The Capital Improvement Planning Committee went before the Marion Board of Selectmen on the evening of Tuesday, April 3 and gave their input on where the town could see improvement in order to make tax dollars go further in terms of long term planning.
The committee spent the past year making educational site visits to numerous town departments. After their visits, they reached several conclusions.
First, the committee believes that the overall maintenance for town buildings needs to be improved in order to extend the lives of the buildings and other town entities. Part of the problem with the maintenance, as the committee sees it, is that there is a lack of long-term planning for any infrastructure or facility in Marion .Improving the planning for these buildings would help them last longer, ultimately costing the town less money.
Specifically, the Department of Public Works and the Harbormaster’s Office are two sites the committee have deemed inadequate, saying that several expensive equipment items are left outdoors because there is no place to put them.
The committee sent budget forms out to several town departments in town to help prioritize the various projects in town that need work. However, the committee said several departments submitted incomplete forms while others didn’t submit them at all, making it very difficult to begin long-term projects.
Longer term projects will help keep the town budget in check, the committee says. The group expressed concern at the $27 million project the town is undertaking in order to fix the roads, specifically Front Street. Selectmen Roger Blanchette assured the committee that this number is fictitious.
While the figure might not be quite that high and the board is still trying to get a price on the project, Blanchette assured that there is a lot of work to be done before the roads are even fixed.
According to Blanchette, for 20-40 years residents have been using sump pumps in their basements in order to get rid of excess water from rainfall. The pumps, Blanchette says, are being used every three minutes for 24 hours each day, increasing the normal 500,000 gallons of rainfall in the storm drains to an alarming 1.5 million gallons.
As a result of the excess rain, Blanchette states the storm drains need to be larger; a project that must be completed before any road can be repaved to prevent the road from being dug up twice. The Board of Selectmen said they are still researching all options for the project at a variety of different prices.
“I am very confident we will get a good engineered plan,” said Selectmen Chair Jonathan Henry.
While residents might be concerned at how much these large scale projects might cost, they can feel confident when it comes to the town budget.
Finance Committee Chair Alan Miland presented the budget to the board. Miland said overall the town is in good shape in terms of the budget and the town’s recent bond upgrade to AA+ means good news in years to come.
The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2013 did see a 4.29 percent increase from 2012, however. This is the largest percentage increase since 2007.
Miland cites education as the primary reason for the budget increase. The budget increased a total of $773,515; $322,135 of that figure will be spent on special education requirements for the Sippican School. Also, the regular day budget and transportation for the Sippican School will receive $54,628 and $34,068, respectively.
Other major contributing factors to the budget increase include group health insurance rate increases ($1214,438), Plymouth County Pension Assessments ($100,766) and the ORR Pension ($86,175).
The town did see a decrease in the budget in certain areas. $17,288 freed up as a result of a fire truck being paid off. A reverse fund adjustment from the Finance Committee gave the town an additional $33,084, and fewer students from Marion are attending Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School which saves $69,192.
Another area where the town could see more revenue is the proposed project that would add two 30-foot floats into the Old Landing Boat Slip. Harbormaster Michael Cormier presented the idea to the Board.
The implemented floats would allow Marion residents to rent a place to keep their boat for an affordable price of $800 each year. Each spot could accommodate one boat up to 20 feet in length and 10 feet in width. The project would earn 80 percent of the cost back in the first year, and the Board thinks it’s an excellent source of extra revenue.
“This is one more time I tip my hat to you,” Blanchette said to Cormier, commending his idea.
Cormier said he will begin taking applications on April 9 and would create a waiting list depending on the number of interested residents.
Blanchette, however, expressed concern that a waiting list was not fair to people who would not hear about the opportunity in time. Instead, Blanchette suggested a lottery idea, which was well-received by both the Board and Cormier. Residents can begin submitting their applications on Monday, April 9 at the Town House.
“We’re trying to make it affordable and to allow residents to have a great spot like that,” said Cormier.
The Board gave Town Administrator Paul Dawson the green light to sign two contracts with CDM Smith for design and permitting infrastructure improvements for South Street, Ryder Lane and a portion of Spring Street as well as for Village Loop Roadway Improvements.
Dawson also proposed the idea of possibly installing a solar garden at the landfill in town. Dawson initially saw the project in Brewster, and it would allow residents to buy individual solar panels. The Board agreed to allow Dawson to formally begin consulting with a company to learn more information.
A large portion of Washburn Park has been cleared of unwanted brush, and while the site may be a bit cleaner, Dawson is concerned because the person or persons who cleared the area did so without consulting the Marion Conservation Commission. Without the consent of the commission, any sort of cleaning or clearing of town property is illegal. Furthermore, the affected area of Washburn Park is close to a wetland, which Dawson says is a town resource and should not be tampered with. Dawson said the incident is currently under investigation.
Lastly, Dawson confirmed that he will be meeting with contractors in the coming days to begin the project of replacing the exterior lights at the Marion Music Hall. The project was initially proposed in 2010 but Dawson said it “fell off the radar.”
The Marion Board of Selectmen will meet again on Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00 pm in Marion Town House.
By Katy Fitzpatrick