1995-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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qIV �A Planning Department: Eric Smith and Tom Fuda la. j F istrative Assistant. Her work had long outgrown a sec- work will have been done and the actual writing of our retarial position and the Town has made a wise move plan can be completed. in helping to ensure that she stays with us. The Depart- ment would certainly fall apart without her! The first of 15 sections of the Plan, the Affordable Housing element, was completed and delivered in Jan- While the four month vacancy in our Assistant uary, 1996 to the Planning Board and Housing Author- position made it difficult, we are happy to report that ity. It was followed in February by the Public Safety we are close to schedule for completion of the Town's element. The remaining elements will be completed Comprehensive Plan in early 1997. During 1995, roughly on a monthly schedule during 1996. Final extensive work was done gathering public opinion, work should be completed between February and background data and consultant input. April of 1997. A series of three public hearings on draft goals and Meanwhile, the Department has continued to per- objectives for the Plan was held in January and Febru- form its other duties, including staff assistance to the ary, followed up by a June "Vision Workshop"jointly Planning Board, special projects for the Board of sponsored with the Cape Cod Commission and a series Selectmen and Executive Secretary,assistance to other of five neighborhood planning workshops run by the boards, departments and the public and participation Department in September and October. The Planning on a variety of town and regional committees. Board has completed its review and adoption of almost all of the 15 sets of plan goals and objectives. Two special projects which we helped bring to A"vision statement" has been drafted. fruition in 1995 hold great promise for the Town's future. Our work with Selectman Costa and other Consultant studies, funded by state and county town, state and federal officials on the Mashpee grants secured by the Department, have been complet- National Wildlife Refuge was rewarded in May with ed for affordable housing needs, a feasibility report on its official establishment as the nation's 504th Refuge. a"Cross Cape Trail" (which would serve as a key ele- We continue to work on securing funds for public pur- ment of our open space and recreation plan), joint chase and protection of lands within the Refuge and in Mashpee-Falmouth transportation issues and econom- other environmentally valuable areas of the Town. We is development. Our traffic consultant has completed were also quite happy to see our work on providing an interim technical report and should complete their transit service to Mashpee's neighborhoods result in full study in July 1996. With the anticipated April the establishment of the summer Mashpee Trolley and 1996 completion of a hydrologic model of the town's off-season Mashpee Circulator bus services. water resources, being funded primarily by the Mash- pee Water District, and the other data gathering and As always, we sincerely appreciate the support and projection work done by our staff, the preliminary encouragement we have received from the citizens of 97