Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Feb 27
- Nauset Regional School Committee Communications Subcommittee, 9 a.m., online only
- Cable, Internet and Cellular Service Advisory Committee, 10 a.m.
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., Nauset Regional Middle School
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., Adult Community Center
Monday, March 3
- Nauset Regional School District Central Office Budget Subcommittee, 8 a.m., online only
- Nauset Regional School District Budget & Finance Subcommittee, 3:30 p.m., Nauset Admin. Bldg., Orleans
- Affordable Housing Trust, 6 p.m., online only
Tuesday, March 4
- Select Board, 6 p.m.
Thursday, March 6
- Local Housing Partnership, 4 p.m., online only
Conversation Starter
Regionalization Study
The Wellfleet Select Board voted to participate in an elementary school efficiency and regionalization study with Brewster, Orleans, and Eastham. The study, which is partly funded by a $150,000 state grant, will examine enrollment trends, operating costs, and upcoming expenses for the five elementary schools in the Nauset district to help the towns decide whether consolidation is needed and feasible.
Brewster Town Manager Peter Lombardi, who spoke to the select board, said that “we are not going into this with any preconceived notions.” The study was spearheaded by Brewster and Orleans, both of which face expensive upgrades to elementary school buildings that were built for many more students than they currently serve. Wellfleet has the lowest elementary school enrollment of any of the Nauset district towns, at 78 students this year.
Board member Michael DeVasto expressed his support but with reservations. “I would be remiss in my duties as a select board member to not look at the financial repercussions,” he said. Nonetheless, numbers “don’t tell the full story of what an elementary school means to a town,” he said.
Wellfleet Elementary School Committee chair Martha Gordon expressed similar reservations but said her board supported the study.
The board voted 4-0 in favor of participation, with chair John Wolf abstaining because he was not present for the beginning of the discussion. —William von Herff
