View Legally Posted Agendas HERE
Town Council Meeting – Thursday June 2, 7pm, Remote
Precinct 7 Monthly Open Meeting – Wednesday June 8, 3pm, Cotuit Library Cancelled
Cotuit Fire District Long Term Planning Committee – Thursday June 9, 6pm, Remote
Cotuit Fire Commission – Tuesday June 14, 5:30pm, Remote
Cotuit Water Commission – Wednesday June 15, 6pm, Freedom Hall
Town Council Meeting – Thursday June 16, 7pm, Remote
Cotuit Prudential Committee – Monday June 27, 6pm, Remote
Today is the day we formally express our thanks, with gratitude and in remembrance, of the men and women having selflessly given their lives, honoring us, and the freedoms won. If we fail to remember and honor these brave men and women, we’re likely to forget their great sacrifices; let us not forget.
Transfer Station Closed Monday May 30, 2022
The Town of Barnstable Department of Public Works Solid Waste Division will be closed Monday May 30, 2022 in observance of Memorial Day. Trash and recycling services will resume on a normal schedule Tuesday, May 31, 2022. For questions, call 508-420-2258.
Transfer Station & Recycling Division Information HERE
View annual Election Notice and Meeting Warrant HERE Vote today! Cotuit Fire District Annual Elections 4pm-8pm May 24, 2022 Freedom Hall, 976 Main St.
District Meeting May 25, 2022 7:30pm, Freedom Hall
Cotuit Fire District Prudential Committee
Monday May 23, 6pm, Remote
View Agenda HERE
Link: Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3462071880
Meeting ID: 346 207 1880 or phone 646 558 8656
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Hyannis, MA – May 19, 2022) The Town of Barnstable has been notified by Mass Wildlife that due to close proximity to endangered species, the Town’s 4th of July fireworks display cannot proceed as planned. The Town will use its rain date of Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 3, 2022.
FIREWORKS BACKGROUND: For many years the Town of Barnstable’s 4th of July fireworks display has been occurring in Lewis Bay. The location of the fireworks barge in Lewis Bay has met buffer requirements from Kalmus Beach where there is a known population of piping plovers and least terns which are endangered nesting shorebirds. Within the last 15 years, Great Island in Yarmouth began changing and accreting northward towards the Lewis Bay barge location. Starting in 2009, the landform (now called Smith Point) had developed enough for piping plovers and least terns to nest. These populations were being monitored by the Massachusetts Audubon Society who reported data annually to Mass Wildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (“NHESP”). See images provided below.
On July 4th 2021, at approximately noon, the Town was notified by NHESP that the barge was too close to Smith Point. NHESP requested that the fireworks display be cancelled or that the noise be removed from the display. This request was not achievable due to the barge being loaded with explosives. The barge and surrounding area becomes a “no entry zone” and aborting the fireworks shoot was not an option. It was because of the above safety concerns that the 2021 fireworks were deployed. The display was documented by NHESP as a violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Town has been in negotiations to agree upon a mitigation plan.
Recently, NHESP has advised the Town of Barnstable that future fireworks will need to be in compliance with the Endangered Species Act and the barge location must be adjusted away from Smith Point as well as Kalmus Beach. Due to the expanded radius, there is not a suitable area for the fireworks barge to be anchored within Lewis Bay. Alternative locations were explored. However, to best suit the needs of safe operation for the Town of Barnstable none of these alternative locations were viable. Moving the fireworks display to Labor Day became the only option as plover and tern nesting activities are no longer a concern in September.
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