Adam Murphy had long been doing the work of a harbormaster in Marion. On Tuesday night, the Select Board saw fit to remove the interim tag from his title after he and his staff got through the summer so efficiently in the wake of Perry’s move to Mattapoisett.
It’s been a big 2023 for Murphy, the Rochester resident who a year after losing a bid for a seat on Rochester’s Select Board by one vote won convincingly in May. When asked for a reaction as he pulled out of the Police Station parking lot with his family in tow, Murphy said exactly what he said when he won the Select Board seat.
“This is the calm after the storm, right? The hard part’s getting there, once you’re there, you can put your hard work and effort into play,” he said. “For me, that’s what’s exciting about it. Every day, you get to make it better. Now I can focus on all the projects that we have coming up. Just keep putting the right foot forward, work hard, and when I’m satisfied with where I’ve brought it, then I’ll revisit where I’m at.”
Before becoming interim harbormaster upon Issac Perry’s hire last spring as Mattapoisett’s harbormaster, Murphy served Marion as deputy harbormaster and shellfish officer.
In requesting Tuesday night’s promotion, Chief of Police Richard Nighelli summarized the challenges that Murphy, along with Assistant Harbormaster Dave Wilson and staffer Andrew Miller, tackled including day-to-day operations while at work on summer hiring and issues connected to the building of a new Maritime Center, research for a new patrol boat, and Marion’s decaying sea wall.
Nighelli was happy to point out the large turnout of support for Murphy at the Police Station, including Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony, Mattapoisett Fire Chief Andy Murray and a large contingent of coworkers, including Wilson, Miller and members of the Marine Resources Commission.
Murphy’s appointment filled the conference room at the Police Station with a loud round of applause. “We’ve got a lot to do,” said Nighelli.
Nighelli also celebrated and supported Murphy’s effort to organize a fundraiser basketball game held last winter to benefit Old Rochester Regional Unified sports. To raise money for uniforms, ORR’s Unified teams will join the high school’s “Build Bulldog Nation” campaign being run by the ORR Athletic Boosters. The website is give2ORR.com.
In his Town Administrator’s Report, Geoff Gorman said the procurement process for the new Maritime Center is still alive with general bids due by October 13. The plan is to bring an exact price to Town Meeting; the estimated shortfall in funding is $922,000. An informational session will be held on Tuesday, October 17, at the Police Station before the regularly scheduled Select Board meeting.
Gorman also addressed the new Department of Public Works facility being planned for Benson Brook. The Planning Board continued the case to its October 16 meeting. The DPW Building Committee will meet on November 7 to discuss procurement methods and a construction timeline.
The Special Fall Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 23, at 6:45 pm at Sippican Elementary School auditorium.
The Select Board reviewed the 12 articles on the Town Meeting Warrant.
Article 1 will be a vote to appropriate the estimated final amount of $922,000 to construct the Maritime Center (bonded by the Waterways Account, which acquires its revenue from harbor-related fees.)
Article 2 will ask voters to support the Collective Bargaining Agreement and 3% cost-of-living adjustment in pay for nonunion employees. This action would be funded by transferring $75,000 from the group insurance account, $10,000 from Water Department retained earnings and $15,000 from Sewer Department retained earnings. The Finance Committee supports the article.
Article 3 will ask voters to approve the transfer of $30,864.97 that Marion has received to date in the opioid manufacturers’ class-action lawsuit to create an Opioid Remediation Fund to be used by Finance Committee, Police Department and the Board of Health. As part of a statewide distribution to municipalities, Marion receives between $3,000 and $5,000 per month.
Article 4 will appropriate $56,907 for Fire Stations 1 and 2 communication systems that are over 20 years old and so outdated that replacement parts are no longer available.
Article 5 will appropriate $12,000 for new audio/visual equipment for the Town House to conduct meetings.
Requested by the town clerk, Article 6 would require new requirements for swearing in that would match Massachusetts general law.
Article 7, a repeat from 2022, would combine wiring, gas and electric into one article in the Marion bylaw.
Article 8 would require that a citizens’ petition must be submitted 60 days before Town Meeting, but the Select Board would have the right to waive the requirement.
Article 9 was the only article that resulted in less-than-unanimous recommendation of the Select Board. Chairman Toby Burr doesn’t think a tweak to the existing bylaw for beaches and public property requiring dog owners “have a means” to clean up after their pets will work any better than it presently does just saying that they must. Select Board members Norm Hills and Randy Parker support the measure.
Articles 10-12, voted on Monday night by the Planning Board, only make corrections to existing regulations.
In other actions, the Select Board dissolved the Finance Director Hiring Committee after Heather O’Brien accepted the job. O’Brien will start October 16 and work alongside Judy Mooney until her retirement at the end of the calendar year.
The board also approved a sewer connection at 64 Lewis Road, approved the Marion Art Center’s request to close Cottage, Front and Main Streets in the village area for the Tuesday, October 31, Halloween Parade beginning at 4:00 pm (the parade begins at the Music Hall) and approved the following Water/Sewer commitments: $2,135.60 (quarterly billing September 12), $1,712,618.54 (quarterly billing September 15), $155 (reconnection and processing fees September 21), $4,200 (new water services September 25), $1,434.33 (pump repairs September 26), $640.47 (final readings September 26) and $547.06 (credit memo September 26.) Parker abstained from the pump-repair approval.
The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, at 6:00 pm at the Police Station.
By Mick Colageo