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Falmouth, 508548-2287. Uh, I'm going to call to order the uh, Monday, December 1st, 2025 meeting of the Falmouth Select Board and ask you to rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Yep. >> Okay. Uh just a reminder to silence your cell phones and notify the chair if you
are making a video or audio recording of this open session meeting. The placement and operation of the recording equipment should not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. So uh first order of business is recognition. Anyone on the board have
any specific recognition? I would >> I would just say a great uh recognition for the Felmouth Service Center and all the volunteers and also the town of Felmouth for the way they came out. They had like 1360 turkeys delivered. They only were really
in need of 950. They're going to put the rest in the freezer for Christmas. That's pretty impressive. >> So, thanks to everybody for their work on that. >> Yep. Great organization. Anyone else? Uh okay, announcements. Uh I'm just going to announce that the select board
will be meeting on Saturday uh from 9 until 1. Uh we're going to be conducting our second strategic planning session which will uh result in >> the third >> third. The third third I'm sorry. Yeah,
we had one early on to set the stage for the other two. Sorry. Um and um we'll be meeting here in this room from 9 to 1. the result of which we'll be looking at our strategic plan. Uh the public is certainly invited. And uh the other
announcement on behalf of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, I will remind everyone that it is holiday by the Sea weekend starting off with Santa coming on the boat in the harbor at noon uh on Saturday. So, okay, with all that, any
more announcements? >> The parade parade is Sunday. And then the parade is uh and the parade is Sunday >> at noon >> at noon. And you'll be able to see u many if not all of the select board members uh in attendance. So uh so now
is there any public comment? Would anyone like to speak to public comment? Uh ma'am you first I will note that public comment may be made on routine matters not on the agenda this evening. Comments are limited to two minutes.
Please introduce yourself. Since the matter has not been included on the agenda, the select board may not participate in discussion of the topic. Ma'am, >> thank you. U my name is Ellie Costa. I'm the president of the board of Farming Falmouth and I am here actually to
extend an invitation to all of you and let you know that um last year in March we announced and um launched I guess a discussion about a food system assessment that um u members of our board conducted with some outside
consultants uh really taking a look at the food system in Falmouth and we identified five key areas that We re really think that if we put our heads together as a town, we can come up with policy changes and other kinds of
changes that will address many aspects of the food system for the for the for the people who live here uh and across the Cape. So following our launch last March, we are going to hold a series of discussions once a month, January,
February, March, and April. Uh they'll be in the evenings from uh I think it's uh 6:00 to 7:30m. Uh the first at Wquait Congregational Church, the second at the Navigator Club, the third at the Church of the Messiah, and the fourth at the Herman
Room. And our idea is to hold this discussion on different days at different times. But to keep the format the same, we will uh start off with some remarks and then break into five groups to address the five key areas that we're
talking about as potential areas for which in which we can improve the food system. So we want to gather the thoughts of the town and our goal is uh in May to hold us a summit um and to have identified with uh with our town
government uh and uh farmers and other stakeholders in the food system and as many members of the public as we can include to have identified uh a few action steps that we can take as a community by the time we get to May. So,
that's our goal. Um, and we just wanted to invite you, let you know about it. And if I could, I brought um an executive summary. It's three pages that summarizes the food system assessments. And, um, a little a pamphlet that is
even more succinct. And I made a few copies and I wonder if I could leave them for you. Um, and thank you for this opportunity to invite you to this conversation uh to shape the future of Valmouth's
food system. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. >> Okay. Anyone else? Yes, sir. >> Thank you. >> Uh Dave Morardi, found president. Uh good evening everyone. Happy holidays. Uh just a quick reminder, there's a uh
planning board meeting December 9th on the uh three solar field arrays going out there in uh Hatcheville. Um things that need to be discussed, fire safety plan. You know, in the last 5 years, there's been 25,000 lithium
battery fires. Something to consider if you want to come to the meeting. Uh we need a wildlife carter in the pro in the the project. Uh we need a noise study for three battery backups, three trans sets of transformers and three sets of
DC to AC converters. There's no noise study. Uh the buy right legislation kind of trumps our uh local u protection. Uh I'm very concerned about there's no containment for the uh toxic chemicals
if god forbid there's a fire because they do burn down obviously that that that's uh that was from Hford Insurance Company by the way those are their statistics not mine uh water protection containment there was no plan for that
and um I just want to remind everybody if you're concerned about the future of Falmouth and and you your border protection and your and your the future and and the younger generation. I mean, where are these people going to buy lots? Where are these young people going
to put their houses? I mean, I just if you have concerns about this project, I suggest you you come to the December 9th planning board meeting. Thank you very much. Okay. >> Thank you, Miss Schneder. Staying with the feeding Felmouth uh
topic, I just want to note that Sorry, can you hear? >> Introduce yourself. >> Oh, Barbara Schneider, precinct 4. Uh this past Thursday, a group of us gathered at the Wakoy Congregational Church and we prepared
50 turkey dinners along with 70 deli turkey sandwich dinners. And those were del those were the turkeys were cooked first of all by Dante, the owner of Moto Pizza. He spent all day Wednesday
preparing them. We carved 20 turkeys and uh those were delivered to homeless that are currently being housed in some of our hotels in town. They were given out to people that actually came walking out of different areas around town to get
them that were living without homes and they were taken to some shelters. So, I just wanted to say that there's an incredible effort being made and I hope everybody appreciates that this is Felmouth and this is reality and we all have to step up and do what we can.
People are struggling in some places. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh yes, Mr. Robinson. Hi, Alan Robinson here representing Litterfree Famouth and I'd like to announce that Litterfree Famouth together with the 300 committee and a
host of other organizations are organizing the sixth annual fall townwide litter cleanup uh the weekend of December 12th and 13th. Um anyone anyone and everyone can participate in this. uh the organizations will be
getting out information to their membership, but we encourage everyone to pick up litter on the 12th and 13th and really anytime uh this year and the years to come. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else? If not, we'll proceed to the consent agenda. Uh I will read the
uh items. If anyone wants to hold them, we'll have discussion. Otherwise, we'll move the consent agenda. Excuse me. Discuss and consider a vote to approve the application by Aquatic Brewing LLC for a change of manager to
its Farmer Brewer Brewery Pouring License located at 661 Main Street, Unit A, Falmouth. Discuss and consider the application by Mad Martha's Brewery LLC for a change of manager for its Farmer Brewery/farmer
Winery pouring license located at 876 East Falmouth Highway. Consider a vote to approve the application by West Falmouth Library at 575 West Falmouth Highway for a special wine and malt beverages license on
December 5th, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the annual tree lighting. Administrative orders. One, consider a vote to accept a donation of material and labor from for Matsusa Parcel Dirt
Roadway. Number two, consider a vote to authorize the Coastal Resilience Division, DPW, to submit a grant application to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for an MVP 2.0
grant and sign a letter of commitment in support of the grant application. And number three, consider a vote to accept a donation from the Marino Foundation to the Falmouth Fire Rescue
Department in the amount of $500. >> Move approval of the consent agenda. >> We have a motion second and a second. All in favor? >> I >> I thank you. >> I'd like to just comment thanks for the uh donations of both the Marino family for the $500, but also George Patillo
and uh Cape Cod aggregates. That's a big huge uh donation to fix that whole dirt road and that's not the first time they've done it. So, thanks very much for that. >> Okay, thank you. >> Okay, we're going to proceed to committee interviews and the first is for the energy committee. Uh Mr. Miles
O'Brien, Mr. Wrenchaw, do you have some background on that for us? >> Just some real quick background, Mr. Chair. Um there are currently three vacancies on the energy committee. one vacancy with a term ending June 30th of 28 and two vacancies with terms unexpired terms ending June 30th of
2026. Mr. or Dr. O'Brien submitted an application form to serve on the energy committee on October 7th of this year. >> Been a resident since 2022. >> Okay. Doc Dr. O'Brien, please. >> Good evening. >> Good evening. >> Good to see you all. I'm not a doctor.
Play one on TV. Well, we do see you on t see you on TV often, Mr. Oberine. I didn't think you were a doctor either, but >> So, would you like me to say a few words or do you just want to fire away? >> No. Tell us a little bit about your
>> Yeah. So, I uh it's good to be with you all. I'm excited about the possibility. I've been a full-time resident in West Felmouth now since June of 22. Uh my wife and I love it here. Um and we're not going anywhere. Um, I have lived all
over the country and uh spent 40 years doing the same job. I'm a reporter. I began in local news. Uh, starting in tiny little markets in Missouri, ultimately found my way uh to Boston and then to CNN where I happened to become
by complete quirk of fate because I am a history major. So, there's that. uh bit of a fraud but I became the science correspondent for CNN and did that for 17 years and uh had the great opportunity to learn about science from
Nobel laureates which was uh an amazing education and inspired me very much to u pursue journalism that is focused on solutions. Um in 2008 CNN in its infinite wisdom decided to get rid of its science unit. That's a story I could
tell you over a few beers, but uh within a few days I was working for PBS and uh I've had the opportunity to do 11 novas. Uh I've been the science correspondent for the PBS NewsHour now since 2011. I've worked directly with Heather over
the years at GBH. Uh and have had the the the wonderful experience of communicating to a large audience uh things that are very relevant to the energy committee. Um I mean when I when I started as a reporter we were doing stories about this new whale oil thing.
It was uh it's been a few years and u but we've gone through all the energy types and uh we are covering now the transition and uh we're all too familiar with what's going on with offshore wind uh with the rise of uh solar power with
the idea of u reaching some kind of net zero within the deadlines that the town and the state uh have put forward. And I think, you know, Felmouth with its community of um uh smart people who understand all of this uh has a great
opportunity to lead the Commonwealth, I think, if we choose to do so, uh as it marches toward uh meaningful net zero goals. And I would love to be a part of that. I've been covered every aspect of energy. I've been to the Fukushima nuclear power plant 11 times. If you
turned off the lights, you could probably still see me glowing. and uh I have covered uh every aspect of uh renewable energy uh and where it sits right now and it's uh it's an exciting place to be and I think it's very exciting. There are so many opportunities for this town to uh be a
participant as uh you know the country moves into this direction uh inexraably whatever happens in Washington this is going to happen because the market forces will make it happen and I'd like to see Falmouth be a leader. >> Okay. Thank you very much Mr. O'Brien.
Any questions? >> What's your plan to bring back whale oil? >> Slightly controversial. >> What did you think of What do you think about the light bulb? >> Very controversial, too. >> All right. No more. >> You picked the right town.
>> I'm so happy to be here. >> If If there's no other uh I'm going to make a motion to appoint Miles O'Brien to fill a vacancy on the energy committee with a term that expires June 30, 2028. Second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Any
further discussion? >> Hearing and seeing none. All in favor? I. >> All right. Thank you very much for stepping up, Mr. O'Brien. Say you like me. You like me. >> Thank you. Pleasure. >> Keep up the good work. Thank you. >> Okay. We will now move to uh Dr. Matthew
Long uh and the Freshwater Ponds Advisory Committee. Dr. Long, please. Thank you. Good evening. I'm I'm not on TV, but I am a doctor. So, >> you you are on TV. >> Uh I came to Falmouth in 2013 on a
post-doal scholarship at Woods Hole Oceanographic. I'm now a tenure scientist in the marine chemistry and geocchemistry department. uh where my research focuses on coastal biogeeochemistry which means I work at the interface between freshwater and marine systems and study how biology,
chemistry and geology interact. Uh my research focuses on primary production by photosynthesizers such as plankton uh seaggrasses and coral reefs. Um, I'm also the chief scientist of Subtitle, a HOIE spinout that's focused on
developing aquatic monitoring technology for climate uh mitigation and adaptation. And I think that my background is particularly well suited to bring a uh strong science focused approach to the committee and help
protect our freshwater resources. >> Sounds Thank you. Yeah, Dr. Goldstone, >> I have I have one question. Um, I think your science um, background, not baptist background, your current research um, could be incredibly valuable. I'm curious with the company um, where your
chief scientist whether you see how how you think that company um, might interact with the work of the freshwater ponds uh, committee and the town both potentially in synergistic ways, but also is there a potential for a conflict of interest there? Uh yeah, potentially
very synergistic because we're advancing sort of real-time monitoring technology as well as for example identification of when a harmful algoloom is occurring and when cyanobacteria may be present and you don't want to go in the water. So there's certainly a synergistic opportunity there. Uh
certainly there's also a conflict of interest in that because it is a a company and uh I've talked with a number of people on the committee and we've talked about how we're going to handle that and we don't see that as a conflict that would prevent me from not being on the committee.
>> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Brown. >> Say that um town council is very helpful. If there's any kind of questions, if something comes up, you can always shoot an email off and they'll give you a pretty quick response and say, you know, just disclose it or whatever. Great. Okay.
>> Uh, Mr. Chair, I would uh make a motion to appoint Dr. Matthew Long to the Freshwater Ponds Advisory Committee for a term ending June 30, 2027. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I thank you. Thank you, Dr. Mo.
>> We have a public hearing notices. >> Okay, we will now proceed to public hearings. We have three. The first is a hearing >> unusual >> hearing
>> hearing to discuss, consider, and vote proposed changes in fees for 2026. >> Right. Um, as provided under chapter 119 of the code of Falmouth, a public hearing will be held in the select board meeting room, Falmouth Town Hall on
Monday, December 1st, 2025 at 6:45 p.m. to establish and promulgate fees which are effective as of January 1, 2026 to be charged by town departments and agencies except as provided by MGL school department, planning board, library, town clerk, town treasurer, and
collector of taxes. Um and this notice was published in uh the most recent enterprise. >> Okay, Mr. Reno, you want to give us some background here? >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I certainly will. Uh toward the end of each calendar year, uh each department is asked to review its current fees and fee schedule and uh
suggest proposed revisions or changes to those fees. Um the departments uh then meet with town management if there's any questions um and kind of discuss uh the purpose and reason behind the u the uh the fee increases. Um, as the vice chair
mentioned, the uh public hearing notice was properly posted in the November 21st uh enterprise, Mr. Chair and select board, following tonight's public hearing and if approved and adopted by the select board, these new fee schedules, which you'll be hearing about shortly, will be effective on January
1st, 2026. And uh we have um four departments in essence that have uh recommended fee increases. And if you all don't mind, we'll start we'll go in order of the posting. We'll start with beach department. Um, and I would ask Maggie Clayton, beach superintendent, to kind of go over uh the rationale and
justification for these fee increases. >> Yeah. >> And one decrease. >> Um, good evening, Maggie Clayton, beach superintendent of the beach division of the community services department. Um, the two changes uh proposed tonight. Um,
one is a reduction of fees for our swim lessons for those ages four to 14. Um, last in calendar year 2025, the fee was $5 a child with a $10 family cap. We are
uh recommending that the board approve a $5 family cap. So $5 a family. Swim lessons are Mondays through Thursdays, 30 minutes a day for six weeks. $5 for the whole family. Um, this is a nominal
cost. Um, and as with the last time that I brought this uh type of cut before the board, um, we believe it is essential to provide um, young people who are living close to the shore or visiting people
close to the shore um, life-saving skill to be able to swim in the water. Um, the second change is a $5 increase to the oneweek non-resident beach parking
permit sticker. Um, this fee has not changed in seven uh or eight years. And the reason for the proposal is that last year when we went to a striated fee um
with online sales before April 15th, online after April 15th and in-person purchases, the gap between what residents and taxpayers were paying um shrunk compared to what non-residents paid. And so that $5 uh makes it a
little more equitable. It keeps us on uh when you look at the all cape survey, seven towns uh charge over $100 a week for that same permit. Um so our increase is nominal, but it will offset the
decrease in profit from swim lessons and um account for our budget. >> Okay. Thank you. Any questions? >> No. I I for one would have supported a a further increase with respect to the
non-resident parking sticker myself, but I think $85 is is certainly low town uh capewide but and reasonable. Mr. Richardson, >> and I just want to say that I like um your thinking of how are we finding the balance of equity between what yearround
residents are paying versus the summer population. And this is again this is still an incredibly generous rate and I and I thank you uh for keeping it affordable for everyone. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes, Mr. Brown. >> Um when I was a kid the swim lessons were free because it was sponsored
through the Red Cross. Is that Do they not do that anymore? >> They don't offer that anymore. So um this is uh a very small fee that allows us to keep adequate records for registration because you have to register to be on the roster. so that we
have emergency contact information, um, allergies, um, etc. >> Um, but yeah, the American Red Cross is really now only tied to our lifeguard training program. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Anyone in the public like to
comment on the fee schedule? Okay. Next. Next up, Mr. Rener. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll take this one. Uh, the next up on uh for discussion is inspectional services department. And as you can see in your packet, this is a um certificate of
inspection late fee uh revision going from $50 present fee to $100. Included in your packet is a memo from the building commissioner. Um the inspectional services department proposes this increase to the late fees assessed for certificates of inspection submitted after their expiration date.
The proposed adjustment is intended to promote timely compliance with inspection requirements and also to enhance the efficiency of an effect and effectiveness of the inspection process. Uh there's also a note in your packet um kind of some benchmarking with other local communities um of approximate same
size. Um this proposed adjustment would bring Falmouth's fee structure into closer alignment with that of neighboring municipalities. >> So far as I could tell that was the only change, correct? >> That is the only change for inspectional services. Yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Any other questions amongst the
board? Anybody in the audience like to discuss or comment on that increase? No. Okay. Okay, we will then move to Mr. Entro >> Marine and Environmental Services and I see Mr. Greg Frasier is here. Greg, you want to talk about this some of the changes? Do you have your copy in front
of you? >> Good evening. Greg Fraser, MES director. Um, we're proposing to modestly increase several of our departmental fees, starting with the uh morning fees. Uh, as you remember, last year we went up $5 across the board for each category. We're proposing to do the same thing
this year. Between the last year's increase and this year's increase, it essentially will cover the uh FY26 increase uh in dredging costs by the county. Um, and that will cover the up to three inlets that we're allowed to do
within the time of year restriction waiver um between January 15th and and May 30th. Um, we can't do more than that. And we don't dredge outside inside uh the toy because we do dredge inside the toy because it doesn't make any sense to dredge in the fall. One storm
will undo that dredging and and basically throwing the money away. So, we try to do it as late in the season as we can with up to three waiverss from the division of fisheries. Um, the next fee would be the slight adjustment as we do periodically for the transient
dockage. um this will a little bit better reflect uh our peak dockage times and when it's most difficult to get reservations with us through the docka system and that obviously is fourth of July week and roadways weekend. Um and
then um we're asking for very small increases in the uh power rate that we charge for transient and for seasonal warfage and that'll help to offset the cost uh this fall in the capital. We have the $18,000 for one whole um float
replacement uh power pedestals. The plan is to do all of the marina which we have 85 of those that we'll have to replace because they're non GFI compliant. Uh so we'll do one float each year. So you'll see that as a recurring expense in the capital for the next uh me lots of years
until we get that all of them switched over to the GIF G um breakers and and then finally um the as we has been our custom in the past when we increase the um the warage rates for seasonal it's a m
um a very modest increase. We have historically only gone up two or three dollars a foot. um I can't remember when we've gone up more than that. And uh that will also allow for the seasonal supplers to contribute to the power um upgrades and uh dredging of Falmouth
Harbor if that's necessary. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Brown. >> Mr. Frasier, is it um accurate to say that these increases will actually sustain your entire budget outside of major capital expenses? >> No, they would not. Okay.
>> Cover the whole budget. No, >> I didn't. I was going to be surprised if you could do that. >> Yeah. >> All right. Thank you. >> Okay. Dr. Goldstone, >> I'm I'm curious with the um I guess kind of the dynamic pricing, the the different uh slip uh per week prices,
does that kind of automatically show up in the apps where people are reserving and that sort of thing? And is that something that other other towns are commonly doing? >> Almost everybody does do that. Uh obviously the rate goes up during the peak times and the rate is reduced for the times that we're have plenty of room
and looking for additional um shoulder business essentially. >> Okay, great. >> Any other questions? Anyone in the audience have any comments with respect to these increases? Okay, we'll move on to the last one.
