Brewster Officials: No New Taxes For Sea Camps Plan

BREWSTER – Additional property taxes will not be needed to fund the Sea Camps improvement projects, at least in the near future. 

That was the word from the Sea Camps advisory committee at Monday night’s community forum. The session brought a mix of long-awaited answers mixed with residents’ concerns about the future of the town-owned property.

The committee, along with town staff and engineer consultants, held the forum to present the new phasing and financing plan for the property, which will be on the town meeting warrant in November. The meeting drew a crowd of around 100, both in-person and over Zoom.

 Aside from an almost 50 percent reduction from the original funding request last fall, the new plans have prioritized needs versus wants and slowed down the project timeline. This is largely due to feedback from the survey and listening sessions with residents last year. 

 Karl Fryzel, chair of the committee, made it clear that the comments provided by residents influenced the changes to the implementation process. Last fall, residents voted down the $11.4 million in debt to cover partial costs of implementation of the Sea Camps comprehensive plan. Fryzel also noted that the comprehensive plan, which was approved and adopted by town meeting, was not changing; the only changes are to the funding, timeline and priorities. 

 Infrastructure updates to the bay property were eliminated after value engineers determined the roadway was sufficient, which reduced the financial impact significantly. The pollinator meadow and the addition of more trails on the bay property have been delayed to prioritize other improvements.

 In November, voters can expect a joint capital article for the bay property and the pond property. The article proposes an expenditure of just over $1.5 million for the bay property, which will include infrastructure improvements, initial amenity development and general maintenance requests. Debt would not be issued to cover the funding requests. The $1.5 million would come from a combination of free cash ($870,000), Mass Audubon funding ($453,600), Brewster Conservation Trust donations ($50,000) and potential grants ($150,000), eliminating any impact on the tax rate. 

 Drew Smythe, a neighbor of the Sea Camps property, questioned the use of free cash, asking why residents aren’t refunded if there is a surplus. 

 “Free cash is a misnomer,” said Town Manager Peter Lombardi. “It’s not free and it’s not cash.”

 Lombardi said that free cash is a statewide standard that accounts for unanticipated revenue, not just from property taxes. Conservative forecasting during the town’s budgeting process allows for a surplus instead of a shortfall at the end of the year. Free cash is always appropriated by town meeting and used to supplement town projects, he said. 

 Lombardi noted that the town’s five-year capital improvement planning process will balance Sea Camps improvements with other town necessities. 

 The funding request for the pond property sits at $430,000, which includes design and permitting, a new accessible access trail, trail expansion and structure demolition for six buildings on the property. Free cash will be the source for $150,000 of the total, while the remaining amount will be donated by the Brewster Conservation Trust. 

 Throughout the night, there were questions on specifics of each plan. For instance, Peggy Jablonski asked what the “work force housing” on the bay property will look like. 

 Lombardi said it is proposed for town staff and some Mass Audubon workers, but will be used year-round. Previous feedback from residents noted they weren’t interested in seasonal housing on either property. 

 David Villandry was looking for specific answers about the new water main connection since he lived down one of the streets where it would potentially be housed. Engineers from EDR did their best to answer, while also remarking that no final decisions have been officially made. 

 While on the subject of the water main, Sam Smythe asked how officials will take into account future demand from planned structures like a community center. Russ Kleekamp, an engineering service area leader at EDR, said the new water main would accommodate the additional demand and would enhance the town’s entire system. 

 A final question was about the role Mass Audubon will play, since it is providing around $2 million for a nature center and will hold a 10-acre conservation restriction on a portion of the property. Lombardi said the organization will host programming, which members and nonmembers will have access to. He also said there will be some form of prioritization for Brewster residents whether in the form of discounts or priority services. Mass Audubon will also hold children’s programming on the pond property, but it won’t take over any of the public beach area. Lombardi said residents will continue to have access to the properties, as was promised when the town initially bought them. 

 To end the night, resident Chris Pantos requested an acknowledgement of the history of the Sea Camps properties, memorializing the impact the camp had for just about 100 years. He said it could be in the form of a plaque of some kind.