On Saturday, January 27, Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum (PMPM) and the Town of Provincetown co-sponsored a public forum on the proposed Bradford Street Access Project/Pilgrim Monument Funicular.
The forum was a part of a new Town process called "Development of Community Interest", aimed at soliciting public input on the projects that because of their magnitude, scope, or impact on built environment are likely to have an influence on the community as a whole. “We want this to be a transparent process - because this is the center of our community, it belongs to all of us, and we want to get it right,” said Paul deRuyter, the Project Committee Chair. The project was presented in an informative, inspiring format in the context of the Town's overall regulatory process.
Coastal Engineering Co.'s John Bologna and Jay Norton attended the forum as a part of the design team: Coastal is developing civil and structural engineering design of the inclined elevator and rail support foundation system, assessing environmental impacts of the project, and assisting with the permitting process. The team presented the latest updates on the project design and timelines for completing the various phases. With the development team now in place, the next step is to "to go in front of town boards and the various regulatory committees to get the appropriate permits," said K. David Weidner, PMPM Executive Director.
The goal of the project is to allow people easy access to the historic PMPM property from the always active downtown area. The funicular is proposed to be designed as a year-round enclosed cabin (with glass sides that can be removed in the summer) that rides on a narrow track on a landscaped strip to ascend visitors from the the Bas Relief Park up to the monument campus.