>> No, maybe second. Well, second last. Uh the police department has has a minor change and Lieutenant Cummings is here to kind of discuss that change. It's to the uh taxi limo operator's license and solicitor. >> Good evening. Jim Cummings from the uh police department. I supervise the
records division which these uh fees pertain to. Um like a lot of uh supervisors and managers in town, I have the great benefit of having a great staff who I relied on to uh kind of maul these changes over with. When the chief's
office forwarded the fees for comment, I went to the staff um and they noticed right away that there was one incorrect fee. Um that being the hawker peddler. It should be the same as the taxi fee, which was $30. Um that occurred several years ago. Um and that change was made
because of the the staff work that has to be done to process those licenses. Um it was more appropriate to have the $30 fee. Somehow at that time the $10 solicitor fee was not um adjusted. However, it's pretty much the same process to do the solicitor
applications. It's a one-page check checklist that the staff has to go through. Um so it is timeconuming. Um it is a very important kind of check on the system. We have had an increase in solicitor requests and solicitor applications. Um companies are going
back to face-to-face kind of sales techniques. um with all these skepticism with online fraud and things like that. Um so we think it's appropriate and it it's actually spurred a conversation that I started with town council about u making some upgrades to the solicitor
bylaw in town too, which is just an aside. Um but we think that the $30 across the board fee is more appropriate and reflects the workload that the staff has to put in for each of those tasks. >> Okay, thank you. Any questions? Nope. Anyone in the audience have any
comments? Okay. Thank you, Lieutenant. Okay. Recreation Department, I think, is next. Is that right? >> That is correct, Mr. Chair. And Julie Williams Tinkham, our recreation director, is here to talk about those changes. >> Hi, good evening. Julie Williams Tinkham, recreation director. Um, just a
couple tiny little changes here. Uh, just kidding. It's about threequarters of the sheet. Um, so when I started as recreation director, I looked at this fee schedule and it was too much for me to process how it worked. Uh, my staff has a really difficult time figuring out
how to charge fees. Um, so we really dug into it this year and tried to figure out a way to make it better and make more sense for us and more accurately reflect the way we we do charge fees. So I can walk you through the fees as quickly as possible and stop me if you have any questions along the way. The
first change is um we have started playing football in our gymnasium instead of indoor soccer. Our facility is made for football, not for indoor soccer. So, it makes more sense for us to make that change. Um our summer adventure program, we have an extended day fee currently. Um it is, if you do
the math, it doesn't make sense because a oneweek session costs the same as a twoe session. It also is very confusing for our staff to have some children leave at 3 p.m. some children leave at 4 p.m. and it has created some issues. So we discussed as a staff and with the recreation committee about shifting all
of our participants would the program would end at 3:30 for everybody. So we've done an extended day for all instead of the full hour, half an hour. Most of the children are gone by 3:30 in the afternoon. Anyways, um our teen summer camp has not run in several
years. I can't give you an exact number of years that it hasn't run, but it hasn't. So, we'd like to restart that. However, uh it will cost more money to run that program. So, we're um proposing a $300 fee for a two-eek teen program.
The question may be why is it more than our summer adventure program? And the plan is to send children off campus more frequently. Uh it would be for seventh and eighth graders. So, it would be more frequent field trips, off-campus trips, which are then cost more money and again
without the extended portion of the day. Our sailing program um costs the town a bit of money. So, we did some math uh to figure out what would be a a cost that would make more sense for the number of instructors and the cost of our instructors and the cost of the program
in general. Um, our golf program is actually the Felmouth Country Club um gives us the rate for that. So, they have they would like to charge $100 for that golf program due to increased costs. Uh, the use of building, you can
see all the ones that were crossed out. It was confusing for us to figure out when people and what they charge and who's coming. So, we tried to clarify that by having use of building during business hours for feebased programs. So those are people who charge, for example, we have an exercise class every
Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Um she is she charges a fee. So she rents the facility for us. It would still not cost for folks who are using the community center for programs where they're not charging fees. Um it's use of the building during non-b businessiness hours, which would
include birthday parties. Um so that's a two-hour rental. So that would be $200 fee for birthday parties, but it doesn't have to be separately differentiated here. And then we now that we have a wood floor, we have a wood floor covering which is not super easy and very time consuming and requires a lot
of manpower to put it down. So we've suggested um a fee for needing to use the wood floor covering because it does take I need my entire staff to be there to to do it and to put it back. It's fun. Um but it's protects the wood floor so it's essential. And then for field
use, if you can figure out all of the ones that are crossed out, more power to you. We couldn't. It was very difficult when people were trying to rent our fields. Um, so we we worked on having something that makes a lot more sense for us, but we're um and we brought this to rec committee as well. So field use
for people who have non-residents as participants. Um, and a weekly fee, but what does a week mean? Because the way we had it, it says a week, but does that mean 24 hours a day for seven days? So we try to clarify what a week was and
then what a season was. And then the final addition that we have is administrative fee for third party program processing. So this is some somebody runs a program. For example, we have a dance program that's going to be happening. So they have a fee that they charge per per person and then we just
charge an additional $5 that helps us pay our processing fees. >> That's it. >> That's that's it. just those couple things. >> Okay. Thank you. Any questions? Yes. >> I do I love that you're simplifying um
and most of it's making sense. I just want to make sure I'm reading this correctly. So, the use of gymnasium where all of those are being deleted. That's because those are covered by use of building. >> Correct. >> Across. Okay. Yep. So, therefore, it doesn't really matter where somebody is using the building, >> right? Yeah. >> Got it. >> But there won't be a difference between
nonprofit and pro forprofit anymore. Um it's if it's during business hours, it's more are they a fee based program? Are they charging a fee? >> Okay. >> Um verse the if it's non-b businessiness hours, whether it's profit or nonprofit, it costs us money to open the building and it costs it cost me to staff the
building. >> Okay. >> Um so it's just to cover those those costs. >> Okay, sounds fair. Mr. Brown, >> are you able to wave fees for eligible income uh income eligible families? >> So we have been doing that for for a lot of our other fees. So we can certainly
have conversations and are happy to do that when we can. >> Right. Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Any other questions? Nope. Okay. Anyone in the audience have any comments or questions? >> You guys that made sense to all of y'all? >> Yes, I did. You did it very well. Thank you.
>> If it's so complicated next year as well, maybe just a little narrative to go with it to get us started because I was a little confused. I appreciate you helping me with the emails. >> No problem. I try I tried but it it's it's a lot. So, I'm hoping next year it looks nice and smooth and nothing needs to be updated.
>> That would be great. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> Mr. Chair, if I may, before your next item, I neglected to mention at the start of the meeting uh you mentioned the uh teen sports program. Um Felmouth lost um Bob Busher uh two weekends ago.
Uh fantastic uh multiple decades at the Lawrence School as a teacher and decades as our our varsity uh basketball coach. And he was very important in my life and I know a lot of people in the community. So, uh, Felmouth has lost a really great man. Um, and and we thank him for for
all he did for the community. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Richardson. >> Overlook that as well. >> Okay. And I now I think final >> final. Yes. Yes, sir. >> Mr. Select board advertising fees. This change is basically uh uh to reflect the actual cost of newspaper advertisements
for all licenses, all license applications. So, in the past, um, as you can see in your packet, wetlands liquor licenses were $50 and the other licenses were 35. This is to reflect the true cost. So, we we paid the cost up front and then invoice the uh the applicant for the for the actual true cost. >> Okay, very good. Anyone have any
questions on that? Anyone in the audience? I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing. Mr. Robinson, uh, there is no there's no changes to the public works, but I have a comment. >> You got to come up with regard to that. Hi, Alan Robinson. I'm chair of the of
the solid waste advisory committee and I live here in Felmouth. Um there are no changes proposed by VPW to the um to the fees, but we do we the solid waste advisory committee uh we spent a lot of time in 2025
uh with a goal to to systematically review and assess the waste management fee structure and generate recommendations for possible modifications. This we did. Notably, we found that the fees for individual items such as mattresses to be generally consistent with those in other Cape
Towns and at rates that adequately capture the costs for recycling or disposal. We discussed the annual sticker fees of $40 for access to all elements of the Thomas Laners Road upper level and a blacksmith shop road leaf composting facility and the $10 fee for
the swap shop. We found those two to be appropriate and so we have no specific changes to any of those fees. We think the fees we have a good set of fees. What we did develop were three potential structural changes to the waste management fee structure.
The first was a sticker fee waiver process for members of our community with documented financial need. the second uh was a household a a second household vehicle sticker option at a reduced price to support our patrons
needs who have you know more than one car and would use the waste management facility or the swap shop with either of those cars. Uh the sec the third was a combined beach and waste management sticker at no discount but to reduce the
administrative processing time and cost. uh the ration and means and methods were included with our recommendations. We submitted these findings and the recommendations to the DPW director to DPW director McCanny and then to the town manager on September 19th.
As it happens, our committee never received acknowledgement of receipt of the 919 letter, nor were we contacted to discuss our recommendations. We were disappointed this Friday when we learned via the town meeting packet for tonight that none of our recommendations
are incorporated in the fee structures for this hearing. >> I are you finished Mr. Robinson? >> Um if I may, I had had considered had planned to make a re re request for
these. Uh, I did receive a letter from uh an email from uh uh um from Mr. Renshaw this morning explaining that the that the he and the assistant town manager did consider our request and um
they decided based on the you know various you know important factors not to make the changes at this time. What >> what concerns us is that we were not that we were not responded to when we submitted the original email that we
weren't brought in to discuss the proposed changes and uh and that that is troubling um because we are an advisory committee. We are here you know we are appointed to advise and we really weren't given the opportunity to fulfill
the role that was our choice. >> I certainly appreciate all the work you do Mr. Robinson. Mr. Brown. >> Uh, Mr. Robinson, I appreciate your work, too, but remember that your advisory committee advises to the select board. So, when you make advisory recommendations, I suggest you send them
to select board at falmouth ma.gov. That way, the board is aware because we're now being held accountable for a lack of communication, but we didn't actually see the recommendations. you assuming that town manager or DPW
director would forward it to us. I think and maybe that you would expect that might happen, but that's not typically the way it works. Your committee gets together, decides, votes, and then sends it to the whole board. That way, we're all aware of it and we can follow up and
say, "Hey, did we did we consider that?" >> Well, I I I do know your request was uh was was fully vetted, Mr. Mr. Reno, >> real quick. Well, not quickly. I So, Mr. Mr. Robinson, I have nothing but respect for the work that you do and and the entire swack the committee um in terms of the data that you generate. As I
indicated in my email this morning, we did review the proposal. My concerns were about workload, increasing workload on on the town clerk's office, which is currently responsible for, you know, printing those those stickers, changing to this new format. I'm not against the idea. I just think the timing um is is
is off a bit for this upcoming year. Um I what I want to do is sit down with the SWAC and this is my commitment to you and uh and is the new as we transition transition into the new clerk in May. Um we'll have some time to talk about impact and what that means in terms of
workload um not only the sticker production which is a thing um but also the uh the waiver. I'm intrigued by the idea but I'm just concerned about the additional workload that that review process um would create and and what which department division would take that on. So, uh, I again, uh, much
appreciate the the effort that went into it. It's my understanding that you did have some conversations, um, with the the DPW director and he did indicate he was not supportive. Um, but again, um, I think I think it's just not timely. I want to make sure that we bring it back again for the slight board's
consideration next year. >> Thank you. >> Good. Okay. Thank you. We'll be back. >> Good. We expect you back. Miss Schneider, do you have >> one last thing on that if I could mention I think it shows the importance uh we talked about this at our last strategic meeting but this upcoming strategic meeting on how we can improve
in communication and the processes because Doug's an encyclopedia of how everything works but you you can't answer every every every question. So how we can make that so clear to people I think is very important. I I think it's important I I always constantly remind committees, don't try to send your recommendations to an individual
person because town staff is very busy and there's five of us plus the town manager, assistant town manager and the two ladies that work in the office that all see that. So, it's more likely to catch somebody's attention than an individual who's got about 75 emails
each day. >> We just got to make sure that's clear that you know that that happens. >> Okay, Miss M. Schneider, very quickly if you have something cuz we're not really discussing this. >> No, I just wanted to say that one of the things we hope you will consider in the
future, which we did bring up and it's not being addressed at this time, we have complaints from patrons that our sticker size is too big. And when you have to buy a beach sticker and a waste uh waste management or a leaf dump
sticker and you stack them, it impairs vision. We've been asked to go back to the idea of a single sticker if you want to own have a sticker in a new color that's for both and I hope that you will think about that. It seems logical not
to have to print an additional sticker if we can come up with that. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. I will now consider a motion to close the public hearing. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion and a second. All in favor?
>> I Okay. with respect to the application. Any further discussion? >> Just a comment or a question for town management. We later on in our agenda in our packets, we're going to be talking about the FY27 budget and in there
there's a forecast that there is there are going to be deficits. Um when we look at revenues and expenses, there's ways to cut expenses, there's ways to increase revenues. I would imagine that these fees are ways to do
that and ways to do that equitably so that some of the services um there there can be exemptions etc etc. I'm wondering if this fee structure has been reviewed by um finance committee, finance
director or or anybody in the larger context of how we can perhaps leverage some of these fees where appropriate to help us close some of these gaps that we have financially. >> So I can use an example. I think it was
mentioned um with regards to the uh the mooring fees. I mean that is a specific uh recent increase that we we've seen we've experienced well everyone on the cape has experienced the county dredging services increasing uh expenses. So I can say that um collectively I can't recall I don't think the finance
committee was involved but I think um finance director or directors were involved if not the current maybe the past looking at ways that we can generate additional revenue. So that's one specific example. comprehensively. No, I can't. In the two years that I've been here, um that kind
of an evaluation has not been done. But, um since you stole my thunder a little bit with the budget predict with the forecast, it's an important point. We do need to um to start looking uh creatively at at uh at at generating identifying additional revenue streams
and uh and making sure that we do it equitably um fairly across the board but recognizing you know the true cost of providing these services and attempting to offset those costs with fees. And I appreciate that we're having this on the same day because we can actually talk about it in context so we can move to
prepare to, you know, approve one, but it'd be much tighter and neater if we could have it all, you know, in discussion one after the other so we know again the the pros and cons of the costs and benefits of everything. But, you know, appreciate the work that
you've put into this. It was just a bigger question there. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh so does anyone want to make a motion with respect to the fee changes as presented? >> Motion to approve and adopt the 2026 revised fees as presented. >> Second.
>> Okay, we have a motion and two seconds. That's four. Uh all in favor? >> I thank you very much. Okay, we will now move on to our second public hearing to consider whether to enact a regulation that creates a new class of license, the
annual general on premises arts and cultural license and to further establish the license fees for immediate effect. Dr. Goldstone for the notice. >> Yes. Notice is hereby given under chapter 138 of the general laws as
amended that the town of Felmouth Select Board will hold a public hearing to consider whether to enact a regulation that creates a new class of license, the general on premises arts and culture license and to establish license fees for immediate effect. The purpose of the license is to allow qualified al arts
and culture businesses to sell alcoholic beverages at events on a limited basis. Licenses under this regulation may only be exercised for the greater of three days per week or 12 hours per week or in a time frame specified by the select board and are subject to all other
requirements of a general on premises license. A hearing on the above regulation will be held in the select board meeting room, Falmouth Town Hall on Monday, December 1, 2025 at 6:45 p.m. The text of the proposed regulation can be found on the town website and
comments may be sent to selectboard.gov. >> Okay. Thank you. I'm going to ask Mr. Reno ought to give a little introduction, but I'm going to say in uh as an introduction, this was a situation where, you know, the town saw an issue and uh and worked proactively to uh to
to to really solve it with respect to many of our nonprofit organizations in town. So, Mr. Reno, please. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Exactly on point. Um the select board has considered this concept of creating this general on premises license. Town Council has drafted um the arts and
culture license, a copy of which is included in your packet tonight. Uh the uh general on premises arts and cultural license for those of community that don't know is an annual license with two categories, all alcoholic beverages and wine and malt beverages. The license is going to allow venues whose primary
purpose is to display, produce, and promote the arts and culture in society to sell alcoholic beverages on a very limited schedule. Um to give some examples um a gallery or exhibition hall where works of art including paintings, drawings, etchings, sculpture, pottery, handmade, wearable art and other visual
art media are placed on display. Gallery or exhibition hall may have such artwork as related items for sale. Another example, a cultural venue where theater, dance, music or other performing art productions are held. As you all know, we receive frequent requests from Highfield Hall and some other venues. um
a museum, his library or historic building that displays or exhibits artistic, historic, scientific, natural or man-made objects of interest. And as uh the vice chair indicated um very specific um uh periods um licenses may be exercised for the greater of three
days per week or 12 hours per week. Select board can allow additional hours at their sole discretion. Um importantly, uh we did some benchmarking. The front off the select board office did some benchmarking. Phyllis Downey uh the admin uh has done a great job with this. There are four towns in Cape Cod known to have issued
these general onre premises licenses. Barnstable is the only nearby town to offer general on premises licenses specifically for the arts and culture venue which this is aimed to address. The maximum number of special oneday licenses permitted to a l annually is 30
events. The fee for this license is 25 for the existing license is $25 per day for a total of $750 a year not including filing fees which is an additional $10 I think per application. Um, importantly, um, we took a look again benchmarking, uh, using the town
of Barcel as an example. Um, Barible's fees are $750 for wine and malt beverage license and $1,000 for the all alcoholic beverages license. Uh, the proposed annual fees, um, as you see in your packet tonight, um, for Felmouth, um, are $500 for a wine and malt beverages
license and $750 for an all alcoholic beverages license. Um we're trying to incentivize um businesses to apply through this process. It saves staff time and it saves the business the organizations I should say time as well. So we're um we're we're trying to reduce the
ultimate cost um versus the current system that 25 or 30 $35 per application to an amount that makes it financially makes sense for the organizations. >> But the current system will continue for those that don't want an annual license. >> It will. It will. It will um but this
gives an option y and and perhaps a a more economically advantageous option for these types of businesses. >> Um annual license would allow qualified arts and cultural businesses to select events and dates for events based on public interest rather than number of special one-day licenses permitted and and their associated costs. So the
recommendation from the select board office, Mr. chair and select board is to enact this regulation that creates a new class of license, the annual general on premises arts and cultural license and to further establish a license fee again as vice chair indicated for immediate effect. >> Okay. Council have anything to add to
this discussion? We appreciate your drafting the the proposed regulation. >> Happy to do it. Um I do have just one comment. I want to draw your attention to subsection D of the proposed license.
This was um in response to comments that we had the last time that we discussed this. Um and what the license draft license was missing before was a a cap on hours of operation. So that it was really clear that this license was
intended to be um used by license holders where the service of alcohol was not the focus of their business. that the focus was elsewhere and that this was really intended for special events or just for just in recognition that
alcohol service was a minor part of their greater overall business. So to get here and these are I this was a guess on my part that this might be acceptable to the group. Um
it what is proposed here is an acknowledgment that this is likely to be used by maybe art galleries and museums to have um short um events on a Thursday, Friday and a Saturday maybe
and just held from 4:30 to 6:30 for example and that would be it. That's their whole weekly um alcohol service. Or maybe there's a one-day event that lasts all day where they have a lunchon and then something else later that day
or um a fundraising event or of some sort. So juxtapose that against something like Highfield Hall for example and um clock where they actually operate
quite a few hours during their season but they don't really serve alcohol during that whole time. There's a play going on or some sort of event and they only serve alcohol for maybe half an hour before the show starts and then during intermission. So the alcohol
service isn't actually that long, but they would need greater hours to put on the license to operate for that day. So for example, I think clock schedule does it's five days a week and
their total service time each day is maybe four to five hours and that's a significant amount of time for something like this, but they're really only serving alcohol for an hour a day. So what section D does is it recognizes
that this license is only meant for short periods of time for the service of alcohol, but that it also allows you to give someplace like Highfield Hall additional hours to be open knowing that they're not going to use all of those
hours. >> Okay. >> Um so this is this you could amend these here if you want. You could amend the three days per week or 12 hours per week as a maximum with
knowing that that's the framework that I used here to arrive at those at those um metrics. >> No, I'm I'm comfortable with those uh with those hours especially giving us the uh the discretion to uh to make adjustments to it.
>> Mr. Brown, >> I would agree and just suggest that we put this out there and see what we get for feedback and we could always toss it back on the agenda if somebody points out something that we might have missed. >> Anyone else? >> Well, this is the hearing. >> You can continue the hearing if you
want, but um this was published noticed. >> Um so it there there is an intention for you to vote it tonight and but you can always continue it to another day. >> I'm sorry. I think you meant just let's get it enacted and see how it works and if
there's a real issue at some point in the future try see how much interest there is first of all >> easy enough to come back and amend it if it doesn't work >> right >> okay someone ready for a motion >> is there public comment >> oh I'm sorry uh yes ma'am >> please
>> yes please and tell us who you are >> Tara Burke I'm the executive dctor ctor or co-executive director at Highfield Hall. So, this does impact us um as you know. Um will this address because part
of the issue with the state mandate is this is we can no longer have a 12C license so that we have always hired a bartending service and according to the state guidelines, Highfield has to now
hold or clock has to hold the license and we have to do the pour. So, I'm not sure if this addresses that. And then my follow-up question is, do we does this supersede the state guidelines? Now, if this does pass tonight,
whi which state state guidelines, >> mass alcohol bureau. >> Well, I'm not quite sure which guidelines you're referring to, but I'll answer the first question first. Um so yes this was the whole this started because um entities like yours are no
longer able to use caterers. Uh we can't do anything about that. What this addresses instead is um the other option that you were left with was having to come and get individual one-day licenses instead of spending the exorbitant money
for a full annual license and everything that comes with that. um we can't address the catering part of it and the need for hiring staff and certifying them. So under this license, it is a general on premise which means that you
will have to have staff who are serving and who who are serving alcohol and who are um certified to do so. >> I I have a question about that. I I thought that the the reason for the state change was so that organizations
wouldn't be reliant on a caterer to kind of cover the license. It would seem to me that if they get the license, they can still hire a caterer if it's more convenient for them. Wouldn't that be correct? >> No. So, what happened with the catering
license is over the summer the ABCC reinterpreted how that license is applied and they made a determination that um the 12C license can only be used for private
functions and if you're open to the public that the catering license is just completely unavailable. So that that catering disposition where you could just hire someone to come and take care of all of the alcohol service
is not available to any business that wants to serve the public. >> Geez, that's a big step backwards, isn't it? >> It was kind It was kind of shocking to have that be a new interpretation of that law. >> It just doesn't make sense. >> Do you know has there been any push back or Mr. Richardson? I'll ask you on
behalf of the Senator Fernandez, has there been any push back? I'm not going to touch this one. >> Okay. Fair enough. But have we heard of any push back from municipalities or organizations such as Highfield? >> Um I'm not aware of any state.
>> Uh it's the I I'm happy to do it. I mean I don't mind calling them up and giving them peace of my mind every once in a while. >> I think I think the organizations are the ones that need to uh to bring it to the attention to say we've done all I would like to. However, I just don't
want any push back coming towards Heightfield. And I was wondering, you know, would the select board write a letter and and and push back and ask to me it's counterproductive. It's you're asking or the state is asking staff to now staff, you know, our private events
or excuse me, our public events, for instance, our Friday night twilights for, you know, holidays at Highfield. Staff is now banning the bar. And I I feel as though the catering and or bartending service is more um able to provide that service and certainly
knowledge and expertise on, you know, pointing out overs served folks, whatever. Um it's an hour and a half. It's not a lot of time, but it that's the question. >> We we can certainly consider it for a future agenda item if we if we want them to put some letter, but
>> Mr. I was going to say or we could even just send a letter associated with this and say during our discussion this came up and we want clarification. I mean agenda I think we probably need to address it as an agenda item. >> Okay. at some point,
>> you know, I might suggest um if it as a starting point if I just reach out to I mean, I've been working with the people at the ABCC for a long time now and just maybe I just call them and see if there's any kind of discussion going on in internally about
>> and use this as an example that they you might be willing to get the license as long as they could still operate in a way that makes sense if that's possible. We've done all we can do. But uh but I will while you're up there make a uh
make a plug for uh the shopkeepers Noel at Highfield Hall. We were my wife and I were there yesterday. It is absolutely I think uh one of the best if not the best I've I've seen for for your holiday. So it's really something anyone should really uh get up there and take a look
at. It's beautiful. Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Okay. There was another comment. Yes, sir. Hi, my name is John Rest. I'm a Falmouth resident. I'm here in behalf of Clock College of Light Opera. We have a few
questions. Um, as you know, we put on nine shows in nine weeks and each week there are six performances. So, we also sell alcohol at all six performances.
Um the 12 hours limit is we're we work within that. We'll be okay with that. But there's a special event like the the the orchestra or the Carl group wants to do a fundraiser for someone and do a Saturday afternoon whatever.
I'm not sure we'd make it under your timeline of 12 hours. So my question is how what would be your criteria for extending it for that week to get an extra two hours or so? And how what's
the process in order to do that? >> Or even easier, are we set on 12 hours? Can you make it 14? If you do it at 14, I'm sure that we won't have any issue at all, but we're we're cutting it close at the 12.
>> Yeah. Well, that's the feedback we're looking for, right? >> I mean, I'm cool with raising the number. I don't see any reason. Do you see any concerns, town council making >> Well, so I might suggest something maybe a little easier even um where when
applicants apply, they can request um conditional allowances for additional additional events. The board is very open to especially H Highfield Hall and Clock. knowing that that they do they
they're likely to exceed the 12 hours from time to time and perhaps those events could just be conditionally approved pending um enough time to notify the select board office of when
those events are going to be. you know, just let as long as as long as the town knows with enough advanced notice that there's going to be an additional event on a particular day. It doesn't have to be it doesn't have to be that difficult.
>> Can we do both? >> Can I mean it's >> code 14 and >> you can do whatever you want. >> Let's put that option in there. >> I was going to say that actually doesn't really work for clock because it's not something that's scheduled well ahead of time. we only have a nine-week window and those kids are very busy week to
week learning the next show and if they come up and say we can do a benefit fundraiser next Sunday we'd like to be able to do it without going to have time to submitting a lot of papers getting approvals
happen that's not happen that's not what I'm suggesting I'm I'm just saying it it's really only Highfield Hall and Clock that would need that additional dispensation and I don't see that it's that difficult to just say >> you can have 14 hours or 15 hours a week
instead of making the license have it be like just know that these are the two applicants who are going to need additional time and just give it to them. I would like >> the application ask for you know as a as a part of the application are further hours required and a justification for
it so that the application and then it comes to the select board we have the license terms and we can deal with the additional hours at the same time. >> That's what the discretionary part of section D is supposed to be. It's supposed to be as simple as have an
applicant ask and say here's why we need 15 hours instead of 12 and then you say yes. >> Um I would like to just change the number anyways. Um, so if the board would look favor Oh, I guess we have to close public hearing, but I have >> Well, let's see if there's any more.
>> Yeah. >> Public comment. >> Any >> any more comments, sir? >> I'm sorry. Are we leaving it? You're going to do it at 14 or we going to >> Well, we don't know yet. >> We got to hear everybody. >> We got to hear close the hearing and then we'll discuss amongst ourselves.
>> Okay. I have another question. >> Sure. From what I understand, council suggested when we apply for the license, we can staple on an addendum saying under our circumstances, we'd like 14 hours instead of 12 and submit it all at once.
>> That's that's kind of what we're thinking as a solution to your problem and and possibly Highfield Hall's problem. >> That's a backup plan. >> Okay. Any further discussion? >> Yes, sir. Hi, I'm uh Scott Pingney. I live in North Felmouth. I'm vice president of
the trustees of Clock. And I just wanted to say on behalf of Clark, thank you for doing this. It was a real scramble doing day licenses and uh also the theater guild was scrambling as well. So, just wanted to voice our appreciation to the
select board for addressing this uh for something that benefits the whole town. Thank you. Clearly the town manager's office had >> Thank you. >> thought up the solution. >> Okay. If there's no other uh yeah, as I said, it's some you know, we saw a problem and uh and we went about fixing
it. Uh if there's no further discussion, I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing. >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion, a second. All in favor? >> You said. >> I Okay. Uh Okay. So, any further discussion? I I for one would would be
happy with leaving it at 12. uh as council has drafted with the proviso that the application allow applicants to um to set forth an explanation as to why they'd like additional hours whether it's 2 hours, 3 hours, four, whatever
amount it is. There's always a possibility it's going to be more. So, uh that that's that's my sense anyway. >> Mr. read. >> If we have hours per week, what is the purpose of the days per week um
stipulation in there? It is a recognition that um some of these art and culture license holders would really just be doing like a wine and cheese thing maybe five days a week and sometimes they just want to
do um you five hours each day on a weekend. It's to allow for both, like either one or the other. And also to kind of prevent a business from cloaking itself as an
arts and culture business just so they can get a cheaper license. >> So using the folks that are here from Highfield and Clock, we were just told there's six performances per week, which means there's six days per week >> and you can Yeah. And then you we have
the the operative word of or. >> So it's one or the other. >> Whichever is greater. >> Which is ever is greater. >> And so that that goes back to knowing that for those events, even though they
have people on the premises at their at their plays and musicals for four hours at a time, they're really only serving alcohol for an hour. >> Yeah. Yeah. Totally get that. I appreciate where we've gotten. It was just more of a a quick question. I think we're experiencing now the difficulty of
D. We're doing a lot of explaining on something that was meant to be simple. >> I spent hours trying to figure like looking at schedules and and we we did a lot of internal talking about what does this mean and are we thinking too much about it?
>> I would thank you very much. Um thank you for coming giving your concerns. I still think it just Why not just make it a little more lenient and make it that 20 hours and then if we really see an issue of rogue shops getting less licenses,
cheaper licenses, which I really don't think would happen if you just set it to 20, I think we just save a couple of of sentences on applications. So, I mean, I would would move approval of this with the amendment to uh subsection D to strike 12 and replace it with 20 hours
per week. I would second that. >> Okay, we have a motion in a second. >> All in favor? >> More feedback from town council on that. That's a pretty big change. >> Yeah, I don't like it myself. Go ahead. >> I think you're going to see a lot of
restaurants putting a couple paintings up and asking for this license. I mean, I think >> I guess that that feels I I feel like there's enough in there in terms of what a qualified arts and culture business is that
and I think we know what those are that I'm not too worried about that. At the same time, 20 hours, that's half a full-time job. Like 20 feels like a lot in a week. I could see the the 14 15 to allow for three hours
at your five performances or a little bit longer. That one extra event. I I could see adding a couple hours. 20 feels like a lot for something that is intended to be essentially still an event license. Um not a
>> Sure. you know. >> Yeah. >> And if I could uh so the folks from clock have said that they want to go six days probably if you allow two hours each day because before the show during and I don't know probably not after. I
don't know how that works. But then uh if they want to have a weekend thing that's at least two maybe three hours. So that puts it at around 15. That's likely going to be our you know the far end of what's really required. So
>> yeah, I I mean that's I'm cool. Do you want to go 16 or 15? >> I would recommend that request that you amend your motion. >> Amend your motion >> then I could support it. >> Oh, sure. Uh I amend my motion to pass the motion as presented with the exception of striking in subsection D 12
to 15. Um so subsection D would read, "License under this regulation may only be exercised for the greater of three days per week or 15 hours per week. Okay, there's a motion. >> Second >> and a second. >> All in favor?
>> I I >> Okay, thank you. >> Thank you very much and thanks for coming. >> Yeah, thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay, so our third is to consider the request to name the Green Pond Bridge for Sergeant Joshua Typton. Uh Dr.
Goldstone for the notice. The select board of the town of Felmouth will hold a public hearing as required by the select board naming policy for public facilities and places to solicit comments from the public on the request to name the Green Pond Bridge for Sergeant Joshua Typton. Comments may be
sent via email to select board atfalmouthmad.gov. The public hearing will be held on Monday, December 1, 2025 at 6:45 p.m. in the select board meeting room, town hall, Falmouth, Massachusetts 02540. Okay,
Mr. Renaw, do you want to turn it over to Mr. Reid or you want to give us a >> some just some background real quickly community that may not be aware. Uh, Mr. Chair and Select Board, back in June of last year, Miss Amanda Braa Tipton, sister of late Sergeant Joshua Typton of the US Army submitted a written application to the Select Board office
um, which is attached to your packet requesting the select board consider naming the Green Pond Bridge for Sergeant Joshua Typton. Uh, Sergeant Typton served in the US Army for six years, including serving the Combat Army Readiness Brigade, where he served as a tanker. Tragically, Sergeant Joshua Typton died by suicide. Uh, in accordance with policy, the select board
initiated the one-year waiting period, uh, in its meeting back on July 15th of last year. During the meeting on July 28th of this year, select board designated one of its members uh select board member Reid to select input and advice from whichever department board committee or commission oversees the
public facility or place to be named in accordance with the policy. Tonight, select board is conducting a public hearing to hear that report from select board member Reed and take appropriate action. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Reid. Uh, in accordance with the naming policy, uh, I reached out to several
folks uh, in the community as well as Mr. McConny with the DPW to understand more. I think um, Sergeant Typton's story is a very compelling one and uh, after public comment uh, I will be
prepared to ask uh, for a vote depending on public comment. >> Okay. All right. Anyone else? If not, there's public comment, I think. You're up.
>> Well, thank you. I am the sister of Sergeant Joshua Typton. I think anything that I have wanted to relay was was in the packet that was presented over a year ago, but I again just continue to be grateful for the
opportunity to potentially move forward with this. I um out of this has been birthed uh this is separate but yet together. Out of this has been birthed a nonprofit. A nonprofit to help in the sector of
veteran and first responder suicide prevention and support should it happen to the families because as a family as an immediate family member who's walking through it. And I don't say this in arrogance but it takes one to no one. So I know what the families are needing as
far as the support. And so um you know obviously a bridge literally and metaphorically is positioned to bring someone from one place to another place, right? And Joshua I just was actually remembering today when he was about 8
years old. He was before his time. He said to my mom it was Pearl Harbor Day and he said I'd like to go down to the Green Pond Bridge and have a little ceremony. So there he was, this little 8-year-old
throwing flowers into the water and he made a paper airplane, probably littered, we won't go there. And he threw it into the water and he held a moment of silence for the greatest generation, right? >> Our World War II veterans. And I just
wanted to share that because that was the type of heart that he carried from childhood until it stopped beating. >> Thank you. It's a wonderful story. Thank you. >> Beautiful. Uh
>> I just I had one person reach out to me, not that I was assigned to this, but to tell me that and a former select board member said that they felt like maybe it should be the Veterans Memorial Bridge in memory of Josh Typton. Just one comment that I'll share. I guess that
person couldn't be here, so throw that out there. >> I have something for you. >> Okay. >> But >> Okay. Any more comment the entertain a motion to close public hearing? >> Motion to close. >> Second.
>> Second. All in favor? >> I. Okay. Discussion among the board. Mr. Reid. >> Um, so you know my mantra of doing things in isolation and trying to prevent that and to take a look at the bigger picture and a larger purpose. And I think this speaks to the comment that
you have um you know regarding Sergeant Typton, the accolades and the personal references. His story speaks for itself. Um their stories are strong. What's not obvious in this are the invisible wounds. Um
I've learned a lot serving now on the Veterans Council as a liaison to the Veterans Council. I've learned a lot um since taking this on from various military and veteran websites, learning more. And the invisible wounds can be
cognitive, emotional, behavioral conditions that result from trauma and other adverse experiences such as PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Um these wounds are often not immediately apparent and can be and can impact a service member's lives uh and
relationships and we know that um even after returning home. Unlike visible and physical injuries, these conditions are internal and can be difficult to detect. Symptoms like social withdrawal, anger, or depression may not become apparent until long after a service member has
left the military. So when I think about this, I think about it in a combined recognition. Um what can we do this to to make this request a little bit um larger and bigger in picture?
Um so what I think we can do is tie it to the great work of the Veterans Council and think about this in terms of uh an invisible wounds bridge in memory of Sergeant Joshua Typton. Tipton uh with a target date of uh Memorial Day
and doing something in conjunction with the Veterans Council to do so. I believe this is going to improve awareness. It can help reduce stigma and provide support and resources to those affected in the name of Sergeant Joshua Typton.
So, I would ask the board for positive vote to name the Green Pond Bridge in honor of Invisible Wounds, but also Sergeant Typton in some way, shape, or form. Um, and I would ask that I, you know, the next steps after a positive
vote would be to work with the family, with Amanda, with the Veterans Council and the DPW to get the language 100% nailed down. >> That sounds like a reasonable plan. If I could just >> do we have the ability to do that council at this point
>> given the naming policy and what's set forth. I mean >> do we have the ability to implement Mr. Reid's suggestion? >> I don't see any reason why not. >> And just another comment if I could that also another local military veteran uh
Joe Videll who was a colonel I believe in the army also passed away on that bridge. So, you know, there's reason to think of more than just Josh. Josh was important me member of our community, but we have
others, too. So, if we could share a little bit of that, h >> how would the family feel about the Mr. Reid's suggestion? Would you mind? >> I respectfully suggested it to Mr. Reid. >> Oh, great. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Nice.
>> Yeah. >> Okay, then. So, Mr. Reed, if you want to put that into a motion, I'm sure we'll uh move forward. >> Uh motion to um me go back to the original language just to >> maybe to refine the name in conjunction
with the committee. >> Motion to approve uh sorry, thinking out loud here. Um motion to approve the request to name the green pod uh green pond bridge for
uh a refined some assistance here would be good. Uh >> I would say in name the Green Pond Bridge >> in memory of Joshua >> wounds >> with the naming with the exact naming to be determined in collaboration with the
veterans committee and others. Great. What he said. >> Okay. So, um if I may, Mr. Chair, so yeah, I I think in the motion perhaps to reflect that uh that you want to honor
multiple veterans. And I don't know if the term invisible wounds >> is a term of art that you want to put in the motion. um in addition to specifically naming >> officer Tipton um and and the proviso
that the the wording to be finalized through you know further dialogue. I just didn't know if you wanted to include the, you know, invisible wounds. >> That is a term that is, uh, used throughout the military and veterans associations, but to your point, um,
getting the exact language down would be, you know, my goal here to, uh, partner cause with the individual in order to name the Green Pond Bridge appropriately. >> Can I take another stab at some language?
>> I think we need a little more uh, detail. Motion to approve the request to name the Green Pond Bridge in memory of Sergeant Joshua Tipton and other uh veterans
uh other Falmouth veterans uh with the naming to be determined in consultation with stakeholders what over the next six months. six months >> and and subject to final select board
approval. >> And subject to final select board approval. >> Okay, that's a motion. >> Second that. >> Okay, we have we have a motion and a second, I think. >> Uh all in favor? >> I >> I >> Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. >> Thank your family. Thank you.
>> Motion by committee. >> Okay, we will now proceed to uh to the business portion of our uh agenda. And be before we do, I just want to mention that at our last meeting uh we had discussed having a letter uh with
respect to the uh born rail trail uh on the agenda for for this evening. Uh I asked uh that that it not be included on this evening's agenda honestly because I wasn't sure if I was going to be here or not and I wanted to be part of the
discussion. So I have asked Mr. to uh to to place it on the agenda for our next meeting at which time we will have a draft of that letter in place. So uh now we will move to a report of the
community preservation committee uh uh and Miss Cuni uh we're going to hold you all to your 15 minutes. Uh we have a long agenda and there are people who would like to at least get home to watch the fourth quarter of the Patriots Giants game at this point. So Mr. Brown
had asked for uh the whole game and we said >> can we get one of the extra TVs on? Is that Yeah, that one over there. >> Okay. >> And we do have a new administrator here so she can introduce herself to the community for those who don't know.
>> Sure. Hi, I'm Emily Webb. I recently joined as a CP fund administrator in August. So happy to be here. >> Welcome. >> And she's doing a great job. >> Yeah. to go forward just >> good evening. I'm Sandy Cuni, chair of
the community preservation committee. We have a brief report. I'll be quick. As you know, the CPA act was adopted here in Felmouth by uh first town meeting and then the May 2005 uh town vote.
This is presently the committee. There are four at large appointed by the board of selectmen. Mike Stone is the vice chair. Thomas Crane and Ralph Hurst are a four at large. The other five are appointed by their respective committees. Uh Steve
Patton is here with us tonight. He's the housing authority rep. We have Scott Gelfrey from Recreation Committee. We have Tamson George from the historical commission. and we have Thomas Z from the planning board. We have one vacancy on the conservation commission. Um they
have some new members, so hopefully they'll be appointing someone soon to join us. This is our map that just shows you what we've done in the last 21 years. So the total revenue that we've raised
with the local search charge and the CPA match is over $77 million. Uh this year was a record low 16.9%. You can see the overall is 37.5
and of course that's a decline in real estate activity. Uh the revenue for the trust fund is generated by filing fees at the state registry of deeds. uh there was a lack of state budget surplus funds this year and there are
more communities involved so uh less part of the pie. This is just the map that shows the color codes of all of the projects and how they're spread out all around town. This is our little pie shell.
shows you the categories and the percentages that are spent in each category. As you know, uh the land bank debt was something that we took over with the CPA. So, that is the biggest.
>> Could I stop you there for a moment, Sandy? Do we know how much I mean I'm sure we do. How much is left on that land bank debt and how long? So the town has set aside all the funds needed to pay off the land back debt which will be
paid off in 2035. >> Thank you. >> But the money is already >> already there. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. And that was uh something the committee was adamant they wanted to do within the 20 years. This is the same categories you saw in the pie shell and that just
puts the amount of monies the total amount spent in each of those categories. As you see, the land bank's the highest and the administration is the lowest. These are the projects that were awarded at the last town meeting.
Um, that was one of the biggest rounds we'd ever had. And the only one I'm going to comment on right now was probably the bikeway access to and from Church Street. there's been some challenges with the permitting on that um because
it has to meet uh accessibility requirements and so because of the steep. So they're working on it. I don't know whether they'll pursue a variance. Um the timing of the next steps are not clear yet but they are they are working
on that. And then these were the other articles that were awarded. >> Could I could we go back to that for a second? >> The other one? >> Yeah. the uh the ADA requirement on the bikeway access. What is the sticking
point if you could? >> Is that where it exits through Luskum? >> It has to meet the requirements in the mass CMR statutes. So has to be somewhat ADA compliant to use CPA funds. >> Right. And where is the sticking point
on that? Is it a certain location or >> This is all I know. >> Okay. I'll look into it later. >> Yeah. Because um they're not sure yet whether they can work out the details or whether or not they can pursue a variance. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> Okay. Okay. And then on these articles, um, Peckanese Island did ask for an extension and the community preservation did grant it for the simple reason that, uh, when you look at the next slide, these are going to be the projects that
have been proposed to us for this coming town meeting, April town meeting. And you'll see that Peckanese Island um, has requested to do some shingling for 62,000. So if town meeting passes that, they'll do the windows that the money that they got for the windows last year
and the shingling at the same time. It kind of makes makes sense. Uh the only one of these that uh the CPC did not fund >> is the school administration field
upgrade for 170,000. And not because it doesn't need an upgrade, cuz it does, but because it was the codgers that uh were the applicants. And it really should be a town a town board. It should be either the recreation department or the DPW.
And I think Mr. Wshaw can probably uh work with that in the future, but it should be a town department that submits the application to do the work. But it does need work and hopefully it'll come back. It's and I believe it's
on the capital plan anyway for some upgrades. >> Mr. Retro, you want to talk a little bit about that? >> Quickly, real quickly. I don't want to eat too much of the time. So, um, yes. So, we've had conversations with Emily, um, Jed Corno and I, and Peter. Um, it's about bandwidth and making sure that, uh, the staff has the capacity to manage
the projects. Um that's why we're suggesting perhaps going forward there's a slight amendment to the application that requires that signature by the town manager's office just so we're aware. Um there's been examples recently um where you know that engagement collaborate collaborative approach didn't occur and
uh and then we run into situations where who's got what who's responsible for the project management with town properties. Yes. >> So we just asked him to bring it back and then you know I had talked to Julie from recreation. And I talked to Peter McCarthy from DBW and both of them have their plates full right now with with
applicants. So we felt, you know, all right, they can wait another year. >> And so in the next few meetings of the CPC, we will be we're going to be meeting with the Westmouth library again just for some questions. Um, and then we'll be drafting the recommendations
and the explanations for the articles so we can have them submitted in January. funding rounds. The next funding rounds, they'll be announced in January. The dates time urgent applica applications will be for the November town meeting
will be due sometime in midappril and they just have to meet one of these time urgent criterias. risk of significant loss of funding, risk to public safety, or risk of damage to a loss of a town asset or an unforeseen necessity
uncovered during impleation of a previously funded project. And then uh all other town projects are usually due in sometime in August for the following town meeting. And I just for a minute wanted to go
back to these articles coming before us for town meeting. I wanted to just make a quick comment on the Tafts playground for 650,000. This is something that's been in the works for a couple of years. Um I had reached out
um I've talked with Barbara Morris who's the mother of Taff Morris, who the playground was named after. Um they're all so thankful. So this correspondence was in February of 2024. So, this has been
two years almost. And so, and then I also talked with her son-in-law, married to Taff's sister, and they're all excited about the fact that the town is moving forward. We're aware that it needs it needs attention, has a lot of
safety issues. Um, when Bob Brown was the chairman of the rec committee, he did write a letter to the board of selectman town management on the playground safety issues there. The town did then take it upon themselves, and I don't know if you've seen this or not, but there's an inspection report on
Cass's Playground, and it clearly, if you haven't looked through it, you should. Um, the bottom line of this summary is overall this playground is in extremely poor condition and poses many
safety risks. And it's all spelled out in this. So, the town has it. We need to move forward. So, the 650,000 um should cover the cost of a new playground bringing it up to code. Um the family, I know Julie has also
reached out to family members and to the Woods Hole community and hopefully we'll be meeting and we'll get that design and hopefully we we're ready to go for town meeting because it has to get done sooner rather than later. So, and that's
my report. >> Okay. Did I say thank you? >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> You have any questions? >> I don't know. Just what what is holding up that tough playground? It's not us. >> Nothing. We're moving forward. We needed to move forward. Two years ago, they
knew we were moving forward except that nobody was doing anything. So, we had to do something. So, we got the reports. Um Julie has submitted the application and we'll be meeting with with whole community hopefully sometime in December. that that was I mean that was
the most recent issue was community engagement from the one we've had engagement two years ago so it's not new um they all are aware that we needed to move forward because it's in such >> I mean town council can tell you it's in
writing now you can't wait >> okay let's go >> all right >> are we ready >> good job >> hey Okay, thank you. Now we will hear from the waterways
committee. Thank you. >> Hi folks. My name is Joe Fosce, chairman of the Filmouth Waterways Committee, and I appreciate the opportunity to present this report. And I really need to thank the uh select board, the town
administrators, and Doug Brown especially for his uh involvement in in the waterways committee attending uh meetings and uh adding a lot of input to those meetings. Also, I really uh need
to um emphasize the value of of Greg Frasier with his extensive knowledge and the integrity that he brings to the office under some trying conditions at times. His experience is invaluable. I don't know where he gets the money, but
he gets the money somehow from various sources and grants and so forth down the line. So with that said, um sadly I had to u uh experience the loss of a a great great person, a great Felmouth person, a great waterways
committee man, uh Chuck Eastman. He was on the waterways committee. He was very valuable. We lost him early in the year and he um added a lot to the waterways committee enter the town in general. If anybody didn't know him, they uh they missed out on a good opportunity. Um,
and while he was on the board, one of the last things he was did was to work hard and diligently on getting a muchneeded uh, boat ramp over at West Felmouth Harbor. So, that was successfully completed. Unfortunately, he wasn't alive to see that.
Excuse me. In Mcansit, we did a lot of work in Manset. set up a whole new docking uh dingy dock system uh with the cooperation of the Upper Cape Regional Vocational School supplying the labor to build the docks and the DPW supplying
the u manpower and the equipment to put the docks in place. We also added a very userfriendly ramp to get down to those docks. Before it was very steep. Now it's very gradual. Uh so that ramp has
been put in place. Uh, and we also added uh the entrance uh to Mcansid Harbor uh under the 10-year comprehensive dredge permit. And uh in Great Harbor in Woods Hole, the dock there, the commercial dock there is in very bad bad shape. We sent
it out to bid. The bids came back exceeding uh the budgeted amount. Uh so we had to post a sign there limiting the uh the uh weight and the size of vehicles that were going onto that dock
for safety reasons. And that um uh in the spring I think the town's going to look for some uh seapport grant money to uh replace that dock. Uh also in Woods Hole at the Eel Pond, we put a
gr another uh ramp going down to the dinghy dock there as well to uh provide a safety access and regress from the floating docks in Falmouth Harbor. Simpsons Landing was replaced. Uh that if you're not familiar with it, that's
just inside the entrance of Falmouth Harbor next to the u uh Riata restaurant. what I used to call it regard restaurant but that's where that was all replaced and that was done a lot with the um u
community uh cand funds as well the uh entrance to Felmouth Harbor great pond green harbor channels were all dredged and the dredge spoils were all found to be beach compatible so they were shipped
to the various beaches surf drive man beach um Bristol Beach uh to renourish those beaches with those uh spoils. Um excuse me, I'm sorry. Uh Eel River
channel. This was a real uh challenge. Eel River, if anybody's familiar with it, is a very narrow inlet going in to service several um rivers. Eel River East, West Child's River. A lot of boating activity goes in and out of
there. the uh inlet was very narrow and we wanted to make it wider to decrease the velocity of the water going through there. But the land spit that was coming out is owned by Webner. Um we met many
times with the director of Webner. Then it got to the point of we had to meet with uh the DCR representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers because it's government property, federal property. And our goal was to dredge 300 ft off that spit to open the channel up to
reduce the flow of water going in there, reduce the volume velocity of the water. Um, we didn't quite meet the goal. We wound up with 35 ft instead of 300, but it still uh served the purpose of um reducing the velocity of the water going
through there. In addition to that, anybody that's familiar with that area, that spit of land on the north side of it is a favorite place for boers to beach their boats, put an anchor out and go swimming there, which created a real hazard.
Webner couldn't control it. They kept putting signs up. As soon as they put the signs up, they were taken away. So, there was no enforcement mechanism in place. So, with the help of Greg Frasier and the waterways committee, we applied for a bylaw change uh that would make it
a violation to anchor in that channel. And now it became a violation and a final violation so that hopefully the uh safety aspect will improve there and people will be less able to uh to get
run over by Boers. over in Waco Quite Bay, the entrance over there, we added some navigational aids there to help uh the flow of uh boats going in and out of there. The amount of boat traffic is just
increasing dramatically. So all these things are basically to help for the safety and well-being of the voters and the general public and in general. In addition to that um we formed uh two subcommittees of the waterways committee
just recently to study two different issues. One being a uh the mooring issue in Falmouth and the the main goal of that subcommittee is to try to determine if we are maximizing the use of the 3,000 moorings that the town of Felmouth
has. So far the committee the subcommittee has acquired d uh moing regulations from all the other towns on the cape. So we're digesting all of those and see how the moing regulations in the town of compared to other ones
around. The second subcommittee that's been formed is is a dredging subcommittee. That's also another u hot item. Uh, everybody wants more water, uh, more depth to the water so they could put bigger boats in there. So,
it's a very contentious issue. About five years ago, we had a, uh, we had a priority list that was generated. We work through the priority list and now, uh, this subcommittee is going to develop another priority list on dredging needs throughout the town. Uh,
is that quick enough? >> Very good. Eight minutes left to go. >> Yeah. Thank you. Doug has a question. >> I just want to commend the committee for the work that they did on that removing that peninsula off of Washurn's Island because that was getting really dangerous and that was a huge undertaking that this committee took on
and of course with the consultant, but you know, it was a kind of a task where you just it seems like mission impossible, but they kept working on it. Yeah. >> And it was unfortunate that you only got to 35 ft because it seems like it's going to probably fill back in pretty quick. What was the biggest obstacle in
the permitting that was the who who gives gave you the biggest opposition to that 300? >> When we met there was a lawyer, >> excuse me, construction supervisor
um a representative from the uh uh Native American tribes because of the land and that issue there. and then um uh director of DCR um uh conservation recreation. So there
were six people at that committee and and it was about two hours. >> Oh, I see. So it was more of a collective decision that they wanted to keep the land rather than >> Yeah. Okay. >> So >> Well, thanks for what you did anyways. It's a lot safer. >> Yeah. And hopefully, you know, it's not
going to go away because like you said, it's it's going to get back in again, right? But that was prior to doing that, we used to dredge straight up going straight up there. We'd spend 20 $25,000 uh in in u
September, October, November, somewhere along that. Then you get a spring storm and it filled back in. It was just like throwing the $25,000 out into the year ocean. >> So this was the alternative was to go right there. So >> we'll see how it works out. >> Okay. And thanks for mentioning Chuck
Eastman, too. He was a good man. >> Thank you all. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> All right. Our next uh report. >> Go pets. >> Yeah. Lucky you. >> Our next report is the uh beach
committee. Dr. Schneider. All right. So, you have um NY's giving each a two-sided piece of paper that just represents a couple of the slides that are difficult um with you know that we thought you'd appreciate having
a copy of them and So, I guess we're leaving it that way. >> Yeah, that's easier. Thanks. So this was then go forward. >> This is >> this is now this was this summer in
July. Just to show you what the same beach looks like some years later and why we keep stressing that it's so important that we keep paying our staff, keeping our staff, filling staff slots, and making sure that we can keep this
many people safe both on the land and in the water. This year was really busy for the committee as always. We launched the food truck trial and it was a big success. The town brought in its money
with the vendors who were able to have a a good first summer. They kept their staff. They were open each day. They kept food going all Fourth of July weekend, which was no easy task, right up until 6:30 at
night at the Heights, which was amazing. Uh we were finding that people were really enjoying the different varieties of foods and they were actually seeking out the beaches because of the food. That was a a plus and we're hoping that
that will continue. Beachside blends and chajis rocked Bristol Beach. They rocked Chappie and the Heights with the new foods and and offerings. In fact, we had everything from shrimp poor boys to uh incredible
chicken Caesar wraps. In fact, the last things that were being served Fourth of July when they were running out of food was they were they were down to being able to serve 50 remaining chicken Caesar wraps and not one person got out of line. They all waited in line to get
those. These are the steps that we have taken about the food truck trial. We met with the all both of the vendors at the end of the season. We really listened to them and their suggestions, what was great, what they would love to see
tweaked. Our food truck subcommittee analyzed each of the locations for possible new RFPs coming up and then met with the DPW to discuss those need the needs for each of those locations including early and late access to the
lot wastewater better wastewater disposal safer wastewater disposal and electricity and those things we've been in conference with um Peter McCanny and with the with the DPW W we recommend for 2026
a food the food truck locations would be in six places. They would be at both old silver beaches, the Heights, Bristol, Chappie and Surf Drive. We are re recommending that the RFPs would also
include a roving coffee truck and a roving ice cream truck. These trucks would be allowed at any of the beaches other than those listed above, but they would also be allowed at the ones listed above when those food trucks are not
open for business. We found that people were really missing having ice cream and so on. And there's a definite need, as you're seeing with what's springing up in coffee trucks, for people getting coffee down by the
water. We recommend that the RFP would go out and Peter's just cringing right now this month in December so that vendors have the time to order equipment even new trucks and to plan accordingly with
staff in an early enough time frame. Most of them are telling us that they are hiring in January and early February at the very latest that this way they will adequately cover their entire seasons and some weekends in the
shoulder season. We are hoping that you will also look for someone in the DPW or the beach staff to be given the role of support to these vendors for the first year so that we can make sure that this program is successful. We were very
careful as a beach committee to stop in and visit with these two vendors all last summer, making sure we heard their needs, their their complaints, their positives, and cheer them on. The RFP should be one year with the option to
renew for one or two more seasons after that. And that is the wrapup on pretty much how we feel the food truck program can go forward for next year. Pumping station road. Why does the beach
department need a new office space for public the public to come to do beach business and public bathrooms? And I'm showing you a few of the pictures that were taken this August. And yes, that is leaking mice urine that you're seeing in
some of those pictures. Um, we feel that right now the public access is absolutely horrid and actually dangerous when cars are backing out onto Surf Drive from those parking spots. The building is unsanitary and dilapidated,
especially for staff who call this their work environment. The public areas are greatly antiquated and cannot be made to look worthy of a beach town. And the location is inevitably doomed with any money put toward the current location
being wasted funds. You've heard this from us now for three years and you've heard it from the police department and we hope that we are all getting the idea that we can do better than this. We are hopeful that the feasibility
study of ton 10 pumping station road will find it a great location for the beach department. We think it will answer many of the questions and provide additional storage which the DPW would be thrilled to have us get out of their hair. Um and it will also give the
public easy access. This funding was uh from a study that was voted in by town meeting in 2023 for the 2024 budget and it must be spent by June of this coming year. So the money's already there to do this feasibility
study. We're hoping that this will be in the works and we're asking that while this will also restore a historic building, we're hoping you will keep a breast of the project pro progress of getting this underway. the architect in
place to do this feasibility study and that you'll make a commitment to the beach department to do so in a timely manner so we can apply for historic preservation funds from the CPC to do a lot of the work on that building if it would turn out that it would be
appropriate. I'm going to turn this over now to Vice Chair Joe Strazula and um he's going to talk a little bit about budget. >> Good evening. Um as I showed a few months back this chart to the board, it
indicates that the department, the beach department through the revenue that it collects for parking permits far exceeds its expenses every year. And that differential which is shown on the chart has been funded back to the town and has
not been going in investing in the beaches. Felmouth is a unique community in the fact that many towns in the state do not have beachfront property and we own quite a bit of it and we have not been investing in it. We've let that
investment languish for years and it is starting to show dramatically. We are reducing our beaches sizes. We do not have the kind of uh facilities to support the beaches. Uh this is not Baywatch. We do not have the kind of
equipment that we should have and we don't store the equipment in places we should store it. It deteriorates every year and every year we lose ground on our beaches. So my pitch today is to say to take that differential that is collected from the general public and
put it back on the beaches. It it averages about a half a million dollars a year in revenue and everybody the 14,000 permit applications we get for parking each year indicate that the community thinks that it's important to have
access to the beach's parking areas and to use them. So, we're not going to suffer if we re if we take that revenue and put it back where it belongs in the beach's development. And that's why we put this chart up each year because we
want you to know that we're not asking for additional funds. We're not collecting. We're asking for those funds to go back onto the beaches. Um, we have another slide that I would like to show. These are what people will do every day
in order to get that permit to get access to our beaches. They think that it's that important and we know it is. Without those people, we would not have people in our restaurants, in our shops, in our uh every place in town. And this
is why we need to invest in our community and invest in these beaches. The little pile of sand indicates, in my opinion, how much we have invested compared to the piles of sand that we need to invest each year. We have put
only $25,000 a year back on our beaches each year as far as restoration. And that is not going to work. We can't wait for waterways to dredge a little something and throw it back on the beaches. We can't wait for DPW to scrge
around and find funds and do it. We have to make a concerted effort to make this part of our annual budget. Um, I'll let you. In my view, this last slide is basically either it's
a sunrise or a sunset. Depends on how you look at it. We're hoping that you will consider it a sunrise on Falmouth's beaches and not the sunset that we've been going through the last five years. We have not put the kind of investment into our
infrastructure and that's what the beaches are. They are our infrastructure. They are why they come. They come for the waterways. They come from the boats. They come for the moorings. They come for the harbors. But they pile onto the beaches. And part of
that piling onto the beaches means we have to have staff that is trained in good facilities, have good equipment. We've been discussing the last few days with DPW and the and uh that our surfboards are deteriorating in the
places they're being stored. Our suntops are deteriorating in the sun and we have no funds to replace them. We have to keep investing, investing, investing. That is where we are right now. It's not a criticism on anybody in the past.
We're just saying we've gotten to that point now where we can't make a bigger or better plea than we've been making this last four or five years. So, we ask for your consideration in increasing the budget. the next round of budgeting
increase it to the point where we're using all of our funds going back on the beaches and we wouldn't mind if you added a little more. >> So, thank you. >> And we want to thank the seven members of the committee who in invest their time by volunteering to do research,
attend meetings, and learn all we can about best practices in other communities along the coastlines. Would the other members of the committees please stand? Mark Twitchell, Heather Burke, Trish Hurley, Nancy Quig, and Lynshad. And Joe and I thank you for
everything you do. You give us tons of hours of work. And so to this community, thank you. >> Open for questions. >> Yes. >> Um, going back to the very beginning of the presentation and the food trucks, um,
and you talked about the research that you've done on additional locations. Do you think there is actually sufficient demand to have food trucks full-time at more beaches than we currently have food service at? >> The vendors have indicated that they
were very positively surprised at how they covered their costs. they had a constant demand for their service and that the only limiting factor was either staff or availability of the supplies
they had. They want to try to do it a little differently. But when we put a vendor now at Surf Drive or at Old Silver, they'll be able to utilize the electricity, the water, the the all of that at those buildings that are
basically deteriorated. Um, and they're looking very much forward to this kind of they're making money and they're they're providing foods that people like and they will prosper. I think that especially that
the some of the vendors if we have it in an area where people can actually pull up and get food from them as well. So for example at Bristol Beach we have a great possibility for someone pulling up on the outside and actually grabbing a
sandwich. Those are the kind of places that are going to just thrive. And we are finding that the longer we have stability and people being able to trust that food vendors will actually be there and be present, the more people are very
glad not to have to pack food and bring it to the beach. A lot of people are they used to get sort of scared about that because you'd get there and there wouldn't be someone open. They wouldn't be able to have food. So now that we're they're seeing there's always going to be food available, more people are using
that service. >> That 14,000 number you mentioned, what percentage were in person as opposed to online? Do you have those numbers? >> Um Maggie, >> um it was a 6040
split. um 60% 60 65% in person uh 35 to 40% online. Um we've staffed accordingly and are making plans for 2026. Um online sales will begin the first
week of January. If I can add to that, in those lines when we would stand and talk to people as to why they weren't coming or doing it online as opposed to coming to the office to do it, their indication was they'd like to have some frequency
of time prior to the season either at the senior center, town hall, wherever, because sometimes they can't manage the online registration or they have a special kind of need because they're third-party purchase of a permit where they have to show documents. They don't
know how to scan those documents and send them into the office. And some people just don't trust that when they apply that they'll actually get it back. But as Maggie said, 60% are doing it. And you know, I do it and it's not that
complex, but we're going to try to have some our uh times during the spring where they can go someplace and we can have people from the beach department or even us from the >> I I definitely stand in line and talk to people on those days and I can't even
believe how many people still tell me they don't trust putting a credit card number on a computer. Um there's still definitely that and there's still definitely the need to handhold to help someone through doing something on the
computer. Um we're we're not beyond that generation. And uh the last thing I would say is some people tell me straight out it's just our tradition and that is Felmouth. There is definitely a group of people that that you go to the beach house and you get your sticker
every year. End of story. >> Mr. And >> my question was going to be about the um consistency of the trucks because I think you're exactly right that people need to know that it's going to be there. Just like when you go to a restaurant and suddenly you show up and it's closed, that's the death nail for a
restaurant because people aren't going to take a chance. >> The the heights had the truck there permanently and they kept resupplying it. That's another logistical thing that we have to figure out because they need to resupply during
>> busy days. busy days. But at at Old Silver, >> they'll be right at the buildings. Even though we're not using the buildings, they'll be right there at the buildings every day under the RFP will require them to be there every day that they're
doing business. And they're used to that kind of so the mobility is not in coming and going. the mobility is to get the heck out of there if there's a storm coming and they can pull the way and the investment is not lost.
