Town Administrator Paul Dawson told the Marion Board of Selectmen on May 19 that after a recent meeting with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, he felt that the Town’s concerns over the EPA’s draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit were “truly listened to” by DEP staff.
“All of the agencies represented at that meeting … came thoroughly prepared and asked a lot of good, thoughtful questions,” Dawson said. “I got the sense that they understood completely our point.”
Selectman Jonathan Henry accompanied Dawson to the meeting in Boston, and said he was impressed with the staff’s knowledge of Marion’s current situation, including the history of the creation of the town’s three wastewater lagoons the new NPDES permit no longer allows for use.
“I felt gratified that they paid attention to us and didn’t just say, ‘yeah, okay,’” said Henry.
Town Meeting on May 11 approved the appropriation of $455,000 towards engineering and legal research to assist the Town in convincing the EPA to reconsider the permit and allow Marion to devise alternative plans for meeting the pollutant standards of the NPDES.
“The DEP will assist the Town in working with the EPA and facilitating the meeting and try to get some of the larger concerns addressed,” said Dawson.
Dawson said it was a “fruitful” meeting.
“It sounds encouraging,” said newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Stephen Cushing.
Also during the meeting, the board handed over responsibility of Goldovitz Bog to the Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission after MOSAC member John Rockwell approached the board expressing the commission’s desire to maintain it.
Rockwell said the commission, in conjunction with other groups such as the Sippican Lands Trust, wishes to maintain the existing trails that interconnect with other lands trust properties. Rockwell said, without the authority to allow the trail maintenance, he cannot grant permission to alter the property unless selectmen grant that authority to MOSAC.
“That’s fine,” said Henry. “I think in most instances it’s been our desire to get it (the property) into the hands of the people who do this because we don’t.” Cushing said the property maintenance was “low on the radar screen” for the board.
Conservation Commission Chairman Norman Hills only cautioned the board and Rockwell that phragmites are taking over the site and, unless some kind of maintenance plan is established, they will choke out the wetlands.
“It’s going to be overrun in a short time if we don’t do something,” said Hills. “They’ll just fill up the bogs…. If we don’t do something, that stuff is going to get ahead of us.”
But with a budget of zero dollars, MOSAC does not have the money or the personpower to undertake a phragmite removal and maintenance project. Cushing asked aloud if this were a matter the selectmen would want to “throw money at.”
Hills warned that the longer it takes the Town to act, the more money it would cost.
The board decided to wait and see and granted overseeing authority to MOSAC.
In other matters, the board voted to accept the one single bid submitted for the Fourth of July fireworks display.
Selectmen awarded the contract to Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group for $32,750. The company also provided the fireworks display for the City of Boston over the Esplanade, and the board said the Town should expect a lot of “oohs and ahhs” on July 4.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for June 2 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry
