1/12/2006 BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE Minutes

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more expensive and probably much more difficult. lir. Clever concluded his cor rents and was thanked by the Chairman, The Chainnan opened the door to other public comments, Mashpee resident Birgitte Nelson stood in front of the microphone in front of the Cornir ittee. One of the areas impor-tant to Ms. Nelson, and, she added,many other citizens, was the degradation of Mashpee waterways. She said the Committee had named Four high ptiority areas and that they were all important,but said that the Mas hp ee waterways was very important to her, and to many other citizens. Ms, Nelson had in her hand a petition, signed by 550 citizens, asking for actions to solve the pollution crisis of Mashpee waters. She said that she had collected the names last summer (2005). She asked the Chahman if she could submit the petition to him, to which he answered in the afffin.iative. The Cbainnan read, for the record, what the petition said. He said it was entitled"Action to Solve the pollution Crisis in Mashpee waters." It stated: "We,the undersigned, believe now is the time for action to solve the more than two decades of serious deterioration of the Mashpee local waterways f-orn nitrogen overloading, increased build up of homes and businesses, over fertilization of lawns. If nothing is done to clean up our waterways, Mashpee will suffer." The Chairman continued: ;`property values will go down,taffies will go up. Harmful organisms will destroy our water quality. The Cape will lose its' appeal to tourists,"the petition concluded. The Chan-jnan said that there were 550 signatures, to which Ms. Nelson said were the approximate number. Ms. Nelson said that was because sorne of the husbands and wives signed on the same line. The haiiman said needless to say, it was an overwhehning outcry to support the issues. lolls. Nelson said that the signatures were fr orn all areas of Mashpee, The Chairman asked if anyone else in the audience wanted to make a connnent. Since there were no other public comments, he decided to trove on to old business, Old Business The ha.it an said that he had distt-ibuted to everyone in the Blue ribbon Committee meeting a 1"report submitted to the Board of Selectmen. It had been very briefly discussed on Monday, and would be further discussed at the nextSelectmen's mooting,which would be on the following Wednesday, The hahTnan said that he had some brief observations from infor .al discussions with its' members,that the Board was very appreciative of all the hard work that the Committee had been doing, regarding all of the issues, and that the Board was very concermed. The Board would give each and every one of the recommendations that was made its' due and fill consideration and that those issues would be on full agenda at the next Planning Board meeting, said the Chainnan. One patticular action that the Burd did do in advance of that meeting, said the haft-man, had to do with the Upper Cape Cod regional Technical Cooperative organization. He added that the Board would try to go ahead and get something posted in the newspaper for applicants for those positions. The Chairman gave his personal observation in regard to the Comprehensive plan. He said to the Committee that if they recalted in the plan itself, it outlines a mechanism creating an Implementation Committee that did not exist at this three. The Committee was supposed to report to the Board twice a year. He said that his personal impression the Committee would be looking to form that comrDittee, making it legalized and updating the Comprehensive plan. After he read the different offices, the Chairman said he still thought that the new Committee would come under the auspices of the planning Board. Beverly Kane, Chairman of the planning Board., as well as being a Blue Ribbon Committee member, said that the planning Department was short-staffed. She said it had really been impacted to tackle the pronounced tasks ahead of them. She said this was not the fir-st time