in wells that are not managed by MassDEP.

            The board has decided to return its public meetings to the Marion Town House, necessitating a change in meeting time from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Given the holidays and scheduled vacations, the board agreed to meet on December 28 and hold its first meeting of 2024 on January 18.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Thursday, December 28, at 4:30 pm at the Town House.

Marion Board of Health

By Mick Colageo

Becoming an Artist

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            People ask me where ideas for columns come from and how I became a writer. I always say, the former is a mystery, and the latter was sheer luck. It’s true. I recall I wrote a letter to the editor, then another and another and one day one appeared on the Op-ed page with my name above the story, not below it. A week later a check arrived. That certainly was an incentive to write so I continued to do so. The checks continued to arrive, and the rest is history.

            First and foremost, though, I am an artist. I do now how that happened. I first became interested in art watching my father sitting in his easy chair doodling and sketching. He called his drawings “etchings.” I still have them. Years later, after he passed away, we found his Center School junior high yearbook, and his ambition was to be a commercial artist. I guess his dream was fulfilled through me.

            We lived in the city for a time when I was little. Every summer a sign painter would come to paint a new Sunbeam Bread advertising mural on the entire side wall of the variety store around the corner from our house. I was fascinated by how he brought “Little Miss Sunshine” to life, beaming away as she ate a slice of buttered bread. The sign painter would take a week to complete the sign, and I would be right there every day sitting on the hydrant watching him. Not very comfortable in hindsight, but one must suffer for their art.

            It wasn’t long before television came into my world. It would change everything.

            The TV was a huge piece of furniture, a wood cabinet with a tiny, 12-inch, black-and-white screen with a whole bunch of glass tubes in the back. My favorite show was a cartoon that came on every Saturday morning. “Winky Dink and You” aired at 10:30 am, which would delay any outside play.

            In a clever marketing ploy, you could send away, at a small cost of course, for a kit that included some crayons and a clear plastic sheet that would stick to the TV screen. Winky Dink would go on some sort of an adventure, and if he had to cross a river, for example, you would draw a bridge with the crayon on the sheet so he could cross. That was right in my wheelhouse!

            The television brought me in touch with another fellow named Jon Nagy.

            Nagy was an artist who became known as America’s first television drawing instructor. I watched his show religiously. He would draw a scene … maybe a tree and a fence or an old barn … and I would try to copy it, following his instructions. He wrote a book “Learn to Draw” with a kit, which I begged my mom to buy, which she did, that contained everything a budding artist needed. It had a sketch book, pencils of different hardnesses, a gum eraser, some charcoal sticks and a small piece of sandpaper to sharpen your pencils. My life as an artist had begun!

            School beckoned and I looked forward to going every day. Mrs. Hathaway was my teacher. I don’t remember much about her, but I do remember that we got to draw a lot. At Thanksgiving, she would read us stories of the Pilgrims and show us pictures, then we would create a mural on brown paper that she would hang over one wall of the classroom.

            We would draw or paint Pilgrims, the men with buckles on their tall black hats and shoes and the women with their bonnets and white aprons, along with Indians, turkeys and the Mayflower on manila drawing paper, then cut them out and glue them to the paper with white paste. Of course, someone would always eat the paste (me) and be scolded by Mrs. Hathaway (me.)

            School was a long walk from our house. About halfway home there was a house with a sign hanging on a post by the sidewalk that read “Commercial Artist.” Every day I would sit on the curb across the street, waiting for the artist to come out, because I wanted to see what a real, live artist looked like. He never did.

            In high school I took as many art courses as possible. When it was time for college, I knew exactly what I wanted to be. I prepared a portfolio that showed my versatility in a variety of mediums. I was such a hick that when I first saw the school’s catalogue, I assumed the photo on the cover was of a stately building that looked like a castle. I thought it was nestled on a nice campus on a quiet, tree-lined street.

            I took a bus to Boston and a cab to the school. To my surprise the “castle” was on the corner of a busy city street, no campus, no trees. Across the street was the future home of Boston Children’s Hospital. On the other side of the building was the massive Beth Israel Hospital. Not exactly suburbia.

            In those days, an applicant had to take a drawing test. I passed and here I am.

            Being a writer and an artist are not much different. They are both creative activities, but writing is something I do, being an artist is something I am. So, I’ll be taking some time off to enjoy the holidays and do a painting or two.

            As they say in the movies … I’llllll be back!

