Meetings Ahead
Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join.
Thursday, Oct. 24
- Open Space Committee, 1 to 3 p.m., remote
- Ad Hoc Building Committee, 4:30 p.m., remote
Friday, Oct. 25
- Finance Committee, 3 p.m., remote
- Monday, Oct. 28
- Concert Committee, 10 a.m., Community Center
- Zoning Task Force, 11 a.m., Town Hall and online
- Part-Time Resident Advisory Committee, 5 p.m., remote
Wednesday, Oct. 30
- Cemetery Commission, 9 to 10 a.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
More Questions Than Answers
The select board held a special meeting on Oct. 17 to discuss the unauthorized demolition of Walsh Cottage 13 at 25 South Highland Road on Oct. 5 by the town’s contractor, Cape Cod Builders Inc. The Bourne company had been hired in June to renovate that cottage for employee housing, not demolish it.
Town Manager Darrin Tangeman and DPW Director Jarrod Cabral answered questions from the select board about how the town should proceed. Cabral said that Cape Cod Builders had committed to rebuilding the cottage using the remaining infrastructure for the remaining budget of $712,000. He said that town counsel had advised incorporating that commitment into the notice of contract violation the town plans to file.
Cancelling the contract with Cape Cod Builders, Cabral said, could have legal implications and related expenses. He added that it would also cost an estimated $40,000 to do another bidding process with updated specifications to replace the cottage.
“Do we lose the $900,000 funding?” asked select board member Sue Girard-Irwin.
Assistant Town Manager Kelly Clark said that the town had been in touch with MassDevelopment, which oversees the Underutilized Properties program grant awarded to the town in 2023, but had yet to receive an answer on how the demolition would affect that funding.
At the select board meeting on Oct. 22, Tangeman said that the town had not received the Community One Stop for Growth grant from the state for the renovation of the remaining structure at 25 South Highland Road. —Aden Choate
