Cape & Islands News

Massachusetts Broadband Institute gets over $2 million from Recovery Act

Recovery Act Funding to Lay Groundwork for Enhanced Internet Services

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded grants to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA's national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them.

NTIA has awarded the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) over $1.5 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Massachusetts, bringing the total grant award to approximately $2 million. MBI is the designated entity for the state of Massachusetts.

The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is a matching grant program that implements the joint purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA). The program will provide grants to assist states or their designees in gathering and verifying state-specific data on the availability, speed, location, and technology type of broadband services. The data they collect and compile will also be used to develop publicly available state-wide broadband maps and to inform the comprehensive, interactive, and searchable national broadband map that NTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publicly available by February 17, 2011.

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WHOI discovers an undersea killer with an upside

Newly Discovered Fat Molecule may hold unexpected promise in cancer research

Benjamin Van Mooy & WHOI colleague Helen Fredricks, a member of the team that discovered the lipid.

Lipid expert Benjamin Van Mooy in his lab at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (Photos by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

A chemical culprit responsible for the rapid, mysterious death of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean has been found by collaborating scientists at Rutgers University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). This same chemical may hold unexpected promise in cancer research.

The team discovered a previously unknown lipid, or fatty compound, in a virus that has been attacking and killing Emiliania huxleyi, a phytoplankton that plays a major role in the global carbon cycle

"Emiliania huxleyi is the rock star of phytoplankton," explains Kay Bidle, Rutgers assistant professor of marine science in the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences. "It blooms all over the oceans, and we can easily see it by satellite. We know that these blooms are frequently infected with viruses, and this virus is specific to this phytoplankton."

"The lipids are the key ingredient in the virus that causes the phytoplankton to die," says WHOI scientist Benjamin Van Mooy. "We have a completely different lipid molecule that, as far as we know, is unknown to science."

E. huxleyi grows rapidly in the North Atlantic, "in these big blooms that you can actually see from outer space," Van Mooy says.

"But," adds Van Mooy, "they die just almost as quickly as they start out, and we're not sure why. They die after a few days."

Bidle and Assaf Vardi, a postdoctoral investigator in his laboratory and the study's lead author, had been examining the interaction between the virus and the dying phytoplankton and had developed ideas for how this process works. After Vardi heard lipid expert Van Mooy give a talk in Santa Fe, N.M., he suggested the collaboration between WHOI and Rutgers.

"I saw Ben's talk on marine microbes and lipids...[and] I ran after him," said Vardi. "We told him about our ideas" involving the virus's effect on the phytoplankton.

"They studied the viruses and I study lipids," Van Mooy said. "It seemed like a good mix."

Their paper is published in the Nov. 6 issue of Science

E. huxleyi performs photosynthesis-"just like plants," says Van Mooy. "They suck up carbon dioxide." In doing so, they reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. They form a calcium carbonate shell, also helping to regulate the carbon cycle.

"It's a critical aspect of cancer research, because cancer cells have figured out a way to turn off the programmed cell death pathway. In cancer studies, they try to figure out ways to reactivate those pathways."
                     - Assif Vardi.

If viruses are killing off phytoplankton, this can increase greenhouse emissions, Van Mooy suggests. "That's important because if viruses infect a whole bunch of cells, then they can't perform photosynthesis, they can't take up carbon dioxide."

In April 2008, Van Mooy's team visited the sites of E. huxleyi blooms during a research cruise between Woods Hole and Bermuda and collected samples for lipid analysis back in the laboratory.

They immediately recognized lipids that were just like those in virally infected E. huxleyi cells grown by the Rutgers team. Helen Fredricks, a research associate with Van Mooy, carried out the lipid analyses at WHOI. "Seeing this viral lipid appear during the course of infection was amazing, and then we found it in the ocean too. We were celebrating in the lab that day."

Adds Vardi: "Viruses are really important players in regulating phytoplankton blooms. We zoom into the bloom and try to understand the interaction between the viruses and host, which is this really important, cosmopolitan, bloom-forming species."

After isolating the viral lipids, the team found that the lipids alone were able to bring about the symptoms of viral infection in the phytoplankton. "The lipids themselves act just like the virus," says Van Mooy. "We can cause the phytoplankton to die by just giving the lipids."

