From Fraud And Federal Cuts To Financing And Free Cash: A Look Back At Brewster’s Biggest Stories Of 2025

BREWSTER – Since the Sea Camps properties were purchased in 2021, they have frequently dominated headlines — and while the iconic site remained part of the news this year, some of Brewster’s biggest stories unfolded without any connection to it.

The year started with the news of the MassGOP calling for the resignation of State Representative Christopher Flanagan amid an ongoing federal investigation into fraud allegations. By April, Flanagan was arrested, pleading not guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records. The case is still ongoing, with a preliminary status conference scheduled for this month after being delayed in November. 

Former Brewster police officer Matthew B. Marshall, convicted of possessing child pornography, reversed his original not-guilty plea last December and in February received a suspended sentence of 18 months, followed by probation. 

A contested select board race saw three candidates vie for two open positions, with campaigns starting in late February. The annual election in May brought Caroline McCarley and Harvey (Pete) Dahl to the board. 

The Mackie Drive project was presented to the select board in February and received unanimous support for local initiative program application to the state. The project is a joint effort between the Brewster Conservation Trust and Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod. After purchasing around 13 acres of land in East Brewster for conservation, the BCT agreed to sell just over half an acre to Habitat for Humanity for affordable housing. Applications for the two homes were accepted through Sept. 15 with the understanding that the families would be committing 250 to 500 hours of “sweat equity” in building their homes.

In March, federal funding cuts forced the Brewster council on aging to cut lunch services in half. The Nutrition Services Incentive program, a federal grant that provides supplemental funding for states to purchase nutritious meals for older people, faced a $200,000 reduction in its 2025 budget, forcing the Cape and Islands Elder Services to cut programming. The COA directed seniors to other programs like Meals on Wheels and Healthy Meals in Motion to fill the gap. 

The Stony Brook Mill reopened partially in March for the herring run season after being temporarily restored. In February, construction crews unearthed a historic wooden sluiceway at the upper Headrace Pond on the south side that halted work. After the Massachusetts Historical Commission fully documented and preserved the artifact, crews began work again in June.  

While the annual town meeting warrant was relatively tame, voters rejected a petition article that called for the use of handheld electronic voting devices at future town meetings. The vote, which lost by eight votes, was the topic of much of the night’s debate. The Brewster Ponds Coalition originally planned to ask residents to vote on a petition article calling for the town to create a comprehensive wastewater management plan. In the weeks leading up to the meeting, leadership from the organization met with select board members and town manager Peter Lombardi to discuss updates to the integrated wastewater management plan instead. After coming to an agreement, the BPC moved to postpone the petition article. 

At the end of May, the Brewster Whitecaps unveiled the team’s new mascot: Cappy. The mascot is the first of its kind in the league. 

In June, neighboring residents of Ocean Edge spoke out about noise concerns at the annual entertainment license renewal public hearing. While the license was approved, the public hearing was extended to include neighboring concerns for the Charm on Main, formerly the Old Sea Pines Inn. Most of the complaints centered around noise levels outside of the establishments. 

On Juneteenth, the First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse unveiled a bronze plaque commemorating 20 enslaved people who are known to have attended services at the church or were baptized there. Efforts by the racial and indigenous justice allies task force had been underway for a while to research the history of the church’s connection to enslaved people. At the unveiling, a member of the task force said the congregation voted to give $10,000 in 2025 and the next two years to Weetumuw School, a Wampanoag language school located on tribal grounds in Mashpee. 

In July, Snowy Owl announced it would be moving locations in Brewster — about a mile down the road. The coffeehouse, which is currently housed in the “Great Cape, Tiny Village” strip off Main Street, will be taking over the old TD Bank location at the corner of Underpass Road. Construction on the new property began that month. Although delays pushed the opening date later than expected, the owners are hopeful they will be up and running early in the new year. 

After eight months of consultation reviews, resident listening sessions and engineer analysis, the updated Sea Camps rephasing and financing plan was unveiled in August. The plan cut costs by almost half and received the green light from residents at a special town meeting in November. While the updates didn’t change the comprehensive plans approved by voters last May, they did rework existing plans so taxpayers wouldn’t bear the weight of projects on the properties. Most of the funding will now come from free cash — a move questioned by some voters, but ultimately approved by a majority. 

 The short-term rental task force presented its final report along with recommendations to residents in September and then again in November at the special town meeting. While there are still some legal decisions that need to be finalized before the select board makes any moves on regulations, the task force recommended creating a registration system in the near future to assess the current rentals in town and keep track of them moving forward. The select board will continue discussions on this topic moving forward.  

In early November, Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction through Jamaica while at home, SNAP cuts were threatened. The Brewster community stepped up to support those who were impacted by both situations. Eddy Elementary School hosted a donation drive to support those in need in Jamaica, with aid being shipped from the Gifford House Inn in Provincetown. In addition, food drives sprang up across town to provide local families with resources amidst the threats to programs that addressed food insecurity.  

Residents were presented with a straightforward warrant at another special town meeting on Nov. 17. Voters approved all 14 articles, including the updated phasing and financing plan for the Sea Camps. 

On Sept. 16, Barry Donahue passed away at the age of 71. Mr. Donahue was a photojournalist whose lens captured every angle of life on the Lower Cape for decades. He was a beloved member of the Brewster community.