The Marion Affordable Housing Trust voted to support two financial requests during its September 15 meeting at the Music Hall.

            In the first request, the Trust asked the Community Preservation Committee for $45,000 in 2015 and needed to do so again in 2020 to fund a feasibility study approved at Town Meeting and meant to identify possibilities and fund further investigation into affordable housing, assisted living, and elderly housing.

            Chairperson Casey L. Cole-Vieira and coordinator Terri Santos had met with Town Administrator Jay McGrail on the matter. Santos said Marion is consulting with Barrett Planning Group LLC in Plymouth. Barrett has worked with local builder Ken Steen.

            At the cost of $8,000, the second is a request being made to the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) to assist the town in updating its Housing Production Plan. SRPEDD will compile and analyze data in order to inform the Housing Production Plan of its Housing Needs Assessment.

            The meeting started with a reorganization of the committee. Casey L. Cole-Vieira remains chairperson, and member Ethan Gerber was voted to become the new vice-chairman. Gerber will also represent the Trust on the Community Preservation Committee. According to Norm Hills, CPC meetings are expected to start after the new year.

            The Trust may soon gain a sixth voting member, as Minhtram Tran has submitted an application that Cole-Vieira supported and will soon go to the vote of the Marion Board of Selectmen. Seven members is the maximum allowed to serve on the Trust. Hills is an ex-officio member and therefore does not count against that number.

            The next meeting of the Marion Affordable Housing Trust is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, at the Music Hall.

Marion Affordable Housing Trust

By Mick Colageo

            In her first Public Nurse Report to the Board of Health at its September 15 Zoom meeting, Lori Desmarais said there have been no new COVID-19 cases in Marion. There have been 18 overall.

            Of lingering concern is Marion’s personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, which has been challenged ever since the town reported being misled by its vendor. Desmarais called last week for PPE updates and reported some shipments and expects larger ones to be forthcoming.

            Desmarais said she needs to plan a drive-through testing operation for COVID-19. She noted that Sippican School has dedicated a room for any suspected coronavirus cases. School was scheduled to open September 16 on a hybrid format.

            Tabor Academy was in its second round of testing as of Tuesday, according to Desmarais. Tabor tested its facility and staff on Friday, and on Tuesday a second round of tests for students was scheduled. Test samples are still going to the Broad Institute, where there is a 24-hour turnaround period.

            Board member Dr. John Howard, a practicing physician, suggested that Desmarais will be able to resume home visits “any time now.” He estimates that health clinics are now seeing more than half of their patients in the office. “Most doctors’ offices are back, including the specialists,” he said. “Maybe not 100 percent, but they’re getting at least 50 percent in the office at this point.”

            Board member Dot Brown said, “Home visits make more sense (than having patients come to her small office) and asked Desmarais, “Are you ready?”

            “I’m still getting set up,” said Desmarais, who has taken over for the newly retired Kathleen Downey. “I obviously wouldn’t want to be seeing a bunch of people (in my office). Some are homebound and needing a flu vaccine. In that case, the home visits might be a little easier.”

            Chairperson Dr. Ed Hoffer, a practicing physician, said it makes sense to offer those on an as-needed basis. “You have enough PPE, I hope,” he said. Desmarais said there is more PPE available at the Town House.

            Hoffer said Marion will receive a $1,200 grant from the state to cover flu shots. The funds cannot be used for the vaccine itself but can be applied to related costs including equipment. In order not to miss a deadline to respond, Hoffer approved the grant on behalf of the board, securing a $1,200 source of income to help run the clinics.

            Desmarais and Maureen Murphy attended a webinar on PrepMod, the flu-clinic system sponsored by the Massachusetts Health Officers Association (MHOA), and expect it will improve Desmarais’ time management. “She’s been a huge help with everything,” said Desmarais of Murphy’s assistance.

            As Marion continues to consider solutions for emergency sheltering in the event of a hurricane, the town is switching its staffing from a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) group to a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Hoffer said the staffing is determined by the Chief of Police (John B. Garcia).

            Health Agent Dave Flaherty has attended weekly COVID-19 meetings and emergency management meetings. He said Marion Police and Fire departments will lead the way in training for CERT volunteers.

            In his Health Agent’s Report, Flaherty said that, while general spraying was completed by Plymouth County on August 10, homeowners can still call 781-585-5450 and get their yards sprayed.

            Statewide, there have been four human positive tests for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus and 57 EEE-infected mosquitos found. Marion remains a low-risk town for EEE and West Nile virus threats, but neighboring Rochester and Wareham are considered high risk and Carver and Middleboro are among the critical EEE towns.

            Flaherty reported having completed five routine inspections and encountered one mass complaint. He said he is working with Marion Indoor Tennis; the club wishes to open its doors in mid-October.

            He said there is an information sheet available on rabies, and an oral vaccine available in the third week of September.

            Flaherty told the board he is working on three sites for Chapter 2 violations.

            At 33 Pitcher Street, Flaherty has sent letters via certified and First Class mail without response, whereas remediation was scheduled to start at 26 Pitcher Street on September 16.

            A perennial problem at a residence on Front Street led to Building Commissioner/Zoning Officer Scott Shippey and the Marion Police to visit last week. There has been activity, but the house is for sale and the occupant is not planning to clean it up but selling as is. “It’s better than what it used to be… but not fit for human habitation,” said Flaherty.

            Hoffer said there had been an existing order as of December that the house would be demolished without good-faith efforts to remediate. “If nothing happens in a month or so, I’ll call the police department and remind them of that,” he said.

            Howard publicly thanked the press for reporting Marion’s need to establish a group of volunteers for CERT. Hoffer said that CERT is not offering any live training, but even without certification, some training and skills can be taught.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, at 4:00 pm and will be accessible via Zoom.

Marion Board of Health

By Mick Colageo

            In their public meeting held September 10, the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals quickly concluded its business and minutes from their previous meetings in order to address a complicating zoning issue on New Bedford Road. The appeal in question pertained to a request for multiple variances for approval of a lot with reduced frontage, reduction in buildable area, and reduction in lot shape.

            In a continued public hearing, William and Anita Milka came before the ZBA to present their case for the variances. Anita Milka explained that her initial process for the request involved hiring an engineer to draw up plans that would display any changes to the lot and a series of discussions with the town’s Building Department on how to proceed with her application. The plans have undergone numerous iterations since the hearing was last continued from August 27.

            William and Anita Milka’s ultimate goal is to merge a lot containing a horse barn with an adjacent lot that contains a small ranch house. William Milka explained that the current situation precludes access between the barn and the ranch house due to a series of wetlands that bisect the two lots. The merger of the two particular lots in question would allow access between the lots without having to use the road.

            Zoning Board members Richard Cutler and Peter Sullivan had the opportunity to visit the site and agreed that the current structure of the lots provides a significant inconvenience to the Milkas.

            Chairman David Arancio agreed that the layout of the lots may be inconvenient, but whether or not there is significant justification for the need of the variances was still in question. The plan for the Milkas involved reverting the shape of the lot back to a previous shape that was in use in 1995. Despite the lot in question having significant history in the town, there could be no grandfathering based on work that was done prior, meaning that the site would fall under the town’s current bylaws. Thus, a simple transition back to a previous plan would not be possible.

            Arnold Johnson, Chairman of the Rochester Planning Board, also attended the meeting to voice his apprehension surrounding the lot. According to Johnson, the lot does not meet the required two acres of land area, meaning that it would need to seek a waiver for that complication as well. Johnson suggested that land be added to the lot in order to minimize the number of waivers needed for the plan to go forward.

            Arancio continued to express his concerns that the request for the variance seemed to be based more on want rather than need. Though he expressed understanding for William and Anita’s situation, he explained that the ZBA cannot grant variances without sufficient justification.

            William Milka admitted that he was not entirely familiar with how the Zoning board works through its decisions, but argued that the variances should be granted based on safety concerns and the financial burden for seeking different solutions. According to William Milka, the alternate solutions provided would require a complete reconstruction of the fence that lines his property. Additionally, the lack of variances would require continued use of the nearby road for access to the barn, posing a potential safety hazard.

            Unable to provide more justification for the variances at that time, both William and Anita Milka decided that the best course of action would be to continue the hearing to allow ample time for them to determine which variances were absolutely necessary. The ZBA agreed that a continuance would be best and advised the Milkas to determine which of the variances they should seek based on a want-versus-need scenario.

            Town Counsel Blair Bailey explained to the Milkas that a smaller number of variances needed almost always improves the possibility of the Zoning board’s approval. Further, a smaller number of requests for variance would allow them to strengthen their arguments for the variances that are absolutely vital to the plan.

            With that, William and Anita Milka requested a continuance of their hearing with the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals to the next meeting set to take place on Thursday, September 24.

Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals

By Matthew Donato

Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals

By Matthew Donato