Richard Vacca is a biologist, has worked as a quality assurance engineer, and has been an environmental planner in the private sector, as well as town planner and conservation agent for Franklin, Hanson and West Bridgewater. Vacca is also an attorney.
After Vacca came before the Mattapoisett Select Board on Tuesday night as an applicant for the combined position of Town Planner and Conservation Agent, the board voted to offer him the job.
During his interview, Vacca detailed his extensive experience working in the public sector since 1995 and before that holding positions of considerable responsibility with such companies as Stone and Webster. He noted that he served 12 years as town planner for Franklin and for the last nine years has held a dual position of planner and conservation agent for Plymouth.
Vacca shared that for his graduation present from law school he received an appointment working on the Trans-Atlantic pipeline. “I’ve had a good career,” he said.
When asked about his experience with various state and federal agencies, it was clear that Vacca is fully versed including some experience with international agencies. Of FEMA, he said that he is currently Plymouth’s CRS coordinator, a position that coordinates a community’s verifications and recertifications.
“I want to take my experience to Mattapoisett,” said Vacca, who recently discovered the southeast region of the state and found it beautiful.
Select Board member Tyler Macallister asked if he was more knowledgeable in conservation or planning. “I think it’s balanced,” Vacca replied.
Macallister also asked Vacca to discuss how he handles “back and forth” situations with the public. He said he prefers a single point of contact in complex projects to eliminate competing interests but noted that all parties should be engaged.
Vacca was told by Macallister that most of the more-buildable lands in Mattapoisett have been developed, leaving what he described as fringe areas primarily in wetlands. Vacca said Mattapoisett is not alone in this regard. “A lot of the work is in buffer zones; it’s important to protect resource areas. I know about wetland replications, but they don’t work well,” said Vacca, noting that prehearing meetings are important for the purpose of gathering details and surface issues that might be problematic to a project.
Select Board Chairman Jordan Collyer asked Vacca about his experience with master plans. Vacca responded that he had worked on them in the past and found them to be useful if the town was committed to utilizing them; otherwise, they become a “door stop.”
Select Board member Jodi Bauer had a much more direct question: “Would you stay here until you retired?” Smiling, Vacca said, “You could expect five to seven years.”
Collyer asked, “If you had to pick Conservation or Planning, which would it be?” “My background is in biology, that’s my focus and my forte,” stated Vacca.
While describing the Conservation Commission as being in a good place with the services of a consultant, Collyer said the Planning Board is backlogged and that Vacca would have to “right the ship.”
Later in the proceedings, the board voted to move forward and offer the position to Vacca.
Unfortunately for Planning Board member Janice Robbins, she missed the interview with Vacca and came forward to discuss the Planning Board’s budget. However, the conversation centered on the dire condition of the Planning Board office absent an administrator.
“Without an administrator or professional planner, we are in the dark,” Robbins stated. She said the board had not had any real assistance, especially with clerical matters, for a year and that there was no one who could write a decision for approved applications. She pled for a professional planner and clerical assistance; otherwise, “We can’t move forward,” she said. “The needs are substantial if the town wants to move forward.” Robbins noted that legal services have been used to assist in decisions primarily because the Planning Board has had nowhere else to turn.
Collyer assured Robbins that the Select Board understands the situation and that he feels confident that Vacca is the right person for all that she had mentioned. Town Administrator Mike Lorenco added that clerical help would become available soon.
The board also met with Lisa Sullivan, the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the Green Communities initiative, to discuss its invitation to Mattapoisett to join. Sullivan said the goal is to make the future cleaner using cleaner energy sources including everything from electric cars to LED lighting, both of which are available to members of the program.
Sullivan said that 280 Massachusetts communities have signed onto the program, receiving a total of $20,000,000 in grant funding annually spread over the state, that no tax dollars were used to fund grants and that participating towns have enjoyed some $25,500,000 in energy savings.
Mattapoisett could receive $134,000 in the first year, Sullivan said, for such programs as energy planning assistance, technical assistance and administration funding.
There are five criteria that must be met, Sullivan pointed out. They include As-Of-Right Siting for at least one of the following: renewable or alternative energy-generating facilities, renewable or alternative-energy research and development facility or renewable or alternative-energy manufacturing facility; 12 months to implement from date of initial application; establishing energy baseline and 20-percent reduction plan; purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles and minimize lifecycle costs on all new construction including implementation of building Stretch Code.
The Select Board took the proposal under advisement.
At the beginning of the meeting, the board met with Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer to discuss the numerous roadway and culvert projects facing the town. Bauer said he has approximately $100,000 remaining in last year’s state Chapter 90 funding, anticipates receiving $228,000 for FY23 from the state and another $250,000 that will be asked for at the Spring Town Meeting. The list of roadway projects includes but is not limited to Pearl Street, Water Street culvert and Industrial Drive. A planned overlay project for River Road is also on the schedule but may have to be coordinated with the Randall Lane Solar project to ensure the fresh overlay is not damaged by heavy transport trucks serving the construction site.
The board met with Lions Club president Valeri Kane, who requested and received permission to have the large tent erected at Shipyard Park on July 6. She also said that Harbor Days will take place on July 16 and 17, and the triathlon is planned for July 24.
Michael Ward received an increase to his aquaculture license by 0.37 acres near the Brandt Point Marina for winter placement of oyster cages.
POI Market was continued until such time as the applicant is ready to discuss permitting and licenses with the board. Collyer said that the Building Inspector David Riquinha has been working with the owner.
The board also appointed Dr. Dunn to the Mattapoisett Council on Aging and Robert Caldas as a civilian EMT/Training Dispatcher.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell