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February 3, 2006     Barnstable Patriot
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February 3, 2006
 
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($25 OFF] Your Next Business Stationery iSs ^rder M MINUTEMAN f PRESS 189 Falmouth Road (Route 28 Behind Cape Cod Mall) c 508-778-1777 j KEEP THE TOWN I STRONG... I Shop Locally! I NOW ON-LINE: An efficient history of Cape Cod property Registry of Deeds goes digital back to 1704 By David Still II dstill@barnstablepartriot.com DAVID STILL II PHOTO THE SURVIVIOR - Barnstable County Register of Deeds Jack Meade stands withthe onlysurvivingvolume from the 1827fire that destroyed the Barnstable County Courthouse. That book's holdings, as well as every other record at the registry, have been digitized and will be available on-line in the coming weeks. Ever wonder about Presi- dent Grover Cleveland'sCape Cod landholdings?Howabout those of USS Constitution skipper Mad Jack Percival, Ocean Spray forebear A.D. Makepeace or perhaps the founder of the Cape's oldest newspaper, Major Sylvanus B. Phinney? Whoever the property own- er,iftheywere onrecord at the Barnstable CountyRegistryof Deeds, they're on-line. The index of documents is now available and Register of Deeds Jack Meade said that withinthe comingweeks digitized copies of the origi- nal registry records will be available. "We wanted to have effec- tively avirtualregistry online ... to allow as much access to our information aswe could," Meade said in an interview this week. Once completed, the data- base will extend back to Jan. 1, 1704, although that date is a bit deceptive. Hampering the effort is an event that occurred nearly 180 years ago. On Oct. 22, 1827 a fire consumed the Barnstable County Court House, which stored the then-93 books of the Registry of Deeds. One volume , Book 61 covering roughly the year of 1806, was saved. The records that do exist for dates prior to 1827 were re-created by recopying deeds and assembling paperwork held by families and attorneys of the day. The state helped in re-creating the registry by ordering towns to accept deeds for re-recording, which wouldbe done for free through May 1829. If fire or some Katrina- scale calamity claimed the registrytoday,the officecould conceivably be back up and running in a matter of days. With the registry's history duly digitized and recorded and current filesimmediately copied into electronic format, all of the records are backed up off-site. "We can re-create the place pretty much up to the last minute," Meade said. There are also microfilm versions of registry records stored off-site. The merging of the index and the digitized files started this week after a glitchy first start. Meade expected the merge to be completed in about twoweeks,withanother little while to check the ac- curacy.After that,it'sonward ' and on-line. This latest round of digi- tization and indexing cost roughly $750,000, according to Meade, paid for through the $5 technology surcharge assessed over the past few years. Meade said that the state collects the funds and individual registriesapply for specific projects. The registry has been a significant contributor to Barnstable County budgets over the past five years,asany surplus generated goes into county coffers. With aslowing in the overall volume, what had been a dependable cash flow is expected to decline. For title searches,the exist- ing on-line holdings, which date to 1940, typically prove sufficient , with the industry standard calling for 50 years of clean title. "The need to go back lessens as we go for- ward," Meade said. Even so, Meade said hav- ing the full volume of registry records makes searches both more thorough and faster. ForMeade'spurposes,while there'sanice historicalaspect to the electronic database, it's also meant a significant increase in his office 's ef- ficiency. Searches that may have taken days to compile can now be done "almost instan- taneously." Properties can be tracked through their re- corded history with a simple search. "Instead ofhavingto physi- cally look up every page, we can do it on the computer," Meade said. "It makes it a lot less labor-intensive." Such efficiencies have ben- efited the registry's bottom line. When Meade was first elected to the position in 1988, the register'soffice employed 56. There are now 40, despite record volumes of transac- tions in the past five years. At $1 a copy for each page copied out of the registry, Meade put revenues in the "high six figures,"which goes back to the county. Meade said that he's not awareofanyregistriesthathave gone asfar back asBarnstable in digitizing records and plac- ing them on-line. The Barnstable County Registry of Deeds can be found on-line at bcrd. co.barnstable.ma.us. Townwants Boch Center downtown Officials speaking to Boch board and Cape Cod Conservatory By Edward F.Maroney emaroney@barnstablepatriot.com "Come on down!" Ernie Boch implored potential auto buyers. Now town officials are urging the Boch Center for the Performing Arts to do likewise. Spurred by news that the Boch Center, long planned for a site near Mashpee Com- mons, was talkingto the Cape Cod Conservatory about shar- ing its space off Route 132 north of the Exit 6 park and ride lot, the town is eager to show both groups possible relocation sites in downtown Hyannis. "They're goingto haveprob- lems with the community in West Barnstable ," said As- sistant Town Manager Paul NiedzwiecM. "They don'twant to see that traffic. The West Barnstable Civic Association didn't think it was appropri- ate." Fromagrowthmanagement perspective,Niedzwieckisaid, there's "no real plan" for the "node"north of Route 6."ifwe get growththere,"he said,"it's an historical accident." Why not combine the draw of a performance center and the conservatory's programs with a lively downtown that has the infrastructure to support such activity, Niedz- wiecki asked. "All successful revitaliza- tionshave astrong performing arts component," he said. Although he wouldn't name specific sites, Neidzwiecki said he hoped to show the arts groups a couple in the coming weeks. Asked about the status of the 500 Main St. block, long thought of as a site for a convention center or some other magnet facility, he allowed that it was not off the table for discussion. Assembling lots for such a project won't mean turning the eminent domain monster loose, according to Niedz- wiecki. With the changing real estate market, he said, there might be some owners interested in selling. When it comes to insurance, our service is really worth tracking down. 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Most of all I have witnessed a dedi- cated Board of Directors and group of volunteers who contribute an inordi- nate amount of their time to keep the Chamber an active representative of businesses and residents in this community - it has been impressive.' - These volunteers donate hours to create successful community events such as the "Vil- lage of Lights" or the upcoming Father 's Day Car Show that enhance community activities. The group works closely with the town to formulate plans to support busi- nesses that provide the economic underpinnings of the town's financial and service structure. As individuals and business- es they contribute their time and money to help charitable causes, donat- ing to the schools, health care organizations and many other groups. The Chamber members have lent their energy to the revitalization of downtown Hyannis, cre- ation of the JFK Hyannis Museum, the precursor of the Barnstable Economic Development Corporation (formerly the Hyannis Area Economic Develop- ment Corporation) , the Hyannis Main Street Wa- terfront Association, and Pops by the Sea. Certainly, bringing visi- tors to the area is a large contribution to the vital- ity of the economy The importance of tourism to the community is evident in the thriving historic associations, craftsmen , theaters, artists, cultural organizations and other enriching opportunities that are available. Most of the almost 700 Chamber members are businesses -both not-for- profit and profit -who understand that the health of the community in which they do business is as important to the success of their business as it is to every individual who lives here. Hyannis Area Chamber members are very much a part of the community where they work and live. I have been involved in many organizations. However, I have seldom seen the degree of com- mitment and investment that the Hyannis Area Chambei of Commerce members and Board of Directors bring to this organization and this community. (QHAMBER i\[0TES