Newsletter

Newsletter | Summer 2026 | Issue 9

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Annual Meeting. It was a wonderful evening connecting with neighbors, reflecting on the Association's work, and looking ahead to 2027. The ice cream was a hit, and we appreciated the Association to Preserve Cape Cod's presentation on its Team SOS campaign. One of the evening's highlights was a heartfelt tribute by Paul Sellers honoring Milt Williamson for his many years of dedicated service to the West Falmouth community. Residents raised questions and shared ideas about public safety, the future of the West Falmouth Fire Station, sidewalks, and vegetation overgrowth. Members also voted unanimously to authorize the West Falmouth Village Association to pursue 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, an important step that will strengthen the Association's ability to serve the community in the years ahead. If you were unable to attend, we invite you to review the presentations below for more information.

THANK YOU, MILT WILLIAMSON!

The AI rendering below is of an American Elm tree that will be planted along the sidewalk at Old Dock Road in Milt's honor! (obviously the sign is not to scale but is enlarged for ease of viewing)

WEST FALMOUTH FIRESTATION RENOVATION PROJECT

The West Falmouth Village Association has been actively meeting with Town officials and the Community Preservation Committee to encourage the Town to pursue Community Preservation funding for renovations to the historic West Falmouth Fire Station.

As you may know, all Falmouth property owners contribute to the Community Preservation Fund through a 3% property tax surcharge. Established in 2005, the fund supports projects in four categories: historic preservation, open space, recreation, and community housing.

Although the West Falmouth station's need for repair and renovation has been evident for many years, there were no plans to address the situation. After reviewing years of building condition reports, the West Falmouth Village Association urged the Town to pursue Community Preservation Funds as a practical path forward. Our Town Manager then presented a proposal to the Select Board for consideration and the Board voted to move forward with a CPF application under the Historic Preservation category. To see the July 27th discussion and vote, click the following link... https://www.youtube.com/live/Q7XWlx-aYEE?si=BiX-8u-VnpTqQ7EW&t=10188 The scope of the proposed work will be developed over the coming months, with a funding request expected to be presented to Town Meeting for consideration in April 2027.

Residents interested in learning more may review the letter submitted to the Select Board and the 2025 building condition report, both of which are public record. The West Falmouth Village Association will continue to provide updates as the project moves forward.

0 WEST FALMOUTH HIGHWAY, NEXT STEPS

A petitioner's article has been submitted for consideration at the October Town Meeting. The article proposes transferring the care, custody, and control of the 0 West Falmouth Highway parcels to the Falmouth Conservation Commission.

The article will be presented to the Select Board on August 17. They will consider whether to endorse it. We anticipate support from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, as the proposal aligns with its "The Cape We Shape" campaign. The 300 Committee Land Trust has also been notified of the article, and we hope they will lend their support now that the Article 97 status of these parcels is no longer in dispute.

The West Falmouth Village Association fully supports this article as the culmination of more than a year of research and advocacy. If approved by Town Meeting, these forested parcels at a hazardous intersection in the entrance to our historic district will be permanently protected from development and preserved for future generations in accordance with the land's original purpose: forestation and water protection.

PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIERS ON NASHAWENA

Work on this much anticipated project will begin on September 20th and will continue for 4 to 6 weeks. Traffic disruption should be minimal as the road will remain open while the work takes place in the adjacent right of way. Once the barriers are installed, water quality monitoring will take place every 4 months and progress reports will be shared when available. Much thanks to our Water Quality Management Committee who has taken the lead on this project to mitigate groundwater impact to the harbor.

For more information, please see our Fall 2025 Newsletter and/or the recent project presentation to the Conservation Commission. https://youtu.be/2YhW9P8cOd8?si=XzgXkmr0pSNeT4gg&t=2538

OYSTER POND CULVERT PROJECT

We notified you of this project in our Summer 2025 Newsletter. A status update was recently shared by the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. To summarize, data continues to be collected to understand baseline conditions, consultants from Woods Hole Group and Fuss & O'Neill are continuing their work on design and execution plans, the permitting phase will be this summer/fall, and construction will occur no earlier than 2028-2029. More information will be shared in a presentation at the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee meeting on Sept 2nd, 7:00PM, Gus Canty Recreation Center. The agenda and zoom access will be posted at the link below by the end of August.

https://www.falmouthma.gov/AgendaCenter/Bicycle-and-Pedestrian-Committee-15

We are a not-for profit organization. Board members are invested in our community and volunteer their time. Efforts are focused on maintaining the character of West Falmouth as well as advocating for public safety and the preservation of natural resources. Please join today and/or email us if you would like to help in any way!