The ancient way known as Old Slough Road has long been looked at as a possible emergency exit roadway for residents living in the Angelica Point area. This train of thought came about over time as the town has sought to find ways to improve egress from flood-prone areas, especially those along coastal locations. The town applied for Coastal Zone Management grants.
On January 9, the commission heard from the town’s engineer Ken Motta of Field Engineering who gave a presentation on plans for roadway improvements. First represented on town mapping dating back to 1810, Motta said the road was primarily used to move logs and other materials but not as a primary roadway. Motta said subdrains and bridge curbing would be used. Along with updated drainage systems, one-to-one mitigation where the land may sustain disturbance over and above disturbance that has taken place over the decades will be included.
Along with assistance from the Mattapoisett Land Trust, who has extensive holdings in the area, Mattapoisett ultimately received two grants, one in 2021 for $29,900 which was used for design and engineering studies and a second in the amount of $585,000 in 2022 for construction.
Rising to address what he believed were errors in the mapping Motta produced, was abutting property owner David Park. Park also gave a presentation in which he provided mapping that showed the roadway in a slightly different trajectory. “Before buying our property I did research, the original path is not on that plan.” He said the road on Motta’s plan is actually Broadman’s Bootlegger Road, used by a Mr. Broadman to move bootleg alcohol during prohibition.
Park said an early iteration of Old Slough Road should be referenced versus what Motta had presented. While he has no problem with rehabilitating Old Slough Road which cuts through part of his property, he felt strongly that the mapping should reflect the correct location of the road in question.
But regarding the ancient way as a viable emergency way out of rising waters was questioned by Park. He pointed to historic weather data, the direction of prevailing winds and the devastation wrought by those winds. He said that fallen trees would block the roadway thus rendering it a less than adequate passage way out of danger. “People will be in peril if they don’t get out right away.”
Motta responded to Park’s comments regarding the location of Old Slough Road, saying that the location had been reviewed by attorneys and accepted. He commented that the mapping had been done by professionals.
Park said that he had told the Mattapoisett Land Trust that he would donate a portion of his land for easement purposes as long as the town indemnified him from legal action should harm come to anyone accessing the roadway.
Chairman Mike King said that the commission was not looking at the viability of the road to act as an escape route but were merely overseeing and enforcing the Wetlands Protection Act. He said the Select Board is the driver on the project and had been doing so for some time. King said it was in everyone’s best interest to sit down and discuss the plan further but there was nothing in the filing that would inhibit the commission from conditioning the NOI.
In a follow-up with Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, he said that property owners in the coastal community had come to the town as far back as several decades asking if Old Slough Road might be used for emergency purposes. “The land trust helped put the grant applications together and has participated in discussion with abutters and project team members.” Lorenco said,” I’m trying to do the project with low impact to the environment and low costs.” He added that taxpayers would not be paying for the work.
A January 24 public hearing is tentatively planned. Lorenco said, “CZM requires a public hearing.”
In other business, a Request for Determination of Applicability filed by Kara Gallo, 8 Pine Street received a Negative Two decision.
A Notice of Intent filed by Paul and Jayne St. Pierre, 25 Main Street for widening and resurfacing a driveway and construction of a subsurface recharge system received conditioning.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for January 23 at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell