On Tuesday night, the Marion Select Board met to vote on a long list of action items, but the board’s acceptance of the warrant for the November 24 Special Town Meeting was preceded by a critical response toward the Citizens Petition submitted by resident Andrew Daniel. With 120 signatures, the petition will nonetheless appear on the warrant.

            Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman read from the petition, which states, “The town will vote to authorize and direct the Marion Water Department to establish policy permitting property owners to install, at their own expense, a secondary meter for outdoor water usage, such as non-irrigation, gardening, feeding of livestock, swimming pools, or other non-sewer activities.” Gorman continued, “It also included additional guidance on permitting inspections, billing and fees, and administration and oversight. The petition asks for a change of water and sewer regulations to allow us to separately install and build [secondary] meters.”

            Select Board member Norm Hills said he believed it was “generally not a good idea in my opinion” to which the other board members, and the town administrator, agreed. Referring to the next 20 years, Hills added, “we’re going to sewer up a lot more of the town.”

            Daniel, the petitioner and Planning Board chair, responded, saying the idea was “consistent with what Mattapoisett and Fairhaven do.” Discussions over the town’s large sewer deficit would linger, with the board arguing this petition would exacerbate the town’s sewer debts.

            The board would agree, with Gorman, that they did not support the measure, and Hills added, “we’re not here trying to screw the town (homeowners), we’re trying to make sure the town stays financially stable.” The town administrator would argue “a citizens petition is a hammer, and everything looks like a nail.”

            The board agreed to cease discussions and move on, where they would finally agree to accept the Fall Town Meeting Warrant as written, including the Citizens Petition.

            The meeting also included some appointments, a Front Street art project, and the Main Street/Front Street stop sign.

            The board began the evening by continuing a Public Hearing scheduled for a dog complaint at 116 Dexter Road. Owner Angela Brodeau could not make the meeting, so the hearing was continued to the board’s October 28 meeting.

            Next, Richard DePina was recognized by the Select Board for his years of service to Marion’s young students. DePina served as a crossing guard for 16 years at Sippican Elementary School, with Police Chief Richard Nighelli publicly thanking him for his dedication and hard work.

            The chief wasn’t done. Next, he spoke on behalf of three officers being appointed as student police officers. Peter O’Brien, Brandon Cardelli and Robert Caldas were all confirmed for this role by the board. They will all begin training in the coming weeks.

            Finally for Nighelli, he requested the appointment of retiring Police officer Edward Johnson as special police officer. Though he is retiring, Johnson would like to work details and, with the Select Board’s unanimous approval, will be able to.

            The Select Board then approved the appointment of Natalie Burgo to both the Conservation Commission and the Parks & Tree Committee. Candidate Vin Malkoski was not present, but the board still appointed him to the Stewards of Community Open Space.

            Mike Malone then presented his ideas for an art installation down Front Street. The proposed project would see Malone paint six 30×30-inch nautical flags, each representing a different letter to spell out “Marion.” Malone’s presentation was of interest to all Select Board members, with Gorman agreeing to work with Malone to make a more concrete plan. Malone did say he would like to complete the art installation before the winter holidays and annual Marion Village Christmas Stroll.

            The Marion Fall Town Meeting will be held on Monday, November 24 at 6:45 pm at Sippican Elementary School.

Marion Select Board

By Sam Bishop

            During the October 4 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board, candidates for the position of Building Commissioner were interviewed.

            Ken Murphy of Sagamore Beach told the board he had been a building commissioner for six years. Presently Murphy is the building commissioner for the town of Bourne. Murphy also shared that he has held the position of building inspector for the towns of Harwich and Dennis.

            Murphy said that he was proud of the work he had done in other communities, especially those communities that had expanded commercial activities. He emphasized that he was not only familiar with FEMA, but that the Town of Bourne is completely mapped by FEMA as a flood zone.

            Murphy said he can help guide property owners through the process of securing permitting for commercial structures, which will help Mattapoisett as the town looks for new commercial expansion possibilities.

