Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Wellfleet Water Tower Gets Coat of Paint

Summer is almost over for anyone with kids because kids are heading back to school, hopefully with green products in their book bags and healthy food in their eco-chic lunch carriers. Over the past three months, so many, many cars passed the new water tower on Long Pond Road to reach Long Pond or the Atlantic Ocean. I wonder what these drivers thought? No one, not one person, has said anything to me about the new eyesore on the Wellfleet horizon, as viewed from the marina. Chalk that. David Wright did comment, didn’t you David? But no tourists seem especially bothered by the huge town mushroom that sprouted beside the playing field. We had one guest who had thought of buying property nearby and chose rural Virginia instead.

“Why did they have to cut all those pine trees?” Robert said, in a tisk-tisk voice that also expressed exasperation.

“Access road,” I replied.

There was talk of toxic residue floating in the air above Old Long Pond Road during sand-blasting, but that died down quickly. Now the tower is receiving a fresh coat of white paint. What do you think of the new water tower?
Posted by Alexandra Grabbe at 6:30 AM
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amywellfleet's avatar - Go to profile

amywellfleet 46p · 760 weeks ago

I hate it. It meant trees were destroyed, and it is an eyesore. But was there a choice? I assume that there was no option? I don't recall much controversy before this was done.
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Frugal Kiwi · 760 weeks ago

It looks like a big ol' golfball. I always liked the ones in Georgia painted up like peaches.
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Jennifer Margulis · 760 weeks ago

I don't really mind it! I am sad about the loss of the trees but it seems sort of nouveau techno to me ... or something. I am mourning the loss of summer, though. It was over way too soon this year. I'm not ready for school to begin.
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Stan's avatar

Stan · 759 weeks ago

Of all the Wellfleet regulars, locals, and non resident taxpayers I know, NO ONE is happy about this thing. I've never really been apprised of why now, after all these years, a municipal water delivery system was necessary, or why that spot in the viewshed was selected. Was this a matter of Federal $$ that just "couldn't" be refused? I'm wary of infrastructure upgrades that open the door to expansion and increased development. A fear is that a cash-strapped town will aggressively seek revenue sources - like an increased property tax base, or a power generating industrial wind turbine in cahoots with for profit companies - in National Seashore or historic areas incompatible with superstructures that dominate the view, noise that impacts residents and visitors, and structures and density inconsistent with the town's scale. It is odd that after all the acrimony that came years ago with attempts to locate a cellular service tower in the area this far larger tower went up without much controversy. We must remain vigilant as stewards of the Seashore for the next generation if we want to preserve a natural landscape. 30 years ago there was a push to put a new dump (!) in the middle of the Heath Woods (aka the Gauntlet), recently it was a 400 foot wind tower, what will be next? Trees and undeveloped open space have more economic value to the town of Wellfleet than they're given credit for !!

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