Thursday, June 3rd, 6:30 – 8:00pm via Zoom.
Due to the growing interest and concern by the Brewster community on the recent closure and sale of the Cape Cod Sea Camps, (CCSC) the Brewster Community Network (BCN) is holding a zoom forum on Thursday, June 3rd. The purpose of the Forum is to provide information to Brewster residents on this long standing property on Rte. 6A.
Speakers will include: Henri Raushenbach, a former state senator and advisor to the Camp for many years who will provide an informative talk on the 100 year history of the Camp as we know it today and Jim Fay, President of the newly formed Brewster Flats Foundation (BFF) who will speak to a vision for what could be next. BFF was formed in response to the CCSC owners’ announcement of their intention to sell the property and Mr. Fay will talk about its purpose and vision.
BCN Video Alert: Zoom Recording of the Cape Cod Sea Camps Forum, June 3, 2021
Watch Zoom Recording
BCN Forum: Town Meeting Preview: Punkhorn Hunting, Private Roads, Dog Park & More
Brewster Community Network (BCN) hosted a virtual forum at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 29 focusing on four articles to be voted upon at Brewster’s Annual Town Meeting at 10 am on Saturday, May 15. Featured articles include citizens’ petitions to ban hunting in the Punkhorn Parklands, to raise the threshold for initiation of private road betterment projects, and to require a 5-year funding plan for operating the town’s proposed dog park. In addition, the article to allocate $185,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for the Brewster Dog Park’s construction will be introduced.
Supporters of the petitioned articles will advocate their positions and respond to audience Q&A, and town officials will be on hand to discuss other articles. Confirmed speakers include
- Betsy Smith, lead petitioner of Article 25, which would ban the discharge of firearms and other forms of recreational hunting on town properties collectively referred to as the Punkhorn Parklands
- Donna Cormier, lead petitioner of Article 24, which would require a 2/3rds vote of support from affected property owners, up from the present 50% +1 vote, in order to initiate town-sponsored private road betterment projects
- Jillian Douglass, lead petitioner of Article 21, which would direct the Select Board to create a 5-year plan for funding the dog park’s operation, including waste disposal costs
- Sharon Marrotti, representing the Community Preservation Committee, which voted 4-to-3 in support of contributing $185,000 in CPA funds under Article 8 to help with dog park construction
In addition, Peter Lombardi, town administrator, will review outdoor town meeting procedures and answer questions on other articles on the warrant. Tom Lincoln will speak on behalf of The Dog Park Development Committee which is responsible for bringing the dog park project forward for CPA funding consideration.
BCN Video Alert: Zoom Recording of the Town Meeting Preview April 29, 2021
Watch Zoom Recording
BCN FORUM – Nauset High School Renovation – Issues for Brewster Voters – 3/5/21
This forum, aimed at Brewster residents, was conducted on Zoom and broadcast live on Brewster Government TV Channel 18.
A special election, called by the Nauset Regional School Committee (NRSC), is beginning by mail and ends with in-person voting on March 30. Voters from the four towns that currently make up the Nauset Regional School District (NRSD) – Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet – are deciding on a proposal for a needed renovation and modernization of our highly-ranked high school. This BCN forum will explore issues behind why a majority of our Select Board supports this, while a majority of our Finance Committee opposes it. The forum also will clarify how the voting process works, as well as the role of Brewster’s NRSC members in the decision-making process.
Under the proposal, Nauset High School will educate students from our four District towns. It will also continue to host pupils from Truro and Provincetown, where middle and high school facilities are not provided. The project is also sized larger to enroll many “School Choice” students from other districts. All students enrolled from outside our District come with no contribution to the renovation funding. Per the District’s regional agreement and current enrollment, Brewster’s youth represent about 31% of the high school’s student body, but Brewster taxpayers would finance over 46% of the renovation’s costs. While badly needed and intended to last for 50 years, the renovation is not currently designed for net-zero energy use or emissions.
Presentation topics and panel are as follows – you will also have good opportunity for questions and discussion:
- Nauset’s Strategy for Educational Excellence – Tom Conrad, District Superintendent*
- Taxpayer Implications of Renovation Project – Peter Lombardi, Brewster’s Town Administrator
- Implications of Regional Funding Formula – Frank Bridges, Brewster’s Finance Committee
- Why this Project Approach Is Good for Brewster – Brewster Rep*, Nauset Regional School Committee
- An Alternative Approach – Bill Dugan, member of “NRHS Taxpayers”
The forum’s agenda focuses on key trade-off information to help Brewster voters decide. Other aspects, like building design and the state funding formula, were covered in the BCN forum on this topic last year. You can read more of the story to prepare for the forum here: Nauset School Project The recording of BCN’s previous forum on this topic (27 Feb 2020) is here: Nauset School Choices
* NRSC has agreed to support this, but specific speakers have not been confirmed.
Watch Zoom Recording
Community Response to COVID-19: Testing, Vaccination, Quarantine & Contact Tracing 1/28/21
BCN Forum: “Brewster Declared a Climate Emergency: What’s Next?” December 3, 2020
FOLLOW UP FROM FORUM:
BCN Forum: Barnstable County Commissioner Candidate Forum – October 22, 2020
A board of three County Commissioners heads the executive branch of Cape Cod’s regional government, overseeing all county-level operations and departments with a budget of $21.6 million. We pay each Commissioner $14,179 annually for their services. Four candidates are on our November 3rd ballots, competing for two 4-year terms as County Commissioner. This 1-hour online forum will include statements from participating candidates, your questions, and their responses.
Our candidates are: Ron Beaty (Republican), Mark Forest (Democrat), Abe Kasparian (Independent Unifying Thinking), and Sheila Lyons (Democrat). As of October 20nd, all but Mr. Beaty have confirmed their attendance. They will particpate virtually.
This forum was broadcast on Comcast Channel 99 and streamed on the internet.
If you are wondering what the County does, it helps towns, residents, businesses, visitors, and protects our shared environment in many ways. These include all the work of the Cape Cod Commission – regional planning, housing, transportation, environmental management, etc. The County also provides agricultural and marine extension services, septic loans and research, public health services and management, water and soil quality testing, registry of deeds, dredging, human services including Children’s Cove and senior services, emergency planning, training and management, and much more.
More County government information can be found at: https://www.barnstablecounty.
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