He might not have the position of town administrator listed on his resume, but James “Jay” McGrail had enough relevant experience for the Marion Board of Selectmen to make haste on April 8 and offer McGrail the job as Marion’s new town administrator.

            McGrail, a resident of Sandwich, told the board he was honored to be called in as a finalist for an interview, and described his 15 years as the director of operations for a municipal recreational facility, his one term on the Sandwich School Committee, and his current position as the director of facilities for Sandwich Public Schools.

            It was during his employment at the Town of Hingham-owned South Shore Country Club that McGrail said he found his vocation in municipal management.

            “That job helped me realize that one of the passions I have is municipal government,” said McGrail. “It was no question; I went to that [position] as a golf course guy and left … as a municipal manager.”

            It was during this time that he gained experience in operating budgets, enterprise funds, working closely with other department heads, growing revenue, preparing agendas for the country club committee, learning about municipal law, project procurement, policy setting, and town meetings.

            After a term as a school committee member during which he gained experience in contract negotiations, strategic planning, and building budgets, McGrail said he was recruited by that school district’s superintendent to fill the position of director of facilities, gaining further experience in employee management in project oversight. He also oversees the daily operations of the individual wastewater treatment plants located at each school, of which there are three, and it was this direct experience that only McGrail had of the three finalists interviewed that day. McGrail has even been going up against the Department of Environmental Protection with similar issues as the Town of Marion has with the DEP.

            “All that experience … has guided me to the reality that what I want to be is a municipal manager,” said McGrail. In fact, he added, the Sandwich town manager has helped McGrail in guiding his career path, and McGrail has earned an MMA-Suffolk Certificate in Local Government Leadership & Management.

            “Can you drive a trash truck?” Selectman John Waterman asked him, eliciting a chuckle amongst the selectmen of a town rife with trash truck woes.

            During his first 90 days as town administrator, McGrail said he would focus on “building a team” and developing relationships with department heads and the various boards and committees, both elected and appointed.

            “I’d develop a Monday morning meeting with key departments,” McGrail said, as a way of planning ahead for each week. “I’m not going to say any ridiculous statement like I will make a lot of changes right away, but what I want is to develop those relationships … so, when we work together on these complex problems, we’re all coming from the same side of the table.”

            McGrail said he would also like to act fast to make the Town’s website more robust with more in-depth information to foster transparency, and he might even include a few podcasts for downloading.

            McGrail said he believes in open communication with the townspeople and said his door would “always be open.”

            “At the end of the day, you can’t make everybody happy,” McGrail said, “but you can listen to people’s concerns, respond – even if it’s just a quick email. … It goes a long way. I get complimented quite a bit on my responsiveness to emails and how accessible I am to people, and I think that helps people feel more confident. … Hear them out and listen to their concerns.

            Marion has some unique potential for business development, thinks McGrail, especially if mixed-use commercial and residential is embraced.

            “You don’t want to lose ‘Marion’; it’s why people live here,” McGrail commented – of course, he added, the wastewater treatment plant and the availability of municipal sewer to new business would have to be sorted first.

            “None of this stuff is going be quick fixes, but, if we can show progress across the board, that would be great,” said Waterman.

            After the interviews and with the board’s employment consultant Bernie Lynch on hand, the decision to hire McGrail seemed imminent.

            “After listening to all three of them, I guess I would gravitate towards Jay as the most significant candidate,” said Selectmen Chairman Norm Hills. “The presentation – he’s done a lot of the things we need.”

            “He came across stronger than he looked on paper,” said Waterman.

            McGrail was initially overlooked as a finalist, but after one of the two finalists withdrew from consideration two weeks ago, the committee tasked with searching for a new town administrator revisited their short stack of qualifying applicants.

            Hills said he was impressed by McGrail, and Selectman Randy Parker added, “I kind of like Jay, myself. I think he’s anxious to get into municipal government. It sounds like he’s willing to learn.”

            “Should we take a vote?” Hills asked.

            “Oh, definitely,” said the eager-to-retire Town Administrator Paul Dawson.

            Parker suggested setting up contract negotiations right away, because, “We have to make sure the steps are immediate. I’m not so sure, he might be a finalist in another town.”

            Lynch confirmed that yes, indeed, McGrail has been chosen as a finalist for another town.

            “Let’s call him,” Dawson said, sounding even more eager.

            At that, vote to hire McGrail was swift and unanimous.

            The board also interviewed former Aquinnah Town Administrator Adam Wilson and Barnstable Treasurer Debra Blanchette.

            McGrail’s employment is subject to successful contract negotiations that will begin on Thursday, April 11 during an afternoon executive session.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

            It’s no small task to prepare financial documents, warrant articles, bylaw language, and numerous departmental budgets in advance of the Annual Town Meeting. Mattapoisett Town Hall has been buzzing with action as department heads and committees get ready for the big night on May 3 at 6:30 pm in the ORRHS auditorium.

            On April 3, the Finance Committee sat down with Administrator of Assessing Kathleen Costello, whose duties also include managing the information technology systems utilized by town departments.

            One major software package was discussed – Geographic Information System Mapping Technology, known as GIS.

            Costello said the program was being successfully used by the Building Department and the Accessor’s Office. GIS integrates data allowing real-time information exchanges. She said that while staff members are out in the field performing various functions, GIS gives them timely critical data via handheld tablets. Also using the system with great success is the harbormaster’s office, she added.

