The Town House looks like a meteor landed at its front door, but the project donated by the Sippican Historical Society at a potential cost of $250,000 is one of many moving parts that can or cannot be seen as Marion tries to beat the clock in a number of matters crucial to the community.

            The Marion Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday at the Music Hall, where plans for key events in October and November were rolled out.

            The selectmen voted to close Spring Street between Cottage Street and Main Street from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Saturday, October 17, for the long-awaited unveiling of the Elizabeth Taber Statue.

            Meantime, Town Administrator Jay McGrail talked with Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and arrived at a plan to hold the November 9 Special Town Meeting at the ORR High School auditorium with the gymnasium and cafeteria as storage spaces.

            “Sippican (School) wouldn’t have enough space,” said McGrail, who said typical attendance for a special town meeting ranges between 90 and 160 people. ORR can host over 100 people. “This will probably be on the low side. If we hit the 60 (or) 70 number at Sippican, we’d have trouble.”

            The meeting will be held at 6:45 pm on November 9, and McGrail said the bylaw says it can be held anywhere in the Tri-Town. ORR is situated on Route 6 just over the line into Mattapoisett.

            Among items on the agenda for November 9 will be discussion and vote on Marion’s withdrawal from the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District. A town meeting vote is required before January 1 in order to do so.

            Later in Tuesday’s meeting, McGrail would note that the inaugural meeting of Water/Sewer Commissioners is scheduled for Thursday, September 24. The first part will address water and the second part sewer.

            Donna Hemphill appeared before the selectmen at a 4:10 pm appointment to discuss an outdoor Veterans Day Ceremony for Wednesday, November 11. Because the state has opened up, albeit with limits and capacities, Marion is taking its opportunity to do something more. “Donna’s done a great job coming up with a hybrid event,” said McGrail.

            “We can’t do the normal thing,” said Hemphill, but there will be a plan weather permitting for an event at Old Landing. “We’re working on details.”

            In building a presentation around a luncheon for veterans, Hemphill suggested Board of Selectmen Chairperson Randy Parker as master of ceremonies, adding a guest speaker, and laying a wreath.

            The work recently done by Jodie Dickinson and Karen Gregory with lunches at the Council on Aging and the approval of the Board of Health functions to inform how to put together tables at safe, social distance. Veterans planning to attend would respond in advance. The COA will handle the luncheon; Hemphill will organize the ceremony.

            “The main idea behind this is we wanted to find a way to honor the veterans… I think we can pull it off,” said McGrail, who said he will consider scenarios in the event of rain.

            “Rain or shine outside, we would have a number of tents set up,” said Hemphill. “Hopefully, it won’t be too cold. I think it’s important for us to continue the tradition that the VFW set up.”

            As for the Special Town Meeting, the selectmen will vote to close the warrant at their Tuesday, September 29 meeting to be held at Sippican School. The meeting is being held there to accommodate an expected crowd for the joint meeting with the Marion Marine Resources Commission at which the latter will present the Harbormaster’s Facility Feasibility Study. The meeting will also address the MOSAC Open Space article for the Special Town Meeting. McGrail said he will send the draft of the warrant to the selectmen by Friday, September 25.

            In other action items, the board approved several Music Hall-related requests.

            Marcus Monteiro was appointed to the Music Hall Advisory Committee.

            The Music Hall Advisory Committee made requests regarding funds from the Music Hall Endowment Account and from the Music Hall Restoration Trust Account.

            The first request is to set up an account with a minimum of $10,000 and a $15,000 cap in the Town Trust “to take care of things,” said McGrail, who met with Judy Rosbe from Sippican Historical Trust. “We fund an employee through that account… so we know we’ll have the funds.”

            The second request is for an annual contribution of $300 for maintenance from the Music Hall Restorations Trust Account earmarked for annual planting. This is not for town maintenance, but annual capital expenditures.

            The third request is for an amount not to exceed $5,000 to repair the brick walkway out front of the Music Hall.

            All the requests were approved, and any discussion of the area around the Music Hall brings up the issue of the crosswalk on Front Street that ends in the middle of the intersection with Island Wharf Road.

            “The crosswalks need fixing,” said selectman Norm Hills, to which selectman John Waterman agreed. “It makes no sense,” he said, calling it “the crosswalk to nowhere.”

            Discussion ensued as well on the location of the sign outside the Music Hall.

            The board approved the appointment of Minhtram Tran to the Marion Affordable Housing Trust. “Looks like she’d be a big helper,” said Hills, who had met Tran as a member of the Affordable Housing Trust.

            Water/sewer commitments from September 16-17 included $400 for new service, $5,327.68 for quarterly bill, $4,151.41 for final reading. All three were approved by the board.

            Selectmen’s goals that were on Tuesday’s agenda will be shared as an action item in next week’s meeting.

            Marion will hold its first-ever Flu Clinic at the Community Center from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Thursday, October 8. The event was proposed by Lori Desmarais, the new public health nurse. The flu clinic functions as a dry run at a test for COVID-19 inoculation.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, at 7:00 pm at Sippican School auditorium.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo

            The secret sauce to Daniel Gibbs Jr. legalizing his effort to hang a sign for his roofing business on his father’s property at 459 Mill Street was ironically in withdrawing the application for the sign.

            The prior application with the Marion Planning Board, officially filed by Daniel Gibbs Sr. for a Special Permit on the basis of home occupancy, was withdrawn. In its place during Monday night’s public hearing was an application filed by Gibbs Sr. under Sections 230-7 and 230-4.2K of the town’s bylaws for use of a contractor’s yard.

