MATTAPOISETT – Faced with noise complaints from neighbors about the hall,  a representative from the American Legion appeared before the Select Board Jan. 11 to explain the measures the organization is taking to limit the noise. 

Select Board member Jordan Collyer said that the town had received concerns about noise around the American Legion building after meetings are held in the space. He said that the Select Board has no direct authority in the issue, and can only request that the American Legion talk to whoever is holding the meetings. 

Collyer noted that the police have been called four times about noise in the course of 21 months. 

Ray Andrews was there as a representative of the American Legion, and outlined the actions that the Legion had already taken to curb the noise for neighbors. 

He had asked those who use the space for meetings to return to their cars quietly, and has posted notices saying not to smoke or congregate on the Legion’s property after the meetings. 

“We can’t prevent people from smoking on Depot Street, since that is public property,” Andrews said. 

Andrews said that he understood the neighbors’ desire for quiet, especially after the pandemic temporarily halted meetings and there was much less noise in the area. 

Andrews promised that he and other Legion members would keep on top of the issue.

In other matters, Mattapoisett has chosen Childs Engineering Corporation to do the design, engineering and onsite construction services for the restoration of Long Wharf. 

The timber pillars that underlie Long Wharf are decaying, which is causing sinkholes in the parking lot and could eventually compromise the integrity of the wharf as a whole, if it is not fixed. 

Childs made one of four bids in a request for proposals that the Select Board discussed at a Dec. 28 meeting. 

Those bids needed further review, and the Select Board discussed the issue with the Harbormaster and Carlos DeSousa, a member of the Marine Advisory Board, on Jan. 11. 

Select Board members and DeSousa agreed that even though Childs was the low bidder at $257,447, they planned to do the same work as the other three firms, and were qualified for the job. 

“They have done the job before,” in other locations, Select Board member Jordan Collyer said. 

The town had allotted $270,000 for the design work, and the other bids ranged up to $390,000. 

Though the Select Board was pleased with the content of Childs’ proposal, they may look to negotiate with the engineering firm to see if the work can be scaled back slightly and completed in six months instead of a year. 

Construction on Long Wharf is not likely to occur for about three years, as the town will need to define the scope of the project and apply for additional grants. There will be multiple public hearings for Mattapoisett residents to weigh in on the board’s decisions.