Reconsider Eldredge Property Uses

Editor:

Chatham spent $2.8 million on the Eldredge Garage property several years ago and is now proposing to spend another $1.5 million to create a parking lot and rehab a 600-square-foot gas station building to make it into bathrooms and a history room.

The uses proposed do not qualify for consideration in my opinion. There is no need for public parking at that site as it is way at the east end of town and the surrounding small commercial buildings have their own parking. There is no foot traffic there to require a restroom. If the town needs another restroom facility, which it does, it should be in the center of town. Parking for a shuttle to Lighthouse Beach is questionable as that beach has almost disappeared. The third use for the $4,300,000 is to provide more open space for a town that has an exceeding abundance of same.

I would suggest that the select board undertake a new analysis of the utilization of the property for a significant use such as an arts center, including the Monomoy Theatre if possible, or affordable/attainable housing or another civic oriented use so we all can feel that our tax dollars are being utilized effectively.

Phil Richardson
Chatham and Tiburon, Calif.

Juliet Will Be Missed

Editor:

Thank you for honoring the marvelous activist life of Juliet Bernstein. She is a national treasure and will be sorely missed. She spoke truth to power with a quick laugh and "Can you beat that?" keeping joy in everything she did. Peace was part of her breath. Juliet will be sorely missed.

Diane Turco
Harwich

Support For School Com Applicant

Editor:

I wanted to take a moment of your time to give three cheers  and numerous accolades for Jessica Rogers for the school committee. The Chatham Select Board and Chatham representatives to the Monomoy Regional School Committee will be interviewing candidates to fill a recently vacated position on the committee. 

Jessica Rogers was born and raised here in Chatham.  A graduate from Chatham High School, Jess is pursuing a career in social work. She is currently raising three children here in Chatham (Kat in pre-K and Owen grade two and a daughter in high school.)

Jess is a humble, smart, well-educated, even-keeled and passionate individual who cares about our town, our schools, our families and our voices.  Jess is an advocate for Chatham Elementary School and an active member of Chatham 365, an advocacy group to help year round families thrive.

When you meet Jess, you will see for yourself, her calm and even demeanor. She is a silent storm when it comes to delicate issues and works to really understand all sides and perspectives. 

Please join me to wish her well for her upcoming interview. If you know Jess, please send your thoughts to our Chatham Select Board and school committee members so they too know how wonderful you think Jess is for our school committee. 

Lindsay Garre Bierwirth
Chatham

Great Kickoff To Holiday Season

Editor:

Several hundred families and friends strolled through a winter wonderland in downtown Orleans on Nov. 27 for the Orleans Improvement Association's “Winterfest Orleans” candlelight stroll. The glow of candles and glistening tree lights reflected hundreds of happy faces as a crowd walked to Depot Square for the town tree lighting on Saturday evening.

OIA would like to think all of those who made the event such a great success. The Orleans Police Department kept everyone safe, closing intersections and directing traffic. Tom Daley, Ron Collins and crews from the Orleans Department of Public Works worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure all the lights went on as planned. Nauset High School Band Director Dan Anthony led 10 NHS brass band members through holiday sing-a-long favorites. Mrs. Claus (aka Bev Fuller) followed the band and led the crowd to Depot Square for the holiday tree lighting countdown. A new “Townie Bike” light sculpture donated by the OIA was festively strung with lights in collaboration with JoAnna Keeley, Norma Gwin and Bonnie Campbell-Runyon of the Orleans Cultural District.

We also wish to thank TD Bank for the donation of hundreds of velvet elf hats and thousands of candy canes for the event. Following the tree lighting, Santa magically arrived to usher people to further festivities across the street at the artist cottages. We want to thank the Hot Chocolate Sparrow for providing free cocoa and goodies to all the children. The stroll moved past lit trees and light sculptures donated to the town by OIA, kicking off a bright new holiday season.

OIA wishes everyone happy holidays.

Dianne Fromm, secretary
Orleans Improvement Association

The Importance Of Juliet 

Editor:

Juliet Bernstein and I met some 25 years ago when she and the Fellowship of Reconciliation began the Peace Essay and Poetry Contest at Nauset Regional High School where I served as English Department chair. She and Bob Winter, her stalwart partner, would research topics that high school kids would be interested in, including over the years hunger, Native Americans’ view of Columbus, gender equity and other equal but thorny topics of debate. The kids loved the contest, getting both money and public recognition for their endeavors, and Juliet loved meeting them at the awards assembly we would have as well as public readings on Samoset at the coffee house. The FOR recognized me for my part over the years in participating. 

Juliet made everyone feel important. She later had my son lecture to the FOR about the role of Russian women in the Soviet Union, which made his day. Back in June, I got a call from Juliet about the Go Fund Me page her son was starting for her. I got the sense from her that it needed some public notice, so I called Tim Wood at The Chronicle, who called Juliet, and then wrote the first article about it. From there Juliet’s story went to the Cape Cod Times, and then the Boston Globe. Finally, it reached The Guardian, who questioned this country’s values when the eldest and what should be the most respected in our society don’t get the at-home care that they need when they’re at their most vulnerable. Juliet became the “poster child” advocating for seniors to maintain their dignity by being able to have control over their lives as they age. 

I am sure that wherever Juliet is now, she is still advocating for the most vulnerable, and as always, you listen when Juliet speaks and are more human for the effort. We love you, Juliet!

Angela Mosesso
Harwich

Reconsider Park Irrigation Plan

Editor:

I realize I'm very late weighing in on the beautification project for Kate Gould Park, but may I suggest to the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and the Chatham Merchants Association beautification committee that they consider planting more native plantings that would attract butterflies and birds but would not need water?

We have a water shortage, which I believe will only get worse over time. I would reconsider putting in an irrigation system. All of our water, whether from a well or town processed, comes from the same aquifer. Hydrangeas are pretty to look at but they can be high maintenance. The front yard of the Chatham Conservation Foundation’s Mayo House is a lovely example. Orange butterfly weed, a native plant, is beautiful and a scarce food source for the larvae of the monarch butterflies. Winterberry has a bright, red berry that will stand out during our winter season and will feed the birds.

I believe we need to become more thoughtful about our native babitats and how we can assist and protect them. Maybe Kristen Andre or Justin Alex would help advise.

Ginny Nickerson
North Chatham

Airport Critics Not A 'Small Group'

Editor:

For the past couple weeks, there have been similar letters to the editor about the dilemma the town is facing regarding airport issues. These letters describe the critics of airport commission policies as follows – a ”small group that has little community support;” “the efforts of some;” “supposed contempt and hostility is only being fermented and perpetuated by him and a small group of citizens;” “the town charter is being distracted by a small group of anti-airport antagonists.” 

I’d like to ask “How do you know it’s a 'small' group?” Do you have numbers? How can you support these accusations? Perhaps the people making these statements are a “small” group or pilots who want the present airport commission to continue and to expand the use of the airport for their own personal gain putting the health and safety of our townspeople at risk.

To these people, I say I think you’d be surprised at the number of Chatham residents who want to see our airport remain a small-town airport and to return the airport commission to one of transparency and respect for our Chatham citizens and, more importantly, for the benefit of Chatham, whether the current airport commission members continue or the select board takes over.

Since the authors of these defamatory letters have no proof of “a small group,” which it definitely is not, it seems only fair that the charter review committee put the issue of having the select board serve as airport commissioners before the voters of Chatham. Since some of the charter review committee members clearly recognize there is a problem, why not let the people decide?

Let’s keep our airport small and functioning safely as it has for close to 70 years.

Carol Gordon
South Chatham

A Golf Game Game

Editor:

My son Henry enjoys an occasional round of golf, and went to Seaside Links with his friend in August to play nine, before heading back to college, where he plays football – or would except he tore his ACL in July. Thus, Henry and his friend would need a cart to play, which is where the trouble began. They made reservations online, $44 for nine holes and $19 for the cart. His credit card was charged $44, twice, and the cart had to be paid in cash, which he did upon arrival.

It was nearing 5 p.m. when this last transaction took place, and between the time he paid and the time the tee opened up to play, the course refused to allow the boys to take out a cart as per its five o’clock cut-off, despite taking the money. Being that he couldn’t very well traipse around the hillside with his leg in a cast, the boys couldn’t go without the cart, and so they requested a refund.

At first, they got nothing and were told that cancellations need to be made 24 hours in advance, and the $19 for the cart could never be refunded, never ever, so they left. Out $107 and nothing to show for it.

Soon after the fiasco, he called the course and got a refund of $44, which represented half of the double-billing. At that point he was out $63, the other $44 and the $19. Several calls and several months later, I overheard him on the phone with someone from the course yesterday, home on break, as he was patiently and politely discussing the matter. The town/course agreed to refund his other $44, but won’t budge on the rental of the cart the boys were not allowed to take, instead offering to put my son’s $19 toward his next round at Seaside Links.

Isn’t there someone at the course or in Chatham Town Hall who wants the next generation of golfers to feel about Seaside as I have all these years, a place to go have fun, knock a ball around, not too expensive?

If there is, and they have access to a checkbook, my son’s address is Henry Blanchard, 45 Long Pond Road, Brewster, 02631. Nineteen dollars and no cents. It isn’t a lot of money, but he should be able to spend it how he wants, no? And maybe the town of Chatham could work on its course management game over the winter.

Jeff Blanchard
Brewster

Reconsider Eldredge Property Uses Editor: Chatham spent $2.8 million on the
Eldredge Garage property several years ago and is now proposing to spend another
$1.5 million to create a parking lot and rehab a 600-square-foot gas station
building to make it into bathrooms and a history room. The uses proposed do
not qualify for consideration in my opinion. There is no need for public parking
at that site as it is way at the east end of town and the surrounding small
commercial buildings have their own parking. There is no foot traffic there
to require a restroom. If the town needs another restroom facility, which it
does, it should be in the center of town. Parking for a shuttle to Lighthouse
Beach is questionable as that beach has almost disappeared. The third use for
the $4,300,000 is to provide more open space for a town that has an exceeding
abundance of same. I would suggest that the select board undertake a new analysis
of the utilization of the property for a significant use such as an arts center,
including the Monomoy Theatre if possible, or affordable/attainable housing
or another civic oriented use so we all can feel that our tax dollars are being
utilized effectively. Phil Richardson Chatham and Tiburon, Calif. Juliet Will
Be Missed Editor: Thank you for honoring the marvelous activist life of Juliet
Bernstein. She is a national treasure and will be sorely missed. She spoke
truth to power with a quick laugh and "Can you beat that?" keeping joy in everything
she did. Peace was part of her breath. Juliet will be sorely missed. Diane
Turco Harwich Support For School Com Applicant Editor: I wanted to take a moment of
your time to give three cheers  and numerous accolades for Jessica Rogers for
the school committee. The Chatham Select Board and Chatham representatives
to the Monomoy Regional School Committee will be interviewing candidates to
fill a recently vacated position on the committee.  Jessica Rogers was born
and raised here in Chatham.  A graduate from Chatham High School, Jess is pursuing
a career in social work. She is currently raising three children here in Chatham
(Kat in pre-K and Owen grade two and a daughter in high school.) Jess is a
humble, smart, well-educated, even-keeled and passionate individual who cares
about our town, our schools, our families and our voices.  Jess is an advocate
for Chatham Elementary School and an active member of Chatham 365, an advocacy
group to help year round families thrive. When you meet Jess, you will see
for yourself, her calm and even demeanor. She is a silent storm when it comes
to delicate issues and works to really understand all sides and perspectives. 
Please join me to wish her well for her upcoming interview. If you know Jess,
please send your thoughts to our Chatham Select Board and school committee
members so they too know how wonderful you think Jess is for our school committee.
Lindsay Garre Bierwirth Chatham Great Kickoff To Holiday Season Editor: Several
hundred families and friends strolled through a winter wonderland in downtown
Orleans on Nov. 27 for the Orleans Improvement Association's “Winterfest Orleans”
candlelight stroll. The glow of candles and glistening tree lights reflected
hundreds of happy faces as a crowd walked to Depot Square for the town tree
lighting on Saturday evening. OIA would like to think all of those who made
the event such a great success. The Orleans Police Department kept everyone
safe, closing intersections and directing traffic. Tom Daley, Ron Collins and
crews from the Orleans Department of Public Works worked tirelessly behind
the scenes to ensure all the lights went on as planned. Nauset High School
Band Director Dan Anthony led 10 NHS brass band members through holiday sing-a-long
favorites. Mrs. Claus (aka Bev Fuller) followed the band and led the crowd
to Depot Square for the holiday tree lighting countdown. A new “Townie Bike”
light sculpture donated by the OIA was festively strung with lights in collaboration
with JoAnna Keeley, Norma Gwin and Bonnie Campbell-Runyon of the Orleans Cultural
District. We also wish to thank TD Bank for the donation of hundreds of velvet
elf hats and thousands of candy canes for the event. Following the tree lighting,
Santa magically arrived to usher people to further festivities across the street
at the artist cottages. We want to thank the Hot Chocolate Sparrow for providing
free cocoa and goodies to all the children. The stroll moved past lit trees
and light sculptures donated to the town by OIA, kicking off a bright new holiday
season. OIA wishes everyone happy holidays. Dianne Fromm, secretary Orleans
Improvement Association The Importance Of Juliet Editor: Juliet Bernstein and
I met some 25 years ago when she and the Fellowship of Reconciliation began
the Peace Essay and Poetry Contest at Nauset Regional High School where I served
as English Department chair. She and Bob Winter, her stalwart partner, would
research topics that high school kids would be interested in, including over
the years hunger, Native Americans’ view of Columbus, gender equity and other
equal but thorny topics of debate. The kids loved the contest, getting both
money and public recognition for their endeavors, and Juliet loved meeting
them at the awards assembly we would have as well as public readings on Samoset
at the coffee house. The FOR recognized me for my part over the years in participating.
Juliet made everyone feel important. She later had my son lecture to the FOR
about the role of Russian women in the Soviet Union, which made his day. Back
in June, I got a call from Juliet about the Go Fund Me page her son was starting
for her. I got the sense from her that it needed some public notice, so I called
Tim Wood at The Chronicle, who called Juliet, and then wrote the first article
