Continued Closure of 549 Main Street

The Town Offices located at 549 Main Street will remain closed through Friday, May 13, 2022 after a power surge effected the building on Wednesday, April 27, 2022.

Ronit Goldstein, Eversource Community Relations Manager, said via email “During an outage restoration last week in Chatham, a piece of equipment meant to protect a transformer failed, resulting in a voltage increase at Town Hall that caused some damage to the building. We worked diligently to identify the issue and made necessary repairs to the equipment to ensure it is safe, and we will continue to work closely with town officials with respect to assessment of damage and potential repairs.”

Electricians are in process of replacing light fixtures and completing extensive rewiring throughout the building. Repairs to the boiler and HVAC system will begin next week.

Staff from the Town offices located at 549 Main Street are working from other Town facilities and remain available to serve the public via phone or email.

“We are committed to continuing to serve the public during this disruption to our normal operations. We appreciate the public’s patience and look forward to returning to our downtown offices as soon as possible,” said Town Manager Jill Goldsmith.

Thank You Cape Cod Five!

A very special thank you to our community partners at the Chatham branch of the Cape Cod Five for providing our Treasurer/Collector staff a secure room at the bank to process incoming payments at the close of business each day during the closure of our downtown offices.

Select Board members seated at table outdoors at Veterans Field

Annual Town Meeting & Elections

Back to Veterans Field

Out of an abundance of caution, Chatham’s 2022 Annual Town Meeting, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14th, has been relocated from the gymnasium of the Monomoy Middle School to Veterans Field.

Warrants have been mailed to the households of all registered voters. Voters should bring their copy with them to the Meeting.

Due to the number of articles included in the year's warrant, the Select Board has recommended to the Moderator that if a second day is required, the meeting be continued to Sunday, May 15th.

Free childcare is available by reservation. Drop off begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Community Center. Please email Susan Mabile with your name, address, contact phone number, your child’s name, age and any medical issues no later than 12 noon on Friday, May 13, 2022.

The Town’s Annual Election will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2022 at the Community Center, 702 Main Street. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Annual Town Meeting Preview Show

The Annual Town Meeting Preview Show is running on Ch. 18 and is available for on-demand viewing.

Every article on the Town Meeting warrant is reviewed and include the recommendations of the Select Board and Finance Committee.

COVID-19 Update

There were 58 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported through the State system in Town in April versus 8 cases in March. The weekly case count for April 23-29 was 16, which was slightly higher than the 13 cases reported the previous week.

Chatham's percent positivity climbed to 9.14%, the 2nd highest on Cape and well above the 5% threshold considered community transmission. The Statewide percent positivity was at 4.39% and Barnstable County's at 6.15%. The Town's average daily incidence rate was at 38, the highest in Barnstable County.

Cartoon images of spray cans and bottles containing household hazardous waste.

Hazardous Waste Collections

Barnstable County's Household Hazardous Waste Collections program for the towns of Brewster, Harwich and Chatham resumes on Saturday, May 14th at the Harwich Transfer Station, 209 Queen Anne Road, Harwich from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Residents of the three towns are encouraged to clean out their basements, garages, sheds, and cabinets of household hazardous waste such as metal/furniture polish, oven cleaner, disinfectant, paint thinner and remover, mercury thermometers, pesticides, weed killer, gasoline, insecticides, marine paint and sealer, and insecticides and bring them in to be collected and safely disposed of. In fact any product with DANGER, POISON, WARNING or CAUTION on the label is considered hazardous and should be brought to the collection site.

Collections will continue throughout the summer and early fall on June 11, July 9, August 13, September10, and October 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the the Harwich location.

Walk For Hope Information Session

The Housing Assistance Corporation is holding an information session on the 4th Annual Walk for Hope on Thursday, May 12th at 4 p.m. via Zoom. The session will cover all the information participants will need to prepare for the walk, held in three locations, on May 22nd at 1 p.m.