This alone was enough to excite the team. "Now we have a biological marker that we can go out on a ship and look for and identify where this [infection of phytoplankton] is happening and learn how to study it better," Van Mooy says.

But there may be other, even farther-reaching implications. Both the virus and the newly found lipid deal their deadly blow by causing the upper-ocean plants to commit cellular suicide. As a major focus of their research at Rutgers, Bidle's lab has found that "programmed cell death" is an important process in the fate of marine phytoplankton and in the demise of blooms in the oceans. Bidle's group had previously found that successful infection of E. huxleyi induced, and actually required, the programmed cell death pathway.

But programmed cell death is not unique to phytoplankton. It is a common and healthy process in all kinds of cells, including human cells.

According to Vardi, "These lipids can induce programmed cell death in many organisms, including animals and plants. They also enrich in plasma membrane, and they are the port of the cell, where pathogens get in and out of the cell. This is important in viral diseases."

There is also a potential connection with cancer. If a healthy cell is stressed or damaged, usually it will kill itself with programmed cell death. But cancer cells have a defect: "They don't kill themselves," says Bidle.

"It's a critical aspect of cancer research, because cancer cells have figured out a way to turn off the programmed cell death pathway," he says. "In cancer studies, they try to figure out ways to reactivate those pathways."

The lipid may help shed light on why cancer cells are unable to commit suicide. Someday, the researchers say, it might suggest ways to correct that defect. Right now, the lipid is only known to be effective in algae, but in the future, the team is hoping to test the effectiveness of their molecule in experiments with cancer cells.

"There's a long way to go between here and curing cancer," Van Mooy says, "but the potential exists that this molecule could have therapeutic applications in the treatment of human disease, including cancer. Hopefully this paper will pique the interest of other investigators."

More immediately, scientists hope to learn more about the central role phytoplankton-and viruses-play in regulating climate. Bidle says this is a particularly interesting virus. "It appears that the virus has...borrowed, copied actually, the genes for this lipid from the host," he says. "Similar genes are still on the host, but the virus has figured out a way to take those genes and put them into its own genome, and alter them enough to make them more toxic."

"I'd like to think [the work] is going to have a continued impact."- Benjamin Van Mooy.

"We find the biosynthetic pathway for this unique lipid encoded in the virus genome, not only in the host, and this has never been described before in any other virus," Vardi says. "We knew that [lipids] were important, but we were really intrigued about why the virus contained these genes. And what is the role of the pathway in the co-evolution of programmed cell death in the host and virus."

Van Mooy sees it as a struggle between two mighty forces. "The phytoplankton are at one end of the boxing ring and they're taking up carbon dioxide, and the viruses are at the other end, and they're out to kill them. And how that works out controls how much carbon dioxide is taken up.

"We're very interested in understanding what controls these phytoplankton," he says. "I didn't know that much about viruses until I started working on this project and the Rutgers researchers didn't know that much about lipids. So now we're both really onto something here. We're continuing to collaborate. "We have found other interesting lipids from these viruses," says Van Mooy.

"There are probably more out there. And who knows what kind of activities they may be involved with. They may hold a cure for a human disease or they may play unknown role in...phytoplankton.

"I'd like to think [the work] is going to have a continued impact."

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent organization in Falmouth, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans' role in the changing global environment.

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Body of Marine Corps Eric Jones Arrives in Mashpee

Marine Corps Captain Eric A. Jones arrives for funeral Saturday

The body of Marine Corps Captain Eric A. Jones arrives by a private jet at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod in Bourne, Massachusetts Wednesday (11-04-09) afternoon around 12:10 PM. Captain Jones was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in October. Several family members and friends held a 10-minute ceremony on the tarmac. Yarmouth Police Lt. Steven Xiarhos, whose son, Nicholas, 21, a Yarmouth native and Marine who died in July in Afghanistan, hugged Kenneth and Cynthia Jones, mother and father of Eric Jones.

Wake Friday, Funeral Saturday

Visiting hours will be at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 74 Algonquin Ave., Mashpee, on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m.

Funeral services for Captain Jones will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the John Wesley United Methodist Church, 270 Gifford St., Falmouth.

Captain Jones will be buried mmediately after at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

(Video and photo by David G. Curran)

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Turbine squabble at 4Cs

Community college stymied by Old Kings Highway District committee
Turbine would have powered college's electric needs

By Gerald Rogovin

Just days before Cape Cod Community College was to tie its 242-foot-high wind turbine in West Barnstable to its campus-wide energy system, the project was stopped in its tracks.

"It is so frustrating for the college. Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne and we have been moving together in this direction for a few years. They have turned on their system. It is serving them well. But we're stuck."
             - Michael Gross, 4Cs.

The turbine would have powered the college's energy system with 600 kilowatts of electricity, and integrated it into 4C's new environmental technology program as a teaching tool. It had been long anticipated.

A letter from the Old Kings Highway Historic District stopped the project. A collection of town committees from Sandwich to Orleans along Route 6A, the district monitors and regulates matters of historic preservation in the vicinity of the road.

"We're still waiting for a decision on how to proceed," Michael Gross, the college communications director said.

"We're working toward some sort of solution. We're reviewing the matter with attorneys from the state government," said Kevin Flanagan, a spokesman for the state's Division of Capital Asset Management. It is responsible for construction projects on state-managed property.

The letter was requested by the historic district and sent to the college by the Town of Barnstable's building commission.

Is the Old Kings Highway District Committee too powerful?

Vote in our online poll here.

Gross reported that the project was about two weeks behind schedule when construction was halted. But the college administration had anticipated that the students in its environmental technology curriculum would have begun familiarizing themselves with the turbine before the end of November. Electricity would have begun to flow by about the middle of the month.

The college's enewable energy effort includes a solar hot water system that was built
next to its cafeteria last spring. It has already produced substantial savings in energy
costs, Gross said.

"It is so frustrating for the college," Gross said. "Massachusetts Maritime Academy in
Bourne and we have been moving together in this direction for a few years. They have
turned on their system. It is serving them well. But we're stuck."

Same height as previous turbine

The academy turned on its 660-kilowatt turbine 28 months ago. It is about the same
height as the one on the college's Route 132 campus. The 1,084 cadets attending the
academy enjoy its benefits as a teaching tool and are warmed by the energy it produces,
according to Kathy Driscoll, Environmental Health and Safety Officer.

"We offrer degrees in marine and facilities engineering in our Engineering Management
curriculum," she disclosed. "The turbine has become integral to these courses, offering
students an almost "hands-on" experience in learning about alternate and renewable
energies.

"Some students organized a 'green' club. They examine the range of green technologies. The club was their own idea, to get a better handle on what's happening in energy. They've had speakers come to the campus to share their expertise. Jim Gordon, president of Cape Wind, was one," Driscoll said.

The academy administration, acknowledging the students' increased savvy about green technologies, invited two cadets to sit on the academy sustainability committee.

Its turbine is connected to the national electricity grid via NStar. It has been crediting back
to its electricity bill 5-18 percent of the power flowing from the academy, Driscoll noted.
NStar will probably make similar arrangements with 4Cs.

But those negotiations were also held up by the letter, according to Dixie Norris, the college's vice president for administration and finance. She predicted that the student body, more than four times the size of the Academy's will get similar benefits in the cost of energy consumed.

"It is insensitive (of the district) to stop our local college from being environmentally proactive..." - Denise Atwood.

" We have encountered a significant public groundswell of support for the college in the matter," Gross said. "It's really far more important than a matter of jurisdiction."

Denise Atwood, chair of the Dennis Alternate Energy Committee, said of the historic district's action, "It is insensitive (of the district) to stop our local college from being environmentally proactive... A wind turbine visible from Route 6 has no historic relevance. The savings in energy dollars are our tax dollars.

"We need these efforts to make a sustainable way of life on Cape Cod," she declared.

But today, the only evidence of the 4Cs environmental proactivity are piles of dirt surrounding a large hole and inside a fence on the college's Route 132 campus.

R ead earlier story here

Gerald Rogovin began as a journalist in 1948 in dailies, weeklies, radio and magazines; and in the past 9 years back to weeklies and magazines. In between, for 36 years, he headed his own public relations firm in Boston. He lives in Yarmouth Port with a skepticism confirmed by 60 years in the inky trade, and he also blogs for us on Rog's Gallery.

