Emily Field, Mattapoisett’s public health nurse, reported to the Board of Health the status of a plan to regionalize some public health services and associated staff known as the South Coast Public Health Collaborative.

            During the June 28 meeting of the board, Field expressed the need for greater focus on mental-health services and that possibly such services can be coordinated through the collaborative.

            “Public health needs more qualified people,” Field said, explaining that public health is typically an underfunded segment of a local board of health and that through a shared-services plan, those services can be provided.

            Field laid no blame for the deficit in those services at the feet of municipalities; she said that Massachusetts is unique in that there are 350 boards of health. She said that many small towns simply do not or cannot pay for the variety of services that fall under the governance of boards of health, everything from public-health nursing to solid-waste management and everything in between. She sees the collaborative as an opportunity to improve some services through acquisition of shared staffing and other programs.

            There is still work to be done on how towns will be reimbursed, but Field is hopeful business elements of the program can be amicably ironed out and the regional agreement signed by all participating communities. Mattapoisett, once it signs on, will join Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Rochester and Westport. Westport will be the host town for the program and manage grant distribution.

            In March, The Wanderer reported that the collaborative was rolled out to Marion’s Board of Health. Matt Armando, director of Public Health for the Town of Westport, discussed a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment and maintenance of the program. Armando told the Marion board that $300,000 in grant funding will be annualized with $45,000 going to the host municipality (Westport) and $255,000 to be distributed to the participating towns based on their needs.

            During the June Mattapoisett board meeting, Field noted the difficulty in finding experienced help for the role of inspector and a shared-services coordinator. Armando stated at the March meeting in Marion that the grant might attract new people to public-health careers, thus training is a necessary component of the collaborative’s work.

            Field again spoke to the urgency for municipal focus on mental-health needs. She said that during and since the pandemic, she is seeing isolation as a factor, that regretfully mental-health needs are underfunded and not adequately addressed.

            The board is working towards signing the MOU by the end of July.

            In other business, the Mattapoisett Board of Health met with Todd Kope of the MassDEP to discuss Maguire and Wastequip compacting equipment. Kope told the board that better signage would help at the town’s Transfer Station, something that Mattapoisett Health Agent Gail Joseph has been working to provide. He highly recommended a compactor for cardboard as a cost-savings tool and the introduction of disposal bags for “a pay as you throw” program for residents. He also suggested a deeper dive into the fee structure of the operation.

            In closing comments, Chairman Carmelo Nicolosi said that the state (EPA) has received significant pushback from cities and towns earmarked by the agency as having nitrogen-sensitive areas. After an aggressive push beginning on Cape Cod, the state has paused for more in-depth analysis before requiring homeowners to upgrade their septic systems to include denitrification technology.

            Although homeowners along the south coast are, for now, spared a state mandate requiring a septic upgrade that can cost up to $50,000, Nicolosi reminded listeners that state Title 5 septic regulations still require systems that control nitrogen output, including denitrification systems in watershed areas.

            Nicolosi confirmed that the town is seeking grant funding to launch its own study of local waterways to accurately identify nitrogen sources and levels ahead of any studies the state could implement in the future.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Health is planned for Wednesday, July 26, at 10:00 am.

Mattapoisett Board of Health

By Marilou Newell

            One of the main concerns of the Marion Planning Board has been the town’s increasing senior population and inside of that segment, many who are challenged to economically sustain residency in their hometown.

            So it was without hesitation that the board voted during its public meeting on Monday night at the Police Station to honor Alex Race’s Approval Not Required (ANR) application.

            Race, the 590 Delano Road neighbor of Janice Bassett (618D), proposed a deal in which he would purchase a piece of Bassett’s abutting property in order to give his neighbor a needed financial boost.

            The catch, as he would explain, was that the swap would require Planning Board approval because Bassett’s 2.1-acre lot would be rendered nonconforming (less than 2 acres) as a result. As a solution, Race also included a piece of his own land going back to Bassett in the deal, which was basically a mechanism through which he could provide his neighbor an opportunity to age in place.

            “We sat down and had an agreement because I could see she was struggling,” said Race after the meeting, describing Bassett as a friend.

            During the Open Comment section of the meeting, Planning Board Chairman Tucker Burr told the members that he has been informed by Town Administrator Geoff Gorman that the Codification Committee, which had been functioning as a subcommittee to the Planning Board, should report straight to the Select Board.

            Burr said the Planning Board should have its own subcommittee, the primary focus of which would be on zoning matters. He intends to consult with Building Commissioner Bob Grillo on the matter.

            Select Board member Norm Hills, the chairman of the Codification Committee, retired from the Planning Board in May. Burr suggested anyone interested in serving on the Codification Committee should reach out to the Select Board.

            Burr intends to present “something formal” to establish a subcommittee to the Planning Board when the board next meets on Monday, July 17.

            Citing logistical issues, board member Andrew Daniel considers the rearrangement a red flag, asserting that the Codification Committee had a specific purpose when it was started.

