Town Meeting, April 9, 2018 – Articles 32 & 34

Below are 2 articles for the upcoming Town Meeting of relevance to our area.

Please direct any comments to our Precinct 2 (Falmouth Heights) or Precinct 3 (Maravista) Town Meeting Members (see lists below).

Watch for the local Precinct meetings, open to the public, in the Enterprise.

You may attend the town meeting as a visitor, sitting in the back of the auditorium, or watch live on FCTV.    Also, find repeats on the FCTV Program Schedule.

ARTICLES OF THE WARRANT FOR THE APRIL TOWN MEETING

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 AT 7:00 P.M.

MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, LAWRENCE SCHOOL

ARTICLE 32

With the recent completion of the Little Pond Sewer Service Area (LPSSA) project residents in the area are require to abandon their old title five sewer systems and connect to this new sewer system. And since this new system’s operating costs will cause your residential water bill to approximately double, and since each residence is only authorized one water meter, you will be unnecessarily charged for water usage that doesn’t even enter the town sewer system. Specifically,the Transfer From Transfer To Amount 01-914-5177 Health Insurance 01-423-5120 Snow & Ice S&W $150,000 01-914-5177 Health Insurance 01-423-5299 Snow & Ice Exp. $300,000 01-914-5179 Health Insurance 01-151-5300 Special Counsel $120,000 01-914-5179 Health Insurance 01-220-5130 Fire Overtime $90,000 01-914-5179 Health Insurance 01-210-5130 Police Overtime $50,000 water used for lawns, gardens, washing your house, etc. Only approximately two thirds of your residential water usage is actually gray water (water that does into the sewer system). This means that you are being unnecessarily charged for 33.33% of your water usage!! That means if your water bill is $600 a year, you are paying $199.98 too much!! But, if you had a second separate water meter in your home (one for inside use and one for outside use) you would not be charged a sewer tax for the water used outside your home.

This petition is to place an article in the annual warrant to have the town of Falmouth authorize a second water meter for each residence affected by this new sewer system. The town to provide the additional water meter and the homeowner would pay for its installation. On petition of Stephen C. Bazycki.

RECOMMENDATION (Board of Selectmen): That the Town vote to indefinitely postpone Article 32.

EXPLANATION: This article would allow homeowners who use a significant volume of water for irrigation and pools to install a second water meter so that sewer fees are charged only on the water that enters the sewer treatment system. Under this article, the cost of this second water meter would be borne by the Town. It does not seem equitable that households which do not use a lot of water outside of their house should pay for water meters installed by a subset of water/sewer users who want to decrease their sewer bill by installing a second meter. It should be understood that sewer rates are set in a manner to cover costs and future capital improvements to the system for the entire Town. The reduction in fee revenue that results from installation of second meters will necessitate an increase in the fee rate. As a result, those who do not install a second meter will end up paying more than they do now under the present system.

ARTICLE 34

To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaw by deleting Section 240-142 (as amended in 1983) and substituting the following updated Section 240-142 regulating cooking and housekeeping amenities in commercial accommodations guest units: §240-142 Cooking and housekeeping facilities. Commercial accommodations units may contain amenities for private cooking and housekeeping only as the Board of Appeals allows, by special permit, upon the Board’s determination that the allowed amenities are customary to guest units and will not change the nature of the use as commercial accommodations. On petition of Kevin P. Klauer, II

RECOMMENDATION (Planning Board): That the Town vote Article 34 as printed in the warrant.

EXPLANATION: Modern hotels and motels typically have a small refrigerator, a coffee maker and, at a minimum, a microwave. Most brand and boutique hotel operators require such amenities. Since 1983, the Falmouth Zoning Bylaw has prohibited new commercial accommodations from having “arrangements of any description for private cooking or housekeeping.” For motels that existed in 1983, the Board of Appeals may allow cooking or housekeeping facilities, on conditions that assure that the use will remain as commercial accommodations. The proposed zoning amendment would mean that the Board of Appeals can grant a special permit to allow such amenities in newer hotels and motels, with the same restrictions. In the last 35 years there has been little or no new hotel development in Falmouth, while a number of properties have closed. Adopting this amendment will encourage development of one or more new hotels in Falmouth.

