There was no hesitation for the Marion Board of Selectmen in selecting the town’s next superintendent of the Department of Public Works – David Willett, with his “been there, done that” experience, as Chairman Norm Hills put it, in leading a department exactly where Marion hopes to go with its own DPW.

            It sounded uncanny, the events that led up to Willett’s Friday, March 29 interview as one of two finalists – leaving the Denver, Colorado suburb of Northglenn after 20 years in the field, in both private sector consulting and in municipal management, back to his native Massachusetts to discover Marion’s seemingly tailored-for-him position seeking exactly the experience Willet has to offer.

            Amidst a steady stream of misfortune on the public works front, Willett gave the Board of Selectmen something to smile about – the perfect combination of enthusiasm and experience the board wanted.

            “In general, I’ve done just about everything this town is going through now,” said Willett. “I could lend a good quantity of expertise and guide you through some of this stuff.”

            Willett’s prior position involved nearly identical upgrades to a lagoon-based wastewater treatment facility like Marion’s, the reorganization of a DPW, establishing a software-driven work order system, overhauling a solid waste curbside pickup and transfer station system, sewer infiltration and inflow identification and reduction, and capital planning – all at the top of the priority list for Marion.

            And that is all in addition to his enduring devotion to the Red Sox and the Patriots, a “prerequisite” of sorts, Town Administrator Paul Dawson joked, and Selectman John Waterman couldn’t resist expressing his affinity for another guy with a receding hairline.

            Willett was familiar with the town’s recent report from its DPW organizational study and remarked on how he found it to be “a pretty decent report as a whole”, further commenting, “I’d love to be able to help you with some of this stuff.”

            Willett and his wife moved into the house they built in Carver a few years ago, which they rented out while still living in Colorado. After relocating, Willett said he soon started looking for a position in his field of work and found Marion’s employment posting.

            “I saw this job and said, ‘Holy cow it’s just what I was doing,’ and it intrigued me,” Willett said.

            “You guys have got a lot of stuff going on,” said Willett. “You’ve got some really good stuff coming up.”

            The board was ready to take a vote within moments after Willett, the second interview that day, left the room.

            The board also interviewed Ed Buckley of Rochester, the current DPW director for the Town of Raynham.

            Waterman said it was clear to him that Willett had the scope of experience the town needed.

            “Not only that, but the specificity of it,” said Hills.

            “He was by far the strongest candidate,” said Waterman. “I just hope we can keep someone like that for a while.”

            “I was impressed by what he knew … as it relates to the challenges we face and the fact that he’s ‘been there, done that,’” Hills said.

            Willet was offered the position, pending successful contract negotiations with Willett for the six-figure salary position.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

Mattapoisett’s Board of Selectmen discussed the need to try and find new ways to offset expenses associated with providing specific services – services that, by and large, benefit individuals or business entities versus the community.

            On March 26, the selectmen and Town Administrator Michael Gagne began a conversation on fees currently collected for services rendered and services that might be ripe for imposing a fee. The plan is to build in new fees to help offset operating costs.

            Gagne outlined the phases of construction and associated inspections required for building homes and other structures, saying, “It’s very individualized.” The services – site visits, plumbing and electrical inspections, and construction site inspections all require special services. But, beyond those expected with construction projects, there are other services provided by other town agencies equal in importance, but currently not offset by fees.

            Gagne said that he wanted to look at the Conservation Commission, as well as the Recreation Department. He continued his thought by adding that currently, before construction activities are permitted, a Request For Determination of Applicability (RDA) or a Notice of Intent (NOI) must be filed with the Conservation Commission. Of those two permits, only the NOI charges a fee on $100 that is then split with the Commonwealth.

            Selectman Paul Silva asked Gagne what the operating expenses were for the Conservation Commission, to which Gagne replied, “The agent and the clerk are both part-time, but salaries plus office expenses are $65,000.” He said the agent spends 90-percent of her time assisting people with all manners of wetland-related issues. When asked how much money the commission currently had on the books Gagne said “about $5,000.”

            Regarding the issue of whether or not a town could impose conservation fees without having a local wetlands bylaw, Gagne said it most likely is possible.

            “I’m having town counsel look into that, but I think all we have to do is have a bylaw for the fee,” Gagne said.

            Selectman Tyler Macallister asked how many NOI s and RDAs are applied for annually, and Gagne said that data and data on fees charged by other cities and town would be discussed during the March 27 Finance Committee meeting.

            Silva thought, if the Building Department was successfully covering 80 percent or more of its operating costs, then that might be the goal for all town agencies providing services.

            “It’s not right that the average person should pick up the costs,” Silva opined. He also asked Gagne to look into whether or not the set NOI fee could be raised.

