[0:06] Okay, it's 6:00.
[0:08] I call the Marion City Board of Water Sewer Commissioners Meeting to order on
[0:13] Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Marion Townhouse Conference Room,
[0:19] 2 Spring Street. This meeting will be recorded and posted by ORCTV.
[0:24] Is anyone else recording? Please stand for the pledge of
[0:28] allegiance.
[0:31] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the
[0:36] Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[0:41] justice for all.
[0:46] Okay. For those with an agenda, we're going to do items one through five, and then
[0:52] we're going to skip to 16 and 17, before we do the remainder.
[0:57] So item one is approval of minutes from August 19th and August 25th, 2026.
[1:03] Mr. Chair, with your permission, I'll make a motion to approve both August 19th and
[1:07] August 25th meetings as posted.
[1:10] I'll second that. All in favor?
[1:11] Aye.
[1:12] Aye.
[1:13] Item two, request to appoint alternate tree warden, Jody Dickerson.
[1:19] Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we appoint Jody Dickerson alternate tree warden as
[1:23] posted in tonight's agenda.
[1:26] I second that. Are there any comments?
[1:30] All in favor say aye.
[1:31] Aye.
[1:32] Aye.
[1:33] Item three, request for appointment to the Musical Advisory Committee of Norman
[1:38] Hills.
[1:39] Mr. Chair, I've reviewed the literature in here for Mr.
[1:42] Hills, and I find it favorable and I'd love to appoint Mr.
[1:45] Hills to the Musical Advisory Committee.
[1:46] I'll second that. Are there any comments?
[1:50] All in favor say aye.
[1:52] Aye.
[1:52] Aye.
[1:54] Approval of the Gateway Health Group invoice dated September 17th, 2026.
[2:02] Any-
[2:02] Seconded.
[2:05] The amount of $95,971.42.
[2:10] Mr. Groom, you have an opportunity to review this also?
[2:13] Yes, sir.
[2:13] And you find it favorable?
[2:15] Yes, sir.
[2:15] Okay, I've had an opportunity to review it based on last time too.
[2:19] Yeah.
[2:19] Looks good to me.
[2:21] Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we approve the Gateway Health invoice dated
[2:24] September 17th, 2026, in the amount of, how much is it, Ms. Groom?
[2:29] $95,971.42.
[2:33] You get that? That's what I approve.
[2:35] Second.
[2:38] Second.
[2:38] All in favor say aye.
[2:39] Aye.
[2:39] Aye.
[2:41] Then request for water sewer abatement at 28 Old Sheepfield Road.
[2:47] That's in the amount of
[2:48] $630.83.
[2:55] Number five, two four.
[3:02] Mr. Chair, Jody, do you have any comments on this?
[3:06] No.
[3:06] Could you just give us a little description because this is what, Mr.
[3:10] Groom, is this the second reading of a-
[3:13] Correct. So, a quick background if I may, Mr. Chair.
[3:18] This is one of our last meter conversion concerns that we had with a
[3:23] resident. If you remember, we had some meter conversions that approached six years,
[3:29] where folks need to have their meter replaced because it couldn't be remotely read.
[3:34] These residents, after we unfortunately threatened everyone to shut their water off
[3:38] if they didn't get their meter converted.
[3:40] They got their meter converted, and then upon reading the meter, we determined that
[3:44] over the last six years that they ended up getting estimated bills, that they would
[3:48] have been underestimated.
[3:51] They came in front of the board to request an abatement.
[3:54] That abatement was denied,
[3:56] and the board requested that Jody, the director, and I sit down with these
[4:01] residents and make sure we could talk about, answer all their questions, make sure
[4:05] that every single penny is accounted for and that we can make sure that they're
[4:09] satisfied with the result. We did so.
[4:12] The only thing that we came up with is that they did have a slight irrigation leak,
[4:17] and that's the new
[4:20] abatement request. I don't have the number in front of me, approximately eight
[4:23] hundred-
[4:23] $830.91
[4:24] ... $830.91. They're satisfied, and they've already set up a payment plan with a
[4:31] treasure collector to satisfy this bill.
[4:39] Mr. Chair, are you content with that?
[4:42] Yes.
[4:43] Okay.
[4:46] I'll make a motion we approve the request for a water abatement, 28 Old Sheepfield
[4:50] Road, in the amount of $830.91.
[4:53] I'll second it.
[4:56] Any comments? All in favor say aye.
[4:59] Aye.
[4:59] Aye.
[5:00] Thank you, Jody.
[5:01] All right. Now we'll jump to number 16, request for approval of a sewer connection
[5:07] at 492 Delano Road.
[5:12] I've had a chance, an opportunity to review this and gone down and looked.
[5:15] I think the sewer goes by there. I don't know why they never tied in, but they
[5:18] didn't. I think the house is either under contract or-
[5:23] Yeah
[5:23] ... for sale.
[5:24] Yep.
[5:24] And they were going to tie in.
[5:25] It's on the corner of Stony Run and Delano Road.
[5:27] Yes.
[5:29] So they're looking to tie into sewer. I don't have any problem with that.
[5:32] And we believe that the connection box is off the edge of the road, because the
[5:36] house next door was off the edge of the road as well.
[5:39] I don't believe the road will be disturbed.
[5:42] That's good.
[5:48] So the people who have owned it for the last 10 or 20 years are the people who are
[5:52] putting that in the sewer?
[5:53] No, it's been sold.
[5:55] Oh, it's been sold.
[5:56] Yes.
[5:56] The new owners.
[5:57] Yes, the new owners. Sorry.
[6:00] Okay.
[6:02] I have no other questions.
[6:04] The only thing is the next one, Keith and I are going to go tie in ourself.
[6:07] Yeah.
[6:08] Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we approve the sewer connection on 492 Delano Road
[6:13] as written in tonight's agenda.
[6:14] Second.
[6:16] All in favor say aye.
[6:17] Aye.
[6:18] Aye.
[6:20] Next item, discussion regarding a requested road opening at 49 Water Street.
[6:28] All right, Ken and Jody, you're up.
[6:33] You got to introduce yourself, Ken.
[6:36] Kenneth Michaels, the contractor at 49 Water Street in Marion, Massachusetts.
[6:41] Can you do me a favor, please? The podium's got the mic if you want to use that.
[6:45] Oh, yeah.
[6:45] Thank you.
[6:46] Thank you very much.
[6:47] Otherwise ORCTV won't pick up on the audio.
[6:50] So stand here.
[6:51] Yeah. Thank you.
[6:51] Just please, reintroduce yourself.
[6:53] All right.
[6:54] Yeah, you can probably cancel. I can hear you. Yeah. Thanks, guys.
[6:57] My name is Kenneth Michaels Jr, and I'm the contractor for 49 Water Street in
[7:02] Marion, Massachusetts.
[7:06] Are you requesting-
[7:08] I'm requesting a opening of the road so we can connect a new gas service to the
[7:14] home that we're presently building on 49 Water Street.
[7:16] The one that is there now is insufficient.
[7:20] When they did the disconnect, there was an issue with the
[7:23] cutting of that line, and we'd like to increase that line and put a new one across
[7:28] the street. I met with Jody out there and
[7:31] got
[7:40] it all set up, and then I understood that it was denied, and then I had to come
[7:45] before the board, and you asked me to present a plan, how we would do it
[7:50] professionally and have it done properly.
[7:53] And then,
[7:54] here I am today.
[7:57] So can you just let us, for everyone else's knowledge,
[8:01] you're going from what size gas main to what size?
[8:04] Just to give us an idea or the reasoning why this is happening.
[8:07] Well, there's an inch and a half line there presently, but that's the one that was
[8:12] cut, and they think that they're gonna have to go out into the road possibly to
[8:15] reconnect that service there. And the house is also a little bit larger, and
[8:20] there's some other things that they would like to add to that service.
[8:23] Yeah. So I saw a four-inch line there.
[8:24] That's what you want to tie into, that four-inch line?
[8:26] Well, that's only to come back to the house.
[8:28] Right.
[8:29] They're only gonna bring in about a-
[8:30] The house service is a four-inch line.
[8:32] Three-inch line.
[8:33] Three-inch line. And that's inside diameter?
[8:35] Yes.
[8:36] And as it exists now, it's what?
[8:38] Inch and a half diameter.
[8:39] So it's double.
[8:39] Mm-hmm.
[8:42] It's double because there's more uses for the gas in the house than there was in
[8:47] the old house.
[8:48] I'm sorry, sorry, I didn't hear you.
[8:51] It's a double-sized line because there's more uses of gas in the new
[8:57] house than in the old house.
[8:59] Yeah, that's an old, old walk-on gas service line that's there presently.
[9:03] Yeah.
[9:03] And yes, they would like to have a whole house generator in case power goes out.
[9:08] Yeah.
[9:11] So, just for everyone's information, I actually looked at this too with Jody, and
[9:16] there is a street crossing. And unfortunately, the road is under
[9:22] a moratorium for cutting.
[9:26] However, with that said,
[9:28] as everyone knows, we had the road cut to put our sprinkler in here out front, and
[9:33] it has done a nice job, and I was very impressed with the new technology to get
[9:37] that done.
[9:39] So, with that said, I met with Jody down there and Mike, and we went this over, and
[9:45] I think, Mr. Chair, Jody's come to a conclusion, and this is the plan of that
[9:49] conclusion. And I've got a couple more things to add that aren't on here.
[9:53] But Jody, if you want to fill us in on that?
[9:55] Sure. I met with, as you mentioned, Mike and
[10:00] yourself down there. And what we'll be doing is be a two-foot-wide trench, and that
[10:04] is where the gas service will be. However-
[10:07] Okay
[10:07] ... DPW is requesting on either side of that trench, a foot is cut on the pavement.
[10:13] So when we do put flowable fill in it and blacktop it, it will be the same way it
[10:17] is out here on the street.
[10:20] That's the only way I would approve that.
[10:22] Yeah. This one's worked out great up front. You'd never even know it.
[10:27] So typically, this will be out of moratorium in a year, I believe. Is that correct?
[10:33] That is correct.
[10:34] But that's not going to give them enough fuel,
[10:38] volume to run that house for sure.
[10:43] So typically, we don't like to do this, but I think
[10:47] the education that I got when we tied in our sprinkler,
[10:52] we only went out four foot in the road, but you'd never even know we're there.
[10:56] And the four foot is in the travel lane portion of the road.
[10:59] That's correct.
[11:01] The other caveat too, sir, is that we want to make sure that we have a timeframe
[11:05] for sumpage, right?
[11:06] Say it again.
[11:07] A timeframe for sumpage so that the-
[11:09] Oh, yeah. I've got some notes here.
[11:11] Okay.
[11:11] I rambled on this thing.
[11:13] What is sumpage?
[11:15] Settlement.
[11:16] Settling, so like a year from now, that would be responsible for any sinking.
[11:21] So it looks like that's only 18 inches down. Is that enough?
[11:24] Does anyone know that answer?
[11:27] I don't know. I believe that is a regular standard on it.
[11:30] So that's what the numbers tell me. 18 inches isn't very far down.
[11:34] No. If you need us to go deeper, I'm more than happy to.
[11:36] I don't know. If it doesn't have to go deeper, that's fine with me, but we should
[11:41] give you the opportunity not to have to come back.
[11:44] Well, why don't we say-
[11:45] So why don't we say up to 24 inches?
[11:47] That'd be sufficient.
[11:48] How far down is the line that it's tying into?
[11:52] Well, that's going to be determined once Eversource gets out there and do it, but
[11:56] that'll be on the other side of the road.
[11:58] So they should be able to reach that if they need to.
[12:02] They should be able to.
[12:03] To connect that.
[12:04] Connect that.
[12:04] So I think two feet would be sufficient.
[12:06] Yeah.
[12:07] Yeah, you might be fine with that 18 inches, but that's for under road crossing,
[12:12] typically, in my business, it would be 24 inches.
[12:15] I'm perfectly content with that.
[12:16] But maybe the flowable fill, Jody, makes an exception. I don't know that.
[12:20] I don't know on that one. I'm not sure if I-
[12:22] But anyway, it looks like we've got 12 inches of flowable fill, six inches of
[12:27] compacted sand, and you're in the middle of that compacted sand.
[12:30] You'll have a metallic or some sort of a wire in there so we can detect, because
[12:35] that's plastic-
[12:35] A trace wire
[12:36] ... wire probably, right? So we'll have a trace wire in there.
[12:38] That's not on the plan.
[12:41] Right? But we want to make sure there's one in there. Right, Jody?
[12:44] That's a requirement anyway.
[12:45] Okay.
[12:45] Yep.
[12:47] Anything else that we should be looking at here?
[12:49] I looked at it, and the way they have this diagram, the plan actually presented, it
[12:54] does look like the trench is actually 24 inches down, because that's in the middle
[12:58] of the two if you add them up.
[13:00] I'm seeing six and 12.
[13:02] Yeah, I know, but below the pipe, you can see approximately a six-inch base
[13:06] between, or is it six inches of sand bedding.
[13:09] I see the gas pipe in the middle of the sand.
[13:11] Right. That one's kind of different-
[13:12] And they're showing that as a six-inch sand base.
[13:15] I'm not looking at the plan right there.
[13:17] Yeah. Six inches as well. Yeah. Yeah. That's...
[13:20] I'm looking at that
[13:22] one.
[13:22] Yeah.
[13:22] Well, Mike, as chair,
[13:25] I'm looking at it as-
[13:26] So here's the way I'm looking at it. 12 to there, six to there.
[13:30] Okay, I'm looking six to there, then 12.
[13:32] No, they're in the middle of the six with that.
[13:34] Okay.
[13:35] The three. Look, I don't know, but-
[13:40] We're going to go 24
[13:41] ... we're going 24 regardless.
[13:43] It looks like it's almost double the size of it.
[13:45] Yeah.
[13:46] Yeah, it is double the size on the scale. I don't know.
[13:50] And so who does this work? Who-
[13:52] Eversource will do that with the licensed contractor.
[13:55] Eversource. And the flowable fill is done by Eversource also?
[13:58] Yes, it is. Everything is done by them.
[14:00] The inspections?
[14:02] Yep, everything will be done with.
[14:03] Eversource will file a permit to take care of all that.
[14:06] And you're going to wet saw that? Jody, is that what you're looking for?
[14:10] Snap a line, wet saw, take a 12 inch off the other side, then wet saw the middle
[14:14] again, so you got four saw cuts.
[14:16] Exactly.
[14:17] And who did the work on Main Street here?
[14:22] That was a water service, and that was done by Arne Espeden.
[14:29] I don't know how you feel about that, Toby, but I think I'm comfortable with it.
[14:33] I'm going to put some stipulations on it.
[14:34] I don't think Kenny will be comfortable with it.
[14:39] Oh, okay. Yep. I think we're good for now.
[14:42] Okay. So Jody, you've looked at this plan.
[14:43] Is there anything you want to add or motion on this that might not be on here?
[14:46] No, it looks okay to me.
[14:48] How would you feel, Kenny, if we motioned to actually
[14:52] do a one-year sumpage repair clause on this?
[14:55] I have no problem with that. We want to make sure it's done right.
[14:57] We don't want to do something that's going to-
[14:58] So we'll add a one-year sumpage-
[14:59] ... cause a problem
[15:00] ... repair clause. Jody, what about the patch?
[15:03] Are we going to seam seal on both sides of the patch?
[15:06] First of all, it is required from Eversource. They do require.
[15:09] They are requiring one year on that.
[15:11] Yeah.
[15:12] Five years for safety. It's a safety issue.
[15:14] Okay, so you'll still seam seal either side of that patch.
[15:17] That is correct.
[15:17] And that patch will be a one-piece patch across.
[15:20] You can have a base coat and a finish coat?
[15:22] Yes.
[15:22] And how thick is it going to be? Is it on here, Joe?
[15:26] Whatever the minimum requirements are, we'll make sure those are met.
[15:29] Okay.
[15:34] All right.
[15:38] You all set, folks?
[15:39] I'm all set. Yes, sir.
[15:40] All right. I think this will work. Kenny, I think I'm going to motion that we
[15:44] approve this plan with an up to 24-inch cut,
[15:50] a two-foot wide cut, seam sealed on the side, as spelled out in a plan dated
[15:57] by Dave Devinian, September 29th, 2026, and with a one-year
[16:03] sumpage repair clause starting from the day of blacktopping.
[16:08] Very good.
[16:08] Does that make sense, Mr. Williams?
[16:10] Flowable fill?
[16:11] Flowable fill's on here.
[16:12] And do an extra foot-
[16:14] Yes
[16:14] ... on each side of it.
[16:15] Yeah.
[16:16] Because that's what makes up-
[16:17] I'm just bringing up things that aren't on there.
[16:20] That's not the one.
[16:21] Very good. Does that make sense to you, Toby?
[16:23] It does.
[16:23] I think we're pretty well covered on that.
[16:25] All right.
[16:27] And we can have this plan. Sounds good.
[16:30] So you're making a motion?
[16:32] I made the motion, yes.
[16:33] Second.
[16:35] All in favor?
[16:35] Aye.
[16:36] Aye.
[16:37] Aye.
[16:38] Thank you very much. Congratulations, Kenny.
[16:40] Thank you.
[16:41] Yeah. You're going to be the experimental-
[16:43] We'll make sure it's done right
[16:44] ... patch. I'm sure you will. Thanks very much.
[16:46] Thank you.
[16:46] Thanks a lot,
[16:49] Kenny.
[16:49] Go take a nap after your long day.
[16:50] Yeah, it's a long day. Thank you very much for your time.
[16:52] Yeah, no problem, chief.
[16:55] Thank you.
[16:57] Okay. The next item would be item six, the water and sewer commitment.
[17:02] Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we approve a water and sewer commitment for
[17:05] $681.16. Final reading was dated 09/15/2026.
[17:11] Second.
[17:12] Second. All in favor?
[17:14] Aye.
[17:15] Aye. Item seven.
[17:17] Mr. Chair, I make a motion to approve a water and sewer commitment in the amount of
[17:21] $10,000. New water service dated 09/16/2026.
[17:26] Second.
[17:28] Aye.
[17:29] Aye.
[17:31] Item eight.
[17:32] Mr. Chair, I make a motion we approve a water and sewer commitment in the amount of
[17:35] $3,964.29. Water and sewer quarterly billing dated
[17:40] 09/14/2026.
[17:43] Second. Aye.
[17:45] Aye.
[17:46] Number nine.
[17:47] Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we
[17:51] approve a water and sewer commitment amount of
[17:53] $2,165,131.07. Water and sewer quarterly
[17:59] billing dated 09/16/2026.
[18:02] Second.
[18:03] Aye.
[18:03] Aye. Number 10.
[18:07] Mr. Chair, I make a motion that we approve a water and sewer commitment amount of
[18:10] $155 sewer reconnection dated 09/23/2026.
[18:16] Second.
[18:17] Aye.
[18:21] And number 11.
[18:22] Mr. Chair, I make a motion to approve the water and sewer commitment in the amount
[18:25] of $560, backflow test dated nine 26, 2026.
[18:31] Second. Aye.
[18:32] Aye.
[18:33] The date. The date wasn't in there. Oh.
[18:37] You okay with all this so far?
[18:39] The date. It's what, is-
[18:41] What date? Of which one?
[18:42] I think you just read nine 26.
[18:45] Nine 29, 26.
[18:51] Thank you.
[18:51] Thank you. Is that the only one?
[18:53] Mm-hmm.
[18:55] Okay.
[18:55] Okay. Number 12.
[18:58] Number 12. Credit memorandum, $4,288.25.
[19:03] Incorrect meter reading, dated nine 28, 2026.
[19:08] Uh, second.
[19:09] Aye.
[19:10] Aye.
[19:12] Number 13.
[19:13] Number 13, Mr. Chair, credit memorandum, $2,426.59.
[19:15] Incorrect meter reading, dated nine 30, 2026.
[19:15] Second.
[19:15] Aye.
[19:15] Aye. Number 14.
[19:15] Number 14, credit memorandum, $107.24.
[19:20] Incorrect meter reading, dated 10 one, 2026.
[19:24] Second.
[19:26] Aye.
[19:26] Aye.
[19:29] Number 15.
[19:29] Number 15, Mr. Chair, credit memorandum, $407.36.
[19:34] Incorrect meter reading, dated 10 one, 2026.
[19:38] Second.
[19:53] Aye.
[19:54] Aye. And that completes your action items. Mr. Gorman.
[19:58] All right, sir. Make this quick. So first I want to start with the storm review of
[20:03] our big rain. We got final tallies.
[20:05] There was 6.8 inches of rain we received in Marion over the weekend.
[20:10] I just want to give kudos to everyone that was involved, Public Safety and DPW.
[20:13] One of the things I really wanted to stress, that over the last couple of years,
[20:17] the Department of Public Works has spent an inordinate amount of time inventorying,
[20:22] cleaning, identifying storm drain systems, as well as improving our storm water
[20:28] system as a whole. And, with 6.8 inches of rain, we didn't have any issues
[20:34] in the town of late. And so that was a perfect tangible benefit of what they've
[20:39] been doing over the last couple of years.
[20:40] So thank you to the Department of Public Works.
[20:44] Just a reminder for Fall Town Meeting, November 9th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
[20:48] at Sipican Elementary School. It's going to be a three-article warrant.
[20:53] Warrants are posted, correct?
[20:54] Thursday.
[20:54] Thursday. Warrants will be posted on Thursday.
[20:58] And for you gentlemen, your backup information and motions will be coming quickly.
[21:03] Just want to-
[21:04] Excuse me, how many people do we need at town meeting for a quorum?
[21:08] I'm sorry.
[21:09] 50.
[21:10] 50? Five zero?
[21:11] Five zero.
[21:12] Tell your friends.
[21:13] Yeah.
[21:14] Start making calls.
[21:16] Mm-hmm.
[21:16] Go cash in those chips so we can get people there.
[21:21] Believe it or not, to kind of put it out there, I talk to people every time I see
[21:25] them. Although they seem to be routine and rudimentary administrative type of
[21:29] articles, the first two are very important for us to complete the shared use path
[21:33] on time, and then the third one allows us to meet our mandated requirements from
[21:37] the Environmental Protection Agency for our phosphorus upgrades to the water
[21:41] treatment plant. So, although it'll be a quick meeting, please, the great
[21:47] residents of Marion, get over there real quick and we'll provide some, we'll get
[21:50] some snacks or something everybody.
[21:52] Yes.
[21:52] We'll get some snacks out for people to-
[21:53] Refreshments.
[21:54] Refreshments.
[21:56] Grants update. Just a quick grant update.
[21:59] It looks like a comical to have all the grants at the same time, but,
[22:03] we received a $2.1 million grant to complete our Route 6 water main, which I'm very
[22:09] excited about. That'll have a brand-new water main now from Creek Road all the way
[22:12] up to River Road, paid for by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Toll Brothers.
[22:18] And we also received $94,000 on the same grant cycle, but a different pot of money
[22:24] to update our master plan. So our 10-year master plan, which is 10 years old, is
[22:28] now going to be updated,
[22:30] based on the grant money we received from the Commonwealth.
[22:32] So super excited about that.
[22:34] So does that go out to bid?
[22:36] I'm sorry?
[22:36] Does that go out to bid?
[22:38] No. No.
[22:40] Who does it if it's to bid?
[22:41] Oh, no, that's not true.
[22:44] Yeah, I'll get more information. Yeah, I don't know how that's going to work.
[22:46] We have to come out there and bid somebody to do the consultancy to do that update.
[22:50] Yeah. I'll find out.
[22:54] And then, oh, and then that brings us up to
[22:58] almost $7.5 million of grant money received by the town of Marion in the last three
[23:03] years. So I'm super excited about that.
[23:04] Thank you to the finance department and our amazing grant administrator for getting
[23:09] these all together. For the water main, too, it was all hands on deck evolution.
[23:13] We had applied for that for three years. We didn't get it the first two years.
[23:17] We bugged the heck out of them to get feedback about what we could do to improve
[23:21] our application. So everyone got together to make sure we got that.
[23:25] And the last thing is a pavement and sidewalk update.
[23:29] We've already started some of the pavement.
[23:30] I got a new
[23:35] quick update from the director of DPW.
[23:37] So Point Road and Sparrow Lane were milled yesterday.
[23:43] Good news about Point Road. They did a great job.
[23:45] PJ Keating does a great job for us. The foundation of Point Road was in much better
[23:50] shape than they expected, so we'll be able to save some money towards the estimate
[23:55] on that.
[23:57] Spring Street and Water Street were milled today.
[24:00] The structure will be raised on Wednesday, October 7th on Spring Street and Water
[24:04] Street. Paving on Wednesday, October 7th on Point Road and Sparrow Lane.
[24:10] Paving Saturday, October 10th for Spring Street and Water Street.
[24:14] And this is of course tentative based on weather and things like that.
[24:17] So that's going forward. For sidewalk update, I don't have a start date yet, but
[24:21] they're working hard to get all the requirements they need to get to the engineer
[24:25] to start. But we did have our pre-construction meeting last week to answer them.
[24:31] They are putting together some documentation for you, Mr.
[24:33] Parker, about the chemical additions, and we'll make sure that they have a chemical
[24:38] plan in place in case they do have to pour on a day when it's 40 degrees or below.
[24:43] Most likely, we'll be able to get the Front Street sidewalks completed before
[24:49] the November 15th shutdown for paving, and then most likely Main Street will be
[24:54] done in the spring. Of course, they have to get a day when it's freezing
[25:00] and add a bunch of chemicals to the mix.
[25:02] So when you say paving, Jeff, are you talking about what little there may be up
[25:07] against the sidewalk berm? Because that's going to be cement, right?
[25:11] Yeah. I'm sorry, for paving, I meant that you had approved us doing Front Street.
[25:16] So, PJ Keating requests that the sidewalks are completed first before they pave.
[25:20] Oh, and they can-
[25:22] So they go right up to the-
[25:22] Freeze it right up against it.
[25:23] Yep.
[25:24] And, you got to look into the granite curb in the village.
[25:27] Granite curbing is good to go. It's actually a savings.
[25:31] So I already gave him the go-ahead to go granite curbing for the entire length of
[25:35] the project.
[25:37] Nice.
[25:37] So it'll be from 182 Front Street to Vine Street.
[25:42] Which is great.
[25:43] That's great.
[25:43] And then the money that we saved on
[25:46] Spring Street by taking it from the end of Old Lane Cemetery
[25:52] to, I'm going to lose track of my, to the end of the pavement by Fire
[25:58] Department number one, we'll be able to do Front Street starting at Cottage all the
[26:03] way to Pitcher, as opposed to we were doing it, I think, from Main Street to
[26:06] Pitcher. Now we'll do the whole thing.
[26:07] So we'll have brand-new pavement and brand-new sidewalks all over the village-
[26:11] Nice
[26:12] ... by next spring. So.
[26:14] Nice.
[26:15] Unless you have any questions, that's all I have right now.
[26:17] And I know people are concerned about the sidewalks, but I can tell you that the
[26:21] contractor was extremely understanding. They're very aware of our timeframes.
[26:25] They're very aware of the concerns with chemical additives.
[26:28] And they'll do anything they need for the board to make sure that everyone's
[26:31] comfortable about the way we move forward.
[26:33] Great.
[26:34] So they're super excited to start.
[26:36] And that completes my brief, and I'll turn it over to the finance director with
[26:40] your permission, Mr. Chair.
[26:42] Mrs. Abrahams.
[26:44] Great. Thank you.
[26:46] A couple of topics. On Friday morning, the treasure collector and I, Kaylin,
[26:52] met with our financial advisor, and we met with the S&P Global Ratings group.
[26:58] Standard & Poor's.
[27:00] Standard & Poor's, thank you.
[27:02] This is in advance of us bonding the current BAN.
[27:06] So we were tasked with 16 discussion points ahead of time for which we were to
[27:11] provide responses to. Conversation went well. We covered things.
[27:16] We talked about debt and capital needs. We talked about the economy.
[27:20] We talked about finances.
[27:24] Some of our environmental risks, cybersecurity, and some management policies and
[27:29] practices. Some of the things that came out of it were they wanted to hear the
[27:35] success story about our tax title collection and how we're making some moves with
[27:40] that.
[27:42] They were really interested, we can talk about the two new residential
[27:45] developments, the ADU permits that are in place.
[27:50] Some of the development over at Subcan Holdings, the rehab of the old Cumby's
[27:56] and then- Which one? Well, the old Cumby's now Uncle John's.
[28:01] And then just some of the things that are on the radar with some of the vacant land
[28:05] in town.
[28:08] We were able to point out that we have a detailed municipal
[28:12] vulnerability plan, that was an easy one, and an emergency management plan.
[28:17] And then we also were able to follow up from our previous call with them that we
[28:20] are in the process of the harbor management plan, because that was on our radar
[28:23] previously. So we're kind of following up on things that we have in place.
[28:27] One of the most exciting things for us was when we were talking about what we're
[28:31] doing for cybersecurity. Mm-hmm.
[28:33] We talked about everything we're doing on our end, and then S&P said, "Well, we run
[28:39] our own cybersecurity sweep with a third party coming into these calls, and you got
[28:43] a 9.9, which is a very good score." So- That's very good. Oh, okay. Wow. Yeah.
[28:49] That's impressive. We passed the test without even knowing. Ooh.
[28:52] That's interesting. Yeah. And then just as far as the management policies and
[28:55] practices, we talked about recruitment and retention,
[28:59] and then we presented some requested financial reporting.
[29:02] So next step is Thursday morning, the financial advisor meets with S&P and gets a
[29:08] verbal rating, and then we're ca- Gets a verbal what? A verbal rating.
[29:12] So we find out what our rating is verbally, and then we receive a pre-publication
[29:17] document that we review and update real quick. We have an hour and a half to do it.
[29:22] And then we'll receive the final report by the end of the day. Great.
[29:25] So this Thursday we'll have one rating. Yeah.
[29:31] On another front, we are pleased to announce that we're moving forward with our
[29:36] payroll and human resource service. So we're moving ahead with Harpers.
[29:39] Should we turn that mic around, Heather, in front of you?
[29:41] I don't know if it's picking you up or not.
[29:43] Maybe-
[29:44] It's just that this one went on two.
[29:45] I can turn it on two. I'm sorry to interrupt you.
[29:48] So we are moving ahead with Harpers, which will help with the payroll processing,
[29:53] some of the onboarding for HR, and then as we move forward, it's kind of a phased
[29:57] approach. The employees will actually start to have access to their own
[30:01] information, and time attendance will be done through the payroll system.
[30:07] So that's rolling out this month. They're doing mirrored payrolls with the payroll
[30:12] and benefits coordinator. So kind of doing it slowly, make sure it's correct, and
[30:18] then we'll roll it out and train as we- But you're saying that we're changing our
[30:22] payroll processor? We process payroll in-house right now. Yeah.
[30:28] And so this is a third party. They'll help us with payroll, they'll help us with
[30:31] our taxes, like filing all the taxes.
[30:35] They'll help us with our W-2s, our 1099s.
[30:40] So,
[30:41] kind of automating everything. So we're moving it out of house. Yes.
[30:46] Yeah.
[30:46] And did
[30:48] the interviewers of the finance department say anything?
[30:51] Do they have any comment on that?
[30:54] Did you tell them you're going to move that out of private to-- Or did they have
[30:57] any comment on us doing our own payroll? I'm just curious.
[31:00] No, they had no comment on how we process payroll.
[31:02] You really, really have to keep an eye on them.
[31:04] You've got to go over every single thing those payroll people do.
[31:07] Yes.
[31:07] Because they're not going to get it right.
[31:08] I think we're not hiring a third party to do our payroll.
[31:13] So we're still-
[31:14] What we're doing is, yeah, we're still doing it.
[31:15] What we're doing is moving from paper timecards to an electronic time and
[31:21] attendance tracking.
[31:22] So I'm doing all the support.
[31:23] It's a software.
[31:24] I will still be in control of it.
[31:25] Okay.
[31:25] It's just a different company doing the-
[31:26] Kelly will still be making all the payments and stuff. Yeah.
[31:28] Yeah.
[31:29] And we're not hiring ADP or anybody.
[31:31] No.
[31:33] Sorry.
[31:35] And then I just wanted to let folks know that the fiscal year 2025 audit report is
[31:40] now available on the town website.
[31:42] You can find it under the finance page under the finance department.
[31:47] Thank you, Donna, for your assistance with that.
[31:50] Mm-hmm.
[31:50] And then finally, just my last finance update. This is very exciting.
[31:55] I'm happy to share that Cindy Visotzky, our assistant assessor, received the
[31:59] Lucille Bayes Clerk of the Year Award.
[32:02] This award recognizes the clerk who demonstrates courtesy to the public and
[32:05] dedication to the office. In other words, a clerk who is a public relations guru.
[32:12] Cindy was nominated by the Marion Board of Assessors.
[32:14] They noted that she has worked for us for 18 years and is a caring, compassionate,
[32:20] and dedicated worker. Her service and devotion to the residents of the town were
[32:24] recognized by the board. I'd like to congratulate Cindy.
[32:27] This is a well-deserved honor. Very good. Well, congratulations.
[32:31] And who's that award from again?
[32:33] It's the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers.
[32:39] Great.
[32:41] Yeah, they went to a conference this week. Was that this week?
[32:44] It was last Wednesday.
[32:45] Last Wednesday.
[32:46] In Westport.
[32:46] And Cindy was surprised.
[32:48] Yes, she had no idea. Wow. Yeah.
[32:50] They said the word Cindy, and it didn't even register, she said, and then they said
[32:53] the word Marion, and she's like, "Wait a minute, that's me."
[32:56] So, that's great. That's awesome.
[32:58] Just for the audience, what is Cindy's last name? Visotzky.
[33:05] Thank you. You're welcome. That's it.
[33:12] Did we ever touch on the new harbormaster executive assistant?
[33:18] No. I can give a quick personal update.
[33:20] If you could, that'd be great.
[33:22] Yeah. Mary McLeod is our new harbormaster administrative assistant.
[33:26] She started last Monday, is that true? Or was it the Monday before last?
[33:29] I think two Mondays ago.
[33:31] Yeah. But she's been in place for a couple weeks.
[33:34] Our illustrious executive assistant, Don, has been helping her out, getting up to
[33:37] speed.
[33:39] She comes highly recommended. She's a big volunteer already in the town of Marion.
[33:43] She's well-known, and everyone really enjoys working with her.
[33:48] She's a really good fit over there. She's going to keep those boys on their toes.
[33:51] Mm-hmm.
[33:52] And then the other, I guess the other big personal update would be that Mr.,
[33:57] I say Richard, our IT coordinator,
[34:00] resigned from his position. He spent nine months with us. He did a great job.
[34:06] Unfortunately,
[34:08] having a part-time IT coordinator is sometimes difficult to keep people in that
[34:11] position, and he moved off to a full-time job, and we wish him all the best, and we
[34:17] still have our third party MSP, managed service provider,
[34:23] called Retrofit, that'll provide any concerns we have, like cybersecurity, which we
[34:27] were just talking about, for example. So we're in really good shape.
[34:30] And when we get a breathing room, Heather and I will work to try to get that posted
[34:33] again for another part-time fill.
[34:35] Good.
[34:37] Thanks for that.
[34:38] Anybody come down and introduce themselves yet?
[34:43] I know. It has been great. My favorite memory, and again, I won't tell stories, but
[34:48] the first day of work, walking up the stairs was the day that Clark was leaving.
[34:55] Oh, yeah.
[34:55] And since then, we've tried very hard to get that position filled.
[34:59] It is a tough position because of an extreme level of competition in the private
[35:03] sector for IT folks. Yeah.
[35:06] Yeah. The problem with it is, through my eyes anyway, and only my eyes, it really
[35:10] doesn't require a full-time position.
[35:13] Yeah, that's true, especially when we have Retrofit and we're paying a third party.
[35:17] If we got rid of the third party, we could very easily keep somebody busy
[35:22] full-time. But we've got to find the right person for that, so.
[35:26] Hmm.
[35:33] That's it.
[35:33] All right. Is there anything else?
[35:36] Mr.
[35:37] Chairman, if I may, through you to Mr.
[35:39] Gorman, we should set up a meeting again with Upper Cape yearly.
[35:45] We should do it more than one year. We manage to squeeze it in every year, right?
[35:49] Yeah.
[35:50] So.
[35:52] Great. Thank you very much.
[35:54] Got it.
[35:56] They went to the holiday. Right.
[36:00] Mr. Chairman, I entertain a motion to adjourn.
[36:03] Second it. Okay.