It’s nearly the eve of Mattapoisett’s Fall Special Town Meeting scheduled for Monday, November 27 at 6:30 pm in the auditorium at Old Rochester Regional High School. On November 20, the Mattapoisett Finance Committee met to do a final review of the 17 articles on the warrant and discuss any remaining questions or concerns.
Article 17 may be one of the more interesting articles the voters will handle. It asks for the appropriation of $55,000 from free cash to cover costs associated with securing easement rights, restorations, and relocations to make way for Phase 1B of the multi-use pedestrian path.
In a follow-up interview, Town Administrator Michael Gagne said improvements are planned for Reservation Road south of the boundary between the YMCA and the golf club. He said that a golf cart path would be relocated.
Goodspeed Island Road will also see some upgrades as it becomes a shared use roadway. Articles 6 and 7 ask voters to accept these roadway portions as public ways.
Vehicles would, however, continue to be prohibited from using Goodspeed Island Road, Gagne said, except for homeowners whose properties are located there. Public parking on Depot Street would continue to be free and without sticker regulations.
Gagne said, “This will go out to bid in May 2018 … and construction sometime in the fall.”
FinCom voted to support the article.
Another article voters may find of particular interest is Article 1.
Article 1 asks voters to give authority to the selectmen to “…pull all the sources of funding and grants together, pay for the land, and then the town may file with the federal government…”
Gagne said this was for the acquisition of and conservation restriction on property known as Old Hammond Quarry off Mattapoisett Neck Road.
Gagne stated in an email that the Mattapoisett Land Trust is also seek funding and “…the article merely bundles all funding sources together.” No new Town money is being sought, he emphasized.
The Community Preservation Act granted $37,500 for the purchase during the May 2017 town meeting.
The purchase price of the Old Hammond Quarry parcel is $650,000. FinCom will be in support of Article 1.
Articles 2 and 3 ask voters to augment Water Department funding by $400,000 to help defray costs associated with Phase 3 refurbishment of wells, and $75,000 to remediate weakness in the public water main on Pease’s Point.
Article 9 asks for $250,000 from free cash for continued improvements to town roads and streets. Both are supported by FinCom.
Other articles will ask voters to allow the movement of funds for security upgrades to local schools, the demolition of a structure on Town land near the police station, and waterfront improvements.
Finally, the voters will review a list of funds to supplement the FY18 budget for a total of $135,000 from free cash in Article 15. Line items are: $5,000 for shellfish propagation; $3,000 for care and maintenance of public shade trees; $16,000 for town hall floater staffing; $3,000 for care and repair of town cemeteries; $15,000 for part-time highway staff salaries; and $35,000 for benefit payments to a retiring town hall department head.
To review the full warrant, visit www.wanderer.com.
Mattapoisett Finance Committee
By Marilou Newell