            The GIS costs around $24,500 Costello said. With the addition of the Board of Health and other upgrades, costs would rise to approximately $54,000. In-house technical expertise has been instrumental in keeping costs reasonable, she added, and Costello envisions a point in the future when the Police and Fire Departments might also be tied into the program.

            Also meeting with the Finance Committee on this night was Highway Superintendent Barry Denham. While a wide range of needs, projects, and projections were discussed, things got a bit bogged down when Denham brought up the maintenance needs of the Town Barn located on Mendell Road.

            Previous town meetings had appropriated funds for some items like new windows and wash down drainage, and some of the appropriations have been used while about $217,000 has not.    According to Denham, a complete building improvement program that includes pending upgrades and other needed renovations were estimated at $600,000 by Cape Building Systems; however, FinCom didn’t understand why the unspent money wasn’t subtracted from that sum.

            “It important to cost the balance of the work,” versus including work previously identified and appropriated, Town Administrator Michael Gagne said.

            Of road improvement projects for which the town had anticipated receiving Massachusetts Department of Transportation funding, Gagne said, “Most projects have been kicked into 2023.” That included the village streets improvements proposed for Main, Water, and Beacon Streets.

            On April 5, the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen talked numbers holding a working meeting to discuss the ORR School Committee’s proposal for a $2 million bonding request for improvements to outdoor athletic fields and the auditorium lighting, with Marion picking up 28 percent of the costs, Mattapoisett 34 percent, and Rochester 36 percent, figures based on student enrollment, according to Gagne.

            Gagne said it was necessary to have that request processed through Capital Planning and ranked with other needs presented on the 10-year investment plan. Selectman Jordan Collyer also questioned if the project had been cycled through the ORR capital needs process.

            There are still questions that need answering, said Gagne, and those questions will be sent to the ORR School Committee via letter. He plans on asking them to meet with the Capital Planning Committee to ascertain where this proposal ranks in the ORR Capital Plan.

            The Selectmen expressed concern that a project of this size would have a negative financial impact in spite of the shared costs.

            “It’s a borrowing that will require a two-thirds vote,” Gagne explained, saying that all three towns would have to agree. “My feeling is it is going to be a debt service,” he stated, adding, “you do not have the capital in the levy to fund this.”

            Mattapoisett Library Director Susan Pizzolato brought forward some library personnel needs, and she explained that the library and the community would benefit from the hiring of a paraprofessional, a position that had formally been part of the library structure, but was split into two part-time positions. She expressed the importance of service continuity, especially with needed computer upgrades and ongoing management of consumer accounts.

            “We have two floors and are open 43 hours a week,” she said of the demands on her staff. “I’m not proposing to keep all my part-time positions,” she explained, but she said needed to plan on how to best to serve a community with increasing needs. Part-time positions are currently paid $17.30 per hour. The full-time paraprofessional was estimated at $20.25.

            Pizzolato also said that she wished to have the library open on Monday evenings to better serve the needs of the community. This would also allow the library to receive intra-library deliveries with greater expedience.

            Another department coming before the selectmen with personnel needs was Jacki Coucci, director of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging (COA).

            Coucci said the position of full-time Administrative Coordinator is still vacant, but that several strong resumes had been received. She also said that she wished to upgrade the front desk staffing from senior volunteers to a part-time staff member. Although the work performed by the seniors had been appreciated and well done, she expressed concerns that the discrepancies in skill levels made it difficult to provide adequate customer service. And while she wished to have at least one senior helping to staff the front desk, a professional part-time clerk was warranted, said Coucci. Hourly wages were estimated at $14,231.

            In other areas of the department, Coucci pointed out the increasing demand of COA services, especially for rides to medical appointments.

            Earlier in the evening, Carlos DaSousa, chairman of the Marine Advisory Board (MAB), presented a committee report intended to demonstrate how the Waterfront Enterprise Fund could support the hiring of a full-time harbormaster.

            The MAB drafted the FY20 budget that included a full-time harbormaster, four part-time assistant harbormasters, one wharfinger, and expanded hours of service at approximately $183,450, an increase of $98,650 from FY19, which DaSousa assured the selectmen could be funded by the enterprise fund.       DaSousa explained that revenue for FY19 will come in at $223,517 and FY20 projections should land at approximately $271,317.

            Selectman Paul Silva expressed concern that 50 percent of the budget is salaries, “And that goes up every year, but fees don’t go up every year,” Silva said.

            The selectmen agreed that some staffing adjustments could bring down personnel costs.

            On the matter of staffing the new pump-out boat with costs for that operation being covered up to 75 percent by the state, DaSousa said the town’s share would be about $16,688. The issue of hiring additional staff was debated with Collyer, who said the new full-time harbormaster and their staff will be expected to perform those duties.

            “Part of the point was to get staff out on the water,” Collyer said, adding that at the end of the first year, the MAB and Harbormaster could review staffing needs.

            Gagne said tracking expenses through the boating season would help to establish manpower needs. 

             “Once we have a full-time harbormaster, we’ll be eligible for grants,” said Collyer.

            While wrapping up his comments, Gagne said a meeting had been held with the Finance Committee and the Conservation Commission on the topic of adding new fees for services, and he confirmed that the town could do so without a local wetlands bylaw.

            According to Gagne, a 1997 state law allows cities and towns to set fees for specific services that benefited individuals. He said he would work with town counsel to develop a warrant article asking the voters to allow the Conservation Commission to develop a fee schedule for requests for determinations of applicability and certificates of compliance, as well as other in-field services. He said the department currently cannot cover its own $62,000 annual operating costs.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee will be meeting on April 10 at 5:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell