In a meeting Tuesday, July 12, the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation discussed plans for the town to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Falmouth Station.

EDIC administrator Lynne Broderick said she was looking into getting a dessert food truck to park at the station on the day of the celebration. She said she had not yet found a truck to book because it was difficult to find one that specialized in dessert and was within the EDIC’s budget. There were also concerns from vendors about desserts melting, she said.

Because of this issue, the EDIC decided that it would not necessarily hold the anniversary celebration on the exact anniversary, which is Monday, July 18. The EDIC also discussed getting a banner to hang at the station in honor of the anniversary.

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On July 18, 1872, the Old Colony Railroad began railroad service to Falmouth with stations at North Falmouth, West Falmouth, Falmouth and Woods Hole. The arrival of the railroad transformed a small agrarian community and dying maritime economy into a commercial, business and tourist center.

Commercial businesses in Falmouth Village, including the Lawrence Grain Mill Company, Falmouth Coal Company and Wood Lumber Company, became dependent on the railroad service. Businesses in Woods Hole, such as Cahoon’s Harborside Fish Market and the Pacific Guano Company, were also dependent on the railroad service. In addition, other small businesses in East Falmouth, such as strawberry growers, welcomed the addition of the railroad to serve urban markets with their produce.

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The Falmouth Economic Development & Industrial Corporation has officially wrapped up its Community Development Block Grant Program after two years of providing COVID relief to small businesses in town.

Lynne Broderick, administrator for the EDIC, provided the board with a final recap at its meeting on Tuesday, June 14. The 16-month process began in December 2020 and closed out last month.

Former EDIC executive director Michael DiGiano, Ms. Broderick and EDIC member Michael Galasso represented the organization on the CDBG review committee. Michael Kasparian of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce and Mark Lowenstein of SCORE were also members of the committee, which worked to facilitate the microenterprise grant program and distribute funds that Falmouth had been granted for COVID relief.

Ms. Broderick said the committee was active in reviewing and approving applications received from small businesses looking for relief. Ultimately, 13 businesses received grants of varying amounts for a total of $173,840 awarded.

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Falmouth Economic Development & Industrial Corporation has been asked to consider forming a citizens advisory committee for Falmouth Station that would be able to assist with maintaining and improving the property.

Town Meeting member Paul Dreyer (Precinct Two), who is also an elected member of the planning board, spoke about the Falmouth Station projects listed on the agenda and introduced the proposal for the EDIC’s consideration at its meeting on Tuesday, May 10.

“Most of the board members are not familiar with the development of this project and what really has happened since then,” Mr. Dreyer said. “I was an early proponent of the station. I stood here 10 years ago asking the select board to support the rehabilitation of the station. They encouraged me and really were very, very supportive of it, and I continue to be interested.”

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The Falmouth EDIC gave an update on the Falmouth Station at its meeting on Tuesday, March 8, which included addressing the need to amp up its community outreach and engagement surrounding the project.

The main point of the board’s discussion regarding Falmouth Station was the potential for enhanced focus on community outreach partnered with better practices. Board member Michael B. Galasso pointed out that they have “taken a little bit of a beating” in that sphere thus far and suggested putting more time and money into those efforts.

Executive director Wayne Lingafelter asked the board for permission to go before the Falmouth Select Board during the public comment portion of its next meeting to address comments made at a previous meeting.

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Following the Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation’s recent presentation of three concept designs for development at the Falmouth Station, board members on Tuesday, February 8, made it a point to clarify that the three ideas that have been communicated to the public are just ideas meant to solicit feedback and are not a definite plan that is ready to move forward.

Executive director Wayne Lingafelter said the EDIC’s January 26 stakeholders meeting was well attended and received by the community. A total of 31 community members were in attendance for the 70-minute meeting, he said, adding that both the presentation and dialogue that followed were constructive. Discussion focused on potential concerns that community members had regarding the project, like increased traffic on Depot Avenue and the size and scale as was presented, but Mr. Lingafelter said that he is concerned that there was miscommunication.

“I think we tried to be very upfront and make sure that the community understand that this was the first step; it was a preliminary set of conceptual plans that we presented,” he said. “I think there was probably some misunderstanding that this was going to be the only opportunity for the community and specifically the neighborhood to react to those plans, which is certainly not our intent.”

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The Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation is poised to present to the select board for its approval two candidates to fill two open positions on the EDIC board.

Mark Lowenstein and Adrian Merryman each participated in a brief interview during the EDIC’s last two meetings. The Falmouth residents both shared information about their professional experience and areas of expertise with the board.

Mr. Lowenstein, who was interviewed on January 18, explained how he was recently active with the EDIC through his work with Community Development Block Grants. A former lawyer in the high tech field who grew up in the Boston area, Mr. Lowenstein has owned a house in Falmouth for 30 years and lived here full time for the past 10 years. He then ventured into entrepreneurship and found success in small businesses.

Later, he became a college professor in Vermont, where he attended college. As part of his work in higher education, Mr. Lowenstein joined the Rutland Economic Development Committee, which furthered his interests in creating economic vitality in communities. He has also worked recently with Cape Cod SCORE, a small-business management consulting agency.

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A Depot Avenue resident expressed his deep concerns regarding the EDIC’s plans for development at Falmouth Station at the Falmouth Historical Commission’s meeting on Tuesday, February 1.

Benjamin Mezzacappa went before the commission during its discussion of the Falmouth Station plans and said that as a resident, he has serious concerns regarding the already high density and traffic of the area and the impact that the proposed developments would have on the historic preservation of the area’s character.

“My family has owned property at 29 Depot Avenue since the early 1970s,” he said. “I have several 200-year-old buildings on that land. I really have a personal love for that whole area, Depot Avenue and Highfield Drive. I advocate for stewardship of that area [and] frankly I just think it is one of the most historically significant areas of this town, being all Beebe and Swift land.”

The Falmouth Station and the surrounding 3.9 acres are not in the historic district but are bordered by it on two sides. While the historical commission has no say over the usage of that parcel, chairman Edward Haddad said that he did remind the EDIC that it should be mindful of the historic significance of the property and its surroundings.

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