Most meetings are being held in person, but some are still remote or virtual. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on the meeting you are interested in to learn about meeting locations and any remote options that may be offered.
Thursday, March 3
- Board of Assessors, 9:30 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 2 p.m., Town Hall
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m., Town Hall
- Cultural Council, 6 p.m., Town Hall
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., virtual
Monday, March 7
- Board of Registrars, 9 a.m., Town Hall
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, March 8
- Zoning Task Force, 4 p.m., virtual
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, March 9
- Finance Committee, 5 p.m., virtual
Thursday, March 10
- Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m., Town Hall
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., virtual
Conversation Starters
Mask Mandate Over
As of Feb. 28, the town’s mask mandate has been replaced by a mask advisory.
“It is optional, and ‘strongly advise’ is just the wording,” said Joanna Buffington, chair of the board of health. Buffington noted, however, that individual businesses can still require that masks be worn.
The board of health voted unanimously to end the mandate at its Feb. 24 meeting, citing a decreasing Covid caseload.
From Jan. 26 to Feb. 23, the town recorded 24 cases. During the previous four-week period, as the Omicron variant surged from Dec. 29 to Jan. 26, the town recorded 107 cases. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 557 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Eastham.
Fire Chief Dan Keane noted on Feb. 24 that in the previous three weeks the town had not transported any Covid patients to the hospital. “We have been the tip of the spear throughout the pandemic,” Keane said. “We get the notification that people are Covid positive after we’ve treated them during a 25-minute transport to the hospital.”
“I’m heartened by the current trends,” said board of health member Adele Blong. “I don’t want the most vulnerable among us, of which I am one, to mistakenly believe that just because we say there’s no more mandate it means we think everything is fine.”
Failed Septics
Each one of Town Center Plaza’s three wastewater systems, including one cesspool, failed a recent inspection. The inspection was a requirement of the town’s $3 million purchase of the 3.5-acre property at 455 Route 6.
Health and Environment Director Jane Crowley said that Town Center Plaza and abutting properties use wells that are sensitive to contamination from nearby septic systems’ nitrogen output.
The board of health approved a plan at its meeting on Feb. 24 for a new upgraded system capable of handling 4,341 gallons per day, even though this flow exceeds what is allowed under current town regulations. The property has pre-existing nonconforming rights that allow it to use more water (and expel more wastewater) than Eastham health policies allow, said Crowley.
“For commercial use, Eastham guidelines allow 550 gallons per acre, which would give you a total allowed flow of 1,925 gallons per day” for that property, Crowley said.
Whatever future use may be decided on, further expansion beyond the 4,341-gallon-per-day volume will not be allowed, she said.
This restriction could make it harder to turn Town Center Plaza into a mixed-use development. In December, the T-Time Committee recommended that the property be used for commercial and residential development with top-of-shop housing. —Cam Blair
