Spring 2025 Seascape Association - President’s Letter

 

May 23, 2025

 

Dear Seascape Association Members,

 

I hope that you and your family are well, and you survived the chilly winter weather. This letter summarizes activities completed and planned within the Seascape Association for 2025.

 

2025 Annual Meeting: The annual Seascape Association meeting will be held on Saturday June 21st at my home, 18 Highcrest Rd. at 9AM. I am hopeful we have better weather than in the past two years, when we had to hold the meeting in my garage due to rain. Please be sure to bring a chair to sit on.

 

Committee Updates:

1. ​

At our 2024 Association meeting we approved the 2025 budget and dues, which are $800 for the year. Invoices were distributed in February 2025 and reminders have been sent to late payers. To date we have collected from 93 members. The

$800 dues represents a $50 increase to cover the last agreed installment to build a capital reserve fund, and an additional $50 to provide all members with tennis. Spending in 2025 and the 2026 budget will be reviewed at the annual meeting.

 

2.      Beaches – Bill O’Brien, Chairperson:

 

The swim buoys have been added to each beach, ready for the summer. One was in a poor state of repair, so a new buoy was purchased.

 

We are pleased to share that we learned from a local engineering firm that Massachusetts passed a permit extension act (called the LEADS Act passed in November 2024). Based upon this law we believe our beaches have our permits extended until July 2027 and September 2028 for A and B Beach, respectively. Vista clearing was completed on both A and B Beaches this winter. We continue to work on the improvements that the Falmouth Conservation Commission (FCC), requested at A Beach, knowing we will need to renew that permit at some point, and they will refer to their previous requirements. One item was to clean the drainage basins on A Beach. A contractor has been hired to do so this June. We are also reviewing the vegetative requests from the FCC and determining what will be required and the affiliated expense. With the beaches being one of our most important assets for the community, we continue to make their repair and permitting a high priority.

 

We are monitoring the return of sand onto B Beach, which usually happens in May. If that does not occur we will add sand to the beach, per our permit.

 

Some of the snow fences on B Beach have fallen since the winter. We are hiring a contractor to repair them.

 

We will continue to use beach monitors on weekend days in the summer from 10AM to 3PM. They have been useful in preventing non-members from using our private beaches. We will continue to need monitors for the 2025 season. If you have children, grandchild or know of any friends who can work as monitors please reach out to Bill O’Brien, wgobrienjr@gmail.com. The pay is $17/hour for the ability to sit in the sun and ask beach goers for their membership affiliation.

 

3.      Roads – Michael Shea, Chairperson:

 

A contractor has been hired to repair the sunken road drain near 75 Waterside Dr. All catch basins will be cleaned annually to help maintain them in good operating condition. Crack sealing is planned for the fall.

 

4.      Docks and Ramp – Rob Hardy, Chairperson:

The floating docks have been installed for use by members. Please remember that boats can use the dock for temporary loading of passengers, and should not be used for overnight docking.

 

Resurfacing the stationary dock was postponed this spring. The Committee is looking at repair this fall and considering options of using Trex or pressure- treated wood. A key determinant on selection will be cost and function.

 

The boat ramp is strictly for use by Seascape members and Rob Hardy has keys for the lock if any member needs access. Anyone using their trailer at the ramp needs to be careful to secure them in place, so they do not move (we had one near miss).

 

5.      Tennis – Jane Shea, Chairperson:

 

The tennis and pickle ball nets are out, and any member of Seascape can now use the courts. We are requesting that everyone sign up for the times they either use the courts or plan to use the courts. A sign up book is in the mailbox at the entrance. This is important so we know how often the courts are being used.

Court rules are posted on the fence upon entering.

 

In the fall the large cracks on the courts were filled by a contractor. We encourage anyone using the courts to sweep any debris to the edges, and if there is excess water after rains to use the squeegee to move the pooled water to the court edges.

 

Pickleball and tennis leagues are being formed and anyone interested can reach Jane Shea or check the Seascape Facebook page.

6.      Hospitality – Erin DiMella:

 

The Committee plans to run our annual 4th of July parade and end of summer cocktail party once again in 2025. The end of summer cocktail event is targeted for August 16th. Fliers for the 4th parade will be distributed. Signage for the cocktail party will be posted at our entrance. Yoga on the beach is scheduled for this summer, all interested should check details on the Facebook page. The committee is also pursuing the development and sale of Seascape logoed shirts and hats. More details will be forthcoming from the committee. Finally, the committee is also considering a ”Summer Kick Off” event on the beach for June 28th. Look for information on the Facebook site and any signage.

7.         Nominations for Officers and Directors – Jack O’Connor:

 

The success of our community is heavily dependent upon the voluntary efforts of the committee chairs and the board. We are always looking for members who want to volunteer to help or to volunteer for roles on the Board. We will vote on new Board members at the annual meeting. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for a committee or for a Board role can reach out to me or Jack O’Connor, the Committee Chair, at Jaks3362@gmail.com. We do know that Ellen Clark plans to step down from the Board and her Secretary role this June. Also, Marianne Beardsley has plans to step down as Treasurer in June 2026. We need volunteers to accept these roles.

 

1. There was no activity during 2024.

9.       Other Topics:

1. Security: We continue to plan to have weekend security through the community on Friday and Saturday nights, including some Holidays during the season. The board and I feel this is a worthwhile expense. Last year we had no major incidents or any property harm. The security monitor is shared with New Silver Beach and so are the costs.

 

1. Landscaping: Warren Fish has been looking into the landscaping costs for the Association common property. He has refined the scope of work and is looking into cost-saving ideas. Two high expense areas are keeping the tree limbs away from the tennis court fences and the island outside the courts. Ideas are being developed for both.

 

1. Kayak Rack: The kayak rack on B Beach is for use by Seascape Members only. The Falmouth Harbor Master recommends that each owner have a name and phone number on their kayaks and small boats. This is for a few reasons. First we can identify the owner as an Association member. Should a storm cause a kayak to float away it can be identified wherever it lands ashore. A mailbox containing stickers and magic marker is attached to the rack for use.