Eastham, Harwich and Mashpee Voters to Consider Conservation Articles on May 5th

Several conservation measures are slated for discussion at annual town meetings on Monday, May 5, 2008.

In Eastham, voters will consider warrant Article 18, which asks for approval of a beach conservation restriction required by the Cape Cod Commission to mitigate the environmental impacts of a proposed ocean beach project that includes construction of a 4-acre, 250-space parking lot. If voters do not approve the conservation restriction, the project cannot continue. The Eastham Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee recommend approval of Article 18.

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod opposes the beach project and recommends that Eastham residents vote against Article 18. Eastham Citizens for Responsible Coastal Development, whose website has a neat collection of documents and newspaper articles about the issue, also opposes Article 18. For a short summary of the entire matter, read "Eastham Divided Over Beach," Cape Cod Times, May 1, 2008.

In Harwich, town meeting will ponder warrant Article 40, “To see if the Town will ... acquire by gift, by purchase, by eminent domain, or otherwise, for open space purposes ... all or a portion of the land owned now or formerly by James Marceline, known and numbered as 0 Queen Anne Road and … containing five (5) acres of land ... and to transfer from Community Preservation Act funds, the sum of money for such acquisition ...” Unfortunately, the estimated cost has not been determined and the Harwich Finance Committee recommends this article be indefinitely postponed.

In Mashpee, residents will discuss warrant Article 10 and Article 11. Article 10 “would authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire 78.67 acres located on Route 130. Funding for this acquisition will require the use of CPC [Community Preservation Committee] funds, Self Help Funds, Land & Water Conservation Funds, and a $2,146,800 debt exclusion.” For more details, read “Did We Say $2.1M? We Meant $2.6M,” Cape Cod Times, April 25, 2008. The Mashpee Board of Selectmen does not recommend approval of this article.

Article 11 “would authorize the Board of Selectmen to purchase, on behalf of the Conservation Commission, a 1.09 acre parcel on Meetinghouse Road, which is adjacent to existing conservation land owned by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife on the Mashpee River. The purchase would be paid for with funds from the Conservation Commission’s Acquisition of Lands and Maintenance Account." The Mashpee Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee recommend approval of this article.