WFVA News Highlights
Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Safety Audit
West Falmouth Highway (Route 28A) between Chapoquoit Road and Old Dock Road
The report below resulted from the recent safety audit and details short term and long term recommendations for improvements along a small stretch of route 28A from Old Dock road to Chapoquoit Road.
View Road Safety Report (PDF)
We are advocating for a more comprehensive audit including the entire stretch of 28A through the Village. For your information, below is our request for the Select Board to support this effort and our letter to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
View cover letter to the Select Board (PDF)
View letter to the MA DOT (PDF)
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
Saturday, May 13, 2023
Please leave the items listed for your postal carriers on Saturday morning. (All donations will then be delivered to the Falmouth Service Center.)
• Apple Juice (64 oz.)
• Mustard or Ketchup
• Diced Tomatoes
• Canned Chicken
• Canned Peaches
• Diapers (size 6)
Public Forum about Wastewater and Watershed Management
A public forum was held on March 2, 2023 at the West Falmouth Library about wastewater and watershed management in the Town of Falmouth, including the environmental impact and benefits of the current plan.
View the Powerpoint presentations in PDF format:
West Falmouth Traffic & Pedestrian Safety Survey
The purpose of this survey is to solicit the opinion and experiences of West Falmouth residents, business owners and other interested parties regarding speed and safety along route 28A.
Please take a few moments to share your thoughts with us so that we, The West Falmouth Village Association, can properly advocate for you!
Legislation has been passed that permits towns to petition the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) to reduce speed limits on State Roads running through their town. We are currently engaged in related discussions with the Falmouth Traffic Advisory Committee, The Falmouth Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, the Falmouth Select Board, MADOT and our local representatives in the State Senate and House.
Please let us know your thoughts by 2/20/23. We will share the results in a follow up message as we continue to keep you informed of our progress.
Take the Survey
HOLIDAYS BY THE SEA WEEKEND at WEST FALMOUTH
Please join Santa and his favorite reindeer at our annual community tree lighting!
Date: Friday, December 2nd at 6:00 pm
Location: At the corner of Old Dock Road & WF Hwy
• Caroling with the Falmouth H.S. Repertory Singers directed by Miss Ilanna Tariff
• Hot chocolate provided by West Falmouth Market
• Wine and cheese social at West Falmouth Library following the tree lighting
Hosted by West Falmouth Village Association
and West Falmouth Library
WFVA Annual Meeting
Date: Thursday, August 18
Tine: Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m., but come at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments & social time
Location: West Falmouth Library
Falmouth Health Agent Scott McGann will give a brief summary of water testing procedures at local beaches.
WFVA Board member Todd Taylor will provide an update of fire station staffing.
Friends of Sippewissett Marsh and Beaches and the WFVA
present:
Summer Speaker Series on
Coastal Conservation
Date: Tuesday, August 16
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: West Falmouth Library
Guest speaker: Dr. Katie Castagno
Dr. Castagno, a postdoctoral research scientist at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown will discuss Sippewissett Marsh as an ecosystem and the effects of dynamic ocean processes. Dr. Castagno received her PhD from MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, where whe studied the impacts of storms on salt marshes in Southern New England.
Light refreshments provided.
Email cclifford@comcast.net or msmarthama@comcast.net with questions.
View poster >
Water Stations in Falmouth
Click on map to view larger image
Select Board Meeting on Monday, 2/28/22 has a discussion of Hatchville Fire Station and Staffing on agenda
“Update and presentation on total project cost estimate for Sandwich Road Fire Station, Status report on Fire Department staffing” (10 minutes)
https://www.falmouthma.gov/AgendaCenter/Select-Board-12/?#_02282022-13301
Virtual Precinct Meeting A Success In Falmouth
By Brad Cole, Falmouth Enterprise
Approximately 100 people on Thursday last week, January 7, attended Falmouth’s first precinct meeting since November 2019. Town Meeting members and Town Moderator David T. Vieira ironed out procedural issues on Zoom before taking up the warrant, of which articles calling for a new fire truck and siting the Carousel of Light next to Shivericks Pond drew the most discussion.
Before the meeting got underway Mr. Vieira conducted test votes, including a quorum count, to confirm all was working properly.
Read full article >
Recent Litter Clean-Up Efforts
Village Litter Clean-Up on October 31.
WFVA Members: Taylor, Gedney, Sellers families of West Falmouth cleaning up trash and debris from Black Beach
• WFVA held a Village Litter Clean-Up on October 31, with free Ice Cream provided by Eulinda’s.
• West Falmouth Residents also supported Litter Free Falmouth’s 1st Fall Town-wide Litter Cleanup on Sunday, December 6.
Litter was collected from roadsides, beaches and conservation lands in West Falmouth and throughout the town. Over 175 members of the community participated. Some obtained free litter grabbing sticks and T-shirts from the Keep Massachusetts Beautiful website. Others purchased grabbers from local hardware stores and online.
• “Litter Free Falmouth” Plans Additional Clean-Ups
Litter Free Falmouth hosted a community-wide discussion (via Zoom) of the path forward to achieve a litter free Falmouth on Thursday, January 21. (Read the article in the Falmouth Enterprise
• Falmouth Adopt-A-Highway group recently initiated stewardship of Route 28
(between Thomas Landers Road and Route 151) and is seeking new members who want to help. Anyone wishing to join the highway adoption team can email Alan Robinson at amrobinson101@gmail.com
COMMUNITY FORUM 2021– PRESENT/FUTURE FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES
View Agenda file >
Read the Falmouth Enterprise article >
Learn more about this issue >
Informational handouts:
• SAFER Grants
(Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response)
• Fire Station Staffing - existing and proposed
• Response time to emergencies in West Falmouth
will increase dramatically with closure of Station #4
Proposal to Adjust
Historic District Boundaries
"The Falmouth Historical Commission is proposing to adjust the setback boundary lines to include the entire property to provide consistency throughout all 7 historic districts.
No properties will be added to the historic districts. The adjustment will eliminate properties from historic districts that are not on the main district public way and do not have a building affected by the current setback. Of the 1,019 properties in the historic districts, 123 properties will be removed and 106 primary buildings will now be included."
Links
Town Website- General Link
Full Text of Cover Letter
West Falmouth Property List
FAQs about the proposal
Boundary Adjustment Maps
Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
Photos courtesy of Milt Williamson
Historic WF Livestock Pound
By Amanda Haines, The Falmouth Enterprise
"Hidden behind brambles and trees at 825 West Falmouth Highway are some rocks that are steeped in colonial history. And, quite accidentally, when an Eversource crew dislodged a few of the stones during routine maintenance, they uncovered a little-known historic gem.
The rocks are what remain of the West Falmouth Pound, a livestock shelter that is mentioned in the National Register of Historic Places (as part of the West Falmouth historical district) and protected by a preservation restriction."
Read the article >
West Falmouth Harbor Eelgrass Study
The Falmouth Enterprise
By Brittany Feldott
A recent study shows that eelgrass in parts of West Falmouth Harbor is growing relatively healthily, but Philip Colarusso of the US Environmental Protection Agency said last week that it could take between six and 17 years before eelgrass beds fully recover.
Read more >
Retreat for ALS Patients, Families, and Caregivers Planned
The Falmouth Enterprise
By Andrea Carter
Construction of the Compassionate Care ALS Education and Retreat Center in West Falmouth, formerly Beach Rose Inn, began in November.
Read more >
Swift Park
Many thanks to “Nautical and Nice” and the Shearer Family for the donation of two benches at the renovated tennis court at Swift Park. Photo: Chris Moskal and his daughters Julia and Caroline enjoy the benches with Denali the dog.