            Happy Holidays.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

Great Decisions Program

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The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is offering their Great Decisions 2024 Program. The program begins on January 17, the third Wednesday for eight consecutive weeks, ending Wednesday March 6, and 2024. The program meets from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at The Mattapoisett Public Free Library, on 7 Barstow Street, Mattapoisett, MA, downstairs in the Community Room. Please enter at the side door where there is accessibility with an elevator. The topics are very current and full of global affairs based on international issues. We watch a 20 minute DVD session that corresponds with the reading.

            Some of the topics include US & China trade rivalry, Climate Technology and competition and NATO’s future.

            The program is open to all community members on a first come basis. The Zoom platform is also available.

            To register: Please send a check for $40.00. Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Box1444 Mattapoisett MA 02739 Attn: Treasurer (memo on check Great Decisions) on a separate paper please print with your Name, Address, Email address, Phone Number (both landline and cell # if available) for the records.

            Thank you for your interest in our organization.

ZBA, Steen Agree on ‘Correction’

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            Ken Steen and the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals decided that a written agreement requiring the developer to build a sewer line as a prerequisite to pulling building permits for Heron Cove Estates was the result of a scrivener’s error when occupancy permits were what was intended.

            On November 30, the ZBA held a hastily called public meeting to beat a 20-day deadline to respond to a November 7 letter from Mark Bobrowski, Steen’s attorney, and preserve the town’s right to vote to consider the permitting amendment and a second amendment that would allow Steen to defer the payment of fees totaling $1,100,000 as substantial or insubstantial changes.

            Chairperson Cynthia Callow and members Dani Engwert and Will Tifft would cast the unanimous votes that first, officially consider the changes to the agreement as insubstantial (meaning they will not require a public hearing) and  second, approve a draft crafted by Town Counsel that also allows the deferral of fees (to a later date) that had originally been stipulated to be paid no more than 10 days after the first building permit is issued.

            Earlier this year, Steen was issued a Comprehensive Permit to build Heron Cove Estates, a 120-unit, affordable-housing rental project off Route 6 near the Wareham town line. Its construction would push the Town of Marion over the state-required threshold of 10% in affordable housing and authorize town officials to reject future such applications in favor of market-rate housing projects that generate property-tax revenue and sewer rate payers.

            Adjacent to Heron Cove Estates is such a development, a proposed, 48-unit, townhouse-style residential project currently in its vetting process with the Planning Board.

            The fees that Steen agreed to pay the town as part of his LIP agreement to build Heron Cove Estates include $590,000 for infiltration and inflow (sewage treatment), $410,000 (sewer connection) and not more than $110,000 toward the replacement of the Creek Road pumping station.

            Bobrowski insisted that Steen has no intention of reneging on the agreement, only requesting more than 10 days after a building permit is pulled. When given the floor, Steen explained that town officials initiated the concession.

            “Geoff (Gorman, town administrator) and the Select Board came to me and said, ‘Can you pull the building permits?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m happy to pull the building permits, but I’m not going to come out of pocket five or six-hundred thousand dollars to pull the building permits to keep the town in safe harbor when I don’t know where we’re going to start the project,’” Steen stated. “So it’s a two-fold situation. We’re trying to help the town out by coming in and getting building permits so that you guys can stay in safe harbor and reach (subsidized-housing inventory) numbers, but at the same time the other correction relative to the sewer line – what I believe is … potentially a scrivener’s error that passed through the process and we’re left with the only option to correct it in this manner.”

            Alternate member Tucker Burr expressed concern that construction delays at Heron Cove could cost the town the leverage it hopes to gain against future affordable-housing developments and suggested issuing only the number of building permits it would take to get Marion over 10% in affordable housing.

            “Where do we see ourselves a year and a half from now? Because, what’s going to happen is we’re going to issue all these permits, the SHI number is going to bump to like 12 percent,” said Burr, suggesting that Heron Cove might never be built. “What’s the plan if the SHI number goes back to 8 percent? What I’m considering should happen is there’s no reason to issue all the building permits at once. We only need to issue slightly less than half of them to get us back over the 10 percent (in affordable housing.) At a minimum, I think we could actually do even less than that to get us back into safe harbor.”

            Burr asked Steen what he had done in the past year to “sort of move toward getting the sewer built.” Steen said his activity has been limited to drawing plans, working with Marion’s Department of Public Works and, after applying several months ago to the state Department of Transportation and seeing no movement, forcing a meeting with MassDOT in Gorman’s office in mid-November.

