New Sea Camps Phasing Cuts Cost By Almost Half

BREWSTER – After a review by consultants, the estimated cost to implement the Sea Camps comprehensive plan has been cut nearly in half, from $15.6 million to $7.5 million.

In the original plan, the bay property upgrades were estimated to cost $13.7 million, and the pond property updates were estimated at $1.9 million. 

The revised rephasing plan now estimates costs around $5.8 million for the bay property and $1.7 million for the pond property. 

Last fall, residents voted down the initial $11.4 million requested to implement phases one and two.

“I just want to clarify that the plans that we approved at town meeting themselves are not changing,” said Amanda Bebrin, select board vice chair. “What we’re seeing here tonight is a change in how we propose implementing those plans, specifically in response to our resident feedback.” 

“By fine-tuning, drilling down and gathering more information and reconsidering some things, we’re looking at cutting the price tag on this in about half,” said Mary Chaffee, select board chair. 

Consultants Weston and Sampson and EDR worked to “refine and right-size the scope and verify cost estimates” of the existing comprehensive plan. 

Their approach to the revisions followed a very specific plan: complete sub-surface work, evaluate the existing buildings, evaluate proposed amenities and then update cost opinions. 

Prioritizing sub-surface work would account for a new water main and fire-suppression equipment installations. The focus would then turn to demolition, site conditions, septic system connections and structural integrity of existing buildings. Once the existing structures were accounted for, they looked at installing amenities. Finally, they updated cost estimates for all the development work. 

Russ Kleekamp, an engineering service area leader with EDR, said the big three for infrastructure are drinking water, stormwater and wastewater. During a site visit on the bay property, he noted that the roadway was already in good condition and wide enough to navigate. He also said resizing the paved roadway would require an updated stormwater drainage system. Updates to the roadway were removed from the phasing plan. 

Infrastructure changes for phases one and two on the bay property would include nature center and boathouse parking, installation of a new water main, removal of a septic system, removal of the existing tennis courts and dune restoration, demolishing up to 35 buildings and restoring the outdoor pavilion. 

The proposed amenity upgrades in phases one and two included new tennis courts, new picnic areas, limited field refurbishment and a north-to-south trail from Route 6A to First Light Beach. 

Cheri Ruane of Weston and Sampson said the proposed work on the fields at the bay property was reduced because they are in good condition. With some additional seeding and slight refurbishment, they could stay in good condition, she said. 

She said some of the work involving the trail network and picnic areas would impact future work, so some was moved to future phases. The picnic areas proposed for phases one and two are out of the way and will not affect future work, she said. 

Ruane also said the trail from Route 6A to First Light Beach is an amenity that is important and should be prioritized in the first two phases. The pollinator meadow also shifted to a future phase. 

The pond parcel, which saw less of a funding drop, would need roadway and access improvements, additional parking, stormwater treatment at the bottom of Besse Cartway, an all-access trail, demolition of six structures and the addition of kayak and boat structures. The engineers also proposed a trail expansion project that would create new trails and seating areas for hikers. These projects would be split into three phases. 

The projected timeline of completion for phases one and two of the bay property and phases one, two and three of the pond property is around summer 2028. 

David Formato, the senior vice president of water and wastewater at Fuss and O'Neill, was on hand to present findings around wastewater feasibility on the pond property. 

Four scenarios could work for the vision plan’s 44-unit housing campus on the pond parcel. The first two scenarios were centered around septic systems with advanced treatment technology, but Formato had concerns about contamination of the Herring River watershed. Septic systems are not good at treating nitrogen, phosphorus, PFAS and other emerging contaminants. 

The last two scenarios focused on decentralized systems that would involve sewering connections. There is a parcel of town-owned land at the end of Millstone Road that is not in the watershed. With a sewer system in place, the wastewater could then be funneled up to that parcel for treatment. 

“I would like to celebrate that as a town,” said select board member Ned Chatelain. “We’re in a place where we can choose how to proceed on this project. We can choose the level of treatment, we can choose the parameters we want to test for, how many homes we want to collect. We are very much in the driver’s seat here and I think it’s a wonderful place to be. And it’s not an accident, it’s a result of thoughtful planning up until this point.” 

The meeting was also attended by members of the Sea Camps advisory committee and the water resources task force. While there was no additional discussion by board and committee members on the next steps, the feedback will help determine how the phases will be proposed at the next town meeting. 

For additional information and to view the full reports, visit the town’s website.