            “It grew into something entirely different … into a regulate-the-hell-out of-the town committee. That’s going to go to the (jurisdiction of the) Select Board, and one of those (members) is on the Codification Committee,” he said. “And we’re going to start a subcommittee that will be designed to do what this one was supposed to do all along?”

            Burr reiterated he has been instructed that the Codification Committee was always meant to be a subcommittee to the Select Board, not the Planning Board.

            Planning Board member Eileen Marum recalled that the Codification Committee was conceived after Hills researched issues pertaining to zoning bylaws and it was decided that the then-town administrator (Paul Dawson) would hire a firm to help the Planning Board go through the town’s bylaws, find conflicts and provide clarification where needed.

            “When we had Planning Board meetings, everyone had an understanding of what the bylaws were. That’s how it originally started,” recalled Marum, noting that Town Clerk Lissa Magauran studied the matter and found that the Codification Committee was part of the Select Board.

            Board member Alanna Nelson sought clarification as to if the Planning Board will hold a series of meetings about zoning changes and the Select Board will be doing the same. Burr was not clear but said that “the committee they’re running, they appoint to the Codification Committee.”

            Also during Community Outreach, Daniel publicly thanked the supporting officers who ensured public safety at the July 1 fireworks show, calling it “phenomenal. … Everyone did an awesome job. … I think it was the smoothest one I’ve ever been to.”

            Member Jon Henry pointed out that two fireworks displays were held simultaneously at Silvershell Beach and at Kittansett Club.

            Member William “Dale” Jones reiterated his interest in business cards for the board members. Both Marum and Daniel thought it not necessary, but Jones argued that almost every board has them, estimating he could distribute at least 200 cards. Burr agreed as chairman to price out the cards and go from there.

            Board administrator Terri Santos is working on procuring nameplates for the members at the meeting table.

            Town Planner Doug Guey-Lee, attending the meeting via Zoom, openly welcome board members to reach out to him by phone, email or in person regarding any matter. Daniel said he would like to engage Guey-Lee regarding the plan to replace the bridge over the Weweantic River on Route 6 to Wareham.

            Early in the meeting, the board argued whether meeting minutes should acknowledge the May 15 meeting that was later considered ineffective due to a lack of a quorum (five members were present but some had not yet been sworn in since the May 12 election.) Citing a state “carryover” law, Daniel asserted that Marum’s May 15 participation should count. The board voted to accept the May 15 minutes as amended to correct the ORCTV technician recording the meeting.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, July 17, at 7:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

Dale and Laura Briggs hope their boat docked at their 23 Dexter Road property will stop getting pushed around.

            During the June 28 meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission, the Briggs’ Notice of Intent application was heard, the proposed solution being installation of boat-mooring piles.

            Their representative, David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc., gave the commission a summary of backstory, including numerous filings. An Order of Conditions is open for construction of a single-family house, and the owners have certificates of compliance for a seawall, a pier jutting out from the seawall and a boardwalk from Dexter Road to the island.

            The new application is for the installation of three 16-inch diameter piles on the south side. Davignon said they will align with existing piles on the north side. The reason they are needed, he explained, is because boat traffic does not slow down and creates waves, causing the owners’ boat to smash against the piles.

            Davignon said he checked with the Waterways Department to see if it could be a minor project but was told a new filing was necessary.

            The commissioners decided that they should wait for a comment regarding a nearby wildlife habitat, and the hearing was continued to July 12.

            Great White Realty Trust, Frederick and Cindy Mock, was voted a Negative Box 2 and 3 Determination of Applicability to relocate a footpath on their property at 5 Moorings Road.

            Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering said he is looking to bring the path inside the recorded easement. No change in grade, bark mulch when cleared, stabilized the path and revamping the lawn, will restore the existing path or it will grow back on its own.

            Todd Hunter, trustee of the Eleanor L. Hunter 1990 Trust, was issued a Negative Box 2 Determination of Applicability for minor site grading and landscaping, trench and backfill for connection to a watermain and portion of the driveway at East Avenue.

            Rick Charon from Charon Associates, Hunter’s representative, told the commission there is a flood zone that comes up from the cove.

            The commission discussed apparent clearing and the installation of a shed at 882 Point Road that Conservation Commission Chairman Jeff Doubrava suggested should have filed a RDA. Commissioner Shaun Walsh agreed and mused that the owner may not have been aware that the land is subject to coastal-storm flowage.

            Walsh suspected that such an application would yield a negative determination but thought Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee should write a letter to the owner, seeking permission to conduct a site inspection, in part to educate the owner as to the prescribed process.

            The commission voted to grant a full Certificate of Compliance to Arthur Solomon for construction of an outdoor kitchen at his 538 Point Road home.

            The commission voted to appoint Walsh as representative to the Stewards of Community Open Space.

            Doubrava, the chairman of the Community Preservation Committee, sought the appointment of a new representative after he explained the mechanics of the CPC’s distribution of Community Preservation Act funding.

            Commissioner Matt Schultz agreed to shadow Doubrava through the 2023 round of meetings on the premise that he would take over chairman’s duties in 2024.

            Walsh thanked Doubrava for his work chairing the CPC, noting that it “funds a lot of things that probably would not get funded.”

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12, at 7:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo