Funding OK’d for Marion Habitat house, Town House mold remediation

Voters made short order of an abbreviated Special Town Meeting warrant Monday night at Sippican School, approving all five articles in just over one hour.

Approximately 70 voters turned out for the Nov. 26 Special Town Meeting and approved using town Community Preservation Act (CPA) money to help fund a Habitat for Humanity home build project. They also OKd changing the date of the annual Town Meeting, funding mold remediation in the Marion Town House, and doing away with drinking alcoholic beverages on any town beach unless by permit.

All five warrant articles generated conversation, but none as much as Article S2, in which the Area Habitat for Humanity chapter sought $30,000 in CPA funds for the purpose of building the first Habitat home in Marion.

Were excited because this will be our first in Marion. Weve done eight in Wareham so far, Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity Immediate Past President George McTurk told Town Meeting Monday.

McTurk went on to explain how a family gets a Habitat home. He said the family must have a job to pay a monthly mortgage, have decent credit and have an income level no more than 60 percent of the median Marion income level. Also, the family must contribute 300 hours in sweat equity to the construction of the house.

We do not require a down payment. But its not a giveaway. Habitat is a hand up, not a hand out, McTurk said.

For what it costs to live in public housing, families pay to live in a home of their own, he said.

This gives them private ownership, which leads to better citizenship, McTurk said.

The local Habitat chapter asked for a total of $30,000 in Community Preservation Act funds $10,000 from open space allocated funds, $10,000 from affordable housing funds, and $10,000 from undesignated funds to take care of expenses associated with acquiring the property at 185 Wareham Road, located near Turks Restaurant on Route 6. Originally, Habitat asked for $50,000 but pared that request to $30,000 at a Community Preservation Committee (CPC) public hearing on funding requests Oct. 10.

The Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity plans to build a 1,100 square foot home on a 22,000 square foot lot that has an existing building on it.

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Funding OK’d for Marion Habitat house, Town House mold remediation