Of the 34 warrant articles up for vote at the May 12 Annual Town Meeting, the one that drew the most attention during Tuesday night’s “pre-Town Meeting” public hearing at the Music Hall was the $1,200,000 ladder truck being requested by the Marion Fire Department.
Given the floor, resident Alan Menard estimated that the request accounts for 40% of items recommended by the Capital Improvements Planning Committee. Given the town’s 35-foot maximum allowable height for new constructions, he asked why.
Town Administrator Geoff Gorman summarized that a replacement is needed for the 1991 truck that requires an annual $15,000 in maintenance. An exact duplicate would cost the town $2,000,000, and the truck being targeted for purchase will cost the town $400,000 less than its initial proposal. The life expectancy of the recommended replacement is 30 years.
Fire Chief Brian Jackvony noted that replacing the ladder truck is part of the town’s ISL certification, which sets insurance rates for the community soon facing an audit.
As Jackvony explained, justifying a 96-foot extension into the air may seem unnecessary while driving down Main Street, where houses were built just back from the sidewalk. Today, he said, the zoning setback for Residence A-E is 35 feet from the property line to the building, meaning a truck parked in the middle of the road needs almost 60 feet of aerial ladder just to get to the house. He also noted that Marion has grown from homes measuring 2,000 square feet to 5,000 and sometimes 10,000 square feet.
Another matter of firefighting is method, which has changed with solar panels on houses.
“That also makes the job of the firefighter more difficult,” said Jackvony, who said the truck becoming available to the town later this year is made by the same manufacturer as other fire equipment in town.
Jackvony said he looked at quotes from other communities and noted that a 2016 competitive grant would be awarded towns with more multiresidential facilities such as New Bedford and Wareham.
A 10-year-old used truck, he said, would bring with it frame deterioration. The value of Marion’s current ladder truck is $4,500 in scrap, Jackvony said.
Steve Nojeim of the CIPC thanked Jackvony for his work and asked if Marion can consider going in with surrounding towns on equipment that doesn’t get used as regularly.
In answer to citizens’ questions related to the $122,000 line item to replace the Creek Road water main that was at one time brand new but never put into service, Department of Public Works Director Becky Tilden explained that the DPW’s “first thought was line the water main to put the existing one in service.” That plan was scrapped when it was learned the pipe was in bad condition, including cracks.
Article 2 will ask voters to raise and appropriate $26,000,722 toward a FY24 operating budget of $27,516,635. Finance Director Judy Mooney went through line items explaining budget tweaks.
Public Safety is up 5.5% to $2,208,546 due to the addition of a School Resource Officer and state-mandated police reform that will affect the Harbormaster Department.
Schools are up 2.55% to $6,666,193, the Public Works Administration is up 3.44% to $2,323,881 and Pension and Insurance is up 8.49% to $4,285,980. Debt service will go up 24.62% to $665,298.
Community Preservation Committee allocations were highlighted by $378,000 for Open Space/Historical/Housing; $85,000 for the town’s participation in the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District and Buzzards Bay Coalition programs that are supported by a $4,500,000 grant, and $75,000 for the via Recreation Department to turn two tennis courts in poor condition into four pickleball courts.
Nojeim asked if the work (Articles 11, 18 and 19) of taking inventory and digitizing historic items could involve the local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, to which CPC Chairman Jeff Doubrava explained that the delicate work “dealing with old, irreplaceable items” necessitates the use of professional archivists.
Article 28 will ask voters to authorize all Marion boards, commissions and committees to use the Mullin Rule. Presently only the Planning Board is authorized to use the rule, which allows a member to miss one session of a public hearing and still vote on a case.
During the regular agenda that preceded the public hearing on the Town Meeting Warrant, the Select Board heard a report from Board of Assessors Chairman TJ Walker and member Pat DeCosta on revaluation.
With an injury in the office, Walker said the Assessor’s office relied heavily on DeCosta to offset a staffing shortage for a number of weeks but that tax bills are going out on time.
Walker noted a drastic climb in average single-family house value in 2019.
A resident said his home was assessed as a contemporary but had thought his house should be classified as a ranch. He asked about what software program Marion uses to evaluate properties. DeCosta explained that contemporaries usually go down in value but went up this year. … “Everything is selling way above assessed value,” she said.
Under Action Items, the Select Board approved the following: the Kittansett Club’s alcohol license, appointment of Norm Hills to the Joint Transportation Planning Group (JTPG), a sewer connection at 55 Pleasant Street and Water/Sewer commitments of $1,043.18 (final readings April 12) and $7,829.82 (final readings April 25.)
In his Town Administrator’s Report, Geoff Gorman said the Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 8, at 6:45 pm at Sippican Elementary School’s Multipurpose room, and a Food Drive will be held on Election Day, Friday, May 12, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at the Cushing Community Center, site of the polls.
By Mick Colageo