December 20 found members of the Mattapoisett Select Board and the Marine Advisory Board sitting down to hash out next steps in the long-anticipated repairs and improvements for Long Wharf. But the process of making critical plans to a wharf located in the heart of the historic village is still in the early stages. Design and construction methods and materials have yet to be chosen.

            The problem of making decisions on a 200-year-old structure boils down to this: No one knows what lies below the water’s surface, as in what is supporting the structure. Is it ledge or some other material.

            Andrew Nilson of Childs Engineering, the town’s consultant, said that in the absence of data, it is difficult to put a price tag on construction and that coupled with contractors’ lack of interest in the job makes presenting solid figures to the town difficult at best. Cost estimates have ranged from $8,000,000 to $12,000,000 or more.

            Materials have also been a source of confusion. Nilson said that plans include reuse of existing stones but that it is difficult to estimate how much new stone might have to be secured. He said plans also included the use of flowable fill to fill in cracks and concrete blocks.

            Details of the work that were previously reported by Childs’ study produced four options. Option one, costing $4,700,000, would consist of precast concrete with steel reinforcing modular block and would be used to encapsulate the existing wharf. Option two would include using reinforced concrete wall installed in front of the existing wharf blocks to act as a retaining wall that would support the wharf and lock all blocks in place. The third option would use a steel sheet-pile wall. Childs noted in the report, “the advantage of this option is that it is typically more cost effective; the installation is less time consuming; however, it also has the least-natural appearance.” The fourth option would combine the use of concrete blocks and granite.

            During their September 29 meeting, the MAB discussed the options again while the members awaited word from the Select Board as to the acceptability of a hybrid combination of construction styles that would give a more appealing outward appearance, employing concrete and granite blocks.

            Harbormaster Jamie MacIntosh reminded the group that Childs had also recommended preparing for sea-level rise in the coming years by constructing the wharf in a manner that it could be heightened at a later date. This combination conceptual plan, which as yet has not been fully scripted by Childs, has an estimated $10,700,000 price tag, Chairman Carlos DeSousa stated.

            After an hour of discussion, the Select Board concluded that Childs should give cost estimates for test borings, soil testing and angle probing to establish the current condition of the structure and the materials lying below the surface.

            “There’s so much we don’t know,” stated Select Board member Jordan Collyer. The uncertainty makes decision making difficult at best, the board agreed.

            There was also considerable discussion on the topic of sea-level rise and the possible need to take that into consideration when planning the wharf-construction work. Nilson said that most waterside projects are planning for water-level rise but only for the next 30 years or about 4 feet. “If we raise the height of the wharf now, does that change its functionality?” he asked. Nilson did think renovations should include the ability to add to the height in the future.

            “Until we get into it, we aren’t going to know what we’ve got,” said Select Board Chairman Tyler Macallister, who went on to say the town should begin without knowing everything and plan for many contingencies. “We have to bite the bullet.”

            It was agreed that Nilson will establish a testing protocol by mid-January, and then the two boards (MAB and the Select Board) will take the matter up for further exploration into what can be done and at what price.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board was not set at adjournment.

Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board

By Marilou Newell

“I’m going to be honest, I think there’s a lot to be proud of, knowing what we have all gone through the last two and a half years. What we’re hearing from the state is that a lot of the trends we’re seeing are consistent from district to district. We saw some of that here. But honestly, overall, we feel that our students, our staff members and our family just did such a tremendous job in terms of keeping teaching and learning moving forward. So I truly thank them for their efforts during obviously very challenging times.”

            Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson offered those remarks at the beginning of the Marion School Committee’s December 7 public meeting before turning the floor over to Sippican Elementary School Assistant Principal Peter Crisafulli, who presented a detailed coverage of the last round of MCAS scores for the district and the state.

            The percentage of Sippican students exceeding expectations in the English Language Arts section of the MCAS has risen from 8% to 11% over the past two years. The percentage of students meeting expectations has remained steadily above state levels, with 39% of district students fitting into this category, compared to 35% of Massachusetts students overall.

            In Math, 8% of students in the Marion district exceed expectations, compared to 6% of students in the state; 45% of Marion students met expectations compared to 33% of students in the state. For science, 19% of Marion students are exceeding expectations compared to 7% in the state, and 41% of Marion students are meeting expectations compared to 36% in the state.

            “Again, if you look at some of these pieces of the curriculum,” Crisafulli read an example from a slide detailing the educational requirements measured by the MCAS, “‘Describe the transfer of energy and regular pattern of motion that occurs as a way of travel.’ I can’t, our students can.” The gathered committee members chuckled in agreement. “We’re going to identify both the areas of strength and concern for all our curriculum: (English Language Arts), Math, and Science.”

            Crisafulli reminded those present that this was the first ever “normal” school year for some of the students, and absolutely all of them had been impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

            “This is the first normal year for our Grade Three students, just in general, and we’re always looking at the data to look at areas of gaps and where we can close some of those gaps. And just overall, we’re really proud of our students and our teachers and educators moving forward,” he said.

            There followed a further breakdown of MCAS results for the various Sippican school grades in relation to the state percentiles. This data, as well as the PowerPoint it was presented in, is available through the ORR district website.

            Further committee discussion included a new police initiative regarding the implementation of a “satellite office” in the Sippican Elementary School. “Beginning December 7, a space inside Sippican School will be designated as a Marion Police satellite office, and moving forward, on-duty Marion police officers will be able to make use of the space for administrative police purposes.”

            He read a prepared statement made by the ORR administration: “At this time, the officers who use the satellite office will not serve as school resource officers, nor will they be involved in day-to-day school operations, activities or discipline.”

            Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Sirois welcomed new staff member Darby Nolet in her report. “Ms. Nolet has joined the team as a paraprofessional. She is primarily working in Grade 6 for the remainder of the school year.” Sirois also mentioned that there would be a hat, mitten and toy drive to be donated to Gifts to Give this holiday season.

            There were no public comments either in person or via remote access and so the meeting adjourned quietly and without fanfare.

            The next Marion School Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 11, at 6:30 pm accessible in person at 16 Spring Street and via Zoom. The next Joint School Committee meeting will be held Thursday, January 19, at 6:30 pm, in person at 133 Marion Road and via Zoom.

Marion School Committee

By Jack MC Staier

            Mattapoisett’s Community Preservation Act Committee met on December 13 to begin the vetting process for grant applications received for the FY23 budget cycle. Grants passing muster will then go on to the Spring Town Meeting to determine the will of the people.

            Five grants have been received, and preliminary discussion has begun to formulate questions to be answered by the applicants in advance of formal interviews and presentations to the committee.

            One grant request garnering the most discussion was for $150,000 received from the Mattapoisett/Massachusetts Housing Authority for property located off Main Street. The subsidized housing, which is owned by the state, was built some 40 years ago and is managed primarily by the state.

            The application is for the purchase and installation of new sliding-glass partitions along the front façade of the structure. “The locks don’t work so it’s a safety issue,” CPA Chairman Chuck McCullough stated.

            As chair of the Mattapoisett Housing Authority, McCullough intends to recuse himself when the grant application comes up for a vote. He went on to further explain that the old glass does not shield the interior from harmful sunlight, “If it’s 110 outside, it’s 110 inside.”

            McCullough then described the process for securing housing at this location. Units are not held aside for Mattapoisett residents, nor are residents more likely to be selected over someone applying from out of town. McCullough explained that the highest priority is given to homeless people, followed by veterans. Other criteria includes whether or not the applicant is disabled, either physically or mentally, and their age. However, he said that 10% of all units must be allocated to young, disabled applicants.

            McCullough shared that in the past, he had believed the town’s money should not be spent on state-owned property but not this time. “We will get three dollars for every one dollar we contribute to the project,” he said, meaning the state will pick up the balance of the retrofit estimated at $700,000.

            Other applications received include a request for $15,000 from the Mattapoisett Historical Commission for continued town survey of historical structures, a $38,000 request by the American Legion Hall for sanitary repairs and improvements and $47,648 from the Mattapoisett Historical Society, which owns the Mattapoisett Museum.

            Committee members questioned if the CPA should be funding maintenance projects and if the society has sought other funding sources such as their endowment. Similar questions regarding funding were raised regarding the American Legion Post. Committee member Karen Field wondered if they have sought funding through the National Association of American Veterans, Inc.

            A large request came from the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District in the amount of $85,000 for the purchase of more than 200 acres in cooperation with Rochester, Fairhaven and Marion. Questions as to whether the sale will rise or fail depending on all the member communities agreeing to pony up funding remained open, as did the question as to if all the towns will be expected to advance the same amount of money. The estimated price tag for the acreage is approximately $6,000,000.

            These questions and others will be sent ahead to the applicants before formal interviews take place in January.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett CPA Committee is scheduled for Thursday, December 29, at 5:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Community Preservation Act

By Marilou Newell