COURTESY TOWN OF BARNSTABLE
Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable
HYANNIS – Barnstable Town Council this week unanimously approved the purchase of a parcel on Sandy Neck to be preserved in perpetuity as open space.
The 14-acre parcel near the tip of Sandy Neck cost the town $295,000, a price based on appraisals conducted by the town.
Arranging the purchase, which was complicated by matters of ownership, took many months.
Sandy Neck Beach Park Manager Nina Z. Coleman said the wait was worth it.
“I’m really glad that the council—it’s a big push, everything at Sandy Neck is very complicated and this particular parcel was very complicated—to weed through all the issues. But in the end we all knew we had to push through that and get this parcel protected in perpetuity,” she said.
Coleman said the purchase was a critical one.
“It was extremely important. It was a vital piece of property out there at Sandy Neck,” she said.
Money for the purchase will come from Community Preservation funds. The Community Preservation Committee recommended the purchase to the town council.
Community Preservation funds come from a three percent surtax on property taxes. The money is set aside for open space, recreation, historic preservation and affordable housing.
The Sandy Neck parcel is a wildlife corridor that contains habitat for endangered species, according to Lynne Poyant, director of community services for the town of Barnstable. Poyant made a presentation about the parcel to the town council earlier this spring.
“It’s sort of the missing link between the point and the rest of the beach so this something that is going to be appreciated for generations and generations,” Nina Coleman said.
Owners of cottages on Sandy Neck attended the town council meeting Thursday night for the vote to purchase the parcel.
“Obviously they want to retain the area as a pristine open space wild land as does the town,” Coleman said.
By LAURA M. RECKFORD, CapeCod.com News Editor
