04/05/2012

Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates
Barnstable District Court - Basement Level
Route 6A
Barnstable, Massachusetts 02630

Dear Delegates of the County Assembly:

RE: Serious Factual Discrepancies & Official Statements Regarding the Proposed Cape Cod Regional Wastewater Authority or Entity Dramatically Underscore the Need for the Diligent Formation of an Ad Hoc Committee & Prompt Public Hearings on the Recommendations Issued by the Special Commission on County Governance

It is my understanding that at the April 4, 2012 Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates meeting, County Commissioner Sheila Lyons made several statements to the effect that any action regarding the planning for or implementation of a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) style regional wastewater authority is completely out of the realm of any present official discussions by the county commissioners and the people they have placed in charge of the Cape Cod Regional Wastewater Entity issue.

With said official statements of denial in mind, it should be asked then why are those same Barnstable County officials, the county commissioners and their respective agents placed in charge of this matter, scheduled to do the exact the opposite at the Cape Cod Selectmen & Councilors Association (CCSAC) scheduled for April 13th in Bourne?

A link is provided below to their website with information about the MWRA presentation:
More About Waste Water and the MWRA

A focus on legal issues and updates, the economic cost and financing of waste water projects and the who, when, where, and how the MWRA was established.

We extend an invitation to members of the Town Managers Association to come share their experiences, suggestions, and concerns alongside CCSCA members. The following government officials will speak: Larry Ballantine (selectman Harwich and Chair Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative - CCWPC), Paul Niedzwiecki (Executive Director Cape Cod Commission), Andrew Gottlieb (Executive Director Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative).

FRIDAY, April 13, 2012
Brookside Club, Bourne, MA
MacArthur Blvd (RT 28)
-Promptly at 7:30am
(Please RSVP to Frustrat@aol.com or call 508- 778-6824)
Directions: Go over the Bourne Bridge, take MacArthur Blvd toward Falmouth. Brookside will be on the right after about 2-3 miles
 EMAIL RSVP:  frustrat@aol.com
http://capecodsca.org/

County Commissioner Sheila Lyons needs to properly address and clear up the above-noted "discrepancy" to the County Assembly of Delegates, and the general public as soon as possible. This needs to be formally accomplished before an appropriately constituted Ad Hoc Committee composed of members of the County Assembly.

The aforementioned problem is only one more reason as to why I wish to once again indicate the serious nature and importance of the subject matter at hand. I again reiterate my staunch support for the request already made to the Assembly to appoint an Ad Hoc Committee (pursuant to Article 2, Section 2-8 (v) of the Home Rule Charter) consisting of delegates of the County Assembly to implement public hearings with the goal of scrutinizing, evaluating the facts of and providing a written determination concerning the various recommendations delivered by the Special Commission on County Governance. Furthermore, the two recommendations which cause the most concern are the recommendation to create a regional wastewater authority or entity or district, as well as the ill-advised recommendation to eliminate the county assembly of delegates.

This action by the County Assembly is sorely needed for reasons that are woefully self-evident and known by each and every one of you, the respective delegates representing each of the fifteen municipalities of Cape Cod.

Once again, thank you for consideration of this appeal to your collective good and honest common sense.

Sincerely yours,

Ron Beaty