The West Falmouth Village Association’s Annual Meeting is on Thursday, August 15, 2024, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
Location: West Falmouth Library, 575 West Falmouth Highway
Our guest speaker this year is Amy Lowell, Falmouth Wastewater Superintendent. Amy will provide our members with an understanding of the Town’s plans to develop an ocean outfall to release processed wastewater into Martha’s Vineyard Sound.
Our agenda will include a Community Comment Period to allow our members to share their thoughts and concerns about issues impacting life in West Falmouth. The comment periods will be limited to two minutes per member and there will be no responses from the WFVA Board.
We will live-stream the Annual Meeting via Zoom from 7:00 PM to 7:40 PM Thursday. Click the button to watch the meeting.
On May 3rd, in honor of International Firefighter's Day, the West Falmouth Village Association recognized our local heroes. It was a wonderful morning filled with smiles, gestures of appreciation and great energy. The kids from the West Falmouth Preschool walked down, were treated with fire hats, stickers and coloring books and appeared to have a fun and memorable experience. Members of the Village Association Board were present along with our Town Manager and our Select Board Chair to thank the those who keep us safe. We really appreciate that our fire station is open and staffed! Thank you to all who came out to enjoy some cake and celebrate with us.
Video of the tree lighting countdown
Letter from the Black Beach Harbor Head Civic Association (BBHHCA)
The West Falmouth Village Association Board recently received the attached letter from a member of the Black Beach Harbor Head Civic Association (BBHHCA), who requested that we communicate it to our membership. We are sharing the letter in order to facilitate communication among our neighbors.
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.
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.
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:
View presentation by Korrin Petersen, VP Clean Water Advocacy
Buzzards Bay Coalition
View presentation by Amy Lowell, Wastewater Superintendent
Town of Falmouth
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.
Previous Village Litter Clean-Up
WFVA Members: Taylor, Gedney, Sellers families of West Falmouth cleaning up trash and debris from Black Beach
WFVA regularly partners with Litter Free Falmouth, a volunteer initiative dedicated to keeping our roadsides clean.
Three members of the village association participated in Litter Free Falmouth’s Fall Clean-up of Thomas B Landers Road on Sunday, December 11th. The group parked at the Waste Management Facility and picked up litter working its way to the Route 28 on-ramps and back (2.5 miles total). The group collected 16 large yellow bags of trash in addition to a couple of campaign signs, an 8’ long heavyweight steel pipe, and two five gallon buckets. In addition to the typical nip bottles and fast food wrappers commonly found on most roadsides, this road has especially large amounts of construction-related materials blown out of uncovered truck beds.
Litter Free Falmouth is working with local authorities and MassDOT to raise awareness and put an end to this type of unintentional littering.
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."
"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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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West Falmouth Village Association
P.O. Box 256, West Falmouth, MA 02574 info@westfalmouthvillage.org
