Our View: For Sea Camps Pond Property, Look Before We Leap

It’s no secret that the best way towns get large capital projects passed is by building coalitions of voters who support the project for different reasons.

 Think, for instance, of the effort to preserve the Coast Guard boathouse in Chatham. The multimillion dollar project at 90 Bridge St. will benefit recreational boaters, commercial fishermen, shellfishers, historic preservationists and economic development fans. That’s a broad constituency.

 When Brewster voters considered the purchase of the Cape Cod Sea Camps properties in 2021, the town was building a similar broad base of support. Conservationists would appreciate the open space that would be saved, recreation lovers imagined expanded opportunities on the Bay Property, and those who see the need to create housing were lured by the possibility of including dwelling units on the 10-acre portion of the Pond Property. With this broad coalition of supporters, it’s no wonder that the purchase passed by an overwhelming majority.

 But after the purchase, voters rejected a debt exclusion vote to implement the first phase of renovations. It was a signal that more study was needed. We favor the effort to complete a feasibility study to determine how much housing can be developed on those 10 acres without impacting the sensitive aquifer that feeds our drinking water wells and the Herring River watershed.

 That’s why we oppose citizens’ petition articles that seek to short-circult that process, preemptively keeping housing and wastewater projects off of that parcel.

 We understand the value of open space preservation to safeguard the watershed, and have championed many conservation efforts around the Lower Cape. But if the groundwater under the Pond Property can be protected by wastewater treatment that would allow creation of decent housing in a residential area of town, that’s an approach we would favor. We can’t ignore the very pressing need to create housing for local people.

In any case, we just won’t know the best course of action until we see the outcome of the feasibility study. That’s why we encourage Brewster voters to wait for the study, and then follow the science.