Voters To Weigh In On Pool At Com Center, Among Other Town Meeting Petitions

HARWICH – Voters will be asked at the annual town meeting if it is time to construct an Olympic-size swimming pool at the community center on Oak Street. A non-binding petition article in the form of a resolution will seek the town’s sentiment on a pool.

The petitioned article is one of four filed by resident Patrick Otton that will be placed on the annual town meeting warrant. His other three petitioned articles seek to control fertilizers and pesticides and preserve and protect trees on residential, commercial and industrial lots during building activities.

A fifth petitioned article filed by former selectman Ed McManus seeks special legislation to amend the affordable housing trust fund bylaw to include “attainable housing” in the trust’s purview.

Otton’s article seeks to gauge support for a public access Olympic swimming pool and facilities at the community center.

“A public Olympic-size swimming pool would be an asset for all Harwich residents,” according to the explanation accompanying the article. “This is a non-binding question, first stop. Similar to golf, other recreational facilities and our beaches, a pool would promote health, happiness and wellbeing of all Harwich residents.”

When the community center was built in 2000, rough plumbing necessary to provide for a pool was installed during the construction project. An additional wing to the community center would have to be built to accommodate the pool, according to Otton. In 2018, the cost of building a pool was estimated at $18 million, he said.

The pool facilities would require a new staff position, and the recreation department would be responsible for providing lifeguards, according to Otton.

A few months ago, Roz Coleman of Chatham recommended to her town’s select board that they look at a potential partnership with Harwich in developing a swimming pool at the Harwich Community Center. Coleman said she had data supporting the need for such a facility.

Otton’s resolution cites as benefits of a pool “year-round swim lessons for our children, competitive swimming for our youth and recreational and fitness swimming for our adults would improve the health and wellbeing of all.”

The resolution asks voters to send a positive affirmation in support of a pool to the select board, town administrator and capital outlay committee for consideration of inclusion in the town’s capital plan.

McManus’ petitioned article seeks special legislation to amend the Harwich Affordable Housing Trust Fund bylaw to include attainable housing. He said an Orleans article from last year was used as a template and language was altered to match the Harwich bylaw.

“The housing market on Cape Cod has now moved out of reach of many working people and families,” he said. “Both private and public jobs are vacant because potential employees can’t find housing. The trust is now limited to providing assistance to create housing only for people at or below 100 percent of area median income.

“Passage of this home rule petition would expand the trust’s toolbox to address our housing needs. It does not require any local funding, but it would allow the trust to work with private donors to help create this much needed housing.”

According to the petition, “attainable housing” means housing that is not restricted to occupancy by low or moderate income households although it may include housing subject to maximum income limits to be occupied by households with gross incomes greater than 80 percent but not more than 200 percent of the area median household income as most recently determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, adjusted for household size.

Residents have made it clear that they are concerned about lots being clear-cut for development. Trees are a tremendous asset to the community and environment, said Otton. He is urging voters to approve a town tree preservation bylaw that would encourage the preservation of trees on residential, commercial and industrial lots during building activities.

The bylaw would require, prior to any building activities, the submission of a plan to the planning department that identifies trees that qualify as “protected trees” within the setback area of a lot.

“This article does not prohibit any property owner from removing any tree, protected or not, from their property. However, if a protected tree is proposed for removal it will require either a payment into a tree bylaw payment account or replacement of the protected tree with a suitable species. This would eliminate the ability for property owners to ‘clear-cut’ their lot prior to a building activity,” according to the explanation accompanying the petition.

Voters will be asked once again this year to approve a petitioned article seeking to limit the use of fertilizers in town. Voters last May turned down a similar article filed by Otton.

The petitioned article seeks to authorize the select board to file a bill with the legislature for to prohibit the application of fertilizer, except for the purposes of commercial agriculture and residential use of organic fertilizer with low nitrogen and phosphorus for use in growing fruits and vegetables allowable under USDA National Organic Program organic standards.

“Beacon Hill does not have the seashore, ponds, embayments and estuaries,” Otton’s explanation reads. “These are all endangered by human sourced pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers. Harwich’s 22 ponds and 11 miles of coastline are the life and assets for all residents, property owners, visitors and businesses in Harwich. It is the reason we live here and they need to be protected and cared for.”

Otton is also seeking to authorize the select board to seek special legislation authorizing the town to adopt a pesticide reduction bylaw to reduce toxic pesticide use in and on public and private property in the town.

The annual town meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 6.