Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are being held in person. Go to wellfleet-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, May 26
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 27
- Maurice’s Campground Working Group, noon
Tuesday, May 31
- Select Board, 7 p.m., Wellfleet Adult Community Center
Wednesday, June 1
- Conservation Commission, 4:15 p.m.
Conversation Starters
Summer Bounty
To welcome summer, the Burton Baker Beach Recreational Shellfishing Area will open on Wednesday, June 1.
“We have focused many propagation efforts on this area with quahogs from last year’s contaminated relay, which have been tested and are completely safe to harvest and eat,” Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta said in a statement.
“What we’re trying to do is create sustainable, natural clam beds here in Wellfleet by adding in healthy spawning stock and clams of all sizes that would aid us in creating self-sustaining quahog beds in the future,” Civetta told the Independent.
“Our efforts all year long are to replenish the recreational shellfishing areas,” Civetta added, so there are plenty of clams for those who have recreational licenses.
The recreational shellfishing area will also include oysters from the town’s Covid relief buy-back program, in which more than 30 shellfish farmers each sold the town 1,000 oysters for 50 cents apiece, said Civetta.
Hazard Mitigation Plan
After six years, the town has released a new hazard mitigation plan. The purpose of the plan, submitted to the Mass. Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is to reduce losses from storms and other natural disasters that can damage buildings and infrastructure and hurt the local economy. The plan is available on the town’s website.
Planners looked at the various environmental risks facing Wellfleet, among them urban and wildland fire, flooding, erosion, tropical storms, and sea-level rise. It also studied the town’s “inventory,” noting essential facilities, transportation systems, and lifeline utilities. The planners looked at mitigation strategies like rewiring town buildings for use as cooling/heating shelters, expanding and improving broadband, evaluating the available generators, and increasing public awareness of threats facing the town, the plan states.
Staff members on the planning team included Building Commissioner James Badera, Health and Conservation Agent Hillary Greenberg-Lemos, Police Chief Michael Hurley, Director of Public Works Jay Norton, Fire Chief Richard Pauley, Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta, Assistant Town Administrator Rebecca Roughley, Harbormaster William Sullivan, and Director of Community Services Suzanne Grout Thomas. The team also included Cape Cod Commission Planner Martha Hevenor and Cape Cod Commission GIS Analyst Gary Prahm.
The last time Wellfleet completed a hazard mitigation plan was 2016, and it was approved by FEMA in 2017. The select board was expected to review the plan on May 24. —Michaela Chesin
