Frank Matranga says cautious approach to subdivisions important

By Dena Libner

Frank Matranga, incumbent candidate for a seat on the Bartlett Planning Board, listed increases in subdivisions as one of the board's most significant challenges.Incumbent David Publicover and Gordon Daly are also running for seats on the Bartlett Planning Board. There are two empty seats. Elections will be held at Bartlett Town Hall Tuesday, March 13, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Matranga has served six years (two terms) on the planning board. In that time, he said, the board members have developed a rapport."We want to keep things the way they are, and the way citizens would like them to be," Matranga said. "We have a good board now, and we're in tune with what the community wants. I'd like to continue with this team."Some of the best battles won by his board, Matranga said, include the adoption of a site plan review, subdivision restrictions placed on the luxury residential development Pear Mountain and the careful placement of a few cell towers around town. "We're seeing a lot more subdivisions, more development of condominiums and private houses," Matranga said. "So far, we haven't had any large businesses come in, but we have worked out our site plan review so that if anything does happen, we'll be in a position to have a little more leverage than before."He also said issues regarding drainage and development on "marginal land" will have to be addressed, especially since most "buildable" land is already or in the process of being developed."We're dealing with increased development of the land and, subsequently, the use of marginal land land that's elevated, with steep slopes," Matranga explained. "That's going to be a problem, building on that land. We're going to have to worry about those slopes, plus the danger of soil erosion and drainage. "If they build on those slopes, what's going to happen to all that water, and where's it going to go?"He added that a town-employed engineer a handy tool for the citizen board was a helpful addition in the last two years. Matranga, 67, is retired from his position within the Federal Reserve Bank, and now refers to his position on the board as his job. He has lived in Bartlett for "several years.""I enjoy my job, I enjoy working with the people on the board," he said. "If kept the way it is, we will be able to do a good job in guiding Bartlett through the next coming years."