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Atlantic Realty merges with Kinlin Grover Real Estate

Companies have two biggest market shares in Lower Cape
Both firms now a part of Randall Realtors & Brookfield Residential

Atlantic Realty, formerly affiliated with Coldwell Banker, is merging with Kinlin Grover to form a Lower Cape powerhouse with nearly four times greater market share than any other real estate company in the region.

"We remain very bullish about the Cape Cod housing market, and particularly the Lower Cape, where home sales and prices, have been very resilient." - Bett McCarthy

Together, the two companies historically account for 32 percent of all residential transactions across Orleans, Brewster, Eastham and Harwich. The next biggest company in terms of transactions and sales volume has six percent of the market.

Atlantic Realty, established more than 25 years ago and with offices in Orleans and Brewster, will become wholly owned by Kinlin Grover, with its founders, Lee Sullivan and Dick Eble, joining Cape Cod's largest real estate company. Eble is joining the Kinlin Grover management team and Sullivan will focus on marketing and sales. Its 22 agents are transferring to Kinlin Grover's Brewster and Orleans offices where they join the company's 250 other agents in 11 locations, located from Wellfleet to Falmouth.

The merger, announced Monday, comes only months after Kinlin Grover itself was acquired by Randall Realtors, a family-owned company with 150 agents and offices from Mystic, Connecticut to Charlestown, R.I.

Earlier, Kinlin Grover acquired Dream Homes in North Falmouth, formerly a Century 21 affiliate, solidifying its growing presence in the Upper Cape. Its owner, Doug Azarian, also joined Kinlin Grover at the time.

All this expansion is occurring despite the deepest housing downturn in decades. "We remain very bullish about the Cape Cod housing market, and particularly the Lower Cape, where home sales and prices, have been very resilient," said Bett McCarthy, executive vice president of Kinlin Grover, who oversees the entire Cape.

McCarthy reports improvement in the residential market during the last three months, compared with a year ago - with prices for homes under $500,000 actually rising slightly after more than two years of declines.

Randall says it was attracted by Atlantic Realty's family-oriented culture and the extensive community involvement over decades by Sullivan, Eble and their agents.

"It's all about relationships and credibility in the community," he said. "Lee and Dick have dedicated their lives not only to their business, but to their towns and many philanthropies."

Sullivan founded the Orleans Pops in the Park that raises tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships at Nauset Regional High School. She also has chaired the Town of Orleans Fourth of July Committee, while serving as president of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce, director of the Orleans Improvement Association, president of Nauset Rotary, director of Lower Cape Outreach and trustee of the Cape Cod Symphony.

Eble, who is married to Sullivan, has been past president of the Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service, director of the Cape & Islands Association of Realtors and director of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce.

"The timing to associate with Kinlin Grover is opportune," Eble said. "This preserves our local identity and connections to the community under family-owned leadership," he explained. "At the same time, we now have far more support - from technology to global marketing. That let's us focus on the most important priorities - our buyers and sellers."

Kinlin Grover and Randall Realtors are part of Brookfield Residential Property Services, which has acquired GMAC, and provides global marketing support to both companies.

Source: Ritt Communications.

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Why some drivers can avoid speeding citations

State Trooper Tom Hester has connections in  high places
His brokerage associates work for DA O'Keefe, another Boston Court links as well

By Walter Brooks

The Cape Cod Times is waging a nearly half year long battle to get a straight answer from the Massachusetts State Police about a complaint filed that long ago about Trooper Tom Hester speeding by the newspaper.

A simple read through of the connections Mr. Hester has with the Cape and Islands District Attorney's office at the bottom should explain to anyone why the trooper has avoided the fate any other citizen would have met and was not prosecuted.

As the article in the Cape Cod Times states, "Five months, two weeks and five days. That's how long it has been since we first filed a complaint with the Massachusetts state police about a trooper speeding on Route 6 in West Barnstable.

"To recap, the Times filed the complaint shortly after a state official asserted that troopers must obey all traffic laws if they are not responding to an emergency..."

Read the details in Mr. Hester's website below, especially the areas in bold type at the bottom, and the "sluggisheness of the State's bureaucracy is easily understood.

Tom Hester, Broker/Partner, ABR
Email: tom@homesoncapecod.net
Telephone: 508-648-8310

Tom was raised on Cape Cod and has been a Realtor since 1984. He holds the Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) Designation and has sold numerous properties across Cape Cod. He is a member of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors Board of Directors. A graduate of St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada, Tom is also a Sergeant in the Massachusetts State Police and serves as a Patrol Supervisor for the Southeastern part of the State.

