Asked if he had a demolition timeline on Marion’s existing harbormaster building, Derek Redgate, civil engineer and project manager with Coastal Engineering, said he has been told the town is in the process of revising the project cost that would be brought before this spring’s Town Meeting. All permitting, he said, will be in place when funding is sought. After that, presumably, construction on the new Marine Center would begin.
The Marion Conservation Commission got its opportunity to vet the revised project during a February 8 public hearing and voted to issue an Order of Conditions formulated by Commissioner Ethan Gerber.
Conditions include prevention of harbor pollution and stormwater damage by the installation of a minimum of 20 feet in additional siltation fencing or 10 hay bales prior to disturbance. Roof runoff shall discharge via structure devices, and impervious surfaces shall be sloped so as to collect any runoff.
The town filed a Notice of Intent for the proposed demolition, construction of the new harbormaster facility and related parking and site improvements at 1 Island Wharf Road. The new office would move its location and expand in size to cover 15,000 square feet, a drastic reduction over the original plan.
“Basically, anything on the water is going to be in Conservation’s jurisdiction, but the entirety of our site is in land subject to coastal flooding. That and within 100 feet of coastal bank,” said Redgate.
In displaying the site plan, Redgate confirmed with a blue dashed line the 100-foot buffer zone and with a red dashed line the required 30-foot setback. The northern tip of the new Marine Center extends almost 8 feet closer to the north-facing seawall than the allowed setback.
Commissioner Ethan Gerber would later ask if the new construction can be relocated so that it does not encroach that setback.
Redgate said it took a lot of design work to get it so that the north-facing side of the building comes no closer than 22.2 feet from the seawall. He added that originally, the side setback was found to be in violation of the zoning bylaw, but the building commissioner found it to be adequate.
“Could it be moved? I think it would be very difficult for us to move it, and I think we would prefer to ask for that waiver,” said Redgate, noting that the site had been previously developed.
Commissioner Matt Schultz asked about the stability of the seawall itself and added a question about the number of pilings to support the new building and how they will be installed.
Redgate said that the deterioration of the seawall is not part of the construction project, and he considers the new construction to be at a safe distance from it, also pointing out that the areas of deterioration are to the west of the new construction. He anticipates approximately 20, helical, drilled piles.
Redgate further noted that there was much discussion as to the building’s location and views of the harbor from a safety-function standpoint.
The site map presented also included a green dashed line to mark a 15-foot No Touch zone, but Vice Chairman Emil Assing, acting as chairman in Jeff Doubrava’s absence, said Marion has no bylaw defining a hard, firm setback.
“It’s more that we have guidelines that we prefer to see,” said Assing. “The 15-foot ‘no touch’ would be like a ‘no disturb’ zone, where we want to see no new proposed structures and things like that. The 30-foot (buffer) is more of an area where we would allow modest changes.
“With a project like this, it’s … my opinion that being the harbormaster station, it’s vital that it’s close to the water, has access and views of the harbor itself. It makes sense where it’s located.”
Assing asked Redgate if the shell walkways will remain or be restored. Redgate said the building will be installed, followed by landscaping.
“The intent is to keep a lot of the features that are here but fix them up postconstruction,” said Redgate. “I think the walkways will come out, some of the crush shells up against the wall will probably stay. Then we’ll blend everything in with landscaping.”
With increased in height over the existing facility, the lowest structural member will sit only 2 feet below the 22.25-foot floor elevation.
While the old harbormaster building will be demolished, the two bathrooms and concrete slab will remain. Town sewer runs to the bathrooms, and a new connection will be established to the new building.
Other improvements will include handicap-accessible parking, new curbing and walkways. The plan to improve the bathrooms will be part of a separate project further into the future.
Redgate outlined “during construction” erosion-control measures, a black dotted line on his site plan indicating where the bank will be lined with a straw wattle and silt fence around the perimeter of the construction area.
The temporary entry point for vehicles will be gravel and have wheel washing to stop sediment from being carried away from the site.
“We’ve looked at the site carefully so we’re not adding any more runoff to those (detention basins) already in place,” said Redgate, noting the existing stormwater-detention basins along Island Wharf Road. “We haven’t expanded them, we haven’t made them smaller, we haven’t added any new grates or pipes to those existing detention basins. We’re essentially saying, ‘We’re designing this project so that it models what’s already flowing into those basins.”
The new construction will have its own underground, dedicated filtration system that will take the roof drains and fully infiltrate the new roof and not allow runoff. An overflow drainage pipe will run to the north-facing seawall.
In answer to Commissioner Shaun Walsh, Redgate said the existing drainage pipe will remain in place and experience a “modest” reduction in discharge.
“There will certainly be an improvement in addition to groundwater recharge and fully treated,” said Redgate, who said the system is sized to a 25-year storm.
Island Wharf Road will serve as access to the construction site.
Before the commissioners voted to close the public hearing, Select Board member Norm Hills suggested that the demolition is highly unlikely to happen prior to the completion of the new construction.
The Estate of Alexander Harcovitz received an Order of Conditions to proceed with a proposed seawall repair/improvement at 17 Seaside Lane.
Before deliberation and vote, project representative Dave Davignon submitted a revised plan based on the commission’s feedback from the last public hearing on the case. He highlighted revisions, including the face and rough texture of the sloped seawall, designed to anticipate as much wave action as possible. The height of the seawall was also increased to match the level of the patio.
Davignon said 10,000-pound boulders are being used at the seawall.
Mark Brown, in attendance, was invited to speak, but his participation functions froze. Shaun Walsh said an email was received from Brown notifying the commission that he did not plan on making any comments.
Steve Wymer and Hope Sidman were also issued an Order of Conditions for the removal of nonnative plant species and planting of native species to create a new landscape area on a coastal bank at 137 Allens Point Road.
Hills attended to represent the Planning Board and gather feedback from the Conservation Commission on the Draft Municipal Storm System MS4 Bylaw being authored by DPW engineer Meghan Davis with Hills’ assistance. The town used existing bylaws in other towns for reference.
The Zoning bylaw will primarily require any project covering over 10,000 square feet to go before the Planning Board. “‘Cutting’ may be going a little bit too far,” said Walsh.
Hills said the word can be edited out so as to avoid overstating the intention of the bylaw. Assing asked that Doubrava get an opportunity to comment. Hills assured the commission that this was not its only opportunity to comment and that the Planning Board still needs to hold a public hearing on the bylaw before it can go to Town Meeting.
The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22, at 7:00 pm.
Marion Conservation Commission
By Mick Colageo