In 2002 the town adopted the following Community Vision:
This is our community vision statement. It reflects the broad views of the townspeople – how Dennis is seen now and how it will be viewed in the future. This statement is based on efforts to learn the public mind, including forums and opinion surveys, timetable for completion, estimates of costs and their effect on the tax base.
Among the aspects of our future addressed within this statement are HERITAGE PRESERVATION and COMMUNITY CHARACTER, LAND USE and GROWTH MANAGEMENT, PRESERVATION of NATURAL RESOURCES, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TRANSPORTATION, OPEN SPACE, COMMUNITY SERVICES and FACILITIES, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
This statement is intended to be a blueprint for another chapter, a future chapter, in the history of Dennis. It aims for continuity of development. Many of the expressions of community vision declared within this document speak of preserving the town’s character. What are some of the items of the character of Dennis?
This is a waterside place, a place surrounded by shoreline and defined by the water in, around and under us. Preservation of boating, fishing and shellfishing are vital to preserving the character of Dennis.
As a residential town it is essential to preserve and promote its peace and quiet, spaciousness, its safety, and the ease of travel.
Dennis is a town of natural and man-made beauty. To ensure that is not lost it is necessary to protect our natural resources and to give continuity to building design.
Dennis is a resort town and it is intended to continue to be attractive to our visitors and part-time residents who help pay our bills and who expect our community to change, but to be unsullied by uncontrolled development.
Dennis is a town with views and vistas seldom seen anywhere in the world.
Development consists overwhelmingly of single family dwellings. Recreational facilities – beaches, golf courses, parks, ball fields, etc., occupy much of the land already set aside for them. A population increase is envisioned in the next 20 years and will be taken into consideration. It is not intended that Dennis becomes a metropolis or a suburb, rather to preserve its small town character.
Change in community facilities and services are inevitable, expensive and not always welcome. Highways will change to improve safety and traffic flow. Alternatives such as better and more walk and bike ways, trolley or bus service should be encouraged. Recycling is here and welcomed. Public and private sewer systems must be designed to preserve current and future water quality standards. Harbor facilities are very limited in relation to the general desire for access to water. By the year 2015 these facilities may be development to their fullest capacity. Maintaining a viable marine ecosystem, retaining their natural beauty while accommodating both boaters and their boats is essential.
Dennis also faces the important issue of economic development. The existing business base must be supported and expanded. The nature of the business should determine what part of town it can locate in, according to appropriate zoning by-law. Issues such as what it should look like and how it will effect employment and transportation systems should be addressed.
Pre-permitting and creating new areas of opportunity that not only help the business community, but also the town as a whole, are to be encouraged.
The purpose of this plan is to identify the changes that must be made. It is recognized that no plan will be perfect, but it must be adaptable to changes and improvements as necessary. Finally, it is the purpose of this plan to leave a clear vision for the future children and grandchildren who are fortunate to reside in the Town of Dennis.
The Goals, Policies and Minimum Performance Standards within this document are goals to be attained by the town. These Goals, Policies and Minimum Performance Standards do not have regulatory effect in and of themselves. These Goals, Policies and Minimum Performance Standards do not supercede existing town by-laws or regulations. Any regulatory changes will be developed by the responsible town boards and brought through the boards normal regulatory review process, including public hearings, etc.
This vision is now nearly a decade old. As part of this plan update, town year-round and seasonal residents, business people and visitors were asked to respond to a number of questions, including whether they agreed with the vision statement. The following discusses the results of this survey as well as the results of other recent surveys which have guided town planning.
ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS
Dennis is faced with many challenges. In the last decade Dennis lost 1,766 year-round residents. However, at the same time residential growth continued with the town adding, based upon building permit data, 309 housing units representing a 2.2% growth in housing. This is lower than the U.S. Census residential growth which identified 1,481 “new” housing units, or 10.5% more than a decade ago. The Census figure, when closely examined, represented a count of a number of units which have been in existence but never counted in previous censuses, in particular cottages in cottage colonies.
The 2010 census also tells us that year-round occupied housing dropped, yet housing considered “vacant” stayed pretty much steady. In the end, meaning our seasonal population continues to grow. In fact, about 52% of the housing in Dennis is occupied by seasonal residents, meaning that our summer population exceeds our year-round population.