>> I think if you had a a coffee truck for example down with people knowing it would be there in East Felmouth at the at the far east beach which is a 247 beach. If you had a a coffee truck there
I think it would get a ton of business. So there's things like that that we can already see that it's a it's a way of life now. Food trucks are a way of life. You've seen what have sprung up in the last 3 years in town in just these little tiny mobile units.
>> Mhm. >> What are the impediments to early access and late access? We have to work that out with staff of who would let somebody in so they can get through the gate or if we would finally be able to give trustworthy people we're we're allowing
to do this a key. It's it's a hurdle to be p to be solved. We will solve it. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Richardson. Then Mr. Re. >> Thank you very much. I visited uh this summer the town of Atami, Japan, which is a beach town. 34,000 people year round, 100,000 in the summer about an
hour from a major city. I'm basically found with >> and I what was most starking stark difference to me well one they did have food trucks um but two the level that the town invested in the infrastructure of the actual restrooms and the faucets
and all of that. Um, and I think it really was I went to there and I went to another town in Japan called Kamakura and the city of Busousan in South Korea and the amount that they invest in their public infrastructure is astonishing and it was a world-class experience and it
really changed my perspective on how important it is to to really put put money into these things and I just I commend your work and I just want to applaud and certainly express my support for >> we're we're doing baby steps but we're really working on those baby steps getting a little bit bigger and I think we're all starting to realize that we
have um more and more people that are appreciating if we can buy any time at all along our shoreline and make it still recreational as well as a protection for our land masses and our infrastructure. It's really important. >> So, thank you for your time.
>> Two two very quick questions. Is there a revenue share or base rent that the uh food trucks pay? >> Oh, yes. They have to they have to fill up do an RFP. um they have to bid on what they >> Okay, >> you so we right now we're not doing a percentage. We're doing a set whatever
the set fee is that they uh offer. >> And is that part of your revenue projection in the >> that's all we don't remember that we don't get anything. We have to ask for everything. You're the town is getting everything right now. >> And then the second question, you're asking us to reinvest using some of the
revenues. Do you have an amount in your mind or a percentage >> right here? All the extra that's on this sheet that's going back to the town put toward the beaches. >> You're laughing, Mike. You know, I mean it. >> I'm putting that round I'm putting I'm
putting that round number at a half a million dollars. Yeah. >> We We need to do what was just suggested by Mr. Richardson that that we need to have some portable bathrooms that are that are decent >> that are decent that are connected to the sewer and water lines. And we need
to have replacements for the buildings that are dilapitated. Um, if you go to a I don't know if you've ever taken an outdoor shower at um at the surf drive or the um old silver, you know, and if the cord doesn't break on the on the
thing when you pull it, you get cold water and that's >> the way it is. And that's not the way it is in the world today. >> So, um, >> we can do better than this, >> Mr. Chair, if I may. >> Yes. Um I I know this is a conversation for another day, but um before we go too
far down the road to spend this money that we don't have, I want to point out two things. One, um I was quickly able to identify about $250,000 in annual costs that are not included here. They just took the the direct beach department budget, which does not
include $240,000 in the DPW budget that is dedicated specifically for beaches. Um, but also in general, all of the local receipts revenue. So all the beach revenue and all of the $40 million that you're about to see in the town manager's presentation is all part of
our budget balancing estimate. So there's no like free money just sitting out there waiting to be spent. It's all it's all part of our revenue estimates that are being used to balance our budget. >> Not to not to speak against investing the beaches. >> Thanks for that. And that's the point, right? It's where what we want to
prioritize and what you see as important about those shorelines. Okay. >> And we keep stressing, don't look at them just as beach revenue for recreation. They are way more than that. >> All right. Well, thank you very much. Appreciate it. And uh very apppropo.
We're going to now hear receive and discuss an update on the surf drive nourishment feasibility study. >> Mr. Renure, please. >> I'm going to flip this over to assistant helmet. >> Okay. Mr. Johnson, stop >> to do the introductions. >> Yeah. Just very briefly, um I had the
pleasure of working with Connor Offson of the Woods Hole Group, uh as well as Peter McCanndy and Lesie Fields and others. Um and he has got a lot of terrific content to get through, so I'm not going to steal his thunder. >> You have 25 minutes, but if you could do
a little better, we'd be appreciative. >> Sure. Thanks. >> Thank you. >> Hey everyone, my name is Connor Austin. I'm coming here again. We met I think it was about June 1st, so six months ago. I'm providing you a brief update but more of a just bringing this back to you so that it can be part part of the town
discussion again. This is the surf drive beach and dune nourishment feasibility study. Thank you to Peter, Mike, Peter, beach committee and all for supporting this project over the past year. It closed out on June 30th. So since that time there has not been progress on
this, but um I'll provide this update to you now. So, we're working on Surf Drive for about a one and a half mile reach from Trunk River to Shore Street in front of the three ponds, Oyster Pond, Salt Pond, and then Fresh River. Um,
looking at its vulnerability, this was part of the town's planning process for years. You're all well aware, um, of of the need here. Uh, the beach has been eroding and overwashing for several years. This is a video. I'm sorry. All
right, we're on PDF right now, so I can't show you this video, but January 13th, 2024 was a a large storm event um that overwashed this is the inlet to Salt Pond right here and undermined uh much of the roadway, especially along this reach between Elm Road and Mil
Road, which is uh incredibly vulnerable. It's the lowest line reach. There is a lack of dune. Uh the beach is at at its most narrow. Um, and there are impacts to the roadway, to the natural resources, to the public use, to the private property, and there's a risk to
damage to public infrastructure as well. Now, that storm might have seemed like a large one, but it was actually only uh the equivalent of about a 5-year storm water level measured at the Woods Hole tide gauge. So, that can be expected to uh occur at least every five years. And
that storm has occurred with increasing frequency recently. So there was January 13th, 2024. There was, I think, December 23rd in 2023 as well. Um, a few of these southwestern events have occurred over the past 5 years in increasing frequency
and are overt topping Surf Drive regularly. But these small level storms which are doing damage are nothing compared to the large level storms which can occur and will likely occur in the future such as hurricane Bob, hurricane Carol 1994,
1944 and 1938 which if occurred would be devastating to the to the region. So this project looked at beach and dune restoration for the purposes of combating beach erosion, reducing wave over topping, supporting native uh
species, both plant and wildlife such as lease turns and piping clovers, and then minimizing storm damage to public infrastructure so that these resources can continue to be used by the public and the private. As we went through this study, we found that there were several constraints. We
kind of went into it thinking beach and dune nourishment. We could do a large scale. Let's build our beaches maybe 100 feet wide or 200 feet wider. Sky's the limit if there's if there's the money for it. Um but at the end of the day, we found that we are really constrained by
topography and natural resources. From a topog topography standpoint, the roadway is incredibly low. Um there's about a 100 foot beach width in this area uh to the east of Elm Road between High Tide and the roadway itself. So the dry beach
area is very small. If there's any action taking place in that dry beach area, uh we only have about 100 feet to work with. And then the elevations also are very low. So if there's any sort of dune restoration to be built up, we're starting at about four or five feet NAVD
on this graph here. um and then trying to go up to combat waves and and and storm levels that can be three, four, five feet higher than that roadway itself. Other constraints that we ran into were the sensitive um beach and dune habitat.
So the lease turn and the piping clover um are present annually on the site. They've been shown to be nesting at Trunk River and other parts of the public beach as well to the east. and Natural Heritage. Um, we consulted with them on this project and they have
fairly strict uh guidance for how to manage beaches and restore beaches when these birds are present. So, they have strict slopes that you must design, grain sizes, grain um sand maybe consistency and colors etc that can play
into um you know how well these birds will thrive in the area. So we want to you know prepare a project deliver a project that supports these at the end of the day but in doing so we don't want to harm their habitat. So natural heritage is advocating for 10 to one
slopes that means for every 10 steps you take out you can go down. That's about the existing slope of the beach. So that's a pretty strict constraint on our end. If we're going to have to meet a 10 to one four slope of a dune restoration project, uh we're limited to how much we
can actually fit in that 100 foot upper beach window that I talked about. Another constraint is the sea beach knotweed and the salt pond penny wart which were previously unknown um to us on the site but after consulting with natural heritage they noted that this is
present and um we don't have exact mappings of where that is. that wasn't part of this project, but they indicated that a project which takes place on a speech is likely going to be considered a take almost regardless whether we actually um fill on top of a species or
not. So um that wasn't a killer to the project, but it is another you know layer of complexity. And then the third constraint that I want to point out is the eel grass which is present offshore. This image here is maybe a little bit confusing, but all the different green layers are different
interpretations of either what we saw on site by boat or what we saw on site by foot and then overlaid on top of a 2019 mass DP eelgrass extent map. So there is a significant and healthy eelgrass bed offshore and this is a very sensitive
resource. It's an essential fish habitat. Um and the department of marine fisheries is very protect division of marine fisheries is very protective of that resource. So they told us essentially you cannot nourish the beach within 50 ft of that eel grass and I
showed you that you know topographic profile where we have only about 100 feet of dry beach and then um pretty soon after that we have eelgrass. So any project which occurs must occur above the high tide line essentially in order to meet their uh requirements.
>> Can I ask a question before you change slides? >> Yes, >> sure. >> What's the difference with the dark green and the light green? It's all ill grass bed, right? >> Yeah. I wish I had made a different graphic, but they're all they're all the light green is what we observed by boat and by foot. The darker green is what
was interpreted um by kind of merging those two surveys together. And then the the kind of patterned picture is the DP map of eelgrass. >> I see. So >> I would say take the dark the vibrant green the second layer there as the
exact uh extent of eel grass. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yeah. Or estimated extent of eel grass. So eelgrass is kind of constraining us from doing any sort of beach nourishment which was really kind of tampered our expectations as to what we could get out of this project. But I do want to point
out that through modeling, we also included eelgrass in our kind of wave and sediment transport models. And we found that because of the eelgrass beds, because of the health of them, that is actually contributing to some of the relative stability that we're seeing on
on um Surf Drive here. All right. So given constraints, what are our opportunities for restoration? These are four alternatives, all considered feasible alternatives for restoration. So again, assuming beach nourishment is out the window, some sort
of scale of of dune restoration which exceeds natural heritage's expectations out the window. But what can do we think we can do? One, there's always no action essentially maintaining the status quo, which is annual maintenance by DBW. Uh
two, we could try to maximize our dune restoration along the entire one and a half mile stretch. That's what alternative two is here. Putting as much sand into the system as we can on the upper beach and then planting that with beach grass to improve its stability. Number three is called targeted
improvements. That's essentially looking at the beach, finding the areas that are most vulnerable, are lacking dunes of any kind right now, and just essentially patching holes. So taking this dune restoration concept and targeting the areas of greatest need. And then the
last one four which is split into two 4 A and 4B is part of a phased retreat approach which means in the long term you know a lot of the planning reports that Falmouth has led here are indicating that surf drive as an asset for the town is not going to survive sea
level rise. Now, when that occurs, 10 years, 30 years, 50 years, we're not very sure, but there is likely going to be a need for phased retreat of this asset in general. So, alternative 4 begins to walk down that path by
removing the most seawward lane of surf drive and taking advantage of that new natural space to increase the dune restoration. If I may just for like number two and three I know you can't be certain but
what would be the you know the lifespan if you will of those improvements I mean we saw in the paper what happened at Sandwich uh you know they expected it to last you know a number of years and it lasted a year and a half or whatever it was I mean do you have any estimates as
to you know how long those improvements will last before we have to do it again? Yeah, great great question. The the answer is that on the scale of years. I mean, maybe one year, maybe five, maybe 10. It depends on what storm we get, but we're probably in the range of 1 to 10
years. And I have a a couple slides about, you know, we did model that and we can give you some more specific answers. So if we did nothing and that fiveyear storm that we pictured came through now fiveyear water level also if
we included a fiveyear storm level wave event and wind events and all things kind of converged at once high tide as well at the same time as the peak of the storm we could have erosion of uh the entire beachway and undermining of the roadway. That's what this figure is looking at. So just to orient you we
have this black line with the sand color underneath. That's today's beach profile. >> The roadway is there in gray. >> If you want to use the cursor to point to the screen, you can do that. >> Thanks. So, this black line here is the existing profile.
This gray here, that's the roadways width. The tide is down here, mean sea level. And then that five-year storm comes washing over. And our eroded profile, posttorm profile is this red line.
So this is showing essentially undermining of the roadway and loss of the beach if we do nothing. If there is a dune restoration project, this is essentially alternative two uh and alternative three in a specific location. We're looking here at about
Elm Road, close to Elm Road. If we restore that beach, restore that dune and we stay above the high tide line. We put as much sand as we can, but we try to um you know appease natural heritage and their requirements. Um this dune can protect against a 5-year
storm, but it will be washed away. So again, our existing condition or our proposed condition would be the black line and then underlined by under um with the sand color beneath that and then the eroded profile posttorm is this red one. And essentially the difference
that I want to point out is that the red line here is beneath the roadway showing undermining whereas the red line here here is scarping. There's erosion at the edge of the roadway but the roadway itself is not undermined and it's protected. So public infrastructure is
protected by this. Then lastly I want to show what is essentially alternative four. So if we retreated a a lane we have about 25 20 25 more feet to work with. We can build an even larger dune. This just means more sand, more grass plantings. What is
the result here against the same storm? Well, the dune will still potentially wash away in a 5-year storm, but our roadway our beach is no longer scarping at the base of the the roadway. It the beach is relatively preserved.
In either case, in all cases though, reconstruction would be necessary within essentially five years, best estimate. Um, again, I don't have the the image or the video here, but I did want to emphasize that we also modeled a 20-year storm. Um, 20-year storm could be
anticipated to occur every 20 years. And a 20-year storm against our largest restoration project, alternative 4, still washes it away. So just to kind of emphasize the point that given our limitations, we can't do beach nourishment, we can't do hard
infrastructure, which I haven't even touched, you know, in this in this conversation, but we have talked about previously. Um, we are unlikely to be able to protect ourselves against a 20-year storm. So that means in 20 years there is likely to be significant undermining of uh surf drive and the
infrastructure associated with it. So the only change that we now are coming to you with some preliminary estimated construction costs. Um again these are conceptual. We have conceptual level designs. This is not on engineering plan sheets. So we're we're
um you know putting this out there for consideration just to you know begin planning level of capital funds or grant pursuits. Um alternative two is estimated at about a $3 million construction cost. Alternative or alternative three, targeted improvements
is estimated about $1.5 million construction cost. And then partial retreat of the roadway and the larger scale dune restoration project is estimated at about $6 million. There are a lot of assumptions baked in here. We can talk about them.
Most importantly though, the last alternative, which is partial retreat, does not include the cost to reconsider the utilities that are buried underneath the roadway. And there are wastewater lines, water lines, and even electric
and gas in in certain areas. So, taking all of these factors into consideration, we kind of compare them against each other to assess feasibility and feasibility being, you know, at the end of the day, we want to build something. We want we need to do something. So, what is the most
feasible? What can we push forward today and make happen? Uh we scored these against all of these different criteria. Its value for resilience and protection and habitat and public benefit. Is it permittable? Does it cost too much? How
long will it last? Is there funding that can support something like this? And as we compare those, what rose to the top was targeted improvements as the most feasible. This is I think primarily because of the fact that permitting of targeted improvements is going to be relatively straightforward. Staying
above the high tide line. We're looking at only a lo uh likely a local permit with state consultation with natural heritage and division of marine fisheries. Um and also alternative three is targeting areas of greatest need and therefore it's not involving property
owners um on the cottages reach which is currently the widest and most resilient part of the beach itself. >> Yes, Heather. Um, alternative two, I'm trying to understand how removing a a lane of the
road and building a larger dune is actually more feasible than maximizing the dune without touching the road. >> Yeah, great question. And that's because we gave uh value to the storm protection benefit of this. So, because alternative
4, which retreats the roadway and builds a bigger dune, provides a greater long-term benefit. It can stand up to greater storms, um, we found that it's more feasible in the long run. And maybe a better way to compare that is against the no action. No action is clearly very
feasible. We don't have to, we don't do anything. That was easy. But at the end of the day, no action is going to cost us more. if there is significant damage to Surf Drive, there's about 25.5 million dollars of of assets there that could be
damaged by a 20-year storm. So, if we take no action, it may be easy now today, but in the long term, our lives are going to be much harder. So, alternative 4A kind of rises there as number two, because it's harder right now, but it it it serves us better in
the future. But if I'm remembering correctly, alternative three with targeted improvements or maybe we didn't actually did we see that scenario with a five-year storm. >> Great question. >> And what happens to the road? >> That is the same. This middle one here,
this is essentially taking dune restoration and alternative two and alternative three are the same design except alternative three is just targeting areas of need. >> Okay, >> I'll show you a map. >> Thank you. Thank you. No, that that's um
>> that's why there was no e no graph for number three, if you will. No, >> two and three were essentially modeled as the same alternative >> depending upon where it went >> depending on where we are. >> So what the the images I showed you were for um a modeling transct just here east
of Elm Road, >> right? >> Where whether your alternative two or alternative three is the same thing. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So this is what alternative three would look like in plan view. obviously conceptually or you know just just drawn on a map here but there are areas along
um Trunk River where the revetment tapers out and there's this gap between two revetments that's incredibly vulnerable and there's the wastewater line from Woods Hole that runs under the bike path. Then there are areas along Elm Road um which are again lacking
dunes. The shore the cottages like I said are in a relatively stable position. Not very much historic erosion there and some existing dunes. Go ahead. >> Oh, no. I >> Oh, I thought you were raising your hands. Um, and then again, there two two more spots of kind of lacking infra um
dunes. And then lastly, this is the profile, but I think we can save some time and move past that to just emphasize the next step. So, the town needs to select a preferred alternative. You know, we can we close out this report with, you know, a feasibility
study. These alternatives are all on the table. There's one that we think might be the most um uh feasible, but right now to go forward with engineering and permitting, we'll need to have a clear directive. And then there are grant
applications which are coming online very soon, January 2026. Mass uh Massachusetts has kind of combined its CZM, its MVP grants, um its deer grants all into one period opening in Jan this
January. So this is the time to submit any need. And I know Josh is going to have a comment here soon, but um if this were going to be looking for grant funding, whether that's engineering or engineering plus construction, that's the time. Um, lastly, I want to
emphasize this can protect against a 5-year storm, you know, hypothetically based on our modeling, but a 20-year storm, regardless of project, can still cause up to $25 million of damages along Surf Drive. So, if there is undermining of the roadway of this significant
infrastructure, um, there could be some serious con consequences here. So, in the long term, phased retreat of this asset is likely necessary. >> Yes, Mr. Brown. I think the uh option three with the targeted approach is the
way to go and I don't know even if we would go the whole limit of the scope of what we would permit. What I would suggest is that we use number three as a as a permitting plan and then we'll see
how we can afford the budget and then just get trucks from Lawrence Lynch to bring the sand down there and spread it out. if we do if we get a recurring permit and the lady from CZM was here and she said we could get an annual permit. Maybe we don't even do the full boat each year. We do what we can
afford, hit the worst areas and just do it as a as an annual maintenance thing until we've got that sewer line relocated. Mr. Chair, >> have you identified where that first if we went with targeted improvement what what portion it would be? Has that been identified yet? Uh, I don't think if we
said it explicitly in the report, if I had to guess, I would, you know, recommend the Trunk River area where you have the wastewater line underneath the Shining Sea Bikeway. Um, just because if there is significant damage to that, that's just >> Okay. >> So, uh, >> could you just put up the slides with the options just so we have it up?
>> Mr. Wra, >> just go ahead. >> So, I just want to thank Connor for tremendous work that he's done over the past six months. He's been working on this project for a long time and the Woods Hall group has been tremendous. I wanted to uh take some allow some time for Josh, our coastal resilency
specialist, because I think it's going to address some of uh select board member Brown's uh questions or comments. >> Did you have anything else, Connor? As part of the presentation that >> All right. Thank you, Connor. >> There's also a um
a very accessible um online story map. So if you all want to look through kind of the the key takeaways from the report, you can scan this QR public as well. >> So you can see that. >> All right. That's on the website all the time, right? >> Correct.
