[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6214320,"mediaKeyId","3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d","parentId",3670781,"title","Barnstable County facilities assessment estimates multimillion-dollar repairs; master plan next steps outlined","audioSeconds",168,"startMs",2466000,"endMs",2634000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d&start=2466&end=2634","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d/thumbnail_2466000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6214320/Barnstable-County/Massachusetts/Barnstable-County-facilities-assessment-estimates-multimillion-dollar-repairs-master-plan-next-steps-outlined","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214320-8b2c91cc2f981a65f48d821643289dd0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174459&Signature=NiGvM6-cjS9XGKqWEfq4UZBNcWdQezfSq4wVX9zPlecpApuznPQ2HGiSUbXC6KtM4TF0ppZMndJsM4dpuL7jftPkagwAB7b-hXuVxGb5-EPhZTzXFTkDOSGtQ770oFPdKO6bjUppkXF6GXie4jzrVRoA~isgaXmuDmm-mZKMDwEIDuEtqHa17IsPXYLATBycnLcxjVurNMJkH2wXAhojGVkDKtYwbCPXnmQDQ4AX8eDE-zOej49rUOPjgKymarB2Au8Cu52Axg4JjNY58MijZSjoFASk9W-~SvNUVttyerYG1oTLpr8RuTqC4Xa84Xn-j6KXDeYmM9yyQ5MHDcMSkg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Barnstable County, MA","date","2025-06-04T19:15:12Z","article","Barnstable County administrators told delegates that a draft facilities condition assessment prepared by architectural consultant Gensler identifies extensive deferred maintenance across county-owned properties and estimated repair and upgrade costs in the tens of millions, and staff described next steps in a county master-planning process.

Assistant County Administrator Vera Harik reported that Gensler’s draft assessment estimated about $59,000,000 in necessary repairs and upgrades across county properties; Paul Rizzo, the county’s assets and infrastructure manager, said contingency buffers and later revisions by the consultant produced higher draft estimates—up to about $70,000,000—prompting staff to clarify figures for members.

“Bear in mind that… the draft facilities assessment has been completed by Gensler,” Vera Harik said. “Gensler estimated the cost of repairs and upgrades at around $59,000,000.”

Why it matters: County-owned properties total about 195,000 usable square feet, and Harik said the courts occupy about 55% of that space; some court-occupied space may be reimbursable if capital work is coordinated with the state court authority and the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM).

What officials told the assembly: Harik said the assessment documents many buildings in fair to poor condition and that the assessment will guide the master plan’s next stage, which includes departmental space needs, adjacencies and options such as rehabilitation of existing structures versus new construction. Paul Rizzo described the three-stage master-planning approach: (1) facility condition assessment (completed), (2) departmental and square-foot analysis (near completion), and (3) future-options evaluation (about 25% complete).

“There’s still a significant amount of work left to come,” Rizzo said. “We still have Gensler engaged under contract, and there’s still a significant amount of work left to come.”

Other county actions reported: Harik also reported that commissioners approved the FY26 town assessments totaling $8,081,840 and approved a contract with the sheriff’s office for grounds work. The health department updated commissioners on the summer beach sampling program, and the county will begin an ARPA-funded private well testing program to sample up to 300 private wells across Cape Cod for analytes including PFAS.

Discussion vs. decision: Delegates pressed staff for clarification when earlier messaging to the public referenced differing totals ($59 million vs. $70 million); Rizzo explained that the draft document contained contingency assumptions that expanded the upper estimate. Delegates asked for a refined, reconciled figure and for continued briefings as the master plan progresses. Harik said the county will present more data as stages two and three advance later in the summer.

What remains open: Implementation decisions—where to locate centralized administrative services and how to finance major capital work, including potential bonding and negotiations with state courts over reimbursement—remain to be resolved. The administration plans public engagement and additional commission briefings as the master plan progresses.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 4, 2025 Assembly of Delegates Regular Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Barnstable County administrators told delegates that a draft facilities condition assessment by Gensler estimates tens of millions in deferred maintenance and that a master-planning process will weigh options including centralizing public-facing services.","taxTitle","Barnstable County, Massachusetts","taxId",12948,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6214325,"Cape harbor masters urge Barnstable County to oppose Coast Guard buoy removals",1692,609000,2301000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d&start=609&end=2301","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d/thumbnail_609000.jpg","/articles/6214325/Barnstable-County/Massachusetts/Cape-harbor-masters-urge-Barnstable-County-to-oppose-Coast-Guard-buoy-removals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214325-c921b72983c8785d7dd326e45175eaf2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174459&Signature=FoIyM1j0kLDYL3chZ6fgPthddShppsvRZj9CN-W2E-J93VEmIHRD7ZYUC-MhNJTRmjv2A9pWIvQyCcwl~sTR8LnyRjBUIZ8GIhgBNLL4SFnGGZc7E~0gPRNkRQXz5ADI1zzBalEzNeQ9W9OExoDcHtHPw2JnrXlZm-Rb9y0SCQTEH~merj3ZH3j3l36ecqb0IUbeyAVrrfuNCYZGld3G1WWGZe3l~EKUh0tCG~-ZPoj3O9q84SheuvG8ZrthSizQVhGxjoVRFDQg8M~ZyOISLew6uX2p8fVuabZQwGxnV1XXba4OvIQ6xsFfXuS0kNMI0p1iAgzF~QdVUcw1s18xqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Barnstable County delegates heard detailed warnings from local harbor masters and maritime officials on the U.S. Coast Guard’s proposal to remove navigational buoys across the First Coast Guard District and authorized a county letter opposing the plan.

The push to send a countywide letter followed testimony from Jason Holm, harbormaster for the town of Chatham, and Dave Condon, Yarmouth’s director of natural resources and president of the Cape and Islands Harbor Master Association, who said the Coast Guard’s “buoy modernization” could remove aids mariners rely on in fog and poor visibility and raise public-safety risks.

“Each area has their own, that could potentially be of severe consequence if they were removed,” said Jason Holm, Harbormaster, Town of Chatham. “I liken this to removing road signs on the road and just because you have a GPS in your car. However, it's a little different on the water.”

Why it matters: The Coast Guard’s First District, which runs from New Jersey to Maine, posted an email-only comment period with a June 13 deadline; local officials said the district-level modernization would affect a large number of buoys in Cape Cod waters and that past proposals in 2019 and 2015 were stalled after strong local opposition.

What presenters told delegates: Dave Condon, Director of Natural Resources and Harbormaster, Town of Yarmouth and president of the Cape and Islands Harbor Master Association, said the Coast Guard has legitimate maintenance cost pressures but that smaller recreational boaters—often without electronic navigation gear—depend on visual and audible aids.

“You can't rely exclusively on your chartplotter,” Condon said. “But to think that the Coast Guard would take away one of those options is quite alarming.”

Chatham and the Cape and Islands association have drafted letters of comment and planned coordinated filings. Holm said his local waterways advisory and select board were unified in opposition and that the association planned to submit a joint letter. Several delegates asked whether local Coast Guard stations and congressional offices had been contacted; presenters said they had been in touch locally and that select boards were copying congressional representatives on correspondence.

Discussion vs. decision: Delegates pressed presenters on details the Coast Guard had not provided, including any dollar estimates of savings from removing buoys; presenters said the correspondence they had seen described the effort as a “modernization” and did not include a cost-savings figure. Delegates and presenters also discussed whether municipalities could adopt federal buoys; presenters explained a practical limit in local capacity because many federal buoys and their mooring hardware weigh thousands of pounds and require specialized vessels.

Formal action: The assembly voted to authorize the clerk to draft a letter opposing the U.S. Coast Guard plan and to circulate proposed language and supporting local economic figures for inclusion. The motion was approved by roll call (affirmative: 14; negative: 0). The assembly asked that the county coordinate with towns and harbormasters on submissions and share the deadline and the Coast Guard’s public-comment link.

