Cape & Islands News

Bourne buys 20 acres; Falmouth; Beach beauttification, Sandwich; 5 vie for selectman; Mashpee; Wampamoags want Horseshoe Shoal

     <sup>Open Space Committee has quietly been negotiating the purchase of nearly 20 acres in Bournedale with historic significance that members say is the most important single acquisition the town could make. See the story blow.

The Enterprise Newspapers are a locally owned group of four covering the towns of Falmouth, Sandwich, Mashpee and Bourne. The Upper Cape Codder is owned by Gatehouse Media and covers the towns of Sandwich and Bourne.</sup>

Upper Cape News, March 17, 2007

Headlines from the Enterprise Newspapers

Falmouth - Former Resident Leaves Over $100,000 For Beach Beautification
A longtime Falmouth resident has left the town a sizable bequest in her will, and there will be more to come.  Virginia M. (Rizzo) Manduano, a Wareham schoolteacher who died at age 61 on February 10, 2006, left the town a sum of money that so far totals $100,000.  Ms. Manduano, a widow, had no children or close family members, and in her will, she left money and possessions to friends and organizations. But after all the bequests are complete, the will grants “all the rest, residue and remainder” of her property to the Town of Falmouth “for the beautification and conservation of beaches in the Falmouth area.” 

Region - Ways To Spend $1 Billion On Traffic Improvements For
How should traffic flow on Upper Cape Cod?  Want the Bourne Rotary eliminated? Think Sandwich Road, which winds past the Gallo Ice Arena and Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, should be a four-lane highway, complete with a center median? How about a newly configured Otis Rotary or median strips along the length of Scenic Highway?  Residents have until March 28 to weigh in with their opinions as to the priority of those and other recommendations, all of which are contained in the draft updated Cape Cod Regional Transportation Plan.

Mashpee - Tribe’s Environmental Protection Ethos Extends To Horseshoe Shoal
The most concrete effort by the tribe so far toward enhancing its stewardship role is the tribal council’s pronounced opposition to Cape Wind, the 130-turbine wind power project currently under consideration for a permit by the federal Minerals Management Service, under the Department of Interior.

Bourne - Town Seeks OK To Buy Historic Bournedale Property
For more than a year, the town’s Open Space Committee has quietly been negotiating the purchase of “a jewel,” 19.77 acres in Bournedale with historic significance that members say is the most important single acquisition the town could make.  The land is thought to have once been the site of an Indian village or, at the very least, the summer camp of the Comasssakumkanit, a subtribe of the Wampanoag.  The property, located on the Plymouth County line, has access to Great Herring Pond and contains a section of the Megansett trail, described by Bourne Historical Commission member Donald E. Ellis as one of the most important Indian trails in the Northeast.

Sandwich - Five Candidates Eyeing Selectman Seats
There is a contest taking shape for the two seats on the board of selectmen. With just three days to go before nomination papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office, five people have pulled papers seeking election to the board. Last Friday, John G. Kennan Jr., of Turtle Cove Road pulled papers and on Monday, Virender Gautam of Arbutus Lane requested papers. On Tuesday afternoon, Linell M. Grundman of Wing Boulevard East also pulled papers.  Incumbent F. Randal Hunt and Steven J. Chapman of Popple Bottom Road had previously pulled and returned their completed papers for the race. Douglas S. Dexter announced that he will not be seeking reelection.

>Falmouth Chief retires, ends 25 year career
Falmouth Police Chief David F. Cusolito (on right) announced his resignation last night, signaling the end o f a career of more than 25 years with the Falmouth Police Department and 10 years as chief. The announcement came near the end of the selectmen's meeting last night.  He will serve as interim chief until November 30 while the town conducts a nationwide search for a new chief.

Falmouth - Veterans Center Might Be Built In Falmouth
 By the end of the year, a new Department of Veterans Affairs center will be operational on Cape Cod. There is a possibility it might be in Falmouth.  "Due to the density of the veteran population in the region it will be on Cape Cod," Jay W. Hill, director of Falmouth Veterans Services, said. "If it is going to be on Cape Cod, it might as well be in Falmouth."  Mr. Hill said the Falmouth Veterans Council has sent a letter to Congressman William D. Delahunt asking that the town be considered as a location. 

Read the rest of this week's Enterprise Newspapers here.
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   ^{Questions have been raised about the waste, traffic, parking and feees at Canalside Common, see story below}

Headlines from  The Upper Cape Codder

Military museum seeks items for spring display
The Cape Cod Military Museum has started creating a summer display at the Bourne Historical Center that will highlight the training GIs received at Camp Edwards, primarily during World War II.

Will school offices be on the move? Sandwich considers consolidation
Sandwich school administrators and staff could soon be trading the serenity of their quiet side street for the hustle and bustle of Sandwich High School.

June date for doctor's trial
The case against a former Sandwich internist accused of drug distribution and Medicaid fraud is scheduled to go to trial June 18.

Cemetery association offers reward in vandalism case
Cemetery vandals The directors of the Sagamore Cemetery Association have offered a $500 award to spur the investigation into who smashed historic tombstones off Sandwich and Ben Abbe roads.

Races get more crowded
With just days left before nomination papers are due in the town clerk's office, the race to fill two seats on the Sandwich Board of Selectmen is getting crowded.

‘High School Musical' comes to Sandwich High school
Peformances of "High School Musical" will be March 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sandwich High School auditorium, and at 2 p.m. March 24 and April 1.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students.  For more information visit here.

Waste, traffic, parking and fees are key CanalSide questions
Questions involving the handling of wastewater, traffic and parking are emerging in Bourne planning circles with the massive CanalSide Commons plan to develop a 300-unit Chapter 40B housing project above the Bourne rotary.

 Read the rest of The Upper Cape Codder here.