Press Release: Plaintiffs Satisfied with Changes to Lease

The Plaintiffs in the case against the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the Town of Wareham and David Warr, filed in Plymouth County Superior Court in October, have withdrawn the complaint.  After extensive discussions between the parties' counsels, the town retains their prior rights to the area including Onset Beach, the bluffs and Bay View Park.  A new document filed with the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds creates two new zones for establishing responsibilities and rights including a prohibition on construction of any additional structures. The leased area is now the existing bath house concrete pad, with the Coalition responsible for construction and upkeep of the new facility, landscaping and hardscaping.

The suit encompassed larger issues, such as the granting of Community Preservation Act Funds and the process used at town meeting to lease out the properties, included in the Supreme Judicial Court decision of 1916. This decision expressly prohibits the sale or lease of delineated lands in perpetuity, and the town accepted these lands at a town meeting in 1917.

The Plaintiffs undertook this action both to honor Onset's past and preserve its future.  They feel that it is in the best interests of all to codify this, and remain vigilant going forward with respect to town government activity. The agreement with the Coalition extends for 99 years from 2017.

Original Lease Lease of 99 Years