Conservation issues put off taking land for Bourne southside fire station
BOURNE — The Select Board has put off until a fall Town Meeting a decision on whether the town should remove from state environmental protection a piece of land on Shore Road that officials believe is the right spot for a Southside fire station.
At its April 9 meeting, board members removed Article 29 from the May 6 Town Meeting warrant to give officials time to evaluate the Shore Road's natural value to the town and to find another piece of property to set aside as conservation land to offset the loss of the Shore Road parcel.
The Conservation Commission talked about the Shore Road property at its April 4 meeting.
Commission chair suggests fall town meeting review
Conservation Commission Chair Robert Gray suggested a fall town meeting would provide more time for scientific surveys of the proposed station site and the land ultimately to be selected to offset the loss of the Shore Road parcel. He said it is likely his panel “could not take a formal decision” prior to May 6.
“And town meeting voters will ask for the commission’s decision,” said Gray, a panel member since the late 1970s. He said his members would work with Town Administrator Marlene McCollem and Fire Chief David Cody to find common ground in terms of “collaboration, sharing of information and transparency.”
Under Massachusetts environmental law, the local Conservation Commission must unanimously approve land removal from state Chapter 97 protection. There is no deadline, however, for a commission vote. So, it is not necessary prior to a town meeting decision.
The proposed station parcel is protected by the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA). Should it be ultimately designated by town meeting as an appropriate firehouse site, land of at least equal conservation value would have to be identified elsewhere and set aside as mitigation.
That also concerns the commission. Members on April 4 said there is little time to undertake immersive and necessary scientific surveys to underwrite use of the 3.4-acre old-growth parcel north of the Shore Road ballfield.
Bourne stands to lose even more conservation land
Commission member Peter Holmes said the panel is placed in an awkward position.
“I think this is a very difficult decision we have to make,” he said, adding the town “already stands to lose conservation land when the canal bridges are replaced.”
McCollem said the final town meeting objective is to start the process of removing the Shore Road tract from its state protection. The intended warrant article about land did not involve firehouse financing or construction. She said efforts would be taken to reduce the proposed station footprint.
The new station would be designed for two fire engines, two ambulances and living quarters for firefighters assigned to the region stretching from the canal to the Megansett line.
It remains unclear if the latest setback in station site location will delay efforts to eventually secure firehouse financing. Searches for southside station locations date to the late 1970s and have been filled with site selection complications.
Select Board Chair Mary Jane Mastrangelo says the Shore Road parcel is still viable and not another failed search effort. She registered concerns on April 4, however, about delineating the potential station tract to protect as much habitat as possible and including a natural buffer to nearby homes east and perhaps north of the targeted land.
McCollem insists the protected parcel is “the right place for a station. South Side Fire Station Search Committee Chair Wayne Sampson reinforced that point on April 1 with the Finance Committee.
“This location provides the best (department) response times to a majority of the area,” Sampson said. “This is a good opportunity at the right time for the right parcel.”
The site measures 3.4 acres of the 43-acre tract bought by the town in 1988 from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and placed in conservation protection. The sale resolved diocesan tax issues with the town, precluded planned condo development and avoided habitat fragmentation.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne Conservation Commission says it needs time to evaluate land
