Our Lady of Hope Landscape Improvement Project
Please check back often for updates. We will add plans, and an option to make a donation online soon.
Update Sept 06
We have $68,754 pledged which is 51% of our $135,000 goal. Thanks for your generosity! Bricks for the front of the Hope Chapel are $100 each and etched with your name by Maki Monument. For bricks contact: Joselle Della Morte 362-8334, Diane Bowers 362-1759 or Mary Dionne 362-6565. To reach our goal, we need large gifts with naming rights for pathways, benches or the entrance patio. Trees are $1,000 and they are going fast – 10 spoken for so far! Father Mark asks for a gift of $1,200 or more per family. Literature is available from the ushers. Contact Joe Gill 362-1921 or Joe Della Morte at 362-8334. Donations to OLH Landscape Campaign, PO Box 232, W. Barnstable, 02668. Thank You.
Appeal Before Historic Commission
We have good news regarding the Landscape Improvement Project. You may remember the local Historical Commission denied our project because they objected to paving the new parking lot at the rear of the Chapel. We appealed our case to the Regional Commission. On August 1, we won the appeal with a unanimous 4 to 0 vote. A special thanks to the parishioners who attended the hearing and those who spoke on our behalf; and thanks to all parishioners for your continued interest and support of the project.
Documents:
Mr. Thomas Sullivan Letter View / Download (Word format)
Mrs. Mary Dionne Letter View / Download (Word format)
Old King's Highway Presentation 8/1/06 View / Download (Word format)
July 17, 2006
Mr. Roy Robinson, Chairman
Old Kings Highway Historic Commission
Post Office Box 140
Barnstable, MA 02630
Dear Chairman Robinson,
This brief note is to express my support for the plans of Our Lady of Hope parishioners to improve the appearance and enhance the safety around this historic chapel. My wife and I moved to Cummaquid five years ago and joined this church. Frankly, we were disappointed (embarrassed) at the sight of cars parked hither and yon at each service. Not only was it out of character for this historic and picturesque highway, it was damn dangerous. When we learned of the plan to beautify the chapel grounds and put in a paved parking lot behind it, we jumped for joy…something retirees should avoid. I request your support for this important and worthwhile effort.
Sincerely,
Tom Sullivan
329 Oakmont Rd
Cummaquid, MA 02637-1673
July 18, 2006
Mr. Roy Robinson, Chairman
Old Kings Highway Historic Commission
Post Office Box 140
Barnstable, MA 02630
Re: Appeal 2006-3 August 1, 2006
Dear Mr. Robinson,
I am voicing my support for a paved parking area in the rear of Our Lady of Hope Chapel. I am a longtime and active parishioner of Our Lady of Hope. In addition to attending weekly mass, I serve as a Eucharistic Minister and Wedding Coordinator. My visits to the church are therefore frequent, at varying and different times, particularly for wedding rehearsals and weddings as well as meetings outside of the public, Sunday service times.
When I park at the church often on dark evenings in the winter months, I find the stone and gravel parking walkways, often with puddles; uneven and full of ruts. Walking on that is just plain hazardous. Bridal parties negotiate them in dress clothes, with high heals, in the dark. Don’t think that ankles haven’t been turned, or worse. If you don’t think it is an issue, I urge you to try it!
I’ve had more than one “mother of the bride” complain about the parking and walkway hazards. Not to mention the distraction of parked cars in front of the church crowding reception lines and ruining wedding pictures of our beautiful suburban chapel. There is also a very dangerous walk, no, run across Route 6A if the wedding is large and more frequently, they are on busy Saturdays in tourist seasons.
Please approve the plan for paved and well marked space with improved access for our chapel parking. It is a reasonable and acceptable improvement every other place I frequent and visit around my Route 6A neighborhood. Why not for our place of worship?
Sincerely,
Mary C. Dionne
203 Carlson Lane
W. Barnstable, MA 02668
Exhibit A
Our Lady of Hope Chapel Landscape and Parking Lot Improvement
Information and substantiation for Old Kings Highway Regional Historic District Commission Appeal hearing – August 1, 2006
See Plan dated March 6, 2006; Revised June 15, 2006
1) Safety is improved
All access to parking along 6A is eliminated. All parking will be in a single, pre-existing lot behind the Chapel and accessed from Parker Rd, a town road with less traffic. Parking along 6A will be reduced or eliminated by parking most cars in the single large parking lot behind the Chapel. This parking lot allows 30+ more cars than previous (a maximum of 80 cars.) However, a striped surface is needed to maximize parking and permit approximately 80 cars. Striped surfaces can only be painted on hard durable surfaces. Without striped asphalt, parking will be haphazard and permit about half as many cars and thus we will not get cars off 6A.
