Marion Selectmen still in charge of Sprague's Cove

Aug 19, 2014

Opinions and questions flowed freely at the Selectmen’s meeting regarding the future of Sprague’s Cove. But in the end, the board unanimously opted to retain control of the stormwater basin for the time being.

“I think we’ve heard a lot from both sides and I would like to do a little more research,” said Selectman Jody Dickerson after 90 minutes of presentations and debate.

Approximately 60 people attended the meeting in the Music Hall on Monday. The audience heard from members of a pair of town boards vying to manage Sprague's Cove.

In June, Town Administrator Paul Dawson suggested that the Conservation Commission and the Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission submit proposals explaining why their board should maintain the property.

The cove is a 64-acre catch basin designed to remove pollution from stormwater before it reaches the harbor. Built in 1995, it was a joint venture between Marion and the Buzzards Bay Project National Estuary Program.

Originally, native plants were placed on the site. Through the years phragmites overran the area.

In 2012, the Conservation Commission cleared the invasive species.

“It was basically an impregnable jungle down there,” said commission Vice Chair Norm Hills. The move upset many people who said the plants provided wildlife habitat.

When commission members asked Town Meeting to fund future maintenance in May, voters said 'no.'

According to Hills, the commission had authority to clear the area. Following the basin’s construction an “operation and maintenance plan” clearly awarded its control to the board.

Hills and commission Chair Larry Dorman conceded that the public should have been consulted before the removal. Also, they said the area was neglected for too long.

Before Selectmen assumed responsibility of the cove it was under the Recreation Committee's control. That committee no longer has any members at present. It’s unclear how or why the Recreation Committee came to be in charge.

Hills argued that the Conservation Commission is best suited for the task.

“I think we should continue the way it is right now,” Hills said. “We have several local specialists that have volunteered to help us. The original plan specifies that we are to maintain the area and keep out the phragmites.”

Open Space Acquisition Chairman John Rockwell disagreed.

Rockwell is one of the cove’s original designers. He said phragmites don’t affect how Sprague’s Cove removes waste and pollutants.

Spending money to remove the invasive species isn’t the best use of town funds, Rockwell said, and he noted that was his personal preference. Should residents decide to fund the removal of phragmites he wouldn't oppose the decision.

“We learned one thing during my years on the commission. We don’t do anything unless you talk to people first,” Rockwell said.

More importantly, he said a clogged drainage pipe is affecting how the cove treats stormwater runoff and must be cleared.  He said his expertise would be well utilized, along with a newly formed Open Space Acquisition sub-committee that handles stormwater basin management.

Currently, the commission manages seven stormwater basins. Should Selectmen give control of Sprague’s Cove to Rockwell’s commission it would fall under their jurisdiction.

Near the end of the informational session Rochester Planning Board member Susan Teal spoke. Teal worked on basins with a similar design in the 1970s when stormwater runoff technology was new and untested. Her husband Dr. John Teal spoke earlier in the meeting on phragmites at the Selectmen's request.

She said it’s essential the cove be managed in accordance with its intended purpose.

“Sprague’s Cove was built with engineering in mind," Susan said. "It needs to be maintained under a program that is technically acceptable. Not in terms of beauty or birds.”