After Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates explained that “the numbers we used to see for these jobs have been cut by at least a third” and told the story of a recent search that yielded 13 candidates, only one of whom had been a town manager, the challenge facing a smaller town like Marion became clear.

            The Marion Town Administrator Screening Committee held a public meeting on December 8 to officially launch its part in the search for a replacement for Jay McGrail, who left last month to become town manager in Middleborough, a town of five times Marion’s population.

            “The town administrator for a 4,000 population is the same as a town manager for 25,000, so that’s where we’re coming into the problem,” said Select Board Chairman Randy Parker.

            Noting that Marion had 39 applicants the last time, Parker was eager to add that McGrail was not in the first batch of applicants for the job. He told the committee he believes one among those 39 has once again applied.

            Marion, according to Lynch, fits the entry-level profile for candidates. The committee’s job is to work with Lynch in whittling down the list to bring two to four finalists to the Select Board.

            “After that, there really isn’t a way to get candidates before the board,” said Lynch. “You can give all the resumes to the Select Board, but then they go public … their jobs can be in jeopardy so (the screening process) helps get the best candidates possible.”

            Some towns, explained Lynch, form screening, search and selection committees, but the process is the same as almost all other searches that Community Paradigm Associates has conducted based on his vast background of 40-plus years in town management.

            Lynch was town manager in Chelmsford, then city manager in Lowell for almost eight years, double the average town-manager tenure. Lowell is the state’s fifth most-populated city behind Cambridge.

            In 2014, Lynch left Lowell to pursue other interests, including teaching, consulting, government- relations work and recruitment.

            He has taught political science at UMass Lowell and joined Suffolk University to teach a local-government certification program in an effort to try to develop a new generation of town administrators. McGrail came out of the program.

            “Jay is really one of the good students that we had come through,” said Lynch, who is seeing several now finding jobs. “I think there might be a couple in this batch of candidates.”

            According to Lynch, Community Paradigm Associates has conducted over 90 searches in Massachusetts since 2015. It is the state’s most active recruiting firm, according to Lynch, and has led the way to more town management hires than all other firms put together.

            Lynch personally led the search that yielded McGrail, and he will once again lead this search. He said the last five years have seen mostly retirements among town managers. Generation-X, he said, did not choose government as a career.

            “That’s created a hole,” Lynch said, but was optimistic having previewed the initial group of applicants for Marion’s opening. “There are some very good candidates here.”

            Once the Screening Committee recommends finalists, Community Paradigm Associates will contact references and conduct background checks. Initial steps have already begun. Unless the Select Board sees fit to call back the Screening Committee, its work is completed once the finalists are chosen.

            Marion Finance Director/Town Accountant Judy Mooney is serving as interim town administrator.

            Parker was voted chairman of the Screening Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals Chairperson Cynthia Callow to serve as clerk. The other members of the committee are Building Commissioner Bob Grillo, Finance Committee member Jay Pateakos and citizen at large Mike Sudofsky.

            After Lynch finished answering questions from the committee, the members entered executive session to review resumes.

            The committee did not set a date for its next meeting upon adjournment.

Marion Town Administrator Screening Committee

By Mick Colageo

            In his Tata & Howard Report to Tuesday’s monthly public meeting of the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission, Jon Gregory reported a December 19 meeting with Koch Separation Solutions at the Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant to go over the filter-changeover schedule.

            “We’ll be operating two systems at the same time,” said Gregory, whose goal is to lay everything out on the table for a last design meeting prior to construction phases.

            The meeting will include confirmation of all piping connections, especially as they affect the retrofitting of the new filtering system into the existing plant.

            “We’re living in a time where lead times on equipment are very difficult,” said Gregory, noting that the MRV is still waiting on SRF funding.

            Citing the goal to push everything out in one bid because there is a certain window of opportunity to do the work during the winter, Gregory said he is proceeding toward a 50% design. Filters must be taken offline while new ones are brought online, and Tata & Howard has reached out to MassDEP to discuss testing during the changeover period.

            “They basically said we would have to go ahead and do a permit waiver,” said Gregory, outlining a sequence to submit the plan to DEP, all the while acknowledging potential pitfalls. “We’re going to need to do a shutdown to get the skids online.” DEP will require more information as part of the permitting process.