            A well-known figure to those that follow the town’s School Committee, James Muse, also met with the board on this night to discuss what he would bring to the position of building commissioner.

            Muse detailed his extensive experience in construction. His resume lists his current position as a Rehabilitation Specialist for the City of New Bedford, which includes structuring programs for the city’s Section 8 housing and attending various public meetings to explain designs. Muse also discussed his work as a construction manager for the Homes for Our Troops Organization.

            While the board was impressed with both candidates, they said the need for a building commissioner outweighed other factors and thusly plan to offer the position to Murphy.

            In other business, shell fishing was opened for the season. Check the town’s website for details.

            Faust Fiore was appointed to the Bike Path Committee, a one-day liquor license was permitted to St. Anthony for their parish dinner, and the board approved a Santa 5K race for MS on December 6.

            It was announced that Community Preservation grant applications are now available from the town’s website. The annual Halloween Costume Contest will be held in Shipyard Park on October 31 at 6:00 pm.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco noted that there wasn’t any pressing business before the voters now, nothing that would warrant a Fall Town Meeting. He said that certified cash was pending and that there weren’t any budget issues that required voters’ participation.

            As the meeting was drawing to a close, from the back of the conference room an unidentified speaker asked the board when they would make a decision on the Board of Health vacancy. Select Board Chair Tyler Macallister said to hold a meeting to make that decision required a joint meeting of the board and the BOH with quorums coming together from both boards. “Do you see anyone here from the Board of Health?” he replied.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board was not announced upon adjournment.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

            The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals met on Thursday, October 2 following an Executive Session to discuss litigation strategy regarding Heron Cove Estates LLC vs. Marion Zoning Board of Appeals through Plymouth Superior Court.

            ZBA Chair Cindy Callow moved to discuss a variance for the modified application from Heron Cove Estates which would allow single-family dwelling units on the 17-acre plot on Wareham Road (Route 6) with a density not exceeding 3-to-4 units per acre.

            Attorney Mark Bobrowski represented Heron Cove Estates LLC and began by asking the board if there was anything in the planned draft that troubled them. He added, “I understand that there’s a considerable difference between the amount per unit that was being contributed before and the amount being contributed now.”

            Upon discussion, board member Danielle Engwert stated “most things were resolved” in prior talks. Member Dana Nilson stated “originally, we had approved a 40B project and we went through an exhausting process and came to an agreement that everyone was satisfied with.” He added, “now we’re doing something completely different.” He expressed his concern, stating he believed the proposed variance detracts from the intent of town bylaws. He later reiterated, saying “I believe our approval of this will seriously detract from the intent of the bylaw, and I don’t know a way around that…”

            Following this, Bobrowski asked the chair for her opinions, to which Callow responded she believes there is still a 3-2 split in the voting members of the board who feel the same way. At this time, Bobrowski asked his counsel to step into the hallway to discuss. After the private discussion, Bobrowski and the petitioners returned, with Bobrowski saying “we are back, we’d like to hear what you talked about.” Chair Callow quickly responded, “We didn’t talk. We talked about the Red Sox, we talked about the Chicago Cubs, we talked about which three baseball fields – we talked about my mother. We didn’t talk about anything. We were waiting for you.”

            Bobrowski stated they had used their time to discuss the original $110,000 cap on the pump station, saying he’d like to “make a better offer” and raise it to $150,000. Zoning Board Member Margie Baldwin responded, “it’s not so much about the money for the members that are inclined to vote ‘no.’ It’s meeting the requirements of the variance.”

            Bobrowski then set out to walk through the variance process to discern where the disagreement lies, but after a short discussion on the land excavation and soil composition, Callow replied, saying “I don’t want to delay the inevitable anymore.” But rather than conducting an official vote, per Bobrowski’s request, the board held a “straw vote” to gauge opinions of the members. The board still retained a 3-2 split. Bobrowski requested a continuance, which was granted for Thursday, December 11 due to various scheduling conflicts.

            The next regular meeting of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for Thursday, October 23 at 6:30 pm in the Marion Police Department Conference Room.

Marion Zoning Board of Appeals

By Sam Bishop