Town Administrator Jay McGrail could not state strongly enough that, while the Town of Marion is thrilled to open the Benson Brook Transfer Station to its residents on January 2, it is absolutely incumbent upon them to follow guidelines.
“No wood and debris in bags … just [household] trash,” said McGrail on December 15. “Our contract with Covanta would potentially be revoked if there is construction debris in that trash, bags, or otherwise.”
While Marion gets set to embark on a new, self-governing era of trash disposal, which will include the opportunity to drop off metal in a separate pile from light goods, yard waste, and overflow trash, it remains critical that the trash Covanta has contracted to haul away be limited to “household garbage only.”
Selectman John Waterman suggested a consequence such as a permit revocation should anyone violate the rules and got a firm agreement from McGrail and across the board.
The town will operate Benson Brook with town staff, work out the bugs over the next year or two, and in the long view wants the Transfer Station to stand on its own economically. The plan is to open on Wednesdays and Saturdays to start, and the agreement is for one year.
Under a long list of action items on the December 15 agenda was the related matter of a new agreement with the Town of Rochester for its residents, who have curbside pickup, to also use Benson Brook.
McGrail proposed selling a maximum of 600 stickers to Rochester residents at $60 per ($50 for seniors). Both amounts would be a $10 increase on what Marion residents pay in the general and senior categories, respectively. Waterman noted that trash disposal is no longer free, so the Rochester fee is fair.
The partnership with Rochester is one that Marion could cancel for any reason. According to McGrail, Rochester Town Counsel Blair Bailey authored the agreement that he worked out with Rochester Selectman Brad Morse and Marion Board of Selectmen Chair Randy Parker. “They’re a town we work with on a number of things and help each other out,” said McGrail.
During a 4:15 pm appointment with Department of Public Works Director David Willett, an update was provided on stormwater requirements and village infrastructure projects.
CDM Smith had proposed a $6 million road reconstruction project that, based on a second opinion offered by BHB, shows potential for substantial savings through what Willett referred to as “value engineering.” As an example, Willett said that BHB suggested saving the town money by lining rather than replacing pipes, avoiding the costs of digging up the road and the associated permitting. McGrail told the board that, once he gets the cost estimate from BHB, he, Willett, Parker, and Waterman would meet to come up with a plan to send back to the board for a vote.
Waterman said that with multiple projects hanging out there, including a new DPW and Harbormaster headquarters and Town House renovations, “really low” interest rates would help the town borrow $7.5 million once over the next two years to finance all of the projects.
During a 4:30 pm appointment, the board held a public hearing to consider the assignment of the town’s two aquiculture licenses that had been owned by Shea Doonan and later revoked.
The board acknowledged the action to be uncharted territory, considering it is the reassignment of a revoked license and, after substantial discussion, agreed that Harbormaster Isaac Perry would research other towns’ practices in order for Marion to formulate a process for future cases.
Open comment was invited, and applicant Josh Lerman, 15 JoAnn Drive, told the board about an agreement he had made with Doonan to purchase the latter’s equipment and product, presumably worth tens of thousands of dollars. He expressed dismay in learning that his stock as an applicant had perceptually dropped from top to bottom and worried that his dealing with Doonan might have played a role. His business partner, Chris Horton, also commented, saying that they had been at work for a few months and communicating with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries on the matter. Horton also expressed his disappointment that the proposal, once on a potentially successful track, had suddenly “gone sideways.”
Lerman told the board that the equipment had been destroyed. He submitted a letter to the town that McGrail assured him would receive a written response.
Selectman Norm Hills told the applicant that, while the harbormaster makes a recommendation, the Board of Selectmen decides. Perry next meets with the Marion Marine Resources Commission on January 18, and the selectmen voted to continue the hearing to January 19.
There were several other action items for the board.
An application for sewer connection at 5 Moorings Road was discussed at length. The result is that a more extensive project will emerge with the potential to service all the homes on Moorings Road, in which the board wants to be involved. Three homeowners will work together through their hired engineers. The selectmen approved the connection contingent upon Willett signing off on the plans and whether a legal question of ownership is resolved.
The town is ending its association with Gateway, the insurance company that has become more costly through the shrinking of its consortium of towns. Marion voted to switch to MIIA at no increase in a two-year agreement. “Marion is a 50/50 community,” said McGrail, explaining that it costs families $300 per week for a family plan premium. Under MIIA, employees will remain with the same insurance carriers, on the same plans, and with the same providers. McGrail said he would meet in January with union representatives to discuss plan design, which the Board of Selectmen would also have to vote on later.
McGrail reported on a memorandum of understanding with the Police Brotherhood (police union), saying, “The union is very happy with where we wound up,” including “education incentives that the town was able to provide.” Waterman commented that vacation time was solved by front-loading it onto employees’ anniversary dates. The agreement is retroactive to July 2020.
The selectmen voted to accept the total population, including the seasonal population, on July 10, 2021, to be 6,200.
Emil Assing, the sole applicant for the open spot on the Conservation Commission, was voted onto the commission as an associate member.
The “Privilege” sticker policy will see no changes for 2021. All applications will be received by mail or dropped off outside the Town House; 150 stickers were prepared and ready to go out on December 9. McGrail said the town is trying out online applications for dog licensing for now.
McGrail told the selectmen that COVID-19 is “serious in our community right now, numbers continuing to rise…. Is it just the healthcare facility? That is definitely not the case.” He says the majority of cases are being transmitted in people’s homes. “We’re full bore in the throes of it right now.”
The Town House will close on December 24 and 25, along with December 31 and January 1.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Selectmen will be on January 19 at 4:00 pm via Zoom.
Marion Board of Selectmen
By Mick Colageo