· On Monday I met with Councilor Ann Canedy along with Ted Theodores and Peter Jasin from The Friends of Barnstable Harbor. All three played a significant role in assisting the Town with the funding from the State for the bulkhead replacement. Town staff is currently reviewing the bids received for the project and I hope to soon announce the winning bidder. We also discussed ways to communicate with the various stakeholders who use the harbor. This will be an active construction site through the summer months and communication with all parties will make a difficult situation run more smoothly. A very special thanks go to Ann, Ted and Peter for playing such a major role in getting the bulkhead replaced!
· At the February 4th Town Council meeting we heard an update on several state issues from Senator Rob O’Leary. Senator O’Leary cautioned the Town in preparing the FY 2011 budget that the legislature may be forced to make reductions in both Chapter 70 School Aid and local aid funding. He mentioned the Governor’s budget contains tax increases to meet his projections and Mr. O’Leary doesn’t see an appetite in the Senate for approving any tax increases. He also spoke of the significance of the new Education Reform Act of 2009. Senator O’Leary chairs the Education Committee and believes the new law represents the most significant changes in education since 1993. He also spoke about the Senate passed Wind Energy Siting Bill, which now includes local input from communities and their ability to review projects. Finally he spoke passionately about embracing the Cape effort to have a bike trail from Wellfleet to Sandwich. The Town has been working on a bike path near Rte. 6. We appreciate all the support Senator O’Leary and our entire legislative delegation gives to our Town.
· The Town Council rescheduled the appearance of Airport Manager Bud Breault and Airport Commissioner Dan Santos who originally were going to be present at this week’s Council meeting. The airport will be present for a workshop at the March 4th Council meeting to discuss the proposed new airport terminal. Under “Old Business” the ordinance to adopt fees primarily for licenses and permits associated with commercial or business activities was postponed until March. Superintendent Grenier gave a power point presentation on the Long Term Facilities Plan of the school department. After considerable public testimony and questions from Councilors the two appropriations for the school department were adopted. One was for design services for the Barnstable High School track and field (passed 9-2) and the other was for a boiler replacement at the Barnstable Community Horace Mann Public Charter School (adopted 11-0).
· Congratulations to Joe Daluz, who received Bridgewater State College’s Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Award on January 18th. Joe and his wife Dolores, Hyannis residents, have been active in civic affairs in our Town for as long as I can remember. He was praised as “a leader in housing, human rights, community service, and politics”. Joe was the Building Commissioner in Barnstable for many years. Congratulations to Joe and Dolores for a lifetime of community service!
· On Wednesday, Inside Barnstable Town Government (IBTG) held its first session. There are 35 participants in the 15th semester of our citizen’s academy! I gave a welcoming speech, Bob Frazee of Marstons Mills gave a history of the town, Council President Fred Chirigotis discussed the Town Council process and Assistant Town Manager Tom Lynch gave a history of town government. Over 425 citizens have graduated from the IBTG program.
· The Salvation Army has had a changing of the guard. Army Majors Ralph and Donna Hansen will be departing Cape Cod after six years of service. I want to thank them for their dedication to the neediest members of our community. The Salvation Army has also announced the facility will be closing its afternoon programs. Human service providers have been meeting to discuss filling the gap this creates for certain homeless individuals who used the facility during the day. There should be more information on this matter when the new Commanding Officer takes over next week. On that note, Captain Cynthia Brown, who will be running the Hyannis facility, will be sworn-in on Sunday, February 7th. We welcome her to our community and look forward to working with her in the future.
· Senate President Therese Murray, who represents part of Barnstable, contacted my office announcing the 19th Annual Better Government Competition. This competition is sponsored by the non-profit public policy research group Pioneer Institute. This yearly competition looks to encourage ideas from the public for improving government. The winning idea will be awarded a $10,000 prize and each runner-up receives a $1,000 prize. The Pioneer Institute is appreciative of Senator Murray’s support of this competition which has enabled the Institute to broaden its ability to attract good ideas from across the state. The theme for the 2010 competition is:”Governing in Times of Crisis”. For more information about the competition, visit www.pioneerinstitute.org/bgs or call Shawni Littlehale at 617.723.2277 x207. We really appreciate Senator Murray’s commitment to regularly informing us about what is going on in State government.
· On Wednesday, AmeriCorps representatives Mary Lawrence and Amanda Howe stopped by to discuss their upcoming winter retreat, which will focus on civic engagement and participation. I have been asked to be a participant at this February event. AmeriCorps Cape Cod is a residential environmental program serving Cape Cod’s fragile resources. The program gives each member the opportunity to train and serve in environmental and disaster preparedness fields providing at least 1,700 hours each of quality service over an 11 month term. There are several members serving in Barnstable at the Red Cross, Housing Assistance Corporation, fires districts and Town Hall.