Laura Hester, Realtor/Partner, ABR, SRS, LMC
Email: laura@homesoncapecod.net
Telephone: 508-648-3733

Laura was raised in Falmouth, Cape Cod. She holds the Acredited Buyer Representative Designation (ABR), the Seller Representative Specialist Designation (SRS) as well as the Loss Mitigation Certification (LMC). Laura offers professional services to both Buyers and Sellers. Laura's knowledge of the Real Estate industry on Cape Cod make the buying and selling process positive experiences for her clients. Her personality and professionalism make her clients become her friends long after the real estate transaction has been completed. Prior to entering the Real Estate Profession, she had a successful career in Federal Law Enforcement. A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, Laura served as a Deputy United States Marshal in Washington, D.C. and Boston. She later worked for the Federal Court System in Boston. Laura is an active member of the National, Massachusetts and the Cape Cod & Islands Associations of Realtors. She is also an active member of the Village Garden Club of Dennis and the Cape Cod Hospital Auxillary, Barnstable Branch. Laura and Tom reside in Dennis with their dogs Buster & Banjo.

Kathy Hester, Realtor
Email: kathyhester@email.com
Telephone: 508-385-2773

Kathy has been a Cape Cod resident since 1971, relocating here from the Worcester and Springfield areas. She and her husband raised three children on Cape Cod. Kathy has been an active Realtor and member of the Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors since 1986. Kathy is an agent who gives personal attention to her customers and clients, making the transaction smooth and pleasant. As an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), she represents you the buyer as a client. She is committed to providing her customers and clients with honest and dependable service. Kathy loves the Cape and will find you your special dream home so you can share and enjoy the beauty, beaches and all the charm the Cape has to offer. Kathy welcomes the opportunity to work as your Realtor.

Kim Squier, Realtor
Email: kmsquier@comcast.net
Telephone: (508) 790-0644

A resident of Centerville, Kim specializes in Southside waterfront properties from Hyannis to Harwich. She is knowledgeable in the construction field along with her husband Michael, the owner of Squier Construction. Kim's easygoing manner makes the process of buying or selling real estate a pleasure. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Kim is also a Massachusetts State Trooper assigned to the Cape Cod and Islands District Attorney's Office.

One only hopes our daily newspaper is assiduous in pursuing other answers from Mr.'Keefe, like;

• Why is the admitting to having had "a couple beers" and empty beers cans in another trooper's car after an accident cause for a breathalyzer test?
• Why did it take his office three weeks to report and investigate a suspicious death at the Cape Cod Hospital?

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DA's office coverup death in Cape hospital, Trooper drunk driving

Visitor to Hyannis Hospital killed by employee using a restraint hold
What took hospital, police and D.A.'s office three weeks to reveal killing?
When isn't empty beers cans enough reason to give a Breathalyzer test?

By Walter Brooks

State and local police are investigating the death of an unidentified visitor to Cape Cod Hospital which happened three weeks ago. Daniel J. Ryan, 35, of Quashnet Woods Drive, Mashpee was subdued by employees inside the Hyannis facility on October 9 according to radio station WXTK. The man had been trying to visit his wife who was being treated for psychiatric issues.

Hospital security put the man in a choke hold, rendering him unconscious. Then he died.

The Cape Cod Times reported that the 35-year-old man came to the hospital to visit his wife, according to a source with knowledge of the incident. The man ended up in the emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation, the source said. The emergency room employees placed him in "one-on-one observation," which means a hospital employee was assigned to watch him closely.

At some point, the man fled from the emergency room and ran through the hospital, the Cape Cod Times source said. A short time later, a page was heard over the hospital's loud speakers calling for help in the lobby of the Mugar Building. The page later announced a "Code 99," a medical emergency usually requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The man was placed on life support due to a lack of oxygen in his brain. At the time of his death he had been on life support for nearly two weeks.

The hospital says employees restrained the patient in order to prevent him from injuring anyone else. Several Cape Cod Hospital employees were injured.

Why isn't our DA investigating some crimes?

