Deep into a long night of meeting with the Tri-Town Select Board and then holding their regular meeting, the members of the Mattapoisett Select Board heard from Sandy Hering, chairman of the Mattapoisett Tree Committee.
Hering once again stated her concerns that residents didn’t have the information needed to make an informed decision regarding the Village Street reconstruction project. The project pegged at an estimated $8,000,000 is nearing the completion of 25% design necessary for Massachusetts Transportation Department review for possible funding via the TIP program.
Hering reiterated that earlier meetings weren’t well-attended and thought the Select Board needed to hold well-publicized public meetings before moving forward with designs that she believed would change the quaint seaside landscape of the village area. “Our citizens are not informed,” Hering stated, asking the board to do what they could.
But the Select Board responded that some 20 public meetings had been held, primarily in 2017-18 and that if people wanted to share comments or had questions those would be answered, provided emails and letters with residents’ names were submitted to the board.
Jordan Collyer, Select Board member, said input would be responded to and taken into consideration, but board member Tyler Macallister pointed out that substantive changes to plans accepted by MassDOT would likely not be considered.
Hering suggested that the town not take the grant money but instead break the work up into smaller pieces, doing it themselves. Town Administrator Mike Lorenco reminded Hering that property owners would have to pay over $3,000 each to make up the difference.
The Tree Committee chairman returned to previous points made about ideas and a presentation the committee had submitted for the engineers, VHB, to take into consideration as they drew up the 25% design, submissions she said were never incorporated into the planning. Hering again asked for a public meeting be held to educate the public on the full scope of the proposed village streets reconstruction.
Mike Rosa, a member of Capital Planning and the Holy Ghost Grounds Reuse Committee, said people don’t attend public meetings for a variety of reasons including meetings he holds. “People aren’t that interested unless it’s something big.” He also wondered why Hering wasn’t focusing public information meetings on agendas for the Tree Committee.
After about 20 minutes, the board determined to place the subject of a possible public meeting on a future agenda, telling Hering that even if the 25% design is accepted by the state, it would be several years before shovels would turn the ground.
In earlier business, the board accepted an updated flag policy for public buildings and properties. The board felt it was important to ensure that the public understands what flags may be flown on town-owned locations, given recent issues that arose in neighboring communities. The last sentence of the policy (available in the Select Board office) reads, “No other flags shall be allowed to be flown on Town-owned flagpoles as those flagpoles and this policy are not intended to establish or serve to create a forum for private expression.”
Lorenco noted that several grants were pending or had been received, namely $132,479 from the Community Compact for IT upgrades, $90,000 for broadband upgrades and an ADA grant which is pending. Lorenco also said that the Finance and Capital Planning committees have met several times, ramping up financials for the spring Town Meeting. He hoped to have a draft FY25 in the near term.
Lorenco said a public-input session addressing the Holy Ghost Grounds project will be held on Wednesday, January 24, at 6:00 pm at the Fire Station.
The board also approved a letter to be sent to the ABCC (Alcohol Beverage Control Commission), attesting to Mattapoisett’s seasonal population increase to 10,800. Lorenco stated that alcohol permitting is based on populations.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board was not announced before adjournment.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell