Community pool voted down, housing expansion approved as Harwich town meeting ends

HARWICH — Town meeting voters — by a narrow margin — decided they do not want a public swimming pool.

The vote was 134 in favor of a petitioned article to affirm support for a public access swimming pool and facilities at the Harwich Community Center , with 166 people opposing the move.

About 400 people attended Harwich's first night of town meeting. The meeting wrapped up on Tuesday night at the community center at 100 Oak St. On the second night, funding was approved for electronic voting at town meeting and for financial help for sewer connections.

On Tuesday, also, town meeting approved an article seeking special legislation to tweak the Harwich Affordable Housing Trust Fund bylaw. The tweak allows the trust to create housing for households with gross incomes greater than 80% but not more than 200% of area median income, according to the warrant.

Does the town want a pool?

Patrick Otton, the petitioner behind the community pool article, said before the vote that "swimming is essential for our happiness" and that a public access pool would benefit Harwich and other nearby communities.

"This is a yes or no question ... this question is no different than if I asked you if you'd like to go to dinner," said Otton. "Where, when, how much, what we eat, can be answered once I know whether or not you'd like to go to dinner."

But resident Linda Cebula noted asking if a community wanted a pool was not the same as diving into the costs to build and operate it. Plus, she was not sure the last time she "went out to dinner and it cost $18 million."

Otton's other petitioned articles also failed. He had put forth a tree preservation bylaw that intended to encourage tree preservation on residential, commercial, and industrial lots during construction. Another would have authorized the Select Board to ask the Legislature for legislation to ban the use of fertilizer in Harwich. A third would have asked the Select Board to petition the Legislature for legislation allowing the town to adopt a pesticide reduction bylaw.

Residents generally felt that there were too many unanswered questions around those articles and that there should have been more conversation before putting them before town meeting. Others supported the measures, saying they would contribute to making Cape Cod more environmentally healthy.

A $45.7M budget approved

Town meeting voters also approved the $45,732,309 spending package, which represents an 8.1% increase over last fiscal year. Select Board Chair Julie E. Kavanagh said the major components of expenditures are departmental budgets — a little over $31 million — which reflect salary and wages that constitute contractual obligations, cost of living increases, and inflation, as well as expenses supporting programs and services.

"This budget was built to ensure a continuation of programs and services we've all come to rely upon," said Kavanagh.

An article seeking $2.5 million to renovate and reconstruct the exterior siding of Monomoy Regional Middle School also passed. The borrowing authorized depends on the passage of the related ballot question, which voters will decide during the annual town election on May 21. About 75% of the project will be paid for by Harwich while the rest will come from Chatham, but the whole amount needs to be appropriated.

All Community Preservation Act articles passed, including $400,000 for the Harwich Fire Association to create workforce housing at the former fire station at 203 Bank St., $250,000 for the Cold Brook Trailhead and Public Access Project, and $7,500 for the Lower Cape Housing Institute.

TOWN MEETING RESULTS

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com . Follow her on X @zanerazz .

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Community pool voted down, housing expansion approved as Harwich town meeting ends