CCB MEDIA PHOTO
The sign at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce welcomes visitors.
PLYMOUTH – Governor Charlie Baker’s veto of $400,000 in funding for the state’s 11 highway visitors centers will force the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce to curtail hours of operation at the center it operates on Route 25, three miles west of the Bourne Bridge.
“We got that news on Friday and have to make some hard decisions,” said Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross. “We’re in our high season. It’s the most visited visitors center on Cape Cod,” she added.
The center will now only operate on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until Columbus Day. It has operated each day seasonally since it was changed from a year-round facility to a summertime facility in 2008.
The Chamber of Commerce has begun a fundraising campaign to try and gather enough money to keep the center open each day until Columbus Day. Northcross estimates it costs about $1,500 to $2,000 per week to operate. The Chamber is hoping to raise $20,000 to cover costs from July 1st through October 15th.
Chamber officials are also asking the House of Representatives and speaker Robert DeLeo to override the Governor’s veto. They have asked members to sign a letter in support of funding for visitors centers in the Commonwealth.
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