Editor:

Over 1,000 Brewster households are currently located within Brewster’s Zone II drinking water supply area without wastewater treatment available. Yet the voters at the May 4 town meeting voted against allowing any further consideration for the development of a relatively few workforce housing units with a wastewater treatment facility to be located in this same area.

Shame on us!

Daryl Bladen
Brewster

Editor:

I’m a longtime Brewster resident and I strongly support Bruce Semple for select board. We’ve seen a lot of candidates vie for this position over the years, and few have the experience and track record of community leadership that Bruce does. He’s an active volunteer in numerous town and community activities. Importantly, Bruce has expertise about water resources and our environment, he’s on the library association’s finance committee, and he is a great team player.

We can trust Bruce to show up, be prepared and offer articulate views on our issues. He is that person who can put in the hours and can get the work done. 

Stephen Najarian
Brewster

Editor:

We should all raise a toast to David Attenborough, who celebrated his 100th birthday last week. The BBC has planned extensive recognitions of his many achievements. 

Growing up as a boy in England in the 1930s, Attenborough developed a keen interest in fossils, where his discovery of an ammonite, a hundreds of millions of years old nautiloid molluscan fossil, spurred a career of investigating and reporting about nature. His first short film in 1952 about the discovery of a living coelocanth, a lobe finned fish once thought to be extinct, was the beginning of decades of highly engaging radio programs and many dozens of superb books and films about nature. Through them, he has provided the world with an up close window into the beauty, diversity, complexity, ecology, behavior and importance of the natural world. 

Attenborough's efforts these decades can be best summarized in his recent entreaty to “cherish and protect the natural world because you are part of it and depend on it for air, water and food as well as its beauty and diversity.”

George Buckley
Arlington and South Orleans

Editor:

The 2026 Beautify Brewster event was another great success. Volunteer teams covered 31 miles of road, one mile of beach and a half mile of the rail trail using 159 volunteers, picking up a combined total of 1,220 pounds of trash, recyclables and nips. And then they were served a fantastic lunch at the Brewster Baptist Church!

Thanks go out to our generous donors, including Pizza Shark Harwich, Stop and Shop, Chatham Bars Farm, Shaw’s, Trader Joe’s, Uncle Pete’s Chowder House, Ferretti’s Market, Café Alfresco, The Kitchen Café, Brewster Pizza House, Freeman’s Grill, Whole Foods Market, Papa Gino’s, JT’s Seafood, Laurino’s Tavern, Home Depot, Ocean State Job Lot, Ace Hardware Brewster, Ocean Edge Resort and Stone L’oven Pizza Co.

Our volunteers and our donors deserve many thanks for their role in beautifying Brewster. Maybe we’ll see some of our volunteers again this fall when we conduct a “freestyle” cleanup. Hope so.

Meg Morris, Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition
Ryan Burch, Brewster Natural Resources

Editor:

With spring’s arrival, the Chatham Bikeways Committee would like to remind both bikers and drivers of the need for following safe riding and driving procedures. The committee wants to remind drivers of the relatively new four-foot law. This law requires drivers to allow four feet when passing bicyclists or walkers on the road. This law even permits crossing a double line on the roadway if necessary and safe. With many narrow roads in our communities, bicyclists need to be reminded of the need to share the road and be aware of dangers of narrow heavily traveled roads. Helmets are strongly recommended for all bicyclists but are required by law for riders who are 16 years or younger. While bike paths are the safest place to ride, bikers are reminded that there is a 15-mph speed limit on the Old Colony Rail Trail and they should issue a warning when they are passing walkers or slower bikers on the left. Please ride safely. 

Robert Noonan
Chatham Bikeways Committee

Editor:

On behalf of the Lower Cape Kiwanis Club and the Monomoy Regional High School Key Club, I would like to thank all those who participated in the first annual Harwich Herring Run held several Sundays ago. For a first effort, the trail run around the West Reservoir and over the Johnson flume herring run was a great success as a fundraiser and as a beautiful run or walk through the woods and along the water.

Adding to the success of the event were the following local businesses who sponsored the run through financial donations and services: John Martin Excavating, Wychmere Beach Club, Kaser Equipment Repair, Cape Associates, Sandra Milano ReMax Realty, Pine Oaks Village Homes, O'Neill & Associates, Harwich Natural Resources Dept., Harwich Conservation Commission, Harwich Conservation Trust, Discount Septic Pumping, Big Rock Oysters, Prisco Builders, Barons Cooling & Heating, Sams Quality Painting, Hall's Cranberries, All in One Plumbing. Truly a case of the village coming out to help raise funds for high school scholarships and the Dream Day on Cape Cod Camp for families.

Ed McManus, president
Lower Cape Kiwanis Club

Editor:

I am in a unique position to comment on this year’s Harwich Town Meeting as it relates to citizen petitions. I followed the petitioners closely but was not a petitioner myself — I was a voter. Having submitted three citizen petitions in the past, this year represented a drastic change for me.

Citizen petitions are increasingly being used to address complex issues. These efforts often require legal guidance, yet petitioners should not be expected to pay for a lawyer. They need accessible support to complete the substantive work themselves. That support was denied to this year’s petitioners. The proper role of citizen petitions is to bring forward ideas for voters to weigh in on, after which it is up to the town to carry out the will of the voters.

