Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are held in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, June 15
- Herring River Executive Council, 3 p.m.
- Energy and Climate Action Committee, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20
- Select Board, 7 p.m.
Conversation Starter
How Much for a Hedge?
The select board approved an order of taking for the town to acquire small easements along Main Street for the improvement of the intersection at Route 6 and Main Street. The project will repave the road and improve pedestrian and bicycle access to the tricky four-way intersection.
The taking was approved by voters at the 2022 annual town meeting and involves the purchase of 15 permanent roadway and utility easements and seven temporary construction easements that will be returned to property owners after six years.
The taking includes the town’s right to remove buildings, structures, objects, utilities, and vegetation located within the easement premises. There are seven property owners along Main Street who will receive compensation for damages from the taking ranging from $1,100 to $36,500.
Most property owners agreed with the exception of those at 45 and 30 Main St. One provided an itemized list of additional damages she wants from the town, and the other, Anthony Buttignol, objected at the June 6 select board meeting to a temporary easement that would put a privet hedge and two trees at risk of removal.
“The hedges don’t need to be infringed upon,” Buttignol said. “It’s the most valuable piece of my property in that it affords me privacy. I need that hedge.” Buttignol said that the town appraised the parcel at one-tenth its actual value. DPW Director Jay Norton promised Buttignol that the town would subsidize the value of the vegetation if it is removed. —Sam Pollak
