For a complete text of the Annual Town Meeting Articles click here for the PDF of the Meetng Warrant

Mattapoisett Special Town Meeting

By Marilou Newell

As far as town meetings go, the Mattapoisett Special Fall Town Meeting held on Monday night saw little resistance to the 11 articles brought to the voters for consideration. That is, except for Article 7.

Article 7 asked the voters to grant authority to the town for the taking of some easements and the acceptance as defined by Field Engineering of Old Slough Road for the purpose of providing residents in the Angelica Avenue area an emergency roadway in the event the beach community suffers storm damage and/or flooding.

The Mattapoisett Land Trust, which has extensive holdings in the area, has long held that in the event of storms - think Bob for instance - Angelica Avenue might become impassable, basically cutting off residents' ability to head for higher ground.

Old Slough Road, the oral history of which includes usage by bootleggers moving alcohol out to waiting boats just offshore, now runs through privately held properties, almost being absorbed into those properties, although easements are in place along its trajectory.

The town agreed after working with its engineering team from Field Engineering that such an escape route is not only viable but needed.

A Conservation Commission meeting held on January 9 found abutter David Park questioning the importance of the ancient way and its viability for providing an escape from storm-surge waters.

Ken Motta of Field Engineering noted that a grant from the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management office in the amount of $585,000 would likely cover all construction costs with approximately $29,000 coming from the town coffers.

Park disagreed with the mapping Motta had produced and noted that even with Old Slough Road being available, if people didn't get out in time, they'd be trapped due to fallen trees. Park also stated that he had offered to donate a portion of his abutting property to the land trust for Old Slough Road reconstruction if the trust would indemnify him from legal action should harm come to anyone using the roadway.

The Conservation Commission conditioned the project as presented by Motta with Chairman Mike King explaining that the commission was not looking at the viability of the road to act as an escape route but merely enforcing the Wetlands Protection Act.

On Monday, voters heard directly from Park on why he believes Old Slough Road would not perform as believed by residents of the area and the town. He would at one point tell voters a better use of CZM funding would be to elevate Angelica Avenue 8 feet.

Park was given 10 minutes by moderator Jack Eklund to state his case. What ensued was a 45-minute presentation on the history of the old way, what Park had voluntarily done over the years to improve passage along portion of it, and the belief that the road had never been registered. Park has subsequently filed a suit against the town with the land court. Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said in a follow-up, "Mr. Park's dispute with the town is now in land court. There has been a hearing and both parties are awaiting judgment."

Select Board member Tyler Macallister explained that once completed, Old Slough Road would be gated at both ends with emergency personnel having keys, making the roadway not only an important escape route but also giving greater access to emergency equipment and that passive recreational uses as a walking trail would be available.

After Park's presentation, the floor was opened to questions. When the vote that required two-thirds majority to pass was taken, it passed, 124 yes and 6 no.

The majority of the Town Meeting warrant dealt with financial matters. All articles were approved. Lorenco would point out that the extremely high amount of free cash, some $3,000,000, was an anomaly that most certified free-cash figures are most likely to stand around $1,000,000. He attributed the large sum to a combination of judicious spending and monies associated with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) that have pumped approximately $65,000,000,000 in direct state and local coronavirus-related, fiscal-recovery funds throughout the country.

Article 1 transferred $ $575,000 from certified free cash to the Debt Stabilization Fund, and Article 2 transferred $335,000 from certified free cash to Capital Stabilization Fund, with Select Board member Jodi Bauer stating that there is an estimated $100,000,000 in capital projects listed on the town's 10-year capital plan.

Article 3 appropriated $330,000 for sidewalks, roads and street, and Article 4 $37,000 for a sewer connection for town-owner property off Industrial Drive for the possible construction of office suites.

Article 5 appropriated $350,000 for improvements and renovation to the Highway Department building located on Mendel Road, and Article 6 amendments to the FY24 budget that included $24,394 treasurer-collector personnel, $100,000 to local school (a return of school-choice monies), and $10,000 for the Transfer Station fund.

The voters also approved Article 8 confirmatory takings at Tinkham Forest that will grant greater access to residents for passive recreational uses of town-owned property.

Article 9 granted the establishment of a special fund to receive settlement funds from the Opioid Settlement case. Currently the town has received $40,000, money that will be used for drug education and programming.

Article 10 was the $353,000 transfer of real estate proceeds from the sale of the former Church Street Water Department office to the Water Department Reserve Fund.

Article 11 appropriated $8,000,000 for mandatory plant upgrades at the Fairhaven Sewer Plant facility as required by a new Environmental Protection Agency regulation. Henri Renauld, superintendent of the Mattapoisett Sewer Department, told Town Meeting that sewer-rate increases will be needed to pay for a bond. Expected increases are projected to be $110 per year, he said.