MARION — Town officials discussed a wide variety of town projects ranging from renovations of the Town House, to updates on pavement conditions during an informational meeting on Feb. 24 at the Marion Music Hall.

David Willett, of the Department of Public Works, gave a presentation on Marion’s street conditions, based on data  collected by BETA Engineering. The engineering firm uses high resolution photographs, and automated technology to assess pavement conditions. 

Willett said that this method minimizes “human subjectivity” as to how severe a crack, or pothole in the pavement is. 

Of the 27.18 miles of town-owned roadway, Marion road conditions were given a fair rating of about 75, on a scale of zero to 100. The majority of Marion’s roadway was categorized as needing “Preventative maintenance,” like filling in small cracks and only one-third of a mile of roadway was categorized as needing “major rehabilitation” such as tearing up the road, and placing a new layer of pavement. 

Willett explained that the town currently has an allotment of $171,000 to maintain roads, but that after five years, roads would actually deteriorate if other funds do not become available. Estimates show that it would take about $265,000 per year to maintain the roads as they are now after five years, and about $300,000 per year to see noticeable improvements in that timeframe. 

Town Administrator James McGrail gave an update on renovations for the Town House. Last year,  Marion voters approved $800,000 for the project. McGrail said that the first phase of the project will be to repair the exterior of the front portion of the building, which will include new siding, paint, and windows. He said that this phase will begin as soon as weather conditions improve for town employees. In the future, he hopes to waterproof the Town House’s basement, and to renovate the first floor. He added that the Sippican Historical Society will match the town’s fundraising efforts “dollar for dollar” up to $500,000. 

Selectman said that the facility at Atlantis Drive has been appraised for about $600,000, and that they are looking to sell the facility, preferably to someone who would use it in a way that is “advantageous to the town.” 

It is unclear what the exact selling price will be, or what the town will use that money for, but one possibility would be to use it to help fund a new building for the Department of Public Works. 

Selectmen explained that the current facility is old, and in poor condition. The construction of a new facility could improve working conditions for town employees, and offer an indoor storage space, which would improve the longevity of town-owned equipment. 

The Feb. 24 meeting was purely informational, and no decisions were made on the future of any of the town projects, however residents were able to speak directly with various town officials.