August 2016
West Falmouth Residents To Try Out Alternative Septic Systems
Read the Falmouth Enterprise article >
February 5, 2016
Tennis Courts at Swift Playground
Photos show current progress (Nov. 20, 2015) of reconstruction of the Town
Tennis Courts at Swift Playground in West Falmouth.
The Town of Falmouth is overseeing and funding the construction.
Courts will be ready for play in Spring 2016.
Palmer Avenue Bridge Reconstruction
View the photo slideshow of the Palmer Avenue Bridge Project
West Falmouth Day, now a part of Pumpkin Day!
A free, family-friendly event at the historic Bourne Farm, Route 28A, West Falmouth, MA held each year in October.
Parachute Fun led by Elsa Partan.
Board Members Jay Austin and Tom Ford
man the WFVA information table.
Read more about the Pumpkin Day and view more photos >
Falmouth Receives State Funding to Replenish Chapoquoit Beach
The Enterprise by Carrie L. Gentile
Falmouth has been awarded $120,000 from the state to replenish Chapoquoit Beach and adjacent dunes with sand dredged from the Cape Cod Canal.
The public beach in West Falmouth has been eroding at a rate of .7 to 1.3 feet a year, resulting in loss of recreation area and natural storm buffers, according to the grant application prepared by the town and M. Leslie Fields, coastal geologist for the Woods Hole Group in Falmouth.
Evidence that erosion is occurring is the lack of the bathing beach during high tide and exposure of the nearby seawall during high tide, the last line of defense for Chapoquoit Road that runs by the beach.
Following the announcement that the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management awarded the grant to Falmouth, the town will enter negotiations with the US Army Corps of Engineers to provide the dredged materials. The plan is contingent on testing that determines the material will match the beach grains in West Falmouth.
The application estimates the work to be complete by end of June next year.
This is the second attempt at bolstering this stretch of beach with sand from the canal. In 2002, the same initiative was in the works but because of scheduling problems with the Corps’ dredging contractor, the sand was instead dumped offshore instead.
The sand will be spread over a 3,600-foot swath, from Chapoquoit Island to the northern end of Black Beach on both the beach and dunes. The project is expected to increase the beach width at high tide by approximately 100 feet.
The beach, which has been diminished by erosion, acts as a protector of West Falmouth Harbor from Buzzards Bay. Both Chapoquoit Island and the eastern side of the barrier beach are developed, with year-round homes, the application states.
The grant will be used to update the 2002 beach nourishment plan and to pay for the requisite local, state and federal permits.
Falmouth town officials will organize three public meetings in which they will present the project and gather input from residents. The town will also hold smaller meetings with local groups including the Chapoquoit Association, West Falmouth Village Association, and Bowerman’s Beach Club.
The state awarded $2.2 million in grants to several coastal towns earlier this week to help local governments reduce the risks from coastal storms, flooding, erosion and sea level rise.
Buzzards Bay Guardian Award
The Guardian Award was given to the West Falmouth Boat Club from the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. A beautifully carved scallop shell award created by New Bedford artist John Magnan from pine driftwood collected on Cuttyhunk sits on the mantel in the WF Library.
The Guardian Award is the “highest honor from the Coalition and is given for outstanding service in the clean-up, restoration, or protection of Buzzards Bay.” It honors “the unsung hero or heroine who deserves public recognition, not only for what they have achieved, but also to inspire others to make a difference.”
Please stop by the West Falmouth Library to read the complete award information on the bottom of the shell. John Magnan’s studio is located in the Waterfront Historic District of New Bedford.
Falmouth Healthy Lawns
What you need to know about Falmouth’s Nitrogen Control Bylaw for Fertilizer:
Falmouth adopted this Bylaw to reduce the nitrogen pollution going into our estuaries. The Bylaw applies to nitrogen used to fertilize grass only. The Bylaw does not apply to fertilizer used on your flower and vegetable garden, greenhouse, houseplants, farm, or orchard. The Bylaw also does not apply to the establishment or repair of turf (after substantial damage) in its first growing season.
Prohibitions:
• Don’t fertilize any part of your lawn between October 16th and April 14th, or directly before or during a heavy rain event. Don’t spread fertilizer on paved surfaces and clean it up if you do.
• Don’t fertilize any lawn located within 100 feet of wetlands - specifically the Resource Areas as defined in Falmouth’s Wetlands Regulations, FWR 10.02 (1)(a - d).
• The Bylaw recommends that if you fertilize lawns not covered by the 100’ prohibition, fertilize sparingly! The Bylaw encourages use of materials such as yard waste, compost or other similar materials that are primarily organic in nature and that are not considered “fertilizer” to improve the physical condition of your soil.
Read more in the Healthy Lawns PDF.
WFVA Villager Award
This award is given for outstanding service and dedication to our village. If you have a recommendation, please contact Jay Austin at 508-566-0645 or by email at Aukina@aol.com. Please let me know why you feel the person you have nominated is worthy of such an honor. Thank you in advance for your help!
The WFVA Villager Award was established in 2010 to honor individuals in our community who have given great service, time and talent for the benefit of West Falmouth.
This award is bestowed at the Annual Meeting held in July/August.The person or persons to be honored will be notified in advance of the meeting and asked to be on hand for the presentation of the award. Recipients of this award are:
Nancy Hayward - 2015
John Ross - 2014
Peter Gedney and Paul Sellers – 2013
John F. Austin, Jr. - 2012
Maurie and Art Harlow-Hawkes – 2011
Milt and Sue Williamson - 2010
West Falmouth beach protected forever with conservation restriction
The generosity of the Shearer family is shown through a remarkable gift of a conservation restriction co-held by the Buzzards Bay Coalition and The 300 Committee Land Trust.
Near Chapoquoit Beach in West Falmouth lies a special stretch of beach and coastal habitat. Tall dunes rise up over the shore, protecting a community of plants and shrubs sandwiched between West Falmouth Harbor and Buzzards Bay.
View photos of this unique coastal habitat that is now protected forever.
Flood Map Presentation
The West Falmouth Village Association and Falmouth Housing Trust sponsored a flood insurance presentation, including West Falmouth Flood Maps, by Town officials at West Falmouth Library on January 13, 2014.
A Representative panel comprised of Town of Falmouth's Building Department & GIS Department, as well as representatives from a local lender and insurance agency, gave the presentation followed by a question & answer period.
Click here for more details, including a video of the presentation.
On Crocker Pond—West Falmouth Neighbors Worry About Pollution
Cape Cod Wave - By Laura M. Reckford
On a recent Friday morning, an osprey swooped low over Crocker Pond in West Falmouth but then angled back up. No fish to be seen.
“They’re not awake yet,” said Mary Bunker Ryther, 50, who grew up on Crocker Pond and now lives just a quarter mile up the road in North Falmouth.
Her Norwich terrier Rogue positioned himself on the edge of the Bunker family dock and looked intently into the water, willing a fish to squiggle to the surface.
Nothing yet. Just clear water all the way to the bottom.
The pond off West Falmouth Highway (Route 28A) at the intersection of Thomas B. Landers Road is bound by the Bunker property taking up most of one side and Bourne Farm taking up most of the other. It is a serene place.
Ryther knows there are fish in the pond, always have been for the more than 65 years her family has lived next to it.
But she is concerned about the future and whether the abundant wildlife in and around the pond will be there for her grandchildren and their children. > Read more
Falmouth Bikeways Committee Survey
The Falmouth Bikeways Committee is seeking your input; please fill out this survey. It will give the committee a better understanding of bicycle rider needs in Falmouth. The survey will take five to six minutes. Your bicycling needs will be incorporated into bicycling planning. Please only complete this survey one time. The committee would like the widest range of citizens to participate in this survey.
Take the Survey!
Hearings for 681 W. Falmouth Hwy.
Update: Application withdrawn
WFVA has been notified by the Historic District Commission that they will be holding the record open regarding the property at 681 West Falmouth Highway (HDC application #13-12). The intent of the record remaining open is to all for "further public testimony", according to the Commission's Chairman, Edward Haddad.
"Where in West Falmouth" Photos
Featuringl photos of West Falmouth by Peter Partridge.
> Click here to view the photos
Save Crocker Pond
re:
Crocker Pond in West Falmouth"Most people don't know Crocker Pond or if they do know the Pond don't know the name of it. It is the Pond next to Bournes Farm on 28A in West Falmouth at the junction of Thomas Landers Rd. It is where Pumpkin Day is held each October.
The reason for the concern is that the town hopes to dishcarge wastewater 400 yds uphill from the pond." > Read more
IMPORTANT UPDATE Post Office Square / Liquor Store
Date set for Town of Falmouth Selectmen's rehearing on the relocation of the liquor store to 28A is now scheduled for April 29th, 2013.
The following is a message from Frank Duffy, Falmouth Town Counsel
March 2013
We have received a decision from ABCC on the appeal and the ABCC has disapproved the action of the board of selectmen in denying the application of Murfslix's Inc. to transfer the location of its business from Main St. to West Falmouth Highway. The matter is remanded to the board with the recommendation that the application be granted. The board may impose reasonable conditions on the granting of the application. The ABCC found that the board denied the application on the grounds that the transfer did not "serve the public need." The board did not articulate its reasons for this finding and merely recited a summation of opponents who testified about parking and traffic. The ABCC suggested that the board treated the hearing as a plebiscite. In addition the ABCC noted that all public officials who submitted referrals to the board (the building commissioner, the fire deputy chief, the police chief and the board of health) all had no objections to the application. The commission concluded that the board denied the application "simply by conjuring a parade of horribles" that it has the power to prevent (by the imposition of reasonable conditions).
October 2012
Greetings: I am contacting you individually or as members of the WFVA about the package store appeal. Murphy’s Package Store filed an application with the Falmouth Board of Selectmen to change the location of its store from Main St. to 410 W. Falmouth Highway. The Board of Selectmen denied the application. The applicant has appealed the denial to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission in Boston and a hearing is scheduled for October 10, 2012. In its decision, the BOS found that there was no demonstrated public need for a package store at this location. The board based its decision on public testimony and written submissions in opposition to the transfer. From a review of the record it appears that you submitted information considered by the board. I do intend to submit the BOS record to the ABCC, but to present the full case for denial, it will be necessary to present testimony from residents of the neighborhood to verify the facts in the record and support the board’s decision that there was no demonstrated public need. I am asking that you respond with your availability to serve as a witness at the hearing or to identify others in the neighborhood who can do the same. Thank you.
Petition to Protect West Falmouth Groundwater
Synopsis: The Town of Falmouth is making some progress towards protecting the estuaries on the South Coast. However part of a proposed plan includes the possibility of adding new waste water infiltration sites which could threaten many of North and West Falmouth's ponds, streams, wetlands and marshes. Possible infiltration sites to the south and north of Thomas Landers Rd. will likely impact Crocker Pond, Wing's Pond and even West Falmouth Harbor. We ask that an Environmental Impact Assessment be conducted with a decision to proceed only after the potential impacts are definitively shown to be benign.
1. Please sign this petition online by visiting the petition page on Change.org.
2. Please share this petition with others who may be interested.
3. View PDF Map and Details.
3. For more information on the town's effort to manage wastewater please see the Town Wastewater Management Committee Website.
West Falmouth Harbor
Here is a photo from a celebration of the favorable settlement to benefit West Falmouth Harbor and the success of efforts by John and Martha Ross which began in 1994! Included are WF Boat Club President Peter Partridge, members in the coalition, including President Mark Rasmussen and Representative Tim Madden.
