Dennis pares capital projects for fall warrant

Sep. 6--SOUTH DENNIS -- Continued concern over the coronavirus has prompted Dennis officials to hold the annual fall town meeting outdoors on a Saturday morning. The meeting will kick off at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 under a tent at Nathaniel H. Wixon School.

The firm grip on the town's purse strings that began in the spring will continue into the fall because of ongoing virus-related impacts on traditional revenue sources such as the meals tax.

Among the issues unrelated to finance but expected to prompt discussion is a proposed amendment to the town bylaw that currently prohibits jumping or diving from three bridges in town.

The proposed change would extend the ban to all 14 bridges in town.

Police Chief Peter DiMatteo, who proposed the tweak, said the most recent complaint was related to a teenager jumping from Bridge Street in East Dennis, where the current ban does not apply.

The fine for violating the ban would be $200 per offense.

Selectman Sheryl McMahon suggested the new bylaw include a ban on jumping from pilings, railings and bulkheads as well.

The board has asked town counsel for an opinion on whether a local bylaw can prohibit jumping off bridges on a state road.

A 15-year-old drowned in late May after jumping into Bass River from Highbank Road bridge on Route 28. The boy, a resident of the Cape Cod Adolescent Treatment Center in South Yarmouth, was on an outing at the time. That bridge is one of three in the current bylaw that bans jumping and diving.

The selectmen decided the town will skip its annual cash infusions to several savings accounts, such as the capital improvement fund, stabilization fund and wastewater stabilization fund. The board also decided to keep off the warrant the annual request for a deposit into the Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund.

Several capital projects that had been deferred to the fall from the annual town meeting in June will get put off again, since the revenue picture remains unclear.

On the advice of the town administrator and finance director, the selectmen have pared a list of $1.6 million in pending capital expenditures to $1.02 million.

"We recommend you take only the most critical capital items at this time since we have so many unknowns," Town Administrator Elizabeth Sullivan said.

Voters will be asked to approve the following in capital spending: $25,000 for a townwide defibrillator program, $145,000 for fire pumper frame replacement, $500,000 for repairs to secondary roads, $200,000 for drainage, $50,000 in engineering related to permits for a stormwater system, and $100,000 for wastewater contractual obligations.

Tapping other capital funding sources, voters also will be asked to approve $285,000 to replace the east dock at Sesuit Harbor and $60,000 to match a grant for design, engineering and permits for the west side of Sesuit.

A handful of petition articles that were postponed in June to shorten the town meeting warrant will be placed before voters this fall.

Among those is a resolution by which the town recognizes there is a climate emergency driven by human activity and adopts a policy to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions within town to zero "at the earliest technically and economically feasible time."

Barb Lambdin will present her petition to prohibit the use of engine-assisted brakes by trucks in town. Finance Committee Chairman James Plath questioned whether the town could enforce the bylaw on nontown roads, such as routes 28 and 6A and exit ramps, which prompted a decision to have it reviewed by the town's attorney before town meeting.

Lambdin argued it could be enforced under the town's noise bylaw. "Five other towns in the state have similar provisions," she said of the petition. "I don't see why we can't do it here."

The petitioner for the proposed ban on the sale of single-use plastic water bottles is looking to have the selectmen remove it from the fall warrant, since if any decision is made at town meeting, such as an indefinite postponement, the petitioner might have to wait two years before bringing the proposal back.

The selectmen decided to go forward with their proposal for a ban on plastic straws and stirrers. If passed, it will not become effective until January 2022, and businesses would have until 2023 to use up their stock.

An article changing the name of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board, which has been pending for a year, will be put before voters this fall. McMahon said that in light of this year's centennial celebration of women's suffrage, "it's time" to make the name of the town's top board gender-neutral.

Proposed zoning bylaw changes require a public hearing before town meeting. The selectmen plan to hold that hearing at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday as part of their regular meeting.

Follow Christine Legere on Twitter: @ChrisLegereCCT.

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