‘A House Divided’
To the editor:
My wife, Anne, and I, a schoolteacher, bought land in Truro 52 years ago and with the help of family, friends, and local subcontractors built our own home. We retired almost 40 years ago and rejoice in having three generations follow us in their love for Truro.
In the past, there have been years of discord at election and town meeting time, but in our view, we are in the worst of all times. There is little to be gained by approving projects that will divide us further. Nothing good can come from “a house divided.”
Regarding the issues of housing at the Walsh property and the new DPW facility, there have been some new ideas that have the potential to help us come together.
My hope is that people will vote against these two proposals. My desire is that in the coming year all the details will be made clear, that all reasonable alternatives will be explored further, and that the final products can be approved by a large majority. The alternative would be a substantial number of disgruntled citizens.
Alec Marshall
Truro
Walsh Plan Is at Risk
To the editor:
I was encouraged to see the town taking steps to improve housing access [“Truro Will Vote on Taking Motel for Housing,” April 11, front page]. There has been so much talk of “taking” and “keeping” lately; these word choices give me pause. Lots of possessive verbs and tense conversations. I wonder if we might take “giving” and “sharing” for a spin.
I could start by giving my gratitude to the many community members who have poured their time and energy into the creation of the Walsh property plan. I’d like to share my admiration for all the people, regardless of their views, who recognize this pivotal moment as one in which high participation is crucial.
I’d like us all to recognize the effort and collaboration that created the Walsh plan. The Walsh Property Community Planning Committee deserves our respect — and the plan’s approval at the special town meeting on May 4.
Going into that meeting, I am concerned that inconvenient timing and other agendas — including the DPW project and future land acquisitions — have put this opportunity to proceed with the Walsh property plan at risk. There are valid concerns about transparency, communication, ethics, and political agendas in Truro, and all of them should be aired out, for better or worse.
The top priority at the special town meeting, however, must remain the approval of the Walsh plan. The Walsh property offers a rational phased solution to our dire housing crisis. This is a chance to prioritize the needs of year-round residents — the friends, family, and coworkers who are the lifeblood of this community.
Let’s share the future of Truro with people who want to live here.
Kolby Blehm
Truro
‘Against Any Development’
To the editor:
I sat on the Provincetown Water & Sewer Board before the Walsh property was sold to the town — a purchase, I believe as an environmentalist, was visionary. We discussed the Walsh property in depth and the concerns we were facing as development was looming.
The property is very close to the well fields. Development near the well fields could impact our wells. I am against any development on that property for that reason.
Water is sacred — our most precious resource. Why risk our well fields when Truro has other options for affordable housing?
Designating the Walsh property for more wells and/or water tanks would be a wiser way forward.
As far as I can see, the Cloverleaf project is at a standstill. The project sits there, eroding away, while we go off in a different direction, spending as we go.
Can we focus on one affordable housing development at a time? Let’s finish what was started before rushing and diluting our efforts in a different direction.
Jean Horner
North Truro
Not Tickled
To the editor:
Your editorial “Tickled by the Fake” [April 11, page A2] inspired me to write this:
Regarding Covid-19, here’s what then-President Donald Trump stated at a White House press briefing on April 23, 2020: “And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs.”
That’s not fake news. Trump really said that.
How presidential.
Mike Rice
Wellfleet