"The facts that State Trooper Peirce admitted to consuming alcohol earlier in the day and that two empty beer cans were found in his car were not enough to compel police to administer a Breathalyzer test."
                                - D.A. O'Keefe.

Hospital security put the man in a choke hold, rendering him unconscious, according to WXTK radio. Another source told cctoday that DA O'Keefe has too many skeletons in his own closet to vigorously pursue some case, the failure to investigate the highway crash involving a State Trooper was mentioned as another example.

The D.A. said yesterday, "The facts that State Trooper Peirce admitted to consuming alcohol earlier in the day and that two empty beer cans were found in his car were not enough to compel police to administer a Breathalyzer test."

It would have been compelling enough to get most drivers tested and arrested.

That death on an abortion table, the DA's missing guns

In 2007 the DA's office did not pursue an abortion death until this newssite and others reported the incident.

Cape Codders have to wonder whether Mr. O'Keefe's own problems have him unable to police the police and the "power structure" here.

He has never fully explained the disappearance of guns from his Sandwich home, and he has never been prosecuted for his failure to keep them locked and possibly even registered.

The 2006 theft of a firearm from the home of Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe - a firearm for which no serial number is available - has raised questions concerning the Cape's top law enforcement official.

Who polices the police?

The police department investigation of the missing gun, which remains open, has been hampered by what a department memo calls "the lack of a serial number."

State law requires that the serial number of a firearm be recorded every time the gun is sold or transferred. Law enforcement officials say serial numbers are key tools for investigating crimes involving guns.

Massachusetts law also requires that the owner of a firearm hold a license or permit appropriate for that gun.

O'Keefe lives in Sandwich. On Dec. 28, 2006, Sandwich police responded to a report of breaking and entering at his home. During that break-in, according to police, a gun was stolen.

The police department investigation of the missing gun, which remains open, has been hampered by what a department memo calls "the lack of a serial number."

Why wouldn't the chief law enforcement officer for Cape Cod and the Islands have the registeration numbers? And what would your police department do to a mere resident were they to not disclose that information?

Who polices the police?

The hospital statement

The hospital released a prepared statement Friday which read in part, "Cape Cod Hospital can confirm that a patient who died in the hospital earlier this week was involved in an altercation in which certain of our employees restrained the individual while waiting for additional assistance."

"Several of those employees were injured themselves although none to the extent of those involved in the event at Massachusetts General Hospital just a few days ago."

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It's lights out in some Cape Cod towns

Cape towns turn to a street light shutdown to ease budget woes

   This stretch of Route 28 in Harwich between Chatham and Orleans has a halogen light every hundred or so feet. Neighbors report that there is no pedestrian traffic at all here and half the homes are occupied only during the summer. Walter Brooks photo.

By Gerald Rogovin

Plummeting tax revenues in Massachusetts have made budget reductions imperative for Cape Cod towns. Several have turned to  shutting off street lights as a quick response. Altogether, about 70 Bay State towns have begun investigating the approach, according to Wayne Bergeron, a Dennis selectman.

Street lighting goes back to 1879 in the United States. At first, it was done by lamp-lighters,
who toured a town at dusk each day, lighting gas lamps.

Incandescent lighting succeeded gas in the early 1900s. It was followed by high-intensity
discharge lights, which are common today. High-pressure sodium lamps have also become
popular. Yarmouth installed some about 20 years ago, according to Town Administrator Bob Lawton, who said they were the first on the Cape. But some engineers consider them less appropriate for night lighting.

Where do you stand on shutting off street lights to save money? Vote in our poll now.

Budgeting and night lights

Whatever the design, street lights have emerged as a budget consideration for Fiscal Year 2011, and, in Yarmouth and Dennis, a controversial topic.

A survey of seven Cape Cod towns -- Yarmouth, Dennis, Barnstable, Sandwich, Falmouth, Chatham and Provincetown -- suggests that town officials in all are staying abreast of the implications of shutting off street lights in the effort to reduce budgets.

400 on the block in Yarmouth

Yarmouth residents had until last Monday (10/26) to appeal proposed street lights that were to be shut off by next Monday (11/2). About 400 of the 2,447 in the town were to be turned off. Part of the reason was budgetary, Lawton said. But since 1989, town policy has called for reviews of street light placement, by order of the Board of Selectmen.

