Mashpee Seeking Dialogue with Joint Base Cape Cod on Gun Range

MASHPEE – As the proposed multi-purpose machine gun range for Joint Base Cape Cod undergoes review by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Mashpee town officials are offering to host a dialogue with base officials on the controversial range.

A presentation was planned for this week on the matter, but due to how late the town received meeting materials from base officials leaving little time to prepare, both parties elected to postpone the meeting.

“This was coming in at the eleventh hour and I did not feel that either the board or even the staff had an opportunity to review this in advance. We expected it a little sooner than we received it,” said Town Manager Rodney Collins to select board members.

Mashpee select board member Andrew Gottlieb had also previously created a list of 39 questions for Joint Base representatives to answer.

However, answers to the questions were missing from the slideshow presentation sent ahead of the potential meeting, adding another reason town officials cited to delay the dialogue.

Gottlieb recommended that a letter be sent to base officials outlining the town’s request for more information moving forward, as well as an opportunity for residents to make their voices heard. 

“Opportunity to review materials and comments, and have it be a real public discussion as opposed to being a commercial,” said Gottlieb.

“Nothing in the presentation was responsive to any one of the questions I asked. Perhaps we can use [the letter] as an opportunity to remind them that these were the questions.” 

Gottlieb said he would draft a letter ahead of the board meeting on December 20.

The EPA will hold a 30-day public comment period with an attached docket and a public hearing to accept verbal comments on the proposed range.  

The agency expects to release the draft of its Sole Source Aquifer determination in Spring 2022.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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