$3.4 Million In Community Preservation Act Projects Proposed

HARWICH – The community preservation committee will be kept busy this fall sifting through 19 proposals seeking more than $3.4 million in Community Preservation Act funding for projects relating to open space, community housing, historic preservation and recreation. 

Requests include funds to upgrade the town’s shellfish laboratory at Wychmere Harbor, preserve open space, promote affordable housing and contribute to a museum to preserve the historic CG36500 lifeboat in Orleans. 

 CPA funding comes from a 3 percent surcharge on real estate property taxes and an annual contribution from the commonwealth. This year, the committee has a reserve of $810,582 in open space funds; $1,354,387 for historic preservation; and $620,582 in community housing. There is $3,522,343 in the undesignated reserve account for a total of $6,307,894 in funds as of June 30. An additional estimated $2,090,000 is expected for FY28 as the committee weighs which projects will be recommended for funding in the annual town meeting in May. 

 Several annual funding requests go before the committee each year led by the affordable housing trust, which is seeking $650,000 again this year. That is the highest amount requested of the 19 applicants. 

 The funds sought by the trust would allow the analysis, promotion of public discussion, maintenance, and the creation of affordable housing units to meet critical housing needs, as stated in the Harwich affordable trust bylaws, according to the application. It is in line with the town’s housing production plan, and funds would also be directed to assist renters in financial difficulties. 

 The $10,000 sought for the annual Lower Cape Housing Institute (LCHI) put on by the Community Development Partnership of Orleans is also an annual request. The initiative provides programming designed to address growing housing needs on the Lower Cape. Since its inception in 2017, the LCHI has served as an educational platform for at least 40 local elected and appointed officials annually from the eight Lower Cape towns, including Harwich.

 Harwich Conservation Trust is often an applicant for open space funds, and this year the trust is seeking funding for three projects: the Six Ponds-Hawksnest Woodlands Protection Project, and phase one and two of the Herring River Marsh View projects.

 Acquisition of the 2.3-acre parcel for the Six Ponds-Hawksnest Woodlands project would provide the opportunity to create a new trailhead and parking off Cove Road, connecting to the extensive network of trails within this 400-acre area, according to the application. The trust is seeking $150,000 for the project.

 Phase one of the Herring River Marsh View project would protect a key parcel of land within the Herring River estuary watershed that can provide enhanced public access to views across the Herring River marsh while improving resiliency of the salt marsh by relocating existing parking facilities away from sensitive wetland habitat. The trust is seeking $200,000 for the project.

 The trust is seeking $200,000 for phase two of the project, aimed at providing at least 15 parking spaces on Route 28, with two ADA accessible spaces and a wheelchair accessible boardwalk leading to panoramic views of the vast Herring River Marsh.

 The second highest request before the CPC this year comes from the recreation and youth commission, which is seeking $535,000 for a splash pad to be located behind the community center. The proposed splash pad would create a free, accessible, family-friendly water play amenity designed for youth of all ages. Situated directly behind the community center, the splash pad would integrate seamlessly with the center’s existing recreation infrastructure, according to the application. 

The recreation and youth commission is also seeking $245,038 for preservation and safety improvements at Whitehouse Field, which includes construction of a permanent backstop wall and installation of appropriate protective safety netting. 

The commission seeks $155,000 for the complete replacement of the current irrigation systems at the Potter Softball and Senior Memorial Softball Fields. CPC funding for phase one of the field irrigation project, in the amount of $197,260, was awarded in town meeting last May, according to the application. 

 The commission is also seeking $16,000 in funding to resurface the basketball courts at Brooks Park.

 An application was filed by Department of Public Works Deputy Director Sean Libby seeking $350,000 to address two remaining items for the Brooks Academy exterior renovation project, which was previously funded by CPC. The funds would be used for the renovation and restoration of the Brooks Academy cupola and roof replacement. 

Housing Assistance Corporation, in partnership with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fall River, is seeking a $100,000 grant that would support a new Assistance Resource Center (ARC) at 460 West Main St. in Hyannis that would serve as the region's emergency shelter for homeless individuals on Cape Cod and the Islands. The project would modernize the building to include 50 beds for homeless individuals and a structured day program.

Housing Assistance Corps purchased the building with American Rescue Plan Act funding and is currently raising funds toward the rehabilitation cost of the project, estimated at $1.8 million. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fall River will be responsible for the day-to-day operations. It currently oversees the shelter operations at St. Joseph's House on Winter Street in Hyannis. ARC is replacing St. Joseph's House, providing a larger facility and more modern structure through which to serve the region's homeless population.

 The Orleans Historical Society (OHS) has made a request for $50,000 in CPA funds to provide a permanent home for the CG36500, a 36-foot motor lifeboat, which was built in 1946. Six years later, the boat became world famous for rescuing 32 stranded crewmen from the S.S. Pendleton during a nor’easter on Feb. 18, 1952. 

Rising maintenance costs, fewer experienced crew members and increasingly severe weather linked to climate change mean this 80-year-old boat needs a new preservation strategy. The Ocean Rescue Museum of Cape Cod will serve as the permanent home for the historic lifeboat and keep its legacy alive for generations, according to OHS. The society is raising $4 million for the preservation project, and as of September, it has raised more than $750,000. The society is seeking regional funding support by requesting CPC funding from seven towns across the Lower and Outer Cape.

The cemetery commission filed an application for $315,500 for the town’s World War I and II Veterans Memorial Project. The funding would be used to design, fabricate and install two separate permanent war memorials at Evergreen Cemetery as part of the town’s ongoing Walk of Remembrance. The World War I Memorial would recognize 93 Harwich veterans, and the World War II Memorial would recognize 295 Harwich veterans.

The commission is also seeking $87,100 to preserve, stabilize, clean and repair historic gravestones, including 105 gravestones that are leaning or are no longer properly connected to their foundations due to erosion, 25 gravestones that are broken or cracked and require conservation and repair, and 125 gravestones require cleaning to remove accumulated dirt, biological growth and other materials obscuring the stones and inscriptions. 

Several other projects seeking CPA funding: $128,100 for a police soccer club street soccer pitch, which will allow a permanent location for the HPD soccer program on the grounds of the community center; $149,000 from the Natural Resources Department for a diagnostic assessment of the West Reservoir; and $90,000 for the design and permitting of a new shellfish lab. The current facility is on low pilings within the intertidal zone, floods during high tide/storm events and is not accessible to people of all abilities. Funds are requested for design and permitting to raise and retrofit the historic barn building, resulting in a more climate-resilient and accessible facility. 

The natural resources department is also seeking $5,000 to place an educational sign at the town herring run. The fish ladder at Bells Neck Conservation Area is a popular viewing point for the spring spawning migration. The department is requesting funding for an interpretive sign to educate the public on river herring. 

Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski is looking for $50,000 for an irrigation well at the community gardens. Approximately three of the 28 acres under the care and custody of the conservation commission are farmed by about 100 gardeners each year in roughly 100 20-foot-square plots and several small raised beds. The town also maintains a large plot at the gardens growing food for people in the community. The community gardeners also contribute their excess, and together they provide hundreds of pounds of fresh produce annually to those in need in the community, according to the application.

The community garden is currently served by town water. This is costly, averaging $4,000 per year. The town water contains additives like chlorine in order to make it potable, which aren’t needed for growing produce, according to the proposal.