Editor:

Based on previous responses, I make no apology for asking you to publish this information again. I am not a qualified horticulturist, but as a member of the Chatham Conservation Commission several years ago, I became aware of gardens that had become invaded by attractive 10-foot-high bamboo-like canes with dense green leaves and creamy tassel flowers. 

This plant is Japanese knotweed, which is a notoriously aggressive invasive species capable of damaging foundations, breaking through concrete and choking out native ecosystems. Its roots can extend 10 feet down and 20 feet laterally. Cutting it only encourages growth, and the tiniest piece can regrow. It is not yet as ubiquitous on the Cape as some other non-native invasive plants, but it is a real local, national and global problem.

A single foliar spray with horticultural 30 percent vinegar will temporarily defoliate the plant, but not kill the rhizomes underground, although five years of annual sprayings are said to be effective. The town of Chatham continues to ignore Japanese knotweed on its properties, and thick stands of it are currently being bulldozed at the Chatham transfer station with likely structural results in the future.

There appears to be only one way to kill Japanese knotweed in a single attempt, namely to inject each stem using a tool, e.g. JK Injection Systems, above the second node, or possibly use “cut-and-fill.” About five mils or about a teaspoon of undiluted glyphosate or imazapyr per stem is effective, or triclopyr less so. This should be done in the fall just after blooming, and the herbicide is drawn down into the rhizomes with the sap. This process can be tedious, but should be one time, and can be done by a licensed professional/landscaper. Unlike foliar spraying, there is no personal exposure to the herbicide, which decomposes in the plant and the ground.

Michael Tompsett
Chatham

Editor:

It was an eye-opening neighborhood party. I was made aware of the changes that have taken place over the years. A generation or two have passed since I've been coming to the Cape.

Everything has changed from technology to smart this, smart that, artificial intelligence, traffic, restaurants, and most of all space to enjoy peace and quiet.

Everything has been updated from an old-time camping experience to resort style living. Isn't that what life's all about, change? Some for good, some for bad. But let's not lose the history while creating the future.

While on a trip on the Hudson River, the tour guide gave a good history of the Dutch establishing the area. Never a word about "scamming" the indigenous out of their lands. On the Cape, we do try to honor those who lived on this beautiful land by trying not to erase the history while growing the future.

They come and go, neighborhoods change, and so do the people who are residents. So welcome new people, enjoy the history of what made the Cape a place for people to enjoy. Let's not bring the modern city trends to the Cape.

Just relish what always has been: peace, love and friendship.

Deborah McCarthy
West Chatham

Editor:

Where are the candidates who are calling for equal justice under lawful investigation, fair process, transparent evidence and consequences where wrongdoing is proven?

A more perfect union cannot be built on impunity. The Constitution's first promise remains its priority: establish justice. Until and unless that promise is applied evenly, without fear or favor, our democracy will remain in peril and not be restored. Accountability is not vengeance. It is fairness. We the people are governed by laws, not by personalities. Demand justice now! 

Mark I. Berson
Orleans

Editor:

On the crisp bright blue morning of 9/11, 2001, my wife, Irene, and I began our daily commute from Huntington Metro station in Fairfax County, Va. to Crystal City, two stops before the Pentagon. I worked for the department of the navy and my wife worked for the patent and trademark office. My office had moved out of the Pentagon to Crystal City in 1997 due to a huge renovation project.

A few hours later, I was watching out of my office window a tall and every growing column of black smoke that rose to the heavens from the Pentagon. It was a frightening sight knowing that a terrorist commandeered plane had flown into the building. 

We were all sent home, and on the walk from my office building to the Crystal City metro to meet Irene, the air was redolent with the smell of burning airplane fuel. Fortunately, although the Metro line went under the Pentagon, the Metro trains kept running. The trip back home beyond Crystal City was all above ground, so all the way to the end of the line (five stations) you could see that heinous black plume of smoke rising to eternity.

We were back at work the next day thanks to the continued operation of the Metro. It took three weeks until I was able to go to our head office in the Pentagon, and coming up out of the Metro to the Pentagon concourse, you could see destruction everywhere as well as the lingering smell of smoke. 

We all knew that the world had changed forever.

Tom Gribble and Irene Heisig
Chathamport

Editor:

 “The Chatham Board Approves Residential Tax Exemption” headline should read: “Chatham Board Approves Increasing Property Taxes On Summer Residences.”

This ruling appears to be approved with little due diligence before passing it. There are no limitations on income or property value.

There are many nonresident taxpayers who summer in Chatham already paying high property taxes and use minimal town services throughout the year. There are also many Chatham residents who only live here for part of the year and have winter residences elsewhere.

I am not against residents who need assistance in paying their taxes. For example, Chatham has residents with low income and firemen, policemen, teachers and others who would love to live in the town where they are employed.

This action is extremely discriminatory to nonresident taxpayers. The subsidizing of low-income taxpayers is a worthwhile effort and should be shared equally by all property owners who can afford to contribute. One segment of the tax base should not alone bear the burden of the tax exemption.

Mary V. Kearns
South Chatham

Editor:

Barnstable County Commissioners are the executive branch. They prepare the operating and capital budgets, supervise revenues and disbursements, appoint the administrator and sign the contracts. Those choices become assessments on 15 towns and then appear on year-round tax bills. That is not a speaking role. It is a ledger.

Dan Gessen is 26, Falmouth’s assembly delegate and deputy speaker, a National Guard infantry officer, and a Columbia Law student. Those are real credentials. They are not the same as running a county budget.

His assembly record is mostly proposals: ARPA wastewater allocations, a high-value real-estate transfer fee still sitting at the State House, and a surcharge on empty multimillion-dollar homes that has produced no collected revenue. Letters and home-rule petitions are legislative work. Commissioners have to close the books. The board recently advanced an operating budget near $26 million, up roughly 9 percent, on a revenue mix the county itself calls relatively unstable. Someone has to decide what gets funded and what towns will pay.

The households that absorb the next regional fee already live here. They carry mortgages on houses now assessed like $800,000 properties, septic replacements, insurance renewals and January heat. Gessen’s campaign address is a Falmouth family home. Public materials do not describe him as the primary obligor on a year-round Cape note or the parent making that budget work while attending law school.

Cape Cod does not lack housing theories. It needs officials who have written the check the policy will raise. Fitness for this office is not a résumé of ideas. It is whether the person adopting the budget has lived inside it.

Ron Beaty
West Barnstable

Editor:

I agree 100 percent with letter writer Rick Leavitt and his vision for affordable housing (“Good Example Of Affordable Housing,” Sept. 3).

A better solution is needed to help our low income residents with housing. 

For example, when the Pine Oaks Village 4 development in Harwich, on 40 acres, was first proposed, I wrote a letter to The Cape Cod Chronicle. I suggested changing the zoning for that area to allow for 150 24-by-32-foot Cape style homes to be built vs. 200-plus apartments on an incredibly fragile area, not to mention traffic, water, road issues, etc.

Just like the letter writer said, "large, tall, impersonal apartment buildings disrupting the quiet peaceful enjoyments of our homes." This development would ruin the North Harwich neighborhood as we know it.

Joan M Jones
Harwich

Editor:

I take exception to the letter in the August 27 issue of The Chronicle regarding the character of Orleans (“What’s The Character Of Orleans?).

Firmness, commodity and delight are the three core principles of architecture according to Vitruvius in the first century BCE. Those principles are still taught. In my view, the plan for the Governor Prence adheres to none of these.

Quite simply, the site has been asked to do more than it is able to. In the wish to do good, I fear we will do harm if this plan goes ahead in its entirety. Would anyone be pleased to live there? We can and need to do better.

Maybe it’s time to revisit the decision before there are regrets. It’s clear that it is dividing our town.

Patricia Crow, landscape architect
Orleans

Editor:

The Orleans Pond Coalition invites everyone to our 16th annual Celebrate Our Waters!

There will be a full weekend of free festivities throughout Orleans, from Friday afternoon, Sep. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 20. The theme for this year’s Celebrate Our Waters is “our waters as artistic inspiration.” Many new events around this theme have been added this year, including a juried photography exhibition at Snow Library, poetry readings, a dance performance, a sing along concert and a nature photography presentation. We are especially excited to announce open houses at five art galleries in Orleans, including plein air painting demonstration and artist reception at the Addison Art Gallery. 

The centerpiece of this weekend is the well-loved bonfire/concert on Nauset Beach, featuring music by DJ “JT’s Chronicles,” followed by a live performance by local teen band Watch Your Step playing classic rock favorites. The evening culminates in the bonfire at dusk. 

In addition, we are bringing back our always popular events, including Sailing on Pleasant Bay, Yoga on the Beach, a hike to Pochet Island, a sunset SUP Glow tour, bird watching and a kayak and hiking trip to Sipson Island. And for those curious about sustainable water management in Orleans, we have tours of the Orleans Water Department treatment plant (our drinking water) and the Orleans Wastewater Facility (sewer facility.)

Please mark your calendar for Sept. 18 to 20 and join us for a full weekend of free and fun activities to celebrate the beauty and critical importance of protecting our fresh and saltwater bodies. For more information, go to: www.orleanspondcoalition.org/posts/2026-celebrate-our-waters/

John Dugan, board director
Orleans Pond Coalition

Editor:

Thank you, Cape residents, for extending to me the privilege of serving as Barnstable County Commissioner for the last eight years. The thought that I may have, in some small way, improved the quality of life we enjoy here on our peninsula is more reward than I could have hoped for. I am also truly grateful for the advice and support I received from my friends and associates at the county, especially the administration and staff of Barnstable County, who work tirelessly to benefit the communities they serve.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in local government to step forward and volunteer for a town committee or even stand for election as a select board or school committee member. The reward will far outweigh the cost in time and effort.

As for me, though I will no longer be an elected official, I still plan to be an advocate for the environment and for the quality of life for all Cape Cod residents.

Ron Bergstrom
Chatham