Here's why Wellfleet is seeking cesspool variance for Maurice's Campground

WELLFLEET — Days before voters consider buying the 21.5-acre Maurice's Campground for $6.5 million, the Board of Health will decide on cesspool variance requests.

The town wants to buy the property between Route 6 and the Cape Cod Rail Trail to address its housing crunch, but the campground has 35 cesspools. Under local regulations, cesspools are a "failed" system and need to be replaced with a Title 5 septic system within 30 days of the property changing hands.

Wellfleet officials are pursuing a waiver to allow the use of the existing system until Oct. 31, 2028, while it operates the campground for six years.

"For us to be in a position of buying the property and then having to spend a mid-seven figure money to upgrade a system that's going to be abandoned in six years really makes the transaction close to infeasible," Harry Terkanian, Wellfleet Affordable Housing Trust chair, said during an Aug. 24 Board of Health meeting.

The Board of Health meeting is at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the Senior Center. The public can also participate via Zoom.

Wellfleet cesspool decision must be made soon

The panel already considered the requests during an Aug. 24 meeting, but decided it needed more time. The proposed sale will be considered during a Special Town Meeting on Saturday.

"This has dropped in our lap. We're sort of late to the dance in this whole situation. So it makes it a little difficult for us to come to a conclusion," Board of Health member Nick Picariello said during the Aug. 24 meeting.

Member Janet Drohan said  approving the waiver may be unfair to other residents who are also faced with upgrading cesspools. She later added she supported the purchase wholeheartedly.

Read more:  Ahead of buying Maurice's Campground, Wellfleet ponders how to deal with 35 cesspools

"One of my biggest concerns that comes up first is the acceptance ethically (by) the town of Wellfleet of this move and what it looks like to John Smith, whose Title 5 has failed and he is told, 'No matter what's in your budget John, you have to put in this system,'" Drohan said during the Aug. 24 meeting.

In April, the Select Board announced it had signed a purchase and sale agreement with the owners of Maurice's Campground, touting a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Town Administrator Richard Waldo said he wished the board could have more time, but noted that Outer Cape towns do not have much of a luxury to go out and seek land.

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"There's just not a lot of land available," Waldo said during the meeting. "Usually, what ends up happening is things fall in our lap, opportunities fall in our lap, and it's up to us to try to seize that opportunity when we can."

Select Board Chair Ryan Curley said the goal is to not just treat the wastewater currently on site but to have a system that connects the surrounding properties to ultimately reduce nitrogen in the watershed.

"In order to have something like that done, we need time," Curley said during the meeting. "It's not something we can implement straight away. There's an extensive period of time we need to determine where to place it on the site, how to make it compatible with the eventual development that occurs on the site."

Rationale for Wellfleet cesspool waiver

Under the purchase agreement with the sellers, the town will run parts of the campground for six years to continue to provide housing to long-term seasonal residents. Otherwise, a significant chunk of the Outer Cape's seasonal workers would not have a place to stay, Waldo said.

The waiver would also prevent the sellers — the Gauthier family — from having to upgrade the cesspool system themselves; and keep the town from having to design, build and install a septic system for short-term use.

Earlier:  If voters approve, Wellfleet will buy Maurice's Campground for $6.5 million

Select Board member Michael DeVasto noted that cesspools have a "bad rep," because they're often neglected. But these cesspools are regularly pumped, he said, and 20 years of state records do not show evidence of negative environmental impacts from the cesspools.

"What we're asking for is basically a waiver of this under transfer but to continue the exact same use that has been allowed for 40 years under this system," DeVasto said during the meeting.

Hillary Greenberg-Lemos, Wellfleet’s health and conservation agent, recommended focusing on finding a way to pay for a site investigation so the town can address the matter possibly before six years.

"I think our energy should be spent in the next couple weeks honing in on that and perhaps understanding your ultimate goal is six years but maybe we can have some assurances that at one year, at two years, three years, certain things are going to happen. But I think that's going to take critical thinking," Greenberg-Lemos said during the meeting.

Eastham opposes cesspool variance

In a letter from Town Manager Jacqueline Beebe and the Select Board, the town of Eastham joined the opposition, calling themselves "involved and interested parties."

Eastham pointed to its own purchase of the Town Center Plaza at 4550 State Highway for $3.08 million in 2021. The town included the cost of upgrading the septic system in the purchase.

"It is our belief that spending money to improve the situation will not be a waste of money if it moves the needle even slightly forward for our water quality goals. It is part of the cost of managing this property in the short-term and redeveloping it in the future," letter says.

Details of the Maurice's Campground purchase

On Saturday, voters will gather for a Special Town Meeting to decide whether to approve the $6.5 million purchase.

Another article seeks town meeting approval to use $1 million in Community Preservation Act funds to place a deed restriction for affordable housing on the property if the town does buy it.

Also, Article 8 seeks $225,000 to pay for operational expenses to continue to operate Maurice’s Campground, should the town buy the property, through the end of the fiscal year. The funds would come from an increase in personal and real estate property, if approved by town meeting and at the Sept. 20 town election.

Voters will consider the Proposition 2½ override at a Sept. 20 town election to buy the property.

Purchase to address housing crisis

Converting the property into a public, year-round, affordable housing project could make a dent in the town’s housing crisis. Currently, just 2.5% of the town’s housing stock is classified as affordable. Each city and town should have at least 10% of its housing stock deemed affordable, according to state goals.

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Maurice's Campground has been owned by the Gauthier family since 1949. The site, nestled next to the Cape Cod National Seashore, includes 12 cabins, 16 tent sites and 240 campsites, some of which are seasonal rentals.

At peak season, the campground can accommodate 500 to 600 people, according to John Gauthier.

A closing date on the sale of the property is set for Oct. 31, pending town meeting approval.

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Wellfleet board to consider Maurice's Campground cesspool variance