July 16, 1999
Contact: Anne Donovan
617-626-1200, x411

Bob Durand, Secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, the Town of Provincetown, and the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office (MCZM), hosted an event today to celebrate the completion of the Provincetown Harbor Plan. The ceremony was held at 1:30 at the Provincetown Town Hall.

"I want to congratulate all of those involved in the Harbor Planning process in Provincetown, especially the Town's Harbor Planning Committee, who under the capable leadership of Gwen Billig, labored diligently to see the plan to completion," said Secretary Durand. "The entire town should be proud of this Plan, which will certainly serve as a model for other communities throughout the state."

Rather than looking to make drastic changes in the intensely utilized harbor that is almost entirely built out, the Provincetown Harbor Plan calls for a substantial number of enhancements and small scale changes. Central to the Plan is the reconstruction of Provincetown's principal asset for commercial vessel operations, MacMillan Pier. Additionally, the Plan calls for support facilities for small-boat commercial fishermen, priority funding for the operation and maintenance of the harbor's pumpout facility, and a full-time Pier Manager.

In addition to MacMillan Pier, the principal focus of the Plan is on the expansion of public access and recreational use of the splendid six-mile beach that rims the harbor from the Truro line to the tip of Long Point. The Plan's access enhancement strategy is founded on four ambitious goals: 1) to establish a "beachwalk" offering continuous passage along the entire harborfront; 2) to improve visual and physical connections between the beachwalk and Commercial Street; 3) to expand the amount of beach space available for public use; and 4) to make the beach more conducive to small boat activities and other water-dependent uses.

"The access component of the Provincetown Harbor Plan is an impressive model of a community taking steps to shape its future," said Tom Skinner, the new Director of MCZM. "In this partnership, MCZM staff, in consultation with the state's Department of Environmental Protection, provided the tools and the technical background to the Provincetown Harbor Planning Committee, who worked hard to develop this carefully thought out plan."

The next step will be to secure $14 million to fund the required improvements. The money is expected to come from a combination of sources including the Seaport Bond and the Town of Provincetown. Due to the present deterioration of MacMillan Pier, Provincetown has already requested emergency Seaport Bond money for its reconstruction. In the long-term, the Plan calls for a redevelopment strategy for the Pier that will improve off-loading and fish-packing facilities as well as expansion capability in preparation for increased industry.