            Retiring engineer Paul Howard said, “We’re really looking at the winter of 2024-25 for the construction to be done.”

            “In a normal supply-chain environment, this (timeline) would be less,” said Gregory.

            Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco asked if, “for the next two years, do we have concerns for keeping the current (plant as is) operational?”

            Howard said the plant is in solid working operation, but he admitted to being nervous because the present filter system has already outlasted its projected useful life by several years.

            MRV Chairman Vinnie Furtado was blunt in his assessment.

            “In Fairhaven, we have a tremendous concern over here. The filters are failing. Kudos to Henri Renauld and the staff. What was supposed to be seven years became 14 years,” he said. “We get (complaints) all over. It’s embarrassing. We’re not providing unsafe drinking water, but we’re certainly providing unsightly (water.)”

            Lorenco said he also receives complaints. “I just want to make sure if we’re going to have this operational for two years … I guess preparing for that would be a good idea,” he said.

            Furtado said Fairhaven has received $300,000 in ARPA funding to flush his town’s water.

            “We have to be up front with people and let them know. As time’s going on, the calls have become more frequent from the folks who have dirty water somewhere,” said Furtado, noting that voters approved a remedy in Town Meeting in 2022 that is, thanks in part to COVID-related delays, two years away.

            Before the Town of Fairhaven agrees to attach a cell-phone antenna to a water tower on Sconticut Neck Road, Furtado insisted the MRV discuss the matter.

            “Providing water is the most important thing we do,” he said, noting that cell service is so spotty in the area that the MRV distributes hand-held radios to the staff. Fairhaven would receive a rental fee on a lease.

            At Furtado’s request, Rich Feeley and Rossana Ferrante of Network Building were on hand to present to the commission on the cell tower proposal.

            Ferrante called it a “due-diligence piece” to stress that Network Building is cognizant of other cellular carriers, be it in a hospital or on a tower. “We work with the other carriers to make sure there isn’t any interference,” she said. “Antennas do not get installed without a lot of consideration.”

            While a three-sided monopole is considered the best design option provided adequate space, Feeley noted that Sprint recently built a fiberglass steeple atop a southeastern Massachusetts church that could not afford to rebuild its steeple. The cellular signal goes through the fiberglass.

            Furtado, the DPW director for Fairhaven, told the commission that a past proposal was not approved by the town “because of concerns over communication between the water plant and the tower.”

            A typical term for lease agreements for cell-phone carriers is 20 years.

            Gregory sent the budget out on December 12 for a final look by commission members. The total assessment for FY24 is $2,357,300, a 3.2% increase from FY23.

            “We went over these numbers and tried to make it as acceptable as we could to the communities … yeoman’s task by Jon,” said Furtado.

            Feedback indicated the MRV may need to increase its reserve fund for next year.

            The commission voted to contract Tata & Howard to put together the annual report.

            The commission reported $91,700.73 in total invoices for the month.

            Tuesday’s meeting of the MRV was meant to be the last for Howard, who was thanked by Furtado, the MRV Water District Commission and Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee for his assistance over the years.

            “It’s not often you can get a group of towns that work so harmoniously as this one does. It’s been a pleasure working with you guys,” said Howard, who told both groups he will still be available for consultation. He will remain on the board at Tata & Howard.

            The next meeting of the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 3:30 pm with the MRV Water District Commission meeting to immediately follow at 4:00 pm on the same Zoom call.

MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo

            The impression that Finance Committee member Peter Winters made during his November 15 interview before the Marion Select Board and the Board of Assessors still resonated when the two boards reconvened on December 7 at the Cushing Community Center.

            Board of Assessors Chairman George T.J. Walker said all three candidates (Winters, Michael Pierre and Barry Gaffey) were impressive but agreed with Select Board member Norm Hills that Winters is the best fit. He credited Select Board member Toby Burr for asking the interviewees about their availability to meet the demands of time that further separated Winters as the preferred candidate.

            “Town Meeting will ultimately decide who will fill the vacancy,” said Walker. “We’re talking about six months. We’ve got a lot on our plate and given the (increase in property) values … a lot of hearings. For that purpose, I think Mr. Winters is qualified, and he’s going to get thrown to the wolves right away – for six months.”

            The joint vote was unanimous at 5-0.

            With the appointment, Winters fills the seat vacated with the September passing of longtime member Catherine Gibbs. The term will expire in May with the 2023 Town Election. Winters told the boards during his interview that he intends to run for the seat.

            In her Town Administrator Report, Judy Mooney announced that the state Seaport Economic Council has granted Marion another $300,000 toward the construction of the new harbormaster facility at Island Wharf.

            The town had applied for a second $1,000,000 grant from the SEC; this grant leaves the effort short by $700,000. Total SEC grant funding toward the project now stands at $1,600,000, counting the initial $300,000 grant.

            Mooney told the Select Board that she and Harbormaster Isaac Perry will go to Plymouth County as part of their effort to seek more funding. Perry has filed more grant applications.

            “Right now, the way the article’s written, we can’t send it. … You’d have to go back to Town Meeting,” said Mooney of voter approval for the project.

            “If we miss the Spring Town Meeting, the price of that building is going to go up $400,000,” added Select Board Chairman Randy Parker.

            Mooney also updated the board on the new Department of Public Works facility planned for Benson Brook.

            Project designer Will Saltonstall is putting together a team of architects and engineering services. He is working on a proposal for consulting services that he plans to submit to the town this month. Parker asked that Mooney share that information with the DPW Planning Committee.

            The search for a new town administrator yielded 28 applications ahead of the Screening Committee’s initial review on December 8. Parker indicated that it is hoped the committee can conduct interviews for two days prior to Christmas.

            The Select Board voted to extend the deadline to apply for the Historic Study Committee to the board’s next public meeting on December 20.

            Mooney estimated that 10 applications had been received as of December 7. The town has also requested two nominations from the Marion Historical Commission, the Boston Society of Architects and the state Board of Real Estate Brokers.

            The tax rate (per $1,000 in property) for FY23 is not $9.52 as previously projected but $9.44, reported Mooney. The rate is established according to actual property sales, said Assessor Pat DeCosta, who told the board she had hoped the FY23 rate would be lower because property values have continued to climb. The state certifies the rate, pointed out Walker.

            Mooney said that the state Department of Revenue says property values continue to increase across the state and in waterfront communities, even more.

            The Select Board voted to renew licenses for 2023.

            Executive Assistant Donna Hemphill explained that the 48 licenses issued by the town are held by 30 businesses. There are 12 liquor licenses (including eight on-premises consumption), the remaining fall under categories including common victualer, entertainment, etc.

            Burr recused himself from the vote, noting that Burr Brothers Boat Company is on the renewal list. Parker and Hills voted to approve the list as presented and to authorize Hemphill to use the board’s signature stamp. Hemphill said she will send out the license renewals at the end of the month.

            Also applying to the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABCC) was a discussion and vote on Marion’s estimated seasonal population. Hemphill said the town clerk estimates that population as of July 5, 2023 is expected to reach 6,200. The annual submission to the ABCC provides the estimate for the purposes of seasonal alcohol permitting.

            The board approved a new application for a previously approved sewer connection at 43 Dexter Road, also recommended for approval by the DPW. The correct application will be held until signed by the applicant.

            The board also approved Water/Sewer commitments of $1,097.10 (final readings December 1), $1,031.00 (new water service November 18) and $466.57 (final readings November 15.)

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20, at 6:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Select Board/Board of Assessors

By Mick Colageo

            The Rochester Planning Board Tuesday night brought a plan to place a large-scale, solar-panel system canopy over the Rochester Memorial School parking lot another step closer to approval.

            The board noted it has received the project’s peer-review report from consulting engineer Ken Motta, but it discussed only the landscaping portion of the report in response to a request from project representative Steve Gregory.

            Gregory said the developers were making most of the corrections recommended in Motta’s comments but wanted to know what type of landscape screening the board needs. The issue is the need to screen the 14-foot-high canopy from the school’s residential abutter at 38 Pine Street. The property is heavily wooded and 200 feet away from the canopy’s location.

            Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson started his answer with the fact the developer cannot count the trees on the adjacent private property as part of the screening plan. The screening must be 100% complete from day one, Johnson said; the developer cannot use plantings that have not matured to the correct length.

            Gregory was instructed to plan a 15-foot-high and 100-foot-long screen consisting of rows of Leland Cypress Trees and to post a landscaping completion bond for five growing seasons.

            Johnson also noted Motta’s recommendation that the developers rewrite the letter of waivers to add that waiving the 100-foot setback requirement should be added to their requests.

            The board continued the hearing until its January 24, 2023 meeting.

            The plan for a canopy-mounted, large-scale solar photovoltaic system in the parking lot at the Rochester Memorial School will require a special permit and site-plan-review approval. The two canopies, measuring 222-feet long by 438-feet wide and supported by seven columns will be built on 13.7 acres in the school’s rear parking lot.

            The board came even closer to approving Connet Woods’ proposal to modify its definitive, flexible subdivision plan by eliminating a subdivision road and convert/downgrade 10 approved lots to three lots at Connet Woods and Box Turtle Drive.

            Project representative Steve Meltzer noted that Motta, in his recent review of this plan, seemed satisfied with the modifications that the developer recently performed.

            “He said it’s all set,” Johnson said of Motta’s report. “It seems straightforward now.”

            Swiftly thereafter, the board closed the public hearing, and Johnson told Meltzer that a draft decision will be prepared for its next meeting on January 10, 2023.

            Next, the Planning Board approved the Village at Plumb Corner’s request to begin Phase III, which would mean an additional 10 units. To that end, the board set the surety bond for that phase at $980,000.

            Lastly, the board reviewed a suggestion from Town Planner Nancy Durfee that its meetings move back to being held at Town Hall rather than the Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School library. Durfee said Town Hall would be a more sensible meeting space because it has its own Owl-brand microphone, along with camera system and laptops and will be closer to board files.

            Johnson said the move is worth considering but requested the building commissioner be consulted as to the “real” occupancy capacity of the Town Hall meeting room.

            Board member Ben Bailey then suggested the board and the town create a bylaw regulating the use of drones. He said a citizen suggested doing so after his own experience with a neighbor’s drone.

            Johnson responded that the idea is worth exploring.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 7:00 pm at the Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School library, 476 North Avenue, Rochester.

Rochester Planning Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

            Members of the Rochester Conservation Commission will be visiting 32 Gerrish Road on Saturday, December 17, to see for themselves if a plan to build a single-family home, patio and landscape wall within a wetlands buffer zone there requires a Notice of Intent application.

            Brian Grady of G.A.F. Engineering, representing property owners Kevin Crimmi and Christine Gagnon, said the wetlands in question are an old resource area that was a cranberry bog but is now “naturalizing.” He noted the parcel was once a tree farm that at one point was owned by Conservation Commission member Ben Bailey, who had already recused himself from commission participation during the public hearing.

            Grady said the portion of the work closest to the wetlands will be a landscape wall and erosion controls.

            Conservation Agent Merilee Kelly asked how far the landscape wall would be from the wetlands. Grady responded that the wall will be approximately 60 feet away and 6 feet high.

            Conservation Commission Chairman Christopher Gerrior noted the buffer zone is not being marked or delineated in any concrete way. Grady responded he would be willing to discuss doing this as the plan develops.

            That left only one question for Gerrior to ask: When would an on-site visit be most convenient for both the commission members and the petitioners? The two sides settled on Saturday, December 17, at 8:00 am, and the commission voted to continue the public hearing to Tuesday, December 20.

            In other action, the commission also continued until December 20 its hearing into the Notice of Intent application filed by Jon Roth at 119 Dexter Lane. Roth’s plan is to clear the land he owns that is overgrown with invasive plant species so his horses and cattle can graze there.

            Kelly reported that the town is still waiting for correspondence from the state; the Natural Heritage Foundation needs to approve the plan because the area is a designated priority habitat.

            The commission set its next public meeting for Tuesday, December 20, at 7:00 pm in the library at Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School, 476 North Avenue. The meeting is also accessible live via Zoom.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Michael J. DeCicco