            Continuing on the theme of fees, Gagne said that while the community was the host town for many community-wide events, there were other events that had singular beneficiaries. Of this later category, he said there is an “exhaustive list” of organizations and individuals petitioning to hold events in Mattapoisett, but who do not pay the town a fee to do so.

            “I want to make it clear,” Gagne stated, “I’m not talking about certain community events; but others, yes.”

            During his updates, Gagne said the Fire Department Building Committee is on track, and the committee selected Context of Boston for the architecture while project management will be handled by Vertex of Weymouth, said Selectman Jordan Collyer, who was attending the meeting via remote connection. Gagne said the committee is close to presenting costs estimates in preparation for the May Town Meeting.

            Silva said he also wants to present Town Meeting with the value of the old fire station as the town considers the real possibility of putting the property up for sale and using the revenue to offset construction of the new fire station. Gagne told Silva that type of language would be in the Town Meeting appropriation article for the firehouse construction. It would also ask that the Board of Selectmen be granted authority to advertise the property and manage the sale.

            Collyer felt it was critically important that Town Meeting be presented with this financial information, to which Silva concurred, “It’s appropriate to let the public know what we plan on doing.”

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for April 9 at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

            Scott Snow, represented by G. deJesus of Prime Engineering, came before the Mattapoisett Conversation Commission March 25 meeting with a Notice of Intent application for a five-lot subdivision located at 6 and 8 Prospect Road and the construction of a private way named Parsons Lane.

            The scope of the proposed subdivision includes the movement of an existing home and the development of two new lots. The subdivision would also include other existing homes, bringing the subdivision total to five residences. Unclear at the present time, however, is how the residences would handle sanity requirements – would it be by tying into the municipal sewer system or by private septic systems?

            According to deJesus, test pits had not been dug, nor had any approval been sought from the Board of Health; those plans, he said, would be developed later if necessary. As of now, no meeting with the Water and Sewer Commission has been set.

            With so much still undecided, Chairman Mike King asked, ”We’re kind of in a Catch-22 situation – how can we approve a plan we don’t know?”

            The property in question currently held two sewer betterments, so a plan to tie all five homes was viable, stated deJesus. But, absent any conclusion from the Water & Sewer Department, no further plans were in play.

            King said, given that the issue of sewer capacity is not a sure thing, the Water & Sewer Commission would approve new services. Furthermore, the conceptual plans have not received any comments from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and, said King, although he thinks the overall project is a good one, without fully crafted plans for the sanity needs of the residences, the commission couldn’t render a decision on what was being presented, namely stormwater management designs.

            Snow came forward saying he had “just wanted to talk” about the project and receive feedback from the commission; he hadn’t anticipated receiving conditioning on this night.

            Regarding the stormwater management system deJesus put forward, the commission found no issues, with King saying that a detention pond on the site was a good plan for allowing water to recharge slowly into the ground.

            “I walk down that way and it is notoriously wet,” said King.

            Highway Superintendent Barry Denham asked that the commission consider hiring a peer review consultant, and deJesus said that the Planning Board had already hired one. The Planning Board will meet with Snow during its April 1 meeting.

            The commission continued Snow’s discussion until April 15.

            Also coming before the board was Mike Huguenin of the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT) with a Request For Determination of Applicability for the Hammond Quarry property located off Mattapoisett Neck Road.

            The MLT had waited months for clearance from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife regarding the presence of endangered species. The MLT plans to construct a walking trail through the parcel, remove fallen trees, and install 80 to 160 feet of ‘bog boards’ across sections of standing water or deep mud.

            A letter dated March 13 from the Division approved of the project so long as the MLT followed certain conditions including the use of hand tools exclusively, the installation of turtle protection in the proposed parking area, and if work was to occur between July 2 and April 14 at any time in the future, the applicant would file a turtle protection plan and that the plan would be prepared by a qualified biologist. Furthermore, any plants used for restoration must be of a native variety.

            The project received a Negative 3 determination from the commission, allowing the project to move forward.

            Wetlands located a bit further down Mattapoisett Neck Road were discussed earlier in the evening when Joe Costa of the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program came before the commission with an RDA for a multi-year study of marshlands. Costa described the study, which will include the installation of sighting poles along the marsh.

            “We want to determine what is happening with the saltmarsh,” Costa said, adding that crab species and other wildlife would be studied and recorded as well.

            Costa said the area has already experienced the impact of sea levels rising.

            The project received a Negative 3 determination.

            The commission approved the Notice of Intent for Timothy Soule, 9 Central Drive, for the construction of a new home, while one filed by Paula Coffey, 64 Shore Drive, was continued until April 15 pending complete engineered drawings of the foundation of the proposed new home.

            Howard Rottler, 23 Channel Street, received RDA approval for the construction of a wheelchair lift, and Jeffrey Roberts, 5 Woodlawn Avenue, was approved for the renovation of a deck.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for April 15 at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Conversation Commission

By Marilou Newell