Topics will include introductions to the Walk Coordinators, registration and fundraising details, event timelines & locations, and how each step will make a difference.

To register for the information session RSVP to Deanna Bussiere. For more information on walk locations, or to register, visit the event's webpage.

Flags at Half Staff May 14, 2022

Flags will be lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, May 14th in honor of former Select Board member Richard Costello on the day of his services. There will be a Mass in his honor at Holy Redeemer Church, Highland Ave. at noon.

Outdoor Marine Debris Art Installation Submissions

The National Park Service/Cape Cod National Seashore (NPS) and the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) invite proposals for an outdoor marine debris art exhibition to be installed in the national seashore. Funding for this collaboration is made possible by a unique federal opportunity linking the NPS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program in a national effort to educate and inform about marine debris issues affecting national park areas.

The exhibit resulting from this opportunity will support marine debris prevention, outreach, and education undertaken by both organizations by reaching new audiences, educating about debris sources in the region, raising awareness, and encouraging behavior changes to reduce or prevent marine debris.

“Marine debris is a serious issue affecting all coastal areas,” noted Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent Brian Carlstrom. “In addition to being unsightly, debris contains pollutants and harms wildlife. This joint venture will raise awareness of this issue and encourage personal behaviors that can reduce and prevent marine debris.”

Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of jurors with a range of expertise, from ocean science to art to engineering, to select a work that will be highly visible for several years at a seashore location.

Deadline for applications is June 8, 2022 (World Ocean Day 2022). The announcement of a successful applicant will be made on July 15, 2022. Final installation of the exhibit will be completed by Earth Day 2023, with a public ceremony on World Ocean Day 2023.

The Request for Proposals can be obtained by contacting Laura Ludwig or Aleutia Scott.

Next Select Board Meeting - May 10, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.

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.

Attend in-person at the Town Office Annex, Large Meeting Room. Join the meeting on-line or participate by phone by dialing 1-508-945-4410 and entering Conference ID 134 208 476#.

I. Convene Select Board

A. Vote by Select Board to Recess Until the Conclusion of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board of Trustees Meeting

II. Convene Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) Board of Trustees

A. Open Session

B. Executive Session – MGL Chapter 39, §23B #6

To consider the purchase, exchange, taking, lease, or value of real property if such discussion may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the governmental body with return to Open Session (Private Property Acquisition for Affordable Housing – 0 Meetinghouse Road)

C. Return to Open Session

Report from Executive Session and Vote Private Property Acquisition for Affordable Housing – 0 Meetinghouse Road

D. Adjourn Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) Board of Trustees

III. Reconvene Select Board

IV. Minutes

May 3, 2022

V. Public Announcements and Agenda Item Requests

VI. New Business

A. COVID-19 Update

B. Public Hearings

a. Entertainment License; Pizza Shark Inc. dba Pizza Shark, 637 Main Street

C. Public Comments on Business Agenda

D. Business Agenda (Board Discussion Items)

a. 2022 Annual Town Meeting on May 14, 2022 – 1:00 PM at Veterans Field Logistics Update (if needed)

b. Closure of Buck’s Creek to Shellfish Harvesting Effective May 15th (Renee Gagne)

c. Review Outdoor Watering Ban/Water Conservation Methods – Consider Reconsideration [DN] (Dr. Robert Duncanson)

d. Chatham Resident North (Nauset) Beach Over-Sand Vehicle Permit Fee (Dr. Robert Duncanson)

e. 2022 Annual Town Meeting Article Review and Recommendations

i. Article 13 (Placeholder) Collective Bargaining Agreements – No Action, No Motion

ii. Article 14 (Placeholder) Collins Center Classification/Compensation Plan

iii. Article 24 (Placeholder) Fishermen’s Storage Area

VII. Executive Session – MGL Chapter 39, §23B #3

To discuss strategy with respect to litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the public body and the Chair so declares, and with NO return to Open Session (Sciaba Construction Fish Pier Contract Claims)

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