Chatham Revives Idea Of Establishing Academic Research Center

CHATHAM – The select board is reviving the idea of developing an academic or research facility focused on the town’s coastal environment.

 The board voted March 17 to re-establish the Chatham Academic Research Collaborative, a working group that began looking into the practicality of attracting a research or academic organization to town back in 2018. The effort was derailed by the COVID pandemic but remains viable, Chair Dean Nicastro said.

 “We actually had serious interest from one particular institution, and then COVID hit,” he said. “This has been on the back burner since.”

 Facilities on the town-owned Marconi-MCI property on Ryder’s Cove were the focus of the earlier efforts and still hold an opportunity for such a collaboration, Nicastro said, particularly the former power house building, which is now used for storage by the harbormaster department. Located on the corner of Orleans and Ryder’s Cove roads, the brick building would provide a base with easy access to the water and the town’s fishing fleet, he said. There may also be additional space available in the former Marconi buildings across the street, most of which are now occupied by the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. The town purchased the property in 1999.

 Chatham is the perfect “petri dish” for the study of the coastal environment, including fishing, erosion and coastal resilience, said vice chair Jeffrey Dykens. 

 “I think this could lead to a real neat approach to partnering with an academic institution,” he said.

 Representatives of the scientific community and town officials had some positive and “robust” conversations, noted board member Shareen Davis, “but then COVID happened.” The town, she added, is in “a really good position to be a regional hub for coastal and marine science and research. A number of academic and other institutions already do work in town, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, UMass Dartmouth, the University of Rhode Island and others, she said.

 “I really feel if we developed something like this we’d be advancing coastal science and be in a position of being a leader in some of the work being done now,” she said.

 “Chatham is a jewel,” said Natural Resources Director Greg Berman, “it’s unique, it’s fascinating. This is one of the things that attracted me to Chatham, just the amazing opportunities to learn and work with coastal resilience, the fisheries — there aren’t many fish piers around.” Since he started working for the town he’s reached out to colleagues at WHOI, who now have a test tide gauge at the fish pier, and a wave buoy has just been installed and has had “amazing data coming in,” he said.

 “There’s a lot of opportunities in this fairly unique and desirable location,” he said.

 The working group will be basically the same as the earlier version: Davis, Finance Committee Chair Stephen Daniel, Town Manager Jill Goldsmith, resident John Culinane, Berman and Community Development Director Kathleen Donovan.

 Board member Stuart Smith suggested reaching out to the greater community for others who might be interested. “There’s plenty of talent here,” he said. 

 “I think it’s really exciting,” Smith said, although there could be challenges related to the town’s limited waterfront infrastructure. Davis said she sees the initiative operating on two tracks: as a general concept and infrastructure. The working group could prioritize details like housing and working space, “but also what would be really good for the town,” she said.

 Nicastro said he envisions the working group developing a proposal that will come before the select board and town meeting, should it require funding.