>> It is. It is. Yeah. Josh can point us to that. >> Thank you. >> Thanks much. >> Thank you. >> All right, Josh. >> Good evening. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and uh thanks to the Woods Hole Group as well. um to Connor and the coastal
scientists there for providing such a thorough report. Um I appreciate the opportunity to be able to provide a recommendation. Um >> don't forget to tell us who you are. >> Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Josh Wrigley, coastal resilience specialist. Um what I'm going to provide for you here is uh
in agreement with uh what Connor has just said as well and cover some of the same ground, but I'll keep it short. Um, after reviewing the findings contained in the Woods Hole Group's report, the Coastal Resilience Office within the Department of Public Works recommends that the town pursue a policy of
targeted nourishment for Surf Drive on select public and private properties. Surf Drive is a high value asset for the town of Falmouth, whose importance is both economic and cultural. It also serves as one of three main roads connecting the villages of Falmouth and Woods Hole. In addition, there are
utilities that lie beneath portions of the road, including a force main, water man, electrical lines, and gas. Lastly, it is also an important town beach that each season draws large numbers of resident visitors and tourists. Having acknowledged the value of the surf drive area, a policy of targeted
nourishment would help to preserve and protect those attributes. Nourishment efforts would strengthen low elevation coastal dunes, especially between Oyster Pond Road and the Salt Pond channel. A section susceptible to damage from wave action and storm surge effects. Nourishment here with dune compatible
sand would create a higher dune crest elevation, thereby decreasing the likelihood of an overwash event. Dune compatible sand would be placed, graded, and stabilized with native dune vegetation. Nourishment would not extend seawward beyond mean high water or the high tide line, thus keeping the project
outside of US Army Corps and Chapter 91 jurisdiction. In that regard, the permitting pathway for targeted nourishment would be simplified as opposed to the permitting necessary for other alternatives. Feasibility study had listed the potential cost for such work at $1,472,000,
although the number could fluctuate based on the cost of sand and the final square footage of areas to be nourished. Congruent with these nourishment efforts, coastal resilience will work with the water and wastewater divisions to advance planning efforts that address the utilities beneath Surf Drive, including the existing water main and
force main. Such planning is vital to the decision-making process because the utilities must undergo resilience adaptations or relocation prior to any further action regarding the fate of the roadway itself. There is no solution or preventative measure that will guarantee Surf Drive's continued existence free of
damage. However, targeted nourishment will minimize damage from minor storms and allow more time for planning efforts that address the needs of the utilities. If in the future the town is compelled by extreme circumstances to consider abandonment of the roadway, then the necessary steps will have been taken to
allow that. And uh on the note of grants since that had been mentioned um I have submitted um expressions of interest on eco onetop for surf drive nourishment as well as for a feasibility study for the water
man um and uh a coastal resilience plan that would be a townwide planning effort. >> Thank you. >> Sounds good. >> Okay. Next steps for us Mr. Ranch. really this was uh you know for discussion purposes as Josh mentioned.
Um oh Peter do you have another comment? >> Just want to put some realistic some timelines onto this. Peter McCannady director of public works. So this has been going this is not something that started in 2023 or 22 or 24. Um and in 2000 this is also brought
forward by a group that was put together coastal reency group that wanted to retreat from surf drive. So, this is an ongoing thing that's been going on for decades. There has been, you know, uh some work that could have been done, you know, since the 80s out there that hasn't been done. Um, but realistically
for a timeline, if we were going to go for some work to re what we're looking to do is stabilize that road so we can look for grants and look for design to relocate the utilities to relocate those utilities. It's it's a multi-year project. you might be talking seven years to eight years to to
relocate the the uh by the time you get the design done, the permitting done and um to set up for the project to go out to bid and the funding for the trunk river area for the uh wastewater um and for the water line that goes under um
Surf Drive. So the goal for public works, the goal would be to stabilize that road and hold that road while we're um in conjunction with looking to do the design and moving the design. Once we can relocate that road and move the design, that's the that's going to be
the biggest barrier, then we can start looking at relocating or maybe the possibility of banning um Surf Drive. Back in the 1980s, they relocated Menot Road over in East East Felmouth. After
the road was relocated, everyone walked away. In 2010, the asbestous concrete pipe water line that was 5T below the ground started showing up and was rolling around out in the uh in the water and was breaking up on the rocks became a big problem for
public works, for conservation commission, and Mass D. They don't truly like uh asbestous pipe breaking up, becoming fragile and breaking up in the water. So, we had to contain it, put down dumpsters. Public works had to go and fish the pipe out of the water to be
able to do that. We need to be able to make sure that if we're going to do something with Surf Drive that we take care of those utilities before we start talking about abandonment of the roadway. So, those utilities would be the number one. >> The waste water does not go down Surf Drive from uh Mill Road to Oyster Pond
Road. goes up the bike path, but the water lines do go down um Surf Drive. So, that would be something we really need to consider. But to remove to relocate those utilities, it's a multi-year plan. You could be talking seven to 10 years to get that >> cost estimate. M Mr. Modernity,
>> we did a uh uh a feasibility for just for the for the um water man to be able to uh relocate that from um to have it um stop at Mill Road and have it connect in at um at Oyster Pond and between water and and wastewater. You talk it's
millions of dollars to be able to uh to relocate that and to be to uh armor the the area around that and Trunk River. I've since I started with the town in 2007 from that trunk river area that barrier beach area from uh Surf Drive
down to uh going down towards uh where it becomes wooded on the other maybe a quarter a mile. We rebuilt that four times, five times and sometimes it lasted a year, sometimes it lasted five years. Um but for the most part it was about four or five times and it's it's
one of those things. It's not a one and done. You're going to have to keep on revisiting it. So you it's going to have to be some type of like blanket permit or or an annual permit where we can continue to work on. You don't have to keep on coming back. Um so that's our experience with it. But the utilities
are going to be the the uh the key on that relocating those before you start talking about a van. >> Yeah. Mr. Richardson, >> just a quick one because I see it and I forget the answer on it related to Surf Drive and not this is the crosswalk that was where Surf Drive is. Is that going back in by Walker Street?
>> Yes. Yeah, that's that was part of the previous PA uh project. It will be in by the 2026 season. >> Okay, thank you. People wrote me on that. I appreciate it. >> Yes, Dr. Goldstein. I appreciate the the
dose of of reality and I think what it drives home for me is um the urgency of of getting started and the fact that we cannot do nothing because what we are sitting here with right now is a 20% risk at any given
moment any day of a tens of millions of dollars liability. Right? If we get hit with a five-year storm tomorrow, which all a fiveyear storm means is that there's a 20% chance of it happening any time, then we lose that infrastructure. We have the ex, you know, the potential
of exposed pipes, broken pipes, we have loss of service. We have all of those things. And it's going to take us multiple years, whichever eventuality we decide to to permit to actually get that permitted permitted and built. And in the meantime, we're sitting here with
this this liability. And Mr. Mr. McCanny, to your point, um the whatever option we choose in terms of nourishment and trying to stabilize the road, it is buying us time to do the permitting and the work to move things, not the long-term solution,
and it's going to take us a while. We can't just walk away from things and and leave a big mess, which is all saying we need to get started sooner rather than later. I appreciate the recommendations and the the very pragmatic look at
what's possible and how long that buys us. But I think as we've seen with Sandwich, we also have to be realistic that we could put 1.5 or $2 million worth of restoration in there and lose it next year. And that's not because it's a bad project or the wrong choice. It's just
mother nature and you can roll the dice and end up with two fiveyear storms in two years. And anything bigger than that is what really scares me because we're talking about the potential to buy ourselves some time in the face of fiveyear storms. But it's been a while since we had a 10 or a 20-year storm.
Um, so we're we're not looking at good odds, which I guess is all of the the really bad news uh said out loud, but I think we've we've got options here, which is really good. And I really appreciate all of the effort going into finding those grants.
And I do think we're in a moment of opportunity with what's available at the state level with the MVP 2.0 grant proposal that we just um green lit earlier this meeting and and all of those others to to really move this forward as quickly as possible.
>> So do we need to decide on option number three at this point or >> any action tonight? But to to the vice chair's point um I just wanted to make this comment. We haven't heard all the bad news >> because of the 800. >> There's more there. >> There's more. So I agree 100 110%
planning is the ne is the important step identifying grants. So of the $820 million in the 10-year CIP very little is invested now or programmed now into this issue. There is some planning monies um and some infra but not a whole lot. So that that's the additional bad
news is that we we're we're getting behind a curve and we need to kind of expedite. But the what I see is still relatively new here obviously kind of a lack of there's been a lot of plans but there's not been a coordinated kind of look at at at this and then and then
programming out you know where are the most vulnerable areas what needs to be permitted in terms of utility movement. Um, so I think that's the next step I think is making sure that we have a coordinated comprehensive plan to look at coastal resiliency and what we need to do to protect our assets, the beach and and the infrastructure.
>> So one of the early slides said that we needed to decide by January. I mean is that something we need to do or do you need direction from us? >> There's the grant applications. Not sure which of you are could speak to that quickly, but the January deadline
or timeline as far as grant application is that for the uh >> yes uh the MVP >> could you come to the podium? I'm sorry to put you on the spot, Josh. >> Can we in a previous slide that talked about >> come to a consensus tonight and give them direction? >> Well, that's kind of what I thought we
wanted to do. That's but >> the question the MVP 2.0 deadline is uh December 15th >> coming up 15 days from now. And >> let's just move this forward for the others will be out soon. >> Yeah,
>> if if I may. But the MVP um that grant that was approved, the grant submission was approved tonight. We don't need a refined decision on exactly what nourishment we're going to proceed with to proceed with the MVP grant. I believe then there's there go ahead.
>> It's the MVP 2.0 is a different process. So the town had gone through the MVP certification in 2018 which made it eligible to receive funding for action grants. Uh but EA has rolled out a new iteration of it called MVP 2.0 which is
augmenting its previous coastal resilience emphasis with more social resilience. So, it's more of a a look at communities um and how social responses um to coastal change, you know, are
going to be um you know, informed in various ways. So, it's it's it's a different type of process, but part of the reason why it's important is that um in order to be considered for future action grants, towns will need to be MVP
2.0 certified. And uh because we were uh certified early on this year uh it's Falmouth's turn. So it's it's actually a mandatory process for if you want future consideration. >> But we already checked that box earlier in the agenda, right? >> Yes. Yep.
>> Correct. So I I guess the question that we're being asked and maybe you can help us with it Josh is um there was a reference by Connor to it you know needing to decide in a January time frame which approach we're taking and I think that was in reference not to the MVP grant but for some of the other CZM
and other state grants >> for coastal resilience grants and and MVP as well we have the ability to go for an action grant simultaneously. >> Okay. And you did submit in addition to you referenced it earlier, but maybe a
little elaboration would be helpful. Um, you also submitted four letters of interest for four potential grants. >> That's correct. >> Outside of MVP, other state grants. Maybe you could just remind us what those letters of intent were and how that relates to a decision as to whether
we're pursuing targeted improvements or another form for a surf drive. >> Right. Those were expressions of interest for the state's new um eco onetop um portal which is uh linked to the state's grants management system. So the
eco onetop was set up as a way for state agencies that are doing out money to be able to provide early feedback to municipalities that are um applying. So, I had submitted uh eco1 um expressions of interest for a townwide coastal
resilience plan um surf drive nourishment, a um a study for drainage around Milfield and Woods Hole and um and the other one was for the um feasibility study for the water man uh under Surf Drive. So, I'm just waiting
to hear back from the state now about those. >> Okay, Mr. Richardson, >> is there any downside to I understand your point, Mr. Town Manager, on uh you feel there's been a lot of studies and a lot of work done in it, but the a comprehensive coastal, you know, looking
forward. Is there any reason not to tonight give uh a vote in favor of of option uh three? I feel like, you know, this has been years long work that's had comprehensive public comment actually and really good public outreach over the
last couple years with the number of sessions at the Hermit Herman room. Um, >> I don't know how the rest of the board feels, but I I'm I think authorizing a targeted nourishment approach tonight would be a significant step forward. I'm at least prepared to do so. I don't know
how other members feel. >> I agree. Why Why wait? >> I I also agree. I think that that option is >> pretty clearly we've got two very strong uh very informed recommendations in in that regard and
if we if we I I you know unless there's a reason to delay on that decision I I think that gives uh staff the the direction to be able to pursue as many grants as possible. >> Thank you vice chair. There there is not a reason not to make a decision tonight if I understood town council uh correctly. Um more you want to
>> can we vote on it? I uh I only comment on the the open meeting law implications of the agenda. So in any agenda for a discussion item, a vote is implied if it's not included in the actual wording of the agenda, but I don't have any
comment about the substance of this particular agenda item. >> So I would make a motion then um to authorize the town and and f first I just want to say thank you all. so much for the work you've done. You know, one thing I've realized in my short time on
the board is the more you know, you realize how dumb you are and how many smart people, you know, how many smart, talented experts, you know, we have in this town. And it's it's such a privilege to be able to learn from from you all in your short time here too, Josh. Um, now that being said, um, I
would make a motion to authorize, um, the town, um, manager, the coastal resiliency coordinator, who we can add to this as it needs to go, um, to pursue uh, targeted uh, nourishment uh, in respects to the surf
drive project. >> I would second that. >> Makes sense. Second that with another comment that you know not only the smart folks here but you know the uh coastal resiliency action committee set the stage for hiring Josh. Beach committee followed up with let's get this going.
>> So I mean it's team effort. Absolutely. >> But let's get going. >> Okay. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I >> I >> Okay. Thank you. >> Action. Okay, very good. Thank you all. We'll
move on to discuss and consider a vote to approve requests for proposals for audit services. >> Mr. Renshaw, please or Mr. Johnson, stop. >> Uh, it's actually going to be our finance director as soon as the uh >> or our finance
>> audience passes by. >> Director, >> finance director has put this RFP together. I'm going to ask Laura Citroen to uh to kind of review with you the the elements and the importance of it. >> Hi Laura Citroen, director of finance.
Um so we don't generally bring RFPs before the select board but in the case of audit services we have a um in the town of Falmouth code section 131
it says that the audit is um the select board shall appoint the auditors. So the responsibility is given directly to the select board. Now, we're not suggesting that you try to put an RFP
together or even necessarily review all of the RFPs unless you choose to, but um we are recommending we put the RFP together. I will say that um in terms of scope of services, that's pretty tightly
conscripted by um government auditing standards. So there's not a lot of anything we can change in that. Um the contract and the RFP were were reviewed by um town council and
we're just recommending that we we have not gone out for an RF with for audit services with an RFP in at least 10 years that that looking back that we've been able to find. Um it is an area
audit services are exempt from mandatory procurement under 30B. Um so we have not had to but um recommended practices say that really every 3 years you should be going out with an RFP for audit services
and we provided the RFP and that's the extent of I'll take any questions. No, I don't think there's a downside here. Someone want to make a motion? >> I uh will make a motion with one very
minor edit. Um the second paragraph of article one um thought I was having a a 67 moment. It says for the last nine and then in parenthesis 10 years. You >> just used 67. >> I just said 67 at a select board meeting, but it's 910. So, if we could
make those the the word and the number match in that second paragraph. Um, with that amendment, uh, I would move approval of the RFP for audit services and authorize staff to issue the RFP and that the select board further authorize a staff team of three people to review
the responses to the RFP and make a recommendation of award of contract to the town manager and the select board. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing and seeing none. All in favor? I >> thank you.
>> It is kind of odd that the select board would hire the auditor, isn't it? >> I think that the reason for that is because the auditor is examining the work of the town manager and all of their staff. So, you want that independent separation.
>> Not because we have a friend that might want to hire to do it. >> Okay. Okay, we'll move on to consider a vote to execute a lease and management agreement for the golf facilities at the Falmouth Country Club located at 630 Carriage Shop Road to Sound View Golf
LLC. And Mr. Johnson, are you going to help us through? >> Yes, sir. >> Thank you. >> So again, I'm just going to reiterate the this agenda item. We're seeking a board a vote from the select board to award to award a lease and management agreement to the firm that's been
selected by the town manager. So we have an sort of interesting intersection of uh of areas of responsibility under the uh under the charter here. So it falls under the town manager to uh select the from among the proposals the competitive
proposals received from the firms interested in leasing and managing the golf course but then the lease awarded to that firm selected by the town manager is the domain of the select board. So with with that sort of separation understood, I'll just take a
step back because the interesting part here, I think, is the really good news on the the town manager's role, which is to say we got three proposals from highly qualified firms. They all submitted price proposals that more than met our um financial requirements in
terms of paying off our debt obligation in the next 10 years. Uh so the town manager appointed a review committee to look at the RFPs, the non-pric proposals, and then the price proposals. We interviewed the three firms. I'll just briefly mention for the public the
members of that RFP review committee were two members of the golf advisory committee, Carrie Murphy and Brian Arthur, who is himself a golf professional, industry professional. We had a member Glenn Kelly who is a retired golf professional who lives in
the town of Felmouth and then myself and finance director Laura Citroen um were part of that review process and um of the three firms we had Trun Keer and Morning Star Golf and Hospitality. Trun
and Keer are sort of the two big dogs in the uh at least in the eastern half of the country in terms of golf management firms. highly qualified. Um, Morning Star Golf was the firm that was recommended and they were recommended in
part because they are smaller. The principal has that um, very impressive uh, industry experience internationally, high-end golf courses, small golf courses, two Nantucket golf courses, but he has a much smaller portfolio. So we
saw a lot of benefit in the attention that being one of the six golf courses that this individual Matt Galvin is overseeing, one of them is going to be ours. Um we had again three great choices. Really pleased to be in this position to uh sort of have a difficult
decision to make. Um I'll highlight a couple of points. Um, we did ask for the new operator to give consideration to retaining existing employees and uh, Matt Galvin has indicated he is
intending to retain uh, the current golf superintendent and golf professional as well as you know most of the staff uh, looking to retain most of the seasonal staff as well. Um, the Morning Star
proposal does include a 20% resident discount which exceeded the 10% requirement of the RFP. So, we were pleased about that. Um, and what else did I want to touch on? Uh, so the Morning Star has uh a lot of
experience with Massachusetts procurement from their two Nantucket courses. So they have intimate direct knowledge of how that works which is going to be a really nice advantage for us in terms of reducing the burden on town staff um to do all of the
procurement vetting for any capital projects that are undertaken at the course whether it's with the operator's money or the town's money. Um so that was another long-term advantage that we saw to Morning Star Golf and Hospitality. So, with that um sort of overview, the form of the lease, we'll
get to the action item, the uh executing the lease. The form of the lease was actually in the request for proposals document that the select board looked at twice in July and voted to authorize. Um we did go through it with Morning Star Golf. They didn't have any substantive
changes to request or to negotiate. Um, we of course incorporated their price proposal and non-pric proposal. So, that's part of the lease agreement by reference. Um, in the original packet, there were some um some missed
references and a couple of scribers errors that we caught. Um, that's in the they're updated in your um the hard copy in front of you highlights what those changes are and the the signature copy does incorporate those changes. Um, Dr. Goldstone did point out one other uh
sort of missing phrase that we will clean up in article 17 um which is a very short paragraph. It uh you can you can see in the uh in the one long sentence that there are some words missing and those words missing are conservation restriction. Um so we will
clean that up in the final document as well. Um with that I'll take any questions you might have and >> the only minor changes are in the red line. >> Correct. >> Thank you. Well, this is a a good good result. Much better than uh last year at this time,
and we appreciate all the efforts uh you and the team uh put forth to uh to get us to this point. I think it's a good deal for the town. Uh looks like um this operator fits well within what what this town wants and uh I I think it's a good
a good thing for us. I prepared I think take a motion to go forward. >> Yeah. And I appreciate the 20% reduction. As I've said from the start, my number one concern has been residents rates, and I hope that we commit to keeping the rates for residents the way they are and don't raise them.
>> Um, yeah, I'll make the motion. Sure. Uh, motion uh can as presented. Can I see that? I don't have it in front of me. Hold on. Thanks, Colin. I move that the select board execute a lease and management
agreement for the golf facilities at Found with Country Club located at 630 Carp Road to um uh is the right >> uh Sound View Golf View. Sorry. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. Is the name of the company different than the >> Sorry, I meant to Yeah, I meant to mention that in my introduction. So, uh, Morning Star Golf and Hospitality did note in their proposal that they would be forming an LLC for the purpose of this lease and that is what this is. It
has been reviewed by town council um for consistency with the procurement process. >> Um, then I'm to sound view LLC. >> Okay, we have a motion. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing and seeing none, all in favor? I
>> I Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Thanks for getting us through that. And thanks to Trun for sticking with us for the extra year. Sorry they didn't win, but >> Okay, we'll move to uh the East Falmouth Library design update. We have the uh
Mr. Stokes. Okay. Is there a way to full screen this or sorry, >> not sure what I'm looking at? >> Top right. Oh, far right. >> Next to the settings wheel there. There.
