‘Isn’t America Great?’
To the editor:
Bravo to Paul Benson for his clear, concise, and readable reports on the dune shacks.
And a hearty round of applause for U.S. senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating for proposing a simple solution: a temporary special-use permit for 77-year seasonal inhabitant and caretaker Sal Del Deo.
They saw the common sense in leaving Mr. Del Deo in his sandy refuge until a formal RFP process can begin. Age, precedence, and a respect for history were rightfully acknowledged.
Finally, a bitterly sour note. The Park Service’s plan for leasing the shacks, you have reported, includes an option to “bid far above the assessed market rents in an effort to beat out competitors.” Isn’t America a great place? If you have far more than enough money to outbid the next guy, you can win the day in virtually any contest. Living a humble, contemplative, artistic season, as Mr. Del Deo pointed out from his vantage of seven decades of shack experience, is “a way of life we started, many, many of us, all the way back to Eugene O’Neill’s time.”
The dune shacks are part of Provincetown’s artistic, architectural, and human history. Those potential lessees with sufficient capital to win a shack should consider how much they will enjoy facing a nor’easter cuddled up to a woodburning stove while Googling O’Neill’s works — assuming they have extraordinary cell phone service.
Thom Schwarz
Wellfleet
Getting a Shot at the Shacks
To the editor:
There’s a piece missing from the current debate about the dune shacks, at least as represented by the Independent’s coverage.
When my wife and I got to stay in a shack 17 years ago, the idea that the Seashore would put shacks up for lease to the highest bidder would have been unthinkable. The debate then about who should get to use the dune shacks pitted longtime users versus the rest of us. Most of the members of the “dune shack society” have never owned the shacks — they claimed squatters’ rights. Their argument for continued use of the shacks has been, more or less: “Because we’ve enjoyed dune shack living for decades, we should be able to go on enjoying it.”
Was it fair for a handful of people to go on treating the shacks as virtual private property? Why shouldn’t the rest of us, in whose names the National Seashore was established, get our shot at this austere, beautiful, exposed, quintessential experience of the dunes?
The Peaked Hill Trust was already enabling democratic access to some of the shacks. Why shouldn’t all of these properties belonging to the National Seashore be opened up to the public?
The current Request for Proposals, under which wealthy bidders could be granted private use of these features of this public park, is wildly illogical and wrong. It is our Seashore, and we should not be satisfied with vicarious enjoyment of it because of preference given either to wealthy bidders or to traditional users.
Brent Harold
Wellfleet
History Repeating Itself
To the editor:
With a heavy heart, I have been following the story about Mr. Del Deo and the cruelty of the National Park Service. They are forcing the 94-year-old to leave his home of 77 years, only to put the property up for bids.
As the first Native American to hold the position of director of the National Park Service, Charles Sams must have knowledge of his own heritage and the cruelty visited upon his ancestors. He should understand that this is history repeating itself.
Mr. Sams has the power to stop this cruel decision. In today’s world with so much meanness, an act of kindness would give us hope.
Peg Ryan
Plymouth
The Areson Investigation
To the editor:
In light of all the issues Truro is facing, such as affordable housing and unfilled positions in the fire, police, public works, and beach departments, the town clerk’s office, and the library, to name a few, the focus on investigating select board member Sue Areson based on anonymous allegations is odd.
It is outrageous that Areson’s character and integrity are being questioned. She is well known and highly regarded in the community. She has been here since childhood and is deeply committed to the well-being of the town. She has been generous with her time and professionalism. We are fortunate to have someone with Sue’s energy, intelligence, and integrity working on behalf of our town.
The larger question is why is she being singled out? What dynamics are in play? Why is the person who filed the complaint hiding in anonymity? How does this investigation relate to the questions regarding renewal of the town manager’s contract?
The allegations against Areson have to do with speaking to town employees without permission from the town manager. Yet one of the duties of the select board is to conduct a job performance review of the town manager. Speaking with town employees and hearing what they say is part of that process.
Having just attended the public part of the select board meeting on June 28, I wish that some of the members of the board would hold themselves to a higher standard, operate with transparency, and work on the pressing issues of the town.
Betsy Higgins-Steele
Truro
Surveillance Is ‘Creepy’
To the editor:
It seems to me that in recent years there has been an uptick in the use of security devices such as surveillance cameras designed to protect properties in town — often those that are unoccupied in the off-season.
I find these devices creepy, effectively surveilling the neighbors. I also find these methods hostile and unwelcoming. The same properties often have ropes across their driveways — for what purpose, I can’t discern. At the same time, many occupied and unoccupied residences shine bright lights from dusk till dawn, presumably to ward off intruders, notwithstanding the quiet nature of our town, particularly in the off-season.
All these devices are unneighborly and generally detract from tranquility. Bright lights are disruptive to wildlife, obscure the night sky, and in many cases shine into the windows of neighbors’ bedrooms. I urge all Provincetown property owners to consider their neighbors and to reconsider whether such methods are necessary, particularly if they themselves are absent from their properties.
Marcy Feller
Provincetown