They have been limited to street intersections, curves in roads and on those roads the police department considers them essential for public safety.

Lawton said that the policy was revised in 2003, when a guide was issued to citizens that noted which lights were considered essential. He said that volunteers continuously examine the lights for compliance with the guide. The 400 to be shut off were determined last spring and again two months ago.

If all 400 are shut off, Lawton estimated that the town will save $30,000 a year in energy costs.

"We're not looking at Route 28, Station Avenue or other well-traveled roads. But we can't afford to light up the whole town," he observed.

Extinguish a light, save a job?

Dennis proposed turning off 697 of its 2,300 street lights, about 30 percent. The objective was to save money. Bergeron estimated that $23,000 could be saved in the second half of the current fiscal year, $53,000 in all of next year. "The difference could be in avoiding laying off an important town employee," he pointed out.

When residents objected at an October 20 selectmen's meeting, complaining that shut-offs threat night-time drivers and pedestrians, and risked crime, an "adopt-a-light" program was discussed. It could involve a one-time fee and a monthly lease, altogether costing about $450 a year.

The town owns the lights and NStar owns the poles. They would have developed a program together.  But NStar backed down in negotiations. Next month, the selectmen will consider a plan to be worked out by the Town Administrator.

An online survey conducted by CapeCodToday.com over the past three days - 10/28-30 - showed that 50 percent of readers participating in the poll approved shutting off street lights to save money. Opposed were 42 percent. Eight percent were undecided.

Barnstable to wait and see

Street lights in Barnstable's seven villages are the responsibility of the town's five fire districts. Hyannis  district commission's chairman Richard Gallagher said, "We're not contemplating any action right now. But we are keeping an eye on what is happening in Yarmouth and Dennis. When budget deliberations  come up in January, we may consider the matter. But not yet."

Barnstable's Finance Director Mark Milne told town officials last week that $1.2 million in budget reductions plus another $1.8 million for the schools must be identified in the next fiscal year.

Towns like Provincetown which have after dark activities need ample street lighting. File photo.

Falmouth to assess; Chatham, Sandwich Ptown have no plans

Falmouth has begun an analysis of its 2,500 street lights to determine the pattern of their distribution.  Some may have to be eliminated, according to Heather Harper, Assistant Town Manager. She said that the process will be townwide, and will include public meetings. She anticipated that it will start after the town concludes budget discussions later this calendar year.

Harper estimated that it costs  the town about $200,000 annually for energy. "Street lights are a statewide subject these days. Some of ours have been in place for more than 30
years. What was the criteria for their placement? The analysis will give us the opportunity to determine what is the optimum distribution pattern," she said.

Chatham has no plans for shutting off street lights this year, according to Dan Tobin, Director of Parks and Recreation and formerly Director of Public Works. "We surveyed our situation a number of years ago," he recalled.

Elsewhere, the matter hasn't come up. A spokesman for Sandwich's Town Clerk's office said he hadn't "heard a word about the subject." Provincetown's Town Clerk reported, "We're not aware of any discussion about shutting off street lights. At least, not yet."

Gerald Rogovin began as a journalist in 1948 in dailies, weeklies, radio and magazines; and in the past 9 years back to weeklies and magazines. In between, for 36 years, he headed his own public relations firm in Boston. He lives in Yarmouth Port with a skepticism confirmed by 60 years in the inky trade, and he also blogs for us on Rog's Gallery.

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Coast Guard search for two Wellfleet boaters near entrance to Canal

David Curren shoots video interview for WBZ

Christopher Merl, 39, and Matthew Gregory, 18 return safe

Two fishermen that went missing about eight miles east of the Cape Cod Canal in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., are safe after being rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew around 9 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.

Rescued are Christopher Merl, 39, and Matthew Gregory, 18.

While performing a shoreline search, the Sandwich Police Department located a debris field from the 36-foot fishing boat Carol and Allison and notified the Coast Guard.

Shortly thereafter an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod located the two men about 50 yards offshore of Springhill Beach in Sandwich, Mass., hoisted them into the helicopter and transported them to the air station.

They are currently in good condition and have declined medical attention at this time.

"Fortunately the two men were wearing survival suits," said Petty Officer 1st Class Seven Kent, the operations unit controller for Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. "With the cooler air and water temperatures this time of year we highly recommend anyone on the water to wear a survival suit. This is a perfect example of how they can save your life."