about it. From there Juliet’s story went to the Cape Cod Times, and then the
Boston Globe. Finally, it reached The Guardian, who questioned this country’s
values when the eldest and what should be the most respected in our society
don’t get the at-home care that they need when they’re at their most vulnerable.
Juliet became the “poster child” advocating for seniors to maintain their dignity
by being able to have control over their lives as they age. I am sure that
wherever Juliet is now, she is still advocating for the most vulnerable, and
as always, you listen when Juliet speaks and are more human for the effort.
We love you, Juliet! Angela Mosesso Harwich Reconsider Park Irrigation Plan
Editor: I realize I'm very late weighing in on the beautification project for
Kate Gould Park, but may I suggest to the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and the
Chatham Merchants Association beautification committee that they consider planting
more native plantings that would attract butterflies and birds but would not
need water? We have a water shortage, which I believe will only get worse over
time. I would reconsider putting in an irrigation system. All of our water,
whether from a well or town processed, comes from the same aquifer. Hydrangeas
are pretty to look at but they can be high maintenance. The front yard of the
Chatham Conservation Foundation’s Mayo House is a lovely example. Orange butterfly
weed, a native plant, is beautiful and a scarce food source for the larvae
of the monarch butterflies. Winterberry has a bright, red berry that will stand
out during our winter season and will feed the birds. I believe we need to
become more thoughtful about our native babitats and how we can assist and
protect them. Maybe Kristen Andre or Justin Alex would help advise. Ginny Nickerson
North Chatham Airport Critics Not A 'Small Group' Editor: For the past couple
weeks, there have been similar letters to the editor about the dilemma the
town is facing regarding airport issues. These letters describe the critics
of airport commission policies as follows – a ”small group that has little
community support;” “the efforts of some;” “supposed contempt and hostility
is only being fermented and perpetuated by him and a small group of citizens;”
“the town charter is being distracted by a small group of anti-airport antagonists.”
I’d like to ask “How do you know it’s a 'small' group?” Do you have numbers?
How can you support these accusations? Perhaps the people making these statements
are a “small” group or pilots who want the present airport commission to continue
and to expand the use of the airport for their own personal gain putting the
health and safety of our townspeople at risk. To these people, I say I think
you’d be surprised at the number of Chatham residents who want to see our airport
remain a small-town airport and to return the airport commission to one of
transparency and respect for our Chatham citizens and, more importantly, for
the benefit of Chatham, whether the current airport commission members continue
or the select board takes over. Since the authors of these defamatory letters
have no proof of “a small group,” which it definitely is not, it seems only
fair that the charter review committee put the issue of having the select board
serve as airport commissioners before the voters of Chatham. Since some of
the charter review committee members clearly recognize there is a problem,
why not let the people decide? Let’s keep our airport small and functioning
safely as it has for close to 70 years. Carol Gordon South Chatham A Golf Game
Game Editor: My son Henry enjoys an occasional round of golf, and went to Seaside
Links with his friend in August to play nine, before heading back to college,
where he plays football – or would except he tore his ACL in July. Thus, Henry
and his friend would need a cart to play, which is where the trouble began.
They made reservations online, $44 for nine holes and $19 for the cart. His
credit card was charged $44, twice, and the cart had to be paid in cash, which
he did upon arrival. It was nearing 5 p.m. when this last transaction took
place, and between the time he paid and the time the tee opened up to play,
the course refused to allow the boys to take out a cart as per its five o’clock
cut-off, despite taking the money. Being that he couldn’t very well traipse
around the hillside with his leg in a cast, the boys couldn’t go without the
cart, and so they requested a refund. At first, they got nothing and were told
that cancellations need to be made 24 hours in advance, and the $19 for the
cart could never be refunded, never ever, so they left. Out $107 and nothing
to show for it. Soon after the fiasco, he called the course and got a refund
of $44, which represented half of the double-billing. At that point he was
out $63, the other $44 and the $19. Several calls and several months later,
I overheard him on the phone with someone from the course yesterday, home on
break, as he was patiently and politely discussing the matter. The town/course
agreed to refund his other $44, but won’t budge on the rental of the cart the
boys were not allowed to take, instead offering to put my son’s $19 toward
his next round at Seaside Links. Isn’t there someone at the course or in Chatham
Town Hall who wants the next generation of golfers to feel about Seaside as
I have all these years, a place to go have fun, knock a ball around, not too
expensive? If there is, and they have access to a checkbook, my son’s address
is Henry Blanchard, 45 Long Pond Road, Brewster, 02631. Nineteen dollars and
no cents. It isn’t a lot of money, but he should be able to spend it how he
wants, no? And maybe the town of Chatham could work on its course management
game over the winter. Jeff Blanchard Brewster