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EASTHAM/MID-CAPE HOSTEL | ||
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Editorial: A Friendly Hostel It seems curious that there isn't more support for, even pride in, the "green" plans to renovate the Eastham hostel on the part of both neighbors and some members of town boards. The hostel has been in operation since the 1960s, long before most of the neighbors moved in and built their houses. Hostelling International USA received a $50,000 Kresge Foundation grant to plan an entirely energy-efficient facility for the Eastham hostel. The current state of the hostel building could be referred to as "dilapidated." The renovation plan to use cutting-edge building techniques and materials includes solar thermal panels and radiant flooring to heat all of the facility's water, a graywater system to recycle non-toilet wastewater for use in watering the gardens, low-flow fixtures and composting toilets, heat-trapping insulation and alternative lighting fixtures to reduce energy costs, and low-toxicity paints. And it would put the hostel into a league of its own-the first of its kind on the East Coast. The plan does call to increase the size of the hostel's common space to 7,000 sq. ft., bringing the total to more than twice its current size. But, perhaps more importantly, it is not seeking to increase the number of beds, now 48. Therefore, the primary use is not changing. It is looking, however, to expand its seasonal operation time by a few months, from three to possibly six. Traffic concerns by neighbors are certainly understandable, but it's also important to remember that the number of beds is not changing. And it's likely that Hostelling International would be open to negotiations on certain ground rules that would protect neighbors' privacy and address their noise and traffic fears, and even on size of the new building. The permitting issues, triggered because the owner of the property shifted a property line, thus reducing by about four tenths of an acre the two-and-a-half-acre wooded property near Boat Meadow Beach, also don't seem insurmountable. And town staff, including Frank De Felice, Eastham's zoning enforcement officer, and Health Agent Jane Crowley, appear to be approaching the matter with reasonable consideration for the hostel's history and the benefits its brings to the town. Hostel tourism is not generally high-impact. In fact, it could be thought of as a training ground for future, higher spending visitors. Specifically the hostel, offering a lower-cost lodging alternative, brings young people to the area who, if they enjoy their stay, are likely to return when they can afford to stay in the town's guest houses, motels and house rentals. Interestingly, while towns all over the Cape are searching for ways to enhance economic development, Eastham is being served up an opportunity on a silver platter, for which taxpayers won't have to shell out a dime. 
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