            The approval, which followed substantial discussion with board members and abutter Ryan Cusick of 55 Mill Street, allows Gibbs Jr. to request permission from Building Commissioner Scott Shippey to erect a sign.

            Cusick, who pointed out at the prior hearing that Gibbs Jr. does not live at 459 Mill Street, sought in Monday’s hearing an answer as to the potential for Gibbs’ business with the Special Permit.

            “Can it become an office, a showroom, what are the other parameters? What does it mean?” asked Cusick, who described himself as a descendant of a common grandfather with Gibbs Jr.

            Gibbs Jr. insisted there will be no change in use of the property where he said he stores two dumpster trucks and parks a personal vehicle. There is no shop building, no employees or no materials on site.

            Town Manager Gil Hilario stressed that the Special Permit “does not allow him, development. just the definition.” And the definition gives Gibbs Sr. the ability to seek Shippey’s approval to hang a sign.

            While studying the size, location, and potential impact of the sign as previously proposed, board member Eileen Marum discovered that the selected location is publicly owned property. Furthermore, she cited Section 230-6.2 D1c of the town’s bylaws that limits the size of a free-standing sign in the selected district to not more than 12 square feet. The sign was originally proposed at 20 square feet, a dimension Marum disputed at the time, saying it actually covered 38 square feet and would block the view of drivers exiting Mill Street into Route 6 traffic.

            Marum also pointed out that Gibbs originally wanted lights on his sign, potentially posing a problem for an abutter since the sign will not be out by the street but back on his property.

            Member Chris Collins, meanwhile, stated that he visited the site and said there is already sign up and asked Gibbs Jr. about it. Gibbs Jr. said the sign was related to work being done, but Collings said it had been there all along.

            All matters pertaining to the business sign now fall under Shippey’s purview. Chairperson Will Saltonstall said Gibbs Sr. “will have to provide an application that shows Mr. Shippey he is meeting the bylaw.”

            Cusick also reiterated his problem with the Planning Board’s tacit acceptance of Gibbs Jr. representing the applicant, his father.

            “If (Gibbs Jr.) can provide a legal letter that he is speaking on behalf of the property owner … one has to have the legal right as a property owner,” said Saltonstall.

            Board member Norm Hills noted that, “Engineers do it all the time” while representing their clients at public hearings and it is readily accepted.

            Board member Andrew Daniel made a motion to approve the Special Permit.

            Cusick continued his questioning, focusing on the implications of a contractor’s yard. “We just want to know the legality down the road,” he said.

            After Hills noted that special permits do not transfer to future property owners, the board voted its unanimous approval.

            Daniel also congratulated Gibbs Jr. on the recent birth of his child.

            A continued preliminary subdivision application filed by Todd Zell on County Road took an unplanned turn when it was decided that all parties preferred the road remain unpaved and private.

            Plans for a cul de sac will be altered to a hammerhead shape in keeping with the preference of Fire Chief Brian Jackvony.

            “It almost seems foolish to pave the road, it’s two lots. I would prefer to not meet the town requirements and have it remain a private road,” said Zell.

            Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone Inc. was a busy man at Monday’s meeting, as Zell was among four cases that Davignon represented.

            Davignon had arrived with a plan in place meant to appease Jackvony’s requirements for mobility in and out and, at the same time, use Cape Cod berms instead of curbstone so that the paved road can be 18 feet wide (in keeping with zoning regulations) and not necessarily the 20 feet requested by Jackvony.

            Now it turns out the road will remain gravel and private. Hills recommended Davignon follow up with the fire chief “to make sure he agrees” with the revised plan.

            Hills’ lingering concern was that the town not get stuck maintaining a road that chose not to meet town requirements.

            Davignon also presented on behalf of Dan Crete, whose business Saltworks Marine was a tenant of Marion’s when the town-owned property on Atlantis Avenue.

            A few months ago, Crete bought property at 288 Wareham Street, where he is looking in the immediate to create space for winter storage of boats for one, no more than two, seasons while planning for the site long term.

            “I want to take my time (with long-term plans for the land). We want to keep running the business,” explained Crete, who has customers he would like to service this winter and raise the needed revenue to put long-term plans into place. “We’re a little late with our hat in our hand trying to make this happen.”

            Davignon explained that it is crucial that the project be on Concom’s October 19 meeting agenda in order to procure that winter boat-storage business. He had 85 customers last year.

            On his side, according to Davignon, is Crete’s property is uphill in the flood zone and not in danger of affecting it. No work will be done on the site. A workshop exists across the street from the proposal. The building will be anchored by a dozen 6,000-pound Jersey barriers.

            The Planning Board took no vote, but after many questions, members had no concerns.

            “To clarify, we’re hoping to get the application submitted and have a vote on October 19. It’s asking a lot,” admitted Crete, who hopes for a yeah but also needs a negative vote for planning purposes.

            Saltonstall advised him to complete his application as soon as possible. “Make sure your neighbors are on board so you’re not going to be surprised,” he told Crete.

            The board voted to approve two Approval Not Required (ANR) cases, both represented by Davignon.

            Saltonstall recused himself due to conflict for the plan on Wareham Street by Marion Lands Trust, LLC. Daniel took over discussion of the reshaping of a triangular lot to combine with adjacent land.

            The ANR Plan at 366 and 365 Delano Road saw long-time resident Thomas O. Dexter and recent arrival T. Stephen Downs swap evenly matched, 720 square foot triangular corners of their yards so that Downs could expand what had been a very narrow piece of beachfront.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for October 5.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo