Assistant Town Manager Position Proposed for Re- Establishment

Town Manager Jill R. Goldsmith has submitted Administrative Order #6 to the Select Board to formally re-establish the Assistant Town Manager position, originally created in 2002, to strengthen organizational cohesion, operational capacity, and leadership resilience. The proposed Administrative Order promotes the current Director of Community Development, Kathleen Donovan, to that role recognizing her demonstrated performance while serving as Acting Town Manager and leadership on many priority community initiatives of the Select Board. Ms. Donovan will retain her responsibilities as Director of Community Development, continuing to lead strategic initiatives related to housing, land use, parking, and permitting, while also supporting Town-wide operations in an executive capacity.

Re-establishing the Assistant Town Manager position provides important organizational benefits. The Assistant Town Manager supports the Town Manager in policy implementation and facilitation, helping translate Select Board direction into coordinated administrative action. This includes assisting with interdepartmental problem-solving, advancing priority initiatives, and serving as an executive point of contact on matters of significant public interest. The Town Manager remains accountable and responsible to the Select Board per the Town Charter.

The proposed Administrative Order was filed on February 4, 2026. Per the Town Charter, Administrative orders made by the Town Manager shall become effective on the thirtieth (30) day following the day on which notice of the proposed administrative order is filed with the Select Board and the office of the Town Clerk unless the Select Board shall, within such period, by majority vote of the Select Board, vote to reject such administrative order or has earlier voted to affirm it. The full version of the Administrative Order is available on the Town’s website.

Door of red fire truck with Chatham Fire Rescue in Gold Lettering

Citizen Fire Academy

The Chatham Fire Rescue Department is accepting applications to its Citizens Fire Academy. The Citizens Fire Academy is an 8-week program designed to provide participants with a basic understanding of fire, rescue, and emergency medical operations in The Chatham Fire Rescue Department. The Academy will help to enhance the participants’ knowledge of The Chatham Fire Rescue Department’s capabilities, day to day operations and activities. Participants will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience (voluntary).

Applications are available at Chatham Fire Headquarters.

When: Wednesdays March 18th – May 13th from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Where: Chatham Fire Rescue Headquarters 135 Depot Rd Deadline for application submission: March 3rd

Sample Topics:

Department Tour and History
Personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus
Fire apparatus and equipment
Thermal imaging cameras, search and rescue, fire extinguishers
Ambulance operations and equipment
CPR, first aid and basic medical treatment, bleeding control
Tower ladder operations
Special teams, dive, water and technical rescue
Dispatch and communications

Participants must be at least 21 years of age with no criminal history, able to commit to regular attendance, and pass a background check.

Woman with dark hair pulled back and glasses wearing a blue and yellow striped sweater smiling

Welcome Aboard – Jessica Rotondo

Town Manager Jill R. Goldsmith has appointed Jessica Rotondo as Chatham’s first Public Works Associate in the Department of Public Works (DPW), reporting to Director of Public Works, Rob Faley. Ms. Rotondo will begin her employment on Monday, February 2, 2026, working 20 hours per week until her graduation from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in June, 2026 when she will transition to full-time employment.

Ms. Rotondo is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection and a minor in Marine Biology and Environmental Health & Safety. Prior to enrolling at Mass Maritime, Jessica graduated from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School as Valedictorian where she studied Environmental Science and Technology.

Jessica held several internships during her years at Mass Maritime focusing on safety operations and environmental data sampling. She holds Certifications in OSHA 10,30, 40 and disaster site work as well as NFPA 51B and FEMA IS-100.

Three women in Hi Vis jackets holding certificates in front of an orange wall

2025 BOCH CERT Top Performers

Congratulations to the volunteers of the Brewster-Orleans-Chatham-Harwich (BOCH) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) honored for their hours of service in 2025.

Jane Sullivan of Brewster was awarded the BOCH CERT top spot volunteering 57 hours in 2025. She was also recognized for achieving this milestone for four out of the past six years. Sullivan joined the team at its inception in 2019 becoming a steadfast icon of the team and community.

Lisa Havens, also of Brewster, was recognized as the Top Performer Newcomer, coming in second place with 56 hours of service. Havens joined the emergency response team a little over a year ago and quickly stood out as an essential member.

The third volunteer awarded as a Top Performer for 2025 was Victoria Chane from Chatham with 55 hours of selfless service to the Lower Cape Cod communities. Chane also joined the team in 2019 as a plank-owner and sits on the By-Laws and Policy Committee, which is essential in building and growing the BOCH CERT organization.

BOCH-CERT volunteers are a team of 50+/- local residents trained under FEMA guidelines and are certified and capable of supporting our communities during emergency and non-emergency situations.

Congratulations and thank you for your service!

Eldredge Public Library Closure

The Eldredge Public Library will be closed on Thursday, February 12th for a staff development day. This dedicated training time helps the Library team strengthen services, explore new resources, and better support the community. The Library will reopen on Friday, February 13th at 10 am. Thank you for your understanding.

Monomoy Regional School District Preschool program registration information

Personal Tax Exemptions

The deadline to apply for Personal Tax Exemptions is April 1st.

Personal Tax Exemptions are available for Veterans and Blind individuals with required documentation, and for Seniors who meet income, asset, and age requirements.

Contact the Town Town’s Assessing staff for assistance with filing and submitting applications for personal exemptions by calling 508-945-5103 or stopping by their office at 549 Main Street.

Information on additional tax relief options is available on the Assessing Division’s webpage.

project plans on a table with people seated around with only their hands visible

Town Projects Before Planning Board

Two applications to amend Site Plans for two Town-owned properties will be before the Planning Board on Monday, February 9th.

An amended Site Plan is sought for the Eldredge Public Library, 564 Main Street, for Master Plan improvements including upgrades to the existing parking area, drop off area, pedestrian and handicap accessibility, lighting, streetscape, and landscape. Modifications to the Site Master Plan have been made since the Planning Board last approved site plan amendments for the property in April 2019. Funding for the Site Master Plan improvements were approved by 2018 Annual Town Meeting, Article 15.

An amended Site Plan is sought for the Transfer Station, 97 Sam Ryder Road, for improvements to the residential recycling drop-off area to create a more efficient traffic flow and limit intersecting residential, commercial, and operational traffic. Improvements will include new paving, scale house and swap shop, residential drop-off area with modular block retaining walls, stormwater drainage improvements, additional concrete pads, landscaping, signage and pavement markings. Funding for this Phase of improvements was approved by 2023 Annual Town Meeting, Article 27 and 2025 Annual Town Meeting, Article 16.

The public can access to the meeting package including the applications with the agenda posting at www.mytowngovernment.org/02633.

Select Board seated at the dais in the large meeting room

Select Board Action – February 3rd

The Select Board appointed Paul Mangaudis to the Committee for People with Disabilities until June 30, 2026.

In a joint meeting with the Finance Committee, the Select Board heard from Police Chief Mike Anderson and Fire Chief Justin Tavano on the proposed operating and capital budgets for their respective departments.

Director of Public Works Rob Faley reviewed the operating and capital budgets for each Division that falls under Public Works including Highway, Snow and Ice, Streetlights, Transfer Station, Fuel Depot, Facilities, Project Administration, Sewer, Cemetery and Parks and Grounds.

The Board & Finance Committee reviewed two articles for placement on the 2026 Town Meeting warrant. The Board voted to place and recommend an article for the proposed Water Department Operating Budget and an article proposing the funding of Water Storage Tank Painting and Repairs through borrowing.

The public is encouraged to watch the meeting in its entirety through Chatham TVs on-demand archive.

Summer Recreation Programs for kids registration begins March 2nd for residents

Town seal with the silhouette of a speaker at a podium in the center

Upcoming Public Hearings

The Select Board will hold the following public hearings during their regularly scheduled meetings on Tuesdays, beginning at 5:00 p.m., in the large meeting room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

February 24th

To consider an application to change the DBA of Uncle Tony’s LLC from d/b/a Knot’s Landing Bar & Grill to d/b/a TK’s Sports Bar for the business located at 1077 Main Street, Chatham.

March 3rd

To consider increases to the current list of Town of Chatham Transfer Station fees.

All interested parties are encouraged to attend in-person or through the link in the posted agenda.

