Revised Resolution Allows For Annuals On Town Property

ORLEANS – As spring draws closer to summer, the large planters downtown along Main Street remain empty. 

 Typically the Orleans Improvement Association, which has been paying for the seasonal annuals that fill the planters for the past 12 years, would be well into the process of preparing the planters for the summer season. But a new policy allowing only native plantings on town land has put the OIA behind this season.

 But a recent revision of the resolution exempts annual plantings, paving the way for the nonprofit association to move ahead with its work. 

 The select board last week voted 4-1 in favor of the modified resolution, which includes exemptions for “annual plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season, those of which are not planted in the ground.” Those include raised beds, planters and baskets.

 Additional exemptions are made for “property that is leased or licensed for dedicated agricultural purposes”, “sports facilities that rely on non-native plants or turf for a specific function” and “vegetation planted for the purpose of food production,” according to language in the revised resolution.

 The select board revisited the resolution, which it voted to adopt earlier this spring, after concerns were raised by the OIA about its ability to plant annuals this season. The association has paid for plants provided by The Farm on Rock Harbor Road since 2013.

 Nancy Jorgensen, president of the OIA, said during the public comment portion of the select board’s May 21 meeting that the resolution was necessary to provide the exemptions. 

 “If we have policies in this town that are 100  percent or nothing, that’s not good,” she told the board.

 Others similarly took to speaking in support of the exemptions during public comment. Orleans resident Gary Bowden said that exemptions make the resolution “more practical,” adding that similar resolutions he’s seen drafted by other communities across the state include their own sets of exemptions.

 Annuals are a seasonal feature at the Orleans Senior Center, noted the building’s director, Judi Wilson. In particular, she said participants in the center’s day program have an active hand in planting and maintaining them each season.

 “These plants contribute to just kind of a cheerful entry into our building, and it’s appreciated by all who enter our facility,” she said.

 But Michael Herman, the select board’s lone vote of opposition to the amended resolution, urged the board to stand behind the resolution as originally adopted. He gave support to a temporary exemption through 2025, but encouraged the board, the OIA and others to work toward a compromise in time for the 2026 season.

 “I gotta believe we can do this, guys,” he said. “I’ve got to believe we can work together.”

 Others voiced support for the resolution's commitment to native plantings. Bill Amaru said during public comment that the natural character that once drew so many people to Orleans and made the town unique is “disappearing.”

 “I am saddened to see the so-called ‘improvements’ to my town,” he said. “I think this town was fantastic the way it was by nature, and I look forward to the day when it can someday be like that again.”

 Judith Bruce, meanwhile, encouraged the exploration of what types of native plantings might work in planters and hanging baskets around town. She said some natives such as bluestem grass are available at local retailers including Agway.

 “This is a fun project, finding out what is going to do well and what isn’t going to do well,” she said.

 Bruce pointed to Hyannis, where she said native plantings were used in planters along the town’s Main Street last year as an example of the kind of success that could happen in Orleans. But Sasandra Roche, whose family owns and operates The Farm, said while she supports natives, they only have a short shelf life in planters.

 “This is what I do for a living,” she said. “This is what my family does. I didn’t just slap up a flower shop. I’m a grower. So I know what does well and what the care is. Thus the reason to do what I’ve done downtown.”

 The select board voiced support for the idea of testing native plantings in select locations around town, but there is too short a timeframe now to determine what will or won’t work. Andrea Reed of the select board favored a longer exemption period. 

 “You’ll discover what doesn’t work, but you might not get to what looks fabulous,” she said.

 Board members also lamented what they saw as the lack of public input that went into crafting the original resolution. Mark Mathison noted that, unlike policies related to the use of fertilizers and pesticides in town, which were voted on at town meeting before being brought before the state legislature, there was no such vote for the resolution apart from the select board’s vote to adopt it.

 Reed added that the board should have first solicited the input of the OIA, the Farm and other stakeholders before moving forward with the resolution.

 “This policy, we got ahead of ourselves,” she said. “It’s a great goal, Michael. I’m with you on the goal. I just want to be humane on how we get there.”

 But Herman disagreed, noting that a resolution on native plantings has been among the select board’s goals for a number of years, and that the resolution has been discussed repeatedly during the board’s regular meetings.

 “How many more years do you want to wait, guys?” he said.

 Herman made a motion to adopt the revised resolution with an amendment allowing annuals only through 2026. But the board voted instead to adopt the revision as presented.

 “It’s a shame,” Herman said.

 Jorgensen after the meeting said the exemptions pave the way for the association and The Farm to proceed with filling out the Main Street planters in the coming week. 

 Going forward, the board and town officials plan to work to find locations around town where native plantings can be tested in planters and/or raised beds and baskets.

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com

Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Roche voiced  The Farm's support for native plantings during the select board's May 21 meeting.