During the October 9 working meeting held by the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen, the necessity of buying a new harbormaster’s boat was discussed.
Coming before Selectmen Paul Silva and Jordan Collyer was Mattapoisett Harbormaster Jay McIntosh who presented outlines on staffing and equipment needs now and into the future. But the big-ticket item, a new harbormaster’s boat, one that could more effectively handle the type of work and emergency activities encountered by McIntosh and his crew, was front and center.
McIntosh said that after meeting with the Marine Advisory Board it was clear that issues around enforcing rules and regulations for boaters would be better served with more eyes out on the water during peak seasons and an “all hands-on deck” approach to ensuring that boaters are abiding by those rules. He said that the issue of wake created by boaters towing water skiers around an area – designated as “anchorage” by the U.S. Coast Guard – required the deployment of staff to those areas of concern. He noted that the current harbormaster’s boat was inefficient for most types of work, especially anything that required pulling items out of the water. This, he explained, was most problematic during rescue efforts.
The boat McIntosh proposed is a 26-foot Stanley Bullnose boat that would feature twin engines, removal panels, and drop-down doors for hauling in accident victims or large items from the water. McIntosh said that Marion had such a boat and that he was familiar with the serviceability of the craft. According to McIntosh, with the type of weather Buzzards Bay is known for, twin engines are a must for power and back-up in the event one engine becomes disabled.
Town Administrator Michael Gagne commented that with a new boat, the plan would include selling the current harbormaster’s boat, a Sea Hawk, as well as a small Whaler.
“The boat is justified,” said Collyer. “We could take a five-year note for the boat.” He added that costs associated with a new boat could be “lumped together” with wharf repairs into a larger 10-year bond.
The selectmen and Gagne discussed options for paying down a bond, with Silva saying they might consider using $20,000 from free cash. Collyer said that was reasonable, given that expenses associated with the harbor should be shared by boaters, as well as all taxpayers.
“This shouldn’t be born fully by waterfront earnings,” Collyer said. “Everyone uses the harbor.”
McIntosh asked the selectmen for guidance in prioritizing wharf construction projects long discussed as necessary. He provided a list that included repairs to the timber wharf, Long Wharf, and pilings at yet another wharf. Gagne said that the Fall Special Town Meeting Warrant Article 13, while not solely addressing funding needs for wharf repairs, would provide some financing for design and engineering for wharf improvements, Long Wharf repairs, and dredging.
They selectmen circled back to McIntosh, asking him what he believed the top priority was, to which he responded, “Middle wharf. The pilings are rotting off; it’s full of band aids now.”
Gagne said that Article 12 of the Warrant, Funding Waterfront Improvements, asks voters to approve $50,000 from Waterfront Enterprise Funds and general fund surplus revenue for repairs and associated work to the town wharves and docks. It was further discussed that McIntosh could do some smaller repairs in-house while larger projects would require a contractor.
This brought their conversation around to what an expanding harbormaster department would look like in the future and where it would be headquartered.
“What’s missing is a place for you to work out of, and the tools,” said Silva.
McIntosh said that over the next three to five years he plans to build the department up, with Silva saying that a building had to be part of any plan moving forward. “Maybe a joint location,” McIntosh suggested. Gagne interjected that the town did own land east of ORR High School and that this could be brought up at the upcoming Tri-Town Selectmen’s Meeting.
Silva also talked about use of the Fire Department boat. He said that during an emergency, the harbormaster and his staff should be able to deploy the Fire Boat without having to wait for fire personnel to arrive.
“We need a plan,” said Silva. “You can get out there faster than the fire department.”
McIntosh said he’d prefer to have at least one firefighter onboard.
On another topic, McIntosh said his department could use a small utility vehicle to move between the wharves. That prompted Highway Surveyor Barry Denham, who was in attendance, to say, “The Gator is available every weekend except the Fourth of July.”
Silva said it was important to maximize the use of the town’s assets.
During Denham’s meeting with the selectmen, Gagne took the lead describing road projects in Article 20, Mattapoisett Public Works Improvement Bond, that would cover cost estimates associated with the town’s share of bridge repairs on Acushnet Road, road and drainage improvements along Industrial Drive – including a new pedestrian crossing over North Street – an east entrance roadway for the new fire station, Pearl Street and Tobey Lane drainage and roadway improvements, and design and engineering for street and stormwater drainage improvements to Holly Lane, Wildwood Terrace, Knollwood Drive, North Street, and subdivisions off North Street.
Article 20 asks voters to appropriate $2,535,000 to cover these projects with the plan that two grants totaling $1.4 million, if issued to the town, would offset a large portion of the overall costs.
Gagne said the bond would not be executed until it is known if the grants are in hand. The town’s portion for this article is $1.665 million.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen has not yet been scheduled.
Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen
By Marilou Newell