Strapped for cash, Town Administrator Mark Andrews is thinking of new ways to bring in state dollars to the town.  During Friday's Ad Hoc Committee meeting he proposed Wareham become a part the state's Gateway cities program.

"Gateway" cities are former mill and factory towns, including New Bedford and Fall River, that have difficulties with infrastructure and public safety, and present unique environmental challenges. The program promotes a set of policies that trigger regional growth, all the while improving the lives of residents. The Gateway Cities Alliance works with the Urban Initiative and MassINC to achieve these goals.

Andrews suggested asking Governor Deval Patrick to categorize Wareham as a "Gateway town," the first of its kind.

"Wareham is different because of our demographic," explained Andrews. He noted the unique stresses the town faces such as summer tourism and outdated census counts that have lessened the Chapter 9 local aid and Chapter 70 school aid that the town receives.

"The funding from Chapter 90 is based on the number of roads and population, accepting more people in the summer puts more pressure on us that isn't taken into account," he continued. Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch agreed that Wareham is not getting enough out of Chapter 70.

"We all know the formula is broken," School Committee member Rhonda Veugen stated. Wareham's motel and foster care industries were also cited as additional sources of financial stress on both the town and school side.

Andrews said he believes the letter will prompt the governor to recognize Wareham's economic struggles this year. Overall, the committee supported the idea. School Committee member Geoff Swett advised Andrews to tighten the definition of the "Gateway town" for other towns to qualify. The committee decided to take the information presented to their respective boards for further consideration.