A quick review shows that Harwich currently has the most restrictive process for citizen petitions, while Brewster is the most petitioner-friendly. I hope we can address this by examining Brewster’s process and best practices. This may require a bylaw change, improved administrative procedures, or both. I urge you to help fix this problem.

This year, nine of 12 petitions were recommended for indefinite postponement. Legal input was not provided until after the articles were submitted, leaving no opportunity for corrections. This resulted in last-minute amendments on the town meeting floor. The process was confusing — even the lawyers had differing opinions. The use of a “pop-up lawyer” during debate, and even during an active vote, was particularly troubling and difficult for both voters and petitioners.

To some, it appeared that citizen petitions are not welcomed. I ask that you consider the following improvements:

Sally Urbano
West Harwich

Editor:

Lynn Budell is a candidate for trustee for Brooks Free Library. She has been to the trustee meetings for the past two years. She has listened and learned and is ready to add value as a trustee. With her additional experience as a member of the Friends of the Library, she brings knowledge to the seat. 

Linda Cebula
Harwich Port

Editor:

We’ll be supporting the three overrides on Brewster’s May 19 town ballot. Approving the overrides will let us fully fund the town operating budget, the Brewster school budget, and the Nauset Regional School District budget. 

The town operating override is the first one requested in 15 years. We need it to fund the new personnel contracts for Brewster police, fire and others who serve us. Right now we pay some of the lowest salaries around for essential public safety personnel that we depend on. We should do better than that.

The Brewster school budget has been hit hard by inflation and the school committee did a good job of producing a lean budget. Even with that an override is needed to fund important educational needs for Brewster’s children. The Nauset school override also reflects the impact of inflation. 

We are fortunate to live in Brewster and we support the three overrides because we want to see our community and our schools continue to thrive.

Casey and Jon Mecca
Brewster

Editor:

For effective governance, it is essential to elect qualified candidates. Bruce Semple exemplifies such qualifications for the Brewster Select Board. I am acquainted with Mr. Semple through various community involvements, and I hold him in the highest regard as a candidate for the position. His volunteer efforts include participating as a Habitat for Humanity homebuilder, advocating for the preservation of local ponds, and serving on the Brewster Ladies’ Library finance committee. I have confidence in Mr. Semple's ability to analyze complex issues and make sound decisions. 

Sharon Donohue
Brewster

Editor:

The Gospel of Matthew's Chapter 5 calls on all Christians and people of goodwill to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. It is an urgent call for us on Cape Cod today.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fall River operates the St. Joseph's House shelter in downtown Hyannis. It is not an ideal location. The building was once a private residence and does not have adequate space to meet its mission. COVID made this clear when the shelter reduced capacity to enable social distancing.

Guests at the shelter now tend to be older; many are over the age of 60. The current layout presents accessibility issues for those with limited mobility. Room for medical and social services are lacking.

Catholic Charities, in partnership with Housing Assistance Corp., have developed a solution to many of these problems. Housing Assistance recently moved its headquarters to a new, larger building, leaving its former office at 460 West Main St. vacant. This building is large enough to safely accommodate shelter guests, will not require climbing stairs, provides space for medical services, their day programs, critical social services, housing search, and case management.

The need for this facility is critical and the town of Barnstable has issued a building permit for the project to proceed. Since homelessness is a regional issue, all Cape communities are being asked to provide funding to support the renovation of this new shelter space. This is a community-wide challenge and it requires a community-wide response.

Homelessness is growing on Cape Cod. As housing costs surge, more people are unable to pay the cost of housing. Also, more homes are used only seasonally, causing fewer homes for rent for those who have lived here for generations. These are the people who provide critical services that add to quality of life for all on the Cape.

Thankfully, Catholic Charities and Housing Assistance have devised an effective solution. The shelter will still be centrally located on the Cape and close to other social services. It is served by public transit and is close to houses of worship.

Despite all of these attributes, "not in my backyarders" have started a social media and leaflet campaign to block the new shelter because they do not want the shelter near them or their businesses.

This is not fair to the unhoused, who are no different than any of us, other than that they struggle with one common issue, the reason for homelessness — poverty. I appeal to all of my neighbors to open their hearts to support the new shelter location and its mission to accommodate the homeless.

I ask all those from across the Cape to support St. Joseph's House and the funding needed to make it a reality.

Rev. John Sullivan, pastor
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
Chatham

Editor:

As a lifelong Brewster resident, Laurel Labdon is the select board candidate best qualified to represent our entire community, as well as to challenge the reckless spending and pro-development slant of the board’s current majority. 

Perhaps that’s why The Chronicle chose to publish letters from two like-minded individuals who in endorsing Laurel’s fellow candidate also felt the need to launch coordinated, unfounded, and scurrilous attacks on her fitness for service. 

Laurel shows strength, courage, and consideration every day. No one should question her abilities to serve, nor her intentions to lead. I trust Bruce Semple is disappointed by the insinuations of his supporters. 

Laurel is committed to giving every person a voice, expanding housing opportunities without endangering water resources, supporting students and citizens of all ages by making the best use of existing municipal buildings, and spending “free cash” on needs not wants. 

Chris Powicki
Brewster