Letters To The Editor: July 18, 2024

What’s So Hard About A Parking Lot?

Editor:

Here it is full blown summer in Chatham. I try to stay off the major roads in the summer but I figured I would try Main Street on July 5. I was surprised and disappointed to see our new million-dollar parking lot (at the Eldredge Garage) blocked off and not ready for use. It’s a parking lot, what is so difficult? I also have to wonder about the concessionaire and his employees. Did the town not hire one this year? Did the town have a contract and have to back out? What happened to the young people counting on being employed there?

John Huether

Chatham

Editor’s note: the Eldredge Garage Parking Lot is now open; a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Friday morning.

Not Too Late To Change Housing

Editor:

The Chatham Town Manager's decision to build only low-income rental apartments at town and housing trust-owned property on Main Street in West Chatham village center was narrowly supported by a 6-4 vote at a joint meeting of the select board and affordable housing trust board. A substantial minority preferred ownership housing for working households with a wider range of incomes over rental housing only for low-income households. It is not surprising that legitimate differences of opinion exist. What is surprising is there was no commitment to negotiate accommodation of those differences.

In these polarized times, it is often said that we have not forgotten how to agree with one another, but we have forgotten how to disagree and how to accept that those with whom we disagree are not going away and must always be accommodated if our own views are to be accommodated (see “American Covenant” by Yuval Levin). Narrow majorities are ephemeral, they can disappear like morning fog in Chatham. A one-vote change would not have supported the town manager's decision. Failure to accommodate is no way to build an enduring coalition in support of Chatham's long-term housing initiative to provide housing for a much wider range of working households who cannot afford a home in Chatham today.

It is not too late. The town manager can negotiate with the chosen developer to build ownership homes on the Main Street property. I recommended 16 ownership homes of the 48 total for households earning up to twice the average income. A basic community planning principle embraces mixed income housing development that avoids the stigma attached to low-income housing projects only.

We are very fortunate to now have available funding resources from the town's recently increased hotel/motel room and short-term rental tax to provide the local subsidy needed to supplement federal and state housing subsidies for those households who do not qualify for federal and state housing subsidies. Transient visitors, not Chatham taxpayers, will subsidize Chatham's Main Street ownership homes.

Rick Leavitt

West Chatham

Lauds Food Scraps Program

Editor:

As of July 1, the Harwich Transfer Station has been accepting food scraps as part of an off-site composting program through Black Earth Composting. The program is accepting meat, seafood, bones, dairy, veggies, natural wood ash, food soiled napkins and paper towels, and more. This program can go a long way in reducing what has previously been tossed out as trash, which added another burden to our subsequent landfills. It has been reported that composting reduces landfill waste by up to 30 percent. I am all in on another great recycling program, and I hope to see all of Harwich get behind supporting this excellent program.

A special shout-out goes to the Garden Club of Harwich and the Harwich DPW who have helped make this program happen.

Steve Clouther

Harwich

Nothing To See Here

Editor:

Mr. Bixby’s letter to the editor (“Commission Also Guilty Of Disinformation,” July 11) was very interesting. In it he does not bother to refute any of Mr. Geylin’s letter, but rather chooses to attack him personally. Mr. Geylin was involved in the negotiations for the airport manager’s contract and did an analysis of what structure and terms would be fair and equitable to both the airport manager as well as the town of Chatham. These negotiations and analyses were made in good faith with the oversight and approval of the town manager and the entire airport commission. Mr. Geylin has no conflict of interest with either the town or the airport manager, as he is neither a pilot nor customer of said airport manager. What is evident is that the final contract was not pleasing to Mr. Bixby. The goal of any such contract should be to foster success of the airport and minimize the cost to the town, so that the town could continue to reap the economic benefits of the airport. Whether or not the contract bears close similarity to others in Massachusetts is a matter of debate but certainly not relevant to whether the contract is fair and equitable to both parties.

However, ever since the contract was signed, there have been accusations of foul play and whispers of a conspiracy wherein the airport commission was “in the pocket” of the airport manager. It is natural to conclude that Mr. Geylin must have been involved in such a nefarious plot. It is also fair to say that Mr. Bixby, who has authored literally thousands of letters and requests for information examining every possible aspect of airport operations and written many, many letters to state and federal authorities, has never had success in showing any impropriety whatsoever. If there ever was such a conspiracy it had to be the best kept secret in history.

Perhaps it would be more rational to conclude that Mr. Geylin, along with the rest of the airport commission, are honestly doing their jobs to preserve and protect our iconic airport.

Rene Haas

North Chatham

An Ill-advised Invitation

Editor:

While it has received little media attention, Israeli Prime Minister and probable war criminal Netanyahu has been invited by Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to address Congress on July 24.

This is the man for whom the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has requested an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity including indiscriminate deadly ground and aerial attacks on Palestinian citizens and use of starvation as an instrument of war.

This is the commander of the Israeli military which this week, in an apparently failed attempt to kill a senior Hamas leader, killed 90 civilians, including many women and children. This is yet another of similar unjustifiable and often failed attacks which killed scores of civilians with the express intent of killing one or two Hamas fighters.

This is the man who has shown little if any gratitude for the billions of dollars of military and humanitarian aid from the United States, yet has been highly critical of President Biden's refusal to send more 2,000-pound bombs which wreak indescribable destruction on schools, hospitals, residences and civilian lives.

This is the man who has just approved the taking of five additional square miles of property to which Israel is not entitled for ever-increasing illegal settlements, thus essentially guaranteeing the failure of a two-state solution allowing Israeli and Palestinian citizens to live in peace.

How can this invitation be justified? I submit that it cannot!

Ralph Smith

Harwich Port