The rough, unpaved, gravel surfaces in the current parking at the front and rear will be eliminated making parking and walking safer, particularly in winter – an important factor for our elderly and handicapped parishioners. Paving also facilitates winter plowing and ice removal. Custom cut-off luminaire lighting will be added at a few key locations (see photos.)
2) Drainage is significantly improved
At present storm water from the front of the Chapel and from the rear parking lot flows into, and down, Parker Rd. to the marsh further down this road. Sand and gravel is carried along with the water. The existing surface soils are relatively impervious to leaching and, of course, wash away. Excellent drainage subsoil was discovered during a soil test. Therefore, it is best that rainfall water should be shed to subterranean drains that “ punch ” through to the absorbent soils.
The new rear parking area has been engineered for a 20-year storm and will retain essentially all of the water from the proposed paved parking area within its boundaries. Two (2) catch basins will feed to a dry well/leaching field system on the site that capture all this water. Also, the new landscape plan shows lawn in the front of the Chapel thus efficiently retaining some water from this same watershed, while adding beauty. Approximately 10,000 sq ft of grass will be planted.
3) Historic values are preserved
The front and rear of the Chapel is currently a mixture of grass, gravel and mud; it is unattractive, scarred, rutted and unsafe. The front of the Chapel will be landscaped with new lawn; shrubs and trees, making it attractive and restoring it to its appearance of many years ago, before increased attendance and year round use required parking on the front lawn. All plantings have been approved, are mostly indigenous, and in keeping with historic goals.
4) The parking lot is not visible from 6A and barely visible from Parker Rd.
The proposed parking lot at the rear of the Chapel will not be seen from, either, 6A or the front of the Chapel. The visibility of the new parking area from Parker Rd will be greatly diminished utilizing a combination of a 2 ft high earth berm with a mixture of indigenous deciduous and evergreen plantings. The plan is to install shrubs and trees that grow to a minimum height of 4 ’ on a 2 ’ berm; this combination creates a 6 ’ screen. The parking will be visible only when directly in front of exit and entrance to the parking lot. See photo that shows the existing parking at the rear of the chapel and see Section A - A on the plan.
5) Handicapped access is improved
There is no handicapped access at present. The proposed new parking provides 2 handicapped parking places and a paved access from these spots to the rear Chapel door. Actually, the entire area when paved will be made easier for pedestrian, wheelchair, and other handicapped modes of transportation.
6) Tree and landscape variety is improved
At the suggestion of the Tree Warden 2 dead locusts at the front of the church will be removed. No other locusts within the layout of Parker Rd. will be removed per his order. The new planting plan calls for 124 shrubs and 29 trees, mostly indigenous. All planting beds will be renewed.
7) Aesthetics
The church-site will be greatly improved with these site and landscape improvements. The present parking mess at the front and sides of the Chapel is eliminated. Parking at the rear of the chapel will be visually minimized with additional planting and earthwork. The Chapel appearance from Rt. 6A and Parker Rd. will be vastly improved. The goals of the Old King ’ s Highway are being attained.
The lawn at the front of the rectory will be reseeded and enlarged. New lawn will be planted to replace the gravel at the front of the chapel. The entire one-acre plus property has been re-designed, engineered and planned by professionals to become safe, attractive and functional in keeping with Old King ’ s Highway criteria.
8) Riverview School appeal of May, 2004
This appeal decision will be cited and discussed at the appeal hearing on August 1, 2006.
9) Usage
The parking lot is used 7 days per week year round. The aesthetic, safety, drainage and handicapped benefits are year round. Plowing is required in the winter.
10) Alternative materials for the parking surface
This subject will be discussed at the hearing.
11) Summary
This is a project with many benefits: namely, safety, access for handicapped and elderly, drainage and esthetics. The esthetic objection from the Barnstable OKH is paving that will be invisible from 6A; along Parker Rd. the paving will be substantially screened with a 6 ’ tall berm and planting. We believe the benefits far outweigh the objection to the parking surface.
Other paved parking along 6A
Route 149 – Village store and Train Station – a large paved area, visible from 149 and repaved recently.
Post Office and bank – also large and visible from 6A.
Shopping center at 6A and 149, large, paved and visible.
W Barnstable Lutheran Church – large, paved and partially visible from 6A.
Building opposite W Barnstable Post Office – large, paved and visible.
Northside Shopping center on 6A at White Cap Lane – paved and visible.
Barnstable Community Building – partially paved, visible.
Whelden Library – paved and visible.
West Parish – large, paved and visible from 149.
Fire station – large, paved and mostly visible from 149.
Riverview School – large and visible from 6A.
Sturgis Library - large and visible from 6A.
Barnstable Village – nearly all paved parking.