Dennis Officials Hope to Settle Vet Home Legal Dispute

PHOTO COURTESY: Town of Dennis. Rendering of planned home for veterans

DENNIS – Officials in Dennis are working to settle a legal dispute from a neighbor of a proposed veteran’s home in order to begin construction as soon as possible.

A pretrial hearing was held in Boston land court last month after Thomas Walsh filed an appeal to block the home. His lawyer Paul Driscoll is claiming the planning board did not have the authority to issue a special permit for the project.

Plans call for a five-bedroom home on Route 134 near Route 6A that will serve homeless veterans in need of transitional housing or those living below the poverty line.

“If it goes to trial, that would take place in July,” said Dan Fortier, the Dennis Town Planner. “However, we’re hopeful we can get this matter resolved and break ground sometime this spring.”

Fortier said work will continue to put the project together and solicit donations even with the pending legal matter.

The project has received significant funding for construction from The  Home Depot.

“This is going to be committed to as a regional project by The Home Depot which will bring us a significant contribution in the form of a store card to buy things as we need for as we go along with the project and could bring us as many as 200 Home Depot contractors to help us put the building together,” Fortier said.

The Home Depot store project could bring in as much as $50,000 for the construction.

“They also have directed us to a grant from The Home Depot Foundation that is dedicated towards projects for veterans and providing housing for veterans,” Fortier said. “We are going to explore filing an application for that.”

A recent project in Brockton received $100,000 in grant funding through the foundation.

Fortier said there is a big need in Dennis for a veterans home like this one.

Recent census data showed about 132 veterans are living in Dennis below the poverty line.

“All of those folks are at risk of becoming homeless if they are not already homeless,” Fortier said. “Many veterans are coach surfing because they can’t find a place where they can afford to live.”

Fortier said the project is still in need of donations for insulation.

Cape Cod Ready Mix is donating half of the cost of the concrete for the buildings foundation and the Cape Light Compact is going to help ensure the home is a green energy project and will also secure solar panels so the dwelling can be solar heated.

At fall town meeting, voters approved a long-term lease of the property for the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center and authorized $200,000 in Community Preservation Act funds.

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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