Changes to Postmarks

The United States Postal Service has implemented Regional Transportation Optimization, which aims to improve the efficiency of the Postal Services’ transportation network for Post Offices that serve zip codes that are more than 50 miles from a Regional Processing and Distribution Center by eliminating multiple daily trips between processing facilities and Post Offices to collect and drop off mail and packages. There will now, typically, be only one trip per day.

As a result, some mail and packages will not reach processing facilities until the day after they are collected by a carrier or dropped at a Post Office, which will impact the timing of the postmark.

If you rely on the date of a postmark for submission of applications or payments, please allow an extra day or two for your mail to reach a processing facility and be postmarked. Individuals who want to ensure that their mail is postmarked on the day it enters the postal system must bring it to a Post Office counter and purchase a Certificate of Mailing (in addition to applicable postage) to receive a receipt showing that they tendered the mail piece on that day.

Children’s Mental Health Week

Children’s mental health deserves the same everyday care and attention that is given to their physical health and small consistent support can make a big difference.

February 9th – 15th is recognized as Children’s Mental Health Week, and it is a great time to consider easy, practical actions families, schools, and communities can take to support young minds. By focusing on connection, predictable routines, and simple ways for kids to name and navigate big feelings, we can all help build resilience without adding pressure.

Resources are available through Lower Cape Credible Mind, a confidential, free online resource for the Lower and Outer Cape communities

CC Healthcare Blood Drive

Cape Cod Healthcare will be holding blood drives throughout the month of February to maintain sufficient supplies for Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital. All donors to Cape Cod Healthcare blood drives in February will receive a Stop & Shop gift card.

Blood drives scheduled on the Lower/Outer Cape:

February 11th: 10:40 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. , Pizza Shark, 637 Main Street, Chatham
February 25th: 9:40 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Orleans Police Department, 99 Eldredge Parkway, Orleans
February 26th: 9:40 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Orleans/Eastham Elks, 10 McKoy Road, Eastham

To make an appointment for one of these drives, please visit the Blood Donor Portal.

Donations can also be made at the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Blood Donor Center at Cape Cod Hospital. The Donor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To make an appointment at the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Blood Donor Center, please call 508-862-5663.

All the blood collected at Cape Cod Healthcare blood drives held our families, friends, and neighbors.

Next Select Board Meeting - February 10, 2026 @ 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 203 386 491#.

I. Minutes

A. January 20, 2026

B. January 27, 2026

II. Public Announcements and Agenda Item Requests

III. Public Hearing

IV. Consent Agenda

V. Public Comments on Business Agenda

VI. Business Agenda

A. FY2027 Budget Review

i. General Government

1. Annual Town Meeting Article Review - Vote to Place and Recommend

a. Financial Software

ii. Community Development and Economic Development

B. Annual Town Meeting Article Review and Vote to Refer

i. Protective “Zoning” Bylaw Amendment – Referral to Planning Board Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Potential Placement on the 2026 ATM Warrant

C. Vote to Place and Recommend Articles

i. Consolidated Revolving Funds

ii. Fix Salaries – Elected Officials (Rule of Necessity Vote Required)

iii. Rescission of Borrowing

iv. Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Liability Trust Fund Appropriation

v. Wood Waste Reclamation Facility Enterprise Fund

vi. Chatham Municipal Airport Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Project

vii. FY2026 Airport Matching Grant

D. Revisit Select Board Vote on Independence Day Parade Route Change from January 27, 2026 (Select Board Agenda Item Request by Vice Chair J. Dykens 2/3/2026)

E. Consider Special One-Day Alcohol License; Hey Joe & Jam, March 1, 2026 at 16 Seaquanset Road, West Chatham

F. Consider Application for Junk Dealer/Collector License; Road Show Concepts, LLC d/b/a The Heartland Road Show

G. Stepping Stones Road Housing Development (Ownership) Proposal; Proposal Evaluation Team Recommendations to the Town Manager; Affirmation of Town Manager’s Award of Development Rights

H. Consider Increase to Non-Resident Beach Pass Fee

I. Consider Recommendations to Revise the Open Space Committee Charge (Committee Agenda Item Request by Open Space Committee Chair 12/5/2025)

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!

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