Press & Commentary

From Your Councilor Ann Canedy

I was caught off guard this week so I am hurrying to meet the press deadline for this column.

Freezer Point: The proposed zoning change for Freezer Point has not been brought to the Town Council in the form of a Resolve and I doubt at this point that it will be. The Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend to the Town Council that zoning not be changed from its historic marine use to residential use. Most of the Councilors also are against a zoning change.

The developer's Application for Demolition of the structures remaining on Freezer Point was denied by Old Kings Highway. The developer has appealed and the hearing is now scheduled to go before the Regional Board at 7:30 pm, April 5, 2005 at the Yarmouthport Fire House on Route 6A.

Barnstable Harbor Dredging: The dredging of Barnstable Harbor is still on track and dredging should commence in the next few weeks, weather permitting. As many of you are aware, the harbor has been the victim of two consecutive harsh icing winters without routine maintenance dredging. As a result, it is dangerously close to being impassable. Boats have been stuck on the bottom at negative tides. This condition negatively impacts the Harbor's economic health. The harbor's several charter boats, commercial and recreational fishermen and the whale watch vessel obviously require ease in egress and ingress for their survival. Safety is an issue because the fire and rescue boats must be able to navigate the harbor in the event of an emergency at sea or at the Sandy Neck cottage colony. The low water mark may cause environmental damage to the adjacent oyster seed beds and the shifting sand bottom is permanently reconfiguring the harbor landscape. Arguably, the turbulence caused by motor boats low in the water causes silt and debris to encroach on the Millway Beach. This may or may not be related to elevated bacterial levels which caused beach closures last season.

The bottom line is, we could not wait the two to three years it would take to secure permitting for a full dredge. We have applied for an emergency dredge permit With an enormous amount of hard work and dedication by several Town employees we have received all the Permits and are awaiting the arrival of the Barnstable County dredge.

I have lobbied for a comprehensive harbor management plan so Barnstable Harbor will not continue to be somewhat the neglected sibling to the Town's south side harbors. At the very least, dredging has to become routine maintenance. I will also bring a Resolve to the Town Council which will direct the Town Manager to study the feasibility of locating a marine environmental facility on the North side.

Scenic Roads: I have asked the Planning Board to designate several Barnstable roads as "scenic roads" pursuant to Chapter 180 of the Town Ordinances and MGL Chapter 40 ss15C. Those roads are Bone Hill Road, Scudder Lane, Freezer Road and Rendezvous Lane. Scenic Road legislation is designed to protect the scenic character of narrow country roads by requiring approval by the Planning Board before the removal of trees or destruction of stone walls within the right of way. In making their determination, the Planning Board must take into consideration the impact of the proposal on the preservation of scenic, historic and aesthetic qualities, natural and environmental resources, safety and compatibility of the neighborhood. Restitution or mitigation can be sought as remedies. Several Barnstable roads are already scenic roads including Old Kings Highway, High Street, Willow Street, and High Street in West Barnstable, West Bay Lane in Osterville, Keveney Lane in Cummaquid, Hyannis Road, Commerce Road, and Millway in Barnstable. I will put the descriptions and rationales for the designation of each road I have nominated on my web site (www.anncanedy.com) I am not listing them here due to space constraints.

I have contacted the Region 5 State Highway Division regarding the potholes on Route 6A between Barnstable and Yarmouth. This is a state road and thus technically not my responsibility but -hey -I have to drive it every day!

Hathaway's Pond: A Barnstable Village constituent and Recreation Commission member has asked me and Councilor Harold Tobey (Recreation Commission liaison) to sponsor a Resolve authorizing the Recreation Commission to expend $5000 from its Revolving Fund. The purpose is to procure an environmental impact report by the proposed campground at Hathaway's Pond. I realize that the campground proposal has historically been controversial. This report will provide information on bath and rest room facility cost estimates and ground water protection practices and recommendations. This study will help focus the campground debate. Moreover, regardless of whether a campground becomes a reality, the study will be useful in evaluating the cost of low impact bath and rest rooms town wide. It should be stressed that this expenditure has no impact on the Town's general budget and bringing forth the Resolve is not an endorsement of the Resolve by either Councilor Tobey or me.

Councilor Raises: I appreciate that Councilor Munafo has heeded the Charter mandates and brought forth the Councilor pay raise issue. Just as I tried to clarify the Charter's ambiguity regarding term limits, the resolution of these issues need to be addressed but are potentially self serving. I personally feel that I work very hard and spend a lot of money as I strive to represent Barnstable. Speaking subjectively, I deserve a raise! But I became a Town Councilor to give back to my community -not take from it. I have railed against over rides, fought for a shift in the tax burden, advocated for our fair share of tax revenue from our state legislature. I do not feel I can ask others to draw the line and sacrifice in hard economic times and not do so myself. I will be voting against a pay raise.

I did not have a chance to publicly thank some of you for generously giving in the name of my state representative campaign last Christmas. As a result of an après-election get together, we contributed seventeen bags of groceries to the Lower Cape Food Pantry and seven bags of toys to Toys for Tots. Thank you all.

ABC - 2/23/05

I invite your opinion.

What’s your issue? Send me your comments. Thank you, and it continues to be a pleasure to serve the people of Barnstable.