Tuesday, May 15 marked the final regular Marion Board of Selectmen meeting for Selectman Roger Blanchette as he will not be seeking reelection for his position. Blanchette has worked alongside his fellow Selectmen Stephen Cushing and Jonathan Henry for the past six years.
“It has been a real pleasure working and serving with the two of you,” Blanchette said. “Thank you for the support over the past several years. We as a board have accomplished a lot.”
Blanchette announced in January that he would not be running for a third three-year term on the Board of Selectmen. He previously worked with several other boards and committees, including the Financial Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals, before being elected to the Board of Selectmen.
“You’ve been both a mentor and a tormentor,” laughed Selectmen Henry. “You have been a big help to the town. You are second to none in comparison of your knowledge, wisdom and experience.”
In other news, Jody Dickerson was pleased to announce the return of the Marion Block Party, which will be held Saturday, August 25. The party was not held last year for a multitude of reasons, Dickerson said.
This year, the Marion Recreation Department will work with the Marion Firefighters Association to hold the event, which will be held at its traditional location on Spring Street.
The party will feature a classic car show, climbing rock wall, bubble bounce, dunk tank, music and more. All proceeds raised will benefit a variety of different causes, including providing new thermal imaging equipment for the Marion Fire Department and the construction of a playground at Washburn Park.
Those interested in participating or donating are encouraged to contact Steve Gonsalves at 508-264-5852, Chris Berg at 508-776-1615 or Dickerson at 774-217-8355.
Town Administrator Paul Dawson updated the Board of Selectmen on a series of unemployment issues the town has been facing over the past year. Dawson said the town has been responsible for paying the unemployment for the town’s on-call employees such as firefighters and EMS workers.
Private companies previously laid off these on-call employees, and the town has brought them on board as on-call workers, giving them work as it is available. However, the town has been responsible for paying the unemployment for these workers instead of the companies that originally laid them off.
As a result, the town has been attending hearings in Wareham District Court and Taunton District Court, and Dawson anticipates several of these cases being overturned in the town of Marion’s favor.
The Board voted in favor of changing the alcohol serving hours at the Wave Restaurant. The new hours will allow the restaurant to start serving alcohol at 10:00 am on Sundays in order to accommodate their new brunch menu.
The Board also signed the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting, which will be held on Monday, May 21 at the Sippican Elementary School beginning at 6:45 pm.
The Marion Board of Selectmen will meet again on Tuesday, June 5 in the Marion Town House at 7:00 pm.
By Katy Fitzpatrick