Dr. Ed Hoffer, chairman of the Marion Board of Health, and Health Agent Dave Flaherty will visit 464 Front Street in the near future to take a first-hand look at the work being done on what has been a troublesome site.

            The Board of Health voted during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting to grant a 30-day extension to the demolition order that the condemned property has been under. The five-bedroom, 1989 colonial has been on the market since March, but recent cleanup efforts and interior construction have been impactful, according to Flaherty.

            In his Health Agent Update, Flaherty told the board that progress had been made with Chapter 2 issues at 464 Front Street, where construction is ongoing. “I made contact with the contractor, and there’s been a great advance of condition, especially in the front yard, and I suspect inside with the renovation,” he said.

            Flaherty told the board that he had updated Marion Building Commissioner Scott Shippey, noting that the contractor was at the site on Tuesday and is expected to be onsite the rest of the week. Flaherty offered to take Hoffer there to see for himself, and Hoffer said he would get back to Flaherty later this week with potential site-visit dates.

            Board member Dot Brown suggested the site visit include going inside and that there should be ongoing inspections with a specific plan going forward. Flaherty suspects that since the owner aims to sell the property, he is likely amenable to interior inspections. He added that the contractor would have no problem and that he had seen the living room. “It looked like a lot of renovations,” said Flaherty.

            Hoffer said permits are finally in place. “Of course, we’ll need multiple inspections,” he said, suggesting Flaherty tell the owner’s lawyer that the Board of Health is willing to grant a short-term extension on the demolition order subject to continued good-faith efforts. “There was a demolition order from mid-December, but if there is a good-faith effort to remediate, we’d give a 30-60 days extension.”

            Brown thought it prudent to start with a 30-day extension subject to good-faith efforts, and that motion unanimously carried with votes from Brown, Hoffer, and Dr. John Howard.

            The update on 33 Pitcher Street was not as favorable. Flaherty reported the return of a certified letter and unsuccessful efforts to reach the property owner. Even so, he considers the issues to be far less severe and “nothing to be nervous about.”

            Flaherty reported to the board that on two successful inspections, there were ongoing general complaints that masks are not being worn by people cycling and walking about town. He said retail outlets have had no problems complying with safety regulations. Flaherty also reported having taken CERT training online and said the program is slowly getting off the ground in Marion.

            In her Health Nurse Report, Lori Desmarais summarized current COVID-19 conditions, reporting 112 cases since the beginning, including 38 active cases, seven of which are in the community. As for Old Rochester Regional School District, 10 people associated with the high school are in quarantine, and five associated with the junior high. Two at the high school are in isolation (confirmed positive cases), none at the junior high. At Sippican Elementary School, 10 are in quarantine, including one confirmed positive case in isolation and seven total positive cases at Sippican since the beginning of the pandemic.

            Tabor Academy, reported Desmarais, is on hiatus since November 20; students are not due to return until January 5, pending an update on the number of cases at the school. Desmarais reported correspondence with Interim Headmaster Julie Salit, indicating Tabor’s plan to test students upon return. Desmarais intends to revisit the matter in late December.

            The updated information as of Tuesday, December 1, at Sippican Health Center (nursing home) is as follows: 130 confirmed cases of staff and residents, including 51 active combined cases; overall, 62 have recovered, and 142 have tested negative.

            Desmarais said that the flu vaccine is still available, by appointment only.

            Hoffer discussed the budget, beginning with mapping software that he discussed with Town Planner Gil Hilario, who will talk to Assistant Town Administrator Judy Mooney regarding budgeting. “One way or another, we’ll have access to the GIS software,” said Hoffer.

            Although the Flu Clinic conducted by Desmarais last month was heavily assisted by volunteers, Hoffer told the board that nursing support for a potential COVID-19 vaccine distribution would potentially require thousands of dollars in budgeting. He qualified his remarks by noting he has “no idea when a vaccine will be available.

            “Clearly, nursing home staff will get priority over the general public. Where the elderly is to be determined,” he said, citing a national-level source out of Washington that claimed the general public would be able to access a coronavirus vaccine by July at the latest.

            Hoffer hopes an outreach effort to help the town’s older population stay safely in their homes, including safety inspections and potential remediation, can be funded through grant programs. Even so, he does not envision such an effort being made until social-distancing rules are relaxed.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, at 4:00 pm.

Marion Board of Health

By Mick Colageo

            During the November 24 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen, a brief but important session before closing Town Hall for the Thanksgiving holiday, selectmen approved an appropriation of $24,973 from the Capital Stabilization Fund, the required sum that the town is required to contribute in order to receive $100,000 from the state’s Coast Zone Management agency.

            As discussed during the November 17 meeting held with members of the Finance and Capital Planning Committees, the selectmen heard from Highway Surveyor Barry Denham on the critical need to repair a culvert along Mattapoisett Neck Road.

            Denham explained that CZM grants are awarded for the purpose of aiding cities and towns with projects that can be directly attributed to climate change impacts such as rising water levels. Denham said that the culvert in question is failing. Without repairs, it would impede residents from freely accessing their homes. He also said that adequate tidal flushing of associated salt marshes in the area would benefit from the repairs.

            Despite an agreement on critical need, the selectmen had asked Denham and Town Administrator Mike Lorenco to investigate whether the state agency was willing to give the town an extension to allow the matter to go before Town Meeting in the spring. Lorenco, on November 24, returned with the answer: An extension to a CZM grant would not be forthcoming; furthermore, asking for one might put the grant in jeopardy of being withdrawn by the state agency. Armed with this update, the selectmen voted to approve the matching sum.

            The selectmen also met with Kathy Costello, administrator of assessing, and Ray Andrews, chairman of the Board of Assessors, for a tax-classification hearing. Costello reported that property values had jumped a whopping 9.1 percent in 2020 and that the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down as the calendar year winds down. “Trending forward to 2021, it looks very robust,” she said.

            On the matter of a single- versus a split-tax classification, Costello said, given that 94 percent of the town’s revenue came from the residential sector, the small commercial base primarily made up of “moms and pops” would be seriously and negatively affected by a higher tax rate than the residential rate. She further stated that, even if the commercial properties were taxed at a higher rate, homeowners would not receive much of a benefit given their small number. A single tax rate was approved.

            Before leaving the meeting, Costello also commented that it was possible the tax rate would go down from $13.49 to $12.96. Lorenco said the rate could not be voted on at this time, pending approval from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

            Staying on the theme of money, Lorenco said that the installation of LED lights at Town Hall is complete. The overall savings for all municipal buildings was estimated to be as much as $100,000 per year.

            Earlier in the proceedings, the selectmen appointed Diane Tsitsos as a Democratic member of the Board of Registrars. Members of this municipal board are responsible for such matters as maintaining accurate lists of registered voters in the town, conducting elections, voter registration, processing absentee voter applications, tallying election results, and conducting election recounts. The state requires that the board fairly reflect the two leading political parties.

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