            “The town actually stalled the MassDOT permit issuance because they wouldn’t sign an authorization form,” said Steen.

            Burr expressed concern that without a sewer built, Steen would not be in position to begin construction. Steen told Burr he was missing the point.

            “What the idea of the sewer line is, first of all – and you can go back and check the tapes and somehow this slipped through in the final permit – it’s ridiculous to make the installation of the sewer line a condition precedent before we can get a building permit. It always should have been ‘occupancy permit,’” said Steen. “That’s only common sense. Why would we want to hold up starting the project, theoretically, contingent upon a sewer line when, in fact, the town is protected at the end of the day because we have to install a sewer line in order to get an occupancy permit? … ‘A,’ we’re correcting that.”

            Burr contended that even if Building Commissioner Bob Grillo extends previously issued building permits beyond the 180-day mark, it would not extend how long they apply to Marion’s affordable-housing percentage.

            “They’re coming off the SHI in 18 months if you don’t build them. So if you don’t build them in 18 months, we’re back to square one, we’re back to 8 percent,” contended Burr, who suggested that issuing 50 permits now and more later would extend Marion’s stay in safe harbor.

            Steen believed that if the building permits got reissued, then the town would remain in safe harbor.

            “I’ll do whatever the town wants. My main concern here is to fix the issue with timing (the building of the) sewer line with building permits so it can be tied to occupancy permits so that when we’re ready to pull the trigger and start the project, we’re not held up by a sewer line that potentially might not be able to be installed if that start date is sometime after November 1 when the state does not allow you to work in the state highway. So that is my main concern, to request that the board make that modification,” said Steen. “The building permits … the town came to me, I’m happy to pull the building permits. I’d like to do it. It makes sense for everybody. I’m here to play ball, that’s the way I work. You guys tell me what you want to do, that’s kind of your thing, not mine.”

            Burr expressed appreciation to Steen for being amenable to the town’s requests but went on to suggest that the town’s representatives who negotiated the LIP agreement in the first place were not thinking about when the project would be built. He reiterated his preference that the town only issue the number of permits it would take to raise the SHI number to 10% in affordable housing, the threshold that allows Marion to refuse new applications filed with the state by developers.

            Callow asked Steen if the ZBA approved the draft agreement as amended by Town Counsel, would he be willing to follow up with Grillo on the matter of protecting Marion’s interests with a potentially measured issuance of building permits.

            “I think Tucker makes a good point, I know what he’s getting at. He may be right, I’m not sure, but I know what he’s getting at, and I think it’s a great thought process,” said Steen, indicating he would work with the town on the pulling of permits. “I would say that I would just take Tucker’s thoughts to Town Counsel and let her decide as to how to proceed. That’s just my suggestion.”

            Callow said she would bring Burr’s concern to Town Counsel and maintained her preference that the ZBA vote on substantial versus insubstantial changes in order to correct the agreement to reflect what both sides believe to be its original and best intentions, then handle the issuance of permits as a subsequent matter to be determined between Grillo, Gorman and Steen, as informed by Town Counsel.

            Tifft expressed the value of Burr’s discussion point but told Callow he was prepared to move forward and vote on the matter at hand.

            A substantial change would require a public hearing, whereas an insubstantial change would allow the board to approve the amendment that allows Steen to pull building permits in cooperation with the town’s request but without being tethered to a 10-day timeline that would require his payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars in associated fees. Those payments would be deferred to a later date.

            “For the record, I think these are massively substantial changes, but as long as we’re all in agreement that we want to do this, then that’s okay,” said Burr. “But I just would hate for anyone to be confused that changes like this in the future would also be considered insubstantial.”

            Anne Marie Tobia, the board administrator, noted that the amendment is “essentially a correction, though, between the selectmen’s original decision and the decision that the Zoning Board made. It’s a scrivener’s correction, so what we’re voting on is actually what the Select Board wanted it to be in the first place,” she said. “I’m not a voting member, but in my mind, this isn’t substantial, it’s a correction. That’s what I think.”

            “That completely discounts the idea that the people who voted on it believed that what was being passed was what they wanted to be passed,” argued Burr.

            “Not necessarily. The people that voted on it missed the mistake, missed the scrivener error. Yes, we did,” said Callow.

            Tobia reminded the board members that no occupancies will be allowed without the sewer line Steen agreed to install. “That sewer line is contingent upon occupancies, but it shouldn’t be contingent upon pulling (building) permits. That’s not fair,” she said.

            With that, the board took two unanimous votes, first to consider the amendments to the agreement as insubstantial and secondly to approve the draft as written by Town Counsel.

            The next meeting of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals was not scheduled upon adjournment.

Marion Zoning Board of Appeals

By Mick Colageo

Call for Entries – Winter Members’ Show

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 The Marion Art Center announces a call for entries for its annual Winter Members’ Show. All MAC members are invited to enter up to two pieces each. All works must be original, must have been executed by the artist within the last five years, and must not have been previously shown at the Marion Art Center. The MAC will not exhibit works that are in poor condition (including frame) or are not properly prepared for installation.

            To exhibit, members should drop off artwork to the MAC at 80 Pleasant Street, Marion, on Saturday, January 6 between 10 am-2 pm or Tuesday, January 9 between 10 am-4 pm. Artists can download and print the consignment agreement ahead of time, found online at marionartcenter.org/on-exhibit. Anyone wishing to participate who is not yet a member can join the MAC online at marionartcenter.org/join. To request an email copy of the contract or submit questions, email info@marionartcenter.org. Show Dates are January 13 – February 23, with an opening reception scheduled on Saturday, January 13 from 3- 5 pm.

Mariner Youth Soccer

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The Mariner Youth Soccer Association’s Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 pm at the Fairhaven Council on Aging located at 229 Huttleston Avenue, Fairhaven,

            All members are welcome to attend. Any questions should be addressed to: Angela Dawicki, Secretary, angela@marineryouthsoccer.onmicrosoft.com

Goodspeed Island Violations Resolved

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            The Mattapoisett Select Board heard from Conservation Commission member David Nicolosi and ConCom Chairman Mike King during the Select Board’s Tuesday night meeting on details of a wetlands violation on public lands.

            As Nicolosi described, an abutter to 1 Goodspeed Island Road notified the office of possible unpermitted activity. An extension to the guardrail on the easterly side had been erected. Not only was the fencing not permitted, it cut off public access to public spaces along an inlet well known for blue-crab fishing. Also, private-property signage on public lands had been put in place, and two cedar trees and grasses had been planted.

            Representing the party responsible for the violations was David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc. Davignon stated that his client was willing to do whatever the town wished to rectify the matter but asked that private-property signage where applicable be allowed.

            Nicolosi and King agreed that the property needs to be surveyed to ensure property lines are clearly marked in the field, that the environmental agent should examine grasses for acceptability to wetlands (and likely removal), remove offending fencing and install new signs indicating public and private spaces.

The homeowner in violation, who remained unnamed throughout the proceedings, will be required to file a Request for Determination of Applicability (RDA) after the fact. Meanwhile, the Conservation Commission will issue an emergency order to the town so work can commence.

            Select Board Chairman Jodi Bauer lauded town departments for their work during the December 18 storm, and residents were urged to contact the Conservation Commission office if storm damage impacted private wetland areas and repairs are needed.

            Earlier in the meeting, the board approved the use of $23,500 of ARPA funds for website upgrades.

            As the board prepared to close the meeting, Bauer and member Tyler Macallister noted the disappointment that was felt by many when during the Holiday in the Park event someone connected the tree light in advance of the formal lighting.

            Bauer suggested and the board agreed that in coming years the honor of lighting the tree should go to the winner of the Arbor Day Poster Contest held each year by the Tree Committee.

            The board also made preliminary plans for meetings with department heads for budget discussions in preparation for the Annual (spring) Town Meeting.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

Committee Wants Say in Village Project

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            The December 12 meeting of the Mattapoisett Tree Committee primarily dealt with one rather major project, the total updating of roadways throughout the village district that includes Main, Water and Beacon Streets and (old) Marion Road.

            The project is currently undergoing final changes to achieve 25% design. It is at least the third major update that the project has undergone since it began its journey in 2015 – a quest for grant funding estimated recently at $8,800,000. The town applied for Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funding, a combination grant from state and federal sources, in the hope of being placed on the 2026 distribution. Weighing in the balance, however, is a plan that the town’s people will support.

            Headed up by the engineering group VHB, the project has been discussed at several public meetings over the years, mostly in concert with the Select Board. Tree Committee members took a special interest in the project, given growing concern over the number of trees that planners determined need to be removed. In some cases, a tree needed to be removed for state compliance and in other cases to allow for the construction of sidewalks, it was explained. As of December 12, the number of trees slated for removal stood at 26.

