Meetings Ahead
Some meetings in Provincetown are in person, some are online, and some are both. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details.
Tuesday, July 5
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, July 6
- Historic District Commission, 3:30 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, July 7
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Dockless Scooters
A dockless electric scooter company called Storm Scooters appeared before the licensing board at a hearing on June 28, when co-owners Chris Siar and Karen Peloquin asked for permission to operate in town — 10 days after they had already started to do so. They were accompanied by David Nazaire, the CEO of GOAT, the Delaware-based company that produces the scooters. After about 20 minutes of discussion, the board unanimously granted the company’s license.
The scooter company had gone to the town’s licensing agent, Linda Fiorella, to inquire about getting a license to operate and had been told that none was needed beyond a retail license. Fiorella and Code Compliance Officer Aaron Hobart later realized that was a mistake and notified the company that it would have to appear before the licensing board because the town’s Rule 10.02 stipulates that businesses renting “any motorized two wheeled vehicle” must receive a license before beginning to operate.
Storm Scooters with its 52 machines is the only dockless e-scooter company in Provincetown.
Electric scooters have been hotly debated here, with opponents arguing that, once riders are done using them, the dockless vehicles take up precious sidewalk space, impeding accessibility for pedestrians, especially those with physical disabilities. Siar told the board members his company would work on ways to prevent the vehicles from clogging the sidewalks.
Siar also said that it is possible to restrict parking of scooters to certain areas or even to specific bike racks, although that is not currently being done and was not mandated by the licensing board. —Greta Magendantz
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this item, published in print on June 30, contained several errors. It omitted the fact that the scooter company had gone to the town before beginning operations to ask about licensing and had been misinformed by town officials. The company is named Storm Scooters, not “Storm’s Scooters.” Also, the company owns 52 scooters, not 54.
Old Reliable Fence
The select board has received a bid of $12,880 from Matt Frazier of M.A. Frazier Enterprises for the rental and installation of a six-foot-tall temporary fence around the Old Reliable Fish House property, where a fire broke out on April 24.
The conflagration, which narrowly missed spreading to neighboring properties, was the second fire caused by people taking shelter there.
Town Manager Alex Morse said he is going through the legal process to place a lien on the property so that any future buyer (there is a purchase-and-sale agreement with developer Christine Barker) would be responsible for paying for the fence, and, potentially, for other security measures.
Some on the select board were still on the fence about this solution.
“With a fence, you can climb over it,” said board member John Golden. “It is a false sense of security.” —K.C. Myers
