Becky Tilden, director of the Marion Department of Public Works, appeared for an appointment with the Marion Select Board on January 17 to give the members a rundown on DPW matters.
Marion has 47.44 miles of road (up and down, so just under 95) to work, including the trimming back of road edges and filling of potholes. The DPW has replaced 80% of the town’s road signs, paved County Road, Joann and Jenna Drive, repaired Coves End Road and crack-filled 15 roads.
The town’s pavement-management plan is coming to fruition with update and new five-year plan, including a three-year maintenance plan. A sidewalk evaluation is also being done.
The Transfer Station had 15,485 visits last year, up by 5% over 2022, according to Tilden. The station is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
The Swap Shed will open on April 10 on a trial basis with a Wednesday schedule so it can be staffed and to prevent the loitering that occurred last time Marion tried to operate a swap shed.
The DPW has been involved in site preparation for its new headquarters and also the harbormaster’s new headquarters.
The town held 46 burials in 2023, including 18 full burials.
The plan for Spragues Cove is for the DPW to cut back the vegetation at the 3-acre area of shellfish beds in the western section of Sippican Harbor and to then follow up with a plan for the treatment of phragmites. An environmental consultant will help the DPW safely dispose of the vegetation removed.
Marion’s annual water-flushing program added a directional program that Tilden estimates achieved 25% completion and will resume in the spring.
Wells at Mary’s Pond are expected to be back online in March, followed by the east and west wells.
An asset-management grant program being conducted by Tata & Howard engineers will evaluate the Main and Perry Hill water stations and recommend a plan for the town. Select Board member Randy Parker asked about easements at Perry Hill and power lines. Tilden said wetlands have crept in, and the DPW is communicating with the Conservation Commission.
“This is a whole plan that will help us get a maintenance program in line,” said Tilden.
Wolf Island and the East well share a portable backup generator, but Tilden told the board a permanent solution is in the works. The generator will also serve Mary’s Pond and the West well, all being in the same area. The Main and Perry Hill stations’ old generators will be replaced.
The Creek Road Water main project now underway will correct the situation with the installed, 600-foot pipe that remains inactive. Tilden said that pipe’s replacement will rid the town of the double dead end and help flows, including for fire emergencies and give water to the Creek Road Sewer Station.
The DPW is conducting its engineering work now with a plan to seek funding for the replacements in the next cycle.
Hydrants are about to go out to bid at various locations. One of Marion’s newer hydrants on County Road was incapacitated by a recent car accident. Some of the older hydrants are operable but being scheduled for replacement. No movement on Route 105 will occur for the next three years due to a state-ordered moratorium on that road.
A fecal-coliform issue has been elusive for the DPW to locate, and Weston & Sampson is working with the town to figure out ways to isolate the source.
With 5 inches of rain over the first week and a half of January, Tilden reported “very high” flows and reported 916,352 gallons in the Main station as of January 11. Tilden anticipates an infiltration/inflow (I/I) report from Weston & Sampson.
On a sad note, Tilden reported that Frank Cooper, the first treatment-plant operator for Marion, passed away on December 31.
She concluded by crediting her team for its strong commitment and cooperation.
Select Board member Randy Parker asked about Delano Road. Tilden said not the entire water main will be replaced, but plans are in place and awaiting funding for culvert repair and partial force-main replacement.
Chairman Toby Burr asked Tilden’s opinion of the recent discussion with Mattapoisett and Rochester officials on sharing equipment and combining bids on public projects that affect multiple towns.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Tilden, referencing conversation with Town Administrator Geoff Gorman on the possibility of a Tri-Town, hazardous-waste drop-off event. “Because we really need to have one of those, and it would definitely be easier on all the towns if (the three towns took turns hosting such events.)”
Town Administrator Geoff Gorman and the board thanked Tilden for her thorough presentation, and Gorman recommended the Select Board entertain a department’s visit for such an update on a monthly basis.
In his Town Administrator’s Report, Gorman recognized the Alves family for Sippican Elementary School student Davin Alves’ donation to the Marion Food Pantry exceeding $1,000.
The foundation of the new harbormaster facility has been redesigned from helical piles to a mat (or raft) foundation after South Coast Improvement was unable to drill to the prescribed depths to accommodate the original plan. The mat foundation is designed to distribute the weight of the building evenly across its footprint.
Gorman told the board the schedule calls for the DPW building bid opening for late March. He said this will give the town plenty of time to complete the bid process in advance of the April 2 closing of the Town Meeting warrant and May 13 Town Meeting.
Marion’s new website will debut on Thursday, January 25, funded by the Community Compact Grant from the state. Gorman publicly credited several individuals for their work.
Cemetery Regulations and fees are likely changing after Cemetery Commission member Margie Baldwin said the commission presently allows 12 inches of plantings in front of headstones. Jody Dickerson of the DPW said the biggest maintenance challenge is mowing around graves that exceed the allowable 12 inches of plantings in front of the headstones.
Burr asked if the commission would find it beneficial to hear from the public, but Baldwin noted that the town owns the land around the graves. “People get a little carried away with the mementos … colored lights,” Baldwin said. “It’s not an amusement park, but it’s not an arboretum either. … We have to find the balance between the two.” Baldwin said she received a complaint that a bird feeder at one headstone had led to desecration of the adjacent headstone.
New regulations would spell out what is and is not allowed. Parker agreed with Burr that a public hearing should be held to make the public better aware of what changes are proposed and why.
“If you let people talk, at least they have the opportunity to express their opinions,” said Burr.
Select Board member Norm Hills sided with the commission that it is not a matter of a few dissenting opinions but only a matter of controlling town-owned property, but Burr and Parker reiterated their support of a public hearing.
The matter was officially postponed until February 6, when a public hearing is anticipated.
In other Action Items, an Administrative Consent order update was reviewed by the Select Board, which approved the dates therein.
Gorman was appointed approval agent, and Finance Director Heather O’Brien was appointed preparing agent for the administration of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Daniel Eling and Derek Krein were appointed as regular members of the Pathways Committee.
The board voted to accept from Vareika Construction the donation of a copper rooftop for the Bicentennial Park gazebo.
The board voted to accept from A.D. Makepeace the donation of gravel for the Point Road Bike Path.
The board approved four one-day liquor licenses for the Marion Social Club, 44 Pumping Station Road, for events on January 27 (1:30 pm to 5:30 pm), February 4 (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm), March 24 (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm) and April 21 (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.)
The board approved two one-day liquor licenses for ICJ Corporation for events at the Marion Music Hall on April 5 (a trivia-night fundraiser for Taber Library 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm) and May 4 (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.)
The board approved a Water/Sewer commitment for $671.89 (final readings January 4.)
The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6, at 6:00 pm at the Town House Annex Building conference room.
Marion Select Board
By Mick Colageo