Housing construction has outpaced commercial investment. Housing has continued to consume more of the already limited open land and, when combined with escalating residential property values, has shifted, disproportionately, the tax burden onto residential properties.
A decade ago the majority of citizens responding to a town-wide survey desired to live in a Seaside Village. The survey conducted for this update to that plan continues to reinforce that desire.
A decade ago less than 20% of the land in Dennis, and only 12% of the residential land, remained open and subject to future decisions as to whether and how it will be developed. Over the past decade the slower rate of growth has allowed the town to balance land preservation with continued residential development. Since adoption of the 2002 Local Comprehensive Plan the Town, Dennis Water District and Dennis Conservation Trust have protected 122 acres of land. These acquisitions have included preservation of critical environmental areas, water recharge areas, farmland and even lands to be “undeveloped.” While undeveloped land shrunk during the decade, significant tracts of land have now been preserved for future generations.
The Local Planning Committee sponsored a town-wide survey in the fall of 1994. Similar surveys have been conducted in 2002 and 2007 as the town updated its Open Space and Recreation Plans, in 2009 for the Affordable Housing Plan and in 2010 for this Local Comprehensive Plan. Amazingly, community perceptions have remained fairly consistent.
The survey response for the 2012 Local Comprehensive is fairly reflective of the “Dennis Community.” The survey results include a balance of responses from year-round as well as seasonal residents and a number of business owners who do not reside in town. The respondents are also fairly reflective of the age breakdown in town, with about 40% over age 60 and over 55% of the respondents between 30 and 60 years of age, relatively close to census age breakdowns.
The 2002 Local Comprehensive Plan provided a vision statement, and five items, which the plan crafters felt described the town. As part of this update, we asked survey respondents to react to these community character items. The results were that most of these community character items were in strong agreement with current community perceptions. One item did not receive such strong support as summarized below:
- This is a waterside place, a place surrounded by shoreline and defined by the water in, around and under us. Preservation of boating, fishing and shellfishing are vital to preserving the character of Dennis.
Sixty-five percent of the respondents strongly agree with this perception of Dennis.
- As a residential town it is essential to preserve and promote its peace and quiet, spaciousness, its safety, and the ease of travel.
Sixty-one percent of the respondents strongly agree with this perception of Dennis.
- Dennis is a town of natural and man-made beauty. To ensure that is not lost it is necessary to protect our natural resources and to give continuity to building design.
Fifty-four percent of respondents strongly agreed with this assessment of the town.
- Dennis is a resort town and it is intended to continue to be attractive to our visitors and part-time residents who help pay our bills and who expect our community to change, but to be unsullied by uncontrolled development.
Fifty-six percent of the respondents strongly agreed with this perception of Dennis.
- Dennis is a town with views and vistas seldom seen anywhere in the world.
Only 35% of the respondents agreed with this assessment, with 21% disagreeing. This reaction is interesting, it points out that, while we have made strides in preserving areas such as Crowe’s Pasture, Chase Garden Creek and similar areas, we have not been quite so successful in protecting areas such as Scargo Hill, which, as illustrated below has had its face significantly altered since the days it was a prime postcard picture.
Scargo Hill circa 1965 Scargo Hill August 2007
COMMUNITY CHARACTER
The community survey asked a number of questions about “Community Character.” Some issues were raised a number of times in different ways in other portions of the survey as well. The following provides the Community Character Survey results.
| Rate the importance of each of these about living in or visiting Dennis. | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| Family Ties | 50% | 31% | 17% |
| Affordable Housing | 32% | 44% | 22% |
| Small Town Character | 64% | 30% | 5% |
| Convenient Location | 48% | 44% | 6% |
| Low Crime Rate | 78% | 20% | 1% |
| School System | 37% | 41% | 21% |
| Town Services | 49% | 45% | 5% |
| Open Spaces | 53% | 39% | 7% |
| Recreational Opportunities | 49% | 46% | 3% |
| Employment Opportunities | 39% | 46% | 14% |
| Historic Resources | 44% | 44% | 11% |
| Tax Rate | 55% | 39% | 5% |
The low crime rate is clearly the single most important factor for people choosing to live in Dennis. This is followed by the Small Town Character, Low Tax Rate, Open Spaces and Family Ties as items that gained half or more of the respondents feeling it was Very Important to living in Dennis.
| What do you think is most important to protecting the character of Dennis? | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| Protecting open fields, forests and trails | 54% | 38% | 7% |
| Peace and quiet | 50%) | 46% | 3% |
| Water quality | 78% | 20% | 1% |
| Public safety | 74% | 25% | 0% |
| Recreational opportunities | 40% | 54% | 4% |
| Historic Preservation | 44% | 46% | 9% |
| Job opportunities | 38% | 48% | 13% |
| Scenic views | 59% | 34% | 5% |
| Stone walls | 21% | 43% | 35% |
| Village Centers | 48% | 40% | 10% |
Water Quality and Public Safety are viewed as the two most important items to protecting the character of Dennis. These two items, both with over 70% viewing them as Very Important stand out above the other items surveyed. Also important were Scenic Views; Protecting Open Fields, Forests and Trails; and Peace and Quiet also were considered Very Important by at least half of the respondents.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The responses to the survey regarding Historic Preservation were, to say the least, shocking. While 54% of the survey respondents strongly agreed that “Dennis is a town of natural and man-made beauty. To ensure that is not lost it is necessary to protect our natural resources and to give continuity to building design,” and only 9.5% disagreed with the comment, the specific yes/no questions regarding historic preservation suggest that the same respondents were not so keen on accomplishing this through regulatory control.
| Should Dennis create additional Historic District areas? | % of Respondents |
||
|
36.59% | ||
|
63.41% | ||
This particular response is not so surprising, in the not too distant past, the town rejected historic district nominations for portions of Dennisport and West Dennis.
| Should Dennis adopt additional demolition restrictions? | % of Respondents |
||
|
47.79% | ||
|
52.21% | ||
While clearly a closer margin, this question clearly reflects some of the concerns that were raised during the recent update to the Demolition Delay by-law. While it was carried over from the previous, 1994 survey, it may not be a fair depiction of current community sentiment on preservation given the current survey took place immediately after the adoption of a new Demolition Delay By-law.
| Should Dennis adopt alteration restrictions? | % of Respondents |
||
|
50.36% | ||
|
49.64% | ||
Taking the Demolition Restrictions question and the Alteration Restrictions questions together illustrate the conflict people have over change. While a slim majority does not want additional demolition restrictions, a similar slim margin would support restrictions on alterations. Clearly, through the existing Zoning By-law and Historic District Regulations, Dennis has significant controls in place. It would appear that, for now, people seem comfortable with the existing tools.
| Should Dennis adopt neighborhood based design standards? | % of Respondents |
||
|
49.44% | ||
|
50.56% | ||
This response was similarly interesting. In the early part of the past decade there was significant concern over projects occurring that were out-of-scale with surrounding neighborhoods. This was particularly true of projects seeking modifications before the Zoning Board of Appeals. In 2003 the town amended the Zoning By-law placing restrictions on the latitude of the ZBA on what it could approve relative to changes to non-conforming structures. The next logical step, and one discussed in the 2009 Dennisport Design Charrette, was the concept of creating “pattern books” for various neighborhoods in town. These “pattern books” would have drawn upon existing architecture in various neighborhoods to guide modifications in those neighborhoods. “Pattern books,” adopted within the Zoning By-law, could have provided mechanisms to tie building height and lot coverage in neighborhoods more closely to the historic patterns in those neighborhoods. The survey results would suggest that this is not a high priority.
| Should Dennis dedicate funding to Historic Preservation? | % of Respondents |
||
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57.97% | ||
|
42.03% | ||
On the flip-side, the response to this question illustrates that the residents, while not desirous of greater controls to effect preservation of the town, there is an interest in spending town resources to protect the important historic resources. The Community Preservation Act has provided funding for such endeavors, and the town has committed resources to these efforts. The survey illustrates on-going support for these initiatives.
| Should Dennis Prioritize Historic Preservation Efforts On: | |||
| High Priority | Medium Priority | Low Priority | |
| Historic Structures | 40% | 45% | 13% |
| Historic Land Uses (i.e. farms) | 38% | 45% | 16% |
| View Sheds | 23% | 42% | 33% |
Finally, the Historic Preservation assessment illustrates that residents believe the highest priority should be placed on structures and land uses. View sheds were seen as a much lower priority.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Natural Resources Assessment supplements, and reviews many of the issues found in the Dennis Open Space and Recreation Plan. The results of the three specific questions asked relating to the Natural Resources Assessment are discussed below.
| How important is it to conserve the following natural resources and scenic resources? | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| Forests | 47% | 46% | 6% |
| Open Fields | 43% | 48% | 7% |
| Rural Character | 55% | 35% | 8% |
| Scenic Views | 62% | 33% | 4% |
| Stone Walls | 21% | 45% | 32% |
| Lakes, Ponds and Streams | 69% | 27% | 2% |
| Wetlands | 62% | 31% | 6% |
| Wildlife Habitat | 59% | 35% | 5% |
| Clean Drinking Water | 88% | 11% | 0% |
| Clean Air | 81% | 17% | 1% |
As the first question illustrates, clean drinking water and clean air are clearly the most important issues to Dennis residents. Protection of our lakes, ponds and streams; scenic views; wetlands; wildlife habitat and rural character also weigh in with over half the respondents finding these items extremely important natural resources.
| Which actions do you support to protect/conserve open space and natural resources? | |||
| Strongly Support | Support | Do Not Support | |
| Town purchase of conservation land | 45% | 40% | 13% |
| Town purchase of development rights | 23% | 42% | 33% |
| Zoning changes for open space protection/conservation | 40% | 41% | 17% |
| Zoning changes for scenic view protection | 43% | 37% | 18% |
| Acceptance of conservation land | 50% | 39% | 10% |
| Acceptance of development rights | 32% | 40% | 26% |
| No additional town actions should be taken | 17% | 25% | 57% |
Achieving the important protections sought in the first question found a more disjointed response. Only acceptance of conservation easements garnered 50% of the respondents strongly supporting the tool. However, 57% of the respondents clearly felt that some action must be taken. The highest support was found in acceptance of conservation easements, town purchases of conservation land, and adopting zoning to protect scenic areas.
| Preferable location for additional open space acquisition. | |||
| Highly Needed | Needed | Not Needed | |
| Wellfield areas | 26% | 38% | 34% |
| Scargo Hill | 20% | 36% | 42% |
| Swan Pond | 28% | 37% | 34% |
| Swan River | 33% | 36% | 30% |
| Bass River | 37% | 33% | 29% |
| Chase Garden Creek | 22% | 38% | 38% |
| Crowe’s Pasture | 26% | 35% | 38% |
| Sesuit Creek | 25% | 41% | 33% |
| North Side Ocean Access | 33% | 31% | 34% |
| South Side Ocean Access | 34% | 29% | 35% |
The Community Preservation Committee has undertaken great measures to protect open space in town. Similarly the Water District has permanently protected much of the vacant land near the town’s wellfields. The responses informative as to where residents feel we should turn our efforts. Bass River, north and south side ocean access and Swan River stand out as future priorities. An interesting response is how low a priority Scargo Hill comes in, with 42% of the respondents feeling it was not needed. This is interesting given efforts by some over the past ten years to have the town submit a District of Critical Planning Concern nomination for this area to protect and restore the picture postcard view of Scargo Hill from Route 6A.
COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Assessing resident views of Community Facilities and Services is always a challenge. The results below provide a snapshot of what town residents view as priority facilities and services.
| How would you rate the importance of each of the following? | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| Recreation fields | 30% | 53% | 15% |
| Recreation Center (building) | 19% | 44%) | 35% |
| New Senior Center | 13% | 42% | 44% |
| Centralized Town Hall | 17% | 35% | 47% |
| Additional Public Parking in Dennisport | 12% | 32% | 55% |
| Additional Public Parking in West Dennis | 13% | 34% | 52% |
| Additional Public Parking in Dennis Village | 12% | 34% | 53% |
| Additional Open Space or Conservation Land for passive use | 32% | 38% | 29% |
The highest priorities are found to be additional open space for passive uses and recreational fields. The lowest priorities were for additional parking in any of the three significant village centers.
| How would you rate the following town transportation services? | ||||
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | |
| Roads | 11% | 66% | 19% | 2% |
| Sidewalks | 3% | 34% | 41% | 20% |
| Public Transportation | 2% | 30% | 38% | 28% |
| Public Parking | 2% | 54% | 36% | 6% |
Very few respondents felt any town transportation services were in excellent condition. However, Roads and public parking fared far better in people’s estimation of conditions than the condition of sidewalks or the available public transportation network.
| Which of the following would you support spending additional town funding on? | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| Road maintenance | 31% | 62% | 5% |
| Sidewalk maintenance | 26% | 62% | 10% |
| New sidewalks | 31% | 40% | 28% |
| Expanded public parking | 9% | 35% | 54% |
| Expanded public transit services (general) | 18% | 45% | 36% |
| Shuttle buses serving Dennisport and West Dennis Village Centers | 18% | 41% | 39% |
| Shuttle buses to beaches | 20% | 39% | 39% |
When asked where town funds should be spent, roads and sidewalks rose to the top of the list. Expanding parking fared the worst.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic development questions in the assessment were geared to exploring issues important to the village centers and guiding the future land use planning efforts of the town.
| For Dennisport Village rate the importance of: | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| More retail floor space | 20% | 32% | 47% |
| More office floor space | 7% | 33% | 59% |
| More housing | 12% | 27% | 59% |
| Public investment in structures | 21% | 40% | 38% |
| Public Parking | 13% | 44% | 41% |
| Sidewalks | 28% | 44% | 27% |
| Street furniture | 11% | 33% | 55% |
In Dennisport survey respondents felt that sidewalks were the top priority. Public investment in structures and more retail space were also deemed important. However, none of the items reached the point where over 50% of the respondents placed the highest priority on it.
| For West Dennis Village Center how important is: | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| More retail floor space | 14% | 34% | 51% |
| More office floor space | 5% | 30% | 63% |
| More housing | 11% | 29% | 59% |
| Public investment in structures | 15% | 37% | 46% |
| Public Parking | 15% | 40% | 43% |
| Sidewalks | 26% | 38% | 35% |
| Street furniture | 9% | 33% | 56% |
Sidewalks were also considered most important in West Dennis. Beyond sidewalks, nothing else even garnered 20% of the respondents feeling the item was a very important.
| For Dennis Village how important is: | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| More retail floor space | 8% | 31% | 59% |
| More office floor space | 3% | 27% | 69% |
| Expanded facilities for the arts | 18% | 33% | 47% |
| More housing | 11% | 24% | 63% |
| Public investment in structures | 12% | 36% | 51% |
| Public Parking | 14% | 37% | 48% |
| Sidewalks | 21% | 44% | 33% |
| Street furniture | 10% | 32% | 56% |
Dennis Village came in with similar results to West Dennis, with only sidewalks being very important to over 20% of the respondents.
| The Dennis Economic Development Committee has been considering the creation of special arts related zoning for Dennis Village along Route 6A. The Committee believes it is important to include the Playhouse property as part of this rezoning. Do you believe: | ||
| Yes | No | |
| Arts Zoning is important for Dennis Village | 69% | 30% |
| The Playhouse Property should be included in any future Arts District in Dennis Village | 80% | 19% |
Dennis Village represents the arts center of Dennis. However, current zoning does not recognize this status, nor promotes its continuance. When asked specifically about supporting arts in this area, over two-thirds of the respondents agreed that the town should explore Arts Zoning for Dennis Village. Equally important, given reactions to previous attempts by the Economic Development Committee to address this issue, 80% of the responses supported the inclusion of the Playhouse Property, currently zoned residential, into a Dennis Village Arts District.
| The Dennis Economic Development Committee is considering a Mixed Use Economic Center adjacent to Exit 9. The center would be intended to provide opportunities for professional office, retail, and residential uses. | ||
| Yes | No | |
| Would you support the creation of a mixed use economic center? | 62% | 37% |
| Support relaxed Cape Cod Commission review to promote development focused in the center? | 55% | 44% |
| Support increased development restrictions in other areas to direct development towards the center? | 51% | 48% |
The Economic Development Committee has also been thinking about the future of the land uses around Exit 9. This area reflects typical 1970’s shopping center development patterns. Looking at the area similar land masses on Cape Cod, Mashpee Commons provides an idea of a future direction for this area. Promoting in-fill structures and pursuing a mixture of uses such as office and residential to complement and enhance the retail could provide for future town growth, without consuming greenfields in other parts of Dennis. The survey results illustrate that there would be support for such a concept.
OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION
Every five years the Open Space and Recreation Plan requires updating. That places the OSRP into a cycle where it will generally overlap with the LCP Update. Questions asked for the initiation of the LCP reflects past LCP questions as well as the basic starting point for the OSRP. A more detailed set of questions are also generally asked for the Open Space Plan which will be used to further guide the Open Space Planning process.
| Rate the importance of each of the following in relation to meeting the needs of Dennis Residents: | |||
| Very Important | Important | Not Important | |
| Swimming Pool | 8% | 15% | 76% |
| More Beaches | 18% | 37% | 43% |
| Walking Trails | 24% | 59% | 16% |
| Road Bicycle Facilities | 25% | 52% | 21% |
| Off-Road Bicycle Facilities | 19% | 40% | 39% |
| Playgrounds | 19% | 54% | 25% |
| Tennis Courts | 9% | 44% | 46% |
| Additional Golf Course | 6% | 13% | 80% |
| Hiking Trails | 23% | 50% | 26% |
| Outside Basketball Courts | 7% | 44% | 47% |
| Baseball Fields | 10% | 47% | 42% |
| Soccer Fields | 9% | 46% | 44% |
| Public Access for Boating and Fishing | 39% | 49% | 11% |
| New Recreation Center Building | 18% | 26% | 55% |
| New Senior Center Building | 11% | 31% | 56% |
| Town Common | 20% | 38% | 41% |
The LCP assessment illustrates strong support for public access to waters for boating and fishing (39% stating it is very important). This is followed by bicycle, walking facilities and playgrounds. Outdoor recreation facilities, such as additional golf facilities, basketball courts, swimming pool, tennis courts and soccer fields all fared quite poorly. In 2008, the last Open Space and Recreation Plan survey suggested bike trails were the highest priority, with boating facilities coming in fourth. Tennis, golf, and basketball facilities, which are high statewide priorities were not viewed so highly in Dennis in 2008 either.
| Which town facilities do you use? | ||
| Yes | No | |
| Town Beaches | 84% | 15% |
| Private Beaches | 68% | 31% |
| Conservation Lands | 67% | 32% |
| Playgrounds | 43% | 56% |
| Ball Fields | 25% | 74% |
| Town Marinas | 31% | 68% |
| Town Boat Landings | 39% | 60% |
| Senior Center | 18% | 81% |
| Golf Courses | 39% | 60% |
Town Beaches are used by 84% of those responding to the LCP survey. The town beaches are followed by Private Beaches and Conservation Lands. In 2008 Town Beaches were also the heaviest used by survey respondents, followed by Conservation Lands and Playgrounds. In 2008 only 30% of the survey responses noted using private beaches.
| How do you rate Dennis Recreation Facilities? | ||||
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | |
| Town Beaches | 51% | 41% | 7% | 0% |
| Private Beaches | 36% | 51% | 11% | 0% |
| Conservation Lands | 30% | 59% | 7% | 2% |
| Playgrounds | 16% | 58% | 22% | 1% |
| Ball Fields | 16% | 62% | 17% | 2% |
| Town Marinas | 18% | 64% | 16% | 1% |
| Town Boat Landings | 15% | 65% | 17% | 1% |
| Senior Center | 17% | 59% | 21% | 1% |
| Golf Courses | 42% | 50% | 6% | 0% |
As with community facilities, we also asked people what they thought about the overall condition of town recreation facilities. In this assessment, 51% feel town beaches are in excellent condition, in 2008, while using a different rating system, town beaches were also considered to be in the best condition of all Dennis recreation facilities. The conditions of parks and playgrounds, conservation lands and boat landings all were grouped together in the middle of the rating system, much like they are in this assessment. It is important to note that very few thought that town recreation facilities were in poor condition. Playgrounds and the senior center faired the worst though in this assessment with 23% rating playgrounds as fair/poor and 22% placing that rating on the Senior Center.
Updated November 7, 2011
