Meetings Ahead
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, July 28
- Town Clerk Ballot Assembly Team, 9 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 3 p.m., Town Hall
- Cultural Council, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Aug. 1
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, Aug. 3
- Land Use Workgroup, 3:30 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Aug. 4
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Easement Approval
The town will soon proceed with installation of a replacement culvert that will connect Great Pond to Deborah’s Pond. The culvert will “improve fish passage and divert stormwater from the roadway from going into the pond, remove invasive species, and redirect stormwater to a retention area,” according to a July 14 letter to the select board from Shana Brogan, the town project and procurement director.
An easement was required by the USDA before grant funds could be released for the project. The Great Pond Road easement was approved at town meeting in May and by the property owner. With select board signatures for the “order of taking” received at a July 25 meeting, the project can now move forward. All permits have been issued for the project, which will now be put out to bid. Expected completion is in the fall of 2022 or winter of 2023.
Getting ‘OnBoard’
The town clerk’s office recently launched a new committee database program, “OnBoard.” The software is designed for both administrative and public use. It is a one-stop portal that stores and displays information about town committees and their members.
The software costs $1,600 for the first year and $1,400 annually afterwards, Town Clerk Cindy Nicholson said. “I’m very excited, and I don’t get excited that much in the town clerk’s office,” she said.
OnBoard simplifies data entry of committee information (such as committee appointments, applications, vacancies, and ethics training records). Previously, that information was entered into Excel, then into a committee book, and then onto the town website.
For the public, the platform will provide an organized display of charges, agendas, minutes, members’ applications, and contacts for each board and committee in town.
“I have no doubt at all that you’re going to love this,” Nicholson told the select board. —Isabelle Nobili