Boat crews from Coast Guard stations Cape Cod Canal and Provincetown, a Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod, the Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis from Newport, R.I., and several local fishermen, were all involved in the search. Also assisting in the search were police departments from Sandwich, Mass., Bourne, Mass., Eastham, Mass., and Wellfleet, Mass., the Barnstable, Mass., fire department, Massachusetts Marine Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts State Police.

The fishermen reported they were underway at 4 a.m., Wednesday, and their boat sank at 4:15 p.m.

The cause is unknown.

Release courtesy of the US Coast Guard. Video courtesy of David G. Curran.

PREVIOUS REPORTS:

UPDATE as of 9:45 p.m. Wednesday evening - the two fishermen have been found alive and are being transported by helicopter to Otis Air Force Base. We will update the story as more information becomes available.

Coast Guard searching for two Wellfleet boaters near entrance to Canal

The Coast Guard is searching for two boaters after the pair reported they were taking on water about eight miles east of the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2009.

The crew of the 36-foot fishing boat Carol and Allison, from Wellfleet, Mass., used a cell phone to contact Coast Guard Station Provincetown at 3:21 p.m., requesting assistance.

The crew of a nearby tug reported they heard the boat issue a Mayday call, but the cell phone communication between the Carol and Allison crew and the Coast Guard was lost after the initial call.

Boat crews aboard 47-foot motor life boats from Coast Guard stations Cape Cod Canal and Provincetown went to the boater's location but were unable to find the vessel or the crew.

The stations and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod are searching the area and an urgent marine broadcast is being issued requesting boaters in the area to keep a look out and report any helpful information to the Coast Guard.

The pair said they were en route Cape Cod Canal and are reportedly wearing life jackets.

Currently there are 20-25 knot winds, 4-6 foot seas, the water temperature is 52 degrees and the air temperature is 54 degrees.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England at 508-457-3211.

Release courtesy of the US Coast Guard.

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CC Hospital moves to guard against flu, limits visitor access to those 18 and under

People 18 and under not permitted  to visit Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital until the end of flu season

Cape Cod Healthcare announced Wednesday a decision to limit visitor access in its hospitals for people under age 18 as a way to protect patients most at risk for H1N1 influenza and the seasonal flu.  This decision applies to both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital and is effective Monday, Nov. 2, 2009. 

With this decision, people under age 18 will not be permitted to visit the hospitals until the end of the flu season. In addition, CCHC is asking the general public to avoid visits to friends or family if they have cold or flu symptoms. This decision, based on the recommendations of federal health officials, will be reviewed as flu season progresses; however, it will likely remain in effect until at least April, 2010.

“We recognize that there will be individual cases in which visitation by a person under age 18 may be critical to a patient’s well-being,” said Michael Lauf, Chief Operating Officer, CCHC. “As such, nurse managers/unit directors are authorized, on a case-by-case basis, to determine if special circumstances would necessitate an exception, allowing the individual under age 18 to visit.”

CCHC is making this decision now because of a noticeable increase in confirmed positive H1N1 cases since October 15 at the Cape’s two hospitals. Many of these patients are less than 18 years of age, which mirrors state and national statistics. The limited availability of both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines due to manufacturing issues will undoubtedly mean that we will continue to see increasing numbers of cases in this segment of the population.

“It is important every year to take steps to protect against the flu, but the added risk of H1N1 this year makes it even more critical that we do everything we can to protect our staffs, our patients, and our community,” added Lauf. “This step is part of our responsibility to maintain a healing environment at CCHC.”

CCHC’s website, www.capecodhealth.org, has access to the latest available information via links to the federal CDC website and the state DPH website. These documents are available in Portuguese and Spanish, as well as English. CCHC will notify patients and the community about this decision to limit visitor access via signs, posters and press releases. “We thank everyone for their cooperation,” Lauf said, “and for helping us make our hospitals as safe as possible during this influenza season.”

Release courtesy of Cape Cod Healthcare.

Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 450 physicians and 4,500 employees, Cape Cod Healthcare has two-acute care hospitals, the largest home health services agency on the Cape (VNA), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility and numerous health programs. For more information, visit Cape Cod Healthcare’s web site at www.capecodhealth.org.

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