            On this night, all that history and new requests for more substantive involvement between VHB and the Tree Committee was aired.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco made the case for moving forward with the project now, while state and federal grant monies are available. If a 25% design can be achieved now, the town could plan on being placed on the money ladder for the 2026 TIP distribution. If the town waivers much longer, it would slide down that ladder. Mattapoisett, he contended, needs to be shovel ready now.

            Tree Committee and Select Board member Jodi Bauer agreed that losing trees would be a blow but believes that for the future generations and for safety’s sake, some trees would have to come down.

            Lorenco said that utility poles and ADA requirements make it necessary to provide adequate space and that large trees with wide canopies make that difficult. Bauer advocated for the placement of new sidewalks along the southside of Water Street. All sidewalks currently in place would remain, and new sidewalks would replace footpaths.

            Speaking as both a Tree Committee and Planning Board member was William Wennerberg, who stated plainly that he was in favor of moving forward with the current plan and, when asked, made it clear that the Planning Board would not have oversight for trees that will be removed in this project, given that it is a municipal project superseding the board’s approval.

            Tree Committee Chairman Sandy Hering asked if each tree could be brought before the Planning Board in an individual hearing format; Wennerberg did not think that would be applicable.

            Hering made the point that although the Tree Committee had attended public meetings in this matter, suggestions made by the committee did not appear to be incorporated in the planning done by VHB. She asked several times for a meeting between VHB and the committee. She noted that a July 2022 presentation by the committee that made suggestions regarding trees didn’t seem to make it into the plans. Yet the plan does include the planting of some 31 new trees.

            Wennerberg commented that removing the trees, “…won’t feel good,” but having walkable sidewalks is important.

            Earlier in the meeting, Lorenco stated that the current project estimate of $8,800,000 (if financed by the town) would mean that taxes would climb an additional $3,300, taking 15 years to pay off. Lorenco shared that a public hearing on the project will be posted after comments are received from MassDOT on the 25% design. He also noted that the majority of issues that the state agency is reviewing are for utilities.

            Regarding utilities, Carlos DaSouza (Marine Advisory Board member and retired engineer) once again broached the topic of placing utilities underground. During at least two public meetings on this road project, he has suggested that the town approach Eversource about a utilities upgrade, placing it inside underground conduits, thereby eliminating the need to remove so much of the town’s remaining tree canopy.

            “They laughed in our face,” both Lorenco and Bauer stated when such a plan was raised for Eversource’s consideration. Cost prohibitions, Lorenco stated, were classified by the utility as “exuberant.”

            Lorenco said that plans are and have been available for viewing at Town Hall, but Tree Committee member Mike Immel wanted to know, “how can we work more and better with the Select Board?” Lorenco said he would let the board know of the committee’s request.

            Wennerberg summed up the need for the project to move forward this way: “We need safe walkable streets. This is an opportunity to made improvements for the future. There will be additional trees, but the right trees. The future (generations) will be left with a bio-diverse tree canopy. Trees will be placed where they won’t conflict.” Hering responded, “We did that, and it fell on deaf ears. Those old oaks will be missed.”

            The scope of the project is nothing short of immense. The Highway Department’s role cannot be overstated and will include new EPA-compliant drainage. The Water/Sewer Department also plays a key role regarding new water mains and improved sewers that are currently not part of village road project.

            And, not to put too fine a point on all that was shared, Lorenco talked about the $130,000,000 worth of capital projects currently listed on the town’s 10-year plan and the $35,000,000 of debt the town is currently carrying.

            Hering concluded the two-hour meeting, saying, “we know there will be trees lost, but the Tree Committee hasn’t been informed by VHB on new technology to protect trees and planting new trees with protection, specifications and best practices. Can we work with the arborist?” Lorenco said he would talk to VHB.

Mattapoisett Tree Committee

By Marilou Newell

Teamwork Helped Weather Storm

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            Monday’s torrent of wind and hard rain eventually made the Silvershell Beach parking lot look like … Silvershell Beach itself at very high tide.

            In reporting to the Marion Select Board during Tuesday night’s public meeting, Town Administrator Geoff Gorman was thrilled to discuss the team approach led by Fire Chief Brian Jackvony and Police Chief Richard Nighelli, whom he said were “proactively involved” in reaching out to everyone in town with updates, including businesses affected by the weather.

            “When it hit yesterday morning … the DPW had been on the road from early in the morning,” said Gorman, describing the Department of Public Works’ efforts to rake out catch basins to prevent localized flooding and assorted other measures.

