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Selling Eastham’s water plan to voters
Banner Daily Update posted Mon. July 30
By Derek Burritt
Banner Staff
EASTHAM—Coming to your mailbox soon . . . answers to your municipal water questions.
Now that Special Town Meeting has been set for Oct. 1, the joint water committees and board of selectmen are going forward with an extraordinary educational campaign to ensure residents of Eastham are up to speed on all the ins and outs of the proposed municipal water system. With the majority vote at town election secured, all that’s needed is a 2/3 vote Oct. 1 to set the wheels in motion for the project.
At the last Town Meeting, the article for the proposed plan lost the two-thirds vote by a narrow margin. There was a lot of opposition on Town Meeting floor, including remarks that raised fear over whether the $73.4 million project will turn into “The Big Dig.” Those close to the project believe much of this resistance stems from a lack of understanding and misconceptions about the project in the community. Since the project did receive a majority vote, it was decided to bring the issue back after answering some of the questions that came up then. That inspired the water committees and selectmen to reevaluate how they’re communicating with the public.
“When people criticize what you do, it’s often very useful,” says Karl Weiss, water resources advisory board chairman.
One preliminary measure the water committees and selectmen are taking is to send an informational mailer to all Eastham property owners that will answer the questions raised most frequently by critics. The mailer itself is in its infancy, so specific facts about its contents and appearance are unavailable at this time. However, the production process is well under way, with a draft list of focus areas drawn up and circulated to water committee members and selectmen at a joint meeting July 25.
Going forward, those involved will decide upon the best way to answer these questions, taken directly from recorded footage of Town Meeting, in preparation for the creation of the mailer. Also, the joint water committees will meet Aug. 14 with those who’ve been particularly outspoken against the municipal water plan to hear their concerns and input in a further effort to shed light on targeted concerns in the mailer.
Read more in the upcoming Aug. 2 Provincetown Banner.
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Jul 26th, 2007