February has proven to mark a key inflection point on the critical $6 million, grant-funded plan to upgrade the Central Street culvert in Manchester, but it hasn’t come without drama. And in other items addressed by local boards, Manchester will soon be served by the Cape Ann Transit Authority bus system, and The Trustees is before the Essex Conservation Commission to secure the green light on an ambitious marsh restoration project. Here’s more …
That’s good news for the historic 1904 culvert, since it’s key to providing drainage for the last stretch of Sawmill Brook as it empties into the inner harbor. At the same time, the project will address two state Dept. of Transportation reports concluding that the culvert is in structural failure. Construction will close Central Street to vehicular traffic starting this coming fall, and will take an estimated six to nine months to complete.
But getting here hasn’t been without drama, which all came to a head last month, when the town moved for an eminent domain “taking” of a 37-sqft corner sea wall from Maryann Wood, the owner of 26 Central Street, home of Boo Bird and Jack’s Barbershop.
There are two very different ideas about what drove the taking.
The town says it was forced to take this drastic step after trying unsuccessfully to secure signoff for the project from Wood. Facing a February Chapter 91 deadline and without sign off from all abutters, the town’s permit was in jeopardy and, with it, the project’s grant funding which includes a $1.5 million Massachusetts environmental restoration grant and a $4.5 million federal US FEMA grant. Both were approved in 2023.
For her part, Ms. Wood says her business, Boo Bird, will be devastated by the project once Central Street is closed to traffic, and so will her tenant, Jack’s Barbershop. She says she wanted three things in exchange for access to her property. First, she wanted the rest of her sea wall, which runs from the culvert toward the inner harbor, to be remediated as part of the public project. (The sea wall along the 13 other abutting properties are all town owned, so the easements required for them are for construction access, not remediation or upgrades to their property.)
Second, Wood wanted a series of measures to support her local business from the disruption, such as guaranteed parking spots for Boo Bird and the barbershop, a pedestrian walkway, and public signage. Finally, she wanted to be compensated for the 37-sqft. corner of her sea wall that will be part of the culvert project. (The eminent domain taking provides her just $4,000 for the section, which was calculated by a legally required, third-party appraiser. Wood has three years to appeal it.)
For the town’s part, it says it had already agreed to these terms following a December meeting with Wood, her attorney, and the MBTS Dept. of Public Works. The written agreement has been signed by Town Administrator Greg Federspiel and has awaited Wood’s signature since just before the New Year. In it, the town agreed to pay for repairs (based on a professional estimate provided by Wood) to the private stretch of Wood’s sea wall. The town also promised to repair exterior stairs on Wood’s property, which she requested.
Further, they say, a temporary pedestrian walkway will be installed from behind Seaside One to the rear of Wood’s building that will be maintained as a public sidewalk (plowed, shoveled, and salted) during the closure. There will also be public signage and some parking for Boo Bird and Jack’s Barbershop (as well as signage for other businesses on Central Street). Finally, they say, they
will continue easement negotiations with all 14 abutters, including Wood, especially as construction details continue to be finalized later this spring.
In the end, this may be a case of unfortunate gaps in communication. Yes, this is a project that is unavoidable, which is why it was scheduled for the winter months.
But it’s also going to be highly disruptive for at least six months. The DPW has led the charge on the permitting, planning, and engineering logistics on a $6 million project that will, no doubt, beautify that section of downtown and benefit all abutters once it’s complete.
That said, no one from the Select Board—as is the case with similar initiatives like building a new Senior Center at the Masonic Lodge—was assigned to serve as a point-of-contact for the abutters, including the businesses who are justifiably concerned that this public project will adversely impact their bottom lines. Select Board members Brian Sollosy and Jeff Delany were asked to intercede with Wood, but that wasn't initiated until last fall. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail.
In other committee and board updates:
Essex section of “Great Marsh Remediation” by the Trustees is coming. We’ll be running a standalone piece on this in a future edition, but the Trustees of Reservations appeared for the second time Tuesday before the Essex Conservation Commission to secure approval for an ambitious ongoing marsh restoration project that began in Newbury and is currently in a phase addressing 1,006 acres of marshland between Ipswich and Essex. The project will use three “nature based” techniques to mend the network of manmade marsh trenches that are relics of former agricultural uses and other 1930s-era efforts to control mosquito populations. Today, the trenches are now causing a breakdown of the marsh and that’s a concern for many since marshlands like the Great Marsh in New England are seen as a weapon in coastal resilience. The Trustees is working with federal and other state-based partners on this multi-year “re-ditching” project. The Trustees will appear again before the ConCom and, pending all approvals, the project is expected to take place next year.
Search for “the new Greg.” The committee overseeing the search for a new Town Administrator to replace Greg Federspiel who will retire June 31 after 17 years was finalized two weeks ago and the group has already gotten to work. For the most part, the roster is a familiar one. It includes Sarah Creighton, chair of the Planning Board, Sarah Mellish, chair of the FinCom, Chris Reed, chair of the MERSD School Committee, Eli Boling and Muffin Driscoll (both former Select Board members). Rob Beatty and David Crehan are serving as at-large members, as is Alan Wilson, who is stepping down as Town Moderator this spring. Community Paradigm Associates has already been engaged as the recruiting firm. The committee held its first meeting on last week (Thursday, Feb. 13).
CATA coming. Manchester will officially be part of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA), the public van service that serves every other Cape Ann municipality. The new service will complement MBTS’ senior citizen van service, and it will be funded by the town’s MBTA assessment fund. The exact CATA schedule is still under consideration, but it’s currently estimated the budget would enable three days of bus service per week.
The other MCC. Linda Crosby has been named to the Manchester Cultural Council board by the Select Board on Feb. 3. Her term expires in 2027.
