Four candidates will vie for two Select Board seats in the Mashpee town election on May 10 One contested race is for a two-year Select Board seat The other is for a three-year Select Board seat Select Board members in Mashpee serve three-year terms. The board has five members. The town of Mashpee has 13,297 registered voters and five precincts, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. None of the candidates currently sit on the Select Board The Times asked those running for biographical information and answers to four questions The candidates are listed alphabetically by last name LENGTH OF RESIDENCE THERE: 30 years collectively WORK/EMPLOYMENT: Executive Director of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project and Health Resources in Action EDUCATION: University of Massachusetts Amherst and Massachusetts Institute of Technology CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Conducts youth volunteer work for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and volunteered with the Youth Workers Alliance KELLEY: What are the key strengths and weaknesses of Mashpee?For Kelley one of the most special things about Mashpee is the environment "With both fresh and saltwater bodies and a treasure trove of trails we’ve got endless ways to get out and enjoy nature," said Kelley "These features boost our quality of life and support the bustling tourism economy that local businesses rely on." "Our long-standing connection to this land enhances the sense of community and stewardship — abeautiful example of history intertwining with everyday life," she said But issues like water quality and equitable housing options continue to be problematic "Our leadership could really step up by finding ways to connect with everyone in the community — ensuring that information is shared and discussed in ways that resonate with all of us," said Kelley "It’s all about meeting people where they’re at." Kelley will address Mashpee’s water quality "My most cherished memories of my childhood are times when I was clamming crabbing and swimming in our local waters with my family," she said "We've been able to enjoy these things less over the course of my lifetime due to the decline of water quality and rapid development." Kelley will also focus on establishing equitable housing she has struggled to find affordable housing in Mashpee for her family "We need to ensure that local residents have a place to call home There are public school teachers that work tirelessly to educate our Mashpee youth who can’t afford to live here," she said "Housing is a fundamental right — not a privilege." will also be a priority if she wins a Select Board seat "My platform is about re-engaging voices across generations and income levels to address key issues and overall community wellness," she said Kelley said she will support sewering and innovative alternative cluster systems for areas that can’t be sewered She will also be working on education initiatives Kelley will also explore and expand equitable housing projects to meet the diverse needs of the community "I will support deed restricted opportunities for low to moderate income households," she said "And I will also look into redeveloping properties — that can also be sewered — to better utilize housing options." Kelley will also advocate for zoning regulations that balance growth with community character andenvironmental concerns Kelley also hopes to begin monthly listening sessions with remote options to help ensure that policies enacted are reflective of an inclusive we must provide different strategies," said Kelley "I am committed to listening to the voices of all residents with respect ensuring we build a future that represents everyone." Kelley's 40 years of lived Mashpee experience makes her the best candidate for the Select Board "I have a strong vested stake in Mashpee's bright future and I’m a product of Mashpee Public Schools I also now have a son who is navigating his own journey through our school system." Kelley's professional experience as the executive director of a Mashpee nonprofit also puts her above the rest Kelley also leads initiatives at a Massachusetts-based public health nonprofit "My background in nonprofit operational management has equipped me with valuable skills in grant writing and maintaining excellent relationships — skills that I am excited to bring to the Select Board." EDUCATION: Some schooling at Brevard College in Brevard CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Currently serving on the Finance Committee Former member of the Wastewater Management Committee McKelvey feels that Mashpee's community spirit is vibrant Organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod Vincent de Paul) Food Pantry demonstrate the residents' commitment to supporting one another Community values are also influenced by the Wampanoag tribal traditions and the diverse population that resides in Mashpee Everyone contributes a sense of belonging and pride the Mashpee school system is a significant strength as educators nurture future generations Mashpee needs further community engagement community ties can be strengthened and residents can be empowered to contribute to Mashpee's development what are the top three issues you want to address?McKelvey will actively promote the wastewater project is essential for safeguarding the environment and ensuring the long-term health of the town's natural resources Another important issue is affordable housing "I will advocate for sustainable solutions that enable young families and our workforce to reside in the community they cherish while maintaining Mashpee's unique character," he said McKelvey believes that transparency and open communication in government are vital for building trust with residents and taxpayers the community can be well-informed and engaged in the decision-making process McKelvey will prioritize the town's wastewater project through its subsequent phases in a timely manner while seeking alternative funding sources to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers McKelvey will also collaborate with the town's Sewer Commission McKelvey said he's also committed to addressing Mashpee's affordable housing crisis he plans to bring together stakeholders to discuss various options "Open and honest discussions about all potential solutions even unconventional ones are crucial to finding tailored answers for our community," he said McKelvey said he will also enhance transparency and accessibility in local government by revamping the town website for easier access to information and materials he will also facilitate regular meetings between committee heads and the Select Board for better alignment and collaboration "Engaging with residents is key to ensure their voices are heard and their perspectives are considered,' said McKelvey McKelvey currently serves on the Mashpee Finance Committee McKelvey also spent one year on the Waste Management Committee and one year on the Comcast Licensing Committee have helped him develop expertise in budgeting and fiscal management "I have also actively participated in various volunteer efforts including significant contributions to the school system "These experiences have strengthened my connection to the community and enhanced my ability to understand residents' perspectives and requirements." Timothy Dorsey was not available for comment about his candidacy LENGTH OF RESIDENCE THERE: Part-time resident for 11 years; full-time resident for 16 years WORK/EMPLOYMENT: Executive Director Peninsula Council Inc. and worked for 40 years in the insurance industry EDUCATION: BA in psychology from Keene State College CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Former Select Board member and has also served on the Finance Committee Richardson has also served on Mashpee Kiwanis and he is member of the Boys and Girls Club Town leadership and community are Mashpee's key strengths who served on the Select Board for two terms beginning in 2009 Richardson wasn't re-elected for a third term is committed to solving problems that surround water quality and wastewater issues also appreciates Mashpee's natural environment Mashpee's Wampanoag heritage is also a plus "Wampanoag history and culture is extremely important We are a diverse community and it's amazing how much we all have to share," said Richardson could engage younger families and seasonal residents more to encourage new and dynamic ideas Richardson said he would encourage the creation of a summer annual meeting where seasonal residents could participate He would also advocate to change public meeting times to broaden accessibility for young families "We need to develop a mindset that welcomes younger residents," he said "We would be surprised at the breath of fresh air they could bring to our town They have ideas that maybe we haven't thought of." including clean water initiatives and sewering projects are all top priorities conservation and open space are also on his radar how do you plan to address those issues?In terms of wastewater treatment projects Richardson said he would push for public and private partnerships to increase efficiency and create cost saving measures for residents Accessory dwelling units and tiny homes are also initiatives Richardson hopes to address if he is elected We need to do zoning changes," said Richardson "We need to come together as a community to change the restrictions that we have." For all of the many challenges Mashpee faces Richardson said he will employ negotiating tactics and will use his grant writing skills to make improvements "Being involved on multiple boards and committees has provided me with a better understanding of what happens when the collaboration process collapses," he said "Collaboration can help us work in tandem to find the best path towards success Everyone's separate visions can be transformed into one global vision for Mashpee Rachael Devaney writes about community and culture. Reach her at rdevaney@capecodonline.com Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.       A new farmers market will kick off at Mashpee Commons this spring opening every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October the Mashpee Farmer's Market will collaborate with Mashpee Commons to host a Spring Market on Saturday sidewalk shopping and live entertainment will line the streets of Mashpee Commons as the farmer's market will open for a special pop-up spring shopping event The event will serve as a "preview" for what residents and guests can expect to see for the upcoming 2025 Mashpee Farmer's Market season an Asian plant-based street food restaurant and Makai Shaved Ice are just two of the many food vendors planned to set-up shop at the Spring Market on Saturday Other local food vendors include the CC Pickle Company and My Go-To Bars artisans and a handful of retailers from Mashpee Commons will set up shop on Saturday many of whom will return when the farmer's market officially opens for the season on May 25 This weekend's market will also feature live music from artist Bryce Thomas and an array of carefully curated tunes from DJs at Lemonadio can be enjoyed while guests meander the market “We’re looking forward to a great outdoor celebration to mark the return of our immensely popular farmer's market and the start of small business week,” said Krysten Kelliher “It’s a fantastic opportunity for shoppers to discover both new and returning vendors who will be featured at this year’s farmer's market on the Village Green.” players from the Falmouth Commodores will attend the spring market on Saturday for a free pre-season meet-and-greet with fans Mashpee Commons will show appreciation for local shoppers by handing out a special prize as well in the form of a bingo card that can be stamped by participating retailers at Mashpee Commons for a chance to win a prize “Small business week is a powerful reminder of the vital role local businesses play in our communities,” said Ms we not only support our neighbors and friends but also contribute to the unique character and economy of our town.” More information about the event can be found at mashpeecommons.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist A look back at what was making headlines years ago An e-newsletter with Bourne news sent each Wednesday Receive notices of breaking news for the Upper Cape An e-newsletter with Falmouth news sent each Tuesday A Monday morning e-newsletter with stories that readers might have overlooked in Friday's editions and a roundup of the stories that attracted the most attention on the Enterprise's website during the past week An e-newsletter with Mashpee news sent each Wednesday An e-newsletter with Sandwich news sent each Wednesday An e-newsletter sent on Thursdays highlighting local entertainment for the coming week A good news e-newsletter delivered every Saturday morning.   A Friday e-newsletter with headlines from all four Upper Cape towns Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Peters is worried about local herring I got like around like 15 of them and I was gutting them and then I realized halfway through that most of them their eggs were just mis-colored and polluted." The roe was a pasty grayish pink color—not the vibrant range of whites or reds that Peters had seen in healthy fish "So it’s like you can’t even eat those fish after that because they’re so mutated and polluted that you’re going to get sick if you eat it So that’s just a big sign of what our ecosystem’s facing right now," he explained Isaiah Peters took a picture and sent it to the Tribe’s Natural Resource Commission Herring have been a dietary mainstay for Wampanoag people in spring since time immemorial and Peters decided he wanted to try to do something for these fish that are so clearly struggling Wampanoag educator Talia Landry learned about a legal movement known as Rights of Nature "Rights of Nature is giving natural beings the same rights as individual beings," Talia said Rights of Nature is a legal instrument that allows a government or group of people to act as legal guardians for natural beings like rivers under the current system of law in most countries nature is considered property and most of the time property owners are not legally stopped from damaging or destroying it But Rights of Nature recognizes that while ecosystems and natural beings might be treated as property by current legal systems they’re actually beings that have an independent and inalienable right to exist and flourish — a belief that Landry says lines up well with long-held Wampanoag values and we’re using the Western law and what the legislation is now and what we are as a tribal nation to create a law to protect and state that natural beings have rights so we can protect those natural beings," Talia said Landry and the Wampanoag youth she’s working with are focusing first on herring not only because it’s such an important species to the tribe for food but also because of its bigger spiritual and ecological significance The arrival of herring in the Wampanoag calendar marks the start of a new year and the arrival of new life — and the fishes’ health is tied to the health of all beings Jyrzie Alves is another Mashpee Wampanoag teen involved with working to get herring legal rights: we weren't able to swim in our ponds or anything like that because they were being polluted by cyanobacteria," he said "And our ponds are connected to our rivers So that's kind of what really started it and made us want to get into herring because — even just going down the herring it's like you can go down there and there used to be so much and now you barely see any." Herring populations keep declining — not only because of water quality but also because of dams and poorly constructed fish ladders Landry and others involved with the newly formed Mashpee Wampanoag Native Environmental Ambassadors youth group drafted a Rights of Nature State of Emergency Resolution which passed unanimously with Tribal Council will be one of the first Rights of Nature laws enacted in our region "Rights of Nature is already incorporated in at least 29 countries there's multiple tribes that have adopted Rights of Nature resolutions and laws," said Talia Landry The Yurok Tribe is another within establishing for the Klamath River The Ojibwe have also declared the Rights of Nature for wild rice Ho-Chunk have adopted Rights of Nature in general for all of natural — everything on the list that you can think of Mashpee Wampanoag youth are leading the way with the Tribe among one of the first governments anywhere to advocate on behalf of a fish In 2011 Ecuador became the first country in the world to recognize the Rights of Nature in its national constitution. 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Ahead of Mashpee's Annual Town Election on May 10 the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area is collaborating with the Mashpee Chamber of Commerce to present a candidate forum for the Mashpee Select Board located at 16 Great Neck Road North in Mashpee The forum will be recorded and shown on Channel 1072 HD as well as on their YouTube channel beginning tomorrow All Mashpee residents are encouraged to attend Mashpee Middle High School holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Mashpee Cares Closet & Pantry Stop & Shop representatives Shannon Karafian school pantry program manager and Stephanie Cunha community relations manager and special ed teacher Laura Taylor Zailynn Wright and Journee Hicks; middle school Principal Bonnie Brady; teacher Laura Taylor; paraprofessional Casey Lynch; Shannon Karafian Stop & Shop school pantry program manager; Kaelyn Gomez; Tammy Leone of Cape Kid Meals; and Stephanie Cunha of Stop & Shop Interim Superintendent David Thomson attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Mashpee Cares Closet & Pantry the Mashpee Middle-High School unveiled a new permanent addition to the school: a food pantry closet for students Members of the school hosted a special ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the official opening Although the Mashpee Cares pantry closet was officially unveiled just this Wednesday with the ribbon-cutting it has been serving students and families of Mashpee for much longer A snack program was initiated at MMHS in November allowing students to come down to the pantry in between meal times for an additional snack as students and families in the school revealed a need for more food during school hours the school launched a mobile food pick-up service which allows families to order food from the pantry closet discreetly online via Google form Members of the community have been active volunteers both in the pantry and with mobile pick-up services food and other resources began being stored in the closet leading it to serve as a makeshift “pantry” as students would shuffle in and out of the closet to take items as needed the pantry closet had gained serious support from members of the community which lead to this Wednesday’s ribbon cutting the closet had been stocked full with neatly organized rows of groceries Clothes and hygienic items are also supplied at the pantry closet allowing members of the Mashpee schools community to have access to any item they may need 63 families at MMHS are being served by the mobile food service “The Cares Closet and Pantry was created to meet a very real need in our school ensuring that our students and families have consistent access to food clothing and basic essentials,” said Assistant Principal Rewa Melby at the ribbon-cutting on Wednesday “By opening the pantry during homeroom to all students we’ve removed the stigma that can often keep young children from reaching out for help,” Ms “National studies confirm that stigma is one of the biggest barriers to students using school-based pantries We are proud to be addressing that head-on.” pointing to the handful of donors and sponsors who attended the ribbon-cutting Cape Cod Five Bank has contributed $1,000 to the school representatives of Stop & Shop also presented a check for $10,000 and spoke about the importance of the pantry “Our Stop & Shop program is pretty robust we have over 250 locations across the Northeast but we could never make this program without the care and love that comes from each of the schools and the partners that we have here,” said Stephanie Cunha external communications manager of Stop & Shop we get to show up and give you guys a nice big check.” saying she likes to say “that our pantries are a reminder to students that someone cares about you and your holistic well-being inside and out of school.” a nonprofit organization serving food to children across Cape Cod has also joined the efforts to support Mashpee students by providing food for the pantry as well as weekend backpacks full of food and supplies that students may need over the weekend when they do not have access to the resources at school “We’ve been very happy to be a part of this so I’m glad we can continue to support those efforts,” said Tammy Leone “We know that we’re only as good as the schools that hold these programs up and you’ve done a phenomenal job Interim Superintendent David Thomson showed his appreciation to sponsors for helping bring the vision for the pantry to fruition our pantry is making a real impact on students at Mashpee Middle-High School who now have consistent access to food and essential items and families across the district can visit and get what they need with dignity and ease,” Dr “Our hope for the future is that this pantry continues to grow as a trusted compassionate resource in our community and the success depends on the continued support of sponsors.” presented awards of excellence to participating students who helped create the closet on behalf of the Kiwanis Club of Mashpee serve as co-coordinators of the Mashpee Cares Closet and Pantry the two also worked to loop in the Kiwanis Builder’s Club to bring in extra hands for the pantry project The builders club’s “main goal is to build leadership through acts of service that benefit the school and the community,” said Ms “so this project was a really great fit for them it gave them a chance to lead something meaningful and to help meet a real need among the peers.” Lynch emphasized her dedication to the community She worked to ensure that the pantry is able to serve students in a discreet and safe way our main focus was access and dignity,” she said “There are no forms and no questions; we’re really just there to support and want that to be a safe space for everybody.” the pantry averages 100 student visits a day “It has become both a support system and a social ritual [for the students].” “As someone who once walked these halls as a student The Mashpee Cares closet has become more than just a resource it’s a promise: a promise that no students should go without and a reminder that when students lead the way MASHPEE — Stacks of rusty air conditioners languished in one corner of the police station basement Monday and a musty odor wafted throughout the space but now serves as an evidence storage facility drugs and money," said Deputy Chief of Police Thomas Rose "It lacks functionality and none of this should really be down here." has impacted moisture levels throughout the basement and the station's first floor sewage overflow and rodent infestations have left areas on both floors in significant disrepair There is also no central heating or air conditioning throughout the building "It's like a sauna in here in the summer," said Rose as he pointed to replaced sewage piping in the women's locker room Cell block areas where prisoners are processed and held have also consistently failed yearly state cell inspections and there is no appropriate audio and visual surveillance equipment in place Codes surrounding proper cell block suicide prevention measures are also not up to par "I can't believe they still let us keep prisoners here," he said voters will be asked to approve a $37.1 million warrant article to fund construction for a new station and demolition for the current building would also need to prevail at the ballot box at town election on May 10 Special town meeting and town meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at Mashpee Middle-High School a new 28,000 square-foot police station would be built directly behind the existing facility on Frank E Hicks Drive and is estimated to be completed in June 2027 A public information session about a proposed new police station will be held at 6:30 p.m which asks residents to consider construction and installation of a Mashpee Veteran War monument on Great Neck Road South and Route 130 The town will vote to appropriate and transfer $425,645 from the Community Preservation Fund and 10% from the Historic Purpose Reserve the monument will pay tribute to about 350 Mashpee veterans who were deployed to Operation Desert Shield Community members will also vote on whether to fund a $2.5 million Mashpee Wakeby cluster wastewater treatment facility under Article 11 on the special town meeting warrant is the next step approved by the Sewer Commission and the Select Board in implementing the Town's Watershed Nitrogen Management Plan and Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan This article will also require approval of a corresponding Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion ballot question on May 10 Also pertaining to wastewater is Article 6 on the town meeting warrant Voters will decide if the town should spend $200,000 for a Wastewater Phase III Recharge Evaluation funds will be designated for the planning and design of wastewater collection treatment and effluent recharge initiatives voters will also decide to vote to amend zoning bylaws for accessory apartments Police will also ask for new vehicles at town meetingArticle 3 on the town meeting warrant asks the town to vote on spending about $7.4 million for department capital accounts When was the Mashpee police station built?The station, according to town documents, was built in 1979 and an addition was added in 1991 The current square footage is about 22,000 square feet the town has undergone significant growth and the department receives roughly 40,000 calls for service per year with the summer population topping about 35,000 people Currently 28 patrol officers on three different shifts share one office Other departments like Animal Control are using closet space as an office There are also safety concerns throughout the building have managed to escape out of the booking and cell block area to the outside of the building multiple times The building's design also prevents ambulances from pulling into the station's garage that first responders have easy and quick access to the booking and cell block area the police department conducted a needs assessment study which identified the station's need for a new HVAC system and other renovations which would cost the town about $33 million "We'd end up spending millions just to continue to put Band Aids on this situation," said Rose Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.  Mashpee residents have 39 articles to consider ahead of the Monday set to be held in the auditorium of Mashpee Middle-High School with a joint meeting between the select board and the finance committee at 6 PM The town’s top items include $37,150,000 for the construction of a new police station and $2.5 million for the design and engineering of the Mashpee-Wakeby cluster wastewater facility The proposed new police station is Article 5 on the Annual Town Meeting warrant the $37,150,000 proposed police station would be funded through a debt exclusion Article 2 on the warrant seeks approval of various town department operating budgets The total amount requested by departments for FY26 amounts to $78,115,887 The FY26 budget recommended by the town manager and finance committee amounts to $77,285,736 the revised budget for FY25 amounted to $72,875,301 Article 11 seeks residents’ approval to allocate $2.5 million for the design and engineering of the town’s Mashpee-Wakeby cluster wastewater facility Other important wastewater items on the Annual Town Meeting include Article 6 seeking $200,000 for the Phase 3 recharge evaluation and Article 7 which seeks $250,000 for the Mashpee-Wakeby alum treatment to clean the waters Both articles are funded through a debt exclusion There are 12 articles on the warrant for Special Town Meeting submitted by the Mashpee Public Works Department seeks to appropriate and transfer $68,000 from revenue available to fund a deficit in the town’s snow and ice account asking the town to transfer $2,205,560 of available revenue to the Capital Stabilization Fund “This article will set aside funds in the amount of 15% of the ‘certified free cash’ into the Capital Stabilization Fund account for future capital expenditures in the effort to ensure the town will maintain its assets at a level adequate to protect the town’s capital investment and to minimize future maintenance and replacement costs,” the article reads Articles 4 through 10 on the Special Town Meeting warrant are sponsored by the community preservation committee (CPC) the CPC asks the town to set aside 10% of excess funds from open space and recreation purposes historic purposes and affordable housing purposes and deposit them into each of the CPA fund 10% reserves the town will vote to appropriate and transfer $350,000 to the Mashpee-Wakeby Stormwater Remediation project “The goal of this project is to assist in the remediation of Mashpee-Wakeby Pond to address impaired water quality concerns,” the warrant reads “This project is proposed to improve stormwater runoff with best management practices (BMPs) by capturing and treating the runoff that currently flows into the pond from the road and parking lot.” Funding would include filtration with the use of native plants additional green space and capturing water with underground filtration Existing pavement would be removed and repaved to better direct stormwater flow “for capture and treatment to remove pollutants while improving the ease of use and safety for the community while retaining the number of trailer parking spaces.” The Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) has funded the permitting and final design The CPC plans to help fund the construction of the project for $350,000 Article 6 requests $13,000 from the community preservation fund’s 10% historic purpose reserve to fund the Ancient Burial Ground Restoration project the CPC would fund the project’s construction of the aluminum fencing parking at the Pocknett Site and repair to damaged stones at the burial locations also from the community preservation fund’s 10% reserve for the construction and installation of the Mashpee Veteran War Monument II “The goal of this project is to construct a Veteran War Monument to honor and pay tribute to Mashpee Veterans to include the wars from Operation Desert Shield to the war in Afghanistan,” the warrant reads There are a total of 350 Mashpee veteran names to date Article 8 seeks to appropriate $40,500 to fund a grant for the Boys & Girls Club basketball reconstruction and new safety fencing project The original basketball court was constructed in 1999 The property is located on town-owned land that is deeded and leased to the Boys & Girls Club The Boys & Girls Club will contribute to the project by fixing drainage issues Article 9 seeks $210,000 to fund the LeClair Village playground project A play structure will be constructed for children ages three to 13 on a flat surface area that is handicap accessible with parking onsite for public access Article 10 requests $59,500 to fund the Chop Chaque Cranberry storage barn preservation Phase 1 project This is to conduct a feasibility study on the storage barn “The project will ensure any preservation effort meets the Secretary of Interior’s standards for rehabilitation as required by CPA funding,” the warrant reads requests $150,000 from the Ambulance Relief Fund The funding will be distributed between the Fire Department Overtime Salary Receipts Account Mashpee will vote on 27 articles at the Annual Town Meeting on Monday Article 1 seeks to provide copies of 2024 town reports from town officials at Town Meeting and at town hall the finance committee and the capital improvement program committee Article 3 requests $7,378,686 for various department capital accounts This includes gaining vehicles and necessary related expenses for projects Article 3 will appropriate $4,024,923 from the Capital Stabilization Fund $1,262,000 from the ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation account $106,000 from the Mashpee cable and advanced technology account and $1,985,763 from revenue available for appropriation otherwise known as “free cash” to department capital accounts but unissued balances of bonds approved from the May 2023 Town Meeting The town will authorize rescinding $5,500,000 from the Phase 1A sewer construction Article 8 will have the town vote to approve $18,467,000 for the annual regional school district budget for Cape Cod Regional Technical High School District for the fiscal year beginning July 1 residents will vote to raise and appropriate $1,207,242 to meet its share of operation and maintenance costs for the school district There are currently 56 students from Mashpee who attend Cape Cod Regional Technical High School Article 9 will handle Cape Cod Regional Technical High School’s building project debt assessment in the amount of $5,558,575 beginning July 1 The town will vote on an additional $457,093 to meet its share of the debt for the school’s building project Mashpee’s share of Cape Cod Regional Technical High School debt for their building project for FY26 is $457,093 The Mashpee Department of Public Works submitted Article 10 borrow and transfer $976,263 for road improvement projects under the Chapter 90 program The article authorizes the use of funds “which will be 100% reimbursed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” The budget is approved annually by the legislature and governor based on Chapter 90’s local transportation aid for the year; the funding authorized by the article is Mashpee’s maximum anticipated share of the FY26 Chapter 90 program Article 11 seeks to appropriate $250,000 from available revenue to the Other Post-Employment Benefits Irrevocable Trust Fund In accordance with Massachusetts General Law Chapter 41 Article 12 will appropriate $250,000 to the Injured on Duty Fund to provide paid medical leave or medical bills incurred under said law Educational and Governmental (PEG) Access and Cable related funds for FY26 The Department of Revenue requires Mashpee to establish a yearly budget on estimated expenses from the fund for the next fiscal year Article 14 establishes FY26 expenditure limits for departmental revolving funds pursuant to Massachusetts General Law c.44 53E ½ beginning July 1 the senior center requests $25,000 and the historical commission requests $5,000 Article 15 seeks $1,970,202 for the Utility Service Enterprise Fund for FY26 in order for the Wastewater Management Department to operate the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) Mashpee will vote on whether to approve $612,300 for the Kids Klub Enterprise Fund for FY26 through Article 16 An affirmative vote will allow the Recreation Department to establish a preschool program as a self-sufficient Article 17 requests $50,000 in FY26 for administrative and operational costs of CPC which includes costs of projects associated with the CPC up to 5% of the annual CPA funds may be spent on legal and professional fees annual Community Preservation Coalition dues office supplies and similar costs associated with and incidental to the development of a CPA project,” the warrant article reads The Natural Resources Department is asking Mashpee to vote on accumulating $50,000 in Article 18 for the Waterways Improvement Fund for engineering This would include the Popponesset Approach Channel between December 2025 and January 2026 and other dredging projects taking place in the Great River and Little River dredge project Article 19 seeks to hire one full-time custodian The DPW requests $52,388 to the DPW full-time local salary account $760 to the Medicare account and $12,717 to the pension reserve account “The DPW is responsible for providing custodial services for all town buildings There are a total of 12 full-time custodians for the schools and three full-time custodians for other town buildings,” the warrant reads “This position would provide coverage when a full-time custodian is out of work for the day on approved leave time would help with cleaning of the schools over summer vacation and would assist with extra cleaning assignments if not needed elsewhere.” Article 20 requests to promote one part-time Plumbing and Gas Inspector position to a full-time position This would cost $103,958 from revenue available for appropriation funds would be distributed between the building department full-time salary account for $49,706 the group life insurance account for $35 and the pension reserve account for $20,370 Article 21 seeks to promote a part-time activity coordinator to a full-time activity coordinator at the Council on Aging Department $52,695 will be for the full-time position’s clerical salary account $12,790 to the Barnstable County Retirement $33,125 to the town’s portion of health insurance and $35 for life insurance Article 22 requests $37,821 for four seasonal parking resource officers to manage and enforce parking regulations around boat ramps to maintain order Article 23 asks residents to vote on whether or not Mashpee will continue participation in the Cape Cod AquiFund Program and the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust in order to create loans for homeowners at 5% interest to repair or upgrade septic systems pursuant to agreements between the board of health and residential property owners Article 24 requests to amend zoning bylaws in relation to accessory dwelling units will “ensure the town’s zoning bylaws are in compliance with the new Affordable Homes Act which mandates that municipalities’ zoning codes allow accessory dwelling units in single family zoning districts as of right Mashpee has the opportunity to join other Cape Cod towns in preserving historic housing stock if Article 25 passes Homes that are 100 years old and considered ‘historically significant’ by the historical commission can face a demolition delay order for up to 18 months in order for the commission and the developer to establish a plan to preserve the home Article 26 asks to authorize the select board to lease a parcel of land located at 966 Falmouth Road to the nonprofit organization Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge The organization plans on constructing and operating a visitor’s center was submitted by petition and seeks to amend bylaws to require all boards and commissions to require public comment at the beginning of all meeting agendas “Democracy depends on public participation voters must be not only allowed but invited and encouraged to speak publicly at each and every public meeting held in the town,” the article explanation says “Chairs may choose to have speakers sign up before meetings begin,” the amendment reads “If the list of those who wish to speak is inordinately long the Chair may choose to limit each speaker’s time to a reasonable number of minutes.” The select board does not recommend approval of this article by a vote of five to zero The finance committee has no recommendation on Article 27 by a vote of six to zero MASHPEE — School Committee members on Wednesday chose a new superintendent who they said exhibited "longevity," "authenticity" and "enthusiasm" throughout the interview process Four out of five School Committee members voted to appoint Michele Connors subject to successful contract negotiations Connors, the current assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for Brockton Public Schools, will replace former Superintendent Patricia DeBoer who retired in summer 2024. David Thomson has been serving as interim superintendent since DeBoer's departure In November, a 13-member Mashpee Superintendent Search Committee formed School Committee member Kelly Robson was the sole vote against Connor's appointment She said she wanted a superintendent who was more familiar with Mashpee "All of the candidates have strong qualities but I'm not sure any of them are the right fit for Mashpee," said Robson "We need someone who knows people in the district." Connors 'did her homework,' one Mashpee School Committee member saidSchool Committee member Daniel Rodrigues said Connors is data driven and seemed to care about "the whole district "She was incredibly mindful of all aspects of what we were asking for." Student Council Chair Eve Mayen said Connors went above and beyond to research the district and showed a level of connectedness with students Something in my heart tells me that she will stay," said Mayen It was because of the Council's view on Connors that School Committee member Brian Weeden cast his vote for her School Committee member Cathy Lewis said all three candidates brought wonderful skills to Mashpee dug into local issues surrounding the district and showed that she's already investing in the community She's not just hopping from district to district," said Lewis During discussions surrounding the three candidates, Robson was concerned about an $18.25 million Brockton Public Schools budget deficit from fiscal year 2023 City and school officials implemented cost-containment measures to get the school department's finances in order including a controversial hiring freeze across the district "I don't know how much of that budget she oversaw I am hesitant knowing that information," said Robson "She would be able to keep students first and foremost and ensure that their services and needs will be met despite having to tighten the purse strings in the next few years," said Lewis Should Mashpee's Balesteri, Thomson have been finalists for superintendent?Quashnet Parent Teacher Organization president Victoria Haire spoke during public comment and said there's been unrest and outrage concerning the search for a new superintendent. It's unclear, she said, why former Mashpee Middle-High School Principal Mark Balesteri and current Interim Superintendent David Thomson weren't considered want to combat growing disengagement and apathy among community members we must listen when concerns are raised," she said Mashpee dismisses those who show up frustrated or confused and this breeds distrust and discourages participation." Others took to social media to voice their discontent with the superintendent search process "For whatever reason," Balesteri wasn't among the finalists turn around into becoming more involved in town affairs." Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. William Russell hopes his plans for indoor pickleball courts in Mashpee will respond to "an unmet need year-round on Cape Cod." wants to build a 37,000-square-foot facility — named Island Pickle — on the 3.6-acre lot at 51 Evergreen Circle and general common areas encompassing 34,500 square foot with 91 parking spaces snowy or rainy weather can keep players away Those courts are typically "closed at dusk and they don't open until after people are at work," said Russell in a phone interview "My facility is intended to be open from 7 a.m so I can accommodate people playing before work or after work Pickleball is typically played on a 44-foot-long and 20-foot-wide court and features players using a paddle to whack a small plastic ball back and forth over a net there are year-round outdoor pickleball courts available for players in several towns and some indoor courts that are either year-round or for winter only Island Pickle intends to be tailored to both golf and pickleball players with substantial support of professional instructors from both sports Russell plans to hire PGA professionals to provide lessons in the winter or early spring for people to hone their game before they go outdoors Russell also co-owns the Pineapple Caper Cafe in Osterville with his wife and is a commercial real estate specialist with Commercial Realty Advisors undeveloped lot and is currently owned by Evergreen Energy LLC which bought it from Cape Cod Cooperative Bank in March 2016 for $1.6 million Russell said he's under contract for the land and the sale is contingent upon passing permitting and approvals Russell had originally been eyeing Capetown Plaza on Iyannough Road in Hyannis as a location he was listed as an applicant for a business plan to transform about half of the former Kmart there where Floor & Decor now is into a pickleball complex as part of the WS Development project While the sport has exploded in popularity in recent years, its loudness has proven to be controversial. In 2023, a Barnstable Superior Court judge allowed for a preliminary injunction in Falmouth barring the game at a certain set of pickleball courts due to neighbor complaints "My tavern will be noise insulated from the indoor courts so the indoor courts will themselves have acoustic restrictions to minimize the noise when you're in the court areas," said Russell whether you're at my outdoor patio or in the golf area or you're in the tavern itself those are going to have significant noise reduction from the noise of play." voters approved a zoning bylaw amendment for the project because the lot is in an industrial zone that previously did not allow for indoor recreational facilities the Cape Cod Commission approved the project as a development of regional impact The commission review was required because the planned facility will be over 10,000 square feet The next step is for Russell to obtain a special permit from the Mashpee Planning Board Russell can file his final building permit application he estimates that construction could begin mid-April and he is eyeing a potential November opening Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on X @zanerazz The Mashpee Planning Board will host a brief public hearing during its regularly scheduled meeting tonight for application to build a 13,229-square-foot grocery store in Mashpee The public hearing will be held at 7:20 PM in the Waquoit Meeting Room in Mashpee Town Hall the grocery store will be located at 647 Falmouth Road/9 Shellback Way Plans for the new grocery store propose that it will "source fresh products from as close to each store as possible which was submitted to the Cape Cod Commission states that developers predict the project will cost $3,500,000 "The proposed use of the property as a specialty grocery store will create year-round jobs and the proposed tenant is recognized as providing above-average compensation in the sector," the narrative says Because the proposed project will encompass more than 10,000 square feet of area it is required that the applicant submit the project to be reviewed as a development of regional impact (DRI) through the Cape Cod Commission The project was been submitted to the commission for review in January but will need a referral from the planning board in order to initiate the DRI review developers and project representatives of Shellback Development LLC will likely head back to the planning board seeking a special permit which will grant it occupancy and outline specific terms of operation for the business Shellback Development LLC will also need to secure additional permits such as a building permit from the town and a state highway access permit from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) The project was first submitted to both the planning board and the Cape Cod Commission in 2022 Developers withdrew the original application in 2023 Application information for Shellback Development LLC can be found at capecodcomission.org or at mashpeema.gov The regular planning board meeting will begin at 7 PM this evening The Massachusetts State Police arrested a man and woman in Mashpee on Tuesday following a narcotics sting as part of an undercover investigation An undercover state trooper conducting a narcotics investigation into the two individuals had set up meetings with the pair under the guise of seeking to purchase illegal drugs The sting helped to secure a search warrant which was later used to arrest the two individuals the undercover state trooper with the Massachusetts State Police was granted a daytime knock-and-search warrant out of Barnstable District Court for an apartment and two vehicles: a Gray Kia SUV bearing a Massachusetts license plate and a gray Toyota Sedan bearing a New York license plate located at 100 Great Neck Road North in Mashpee the undercover trooper then set up a meeting on Tuesday pretending to be seeking more illegal drugs The police report states that the two made a deal to sell four ounces of cocaine for $2,500 to the undercover police officer The two agreed to meet in the parking lot of a local chain restaurant that afternoon the undercover officer waited in his vehicle at the restaurant for the individual to approach him The police report states that during this time the undercover trooper exchanged messages with one of the individuals in which he “claimed to have seen a police officer parked in the area where he stashes his narcotics [and he] claimed that he would bring the narcotics to the [undercover trooper] at a later date.” the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team (STOP) initiated the knock-and-search warrant for 100 Great Neck Road North police officers identified both individuals identified as suspects in the narcotics investigation The two individuals were identified as Christopher R Both were immediately placed under arrest for charges related to drug trafficking and were taken to the Massachusetts State Police Barracks in Bourne Majors faces 10 charges following her arrest: two counts of trafficking cocaine 18 grams or more but less than 36 grams; two counts of conspiracy to violate drug law; trafficking fentanyl in more than 10 grams; possession to distribute a Class A drug; two counts of possession of large capacity firearm; and possession of ammunition without firearm identification card Wilkins was placed under arrest for drug trafficking as well He was charged with the following: two counts of trafficking cocaine 18 grams or more but less than 36 grams; trafficking cocaine in more than 100 grams but less than 200 grams; possession to distribute a Class A drug; subsequent offense of possession to distribute a Class A drug; and two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws Wilkins was also given new charges after police identified illegal firearms and weapons in the apartment: possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card; two counts of possession of large capacity firearm; and possession of large capacity firearm in felony While state police investigated the apartment officers found a total of $3,360 in US currency in various locations around the apartment investigators also found “two bags containing several blue pills that appeared to be either 30 mg of Percocet pills or pressed fentanyl pills and two bags that contained a light brown substance which will be submitted to the lab for testing.” state troopers identified a clear plastic bag that was full of a white powder-like substance The police report states that the substance had tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 31 grams An additional 2.2 grams of cocaine were reported as being found in a separate location in the apartment officers also located a high-capacity pistol with two extended magazines The state does not allow firearms to be sold with a magazine capacity higher than 10 rounds The police report states that identification and credit cards for Ms as well as iPhones that had been used to contact the undercover trooper a North Face jacket identified as belonging to him was found to contain two sets of keys One set was believed to belong to the Toyota sedan identified in the search warrant The other set of keys was later determined to belong to a storage unit being rented by Mr The storage unit was later reported to be located approximately one mile away from the residence at 100 Great Neck Road North Paperwork for the storage unit noted that Mr Wilkins took over ownership of the unit on January 21 Officers were later dispatched to the storage unit and searched it for evidence The Massachusetts State Police reported that approximately 31 grams of cocaine were turned into the evidence locker the two individuals appeared in Falmouth District Court Majors was released following the payment of $5,000 bail Wilkins was denied the opportunity to be released on bail to keep the two individuals from contacting each other before the trial Both individuals will reappear in Falmouth District Court for a status review hearing on Friday John Paul II High School in Hyannis pleaded not guilty on Monday following his arrest Friday night after crashing his car into a fence in Yarmouthport who serves as a parochial vicar at two mid-Cape churches and as a chaplain at his alma mater following a crash on Route 6A in Yarmouthport near Mill Lane During his arraignment in Barnstable District Court on Monday he pleaded not guilty to charges of operating under the influence of liquor negligent operation of a motor vehicle and marked lanes violation In a statement to the Enterprise on Tuesday the Diocese of Fall River has confirmed that it “is aware of the charges facing Father Chris Hughes who serves as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville and at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Osterville The matter is currently under review by diocesan officials.” writing that it will "continue to monitor the situation closely and update you as appropriate."  and was given a farewell blessing by Christ The King in Mashpee He then spent several years with Christ The King Hughes was ordained as a priest in June 2023 he celebrated his first Mass at Christ The King in Mashpee Hughes has been featured on Catholic Television Network which hosts virtual Catholic Masses online Belinksi of Yarmouth Police Department and obtained by the Enterprise officers were dispatched to the area of 56 Route 6A near the corner of Mill Lane in Yarmouthport just before 9:30 PM Friday for reports of a vehicle having crashed into a fence Hughes allegedly identified himself as the driver and told the reporting officer that he was trying to answer a phone call while driving and in trying to turn off the music and switch to the phone call Officer Belinski’s report states that he observed vehicle debris in the area indicating that the vehicle “hit several large rocks and then a fence before returning to the road on the wrong side,” where his car was allegedly found facing west in the eastbound lane glassy eyes and an odor of alcohol about him Hughes allegedly said he had two alcoholic beverages that evening Hughes is reported to have declined medical transport balance and walk and turn tests—were conducted and was placed into custody of Yarmouth Police Hughes reportedly agreed to a breathalyzer test Hughes entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment in Barnstable District Court on Monday His next court appearance is set for May 15 Hughes' attorney did not respond to requests for comment before deadline An artist's rendering of the Don & Dottie Smith YMCA planned for Brick Kiln Road Ground will be broken in fall for a new YMCA facility in Falmouth that will serve residents of Mashpee Bourne and Falmouth as well as surrounding areas The Don & Dottie Smith YMCA has cleared all regulatory permissions Building plans have been drawn up and put out to bid with construction companies The facility will be on Brick Kiln Road behind the Lutheran Church from which 6.16 acres were purchased in January The 68,00-square-feet facility will include two swimming pools and space where youths can play and learn in a safe environment there will be space for the Community Health Center for a wellness center The remaining $500,000 will be raised over the summer with a community campaign Around 1:40 p.m. on Feb. 10, two cars collided head-on in Mashpee, sending both drivers to Rhode Island Hospital, according to Mashpee Fire Chief Joseph Peltier The fire department responded to the crash at 240 Main St. but there was going to be a 35- to 40-minute ETA so we decided to take both individuals to Rhode Island Hospital The two drivers would have gone to Cape Cod Hospital, which just opened a new level III trauma center "If it was lesser trauma we could go to Cape Cod Hospital Rhode Island is the closest," said Peltier Ryan Nardone said the crash occurred because it appears the operator of vehicle 1 had crossed over the double yellow line on Route 130 striking vehicle 2 operated by a 57-year-old man from Mashpee The woman driver was cited for marked lane violation (This story was updated to add new information.) Desiree Nikfardjam is a reporter covering breaking and trending news. She graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. You can reach her at DNikfardjam@gannett.com Road work at the Route 151/Old Barnstable Road intersection performed in April 2024 Construction for Phase Two of the Route 151 project will commence on Monday causing traffic delays and detours along Old Barnstable Road The second phase of construction will include extending the multiuse path from Old Barnstable Road to James Circle and installing a sidewalk from Old Barnstable to Winslow Drive on the south side of Route 151 There will also be left-turn lanes added along Algonquin Avenue and a center-turn lane added from Ninigret Avenue to Old Brickyard Road Drainage improvements and roadway repaving are also underway Part of Phase Two involves maintenance work at the Childs River culvert where Department of Public Works Director Catherine Laurent said sediment buildup is obstructing the flow of water but since that removal is technically qualified as dredging the work requires a Chapter 91 license from the state Department of Environmental Protection The first phase of the Route 151 project started in March 2022 and was completed in spring 2024 installed a sidewalk between Old Barnstable Road and Job’s Fishing roads widened the existing multi-use path from Old Barnstable Road to Frank E Hicks Drive and extended it to Market Street Intersection improvements at the junctions of Route 151 with Old Barnstable and Job’s Fishing roads were also completed but work is being done with federal and state funds through the Cape Cod Transportation Improvement Program The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is overseeing construction and hired contractor Lawrence-Lynch Corporation for the engineering Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Brian Weeden won reelection Sunday with 315 voters The 2025 General Election on Feb 9 was for four Tribal Council officer seats including chair There was also one council member seat up for reelection There were 13 candidates certified for the election and the results bring a mix of incumbents and new members to the Tribal Council “I want to thank the outgoing officers for their dedication to our community and welcome those who are new to the table,” Brian Weeden said in a statement provided to the Times on Sunday and this team will continue to put in the work to protect our tribal sovereignty for generations to come.”  is a tribal councilman and tribal liaison for the Federal Emergency Management Agency with each elected position lasting for four years Edwina "Winnie" Johnson-Graham was elected the new vice-chair with 277 votes to Hendricks' 241 votes Johnson-Graham has served as a Tribal Council member for 16 years and has also been a member of the language committee Johnson-Graham was also the Indian Education Committee chairwoman With 222 votes, Talia Landry beat out incumbent Cassie Jackson Landry is the tribe's Community Development Corporation president and the grants manager for the tribal Education Department Landry has also worked within the vice chair’s office Newcomer turns tables for treasurer seatFenton N Candidate Aaron Tobey brought in 196 votes Charles "Bobby" Foster was certified to run for another four-year term In a statement posted to his social media page Foster endorsed Soliz ahead of the election Soliz has four decades of banking and finance experience with lending institutions including Wells Fargo The motel is now the location of the tribe's homeless shelter David Weeden remains on councilDuring the election tribe members voted David Weeden back on to tribal council with 300 votes Weeden's competitor Donald Peters trailed with 236 votes David Weeden has been on the Tribal Council since 2017. He is also the director of Tribal Historic Preservation, is a Mashpee Select Board member, and is the Native American representative on the Cape Cod Commission. A fire in Mashpee on Saturday night caused significant smoke and water damage to a house on Main Street the fire department received a call from residents of 282 Main St reporting that a fire on their rear deck had spread into the house firefighters saw an enclosed deck fully engulfed in smoke and flames All people in the house were able to safely evacuate and Joint Base Fire Departments helped either at the scene or with station coverage Initial fire crews contained the fire to the rear deck and kitchen Their cat was found alive after the fire was extinguished and firefighters examined the area for any remaining pockets of fire No civilians or firefighters were injured during the incident Fire Chief Joseph Peltier said he expected to know the cause of the fire later this week and that the investigation is still ongoing Since Mashpee Superintendent Patricia DeBoer retired in summer 2024 David Thomson has been serving as interim superintendent In November, a 13-member Mashpee Superintendent Search Committee was formed and includes parents the search committee narrowed its list of candidates to three: Vanessa Beauchaine It's unclear why Thomson wasn't considered as a final candidate School Committee Chair Don Myers and Thomson didn't immediately return the Times' calls for comment The School Committee has already sponsored two candidate forums at Mashpee Middle-High School for Beauchine on Jan The final candidate forum featuring Philips was scheduled for Jan The new superintendent will lead the district beginning in July All three candidates are currently assistant superintendents for their respective school districts. Beauchaine has served for seven years as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Wrentham Public Schools and Easton and has taught students from kindergarten to Grade 8 Beauchaine also has experience as an instructional paraprofessional and as a teacher of English language arts and mathematics for special needs children Conners has been the assistant superintendent for teaching and learning at Brockton Public Schools for three years Conners kicked off her career as a history teacher at West Middle School in Brockton and oversaw middle school science teachers she has implemented district-wide curriculum innovations in mathematics Conners also secured about $5 million in grants to promote dual-enrollment/early college initiatives For five years, Phillips has been the assistant superintendent and chief equity and engagement officer for Lowell Public Schools Philips previously handled strategic planning and monitoring and now oversees family and community engagement culturally and linguistically sustaining practices Philips began her career in Japan and taught in Texas and Brooklyn New York before becoming chief of staff for Santa Fe Phillips provided technical assistance to school districts and tribal education departments as assistant secretary of Native Education in New Mexico and state director of Native Education in Washington State Families frustrated with search processDespite the public forums which are designed for families to meet and interact with candidates some families are frustrated that the forums are being held during work hours Pat Dyer said the forums should have been held from 6 to 8 p.m Myers said the forums would not be recorded and there won't be a virtual option for families to attend the forums Arthur Alphin posted to social media on Monday and said there is a disconnect between the community and the School Committee Alphin was frustrated that former and current school staff who applied "It seems the townspeople have overwhelming support for one candidate Our School Committee is being swayed somehow," said Alphin (This story was updated to meet our standards.) the site of a proposed pickleball facility is also home to Cape Cod Coffee’s roasting facility A new indoor pickleball facility may soon come to Mashpee the Cape Cod Commission approved a 37,000-square-foot indoor pickleball facility after the project was reviewed as a development of regional impact (DRI) The new facility will house 10 indoor pickleball courts and six golf simulation bays multiple common areas encompassing more than 30,000 square feet The building will be industrial in appearance similar to that of the other buildings in the surrounding area including spaces for electric vehicle charging spaces the 3.6-acre lot at 51 Evergreen Circle is vacant but was previously used as a heavy-equipment storage area submitted the project to be reviewed by the DRI subcommittee after seeking a special permit for the project from the Mashpee Planning Board Projects exceeding 10,000 square feet trigger a mandatory review of the proposal as a development of regional impact Mashpee residents voted to approve an article that changed the town’s zoning bylaws regarding indoor recreational facilities such facilities were not allowed in Mashpee’s industrial zones but the town’s vote last May allowed for businesses like Island Pickle in industrial zones noted that a special permit would still be required for such businesses to receive approval After applying for a special permit from the planning board last the summer the project was then sent for review by the commission Russell cites an increase in noise complaints caused by outdoor pickleball courts as a demonstrated need for the facility noise complaints in communities across the Upper Cape have also increased “There has been an increase in noise complaints from neighbors about some outdoor courts nationwide that have forced towns to put hourly restrictions and outright bans at some locations,” Mr and early morning and evening play in Marstons Mills is restricted due to neighbor complaints.. The need for indoor courts is compelling across many fronts commission staff members gave a short presentation highlighting major areas of interest and concern with the project which commission members have discussed in previous DRI meetings Commission members discussed one topic of concern in particular that has come up several times throughout the review process: water quality touching on water resource goals for the project “We took your input wanting further background info regarding objective WR3 regarding marine water areas as well as additional information from the town of Mashpee,” he said Commission documents state that WR3 is one of three objectives that are “applicable and material to the project.” WR3 involves the protection preservation and restoration of marine resources Ribeiro explained that since the DRI subcommittee’s last meeting two submissions had been received from the applicant as well as a letter from Town Manager Rodney Collins which emphasized his support of the project as water resource analyst Tim Pasakarnis said are considered to be “nitrogen impaired.” This means that the watersheds require immediate action from the town in order to remediate the high nitrogen levels the decline in water quality of both watersheds is due to the large amounts of nitrogen added to the various water sources through septic systems “it’s ultimately the towns that are responsible for initiating actions to reduce or eliminate nitrogen additions into the water shed in order to drive restoration of these water bodies.” When considering the approval of projects that could increase nitrogen levels the commission must consider the impact that the town will incur with a new development in town due to the fact that it stands between two nitrogen-impaired watersheds Pasakarnis explained that Mashpee has a responsibility to remove 76 percent of the nitrogen within Waquoit Bay and 61 percent of all nitrogen within Popponesset Bay Pasakarnis also said that Mashpee is responsible for removing all future sources of nitrogen including that resulting from a proposed development of regional impact Russell asked the committee whether the nitrogen mitigation fee could be reduced Pasakarnis explained how the commission uses objective WR3 from the commission’s Section 208 plan an area-wide water quality management plan to consider nitrogen removal from Island Pickle specifies a couple of different methods by which a project or applicant can meet nitrogen removal objectives projects can meet the objective if they do not create any new nitrogen outputs projects “can also remove existing nitrogen from elsewhere in the watershed.” Lastly DRI applicants have the option to meet the nitrogen removal objective outlined by the Section 208 plan by making a monetary nitrogen offset payment to the Town to offset any money that the town would spend removing any nitrogen that the business adds to the watershed A technical bulletin has been laid out by the Section 208 plan to guide towns in the removal of nitrogen from waterways which the commission uses to guide its decision of approving and calculating the fee The applicant specified the monetary nitrogen offset fee as his method of nitrogen removal in the application reviewed by the commission The offset payment is calculated at a rate equivalent to the projected cost incurred by the town to meet its responsibility of removing all new additions of nitrogen that will be added to the watershed by Island Pickle Because the applicant opted not to add any nitrogen removal in the business proposal the offset payment was indicated as the chosen method to satisfy the standard laid out in the Section 208 plan Pasakarnis said that the way the fee is calculated is “pretty straightforward.” Essentially the commission looks at the overall nitrogen created by the projected and multiplies it by the approximate cost to remove one kilogram of nitrogen per year This was calculated on a 20-year time frame The project applicant estimated that the project would create 43.91 kilograms of nitrogen a year and the town would spend approximately $8,290 a year to remove one kilogram of nitrogen in that time frame Those numbers were used by the commission to calculate the mitigation fee “There have been some requests throughout this process for this payment to be reduced,” he said at the meeting “In order to reduce this monetary offset payment for nitrogen there need to be certain factors present.” Those factors include the project being located in an existing development and holding plans to construct infrastructure within the next five years The commission could consider any of the factors if it were to move to reduce the nitrogen mitigation fee for Island pickle the town manager wrote that the town “would look favorably upon an adjusted nitrogen fee that reflects the assumptions proposed” by Island Pickle applied over the 20-year base period an amount that “falls between the amount proposed by the Commission and that [is] sought by the applicant.” “The town therefore finds merit in reliance on actual versus design flows and for removal of storm water flows from the fee calculations,” the letter states but the technical bulletin allows the commission at its discretion to apply the cost to treat one kilogram of nitrogen at a lesser percentage,” Mr The commission would apply a 54.6 percent reduction in cost to treat nitrogen in the same calculation in order to come to an approximate nitrogen mitigation fee of $198,739 He emphasized that when voting to approve or deny the project at the end of the meeting the commission would also need to decide whether or not to reduce the nitrogen mitigation fee Russell referenced the benefits that Island Pickle will bring to Mashpee and beyond some of which includes discounted rates for groups nonprofit partnership and fundraising activities He also emphasized the solution that his business could offer to the noise issue that surrounds outdoor pickleball courts Noise from recreational pickleball played outdoors could be reduced with the installation of Island Pickle which he said offers “practical solutions to town issues.” Russell also emphasized to the commission that the town manager “has endorsed and advocated for this project” multiple times which state how the project may benefit the Town of Mashpee he urged the commission to reconsider the reduction of the nitrogen mitigation fee He argued that several of the numbers that went into the calculation should be reduced He provided examples of areas that miscalculations might have occurred would bring the total amount of nitrogen created by Island Pickle per year to 23.97 kg Russell noted that he believes the calculation should be based on a 13-year basis He suggested that the calculations should be reduced for both the roof and pavement nitrogen calculations because the new conditions that would be created by Island Pickle would reduce these numbers He suggested a nitrogen mitigation fee of $129,162 be imposed for Island Pickle “That reduction would be a 35 percent reduction which is appropriate and specific for this particular project applies the same principles as the technical bulletin,” Mr “I’m not asking for special considerations; I’m asking to apply a load in remediation consistent to this project.” Russell said that he would more than likely be unable to pay the nitrogen mitigation fee “With regards to payment [of the nitrogen mitigation fee] “I have no money to pay any fee; every dollar saved is a reduction of the dollars that I have to raise.” He explained that he is still looking at using bank funds or private equity to fund the project; however future funding largely depends on the pending approval from the commission “I don’t have sufficient funds to pay to even complete the construction today Pasakarnis said that “all of those suggestions that were made would ultimately change either the calculation of the project’s overall nitrogen or the per-kilogram nitrogen cost and changing those is basically not possible under the regional policy plan and water resource technical bulletin,” which are used to guide DRI projects are “calculated in a prescribed way in the technical bulletin and the associated spreadsheet including providing credit for use of storm water controls and the applicant has received those.” Although he did add that the town used a formula that supports some of the methods used in the commission’s calculation for the nitrogen mitigation fee “The formula that is used in [the town’s] letter is based on some of the methods that the applicant has proposed what staff is considering in that letter is the town’s support of a payment in that amount,” Mr A lengthy discussion regarding the nitrogen mitigation fee ensued before the committee could come to a vote on the project Commission members felt conflicted over whether or not the potential benefits that Island Pickle stands to offer justify a decrease in the businesses’ responsibility for its nitrogen contributions said that “the benefits outweigh the detriments to the town overwhelmingly in my view spoke in favor of both the project and a reduction in the mitigation fee “I would echo a lot of Ernie’s comments,” he said “There are a number of reasons why I feel a reduction of the nitrogen offset fee is appropriate in this DRI...the town manager cites that support of pickleball overall has been overwhelming at public meetings; he also cites the tax revenue and recreation opportunities.” Wilson ultimately said that an alternate fee calculation formula is “a reasonable compromise to put forward and removes a major roadblock to making this facility a reality.” He added that the indoor facility is strongly favored by the community has received support from the town manager would create new jobs and establish a new local business the commission should vote to reduce the fee some committee members were not sure they agreed The commission’s Provincetown representative which have been used in support of lowering the fee Okun said that the commission should “keep it the same and ask the applicant to go to the Mashpee Town Meeting [in May] and ask the town to give a credit for the difference” in fees “Whatever we discount from what the applicant is going to have to pay somehow the town is going to have to pick that up,” Mr because the town manager implied his support of a reduced fee “I’m willing to reduce it to what the town of Mashpee says.” Wellfleet representative for the commission saying that while he believes community support should translate into lowering the offset payment “I just don’t see that this is a necessary consequence of strong community support.” Mead-Fox added that “popularity of the project does not help our nitrogen problem.” “The extent and nature of the problem that is nitrogen is very significant; it’s been bedeviling the Cape for a long time and it is developments that have caused the nitrogen problem in many ways,” he continued In regards to setting a precedence with this case “I believe even though these cases are all independent of each other I don’t think that’s going to stop an applicant to use a reduced payment as precedent,” and he urged that the commission stick with the original payment calculated “When I hear that there is apparently no funding for this project I don’t see why we should go through the difficulty of [reducing the fee],” Mr “[We] need to think really carefully about the consequence and precedence of lowering the fee given how difficult and major this problem of lowering the nitrogen really is.” also voiced worries about the consequences of lowering the fee He said that he “wanted to echo the support for the project.” However “it concerns me that the applicant has at each presentation made a statement to the fiscal ability to maybe complete the project and is depending on the subsidization of the cost of the project to the cost of the removal of nitrogen in our waterways.” “This is a huge project [that costs] millions of dollars,” he said “and we’re discussing two or three hundred thousand of that.” Virgilio chimed in to emphasize once again that the fee should be reduced “I would like to see the payment reduced,” because of the town’s stated support to lower the fee because of the tax revenue that Island Pickle would generate “I feel confident this project is well worth the reduction,” Mr Brewster representative for the commission “I don’t think we should be reducing the fee,” but if it is reduced “it should go to the suggested amount from Mashpee.” She supported the original number that was calculated by staff members adding that “staff did a lot of work on this and I agree with the formulas.” Wilson made a motion moving to amend the draft decision to reduce the nitrogen mitigation fee by the percent recommended by the Mashpee town manager Chairman Harold Mitchell clarified that this motion would amend the nitrogen mitigation fee to $198,739 commission member and Orleans representative Douglas Fromm called Island Pickle “a desirable project,” although he said that the fee should not be lowered because he does not want to set any precedence with the decision Fromm explained that he fears that future projects may feel inclined to ask for a reduction in the same fee if the commission voted to reduce Island Pickle’s fee Pasakarnis clarified that the approval of Island Pickle “would not set legal precedence,” because the commission would use “the town’s support [and other] identifying factors [to] support the reduced fee.” A roll call vote was taken by commission clerk The commission voted six affirmative votes to eight no votes voting against the decision to amend the mitigation fee the commission voted to keep the fee at the amount recommended by staff members Island Pickle will be charged a nitrogen mitigation fee of $363,990 a motion was made to consider the approval of the proposed project Dillon called a roll call vote again among the commission; a vote of 13 yes votes and one abstention solidified Island Pickle’s future Ronald Bergstrom abstained from the voting process Island Pickle will continue to seek additional funding and permits from the town as the applicant moves forward The school committee met on Wednesday to select a new superintendent and committee member Kelly Robson at the committee’s meeting on Wednesday the Mashpee School Committee voted to select Michele M Conners as the new superintendent of Mashpee Public Schools Conners will step into the role in July as Interim Superintendent David Thomson’s term concludes Conners comes to Mashpee with an abundance of educational leadership experience gained from a career at Brockton Public Schools where she currently serves as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for grades 6 through 12 The Brockton school district is large compared to Mashpee Conners was selected to be the school district’s new superintendent following a lengthy search process conducted by a 13-member search committee The search committee sorted through 21 candidate applications conducted interviews and brought forth three final candidates for the school committee to interview earlier this week and vote on during its meeting on Wednesday The three candidates put forth by the search committee were Dr All three were interviewed by the school committee on Monday each candidate highlighted key attributes that they could bring to the Mashpee community Conners spoke of her calling to come to Mashpee Beauchaine noted that as a current Mashpee resident she already feels a need to give back to her community Phillips spoke to the number of experiences she has acquired that could allow her to assimilate into the Mashpee community Before any deliberations could begin Wednesday Mashpee resident Victoria Haire voiced concerns that have been raised within the Mashpee community Haire addressed the community’s concerns over the process for how finalists were selected as well as assertions that community members are unhappy with the three finalists presented “We will talk about each of the candidates and then we will see if there is a consensus to move forward with a candidate for the superintendent position,” school committee chairman Don Myers said Myers first asked committee member Daniel Rodrigues for his thoughts on each of the three candidates “[The] three candidates that came to the table I felt as though were very well qualified in their own ways,” Mr “I would say that each of them has a very distinct and unique set of skills [and] experiences that set that all apart in different ways.” and appreciated the fact that she is a Mashpee resident Rodrigues said that it would be “lovely to have someone present who is a part of our community already.” Beauchaine said that because she is a Mashpee resident she is drawn to serving the Mashpee school community she said she would “[make] sure I am present.” “I couldn’t be more invested in serving the community in which I live.” Rodrigues said she is “another incredibly qualified candidate.” her presence and the homework that she did in coming to the table blew me away,” he continued Rodrigues said that she would bring a “wealth of knowledge with regards to the experiences she had across multiple school districts across multiple states,” to the role of superintendent He added that her answers during the interview were “incredibly meaningful.” Rodrigues also noted that “all three candidates were fabulous; I think we are well-positioned tonight to make a decision on one of these three and I think Mashpee would be in a really good place to bring on any of these three tonight.” school committee vice chairwoman Cathy Lewis spoke highly of the candidates “All three are very unique that bring very wonderful skills to Mashpee,” she said Lewis noted that she “shows longevity in where she has been,” referring to her career at Wrentham Public Schools Beauchaine’s answers during Monday’s interview “showed her experience and understanding of the various situations that can come to a superintendent,” Ms Beauchaine is a resident of Mashpee was a plus “I think that’s something that is very important to have,” she said Conners said that she would focus on building upon “the strong foundation Mashpee has already established,” if appointed Conners came prepared with data and facts to back up her responses Based on the level of preparedness in the interview Conners is “already beginning to invest in the community and our students.” Lewis said that she “found something very intriguing in her quiet leadership,” which showed that she had refined listening skills She added that her background and past experiences would allow Ms Phillips to “understand multi-cultural aspects [within the schools] that I think are so desperately needed in our district because we do serve a lot of students from a lot of different cultures.” Given the qualities of each of the three candidates “I feel strongly that all three candidates will bring some very strong things to Mashpee.” committee secretary provided his run-down of each candidate and concurred with his fellow committee members assessment of the candidates interviewed After the Student Advisory Committee’s review prior to the meeting Weeden noted that the student representatives recommended Dr He emphasized that student input had a heavy influence on his decision for the vote Conners was very prepared; she came with a plan.” “She did do a lot of her homework before she came,” he added Weeden thanked the search committee for working to select the three finalists “I can respect the decision that they made here and the students are definitely going to be a factor in this decision and because of that I support the student’s recommendation and that’s why my first pick will probably be Dr who recused herself from Monday’s candidate interviews due to her concern over community feedback voiced her opinions of each candidate as well “They all do have very strong qualities—they’re very well educated they talked the good talk—but I’m not actually 100 percent sure that they would actually be the right fit for Mashpee,” she said Conners comes from a very large school system that had an $18 million deficit in their budget—to me “I did not get a warm and fuzzy feeling about Dr Beauchaine; that’s just my personal opinion.” “There’s just so much to try to make this decision so I do applaud our students do giving us their opinions,” she said do I feel any of them are the right fit for Mashpee a joint meeting was held with the student advisory committee student representative Eve Mayen provided an update on the student response to walk-through with each of the final three candidates two weeks ago Eve also served on the superintendent search screening committee Eve explained that during the first walk through with Dr and students had a chance to speak with Dr Phillips were given their walk-throughs of Mashpee schools Eve said that she had members of the student advisory committee join as well as a few other students who voiced their interest Eve said she “sat everyone down said ‘Okay tell me a couple things that stood out to everyone.’” but did not seem to have a passionate attitude about coming to Mashpee,” Eve said based on interactions and feedback from students Beauchaine “had no experience above the 8th-grade level which was concerning as half the district is 7th grade and up.” Conners “had more of a comfortable feel,” during her walk-through but also had the enthusiasm to do well in Mashpee She answered the questions we asked very thoroughly.” she was “asked how long she would be at the district [and] she dodged the question and did not give a definite answer which was a little concerning.” She added said that Ms Phillips “responded to all our questions with a question “She has worked a lot with a lot of diverse experiences,” Eve said of Ms which she suggested could benefit the schools Eve showed support to each of the three candidates “I believe that anyone who we put in this position out of those three could do the job,” Eve said Myers shared his report of each candidate with his fellow committee members He thanked the committee “immensely for their due diligence” in bringing forth the three candidates; Mr Myers also emphasized the characteristics that may influence his decision for the next superintendent He noted that one his largest concern for the school revolves around its finances In regards to selecting a new superintendent Myers suggested that he was interested in someone with previous budget experience “My natural tendency is to look for if they have any experience with budgets,” he said “I care a lot about money and the budget.” In addition to helping the school succeed financially Myers also hopes to find a new superintendent who will improve the culture and the feeling of community within the schools “I’m looking for the person that can bring this diverse community together,” Mr Beauchaine expressed interest in seeking grants for Mashpee schools Myers noted that he appreciated her data-driven mindset to leading as well as her ability to deliver tough messages to the community while serving as assistant superintendent at Brockton schools Phillips “had a lot of different experiences,” and he noted her Tribal heritage as a potential benefit to the school Phillips spoke to her range of experiences including her current role as assistant superintendent and chief equity and engagement officer for Lowell Public Schools and previous role as assistant secretary of Native education in New Mexico and state director of Native education in Washington state and how these experiences have prepared her for the role of superintendent Phillips’ responses during this week’s also focused on improving the school system for all people inside she suggested that the school may need to look at their marginalized groups you really have to look at who is performing under the margins,” Ms With no further discussion from the committee Myers asked if any of the committee members “sees a clear front-runner that they feel comfortable with wanting to move forward tonight.” “ and for me my recommendation would be Dr I was very impressed with her ability to look at the whole system Lewis and asked if she felt prepared to move forward with making a decision her authenticity [was] shown through her interviews… I feel that she is going to be good fit for Mashpee and whether he was prepared to make a decision Weeden said that he felt similar to the other committee members Conners would be first pick based on the students and their feedback,” he said Conner’s alluded to looking for in her next job and asked if she felt ready to make a decision based on the three candidates “I understand people when they say we need fresh eyes “I think we need somebody that knows our people I just don’t feel comfortable with any of the candidates.” I feel that we do have three excellent choices here; I believe similar to Cathy that Dr what Mashpee needs where we are today and for the future [and] I think she would be able to help us move forward.” Myers said that he approved of her answers regarding budget cuts during Monday night’s interview Conners would handle budget cuts in Mashpee she said that she would focus on keeping the budget cuts away from the students and their needs was one of his main priorities in looking for a new superintendent “I believe that she has a lot of potential; I’m really hoping she’ll stay long,” she said “Something in my brain and my heart tells me and that she wants to do as much as she can for the town.” Myers suggested that it seemed the committee was nearing a consensus and asked for a motion to appoint a superintendent to be made Rodrigues brought a motion to the table to appoint Dr subject to successful contract negotiation Myers then asked for a second motion to be called which would allow for the school counsel to enter into contract negotiations with Dr Conners will be appointed as the new superintendent of Mashpee Public Schools The Mashpee School Committee hosted public interviews for the top three candidates under consideration to become the school district’s next su… A name change is proposed for Quashnet School — to Quashnet Intermediate School — but the Mashpee School Committee is hesitant even though the principal says it will help students School Principal Elijah Switzer pitched the name change at a school committee meeting in late February Community members often think of the school as an elementary school By changing the school's name students will be more empowered and the school can take on a stronger identity "It's part of my job to constantly evaluate what is happening at Quashnet School and improving everything — whether that’s field day protocols — right down to the name of the building," Switzer said School Committee members decided not to vote on the name change during the meeting and instead voted to create a survey for parents to gain their insight on a possible name change Switzer wants to make the change effective by July 1 The Mashpee Public School District has 3 schools: Kenneth C. Combs School for pre-kindergarten through second grade; Quashnet School is third grade through sixth; and Mashpee Middle-High School is seventh through twelfth grades. Quashnet School currently has 399 students In Switzer's presentation to the school committee he said the name change is to differentiate the school from an elementary school Families should understand that the Quashnet School has higher expectations for students and curriculum differences He began the name change initiative in March 2024 and had support from former Superintendent Patricia DeBoer Switzer also pointed out that schools across the Cape have made similar name changes "We need to change with the times," said Switzer Switzer said he hasn't yet created a budget for what the name change would cost but said new signage would be needed for the school as well as a new school logo "The hope would be to do a new sign by the street for the start of next school year out of the 2026 budget," he said "The other idea would be to add two more signs for the following year out of the 2027 budget." School Committee member Cathy Lewis argued that if Quashnet School receives a name change then a name change distinguishing Kenneth C The costs at that point could be significant especially when the town is already spending millions on initiatives like wastewater School Committee member Kelly Robson said at the meeting that a name change could make the students feel more mature when they transition from the Kenneth C "Put yourself back as a sixth grader," said Robson "Do you want to be an elementary school student Or do you want to be an intermediate school student already does a great job letting students know that Quashnet School is the next level "I'm trying to understand what this name change provides Mashpee Curriculum is going to be curriculum no matter what the school is called," said Lewis "I don't think renaming the school will improve the challenges in terms of what's offered from third to sixth grade Superintendent David Thomson told the Times on Wednesday that a survey was sent to every Quashnet School family asking them how they would feel about a name change School officials will take the data they receive from families and share it with the School Committee The committee will then revisit the topic during a meeting in April "I want to make it absolutely clear that we are not losing the Wampanoag word 'Quashnet' if the school name is changed," said Thomson "That would be disrespectful and not a good idea." Easter egg hunts for dogs and children are planned for Saturday Mashpee Commons will host a full day of Easter fun for families and their four-footed friends on Saturday Families are invited to take part in the annual Easter egg hunt at participating shops throughout the Commons from 11 AM to 3 PM The Easter Bunny will also hop into Central Square Furry friends are invited to take part in a canine egg hunt starting on the village green at 11 AM sharp the hunt will include 4,000 plastic eggs filled with tasty treats for pups color-coded eggs will indicate certain ingredients Humans are asked to have their dogs leashed and bring a basket for collecting eggs and some cleanup bags Early in-person voting for Mashpee’s Annual Town Election is scheduled to take place Monday Kaye announced the dates for early in-person voting at the Mashpee Select Board meeting on Monday “I’m here tonight because the registrars recently met and voted to recommend that we offer early voting in-person,” Ms “This is a requirement in order to offer it to the voters of Mashpee.” The Annual Town Election is set to be held on Saturday Residents can cast an early ballot in-person at Mashpee Town Hall from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM between April 28 and May 2 early voting won’t interfere with Town Meeting,” Ms “It also gives us the opportunity to offer absentee voting for the week leading up to the election,” Ms “Mass General Law does require that we stop early voting two days prior to the election.” Kaye said she scheduled early in-person voting the week before the election to give residents a full week to cast an early ballot If early voting was scheduled during the week of Town Meeting residents could only vote for three out of the five days “I thought it would cause a lot of confusion if we only offered it for three out of five days,” Ms “I thought it was cleaner that we offered it the week before We will still have absentee voting that week before.” Mashpee residents can vote at the senior center Nomination papers are currently available and must be submitted to the board of registrars on or before 5 PM on March 24 Anyone with questions should contact the Mashpee town clerk’s office at 508-539-1418 This collection is your one-stop-shop for any and all reporting around the 2025 Annual Town Election in Mashpee the Trump Administration announced the termination of $106 million in funding for K-12 education in the commonwealth Mashpee is among the 20 Massachusetts school districts that will lose out on funding as a result Mashpee’s loss is significantly less than that of the other 19 districts named in the press release from Governor Maura T While Mashpee is set to lose $2,481 in funding the Springfield school district stands to lose the most funding—a whopping $47,357,654 the US Department of Education notified all states about the termination of the federal Education Stabilization Fund The move to terminate the fund squashed the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund III (ESSER III) money which came through the Education Stabilization Fund The Trump Administration had reaffirmed the funds in February giving Massachusetts schools until March 2026 to spend the funds things changed; the 20 schools with ongoing projects funded by ESSER III grants would no longer to able to spend the funds only 85.7% of total emergency stabilization funds have been spent Unspent grant funds will be redistributed to the federal government Mashpee Public Schools had $2,481 in unspent ESSER III funds which will no longer be available to spend According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) the funds were used to support and sustain the safe reopening of schools while meeting the social educational and mental health needs of students “These federal government funds are primarily used to provide resources for targeted assistance programs or supports for students and school wide programs to improve overall student outcomes,” said Don Myers “The $2,481 was the remaining ESSER III funds Mashpee Public Schools were allocated Mashpee Public Schools requested a late liquidation of the ESSER III funds of $16,000 The late liquidation was approved on October 1 These funds were allocated to provide educator professional development work specifically in Math through June 2025.” The Healey-Driscoll Administration released a statement condemning the decision on April 1 “At a time when students are still struggling to recover from the pandemic we need to be doing everything we can to address learning loss and the youth mental health crisis President Trump suddenly ripped away more than $100 million in funding that is supposed to go right to Massachusetts students and schools,” Gov “This action is jeopardizing mental health care and math tutoring for our students as well as projects that are already underway to enhance school security and ensure that the air in our school buildings is clean Massachusetts has been making important progress helping students recover from the pandemic but President Trump is trying to take us backwards.” Driscoll emphasized the importance of the funding in the statement and encouraged both state and federal governments to “work together” in the face of the budget cuts “The federal government and states should be working together to invest in capital projects that improve the learning environments for our students and support their education and well-being,” Lt “Massachusetts does not have the resources to replace all of the funding that President Trump is terminating These are more devastating terminations that impact our students and schools today and well into the future.” The Healey-Driscoll Administration said that the funding was “intended to support a multitude of statewide efforts to address pandemic-related learning loss math and science—areas where learning was particularly disrupted during the pandemic.” while Massachusetts students continue to lead the nation they have still not fully recovered from the learning lost during the pandemic,” the governor’s office said The ESSER III funds were also used to improve air quality by installing new HVAC systems install security cameras and other capital improvements ”This funding helped address those gaps by supporting mental health services purchasing of high-quality instructional material with a focus on science and enhanced screenings to identify students’ risk of poor reading outcomes including risk of dyslexia,” the Healey-Driscoll Administration said “Withdrawing funding already in use in schools across the country is nothing short of a cruel attempt to cause chaos and destruction Tens of thousands of children right here in Massachusetts rely on services and resources paid for by this funding These cuts will disproportionately harm those most in need of services—students with disabilities and the districts serving at-risk students,” said Jessica Tang president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts The future of federal funding for schools at this time is somewhat unclear the president signed an executive order to dismantle the US Department of Education; however the department cannot be dismantled through an executive order by the president alone can be stripped from schools by force of executive order This has left some at MPS worried for the financial future of the school system The ESSER III funds had already been built into the MPS budget for 2026 the 2026 Fiscal Year budget estimated that the school system would receive about $800,000 in federal grant funding Myers said he worries that additional budget cuts from the Trump Administration could impact the estimated amount of grants on the budget “The school committee submitted a budget for the upcoming fiscal 2026 year that included the district anticipating receiving $800,000 in federal grant funding,” Mr “Without this level of federal funding for fiscal year 2026 in my opinion the school district may have to either one ask for additional funding from the Town voters in order to provide level services for our students reduce the level of services currently provided and try to mitigate the impact on students and the district’s staff.” MPS Director of Finance Ashley Lopes said that she is not aware of any additional budget cuts right now or in the near-future She explained that the $2,481 of unspent funding was set to be used for professional development in areas of mathematics she does not expect the school to cut any programs Mashpee is not aware of any additional cuts to federal funding and is not planning on cutting any programs,” Ms administration and town officials will need to discuss next steps.” While the United States presidential election has come to a close, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal election is set for this weekend, with 13 candidates certified for the 2025 General Election on Feb Staggered tribal elections happen every two years This year's election features four officer seats including chairperson There is also one council member seat that is up for reelection “Those that are elected are not only strengthening our cultural connections but they are also making decisions surrounding housing health services and transportation,” said Peters “Those are all essential services that our tribal government sets the agenda for.” Those who are elected set the tone for relationships on a town The election will be held Sunday at the Tribe Community and Government Center gymnasium Regular voting hours will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Registered voters must be age 18 and must present a federal or tribal government-issued photo identification After two years in leadership, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Brian Weeden is up for reelection tribal councilman and tribal liaison for the Federal Emergency Management Agency who is the youngest person to serve as the tribe’s chairman said he has worked hard to bring stability and transparency back to tribal government Cedric Cromwell, the tribe’s former chairman was convicted of bribery charges in 2022. Weeden told the Times on Monday that he would like to serve another term to continue to work at the state and local level to protect the tribe's sovereignty aboriginal rights and to provide economic development outside of gaming "My priorities for the next term will be completing the constitutional reform finalizing the strategic plan and making sure the federal government upholds their trust responsibilities," said Weeden Weeden is also president of the Tribe’s Gaming Authority Andrews, who also serves as a Mashpee Chamber of Commerce board member, was recently deployed to FEMA Region 4 to assist with the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s hurricane response and recovery, according to the tribe's website. Andrews also established the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Emergency Management Department. Andrews didn't immediately return calls to the Times and is being challenged by Edwina "Winnie" Johnson-Graham and Robyn Tobey-Sweeting In addition to being vice chair for the last four years Hendricks also held a tribal council seat for 10 years Hendricks said he has extensive experience and commitment to fostering sustainable growth and enhancing the lives of tribal members Hendricks also led the HACCP Shellfish Project and initiated the Sober Home Living program and helped to establish a tribal homeless shelter Tobey-Sweeting is listed on the tribe website as a shelter manager and has worked within the I.H.S - Contract Health Services program and the Transitional Housing and Shelter program Cassie Jackson has served as the tribe secretary for the last four years who is also the Gaming Authority secretary will face Talia Landry and Michelle "Shellie" Tobey at the polls Jackson is an appointed member of the National Community Health Aide Program Board and serves as a liaison to the tribe's Health and Human Services Department Jackson helped draft the tribe's annual report and acquired and administered congressional funding for the tribe's Parsonage Michelle Tobey is the tribe's former housing director and helped procure $22 million to launch housing development and to improve infrastructure for tribal housing Tobey said she will establish an elders assistance program and build a recreational park for children Tribal Treasurer Charles "Bobby" Foster was certified to run for another four-year term according to a statement he posted to his Facebook page on Sunday said he has years of experience within tribal government and will prioritize financial responsibility and transparency if elected Soliz is currently a banker at Citizens Bank and said in a statement that he has four decades of banking and finance experience with top lending institutions Two vie for one tribal council seatDavid Weeden has been on the Tribal Council since 2017 who currently oversees the Title VI Tribal Nutritional Program Peters has spent the bulk of his career in culinary arts and nutrition after studying at Johnson and Wales University Peters worked at the former Flume restaurant as a head chef and later became director of nutritional services at an elder care facility Peters was also the kitchen manager at Cape Cod Hospital Incumbent David Weeden is also the director of Tribal Historic Preservation, is a Mashpee Select Board member, and is the Native American representative for the Cape Cod Commission. president of the Mashpee Environmental Coalition carries bags of textile donations from Mashpee resident Marjorie Bloom’s vehicle Residents of Mashpee are invited to attend a special event in celebration of Earth Day on Saturday The event is intended to encourage residents to follow recent legislation which has changed waste management regulations by demonstrating environmentally friendly practices The Mashpee Environmental Coalition, a local nonprofit organization, will offer services during the event which can no longer be thrown in the trash in Massachusetts and media storage items—a new addition this year—allowing residents to dispose of 8-track and cassette tapes all of which are banned from trash streams in the commonwealth due to legislation passed in 2022 These items must now be recycled or otherwise disposed of in an eco-friendly way To allow for easier recycling of items that are banned from trash streams organizations such as the Mashpee Environmental Coalition have collaborated with the Town of Mashpee to host large-scale textile donation days On April 19 the coalition will collaborate with the town department of public works (DPW) to host the second annual Earth Day event featuring four main components all at the Mashpee Senior Center: textile recycling From 9 AM to 1 PM residents are invited to partake in the event to both reduce waste and encourage the recycling of existing products in town while also honoring Earth Day said during a phone call with the Enterprise Checkovich said that once the coalition saw the “very successful” turnout at the first event the group decided to make it an annual Earth Day tradition “We figured this was a great way to celebrate Earth Day,” she said During the first event last year the coalition “collected a record amount of textiles,” totaling 3,500 pounds of textiles collected for recycling a Kingston-based textile recycling company the coalition only needs to provide “the manpower,” she continued will work on Earth Day to help collect the textiles which will then be loaded onto a truck provided by Bay State “As much as 95% of everything donated [to Bay State Textiles] gets reused in some way,” Ms textiles will be turned into stuffing materials for items such as furniture but sometimes “if the items are in really good condition Bay State Textiles tries to donate or have it be reused.” The Mashpee Environmental Coalition is focused largely on the accessibility of the event: not only is it free to attend but nearly any recyclable items will be accepted Items being recycled should be cleaned and placed into a bag before being dropped off at the senior center on April 19 a news release from the coalition dated March 14 notes that certain items—mattresses and wet or contaminated material—cannot be accepted at the textile recycling event and should be brought directly to the town’s transfer station for disposal or recycling The coalition will offer media storage recycling for the first time this year accepting items that are typically not biodegradable and need to be specially recycled “This will be our first year with the media storage recycling at the event the coalition has contracted out with another business to handle the recycling of media storage products will oversee the recycling of certain media items The Mashpee DPW will also be offering secure paper shredding at the senior center throughout the event The town has contracted with a local paper-shredding company to offer free and secure paper shredding for Mashpee residents The coalition noted that by shredding documents residents are given the opportunity for the “safe destruction of documents containing personal and confidential information.” Shredded paper can have a quick turnaround period in terms of the recycling lifespan and can be turned into fibers that can later be used to create new sheets of paper The DPW will also be instructing residents about the composting process offering free kitchen scrap baskets to all guests Common food waste such as banana peels or rinds from other fruits and vegetables eggshells and even coffee grounds can be collected in kitchen scrap baskets which can then be turned into a soil amendment known as compost which is “the single-largest category of material placed in [a] municipal landfill,” according to the Food & Drug Administration composting can reduce greenhouse emissions build climate resiliency and enrich soil by adding nutrients back to the Earth according to the Environmental Protection Agency the Mashpee DPW will also be selling outdoor home compost bins at the event The Mashpee Senior Center is at 26 Frank E All services will be provided to Mashpee residents free of charge More information about the event can be found at www.mashpeemec.us A great blue heron stands in the Mashpee River The Association to Preserve Cape Cod announced this week that it received a multi-million dollar grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore fish habitats and passages along the Mashpee River and empower the Mashpee Wampanoag community The announcement of the $2.58 million grant from NOAA was made on Wednesday The APCC said it will combine the grant with other funding sources from the Town of Mashpee and other private foundations to support a comprehensive restoration effort A project summary for Mashpee River restoration project prepared by the APCC estimated the total cost of the project to be $5,331,776 NOAA has supported more than $45 million in grants through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act more than $20 million in funding has been awarded to federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations across the country According to a press release from the APCC members of the organization “will work closely with the town of Mashpee Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) the Natural Resources Conservation Service the Cape Cod Conservation District and other local and regional partners to implement this project.” The APCC’s project will work to revitalize the ecosystem of the Mashpee River by restoring natural habitats that were once there and improving fish passages and migratory ways It will also have a focus on including the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe throughout the entirety of the project to show respect to both the Tribe and stewardship of the Mashpee River the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will play a crucial role in the restoration process and tribal staff will support restoration planning and monitoring,” the APCC’s press release said an integral part of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s ancestral homeland is home to one of Cape Cod’s largest river herring runs and supports a native brook trout population.” In addition to restoring the fish habitats and passages along the Mashpee River the project will also work to restore an abandoned cranberry bog near Washburn Pond transforming it back into a natural wetland The APCC will also conduct a “comprehensive hydrological assessment in collaboration with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and local community to identify and prioritize additional restoration needs throughout the river system,” the organization’s announcement said Representatives from the APCC say that the project will be centered around community engagement and capacity building working to include the community along the way A community visioning process to “prioritize restoration activities” by gathering input from the community will be led by WBNERR “This project represents a significant step toward preserving the health and vitality of the Mashpee River,” said Andrew Gottlieb “By working closely with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe we can ensure that this restoration effort honors the cultural and ecological significance of this river.” More information about the project can be found on the APCC’s website The official results of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council general election are in members of the tribe turned out in droves to elect new council members on Sunday The individuals elected include Brian Weeden MASHPEE — At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 3, about eight employees were standing in the parking lot of Casey Landscaping and Tree Care at 84 Algonquin Ave. where a fire had broken out earlier that morning "We're just here to rally behind him," said Sarah Hampton Firefighters answered the call around 2 a.m and saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the left side of the building according to a Mashpee Fire Department press release Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills and Joint Base Cape Cod fire departments Firefighters struggled to extinguish the fire from inside the building since parts of the floor were burned through A preliminary cause of the fire is that it started in the lower garage before extending to the first floor and attic The fire is still under investigation by Mashpee Fire Department Desiree Nikfardjam is a reporter covering breaking and trending news She graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism You can reach her at DNikfardjam@gannett.com Mashpee’s Annual Town Election is heating up The race for the two seats on the Mashpee Select Board narrowed this week with candidate Jacques Morin withdrawing his name from the ballot at the 11th hour Morin is the latest to withdraw from the race His withdrawal was preceded by that of Patrice Pimental-Cotta also a candidate for the three-year select board seat Morin withdrew his name just before the deadline I have chosen to step aside for the Mashpee Select Board seat and lend my support to Mike Richardson,” Mr Morin said in a statement to the Enterprise yesterday Morin was a candidate for the three-year seat on the select board President of Bayberry Building Company Inc Morin is a fourth-generation native to Cape Cod and a Mashpee resident and has had experience working on town committees and boards in Barnstable “Although Mike and I share similar history regarding serving government,” Mr “Not dividing votes I feel would help ensure that a candidate is chosen will provide experienced representation that the town of Mashpee and voters serve.” His withdrawal leaves former planning board member Michael Richardson and former contractor Timothy Dorsey running for the three-year seat Richardson has been involved in town government for nearly 16 years Other committees he has served following his time on the select board are the Mashpee Finance Committee Charter Review Committee and the Mashpee Planning Board He is the executive director of The Peninsula Council he has been involved with the Mashpee Kiwanis Club and the Cape Cod Boys & Girls Club for nearly 20 years He is a member of New Seabury’s Men’s Club and the Mashpee Environmental Coalition Dorsey has been a private contractor in Mashpee for 18 years as well as the Mashpee Post Office and Town Hall “I know Mike will serve the town and its residents well and I hope to have the pleasure of serving in that capacity in the future,” Mr Mashpee voters will make the right decision on May 10 I look forward to the upcoming election and to the select board continuing their hard work on all the issues that Mashpee residents care most about.” Candidates still in the running for the two-year select board seat are finance committee member A Gregory McKelvey and Tribal member Tracy Kelley McKelvey serves on multiple committees in Mashpee and the capital improvement program committee He also is a member of the Mashpee Kiwanis Club He has been an American Baptist minister in Hanover for 10 years Kelley is a Mashpee native and a local parent actively involved in the Mashpee school system She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her master’s degree in linguistics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology She launched the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s first online language learning platform and has 20 years experience in nonprofit organizations The Mashpee Town Election will be held on Saturday are hoping to put the Bay State's fourth casino in Taunton The first phase is a tribal welcome center on Stevens Street the size of a small home with 10 slot machines inside The Mashpee Wampanoag's almost had a massive casino years ago but it never got past their groundbreaking in Taunton in 2016 "The 10 slot machines are only there to show what's ahead; the idea is to hopefully move those machines in the larger facility as we do a phased approach," says Brian Weeden the Chairman for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe "The original plan was to do a 1,000,000,000 facility The Welcome Center is having its soft opening this week from 10 a.m where anyone is welcome to walk in and even play a game or two but the grand opening for the center will be on Sunday it was about 10 machines and it was nice and fresh," says Brenden Sullivan from Lakeville who was one of the first to take a look inside There's no timeline on when construction will begin on a larger facility the tribe presented in front of Taunton City Council but a final design is still being discussed among the gaming authority They do hope to eventually expand the welcome center to have up to 50 slot machines City officials are hopeful this move will put the city on the map "It's another great tool for us to attract people to the city," says Jay Pateakos The Economic and Community Development for Taunton some people have never thought about Taunton and now they will." A snowplow heads up Great Neck Road North at the Route 130 intersection the Town of Mashpee has instituted a parking ban on roads town wide beginning tomorrow Notice of the parking ban posted to the Town of Mashpee website around 10 AM on Friday morning The parking ban will be in effect from 6 PM Saturday to 6 PM Sunday Residents are asked to refrain from parking on roadways during this timeframe Violators will be ticketed or towed at the owner's expense the town advised the the opening of the Transfer Station on Sunday may be delayed Residents are advised to contact the Department of Public Works at 508-539-1420 to confirm hours of operation You look at the top teams in these rankings John Paul II have resumes good for number one The head-to-head win for the Vineyarders early in the season give them the edge for now but not many teams are performing at a level the Lions are I hate to continue to harp on the same issue but the weather has just been so difficult for teams to perform In Mashpee's recent win over Middleborough That's just impossible to play your best in those conditions You would just hope to not have to so often The rain in the early part of the schedule postponed a ton of games but hopefully some sanity returns to the weather let's take a look at this week's Cape and Islands high school girls tennis rankings and have been playing good tennis all season first doubles team Leah Thomson and Zoe Treitman and second doubles Tessa Schulz and Ella Moran all won They have won 11 in a row since the opening loss to Martha's Vineyard and Grace Walker are all dominating their singles matches This team has posted eight sweep wins during its impressive streak In that aforementioned win over Middleborough the Falcons overcame the wind and posted a 5-0 victory This is a team that is competitive against top opponents The only losses are to Cohasset and Norwell Top two singles players Mariele Henley and Hannah Rogers have played well and third singles player Esme Milde is having a great season too The only losses were early in the season to Martha's Vineyard and St and could move up if it continues to play like this The Sharks are getting contributions from everyone including singles players like Ella Cutter and Darcy Addison NR)The Whalers move in to the top five with some strong recent play so nothing to hang their heads about there The Whalers own a recent win over Sturgis West A mid-May stretch of games with Martha's Vineyard and St Honorable MentionSandwich (5-6)The Blue Knights have three tough losses to Cohasset and Nauset knock the Blue Knights down a peg I still feel like this is a dangerous team when they're playing well The Warriors have strong recent victories over Dennis-Yarmouth and Sandwich Adam Kurkjian covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him at akurkjian@gannett.com and follow him on X at @AdamKurkjian Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans A forum to discuss the building of a new police station in Mashpee drew a small crowd to the middle/high school auditorium on April 10 Following a public forum last Thursday that highlighted plans to build a new police station in Mashpee the town is inviting residents to see the existing police station during an open house scheduled for Saturday the Mashpee Police Department announced that it will welcome the public for tours of the police station that day between 8 AM and 4 PM The tours are intended to inform the public of the current state of the nearly 50-year-old facility ahead of a town vote to approve construction of a new station the new station would be constructed directly behind the existing facility at 16 Frank E has served thousands of Mashpee residents over the years but recently many within the community have called attention to its ongoing problems The scrutiny comes as Mashpee moves forward with a warrant article asking residents to approve its plans to build a new police station town residents would agree to take on a debt exclusion which would fund $37,134,129 to be used towards construction costs Collins clarified during the public forum last Thursday "The cost is going to be through the debt exclusion," he said the amount of $37,150,000 was placed on the Town Meeting warrant the total project budget was estimated to be at $39,434,129 including all projected consulting and legal fees A vote will be taken at Annual Town Meeting on Monday May 5 to approve or deny the plans to borrow taxpayer money to build the new station The question regarding the new police station listed as Article Five on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant for May 5 seeks the the Town's approval "to authorize the Treasurer under and pursuant to Chapter 44 Sections 7 or 8 of the General Laws and to appropriate said sum for purposes of paying the costs of construction of a new police station located at 19 Frank Hicks Drive including costs of demolition and removal of any structures or features thereon "The proposed building is designed to support the operational needs of the department for the next 50 years," Article Five reads Mashpee voters will then be asked to decide whether to approve the debt exclusion through a question on the Town Election ballot on Saturday the debt exclusion will be rolled out over the course of 20 years Members of the police department and of the town cited specific issues with the police department headquarters during the public forum held last week at the Mashpee Middle High School Rose walked the audience through a slideshow presentation outlining the key issues identified by officers the current facility is quickly reaching the end of its useful life While infrastructure deficiencies have contributed to poor air quality the building is also not conducive to modern policing practices nor can it accommodate many of the new technologies that have become standard tools in law enforcement," the police department said "I would welcome each and everyone of you to tour our facility on April 26 We'll be there all day," Mashpee Deputy Chief Rose said last week The police department invites residents to bring their children along for the tour, which also gives families a chance to see the inside of a Mashpee police cruiser and to speak with first responders. More information is available at mashpeema.gov. A rendering of the Cranberry Point neighborhood Red turns to green as Quaker Run bog abuts the first hole of the Bog Course at Willowbend Country Club Plans for a new Willowbend Country Club housing development called Cranberry Point were approved by the Mashpee Planning Board at its March 19 meeting country club owners Southworth Properties LLC asked the board to modify its special permit the planning board picked up its ongoing deliberations regarding the plans for the housing development and the special permit modifications that come along with it the planning board closed the public hearing for the application during the previous planning board meeting on March 5 which ended the public’s opportunity to discuss the modifications The special permit modifications will allow for the country club to add a 5.065 acre parcel of land 3.5-bathroom house at 275 Quinaquisset Avenue to its special permit The special permit was originally granted to the country club in 1988 and modified in 1991 which currently serves an employee home for Willowbend workers would be demolished to make room for 12 cottage-style condominiums most of the homes will have three to four bedrooms which has been the subject of discussion during several planning board meetings To accommodate for the additional bedrooms the planning board has modified the special permit to increase the bedroom cap which limited the country club to 853 total bedrooms on Willowbend property The board’s March 19 decision to increase the cap will allow 1,006 total bedrooms on Willowbend property attorney John (Jack) McElhinney has represented Southworth Properties LLC and Willowbend to request the special permit modifications Southworth Properties LLC originally requested the special permit modifications to allow the construction of Cranberry Point in February 2023 The application was remanded to the state land court before landing back in the hands of the Mashpee Planning Board when Southworth Properties LLC resubmitted its application for reconsideration the public hearing for 275 Quinaquisset Avenue was reopened a draft decision to approve the project was prepared for the planning board meeting on March 5; however with board members asking last minute questions regarding the plan such as the existing and proposed bedroom count and the proposed plans for nitrogen mitigation Hearing no further comments from the public Waygan suggested that the planning board should close the public hearing and make its decision at the next meeting the board came prepared to discuss the application once again Kwesell walked the planning board through each paragraph of the written decision to support the project She first explained that when the application was initially submitted to the board which would have brought the total unit count to 287 “The applicant filed an application to modify the special permit for the construction of 12 [units which contributed to the overall dwelling unit maximum of 287 and “would increase the total number to 285 dwelling units.” the owners of the property have also proposed plans to mitigate nitrogen on the property Kwesell explained that the owners will work to “restore approximately 5.3 acres of cranberry bogs into wetlands in accordance with orders from the Mashpee Conservation Committee.” According to the application the restoration will work to remove excess nitrogen from the existing cranberry bogs the property owners will contribute $110,000 to Mashpee’s affordable housing efforts The project application states that the new homes will be serviced by the Willowbend wastewater treatment plant which has received a State Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) permit who designed the plant when the country club was constructed has said in meetings that there is ample space within the treatment plant to accommodate for any extra nitrogen that could be added by the new homes The planning board’s approval last week marks a pivotal point in the process for the new Willowbend housing development; however work still cannot commence on 275 Quinaquisset Avenue Southworth Properties LLC must obtain required permits from the town before it can break ground on the property “I just want to thank again our town planner town counsel [and] our town engineer for hanging in there,” she said The site of Island Pickle at 51 Evergreen Circle A special permit for an indoor pickleball and golf facility to be located at 51 Evergreen Circle in Mashpee has been approved by the Mashpee Planning Board moving the project one step closer to construction the Mashpee Planning Board voted in favor of approving a special permit to the applicant will be home to 10 indoor pickleball courts locker rooms and over 30,000-square-feet of common areas It will sit on a 37,000-square-foot lot in a Mashpee industrial zone Russell first submitted the application for a special permit to the planning board in August 2024 for approval of a special permit it was quickly turned over by the planning board’s hands and placed into the hands of the Cape Cod Commission because the project proposed a building that is larger than 10,000-square-feet and considered a development of regional impact (DRI) the project was reviewed by the Cape Cod Commission’s DRI Committee for several months before receiving approval in January Russell then came back to the planning board board members pointed out several areas of concern and the board moved to continue the public hearing several times By the planning board’s meeting on March 5 the board had come to an understanding that the applicant needed to acquire several waivers from the town The public hearing was then continued until March 19 Town Planner Brian Tobin explained that the applicant had resolved almost all of the board’s unanswered questions and “has provided a number of deliverables” including an updated water quality report Because the applicant had worked to resolve most of the board’s requests from the last meeting “What you have before you is a draft decision,” Mr “There are three waivers [on the draft decision] that the applicant is presently seeking [which are all] within the planning board’s authority [and are] expressly authorized by the code,” that the planning board can waive The draft decision also included a list of conditions that will need to be met by the applicant The board reviewed each of the 16 conditions that were included in the draft decision the conditions of the special permit note that the applicant must comply with all dimensional bylaws outlined by the town must obey the designated use and intended uses of the facility as outlined in the permit and the applicant must also provide ample parking spaces for all guests the applicant must bring a revised landscaping plan to the board Any future or proposed changes to the plan should also be brought to the board’s attention the board then found another issue: the hours of operation in the draft decision were not the same hours presented in the applicant’s original plan Chairwoman Mary Waygan pointed out that in previous meetings Mr Russell stated that Island Pickle’s hours of operations would be from 7 AM to 10 PM the draft decision noted that the business would have operating hours from 6 AM to 11:59 PM Russell said that the hours were changed to be “broad” to allow for specific events that might extend beyond 10 PM such as sports-related events at the tavern or other pickleball tournament-style events He noted that 7 AM to 10 PM would most likely be his typical hours of operation but that he would be able to clarify his business hours when he seeks an entertainment license from the select board following the approval of the special permit While some members of the board worried that the hours of operation could lead to a problem down the road with late-night noise Tobin assured the board that the new facility would not be of harm to the town The town’s planner said that “one of the great things about this project is that it solves the pickleball problem on Cape Cod by taking it out of your backyard and putting it in an indoor facility in an industrial park.” Hearing no further questions or discussion Waygan then asked for a motion to close the public hearing Board member Dennis Balzarini made a motion to close the public hearing Waygan asked for a motion to approve the special permit before he can begin construction of the project “This is a big project and it’s not one to be taken lightly,” Mr and Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources invited the public to join in an Honor the Earth festival Nitana Hicks Greendeer adjusts her daughter Lila Greendeer’s tribal regalia during the event James Beard Award-winning chef Sherry Pocknett which are based on her Indigenous heritage and Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources invited the public to Honor the Earth Paula Peters records the competitors’ names and dishes of Harwich shows gratitude to Leslie Jonas who serves in various capacities advancing Indigenous perspectives and environmental justice Native Land Conservancy and Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources invited the public to Honor the Earth activities for kids and a plant-based recipe competition Traditional movement and dances were demonstrated Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage founder Susan Baur provides information about her group to attendees Town of Barnstable Natural Resource’s Wildlife Education presented local wildlife a Tribal Elder and daughter of late tribal Chief Vernon “Silent Drum” Lopez who also serves as a board member of the Native Land Conservancy makes remarks during the Honor The Earth fair Taste Of The Earth Competition second place winner Patricia Gadsby of Farming Falmouth first place winner and Mashpee Wampanoag tribe citizen Kimmie Frye and third place winner Calvin Quigley Mashpee residents Melanie Sharrow and her father Lavender will have his ashes launched into space a second time at Cape Canaveral David Lavender (right) shared a love of space with his daughter Mashpee resident David Lavender will have his ashes launched into space at Cape Canaveral Mashpee can now say it has launched someone into space Mashpee resident David Lavender—who died in 2021—had one final wish: to be sent to space he went in 2023 and will go again later this year He always had this love for space exploration and always brought me up to have that same kind of love for anything space related,” Ms “He would always tell me—I think kind of half-jokingly—’When I die I want my ashes launched into space.’ I was always like Sharrow looked to Celestis Memorial Spaceflights to help fulfill Mr “I was very fortunate enough to be able to get him onto one of their launch programs,” Ms I have a mission patch and I’m looking at a plaque right above my laptop of his first launch back in 2023.” Celestis Memorial Spaceflights is a commercial space frontier memorial located in Houston The company launches a portion of loved ones’ cremated remains into near space Family and friends have the ability to watch their loved ones launch into space in a three-day event the second is the memorial and the third day is the launch Chafer said that the organization has done 24 three-day events so far More than 650 guests attended the last launch in January “I’m unaware of any other funeral or memorial service where you see that many people joyously high-fiving and celebrating I think that’s what makes us special in the area that we’re in It’s been a long trip and it’s been very educational Chafer said to the Enterprise on Wednesday “We put more people in space than all the governments in the world combined.” A portion of Celestis’ proceeds from each launch goes to various charities supporting science and the Earth Each charity is featured on Celestis’ website the spaceflight organization is donating funds to the Nichelle Nichols Foundation Nichols played Lieutenant Uhuru on the original “Star Trek” television show in 1966 Her foundation is to support women in STEM Other public figures who were launched into space include 1960s icon Timothy Leary and “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry “It’s really interesting to meet the families and listen to their stories,” Mr There isn’t a more perfect celebration of life than this.” Lavender was first launched into space in April 2023 He was a member on Celestis’ serenity flight where he was scheduled to orbit the Earth for seven to 10 years on a satellite The launch burned out prematurely after 10 revolutions around the Earth Sharrow and the other families who had loved ones on that flight and offered to launch them into space again the successful completion of the service is the completion of the orbit one time around and we’re done… In the previous mission “Most of our missions go for multiple years and people can track them on the website even though the mission was successful from a contract point of view we wanted to give everybody a second flight to have a chance at a longer service.” Lavender is to be launched into space between October and December this year “Cape Canaveral is another place my dad took me when I was a kid,” Ms “We went to the Kennedy Space Center there Watching him launch is going to feel very moving when that comes.” Celestis launches people from several different locations including the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara Chafer said that Celestis generally tries to keep their launches in California and Florida “because that gives people the best opportunity to try and view the launch.” Lavender shared a love of places in Mashpee Seconsett Beach and Mashpee Middle-High School “We loved sailing from Waquoit Bay to Martha’s Vineyard where my dad’s sailboat was moored We would rent a moped on the island and explore “We went camping frequently in Washburn Island and would harvest mussels and walk for hours exploring Seconsett Beach was another place we frequently went Sharrow said that she and her dad used to also fly Estes model rockets from the fields of Mashpee Middle-High School Lavender was a videographer for NBC10 Boston He is credited with helping develop Falmouth Community Television he remarried Lauren Lavender and welcomed two step-sons Being their last heir of someone feels like We have to do something absolutely amazing,’” Ms “It was only natural that I fulfilled his wish for him.” He was also a Star Trek fan and other science fiction and fantasy related media “He always had this love for space exploration and always brought me up to have that same kind of love for anything space related,” Ms She added that he always helped her with science projects and that he left her all of his “documentaries and everything related to space exploration.” Sharrow and her father often talked about going into space together She said she still hopes to one day be launched into space if there was ever an opportunity where we could go up on a commercial flight we have to do it,’ which I know we’re just starting to get into that now…they’re just starting to explore that kind of travel,” Ms “That’s still something I want to do if I ever get the chance I don’t care if zero gravity makes me sick or whatever way above and just kind of fulfill that dream that we had together.” Sharrow said that she believes he would thank her for fulfilling it It’s been a long road of grief that will never end This doesn’t necessarily prolong the grief It honors the love we share that’s still there It honors our relationship and his love for exploration,” Ms “I feel incredibly fortunate and privileged to be able to do something like this It helps bring closure to a really tragic ending that he had “I’m a big advocate for spreading awareness for suicide prevention and resources,” Ms “He died so suddenly and so tragically that I was like He’s going to go up in flight and be launched in space.’” People and loved ones struggling with mental health are urged to contact the suicide and crisis hotline at 988. Additional resources can be found on The Cape and Islands Suicide Prevention Coalition’s website at cispc.net the Cape Behavioral Health Center and Sharing Kindness Cape Cod are additional local resources for those struggling with mental health on Cape Cod Move over Patriots, the MIAA high school football Super Bowls are invading Gillette Stadium this week Eight Massachusetts high school football Super Bowls will be held in Foxboro over the course of the next three days The actions kicks off with a battle in Division 7. Defending state-champion Uxbridge will take on Mashpee at 5:30 p.m Stick here for live updates throughout the Div More: How to watch the MIAA high school football Super Bowls More: MIAA Super Bowl week is here. What to know before heading to Gillette. Camden LaChapelle led the way for Hudson as he turned 19 rushes into 205 yards and two TDs He also had a pair of receptions for 55 yards Rogan Devlin ran for 70 yards and two TDs while completing 11 of his 18 passes for 156 yards Ben Squarcia totaled 117 yards of offense and two TDs Dominic Matteodo ran for 73 yards on nine attempts He finished 13 of 24 passing for 213 yards and two interceptions 7 state championship and moves its winning streak to 27 games Mashpee turns the ball over on downs and Uxbridge should be able to run the clock out from here 2:24 LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER: Uxbridge 42 Mashpee 20Uxbridge's Rogan Devlin keeps it himself for a 2-yard TD run Looks like the Spartans are about win their second consecutive state title and push their winning streak to 27 in a row Uxbridge captain and defensive lineman Chase Henault reads a screen and intercepts a pass 3:28 LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER: Uxbridge 35 Mashpee 20On the first play of Uxbridge's drive Camden LaChapelle is off to the races for a 65-yard TD run Mashpee picks up a third-and-long as Dominic Matteodo finds Ben Squarcia for a big pick up Logan Wills bounces a run outside and barrels his way into the end zone for a 9-yard TD A penalty moves the 2-point conversion back five yards and Matteodo's pass is intercepted by Grady Walsh in the end zone Uxbridge's Camden LaChapelle caps a drive with a 1-yard TD run Uxbridge has possession heading into the fourth quarter The Spartans have a first-and-10 from Mashpee territory Mashpee answers with a long scoring drive led by QB Dominic Matteodo Ben Squarcia caps the drive with a 6-yard TD run up the gut for his second score of the day 5:43 LEFT IN THE THIRD QUARTER: Uxbridge 21 Mashpee 8Uxbridge's Rogan Devlin tip-toes the sidelines and stays inbounds en route for a highlight-reel 38-yard TD run Mashpee takes the opening kickoff of the second half and marches down the field Timothy Devlin intercepted a pass at his own 30 Spartans have a chance to go up two scores Mashpee receives the kickoff to start the second half the offenses woke up in the second quarter The Spartans retook the lead with 15 seconds remaining on Rogan Devlin's 19-yard TD pass to Thatcher Sweeney Mashpee's Ryan Triveri hauled in a last-ditch heave on the last play of the first half but he was tackled 10 yards shy of the end zone Rogan Devlin lofts a 19-yard TD pass to Thatcher Sweeney in the back of the end zone to nab Uxbridge the lead back 51 SECONDS LEFT IN SECOND QUARTER: Mashpee 8 Uxbridge 7Uxbridge has driven into Mashpee territory Camden LaChapelle picks up a huge gain(49 yards) on a screen pass to get the Spartans to the 20 Mashpee's Dominic Matteodo intercepts a pass and returns it to midfield Mashpee attempts a trick play to start the next drive but Uxbridge's Thatcher Sweeney intercepts the pass Spartans have the ball inside their own 30 Uxbridge 7Mashpee answers quickly as Ben Squarcia catches a 60-yard pass from Dominic Matteodo to set up a first-and-goal Squarcia rushed for a 9-yard TD off left tackle Matteodo completed the 2-point conversion pass to Logan Wills but an ineligible receiver downfield penalty nullifies the play Uxbridge's Rogan Devlin throws a 34-yard TD pass to Liam Kaferlein Uxbridge 0Uxbridge's opening drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Mashpee 13 The other first-quarter possessions have ended with punts The Falcons currently have the ball at their own 38 to start the second the first of eight state championships at Gillette Stadium the weather is partly and temperatures are in the mid-30s Wet conditions could be a bigger factor in the night game in the Div The defending champions faced arguably their toughest test in Week 1 The Spartans opened the season with a 35-32 win over Maynard The only other single-digit during Uxbridge's 26-game winning streak came against Auburn in this year's season finale Five days after defeated Northbridge in the semifinals the Spartans beat them again on Thanksgiving After dropping the season opener to Dennis-Yarmouth That win streak including a 26-21 win over Div The Falcons dropped a heartbreaker in the season finale to Carver but still shared the South Shore League Tobin Division title with Randolph Mashpee rested its starters on Thanksgiving in a 48-0 loss to Sandwich 1 Uxbridge enters play on a 26-game winning streak All but two of those wins came by double digits An 18-year-old Mashpee man was arraigned on Sept. 24 in Falmouth District Court in connection with graffiti at the Native Land Conservancy and other locations Myers was arraigned on one count of vandalizing property and one count of tagging property The vandalism occurred at 2 Center St. in Mashpee, records stated. The building, owned by William J. Lovely Property, houses the Native Land Conservancy, Inc., the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, and Wildfire Brick Oven Pizza Myers is also accused of spray painting on the town's Noisy Hole Conservation Area / Als property Myers pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance, court records showed. He was ordered to stay away from 2 Center St., 2 Shipwreck Drive and the Noisy Hole Conservation Area / Als property said Tuesday he did not have a comment about the case The vandalism cost building owners roughly $2,000 at 2 Center St Donald Myers, the father of the defendant, is chair of the Mashpee School Committee Donald Myers was a Select Board member for two terms Donald Myers declined to comment Tuesday about the case Three incidents of graffiti with black spray paint occurred at 2 Center St., a Mashpee police report stated. The messages contained anti-police sentiments as well as "bigoted and racist/anti-Muslim" messages police looked at surveillance video from cameras at 2 Center St. a person could be seen traveling those areas within the time frames of each incident of graffiti but couldn't be identified The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office Bureau of Criminal investigations investigated a handprint left at 2 Center St Police used Douglas Myers' cell phone records to track his movements on specific dates Police claim the records indicated that Douglas Myers was in the vicinity of 2 Center St during the dates and times the vandalism occurred officers found Douglas Myers in the area of Mashpee Neck Road and Quinaquisset Avenue shortly after vandalism occurred Myers was detained and found with spray paint canisters in his backpack The police report notes that one of the graffiti phrases that was left at 2 Center St "Hi Dan." Mashpee Police Detective Daniel Girard spoke to Wanda Myers in 2023 when Douglas Myers was investigated for an incident involving vandalism and tagging property Police claimed that message increases the likelihood that Douglas Myers may be the individual responsible for a tagging incident at 2 Center St. 9 police visited the Myers residence and spoke to both parents police advised Donald Myers to accompany his son to the police station Donald Myers said he would try to convince his son to call police When police didn't receive a call back from Douglas Myers or his parents