The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen heard from Brad Hathaway regarding the purchase of land on Chapel Road under the Community Preservation Act. He was seeking more information and advice on how best to proceed.
“We feel as though the Town Administrator should be the implementer of the project,” said Hathaway. “We’ve also asked the Board of Selectmen to be involved because they are the stewards of Veterans Park at Ned’s Point and Shipyard Park. We’re talking about the strip of road between Chapel Road and Route 6. A lot of it is wooded and a lot of it is wetland.”
“We would have to be the ones to implement it because no other town authority can buy land,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Jordan Collyer.
Town Administrator Mike Gagne said that he has been in contact with the members of the community preservation committee and will be working with them through the process.
Sandra Dawson, of the real estate agency for the property, was also on hand to clarify errors published by the media that has resulted in a devalued perception of the land.
“We understand Brad would like to be involved in having the CPA buy this. But there have been several newspaper articles that have errors that need to be corrected on the record,” Dawson said. As a consequence, the inaccuracies appear in many of the most prominent results of popular Internet search engines.
Dawson listed the following corrections:
•3.1 acre of land is located between Marion Road and Chapel Road. It is located close to both the Marion town line and ORR High School and Junior High complex.
•Town water and sewer are both available, but a potential buyer needs to check with the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department regarding sewer connection.
•Fifty foot setback compliance exists on all sides, which has been confirmed with the Building Department.
• There is potential for only one home to be built on the property.
She also wanted to clarify that the land is not entirely a swamp. She presented a site map that illustrated wetland delineations. Copies of the map are available at the Town Hall.
The Board of Selectmen then heard from Bob Trahan of the YMCA, regarding their application for an entertainment license. He said that they have applied for individual licenses in the past for specific events, but would like to acquire an annual entertainment license.
Gagne said that if the YMCA plans to hold events such as public fundraisers or weddings where music may be featured, they need a license, but it makes more sense for them to have one yearly license rather than returning back to the Board of Selectmen for each event.
The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the annual entertainment license.
The third point of business was brought to the Board by Ken Ackerman from the Oxford Creamery, who was seeking an amendment to the Creamery’s common victualler’s license.
“We would like to start a mobile catering business,” he said.
The truck would be parked at the Creamery as an extension of the main building’s business during peak hours. The truck would also be able to be hired to cater private parties. Ackerman specified that the truck would not “troll” around public areas and neighborhoods.
“Trolling would not be fair. We don’t deliver food. We’re not looking to park on anyone’s business or crowd anyone out,” Ackerman said.
The Board of Selectmen then voted to amend the common victualler’s license held by the Creamery to include the truck and its use for mobile catering of private events.
During the Town Administrator’s report, Mike Gagne addressed the various road work around the village.
“We are well underway,” he said, citing the digging on North and Bartsow streets, as well as the NSTAR gas line installation passed Center School.
“We’ve looked at all the drainage, all the issues of curbing, the sidewalks. Documentation will be prepared so we can present it to Mass Highway. Then we will hold a public hearing during this stage to get their thoughts on the project,” Gagne said.
Highway Surveyor Barry Denham said that they are looking at almost $4 million just to mend the roads near the center of town and cited the need to seek more state and federal money in order to ease the burden on the town of Mattapoisett. He also praised the speed with which the work is being completed.
“We should have pavement down by the beginning of school,” Denham said. “I couldn’t be happier with the crew that I have there.”
Gagne also said that the Scallop and Swordfish Festival will be held on October 14, 2012, and that all the proceeds will benefit the Holiday in the Park.
He then addressed the decaying state of many of the historic wharves that are owned by the town. He cited safety issues as the main concern for why they should be repaired and that he would be applying for funds from the CPA to pay for the repairs.
“Those wharves are beautiful and there would be nothing worse than getting a really hard ice and having a section collapse.”
He also provided a status update on the compensation analysis project that was approved at the Annual Town Meeting in May. The study is being conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of the compensation of those who serve the Town of Mattapoisett.
“We’ve met with the project manager. We’re grouping them in categories of DPW, Water and Sewer, Police, management employees, and I’ve also included the elected officials,” he said.
Gagne then informed the board on the progress of the shellfish population study. He said that they are beginning to collect samples in order to determine the best plan for repopulation and transfers.
The Town Administrator then spoke on the Eel Pond Channel dredging project. The material removed during the dredging will be deposited at Goodspeed Island as fill for some eroding beaches.
Gagne said the Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program wrote a letter to the Board of Selectmen requesting a special order be added to the order of conditions filed by the Conservation Commission. It stated that the area of the project is a natural habitat the piping plover, for state-listed endangered species. Natural Heritage requested that “no beach nourishment shall occur in the period of June 1 through August 31,” in order to mitigate negatively impacting the species.
“We’re going to have to start the work after August 31,” Gagne said.
In other business:
•Gagne suggested listing the recently retired fire engine on eBay. The engine, which is currently listed on an auction website specializing in municipal equipment, has not received satisfactory bids for its condition and age.
•The Board of Selectmen voted to appoint Michael Jolliffe as the town’s SRPEDD representative.
•The Board voted to accept and sign the Town Clerk’s warrant for the September 6, 2012 state primary.
•Upon Town Administrator Michael Gagne’s recommendation, the Board voted not to acquire land on Parcel 2Q of Map 19 as shown on the Town Assessors Maps.
•The Board approved the Year End Budgetary Line Item Inter Transfers.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will be on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, at 7:00 pm. There will be no second meeting in August.
By Eric Tripoli
