COVID-19 Update

There have been 460 cases of COVID-19 reported in Town since March 2020. There have been 10 cases reported this month through December 6. Eight of those 10 cases were in vaccinated individuals and the other two were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown.

The Town's average daily incidence rate has risen to 28.2, up from 23.3 last week. The Town's percent positivity rate has also increased to 7.0%, up from 5.37% last week. For the same reporting period Barnstable County's average daily incidence rate is at 37.2 and percent positivity rate is at 6.67%.

As we enter return to more indoor activities it is important to remember mitigation efforts that we can all take. Booster shots are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for all adults. Wear a mask in indoor public space. Practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. Monitor your health, stay home, and contact your health care provider if you have a fever, cough or are experiencing shortness of breath.

Stick image of Chatham Bandstand with Christmas Stroll below

Christmas Stroll Weekend

Enjoy the Christmas Stroll this evening and tomorrow afternoon!

The light parade will begin at the buoy tree at 5:45 p.m. (assemble at Carmine's Pizza) and proceed to Kate Gould Park for the annual tree lighting at 6 p.m. Photos with Santa will follow at the bandstand. Carolers and entertainment will be featured along Main Street from 6-9 p.m. tonight and from 1-5 p.m. tomorrow. You can also hop on the Holly Trolley for a ride around Town to see the lights tonight from 6-9 p.m. and tomorrow from 1-4 p.m.. Pick up at the Community Center and the corner of Cross and Main Streets.

Community Input Session Monday

The Chatham Planning Board welcomes your participation at an online Community Input Session on Monday, December 13 at 5:30 p.m. to receive input on a draft bylaw for the West Chatham Neighborhood Center.

The input from residents, business owners, and others will inform the Planning Board of what the community wants to see in the West Chatham Neighborhood Center in the future and to aid in developing draft amendments to the Protective (Zoning) Bylaws for consideration at a future Town Meeting.

This work builds upon the recommendations received from the Route 28 Visioning Project completed in 2014 and subsequent efforts which studied the Route 28 corridor from the Crowell Road intersection to the Harwich town line, including comments received on the desired size and forms of new development or future redevelopment from the public in September 2020.

For more information on the West Chatham Neighborhood Zoning Initiative and to review the draft bylaw, please visit the Planning Board’s webpage. The link to join the meeting online and information on how to participate by phone are included in the meeting agenda available on the Town’s website.

If you are unable to participate in the input session, the Planning Board is accepting written comments on the draft Protective (Zoning) Bylaw via email to Principal Planner Aly Sabatino until January 1, 2022.

Orange stick figure overlapping an orange circle

ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan Available for Feedback

The Massachusetts Office on Disability awarded the Town of Chatham a grant in December 2019 to develop an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Self- Evaluation and Transition Plan. This plan aims to create a more accessible community by identifying and prioritizing areas in Town programming and facilities that need improvement.

Hired by the Town of Chatham, Institute for Human Centered Design has worked closely with many town departments since the February 2020 to create this plan.

The Town of Chatham Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan is now available for public feedback. Residents are encouraged to view the plan, submit public comments, and help create the best plan possible.

Please submit comments and feedback to jbriggs@chatham-ma.gov by January 1st, 2022. After public feedback is incorporated into the draft, the final plan will be presented to the Select Board early 2022.

Cell phone icon with a red exclamation point on it.

Sign Up for Swift 911

In an effort to provide reliable and effective communication to residences, the Town has implemented Smart911 as our emergency notification provider.

Smart911 is a high speed notification system designed to make calls, emails, and SMS text notifications to specific people or areas in the event of an emergency.

These messages may include information on floods, fires, water emergencies, road closures, missing persons, evacuation orders, weather and other emergencies.

It is important that residence and business owners verify their contact information. Accurate email addresses, landline, and mobile numbers help to ensure, but cannot guarantee, that emergency information will be passed on to everyone in a timely manner.
Residents can add additional telephone numbers including a cell phone. The documented address must be in Chatham, but the phone number can be from anywhere. Emergency messages can reach TTY (teletypewriter) phones used by the hearing impaired.

Please sign up using this link or call the Chatham Fire Department at 508-945-2324 to provide the information.

Next Select Board Meeting - Virtual Participation Only

All are welcome to attend and participate in our open and public meetings. The agenda for each meeting is posted 48 business hours prior to the scheduled meeting time and can be accessed through the Select Board’s webpage.

Join the meeting on-line or participate by phone by dialing 1-508-945-4410 and entering Conference ID 134 208 476#.

I. Minutes
December 7, 2021

II. Public Announcements and Agenda Item Requests

III. New Business

A. Corona virus (COVID-19) Update (Director of Natural Resources Dr. Robert Duncanson and Town Manager Jill Goldsmith)

B. Public Comments on Business Agenda

C. Business Agenda (Board Discussion Items)

a. Appointment; Monomoy Regional School Committee

b. Update on Temporary Closure of Annual Liquor License; Talkative Pig

c. Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival in Chatham

i. Preview Presentation to Select Board by Alan Rust (DN Request 11/23/21, 12/7/21)

ii. Consider Application for Eight (8) One Day Entertainment Permits

d. Chatham Energy and Climate Action Committee Presentation on Economic Impact of Climate Change on Cape Cod Prepared by the Cape Cod Commission

e. Select Board/Town Manager CAL 2022/FY2023 Goal and Objectives

f. Committee Interview Process Clarification

The Mainsheet

The name of our e-newsletter was selected from submissions by our community.
In nautical terms a mainsheet is the line connected to the boom which allows a sailor to control the speed of a boat. We think that is fitting for an e-newsletter that can be used to quickly send out important information to our community or at a more leisurely rate for less pressing matters. It reflects Chatham’s maritime history, is reminiscent of the front page of a newspaper, and it is a fun play on Main Street, where you go to be part of all that is happening in Town!

Town of Chatham website www.chatham-ma.gov