            Gorman further stated that the town received emails from Eversource explaining the utility company’s plans and response times.

            An “e-blast” was sent out to residents, and the storm was estimated to have peaked at 11:00 am. Approximately an hour from high tide, coastal-access areas such as Silvershell Beach, Island Wharf and Old Landing were flooded. A pier broke away from Old Landing, and a downed power line closed a section of Front Street at Ryder Road.

            The DPW collected three or four truckloads of downed branches, according to Gorman.

            The town kept Silvershell beach shut down into Tuesday, while 333 homes had lost power as of Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, almost all residences were back online.

            Unrelated and not on Tuesday’s agenda, therefore not discussed in accordance with the state’s Open Meeting Law, the Town of Marion sent out a press release Tuesday afternoon, informing residents that Aucoot Cove has been temporarily closed after elevated levels of bacteria were discovered.

            According to the release, a spike in levels of fecal coliform was detected by the town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant during routine testing on December 12. The results, received on December 15, came as a surprise following a December 11 sample indicating levels well within state-required limits.

            The state’s Division of Marine Fisheries recommended that Aucoot Cove remain closed for 21 days as a precautionary measure. New test samples were to be taken on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the source of the fecal coliform.

            Gorman confirmed after the meeting that the Aucoot Cove situation was not discussed publicly because the agenda had been set, rendering any discussion during public session unlawful.

            Fencing at the perimeter of the construction site of the new Maritime Center was scheduled to go up on Wednesday, as site manager Bob Grillo (Marion’s building commissioner) and his project team prepare to initiate site preparation beginning on December 27.

            Gorman is the liaison with the state’s Seaport Economic Council, the granting agency supplying the bulk of the financing. He said the SEC has requested a groundbreaking event be scheduled.

            “They’re very excited about this project,” said Gorman.

            “I have mixed feelings about making a big deal out of all this,” said Select Board Chairman Toby Burr, especially upon hearing about large plaques with town officials on the building. Burr said he prefers honoring the late George A. Jennings, Marion’s longest serving harbormaster (1986-99.)

            Gorman said he would investigate the details of the SEC’s expectations for the new harbormaster headquarters. He anticipates a standing sign entering Island Wharf that recognized the SEC and the Town of Marion.

            In updating the new DPW construction at Benson Brook, Gorman reported that Marion Facilities Manager Shaun Cormier and his team continue to identify items in the budget that can be moved internally. The deadline is April 1 for the opening of construction bids. Gorman said the next step is to review the bid package.

            “What’s keeping us right now is we don’t want to put anything out to bid that we can do ourselves. Most of the time bids are good for only 30 days. Shaun will know within a week,” he said.

            The Town House Conference Room is now open to support public meetings. Gorman instructed the public to reach out to Executive Assistant Donna Hemphill to request use of the room, which is intended only for in-person meetings, not hybrid meetings where people can attend remotely.

            Gorman is looking to getting the Town House “fobbed,” which would greatly improve security as well as convenience for town employees.

            Town offices will close at 11:30 am on two Fridays, December 22 and December 29 and be closed altogether on consecutive Mondays, December 25 and January 1.

            Citing the work done by Meghan Davis and Jody Dickerson of the Marion DPW, the town and contractor P.J. Keating are recipients of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) 2023 Quality in Construction Award.

            Marion has received a $135,000 grant that will support an upgrade that will create robust IT structure that will enable the town to begin digitizing town records by the end of next year.

            Under Action Items, the Select Board votes to approve the addition of an Emergency Inspector Fee of $150 for same-day, weekend or holiday responses as required. Board member Randy Parker, an electrician, recused himself from the discussion and vote.

            The board also approved a Water/Sewer commitment of $155 for sewer reconnection (December 13.)

            The Marion Select Board will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

Great Decisions Program

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At the monthly Friends of the Elizabeth Taber Library meeting, held on Wednesday, December 13, the Elizabeth Taber Library – in conjunction with the Trustees of the Library and the Friends of the ETL – presented Nita Howland with flowers, a gift certificate, and a special library cart. The library cart, a fetching purple color, will be used by the staff and the community within the library. On the cart, a plaque reads: “Dedicated in recognition of Nita Howland for her years of service in support of the Elizabeth Taber Library.”

            For 28 years, Nita Howland organized volunteers and other members of the community, to run the annual Summer Book Sale. The Elizabeth Taber Library staff and stewards of the library are forever grateful for all the time and energy Nita Howland put into the annual Summer Book Sale events.