From the GDT -By James Niedzinski Voters at Rockport’s Fall Town Meeting Monday night never really said no. The 173 residents ultimately gave their approval to 15 articles at the Monday night meeting in the Rockport Middle/High School auditorium, accepting a gift of land off South Street near Cape Hedge Beach, agreeing to borrow up to $800,000 to carry out storm repairs to the Pigeon Cove seawall, and backing a number of projects to receive Community Preservation Act money, including more than $55,000 for the town’s skate park. The South Street lot measures about three quarters of an acre, is valued at $938,800 and once housed the Cape Hedge Inn, which was later called the Sandpiper Inn. Officials said there were no specific plans for the property, but it is likely no new construction can take place on the site. In backing the borrowing of $800,000 to repair the Pigeon Cove seawall and breakwater, voters boosted town funding for the project to about $1.35 million, according to Finance Committee chairman Walter Hess. Hess said it is unclear how much the entire project will cost, but it was damaged further earlier this year by winter storms. Hess said, however, that if the project is put off any longer, the Federal Emergency Management Agency may essentially lose interest in reimbursing the town for the project, with up to 75 percent of the cost of repairs eligible for FEMA reimbursement. ”The intent of the DPW is to build this in a way it will last for a long period of time,” DPW Commissioner Bruce Reed said, adding it was last repaired in the early 1990s. Other DPW articles included combing accounts into one fund for White Wharf storm repairs and raising the town’s share of funds — $56,025 — for other repairs related to storm damage. Voters also approved all of the Community Preservation Act items on the warrant, although some were met with opposition. One of those was the $100,000 allocation for flood prevention and preservation of Millbrook Meadow and the nearby pond. Granite Street resident Toby Arsenian had concerns about how much money was going to be spent on the overall project. Arsenian said he recognized the area as an asset, but there is no need for a “Rolls Royce” approach to its restoration. Millbrook Meadow supporters said the entire project will cost under $1 million, but that they are also pursuing private grants as well. Resident Ted Tarr said residents should not blindfold themselves to any problems, as the area is a popular spot in Rockport. ”I think we need some expert advice to make sure the water is clean,” he said. Last year voters backed $60,000 to the Millbrook Meadow Committee, while the group also received $60,000 from a trust. Another CPA project, the tennis courts in Pingree Park was ultimately funded with $100,000 in CPA funds, but it too was met with some discussion. Proponents said there is no public place for anyone to play tennis in the spring and fall; and the Pingree Park tennis courts have fallen into serious deterioration. But resident Zenas Seppala said the project needs to be looked at more closely, noting Pingree Park was put there for the benefit of younger generations. He said that younger generations would not benefit from the tennis courts, and that he has not seen anybody playing tennis there in the past 20 years; the motion, however, was passed. One CPA project that all agreed favors younger generations is the Matt Waddell Memorial Skate Park, and voters backed steering $55,200 in CPA funds to expand the park. One resident brought up concerns of enforcing the helmet and safety rules, but Jim Waddell, the park’s founder, said a helmet rule is in place at the park, adding that injuries can happen in any sport. Residents also gave their input about a Planning Board article that reconfigured part of the zoning bylaws, how a building’s height is measured. Arsenian also proposed an amendment to the article, that the building inspector should include why he chooses one method of height measurement instead of another. The Planning Board article, however, required the building inspector in consultation with the Planning Board to agree on a method for determining the height of a building, rather than the builder choosing his or her own method. Voters approved the measure with Arsenian’s amendment. Cameron Smith, the board’s vice chairman, said sometimes developers can come back with “funny” findings regarding a building’s height if the corners on a lot are not on level ground. Other residents suggested just putting the methodologies into the bylaw itself, rather than leaving it up to town officials. Additionally, voters reallocated $110,000 from school security and fire upgrades to telephone systems. Voters also backed an easement in the area of Blue Gate Lane for Amber and Nenad Bazdar, who plan to build a pharmacy at the site. As reported in Tuesday’s Times, residents agreed to allocate $96,000 to fund the wages of three new police dispatchers. “For some time now, the police department has had staffing problems,” police chief John “Tom” McCarthy said. McCarthy said having dispatchers puts more officers back on the street where they are needed. Erin Battistelli, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, added the town would ultimately see a decrease in overtime costs, another goal of adding the new dispatchers.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:51:20 +0000
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