All meetings in Wellfleet are remote only and can be watched online. Go to wellfleet-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, Feb. 24
- Local Housing Partnership, 4 p.m.
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 28
- Nauset Regional School District Budget and Finance Subcommittee, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 1
- Outer Cape Energy Committee, 4:30 p.m.
- Cape Cod Commission Subcommittee, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, March 2
- Conservation Commission, 4 p.m.
Conversation Starters
A Legal Defense Fund
Town meeting voters will be asked to raise $30,000 to create Wellfleet’s own legal fund to fight Holtec International, the company that owns and is decommissioning Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, should the company attempt to dump radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay.
The select board voted Feb. 15 to put what chair Ryan Curley called a radioactive water release legal contingency fund on the April 25 warrant.
Last November, Holtec International announced it planned to release one million gallons of radioactive water during the first quarter of 2022. Following a public outcry, Holtec delayed those plans for a year. But that disposal method is still on the table.
“If the town takes legal action, it’s going to be expensive one way or the other,” said Curley.
Once the decommissioning process is completed, any unspent funds would be returned to free cash.
Select board member Michael DeVasto said he was “a little apprehensive about” raising money for this, giving the financial crisis the town is facing.
Town Hall Lawn Upgrade
The town hall lawn will be getting a much-needed irrigation system, following a 3-2 select board vote on Feb. 8.
Mention of a new sprinkler system sparked the select board to talk about upgrading other elements of the town lawn like the benches and the brick walkway.
More comfortable benches, like the old ones, are needed, as is a new brick walkway built in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, said chair Ryan Curley. He would rather do the renovations all at once, which would mean tabling the irrigation plan until the town is in a better financial situation, Curley said.
Select board member Michael DeVasto agreed.
Board members John Wolf, Helen Miranda Wilson, and Janet Reinhart disagreed and recommended that only the irrigation system go forward now. “A new irrigation system has been needed for years and years,” Wilson said. —Michaela Chesin
