The Marion Planning Board held a special meeting on February 28 for the second review of the town’s Draft Master Plan.
Kenneth Buckland is assisting the board with the plan and facilitated the meeting.
Two sections were discussed by the board this evening: Services and Facilities, and Transportation and Circulation.
Buckland started the discussion, suggesting that this review was intended to be more detailed and thoughtful. The Services and Facilities section describes buildings and facilities owned and maintained by the town.
Chairman Robert Lane acknowledged that there is extensive discussion currently in town by saying, “The town needs new town offices. There are two choices, either renovate the Town House or build a new structure. Town residents will make the decision at Town Meeting. If they choose to build a new building, the Town House must be protected with deed restrictions prior to any renovations.”
An overarching comment made by board member Stephen Kokkins and supported by board member Will Saltonstall was that the organization of the section should describe the urgency of the items needing attention, such as the wastewater treatment system or the need for town offices.
It was suggested that Buckland create a table to be located at the beginning of the section, listing all the structures and facilities in town, their location, condition and needs. There would also be a column listing each item’s priority for attention by the town.
Board member Michael Popitz suggested that the land and structure monetary value also be included in the table. The location of sewage pumping stations was of particular interest to board member Eileen Marum, who pointed out that some pumping stations are located in velocity zones.
Planning Board member and Selectman Stephen Gonsalves noted that the Board of Selectmen is beginning a town-wide needs assessment of town-owned buildings. It was suggested that a comprehensive facilities assessment might be a recommendation of the Master Plan.
Saltonstall stated, “It may be the job of the Master Plan, but also a job of the leadership, to determine the priorities of the facilities and their use.”
The need for improvements may be established, but equally important is the financial ability to do the improvements identified as priorities. Saltonstall suggested that Shaun Cormier, the town’s facilities manager, may already have a list and assessed the status of the town’s facilities.
Next, the board tackled the Transportation and Circulation section of the draft Master Plan.
Marum took issue with the plan that states that there is no traffic congestion in town.
“There is an area of congestion I call the Y – where Spring Street, Route 105 and Mill Street come together – the area has a healthcare facility, a 40B development, restaurants, a day care facility. Something needs to be done about that intersection for everyone’s safety.”
Additionally, board members were concerned about the condition and safety of Route 6. It was suggested that perhaps the town could own parts of Route 6, particularly the Gateway section, so that it may be modified to make it more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, similar to what Mattapoisett has done.
Popitz wondered why, if MA Department of Transportation owns Route 6, it didn’t care for it better. Kokkins suggested, “Maybe we don’t have to own all of it, but get cooperative support from the state.”
Board member Jennifer Francis raised the question whether the town should be investing in a Regional Transit Agency. The plan states that in FY2013 the COA provided 6,900 rides to 200 riders. She asked “Since the COA provided so many rides, why do we need to join an RTA?” The COA may be anticipating increased ridership. It was noted that a bus is now running twice daily from New Bedford to Wareham, and stops in Marion at the Cumberland Farms. There was some discussion about enhancing the bus stop location.
Francis has spearheaded the development of a task force to investigate transportation and circulation issues within the town. The task force will be charged with assessing key intersections, congestion, and other transportation issues.
Upon completion of the assessment, the task force will determine if Complete Streets, a state program, would be useful for developing and funding solutions for issues identified by the task force.
Buckland will attend the March 20 meeting to discuss the next two sections of the draft Master Plan: Resilience to Climate and Extreme Events, and Open Space and Recreation.
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board will be on March 6 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Sarah French Storer