The Mattapoisett Select Board met with David Riquinha, the current candidate for the position of director of Inspectional Services, on Tuesday night. Previously, several candidates were vetted with the Select Board offering the job to Acushnet Building Commissioner James Marot last November, but Marot subsequently declined. The position was reposted with two candidates coming forward. While Riquinha was the sole candidate remaining as of February 15, he was also the candidate most highly regarded by the board members.

            Riquinha currently works for the Town of Wareham and said that he has been in the construction industry since he was a high school student, including ownership of his own business at that early age. After a tour of duty in the Marines, Riquinha returned home, picking up where he left off as an independent businessman.

            In 2011, he joined the City of Brookline’s building inspection department, quickly rising through the ranks to become a commissioner in the first year, a feat he was obviously proud to share. When asked why he wanted to come to Mattapoisett, he stated, “I’m looking for a place to retire.” Riquinha said that he plans to work at least another 20 years in the field but could not see himself doing so in his current position.

            When quizzed on a wide-ranging number of points, Riquinha said that he is very familiar with the G.I.S. system used in Mattapoisett as well as various types of electronic permitting platforms and said he has created several permitting platforms himself. He was asked how he would get people on board with the use of such systems. While noting some people would resist, once acclimated to them, usually things go smoothly, he said.

            Riquinha confirmed his depth of knowledge with respect to FEMA regulations and his ability to work closely and cooperatively with other town departments.

            On the issue of human resource-related matters, Riquinha said that he always tries to work things out with an employee when things aren’t right, to get them on board with doing their job, handling their responsibilities so others would not have to carry the burden, but failing that, “I’d go through the process and write them up.”

            Public relations were also touched upon with Riquinha saying, if someone was disgruntled by a decision he made, he tried to educate them as to why it was made and generally that works to solve the impasse. “Give them everything you can … they usually understand,” he said.

            Board member Jodi Bauer asked how he felt about working with students on town projects. It was noted that Riquinha is a graduate of Greater New Bedford Vocational-Technical High School. He said, “That would be great … no better way to get into the field than getting out into it.”

            Later in the meeting, the board members unanimously agreed to have Town Administrator Mike Lorenco reach out to Riquinha with an offer. Bauer said, “He’s everything we need.” Board member Tyler Macallister said he has known the candidate for a number of years, saying, “I think he is perfect for the job.” Board Chairman Jordan Collyer said, “I did my homework – he comes highly recommended.”

            The board then spent the majority of the meeting in a working session with Fire Chief Andrew Murray and Harbormaster Jamie McIntosh, discussing FY23 operating budgets and capital plans.

            Murray explained that things were going well at the new station but that there were a few bugs being worked out. The FY23 operating budget shows an 8.39 percent overall increase from a FY22 figure of $753,015 to $816,214. Wages account for some of that increase with a full-time clerical-staff position up by $8,920 and on-call firefighters up $26,112. Lorenco explained that the clerical position had not been correctly accounted for in the past.

            Murray explained that the Fire Department had in past years only had a few on-call personnel show up but that now the average is 10 trained members of the department arriving for duty, accounting for the increase in that line item. Macallister said, “This what we wanted, to get you the help you need.” Murray said there are 35 on-call firefighters, two full-time staff firefighters and one part-time staff firefighter.

            The Fire Department’s capital expense list contains a singular line item: $50,000 for a new support vehicle. Murray restated his previously expressed rationale for a new SUV for the department as necessary not only for local matters but also for transporting trainees to the fire academy.

            Bauer wondered aloud why the Fire Department trainees are receiving transportation when other departments with staff members requiring training are using their own vehicles. Murry explained that equipment used in training is dirty and possibly contaminated. He further emphasized, “Most fire departments have three or four support vehicles. In 20 years, we’ve never asked for a support vehicle.”

            McIntosh came before the board with a capital expense plan listing $941,382 of need for the Waterfront Enterprise Fund.

            Long Wharf repair estimate stands at an initial sum of $794,947 in FY23 with additional financing through FY28 in the amount of $537,500, annually paid via debt exclusion. The Harbor Management Plan, which both McIntosh and the Marine Advisory Board believe is a necessary document in planning and grant applications for the coming decade, is listed at $30,000. And $18,456 is listed for the Patrol Boat debt service, a sum repeated annually through FY28.