Falmouth Heights, Precinct 2 Town Meeting Members, page 2. Email addresses are supplied voluntarily and may not be updated; all addresses Falmouth, MA 02540:

Bissonnette Karen, 7 Coleridge Dr, [email protected] 508-548-8222

Cuny Sandra, 87 Lucerne Ave, [email protected] 508-548-6054

Dufresne Alice, 87 Lucerne Ave [email protected] 508-548-4668

Dufresne Adrian, 87 Lucerne Ave [email protected] 508-548-4668

Kanellopoulos Barbara, 77 Hamlin Ave [email protected] 508-540-1983

Magnani Judith, 34 Massachusetts Ct, [email protected] 508-548-1882

Nidositko, Sr. James, 25 Coleridge Dr, 508-540-5015

Rebello Judith, 60 Lucerne Ave, [email protected] 508-548-3650

Smith Susan, 33 Jericho Path, [email protected]    508-548-4087

Barry Mary Patricia, 26 Queen Street, mpbarry@mac,com 508-444-6091

Buesseler Wendi Belknap, 158 Lakeview Avenue, [email protected] 508-540-8162

Dewees Anne, 110 Dillingham Avenue 214, [email protected] 508-548-4635

Dugan Robert, 64 Lucerne Avenue, [email protected] 508-548-4093

Girard Lois, 254 Shore Street, 508-540-1699

Karplus Sia Kanellopoulos 87 Hamlin Avenue, [email protected] 508-457-4555

Mincer Tracy, 53 Oakwood Avenue, [email protected] 508-289-3640

Murray Kathleen, 110 Dillingham Avenue #224, [email protected] 508-395-0189

Nickerson Brian, 210 Lakeview Avenue, [email protected] 508-457-9199

Buesseler Ken, 158 Lakeview Ave, [email protected] 508-540-8162

Buckley Donna Desimone, 174 Queen Street 10F, [email protected] 617-448-6278

Dreyer Paul, 28 Lakeview Ave, [email protected] 508-495-0285

Dugan Harriet, 64 Lucerne Ave, [email protected] 508-548-4723

Marnell James, 14 Vesper Avenue [email protected] 508-548-6366

Offinger Catherine, 23 Dillingham Ave, [email protected] 508-540-3664

Oppenheim Jeffrey, 50 Coleridge Dr , [email protected] 508-540-5637

Patterson, Jr Samuel, 24 Grasmere Dr , [email protected] 508-457-1309

Welch Kelly, 82 Jones Rd , [email protected] 508-444-8877

Maravista, Precinct 3 Town Meeting Members, page 3. Email addresses are supplied voluntarily and may not be updated; all addresses East Falmouth, MA 02536:

Crotty Walter, 19 Harrington Street, [email protected] 508-548-1360

Mase Rose. 23 Sandollar Circle, [email protected] 508-574-1164

McDonald David. 72 Sandpiper Cr, [email protected] 508-274-1605

Morano Patricia Ann, 59 Hamilton Street, [email protected] 508-548-5962

Peterson Laura Lorusso, 236 Acapesket Road, [email protected] 774-994-1681

Ravens Catherine, 17 Shoreview Ave, [email protected] 508-540-3076

Estes Nathaniel, 87 Philadelphia Street, [email protected] 917-584-8853

Strojny Carol, 242 Seaward Bend, [email protected] 508-292-2407

Williams Cheryl, 157 Great Bay Street, [email protected] 508-548-4766

Alves John, 570 Teaticket Highway, none 508-540-1738

Leathers Ellen, 330 Shorewood Drive, [email protected] 508-457-1835

Lynch Betty, PO Box 2372, [email protected] 508-548-0747

Moran Susan, 74 Sanddollar Circle, [email protected] 508-540-9911

Ostroff Ann-Beth, H 217 Falmouthport Drive, [email protected] 508-457-4716

Palmer Michael, 11 Dexters Mill Drive, [email protected] 508-540-7706

Ravens, Jr. Fred, 17 Shoreview Avenue, [email protected] 508-540-3076

Reilly Shannon, 29 Hamilton Street, [email protected] 508-498-6451

Walrath Thomas, 23 Rivers End Road, [email protected] 508-540-2441

Donahue Robert, 216 Falmouthport Dr, [email protected] 508-540-2076

Gillis Martha, 24 Cooper Road, [email protected] 508-548-6525

Kapp Paul E 29 Seabrook Drive, [email protected] 508-444-6882

Little Mary, 21 Mattapan St, [email protected] 508-548-3883

Lynch, Sr Kevin, P.O.Box 2372, [email protected] 774-208-3365

Rieger Diane, 131 Sanddollar Cir., [email protected] 508-457-9491

Stecher Bernard, 222 South West Meadow, [email protected] 508-540-7896

Venditti Ellen Grady, 5 Chestnut Street, 508-524-8952

Walker Charles Grant, 71 Philadelphia Street, [email protected] 508-388-7178