>> There we go. Cool. Uh, good evening. I'm Brian Stokes, library director of Fel Public Library. I'm not going to spend too much time talking to you tonight and actually going to turn it over to Conrad Ello, principal from Odinello Architecture, uh that has been providing
design services on the East Falmouth uh library uh planning and design uh grant project that we've been working on uh for the better part of this year. Uh just to really quickly catch you up to speed, uh we received a grant from the
state for planning and design of the new East Falmouth Library. Uh in January, uh in March, you convened the East Felmouth Library Building Advisory Committee. Uh five of six members are here with us tonight. Camille Ram Camille Romano,
Jane Simpson, Andy Zimmerman, Judy Fenwick, and Chris Simler, the chair back there. Um we've been working since July, you know, every other week, uh meeting to refine the design of this library that you're going to see tonight. This design that you'll see
tonight, uh is what they call MLCP level of design. It's the level of design that we're required to submit to the state at this point uh to get approval and uh qualify for construction grant funding down the road. Uh that's about 20% of
construction design. So what you're seeing tonight is still very early on in the process even though it's going to look really cool. Um we are still in the early innings of this game. Uh so there's a long way to go, but uh there's been a lot of work put into this. I've
been working on this for over two years. We've had multiple community engagement sessions that have informed this design. Uh and so I'm really happy with it. I can say personally that when I spent a lot of time on this over the last couple years, I never really thought that it
would come out this good and I'm so pleased uh to be able to share it with you this evening. So without uh further ado, I'm going to turn it over to Conrad who's going to take it from here. >> Thanks, Brian. My name is Conrad Elo and I'm with Odinello Architecture. We're a
Bostonbased firm uh founded in 2007. Uh since 2009, we've been involved in over 15 um public library projects with the uh Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners who are funding this East
Thalmus Library um grant. Uh we've also been involved in 25 libraries throughout the Northeast since 2009. So we've got a fair amount of experience with libraries. Um it's been a a real pleasure to collaborate with the East Falmouth Library Building Advisory
Committee, most of whom are here. Brian introduced them. Um, and we're, as Brian said, we're sort of in that uh planning and design phase of work uh with deliverables uh due to the state by the end of this month. So, we're pretty far
along as it stands now. And as as Brian said, there's been a lot of community outreach and a lot of collaboration. So, uh this is the result of um a lot of work that predates our involvement. We we got involved in July and it's been it's been pretty uh pretty fullon since
our involvement at that point. So I'm going to run you through um sort of how the process has worked. We've we really started with uh site assessment and design of the uh existing library site. And I'll just point out while I'm talking about site assessment, as you likely know, this is a building that
wasn't purpose built as a library. The existing east found that the library was originally designed as a residence. I think back in the 50s. Um, it's been a library for 50 years. It it is not accessible. It's got a lot of deficiencies. Uh, it uses fossil fuels.
It's actually uses oil to to create the heat for the building. Um, it's it's a building that's truly pasted its service life. And again, it was not purpose-built as a library. So, it's missing some key functions and certainly missing functions that are important in
a 21st century uh library. Uh so that you know the the the need for the library is is apparent but the question was whether the first question for us when we got started in July was whether or not this site could handle a library that was was bigger. Brian worked for a
couple years again before our involvement on a on a library program. Uh it's a the program suggests a new library of about 8,500 square feet. This is a library that has a footprint of about 3600 square feet. It has a full basement, so you could arguably say this
is a 7,000 foot existing library, but really half of that square footage is usable to the public. It's that upper floor. So going to 8,500 square f feet, most of that which is public uh program, is a big step up and it it likely suggests a footprint that's twice the
size of what you have on the site now. So, we needed to do quite a bit of work to to assess whether or not this site could handle that because, as you likely know, if you know this property at all, between Mil Pond and the Smitty's ice cream shop, it's right along a steep uh
hillside that goes down to Mil Pond. Uh that really is a coastal bank and it's an important resource area, natural resource area. So, there's not a lot of ability to expand into that resource area or onto the slope. And then of course you have the the entry drive and
and required parking that's needed as well. So there's a a tight kind of window as to you know whether or not it's a viable site. We did have an alternate site along Davis Hill Road that was sort of a hip pocket if in fact we found that this site wasn't viable.
Um but we did do some uh outreach and collaboration with the conservation commission and with DPW. DPW produced a site survey for the property and the conservation commission. um thanks in large part to Jennifer Lincoln's uh
informal feedback to the committee and to to the design team um helped us determine that we really couldn't build to the west of what is the coastal bank which is let me see if I it's this uh curved line here
um that's the top of the coastal bank and that's a requirement to not um build to the west of that you can see that the existing library actually encroaches on that coastal bank now. So, keeping a building, a new building to the east of that or to the right of that line uh was
important, but of course, we had to still bring in an entry drive and parking. So, the question is, could we make that work? This is sort of the allowable buildable area, but of course, again, you've got parking and drive lane requirements. So, can you fit the building? And the the the short answer
is yes. It's kind of a a zone, a kind of narrow zone that's a swath between that that coastal bank and hillside and that entry drive. Um that did allow us to to create a building footprint of of significant size relative to um what's
there now. But it it also accommodated the building program that Brian and his team worked very hard to to um create. Um this is sort of a preliminary site plan. And it's not the final site plan, but essentially there's an entry drive.
There's slight a slight expansion of parking on the site from 16 parking stalls to 19. And then the whole coastal bank, which right now is just a moan lawn, uh would become a kind of remediation area. We would want to grow that back in with woody vegetation that
would support the health of Mil Pond. And in in effect, this project can become a sort of model of sustainability. There are other uh attributes, technological attributes with this building that that support that as well. But in terms of the landscape and site strategy, um we feel
like we can uh create a very good neighbor against the pond and sort of a model for future uh development uh around the pond and around resources like this. Uh so along with the site design um uh while we were looking at
that and and determining whether we could uh insert a viable building footprint on the site, we were also digesting Brian's uh building program which was produced before we got involved and quantifying that and kind of checking it and and and rightsizing
it. This is also all in collaboration with the state. We had periodic periodic meetings with the MBLC's representatives. So, this is a collaboration that they're supportive of and they're behind and they're, by the way, excited about this current design. Um, we did come to a conclusion that we
need about 8,500 square ft for this building. As I mentioned, most of that is um is a public program um including some some new elements that the existing library doesn't have. This is a layout of the library. It's it's rotated. So
Mil Pond is to the top of the image and the entry drive and Smitties is to the bottom of the image. Um this uh really was uh trying to do a number of things. One be a very open um uh increase
visibility uh from the CIRC desk to to create a safe environment for the patrons both the adult spaces and the children's spaces. um adding restrooms, all of which are um handicap accessible. Um there are no level changes within the
building which creates accessibility issues like the current branch. And one of the um components which is completely new is this multi-purpose room. It's it accommodates up to 50 people. Uh and uh with a kind of after hours closure which
is highlighted here in the dark blue. This multi-purpose room can be used for any number of town functions after hours when the library is closed. So, you've got access to the accessible restrooms. There's a kind of catering kitchen, so this could sponsor events or host
events. Um, any number of town functions could could happen. So, it it has an added benefit for the town in addition to just being a good library for East Falmouth. Um there's a small basement that accommodates the mechanical spaces and some storage for uh much needed
storage. But unlike the existing library which is you know half basement which is inaccessible to public um this is a very small basement. So as I mentioned 7500 square ft of that 8,500t library is accessible to the public um and and and
sponsors or supports public programs. Um, given this great site next to Mil Pond and the great views you have overlooking the pond, it was the idea was to kind of create a library that gestures to the pond. As you come in from parking, there's a a welcoming
entry porch, but then when you walk in, the spaces are open and and the ceiling uh gestures to the west and opens towards the views of Mil Pond. So there's um and that's a a pleasant aspect of the existing library now, but the the windows will be even bigger and
um these kind of expansive views overlooking that great natural resource will be a very much a part of this existing library. Um so you get these kind of open views. This is actually looking back towards the entry porch um and and towards the circulation desk.
This is a view of the adult area. There's some uh uh pu uh private um quiet study rooms that that's another programmatic component that's not in the existing library now. So there's uh great, you know, tutorial t spaces for tutors and and and quiet uh study that
are outside the fray of the library. Uh there's a dedicated children's room that's significantly bigger than what's there now. Um and it's it's secure as its own space. There's even a back porch that can allow um folks to come in with strollers for special uh you know
children's programs. So you're not having to you know run a children's group all the way through the library to get to this space. Um there's an outdoor screened uh reading porch that allows folks to take books outside and nice weather. Um overlooking Mil Pond. This
is kind of a view from that screen porch. This can be used. It's kind of located directly between the adult and children's spaces. So, you've got a shared use there where, you know, small children's groups can go out in nice weather or adults can use it at different times of day. Um, and then of
course there's this multi-purpose room that could be used for, you know, for meetings, for yoga classes, for all kinds of things that um both for library programming and for for town programming. And then these are some conceptual renderings. As Brian said, it
it looks more developed than it is, but we're in this very early conceptual planning stage. Um, after the MBLC reviews the project at the end of or early next year, it's likely that funding would become available in fiscal year 29, which is, you know, mid 2028.
Uh, so there's a few years before this would go into schematic design. And so there's a whole uh design process ahead at that point that um you know community input, input from the select board. There's there's plenty of time to to modify and and improve upon the design.
So this is even though it looks finished, it's it's still got a long way to go. But um it's promising in that uh although it's twice as big, the scale of this building is is appropriate and and scaled to the adjacent neighborhood.
It's it's clad and um this is a what we would hope to be a mass timber building. So the structural system is made of wood. Um the cladding would be uh you know weathered cedar shingles. So it has a kind of cape feel to it. Um, but having that the wood kind of
environment, indoor environment get creates this kind of feeling that you're bringing the the natural environment around Mil Pond into the building and we feel it will be a an exciting and and welcoming place for people to come come back and enjoy many times over. This is
an evening view of that same view. This is looking from the Smitty's um kind of front area towards towards the new library. And then the back view, this is that steep hillside. The top of the coastal bank is more or less where the back side of the building, the existing building
is now. Um, and then the view uh with that uh more overgrown natural meadow environment to kind of, you know, not have this be a fertilized moan lawn adjacent to Mil Pond, but a natural environment that one can overlook as
they're inside the library. Um, evening view. Um, and I believe that's sort of it for the conceptual piece. Just quickly to mention, we've had two since July, we've had two um, uh, community meetings. The first one
was, uh, sort of a a workshop with the community where we created some boards. We allowed the the vis uh, the the patrons that came or the the citizens of Falmouth that came to the meeting to have some input on what was important to them. and and a lot of the design that
you see tonight is is informed by some of the the things that folks wanted to see. Daylight and views were really important. The kind of architectural character, um sustainability, accessibility, those are all pieces that are important um to the community, but
also uh infused into the design that you see tonight. Um I will mention this is a building that would be a fossil fuel free building or yes, fossil fuel-free building. Um it it has a low pitch roof
that is uh conducive to sponsoring photovoltaics. That is a an eligible cost that the state would fund. So if we do introduce photovoltaics on this building um that would be uh partially funded by the state and would probably
supply about 50% of the operating cost of the building which is great. Uh so no more fossil f fuel use. this would be um you know have lowflow fixtures and and um you know a super insulated envelope so it would be a low you know a lower
cost building to to operate even though it's a bigger uh a bigger square footage. Um so the first meeting was kind of a workshop. The second meeting was sort of presenting what you're seeing tonight. This was that just happened a couple of weeks ago. Um, and folks, I I it wasn't a huge turnout, but
it was I think we got some very positive feedback from those who were there. Um, and with that, I'll just end on the schedule. Um, this kind of dashed in area in the middle is where we are now. That's the um planning and design phase of work. Uh, the work that preceded our
involvement, you know, was what Brian was talking about. There was a lot of community surveys and visioning that happened back in 20 23 and 24. We've had the two community meetings in 25 and then it goes in early 26 to the MBLC review and then we await um potential
funding from the state which it tends to be around 50% of the cost of the library. It might be a little more or a little less. There's a number of factors that go into that, but um it's an amazing program that the state offers and to be able to have a new library, a
community to have a new library for half the cost is is an incredible opportunity. I think um we found that that's been a great boon for the communities that have taken advantage of that that we've worked with. Um but that's likely that funding likely comes on board a couple years down the road.
So with that I I'll take questions but appreciate your >> Early on you you had mentioned the deliverables. Can you just tell us what those deliverables are for us? What we need to do? >> Yeah, there it's a very specific list of deliverables. One is the site
topographic site survey that um the Department of Public Works was uh nice enough to produce for us. Um it's it's renderings, its plans. There's a lot of data like um number of shelves, number of soft seats um that need to be
compiled in a way in a specific way that the MBLC requires. There's a number of uh engineering reports that are part of our design effort um that that feed into the deliverables as well that will help inform a cost estimate which um the MBLC
requires gets produced once the funding is available. So we we're not estimating the project now. The cost Um, but would do that um likely in 2028 when funding comes comes online. >> But but we need some some votes going forward. I think that's what I was
referring to. Brian, you want to >> step up and just tell us what what what the steps are? >> The East Felmouth Library Building Advisory Committee has voted unanimously to recommend this design to you and the board of library trustees. So at this point uh the next steps are uh getting
approval from the board of library trustees and from the slack board for this design so that we can submit it to the M >> and it needs to be before the end of the year. Am I correct? >> We have it on the agenda for the December 15th meeting >> and the board of trustees is going to be dealing with it
>> December 9th is when they'll be voting on it. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Love all the glass windows. More as much of that as you can do with the natural light. That's my only comment. >> Yes, Dr. Goldstone. >> I'll I'll start by saying thank you um
to the whole committee and um I'm sorry, I forgot the the I the the the name of your firm. Thank you. Um it is a gorgeous building. Um it actually reminds me of um when I see it, I think
nature center more than library. And and I love that actually. um for for what East Falmouth is and the beautiful environment that we have. So, so thank you for that. Um I will also say um as someone with uh a
strong sentimental attachment to the existing library. Um I have three kids who are currently teenagers. Uh when they were little, we lived literally a few houses around the corner and walked there. Um you mentioned that it was not purpose-built as a library. It was purpose-built as a home. And you've
probably heard this from other folks. That's actually one of the beautiful things about that library. And I was thinking about this last night and looking at the package and thinking, what is it about that? And I was like, what it felt like when you went to the library with your little kids, at least for me, what it felt like was not like
you were going to an institution or an organization. and it felt like you were going to a generous neighbor's house who had opened up their incredible library and their side room for you to go play trains and take home books and grab a movie and say hi to some folks and go home. So, as much of that feeling as we
can keep in this library, I would love to see that. And whether that's in some of the furnishing touches or or something else, I also think that history um I'm a I'm a washure. Um, right. I'd been here for my entire adult
life. But, um, a wash ashore. And I'll I'll tell you that when the kids from East Falmouth walk over to East Falmouth Library from the school. They don't just go to the library, they learn the history of what that building was before and how the area was developed, the importance of strawberry farming to the region, how the region developed
postwar. So, anything we can do to to kind of bring that history in because it's not going to be staring people at the in the face anymore that they're walking into a house and why are we walking into a house? So, anything we can do to kind of bring that history into the space um and into our community, I would I would strongly
encourage. And then two, last, please, um the potential extra parking, and I've said this before, anything we can do to work on sharing the already paved space to the east of there with Smitty's and the other commercial space um to minimize additional um pavement there, I
would strongly encourage. And then while I love all the glass in the daylight, the picture you're showing right here makes my heart skip a beat for a not great reason. Uh because what I see there during the daylight is an
incredible opportunity for daylight to come in and at night for an incredible amount of light to spill out into the environment and potentially be a hazard for the birds that enjoy the pond. Um, so thinking about shades or something like that to reduce the amount of light
pollution that the building could create at night while still getting all of that incredible sunlight into that space during the day. >> We don't have very many hours at night. >> Well, and that's that's fine. A lot of buildings these days are lit up 247 whether or not they're open, right? So
just thinking about that mindset of like we want the light to come in but we don't necessarily want to be >> and the main main street library is a pretty good example of that. It's like bright all the time. >> So those are my >> Okay. >> But but thank you. I think it's wonderful.
>> Well I don't want to be the first detractor but I will be. It's very modern. It's not it's complete departure from the old house and I know that it has to be because the old house wasn't practical. But when I went to the original outreach meetings, people were
asking for historic type architecture simulating what's being taken away. I know that's difficult when you want to maximize the views. So that's one thing. If you can get a lot more solar gain, I don't see that the building is oriented really to
maximize that, but I'm not an expert on that. The other thing that I'm concerned with, and I mentioned this to Mr. Stokes last time we were here. I just feel like it seems like a shame not to take advantage of that hill and have a a foundation. Minimize the amount of
footprint and maximize the use of that lower level because it works on Main Street. We have the Herman room. It's a it could be a great meeting space there looking out onto the the pond. I know it would require an elevator, but it would give you a lot more sight to work with for parking and and green space and so
forth. I mean, to me, it seems a shame to just struggle to put everything on one floor when you have such a small site and when you have that steep drop off which lends itself to that walkout basement. It's just that's my feeling. Sorry if I'm a little negative, but
>> ju just a quick comment on that. >> Can you go to the mic, please? >> Just a quick comment on that. um because it's such a a small library. There's a small staff. It's it's difficult to ma manage a library on two floors with with a limited staff. That's the primary reason.
>> I know that I I did understand that answer when I when I asked that last time, but still it's it's only one reason not to do it. But I mean, especially if it was more just the meeting space, you've got this big end of the building with the 50 person
meeting space, which is segmenting this building and causing it to take up so much more space where I would love to see one building with maybe a more traditionally pitched roof. It's total departure from what you've
got here, but that's just my feeling. Again, I don't know that this is the right moment to vet the design because it is still so early. I think it's important it gets submitted to the MBLC. I know they're supportive of this design as it currently stands. In our
experience, we have seen them be quite flexible to make design changes at, you know, at that later stage once the funding comes online. So I I you know I think you know we would be open to looking at other alternatives that maybe do explore having the meeting room on
the lower floor and taking advantage of that slope. I think those are things we could study in the future if if if need be. I'm not I'm not trying to throw this out because I think this there's a lot of great merit in what what's been developed collectively by this group. Um
but but I do think there's flexibility in in studying things further at a later date. >> Okay. I'm not trying to slow you down. >> All right. Anyone else? Okay. Well, thank you very much. We'll await you on this 15th of December. Thanks a lot.
>> Thank you. >> Okay. We're going to now move to announcing the April 2026 annual town meeting schedule. Mr. Rener. >> Uh Mr. Johnson Stal told me he can do this in two minutes or less. >> Okay, you you got it. Here we go. Um so
we are sort of following on the model that we used for this past town meeting where we actually the board amended the schedule. Um, and what we're doing is adding a first review of the town meeting warrant, January 26th. We would
have the petitioner article presentations on the same date, not changing the date for closing the warrant, but um, as we had discussed recently, giving the board some more time, more advanced notice of what's coming on the warrant so that um, you have time to give us some feedback and,
you know, highlight some concerns. Um, other than that, we're pretty much following the same schedule as we have been. A number of these dates are driven by charter and bylaw requirements. >> And the date for the meeting is April 6th, 2026. >> Correct.
>> Okay. Anyone have any questions with respect to the schedule? I do appreciate fitting us in an extra meeting so we have an opportunity to look at it, give you feedback, and so forth before we have to vote on it. That's a big improvement. Thank you.
I don't I don't have any concerns. >> All right. I don't think we need any further action on that. >> Uh approve it. >> Yeah. You announce and adopt it. >> Announce and and adopt. Okay. >> Motion to announce and adopt. >> So moved. >> Okay. >> Second.
>> Okay. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I I >> Okay. >> Was that under two minutes? Did we make it? >> Yeah. Very good. >> Let's try and do the same on the next one here. Maybe even less. >> It doesn't matter. Take your time. time. The game's almost over. >> It's coming out of half.
>> No, you got another hour to go. 40 games over. >> It's It's been over. >> Sorry. >> Scores over there. We don't know about this. >> Don't know what you're talking about. >> Discuss and consider voting the 2026 select board meeting calendar dates.
>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh board has a copy of the proposed meeting calendar in your packets. Um we made every effort to avoid conflicts with uh holidays and observed religious uh as well. Um importantly um this is uh subject to
change. Um you know at select board discretion a vote would be required but it could be it can be changed. Uh so my recommendation our recommendation is the select board uh adopt and approve the calendar year 2026 board meeting calendar. >> So moved. >> Second.
>> Okay. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? >> There were two dates noted as needing additional discussion. Do we want to hold those for later discussion? >> No, actually, thank you for bringing that up, vice chair. So, I crossed those out. So, so I c those were tentatively
had question marks. Um, >> I was looking for them and then I couldn't find them. >> I told Diane to take them out because I thought we had uh no, you all know this uh the chair and vice chair and Peter and I meet and we took a look at these and we didn't see any issues with the tenative dates. Um, so that note in the
board packet, um, scratch that. Okay. We're, uh, we're we're going to, if everybody's agreeable to those dates in in September, October, we're going to go with those. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> So, we have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I I >> Okay. Consider a vote to approve non-union
wage rates. >> So, thank you, Mr. Chair. So, this will be pretty quick as well. Um, so, um, included in your packets are three wage salary tables. Um as you all know we have this uh group called technical administrative and management TAM groups
comprised of year-round positions administrative sta staff IT personnel social workers other professional level positions and most of the division and department heads are in this group as well. Um 57 uh total full-time and two part-time employees. Um what we're uh
proposing is a 2% cost of living adjustment. As you all know um we made a pretty significant move with this group and others um a few years ago. Um but we had to because we got behind the curve in terms of salaries. We weren't competitive. So to maintain that competitive competitiveness um with
other Cape communities um that we're in competition with, we're recommending this this COLA for the technical administrative and management group. There's also two other groups I want to uh propose the same 2% COLA for FY27, the non-aligned. This is uh 18 year round part-time and seven library
substitute positions. Again, 2% cost of living adjustment is proposed. Um the cost of this is about 11,000. The cost of the TAM is about 132,000. These costs are factored into the budget that I'm going to present to you in about 5 minutes. Um the seasonal group is the is the last group. Um and as you all know,
um that's the largest group. It includes beach workers, uh recreation divisions, community service department, marine environmental services, and public works. Um they do uh critical work for us. So again, I'm not minimizing the importance of being competitive in these first two groups, but it's really important. and we've been successful at
hiring beach um lifeguards and whatnot in this group because we've been competitive. So, we're proposing that again 2% uh cost of living for calendar year 26 at a cost of about $28,000. Um each of the other groups that have settled salary tables for FY27 has
received this 2% cola. Some have gotten a little bit more. So, we're recommending this as a minimum proposal. Um, so, u my, my suggest my recommendation is the board board motion to approve the TAM, non-align, and seasonal wage rates as presented. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.