            McIntosh said a plan for $70,000 worth of new docks and floats would be paid for from the Enterprise Fund and recouped over 10 years.

            Regarding seasonal wages, MacIntosh said that an additional $7,000 would be needed to secure qualified help and that boat-fuel increases warrant an increase of $4,000 in that line item. The FY23 budget is planned to increase 5.21 percent, totaling $332,958 for that period. FY22 will stand at $316,458.

            In other business, the board denied a request to accept a paper road, Naushon Street, for town services. Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer noted that there are only two abutters to the roadway, and approval might open the way for more requests heretofore not found to be acceptable.

            The board voted to approve deficit spending for road salt if needed before the season ends. Bauer said that salt prices are now $67 per ton, an increase of 40 percent over last winter.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

            The Marion Finance Committee met jointly with the Select Board on February 2 to hear Finance Director Judy Mooney and Town Administrator Jay McGrail make a preliminary presentation of the FY23 budget.

            McGrail thanked Mooney for her hard work and said that without her he could not have produced the budget proposal. “I can tell you from where we are today, a ton of work had been done,” he said.

            In December, explained McGrail, department heads were asked to submit level-service budgets with additional requests made separately. “Some of the cuts that Judy and I had to propose to the department heads to get tonight’s budget where it is were really hard to swallow,” said McGrail. “I really appreciate they saw the bigger picture as they always do and helped us get to where we need to be (as of February 2.”)

            McGrail told the Finance Committee and Select Board that as of the February 2 joint meeting, Marion was still facing a $100,000 budget deficit. He said that the Covid pandemic is still causing stress in the town’s budget from sick employees to replacement staffing costs and supply issues and new practices leveraged by safety standards.

            Financial impacts were made in the fall by the boil order of late October and the severe Nor’easter. McGrail said that the water event has changed the town’s capital planning, probably “forever.”

            If there is an upside to Marion’s outlook, it is an unprecedented $3,700,000 in the town’s free cash account. The result is a rare opportunity to lower debt and fund projects that otherwise never would have reached the construction stage, and Marion’s AAA bond rating will remain intact.

            Capital Planning, town officials hope, will see $1,000,000 of that money in FY23; $300,000 is earmarked for the operating budget and $220,000 for the Sewer Enterprise Fund, as Marion continues to face the ramifications of the nearly completed $10,000,000 lagoon project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The town is also committed to funding OPEB with free cash but has yet to determine at what amount.

            Marion’s major municipal construction projects will also benefit: $1,500,000 in free cash to lower its borrowing toward the new $4,500,000 Department of Public Works headquarters. The remaining $3,000,000 will be on the warrant for Town Meeting.

            In line for $2,000,000 of state-level support from the Seaport Economic Council toward the new Maritime Center (also on the warrant,) will request appropriation of up to $700,000 from the town’s Waterways Account as the matching funds for the grant.

            The $300,000-$350,000 balance will be in an article asking voters to support partially offset property-tax increases on a one-time basis. The excess levy capacity would lower the average Marion home’s taxes by $70-$90 in FY23.

            The FY23 budget is expected to increase by 3.5 percent. McGrail told the joint meeting of the Finance Committee and Select Board that Marion’s average budget increase is 3.34 percent.

            Thanks to state-level, police-reform measures, Marion would incur more police overtime and is proposing mitigation of those effects by proposing the addition of the new, full-time police officer and an increase in hours for the department’s administrative assistant.

            “The problem with all police departments is that the Police Reform Bill eliminated the reserve-officer component, where a lot of small towns got their weekend and night work. They basically have to go through the regular academy if they’re young enough or they have to get out,” said Finance Committee member Peter Winters. “I think that time has passed so it’s pretty much going to be the regular, professional officers that are going to be staffing all police details, all shifts for all of Massachusetts.”

            Winters recommended offline discussion with Chief Richard Nighelli to discuss recruitment.

            Two outside drivers raising Marion’s FY23 budget are a $65,000 preliminary-estimated increase (21 percent) in the assessment from Upper Cape Tech where four Marion students attend and a $102,528 increase (nearly 8 percent) in the annual pension assessment from Plymouth County.

            Internally, Marion has incurred increased costs in Public Works, which manages the Benson Brook Transfer Station and the curbside collection program. After leaving the Carver, Marion, Wareham (CMW) refuse district effective January 2021, Marion began using town employees to operate Benson Brook.

            According to McGrail, the town broke even over FY21 and is tracking toward at least that successful a result through FY22, but curbside collection costs have grown by approximately $50,000 due to an unforeseen increase in usage necessitating an amendment to the contract with the waste-management company.

            McGrail told the Finance Committee that two capital projects, the Creek Road Pump Station and Front Street Force-Main, are being pulled from Town Meeting. In lieu of budget requests, the projects are hoping to use ARPA funding and grant opportunities. Should those pathways fail, McGrail said the projects will come back before the Finance Committee.

            The Recreation Department, affected by the DPW overhaul, was budgeted in FY22 for $158,000. With only a part-time director (Scott Tavares,) the FY23 budget proposal is for $134,000. Lifeguards will be paid more competitively.

            Included in the financial package given to the committee was the results of the Capital Improvement Planning Committee.

            In an effort to run a more-efficient Town Meeting, non-debt CIPC articles will be consolidated into one vote to recommend (or not) by FinCom, while debt-related articles such as the proposed DPW and Harbormaster facilities will be voted separately. McGrail stipulated that all articles will be up for discussion. The CIPC report will be attached as a supplement to the warrant.

            Mooney followed McGrail’s presentation, laying out the basics of the annual budget. Total General Fund revenues of $26,082,850 are projected for FY23. General Fund debt for FY23 is $744,000. The FY23 proposed budget figure is $26,189,671. Given the fact Massachusetts will have a new governor in FY23, Mooney said it is difficult to project state aid.

            After Mooney went through the Old Rochester Regional School District aspect of the budget, Finance Committee Chairman Shay Assad said he intends to meet with Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber to find out “precisely” how the budget process works.

            “I think I understand it now, but I’m going to sit down with him again. The reality is our enrollment is such that we get an equal vote in the baseline, and that kind of drives part of this calculation,” said Assad. “I’ll put together a paper so that you can all understand it – A, B, C, D, E. Very simply, this is how it works, and this is why the Marion assessment is what it is.”

            Two years ago, the Marion Finance Committee was frustrated with what its inability to decipher the process, but since ORR Superintendent Mike Nelson was hired and brought in Barber, the Finance Committee has been much more hopeful that regular communication will reveal the inner workings of the school budget. Even so, it has taken Marion’s leadership to get to this point on the road to making the process discernible to the membership.

            “Right now several people feel – and I agree with them – that it’s a little bit of a mystery, and we’ve got to take the mystery out of it so that we all understand it perfectly,” said Assad.

            “I’d love to go with you, Shay,” said Mooney. Assad welcomed the idea.

            Select Board member John Waterman said the Marion pays more per student that Mattapoisett and Rochester due to higher assessed value of the town’s real estate.

            FinCom member Bill Marvel presided over a summary of the CIPC’s prioritized list of capital requests.

            Assad said that “there’s something wrong” is the Finance Committee is looking at capital projects in a substantially less-detailed manner than what is done at the department and CIPC levels.

            Winters asked for information on CARES Act, ARPA and Chapter 90 money.

            The Finance Committee was to meet with the Police and Fire departments on Wednesday and follow up with the Harbormaster, Recreation and Taber Library on February 16, ORR on March 2, and finally DPW on March 9.

Marion Finance Committee/Select Board

By Mick Colageo

            The hour and 15 minutes it took the Marion Community Preservation Committee to officially understand and acknowledge receipt of 10 pitches for FY23 Community Preservation Act funding will be dwarfed by the time it takes to fully scrutinize each application.

            “Pack a lunch, maybe a breakfast,” said CPC Chairman Jeff Doubrava only half-jokingly. Doubrava told the committee members to be prepared to spend at least three hours when the formal presentations are made in a public hearing to be held on Friday, February 18, at 5:00 pm. The CPC will continue the public hearing and vote on the requests on Friday, March 4, at 5:00 pm.

            The February 4 meeting that acquainted the committee with the applicants and their projects needed one peculiar vote to decide whether to accept an application that failed to meet the 4:00 pm deadline on the day of the meeting.

            That application, submitted by the National History Museum for $41,500 to be used by June 1, 2023, arrived at 3:55 pm but lacked basic information such as the project summary and the amount of funding requested. Notified of the missing elements, the completed application was received at 4:15 pm.

            In light of the immediate effort to correct the oversight, CPC members Deb Ewing, Will Tifft and Alanna Nelson voiced support for the application’s consideration, and a unanimous vote entered it among the other nine requests.

            FY23 requests totaled $595,761, and Doubrava said the CPC has the money to fund all the projects. That doesn’t mean it will or fully in the amounts requested. That will be determined after the public hearing.

            Marion Facilities Manager Shaun Cormier made two requests, one for $124,000 (to be spent by the end of 2022) for design and bidding documents for the installation of a sprinkler system and ADA upgrades to the Town House and the second for completion of the annex building’s Main Street Entrance at $240,000.

            Cormier told the committee that Marion is prohibited from continuing any further work on the Town House until it has achieved ADA compliance in public-access areas. “We’ve invested way too much money in this building over the last few years to leave it unprotected,” he said.

            The CPC has a bone to pick with projects that drag out, leaving awards stagnant and unspent. To that end, a regulation was recently added, putting a time limit on applicants to spend awarded funds or else they return them to the CPC. With this at the forefront of his mind, Doubrava asked for an update on an unspent $268,000 that was allocated for Town House restoration two years ago.

            Noting that $40,000 has been spent on the Town House basement, Cormier said, “This is a two-phase project. … In order to save the town a half-million dollars, we have to do a lot of the work in-house.”

            The means by which much of the work is being carried out has slowed the timeframe. “Each project will take about a year,” said Cormier, comparing the situation to that of the Music Hall. “Things that need to be contracted out have to be scheduled. I’m having a hard time finding labor.” Cormier said he has a plan to finish the work by the end of the summer.

            “This is why we have a time limit on CPA funds,” said Doubrava.

            The Main Street Entrance, recently shored up with steel platforms and beams as a short-term solution, will be torn down, its circa 1940 granite steps to be reused in a reconstruction meant to ease the climb while eliminating the side bulkheads that were added much earlier in the building’s life for Tabor Academy students’ access to shop class.

            Making a point to note that the Main Street entrance is not original to the building, Marion Historical Commission Chair Meg Steinberg said that the redesign is in keeping with what the commission considers appropriate. “It will look a lot nicer than it does right now and will be easy to navigate,” she said.

            The Historical Commission’s own application for $30,000 in CPA funding for its next phase of survey work on properties on Delano Road, Converse Road, Spring Street, West Avenue, Point Road and Planting Island was met with a philosophical question.

            Citing use of the phrase “in perpetuity” during the initial presentation, Doubrava suggested the effort be incorporated in the town’s operating budget. “As a townsperson, if it’s an ongoing every-year (project,) I think it should be a line item in the budget,” he said.

            The application’s work phase is scheduled to begin in spring 2023 and to be completed by December 31, 2024. Meantime, Steinberg explained that the Historical Commission still has $30,000 from its last CPC award and expects information on February 18 that will aid in completing the spending of the former award.

            Nelson and CPC member Margie Baldwin agreed that the commission’s survey work should not be a line item.

            Leslie Piper, the executive director and archivist for the Sippican Historical Society, was on hand to introduce her application for $25,000 (to be spent by June 30, 2023) to contract a professional archivist to preserve, digitize and professionally store two collections of 19th century letters she considers to be “at risk,” along with two and possibly three collections of family photographs. The unprotected letters are in cursive handwriting.

            Piper told the CPC that the $35,000 in past grants will be spent by June on current archival efforts. She said she had not been aware of separate funding of $18,400 and $17,000. “This is something we will follow up on and have an answer for at the next meeting,” said Tifft, who also serves as SHS president and on the town’s Historical Commission.

            Other applications came in from the Marion Garden Group ($75,000 for irrigation systems at five locations,) the Town of Marion Cushing Community Center Working Group Subsector 3 ($26,811 for fencing, benches and litter/recycling receptacles for the walking path,) the Marion Pathways Committee ($18,000 for eight easements including temporary construction easements and permanent easements) and two from the town’s Open Space Acquisition Commission. MOSAC applied for $8,600 to update its resiliency criteria for the first time since 1995 and for $1,850 to enact its Great Swamp forestry plan.

            In other business, the committee voted to pay a $1,750 invoice for CPA membership dues.

            The next meeting of the Marion Community Preservation Committee will be held on Friday, February 18, at 5:00 pm.

Marion Community Preservation Committee

By Mick Colageo

            The owner of the Cilantro restaurant faces a complex task should he choose to go through the vetting process for relocation at 325 Front Street.

            Bill Knight represented potential applicant Varut Phimolmas in a presubmission conference with the Marion Planning Board to explore the possibility of modifying a very old house at that location for the purpose of reopening the restaurant formerly located at 374 Front Street.

            During Monday night’s public meeting, Knight told the Planning Board that it is likely the former building will be razed. The plan for the new location is not to expand the footprint but offer a site plan that would satisfy the concerns of Marion’s vetting boards.

            Planning Board Chairman Will Saltonstall acknowledged that being in a marine-business zone, a restaurant is a by-right use at the proposed location and therefore would not require a special permit.

            Usable space would be under 2,000 square feet, and Knight has Dave Davignon working on a parking plan limited to 10 spaces, putting the facility short of the threshold that triggers a major site-plan review. But, as Saltonstall noted, even a minor site-plan review has teeth, beginning with the one-to-two ratio requirements of parking spaces to building occupancy including customers.

            Knight said that all demolition will be internal except for a modification to a chamfered corner in the back of the building to more efficiently fit kitchen appliances.

            Planning Board member Norm Hills pointed out that part of the proposed location is in the velocity zone. Knight said he is aware and has contacted the Woods Hole Group to discuss the matter. He also said he hopes the building can be designated as an historic structure to gain some leniency, but Marion Historical Commission Chair Meg Steinberg is viewing that from the opposite lens.

            Acknowledging that the proposed location does not qualify for an historic exemption because it is not located within a local historic district nor is it listed on a national register, Steinberg admitted concern.

            “(The proposed modifications) would greatly change the character of the whole area,” she said. “Raising this (building) up would change the height, it would change the massing. We’re not complaining about the use so much as that the building retains its integrity.”

            Bryan McSweeny, who also serves on the Historical Commission, said that Old Landing in general may soon be declared an historical area. He said that the building has been identified as having been built around 1810. “It could be one of the oldest houses in town,” he said, citing the saltbox roof. “We would like to see this house remain as a residential house.”

            Given the location, elevation of the structure was discussed. Knight indicated that the requirement to elevate the structure might be a dealbreaker for the applicant.

            “This is not an insignificant thing you’re trying to do,” said Saltonstall, reiterating the 50-percent rule. “You’ve got some real challenges to do this project for under $80,000. To change a designation like that can be a year-long process.” Hills cautioned that it could take longer.

            The board voted to waive a traffic-impact study. Member Jon Henry was the lone dissenting vote against that waiver. The board also voted to require the applicant to open a 53G account and make an initial down payment of $2,000 to spend as needed on peer review.

            Member Eileen Marum articulated concern with an increase in water on that property. “We need something in place … an environmental assessment to see that everything is done properly. We’re in the middle of climate change right now,” she said.

            Member Chris Collings pointed out on Page 12 of the packet showing a berm in the back and a catch basin. “I would advise them to ask for a waiver later. We’ve already given this guy a worksheet three pages long,” he said.

            Saltonstall told Knight that if after some homework the applicant feels like this plan still makes sense, he can choose either to engage the board in further informal discussion or file a Notice of Intent. The board issued Knight a Form B, acknowledging receipt of the presubmission conference. Saltonstall encouraged Knight to make the application comprehensive and make sure it answers to the bylaw.

