Meetings Ahead
Most meetings are being held in person, but some are still remote or virtual. Go to the eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in to learn about meeting locations and any remote options that may be offered.
Thursday, Nov. 10
- Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m., Town Hall
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Nov. 14
- Climate Action Committee, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Nov. 15
- Conservation Commission, 8:15 a.m., Town Hall
- Historical Commission hearing, 10:30 a.m., Public Library
- Elementary School Committee, 5 p.m.
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 16
- Open Space Committee, 3 p.m., Town Hall
- Planning Board, 5 p.m., Town Hall
- Human Services Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Nov. 17
- Council on Aging Board, 9:30 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 3 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starter
Housing, Housing, Housing
The affordable housing trust will discuss on Nov. 10 a request for $100,000 in Community Preservation Funds toward 14 affordable apartments at 107 Main St., Orleans, the former Masonic Lodge.
Eastham and other nearby communities will be asked to contribute to the cost of building the mostly one-bedroom rental units, said Carolyn McPherson, chair of the Eastham Affordable Housing Trust. Her board will discuss writing a letter of support for the funding to the Eastham Community Preservation Committee, which holds the purse strings.
“We need all the affordable housing we can get,” McPherson said.
Case in point: Cumberland Farms on Route 6 had a sign on its doorway on Nov. 8 saying it was closed for the day due to a staffing shortage, she said.
“The root cause of that is housing,” McPherson said.
Orleans purchased the former Masonic Lodge and awarded the housing development contract to the nonprofit Hyannis-based Housing Assistance Corporation.
Because the lack of affordable housing is a regional issue, neighboring towns often contribute to projects in other communities. Both Wellfleet and Orleans supported construction of the Village at Nauset Green in Eastham, McPherson said. Eastham provided $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funds toward a 62-unit housing complex at the former Cape Cod Savings Bank on West Road in Orleans. That project received ZBA approval last year.
“I 100-percent support a regional approach to affordable housing,” McPherson said. —K.C. Myers
