Yesterday the Citizens Economic Development Committee held its second meeting. Wellfeet's kettle ponds (Dyer, above, yesterday) were identified as one of our town's assets. The committee first heard from Jeff Zinn and Kathy Schorr, representing WHAT. Then Lisa Brown and Alex Hay explained S.P.A.T. and the logistics of staging festivals like Oysterfest. Kathy Schorr began by suggesting ways to promote cultural tourism. Together with a member of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, she said WHAT had identified the need for a map for visitors, a central office open year round where business people can post events of interest to visitors, and a comprehensive, updated Web site. From Jeff Zinn, we learned that this winter WHAT started broadcasting Metropolitan Opera performances. (The next broadcast is sold out.) Starting January 18th, the theater will offer exclusive 92nd Street Y programs broadcast live via satellite, with special post-event discussions at the library. “This is cheap,” said Zinn about the $9 entry charge. “And that’s free,” he added, referring to both the library events and the Inauguration ceremonies, visible next Tuesday on WHAT’s big screen. Alex Hay, of Mac's Seafood, said the atmosphere has greatly changed in Wellfleet since he and his brother started out almost a dozen years ago: “The town has shifted from being anti-business to pro-business,” a fortunate development, we all agreed. Alex then explained the extremely successful “From Farm to Table” oyster grant tours, paired with wine tastings, that were initiated at last year’s fall festival. “It is easier to make money off people than shellfishing,” his cousin Sam Bradford pointed out. Both men expressed the hope that someone would step forward and organize such tours as a business. From the audience, Judy Taylor remarked that first the red tape involved would need untangling. Lisa Brown volunteered to show future festival organizers the ropes, should a spring event be organized. By the end of the meeting, many ideas had been exchanged, and committee members all agreed that an improvement in co-ordination would have to be one of our primary goals. Think of Wellfleet as the Hindu god Shiva . Each hand needs knowledge of what the other hands hold …