            “I personally want to see these guys succeed and get back in operation as fast as possible,” said Saltonstall, who encouraged Knight to keep an open dialogue with Town Planner/Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee.

            McSweeny and Steinberg had their own item on the agenda, asking for a letter of support from the Planning Board for the work that the Historical Commission does in surveying Marion properties to determine historical value.

            The commission has asked the Community Preservation Committee for $35,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for its ongoing architectural survey. “I would love to have a letter from the PB in support of our application,” said Steinberg.

            Saltonstall noted that the board wrote such a letter in support of the commission’s work last year and sent it to CPC Chairman Jeff Doubrava. The board voted again to send the letter this year.

            Under Old Business, Hills told the Planning Board that he had met with the Police and Fire departments in hopes of resolving recent changes to rules and regulations. Shortly after a regulation was amended to favor a hammerhead design instead of a circle, Department of Public Works Director Nathaniel Munafo said that the hammerhead design at the end of Fieldstone Lane was problematic for emergency access. Hills said he will bring the matter back to the board.

            Given the floor during the Community Outreach segment, Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Cynthia Callow told Planning Board members that the next training on bylaws is scheduled for March 14.

            Planning Board member Alanna Nelson thanked Hills and Marum for their work on Marion’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

            Having been asked by the ZBA for comment regarding MRF Nominee Trust c/o Patrick Fischoeder and Allison O’Neil at 498B Point Road, the Planning Board made no recommendation.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

What do you get when a think tank invites a dollars-and-cents committee chairman to meet and discuss the future of a town? A marriage of necessity.

            On February 2, the Mattapoisett Master Plan Committee met with Chuck McCullough to hear about the work performed by a committee whose primary focus is plotting when and how town departments will fund expenses over $10,000 and project needs 10 years into the future.

            McCullough explained that in previous budget planning cycles the Capital Planning Committee accepted departmental fiscal information in less than an investigatory manner, asking questions including how a project would be funded but not necessarily scrutinizing the request itself as to how and why.

            The Master Plan Committee was informed about the Capital Planning Committee’s work in identifying infrastructural needs such as culvert replacements, roadway improvements and putting the bike path on Mattapoisett’s 10-year Capital Plan, something that had not been done in prior cycles, leaving the town vulnerable in terms of inadequate planning for major expenses. Now, McCullough explained, the fiscal responsibilities of each municipal department are being aided by more compelling conversations.

            McCullough also spent time explaining how decisions are made for new water and sewer lines and upcoming projects such as the replacement of the Eel Pond sewer line to Fairhaven.

            The Master Plan Committee members asked probing questions to better understand the implications of expanding sewer capacity, noting that sewer lines are not provided for the development of subdivision tracts. McCullough, who has been a town consultant to the Water and Sewer Department for a number of years, discussed the process of engaging neighbors, especially those in beach areas, when considering sewer-expansion projects geared towards decreasing nitrogen leaching into the bay from private septic systems. He said that a two-thirds vote from both the property owners and town meeting is needed before such major projects, funded exclusively from betterment fees, could take place.

            But the biggest take-away from the discussion with McCullough was the absolute need to identify major projects on the horizon for Mattapoisett and how they will be funded. For example, he said that the bike path should be considered as a major infrastructure project, one that is under the purview of a town department such as the Highway Department. But that is currently not the case – the bike path does not tie directly to any town department.

            “It hasn’t been on our radar,” said McCullough. “We view the bike path as another road; there will be repairs and maintenance. We ask, ‘who owns this?’ It can’t be (owned by) a committee, it has to be a town department.”

            The discussion was wide ranging, moving into such areas as the need for a new town hall, what will become of the retired fire station building, climate resiliency and drainage issues.

             In concluding the conversation, McCullough agreed that there is a “marriage” between the two committees and a need for the Master Plan to reflect what Capital Planning is seeing in the 10-year planning forecast. He said he would provide a fully executed plan in the coming weeks, as Capital Planning prepares to meet with the Finance Committee ahead of a meeting with the Select Board and Town Administrator – all steps towards achieving a FY23 budget to bring to voters at the Spring Town Meeting.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Master Plan is scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, at 7:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Master Plan Committee

By Marilou Newell