06/17/2019 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Agenda Packet

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"Preserving public est,providing professional ser-vices" oaye Rodney C. CoU ns 2Office of the Town Manager Town.Manager � �,.� y P�� Mashpee Town.Hail 508-539-1401 �'�i�L�o��' 16 Great Neck Load North rccollins@mashpeema.gov Mashpee,MA 02649 June 14, 2019 Matthew-Haney,Trustee Gooseberry Island Trust IIIb. Haney: With respect to your public records request, be advised that the Town has conducted a diligent search of its files and has provided you with any and all records in-its possession that are responsive to your request.' Accordingly, you can assume that all plans in the possession of the Town relative to the subject aquaculture grant have been provided to you.That should satisfy your public records request. Upon further inquiry to Town staff relative to the history of the Gooseberry Island grant, I understand that this ogrant was established in the 1970's and,thus, pre-dated the Town's wetland bylaws.The Tribe came before the Selectmen then for the initial grant and again in 2012, I believe, to essentially renew both of its existing aquaculture grants(Gooseberry Island and Popponesset Ba-v). I can only assume that said grant renewal must not have involved any changes to either grant areas in terms of gear, anchoring structures, seeding protocols, etc; otherwise, I assume the Selectmen would have referred the Tribe to the Conservation- Commission for permitting review in relation to-the grant applicati-on and/or requested more detailed information on its proposal. If conditions remained the.same for both-grant areas, there would be no need for permitting with conservation (Gooseberry aquaculture is grandfathered and Popponesset Bay is seeded only with no structures). Unless the Selectmen, in 2012, required.additional plans showing the structures used at Gooseberry, I can only assume they relied solely upon the Town GIS plan that shows the grant boundaries around the island with no racks, rafts or floats.The existing file on the matter does not provide any further insight or documents in addition to those.already produced. I further understand that aquaculture gear similar to that now being used by the Tribe has-been used at the Gooseberry Island location since the grant was first established and has merely been updated over the years due to wear and tear, as necessary. I have no way of verifying-this assumption--because I have not seen a plan that depicts the actual gear used.Given the amount of time vii-hich has passed since the subject grant was first established and then subsequently renewed, I see no reason to now require submission of supplemental plans showing the gear or to require any additional permitting or enforcement action:. Upon any prospective request by the Tribe for renewal, the Selectmen would certainly have the right to request any such plans or specifications they may deem appropriate.