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Seashore supt. receptive to DPW garage move
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN — A proposal for the town and the National Seashore to share a maintenance garage on Seashore property has received a positive first reaction from George Price, Seashore superintendent.
“I’m receptive to the idea,” Price said.
Price’s receptivity is largely based on an idea floated by Town Manager Keith Bergman to turn the shared facility into a renewable fuel depot, where the town and Seashore would explore using alternative fuels to power their vehicle fleets.
By tying the facility to a renewable energy initiative currently making its way through Congress, both the Seashore and Provincetown may be able to qualify for federal and state funding. The two entities will have a better chance of winning grant approval if they apply together for funds, Price said.
“If we’re going to collaborate on fuels, it makes sense to have joint funding requests,” Price said
The Provincetown Board of Selectmen also favors sharing a maintenance facility with the Seashore but for different reasons. Last week selectmen approved a proposal to extend the town’s sewer line to the area at the corner of Race Point Road and Route 6, where the Provincetown Dept. of Public Works garage currently sits. The idea is that if the town can find another suitable location for the DPW garage, that five-acre parcel can be used to build affordable housing.
The key to the plan is if the Seashore agrees to share resources with the town and let the Provincetown DPW move into the Seashore-owned maintenance garage, located a short distance away from the DPW garage on Race Point Road. Price said that in addition to the renewable fuels collaboration, the idea has merit because the Seashore facility is underutilized since the Seashore moved its primary maintenance facility to Marconi Beach.
“My interest is more how we can be more efficient with our space and with green fuel down the road than affordable housing. It’s like the same effort could have multiple benefits,” he said.
Bergman said the next step is for staff members from both groups to explore the challenges in combining maintenance resources. Provincetown DPW director David Guertin has already said he supports the idea.
Bergman said he would like to have the issue decided in the next month in order for the sewer extension proposal to be placed on the warrant for the special Town Meeting in early November.
psowers@provincetownbanner.com
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Aug 24th, 2006