Building in Paradise
To the editor:
Why is it that land used for affordable housing raises so much ire, while land lost to large single-family homes does not?
It has been seven years since the proposal to use less than four acres at the Cloverleaf for about 40 affordable housing units ruffled enough feathers to slow progress to the point that ground hasn’t been broken yet. While many object to the Cloverleaf and Walsh property affordable housing projects for increasing traffic and disturbing the pristine land that makes Truro so special, no one seems the least bit bothered by the significant loss of land for expensive single-family homes.
In the past two years alone, according to Zillow.com, 32 acres of undeveloped land in Truro has been sold to build just 23 houses. That’s a lot of pristine land disrupted for a well-off few.
The Walsh project would allow families to live next to a school and have access to playgrounds and acres of woods, with 60 percent of the property preserved as open space. That sounds like paradise to me.
As for traffic, it’s quite possible that providing affordable housing could reduce traffic on Route 6, because people who currently have to commute to Truro and Provincetown from Harwich and beyond will be able to live closer to work, improving their quality of life as well as ours.
Sarah Hill
Cambridge and Truro
Visitor Center Shock
To the editor:
I was born and raised in Provincetown, and I have always been proud of our beautiful, unique hometown and the Cape Cod National Seashore.
I was shocked by the rendering of the huge planned Stellwagen Bank visitors’ center at the base of MacMillan Pier in your Sept. 5 issue. I was also hurt and infuriated. How can anyone possibly consider hiding half of our beautiful, large harbor with a history beyond comparison?
Thanks to Louise Watson for her Sept. 12 letter, which expressed all of my thoughts. Please, fellow citizens, save our beautiful view of history.
Elizabeth Lema Perillo
Woodstock, Ga.
Year-Round Air Service
To the editor:
The news of Cape Air moving to seasonal service for the Boston-Provincetown route should alarm all residents of the Outer Cape [“Cape Air Drops 6 Months of P’town Flights,” Sept. 12, front page]. The daily flights provided quick access for business, medical services, and connections to the rest of the U.S.
The Outer Cape economy will suffer from reduced tourism for Thanksgiving, Holly Folly, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, and the early spring weekend festivities. Limiting access will limit the tourist season.
I implore Cape Air, the airport commission, and the town to figure out how to maintain year-round service. All parties need to compromise, and time is short. Once service stops, it may take years to be restored, if at all.
Brian Schneider
Provincetown
Reconsider Beach Cams
To the editor:
I’ve been mulling over the objections to Steven Kopits’s proposal to install “beach cams” in Wellfleet, and I’m struck that most of them seem rooted in nostalgia and are out of touch with the times (“Wi-Fi Comes to Lecount Hollow,” Aug. 29, page A5).
According to your article, many people thought strong wi-fi signals on beaches were sensible, especially with increasing concerns about shark attacks. But most of those who were quoted said they didn’t want cell phones on beaches. The Wellfleetians’ objections ranged from wanting to keep kids off their phones to a desire to protect local “hobo-ness,” as one person called it.
Kopits, vice chair of the cable internet and cellular service advisory committee, argued that the cams would afford many benefits including possible state funding for expanding wi-fi to Newcomb Hollow. He thought an app connected to the cams could monitor parking spaces, alleviating anxiety and long lines. You quoted Community Development Director Suzanne Grout Thomas characterizing the cams as “the antithesis of what Wellfleet represents.”
I wonder what Wellfleet actually does represent. I’m frustrated by Wellfleetians’ knee-jerk resistance to change, which at times seems hypocritical. Why do we support Sharktivity, a cell-phone app based on newfangled technology, but shiver in horror at Kopits’s idea for a Wellfleet phone app? Why do we support action relating to climate change but oppose cameras and an app that would reduce car emissions? What if the beach cams could swivel away from the parking lots toward the ocean, live-streaming the impact of climate change from king tides to hurricanes?
I have a lot of unanswered questions I wish we’d consider before we dismiss Steven Kopits’s proposal. I’d like us to contemplate what it could mean to be “hobo-ey” in 2024.
Cathy Corman
Wellfleet and Brookline
The Silence on Drugs
To the editor:
I agree with Patrick Lenihan that more substance abuse services are needed, but his argument about Provincetown’s silence on drugs needs sharpening [“We Need to Talk About Drugs,” Sept. 26, page A3].
Drug use is a frequent subject of conversation among my friends and colleagues. The silence to which Lenihan refers is not from the general populace but from the town administration, the police, and the local press. Without those in leadership informing us of drug-related harms befalling residents and tourists alike and their efforts to decrease those harms, the public will believe overdoses are not a priority.
Drugs are as pervasive a threat to the well-being of this town as the housing crisis and climate change. It is time for a much more aggressive and transparent plan by our select board and law enforcement to limit drug use and the overdoses and deaths with which it is associated.
Michael Gaucher
Provincetown
Seashore Point’s Workers
To the editor:
My mother, who is 99, was visiting with me in Provincetown this summer when she fell and broke her pelvis. After a few days in Cape Cod Hospital, she was transferred to Seashore Point in Provincetown for rehab, where she spent the next approximately 12 weeks. I would like to commend the local management team, the nursing staff, and the rehab staff for their dedicated work to get her back on her feet and able to go home. They were responsive and attentive.
Seashore Point was the subject of reporting this past summer that pointed out issues resulting in fines and other action against the for-profit group that owns the facility. Decisions made by those owners to increase their bottom line made it harder for the local staff, but in my opinion the staff rose to the occasion and gave their all to help people in their charge.
This is a shout out to Seashore Point’s nursing, housekeeping, dietary, and rehab staff for their caring and hard work.
Sue Harrison
Provincetown and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
‘Democracy Is at Stake’
To the editor:
On 9/11, the United States was attacked by a force from outside our country. We took measures to ensure a new readiness — hopeful that it would never again occur.
On Jan. 6, the U.S. was attacked again, this time by a force from inside our country. We took action against the accused offenders, and the recovery work continues.
We cannot forget that this most threatening force remains alive in our country today. Democracy is at stake, and we need to pay heed and take the right steps to ensure its continuance.
Bruce Mason
Provincetown
Good Reading
To the editor:
Congratulations to the Provincetown Independent on being named New England’s Newspaper of the Year in the small weekly category. Since its inception, our local newspaper has set high standards, enabling it to provide us with many pages of good reading.
I write in appreciation of all the people who make that happen: a core staff of reporters who cover vital events in our towns; a varied group of writers who contribute columns and stories reflecting the Cape’s history, environment, and inhabitants; photographers and graphic artists who create a newspaper that’s visually appealing; and students, thanks to the Local Journalism Project, who hone their skills during the summer producing stories of local interest.
It is gratifying to have the Independent recognized for this work. Thank you for publishing a thoughtful, well-written, well-edited, and well-presented newspaper in our own back yard. It is a gift.
Mimi Butts
Wellfleet
Letters to the Editor
The Provincetown Independent welcomes letters from readers on all subjects. They must be signed with the writer’s name, home address, and telephone number (for verification). Letters will be published only if they have been sent exclusively to the Independent. They should be no more than 300 words and may be edited for clarity, accuracy, conciseness, and good taste. Longer pieces (up to 600 words) may be submitted for consideration as op-ed commentary. Send letters to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1034, Provincetown, MA 02657. The deadline for letters is Monday at noon for each week’s edition.