>> So, this is consistent with what others have been approved at for the cola subject to >> the the cost of living adjustment is pretty consistent. That 2% um what we've seen in some other groups um is is the cola and perhaps some additional >> a little more. >> We feel this puts puts us in a
competitive place where where we need to be. Obviously, you know, we'd like to do more. Um, but uh for this upcoming calendar year and fiscal year, we feel the 2% cola will get us where we need to be. >> Someone willing to make a motion?
>> Yeah, I think this is um an important investment in our people. Um right, it's when you look at those total numbers all put together, it's a pretty small impact on our overall budget, but probably a much larger impact on the households where it's going. So, uh,
motion to approve the TAM non-aligned and seasonal wage rates, uh, increases as presented. >> Second. >> Motion and second. All in favor. Any further discussion? >> Got to keep people paid. >> Hearing none. All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. Bring us through uh to conclusion here, Mr. Rancher, with the operating budget for FY27. >> I'm usually doing this to an empty room and I hate >> No, I don't. I figured it was something like that. >> All right. So, good evening, Mike
Renshaw, town manager. I'm very proud to have the opportunity to present the proposed FY27 operating budget to you tonight. Um, big takeaway. This evening's presentation is a first look. Um, we're going to come back to you on December 15th. Um, but as you all know, our charter requires that a
comprehensive budget, including all town functions and a budget message be submitted to the select board by January 1st of each year. Um the select board then in turn transmits that budget to the finance committee for their more detailed uh deep dive uh no later than January 16th.
This evening's presentation is going to be divided into um four sections over the next 16 slides because I'm going to eliminate a couple that are a little bit redundant. I'm going to review uh various guiding principles that were used for developing the FY27 uh proposed budget. We're going to do a very quick
review of the select board strategic plan priorities. Um we are um going to discuss again briefly um proposed budget expenditures and revenues. A lot of it is this is graph intensive which I think is helpful because sometimes a picture does tell a thousand words. Um we're going to
conclude with future projections, a discussion on future projections, um issues and concerns and next steps. Um it's a broad overview. Um I thought it was important to mention that the budget process began way back on October 7th. um with my and Peter's budget
instructions to the departments. Um importantly, uh any funding requests beyond level funding, and I know sometimes this is difficult to hear, but we we saw what I'm going to talk about briefly um kind of coming looming. Um any requests beyond level funding from
the FY26 levels required a detailed explanation, justification, and a costbenefit evaluation. Then we had a series of budget meetings with the department heads, Peter, myself, and the finance director, Laura Citroen. um that were held with department directors from November 3rd to November 12th.
So um I'm going to touch very briefly on the four kind of overarching guiding principles that were used in developing uh this FY27 proposed budget. First, we strive to ensure long-term fiscal stability by implementing relatively conservative revenue estimates and
avoiding unsustainable expenses wherever possible. We attempt at all cost to advance the select board strategic plan priorities within the constraints of sound fiscal management practices. We endeavor to maintain basic services and infrastructure before evaluating and
implementing any new services. So we have a focus on protecting and uh reinforcing if necessary those basic services. And as in past years uh we avoid Proposition 2 and a half operating override. As you will see tonight, however, our forecasts indicate that we
will need to begin having a series of very crucial conversations with the select board and with the community concerning the need for an override in the next fiscal year, fiscal year 28. And I'll go into those details in a moment. Lastly, and I think this is also important, we strive to provide heightened transparency to see community
uh engagement in the process. We try to highlight um the most significant changes from the prior fiscal year and place all of this information online as quickly as we can. So, as we did with uh the capital budget, uh the FY27 operating budget has
a strategic focus. As currently written, the seven key focus areas are or or priority areas within the select board's FY23 to FY27 strategic plan are housing, energy and sustainability, financial and economic
uh stability, health and public safety, management of our coastal natural resources and infrastructure, which we discussed a little bit earlier tonight. Organizational effectiveness and community engagement, water, water conservation, wastewater and solid waste management.
The following examples are illustrative of how we how scarce resources are allocated to one or more of the select board strategic priorities. And again, these are examples. There's more, but I think these are kind of the the critical examples. Under the key priority area of housing, the proposed FY27 budget
includes an appropriation of $950,000 to the Felmouth affordable housing fund. that historically has been the number that's been been applied to this particular fund. Within the priority areas of health and public safety, the proposed budget seeks to increase staffing by two full-time dispatchers to
emergency communications. In the area of organizational effectiveness and community engagement, uh we're look we're seeking to add a part some part-time custodial support to the senior center for evening meetings and extended service hours to provide for extended programming and four months
of full-time administrative clerk uh work for residential tax exemption program that we talked about a couple of meetings ago uh which falls within the area of financial and economic stability. Lastly, um we have a focus uh in this FY27 budget on on on school budget
school needs looks to increase school budget by 5.8% for special education costs and importantly school safety costs while encouraging the school administration to continue its focus on consolidation due to declining enrollments and furtherance again of the select board's priority of enhancing
public safety and increasing organizational effectiveness. So this slide is a very high level um uh slide that illustrates recommended um revenues minus expenses. As you'll see total recommended revenues $191,763,8
on the operating budget um of $183,838,21 represents an increase of about 5.8% from last year's spending or about $9,890,000 increase from last year. Um, importantly, um, again, within this
category of of of expenses are state aid offsets and county assessments or charges. Um, of the $5.8 million roughly, um, the largest percentage of that, 3.6 million, um, are, uh, uh, state offsets, uh, $3.6 million school
choice and charter school charges or fees. Um, there's about $476,000 included within that 5.8 8 million uh for mosquito control and some other minor um state aid offsets as well. Um with regards to the county charges or
county assessments, um that represents 1.2 million of the 5.8 um and those are county tax and and Cape Cod Commission uh charges for services. Um the other appropriations category, you'll hear me talk about that in a little bit. Um that's the OPED trust for about $500,000. That's traditionally what
we've our contribution has been. Negotiated wage adjustments are also included within the other appropriations C category that represents 650,000 of the 2.1 million. Some of those uh negotiated wage settlements are what we just talked about with regards to the uh the TAM and the non-UN and non-unified
uh groups. And lastly, of the $2.1 million other appropriation, um there's uh about well there's $950,000 towards the Felmouth affordable housing uh fund. And again, total appropriations uh totaling $191,763,8.
Okay, I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time on this slide. Um but it does offer, as I mentioned earlier, a good visual depiction of our expenses. Um to nobody's surprise in this room, I'm sure. Um we when we look at the pie chart, um Felmouth Public Schools at
$64.9 million represents the largest largest percentage of expenses in this proposed FY27 budget. It's about 35% of the overall expense budget. Um when you combine that with the upper cate votech at 4.3 million roughly. Um the combination of those two is about $69.2
million in spend for this proposed upcoming budget which is a 5.7% increase from last year and that's a pretty significant driver of of the increases that we're seeing. Um second uh in second place um personal services 45 million roughly. Um these are wages and
associated costs for town only. the schools are not included in that $45 million. Um and lastly, um and importantly, town and school benefits rolled up and combined about $34 and a half million dollars, and that's the health insurance, Medicaid, and retirement contributions.
I won't spend a lot of time on this slide because it's basically just a numerical representation of what I just showed you in the pie chart. Important takeaways from this slide um include again that 5.7% increase in education spending between the Felmouth public schools and the upper Cape Votech um of
$3.7 million or again 5.7% increase. Um the other thing I wanted to bring your attention to is the uh debt service uh $1 million increase. It is significant. Um and this is due to recent bond issuance. uh it's not causing a tax increase in this case because we're keeping the total exempt debt under that
$14 million um target that was set back in 2023. Um this slide again talks about I talked I mentioned the word driver earlier um what's driving the budget increase this year. These are primarily the three or four uh culprits. Uh personal services
and employee benefits are responsible for a significant amount of that. um $3.7 million roughly. Um and then you add in the education again, another $3.7 million um is is leading to what I'm going to display next. Oh, that's not I'm not going to I I
talked about this slide um already, so that's one of the redundant slides. So, I'm going to shift over to the revenue side. Um shifting attention to the revenue. Um again, um no big surprise to anybody in this room. Um when we look at the sources of revenue, um property tax, um
it leads the way at 72%. Um the next slide I'm going to show you is going to further break down how we come to that um total taxable amount of 138.8 million. Um local receipts uh comes in second place in terms of revenue um or
reliance on local receipts at about $34.5 million in this proposed budget. We're actually making a change in this. T traditionally, we've tried to limit our use of local receipts to about 80% of prior years amounts. We're actually bumping that up. And it's one of the
levers that I'm going to talk about in a moment, how we balance this proposed FY27 budget by utilizing more of those local revenues, a higher percentage of the local revenues. This slide shows um again that calculation um that the finance
department uses each year to arrive at that total taxable amount. Uh we start as you probably all have seen this before the base levy based upon the prior year estimate. Uh we add the two and a half% uh increase in the ba base levy and in this case it's $3.1 million.
Um add in the new growth estimate of $900,000 which I think has been historically at least the past few years has been that number that we've been utilizing. So no change there. Um, we can raise the the two next categories, debt exclusion and Cape Cod Commission. Um, the Cape Cod Commission cost of
$616,600 is in and out um uh uh expenses u paid to the commission for services that they render to us. We can list these here because we can these these uh monies can be raised outside of the Prop 2 and a half restriction. Importantly, I think
the biggest takeaway on this slide, and it's highlighted for a reason, uh to balance the proposed budget for FY27, we needed uh to utilize 1.2 million of the $ 1.5 million excess levy capacity that uh the town has been carrying as a balance uh this this
upcoming fiscal year. Um, this is going to result, and this is the important part, um, although we're talking about not requiring an override with this proposed FY27 budget, um, the utilization of this additional, uh, uh, excess levy capacity of $1.2 million is going to lead to a property tax
increase. Uh, Peter's done some calculations utilizing the DLS website, and that increase is about $48 for an average single family tax bill. It's a $48 increase. Um so you'll see in some p in some subsequent slides um how how
that unfortunately is is is not going to be the end of the story with regards to to increases are going to be necessary. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this slide but um the important takeaway here is um we're maintaining a relatively
conservative local receipt assumption based upon prior year actuals. As you can see the the the the the line um of about um $ 34.5 million. Um you can see in the past three years we've we've certainly passed surpassed that line. So we're being relatively conservative
still uh and uh based upon prior year actuals being higher than our projected FY27 um uh local receipts of $34.5 million. after uh seeing some decline in building permits and vehicle excise receipts. We do have to pay attention to
that that local receipt number because those are two areas that that we continue to see a bit of a decline building permits and in vehicle excise. Okay. Um this is of all of the 16 slides I'm going through relatively quickly. This is this is probably um the most
important um and contains the most important caveats or issues and cautions that I want to discuss with you. Um quite frankly the only way that we were able to balance the this FY27 proposed budget uh without an override an operation operating override was to
reduce department requests. I mentioned earlier those November meetings with the departments um were in this room and they were pretty intense. Uh we showed numbers in advance of the discussion so everybody kind of had a reality check about what was going to be available. So we reduced um department requests did
not recommend funding about $2 million. The bulk of those were in and I'll I'll I'll say this. The bulk of that $2 million was in uh additional personnel requests. Um I think eight or nine firefighters, multiple police positions, and there other departments across the town. So a large percentage of that $2
million um request that was not funded, not recommended for funding were were personnel, additional staff. Um we also um utilized again excess levy capacity of the $1.2 $2 million and increased I mentioned this earlier receipts from our our preferred past practice of utilizing
80% of prior actuals to to higher 84%. Um these levers these three primary levers that we're we're utilizing to balance the budget again reduction of $2 million in departmental requests uh utilizing um excess levy capacity of
$1.2 million and then increasing our reliance on on local receipts have pretty significant future impacts. And I want the select board to know this and we'll talk about it again on the 15th. Um, less free cash available. Um, and that has to do with regards to
the use of the excess levy capacity. We're going to have less exc less free cash available for the FY27 capital budget and other emergency unanticipated situations. Um, we uh will place continued pressure on operations and staff. Um, we do hear
um and that's why the additional staff were requested. um that it's becoming a struggle and a challenge um to maintain those again those basic services. Um so we're going to continue um to not have available cash on hand to to to to to meet those needs which is going to place
continued pressure uh on operations in our staff. Um it's going to provide a lot less flexibility in future budgets with respect to excess levy capacity and the use of local receipts. And lastly, as we will see in the next couple of slides, uh future budgets are going to
require overrides or reductions in services or the identification as we talked about earlier tonight of new new revenue sources, new new revenue streams uh for those services. Again, this is a great visual and it's not a pretty picture unfortunately. Um you can see FY27 at the bottom the
proposed um how we're just barely uh meeting um again the uh for reference the dark blue um are total appropriations the expenses and the light blue are total revenues as you can see as we go up FY28 there's a gap
that's being created um and by f FY20 20 FY32 um that gap is pretty significant. I'll show the actual numbers if there's any good news with regards to this presentation tonight and this slide in particular with regards to the 5-year
projection how that gap between revenues and uh and expenses continues to widen um is that um there's some relief coming in FY35 just a bit beyond this um we will see a windfall of sorts of about $10 million um uh due to fully finally
fully funding in FY35 our pension contribution bution obligations. So that's a bit of relief, but it's not it's coming late in this in this cycle. So my point here with this slide and the next slide again which puts numbers to those deficits over the next five years
um is that um a lot of difficult decisions are going to have to be made. um discussions with you as a governing body and then with the community as far as identifying and prioritizing those needs um and and and uh and the the the the
necessity of imposing an operating override. So, I'm sorry I went through that relatively quickly. I know it's been a late night. Um again, um this is going to be an overview. the budget books, the detailed budget books that you're accustomed to getting, the three reminders should be um in your hands by
either later this week or very early next, I think December 8th, >> hopefully. >> Okay. Um so, we're we're we're working uh diligently to get those books in your hands with the with the line by line uh information. This was meant tonight to be an overview presentation and uh not
to be well want to be realistic. I was going to say not to be gloom and doom, but it was kind of a gloomy and doomy picture um what we're looking at over the next few years. So, we're really going to have to um be be creative and uh and and be communicative and and go
out to the community and explain kind of the situation that we're in. Quite honestly, um the needs that we've accumul been built on year after year with regards to wages and salary to be competitive and to be that agency of choice, right, where people want to come
to work, it's caught up. It's caught up and it's starting to outpace our our our revenues that are coming in. >> Great. Jack, >> go ahead, Jack. >> Yeah, my only comment in the interest of catching the end of the fourth quarter um um thank you very much and I really appreciate how you've lined up where
you've put in your commitments um to the um select board's policies and particularly, you know, the the mention of the four months of full-time administrative clerk for residential tax exemption. This is more I'm more talking to you guys than the town manager. But I I really think that this what we've
lined out here shows why it's so important um that we adopt a residential exemption and pursue going, you know, Boulder um because we are going to need to increase revenues. I know that's a revenue neutral thing, but if we're going to increase our taxes on our rearound res year round residents, this
is such an important tool to negate us having to raise those taxes. So I I campaigned on it. I've talked about it almost every meeting and I really am glad to see that it is in this plan and and I'm going to continue to push for a a good percentage on that one. >> Mr. Brown,
>> I I'd also like to find ways that we can streamline in the next few years and I'd like to look at our capital plan versus our operating and maybe we can also divest ourselves of some properties that are maybe not performing to their
highest level. Maybe there's some buildings that could be more appropriately in the hands of a nonprofit with housing and maybe that would reduce some of our operating budget as well. So I I'd really like to get that joint meeting with the finance committee and the select board to put
our heads together and talk about these things so that we can try to >> we do intend and I'm sorry to interrupt. We do intend at the staff level to bring to uh the select board in early spring that discussion right uh the debt what what the debt looks like and that analysis of the operating expenses so
that you have a the big picture >> and and again we can have the discussion with the finance committee but as a staff we plan on bringing that information to you as well. >> Okay. I would just say thank you for giving us the big picture and that 10-year well
we've seen seven or eight but basically that 10-year outlook right in terms of and and this isn't all of the details but I think >> um first of all the timing of this highle presentation is perfect as we go into
our final strategic planning session on Saturday and think about what it means to what we need to do to achieve the goals. of financial stability and economic thriving. Looking at revenue sources, both our fees and our local
receipts, our tax structure, looking at capital costs, looking at efficiencies in our operations, all of those things with an eye toward this big picture of we can't just do this year's budget and say we're done. We've really got to be
looking at five to 10 years of how do we address all of these needs that that like you said, we've got on this operating budget, we've got years of overdue uh reinvestment in our staff that's starting to show up. And on the
capital side, we've got years of of overdue investment in um in our infrastructure and resources um that's starting to catch up and and we've got to figure out how to how to get this done. So, I think it's um really important context for that final
strategic planning conversation and and going into the new year. I'd take it one step further if I may and say even though we just approved the meeting schedule for next year, adding some joint meetings with the finance
committee so we can talk about these levers so we can talk about the bigger picture and be on the same page I think would be very helpful because they are the ones truly rolling up their sleeves with you looking line by line at every detail. Boy, wouldn't it be great if we
talked about the operating budget versus the capital budget versus the debt service, you know, big big picture that we have. So, I would be inclined to uh vote in favor of a few extra joint meetings so we can have that reoccurring
discussion. >> But thank you very much for your work. This is >> Thank you for listening >> and and thank you for this one. Scary, but it's necessary. Okay. All right. Thank you. Um, are we ready to vote minutes or should we table these
and uh just go on? >> Uh, >> I don't have >> I know you had some questions, Dr. Goldstone, but >> No, I sent those by email. Um, and I'm propos prepared to move approval of I don't have all of the dates in front of me. Um,
>> October 27th, November 3rd, November. >> If I could real quickly, I'm sorry to interrupt. Keep that keep that thought. So, in discussions with Diane Davidson, the office manager based upon the vice chair's uh catch of the of the of the missing discussion with this the school committee. Importantly, um I'd recommend
that you hold those October 27th minutes so we can we're going to communicate that with the uh the minute takers >> and get that corrected. >> Right. That's the 27th, but we've got two others. Right. Yes. We have three. >> That would be the set that I'd recommend you hold. >> Okay. >> We have November 3, November 13, and
November 17. That right. >> Motion to approve uh the meeting minutes with the exception >> November 13 was >> the was it the 27th >> October 27th >> with the exception of October 27th. >> Okay, we have a motion.
>> Second. >> Motion to second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >> I >> I >> Okay, >> get them out the door. >> Town manager supplemental report. >> Just one real quick quick update. You all heard me talk about the uh digital navigator uh program grant that we were
awarded through Massachusetts Broadband Institute. Uh we recently made an award of that uh uh uh services agreement to um our our great friends at FCTV. Uh we had three great proposals that were submitted. We had a review team re uh
evaluate those proposals. FCTV came out on top. again, $85,000 grant, 79,900 of which is going to be uh designated strictly for the the digital navigator program. Um I've talked to Debbie Rogers and she's already got some great ideas worked up as far as how we're going to
get that u program out into the community. So I wanted to give the board an update on that. That's all I have. >> Great. >> I was at FCTV today and saw the room that they're already starting to think about what they're going to need to rework and getting there to get that program up and running. tell you, you know, look at what happened to the
Giants. >> The only uh comment I have for agenda item >> um is this the state has come out uh on the seasonal communities designation uh with their believe their guidelines or or their intent to release them by the end of the year. And I think it's
imperative that we talk about that as soon as possible uh because I think that will unlock basically they've said Famouth will be able to qualify no questions. Uh and I think that that will unlock so many tools uh for the town. You know, I think you know, we're looking at the new police station site.
We needed places to afford uh for our police officers to live and if we adopted the seasonal communities designation, we' be able to literally designate municipal housing. Um so I think that's an important one um to discuss soon. I'd push to get that on the April warrant and I think that's a discussion we should have uh in the near
future. And I agree and I think that it would be appropriate for us to maybe consult and meet with the planning board because the one sticking point they have is the miniature homes or tiny homes >> small >> and that's made it difficult for them to endorse it and I think we should respect
their position and at least understand >> hear them out. Yeah, for sure. >> And so I would love to see it move forward as well. Yeah. >> Okay. >> I won't go through my laundry list today. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second. >> Okay.
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