SANDWICH – An effort to erect artist shanties in Sandwich continues and the organization proposing the project is still searching for a possible location.
The original proposal from the Sandwich Economic Initiative Corp. included constructing three shanties at Mill Creek across from town hall, but that area is now off the table.
Selectmen recently recommended finding a private location instead of town-owned land, which is harder to permit.
“The fact is you could go and put those shanties up on somebody’s private property if they were agreeable and you would never have to come to the Board of Selectmen for that,” said Selectman Susan James.
“Think about maybe broadening out a little to more the private sector.”
Richard Johnson, the president of the SEIC, said there is a place for this project in Sandwich.
“It is very supportive of the arts,” Johnson said.
The organization is also partnering with the Sandwich Arts Alliance and the Glass Town Cultural District to find a location and develop an acceptable budget plan.
The shanties would cost about $5,000 each and rent would be about $200 per week.
The SEIC will also seek grant funding to cover the costs of constructing the shanties.
Joanne Westerhouse, the president of the Sandwich Arts Alliance, said current locations being discussed are much different from the town’s Mill Creek property and could take some time to develop.
“Our feeling is that we’d rather pick a place, even if it takes quite a while to permit it to do the site preparation than rush, put them some place, have it fail and then pick them up and move them and take them someplace else,” Westerhouse said.
Westerhouse said the shanties can help local businesses by bringing more people to town.
“If they are down by the marina or the Wing School I think they could a lot of good for the town,” she said.
The artist shanties gained popularity on the Hyannis waterfront. Barnstable is seeking to add more.
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