What remains open: Presenters encouraged broad public comment and emphasized that previous local comment in 2019 influenced the Coast Guard’s decision then; they said robust public input is likely the most effective tool to preserve specific navigational aids. Presenters also encouraged delegates to copy local congressional offices and to work with nearby coast guard stations so written comments are supplemented by local engagement.","Barnstable County delegates heard harbor masters warn that a U.S. Coast Guard plan to discontinue navigational buoys across the First Coast Guard District could reduce safety, harm local navigation and depress maritime activity; the assembly authorized a letter opposing the removals.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6214310,"Assembly approves ordinances establishing clerk and assistant-clerk job descriptions",4515,2333000,6848000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d&start=2333&end=6848","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d/thumbnail_2333000.jpg","/articles/6214310/Barnstable-County/Massachusetts/Assembly-approves-ordinances-establishing-clerk-and-assistant-clerk-job-descriptions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214310-a57c0d788bcb89a1d372fc02a5d45487/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174459&Signature=O47aay4xozmQ5xJXgA5Dw1VEq-MKK0HOy1XwiqkcTx81cSI6P7lZES8W39nUE05UkYoRm0YnUGTLJysV8UcxmP3KOQWRX5YaaV1oRAIIQn9l1e61IAou4tDP8axuCycZ3iOYNbgZxBtJbmK4NKHUopOlakcjpTftaLl-DUFpdFBl4UAkHVYdNzoIpttlk1-iVaj45vE07PCi3MqVJJtrUSPBJiQX8uToU279Zxkt7PtS9GHBLaj8yEqBlhHgg1jdHTO6xKByaRz1HMbA5vWmT-~c03~0L4eaAIJI1qUcRH0wDZZWgdRQKE0-DHnXGfbzCcAZDvCaQvHi03VpgMp3Ew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Barnstable County Assembly voted to adopt two ordinances establishing a job description for the Clerk of the Assembly and for a part-time Assistant Clerk, and delegates welcomed the new assistant clerk during the meeting.

Assembly members moved and approved Ordinance 2025-O7 (Clerk job description) and Ordinance 2025-O8 (part-time Assistant Clerk job description) after brief discussion about prior charter-review efforts and the administrator’s willingness to implement the changes in the near term. Both ordinances passed on roll call votes (affirmative: 14; negative: 0).

Deputy Speaker Gessen moved the ordinance for the Clerk and the same proponent moved the ordinance establishing the part-time assistant-clerk position; deputies handled roll calls and the clerk recorded votes. On the floor, Delegate Elizabeth Harder said she remained frustrated that prior assembly changes to the clerk’s title had not been implemented and asked that the topic remain part of charter review.

“I understand the legal challenges, but I just want to put it on the record that more than once, this assembly voted to change the clerk's title… and I'm very upset that we put in an ordinance, and it was never addressed,” said Delegate Elizabeth Harder.

Administrative context and staffing: Assistant County Administrator Vera Harik introduced the administrator’s position that the clerk title remain as written in the charter and that the speaker may supervise the assistant clerk in practice; the assembly noted that ongoing charter-review work will address longer-term clarifications about clerk responsibilities and reporting relationships. The assembly also introduced and welcomed Emma Dvorak as the new Assistant Clerk; she will work primarily on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Discussion vs. decision: Delegates debated the appropriate supervision and title language and asked that charter review continue to consider clerk staffing and relationships. The ordinances were adopted as county law pending any future charter changes.","The Barnstable County Assembly approved two ordinances establishing a job description for the clerk of the assembly and a part-time assistant clerk; the assembly also welcomed the newly hired assistant clerk, Emma Dvorak.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6214315,"Cape Cod Commission releases Freshwater Strategy; county-led monitoring and data portal to expand pond tracking",1316,3494000,4810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d&start=3494&end=4810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670781-efcb8628311aabdbecbafb313d01f99d/thumbnail_3494000.jpg","/articles/6214315/Barnstable-County/Massachusetts/Cape-Cod-Commission-releases-Freshwater-Strategy-county-led-monitoring-and-data-portal-to-expand-pond-tracking","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214315-986e6316dc0b8f6446e9c3f1110e0293/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174459&Signature=VvQSG9IMWNpaXReUTAsgyQQDQg7lT2D5lOBIublf4GSvp3VUi0s3eKzIb2KdBanXJVHW6zsf~L7~lfdObAD3cGR0XmaPEOoijY3LTVbET8jCagzsuYombIjEIe7it6NxdAZ2uNBmHL6Ov-YZq~Szop4k41eIcowAL66Rrert-gMIzNVnxS0eZtTpqkUR9evphcs9oBsO~5L139GukHRnJqpaOkiiV~URLHPiQ4L18NVJuV9Y2dhubiRnHXlu6u35QpEA9UnZRJwVYWCcVAsLm9TWeKg7fDlPpY4r7UOqqn2UeiV4m95jH7WDznK8VoOf-DwOZeX27ydRT1YMe7PePg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cape Cod Commission and partner groups announced the release of a final Freshwater Strategy and described a county-supported regional monitoring program and data portal intended to improve freshwater pond management across Barnstable County.

Christy Sannatori, Executive Director of the Cape Cod Commission, said the strategy—finalized and released to the public the day of the meeting—builds on a reissued Pond and Lakes Atlas and several technical analyses, including an economic analysis and a legal/jurisdictional review, and that the Freshwater Initiative was launched with Barnstable County funding.

“We did just release the freshwater strategy,” Sannatori said. “This has been an instrumental opportunity for us to really take a hard look at our freshwater resources across The Cape.”

Key recommendations and resources: The strategy includes (1) a regional pond monitoring program initially sampling 50 representative ponds monthly from March through November, (2) a public pond water-quality data portal and viewer, (3) fact sheets and a prioritization framework for pond interventions, (4) model pond-buffer guidance for municipalities, and (5) actions to help towns obtain grant funding and build local lab capacity.

Andrew Gottlieb of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) described field work under contract to the Commission: two field teams sample the 50 ponds monthly, coordinating volunteers and lab analysis. Gottlieb said the program expanded cyanobacteria (cyano) sampling through separate grant funds and that the effort is now in its third year.

“...we have 2 teams. They are responsible for the same 25 ponds every month from March through November,” Andrew Gottlieb, APCC, said. “When we started this project, we were actually thinking we're gonna go April to October. First year's data indicated... we needed to start earlier and end later.”

Private-well testing and PFAS: Assistant Administrator Vera Harik told delegates that the county will begin an ARPA-funded private well testing program to sample up to 300 private wells for analytes including PFAS, with tests allocated to towns proportionally by known well counts (the county tracked about 14,400 private wells during preparatory outreach).

Data and remote sensing: Commission staff described partnerships with NOAA and university groups to apply satellite remote sensing and historical imagery to expand coverage beyond the 50 physically monitored ponds. The portal will present time series of key parameters—chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen, nutrients and clarity—so towns and residents can track change.

Discussion vs. decision: Delegates asked about cyanobacteria prevalence, remote-sensing limits and whether PFAS sampling would be performed in ponds; presenters said cyanobacteria are present at baseline levels in most ponds but toxic blooms depend on conditions, remote sensing helps detect surface changes such as chlorophyll and clarity but cannot measure dissolved oxygen directly, and PFAS testing described for this meeting applied to private wells (ARPA-funded) rather than pond water under the current contract.

What remains open: Presenters emphasized the need for sustained funding, municipal adoption of model guidance, expanded lab capacity, and continued public engagement to translate strategy recommendations into on-the-ground projects. The Commission and APCC requested continued county coordination and support for securing grants and municipal implementation.","The Cape Cod Commission released its Freshwater Strategy and described a regional effort—funded in part by Barnstable County and partners—to expand pond monitoring to 50 representative ponds, publish a public data portal, and pursue model bylaws, funding and education to address nutrient and cyanobacteria issues.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Barnstable County facilities assessment estimates multimillion-dollar repairs; master plan next steps outlined

Cape harbor masters urge Barnstable County to oppose Coast Guard buoy removals

Assembly approves ordinances establishing clerk and assistant-clerk job descriptions

Cape Cod Commission releases Freshwater Strategy; county-led monitoring and data portal to expand pond tracking