PROVINCETOWN — Eight of the 15 warrant articles being prepared for an Oct. 23 special town meeting are related to the town’s ongoing housing crisis. They include a $2-million purchase […]
MONEY MARKET
Successful Bond Auction Sparks Hope for Wellfleet’s Finances
Town secures 3.5-percent interest rate on $11-million bond sale
WELLFLEET — A successful auction of municipal bonds on Aug. 29 shows that Wellfleet’s finances are making a strong recovery, said Town Administrator Rich Waldo. The auction, which attracted 15 […]
HOUSING
Two-Thirds of Survey Responses Oppose Walsh Committee’s Plan
The group is split on phasing, which could slow the project but boost its appeal
TRURO — A last-minute surge in the number of responses to its survey of public opinion had the Walsh Property Community Planning Committee discussing the possibility of a phased approach […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Watching Hurricane Lee
Our harbor offers little true protection from big storms
Bluefishing remains good but only back on the ocean side past the Race Point Ranger Station. There are still a few striped bass around, and they’re biting as well, though […]
STOPGAP
6 Homeless Families Land Briefly in Eastham Motel
They were separated from family in a state program ‘past the brink’
EASTHAM — For nine days at the end of August, after Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency because of a shortage of shelters for unhoused families, six families […]
TAX POLICY
Provincetown Ups Residential Tax Exemption to 35%
Overall, the residential tax rate will go from $5.32 per $1,000 of assessed value to $5.58
PROVINCETOWN — At its annual tax classification hearing on Aug. 28, Provincetown’s select board voted unanimously to increase the town’s residential tax exemption to the legal maximum of 35 percent. […]
SHORT-TERM RENTALS
A Stuttered Rollout for the Community Impact Fee
Early returns were low, but summer receipts will be arriving soon
At their spring town meetings in 2022, voters in Provincetown and Wellfleet adopted a “community impact fee” on investor-owned short-term rental properties: a 3-percent surcharge on bookings. According to the […]
BEACH POINT PERMITS
Shore Road Owners Face Tough Reviews of Proposed Changes
Truro ZBA looks to uphold intent of bylaw or ‘you’ll just have walls’
TRURO — The view along Shore Road stirs recollections of days gone by when families with modest incomes could spend a week or two in simple cottages on the water. […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
North Winds Cool the Fishing
Fishermen ask for more research on the underwater effects of wind farms
The good news is we dodged a couple of bullets, with not one but two tropical systems — both of them passed east of us. The bad news is we […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Whiting, Whales, and Wind
Here, the wind kept a lot of boats in last week; off the Vineyard, a wind farm goes forward
Last week I wrote about the possibility of us having a good striped bass bite, uninterrupted, all season long. I might have spoken too soon, as the bass really turned […]
EDUCATION
Housing Crisis Hits Schools — and Will Get Worse
Enticing new staff to towns where teachers can’t live is ‘a really hard sell’
Faced with significant turnover of teachers, administrators, bus drivers, and support staff, every one of the Outer Cape’s schools is feeling the effects of Cape Cod’s year-round housing shortage. When […]
LEDGERDEMAIN
Short-Term Rental Taxes Boom — but Not in Provincetown
Receipts from state rooms tax actually fell despite strong sales reports
PROVINCETOWN — The Outer Cape had another banner year for rooms tax receipts, with revenue up 42 percent over last year in Eastham, 46 percent in Wellfleet, and 47 percent […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
One Long Summer of Stripers
And here come the tarpons
We’ve had an up-and-down week fishing-wise. Bluefish were all over the bay early in the week: great catches were coming in from the Pamet to the Shoals, there were big […]
UNSUNG HEROES
The Barbacks of Provincetown
Cleaning the dance floors, fetching the ice, and stocking the bars behind the August vibe
PROVINCETOWN — There are no “off weeks” in August. Parking lots are full. Beaches swell with visitors chasing a waning summer sun. Squads of tourists putter down Commercial Street, in […]
CLIMATE CRISIS
Lobstermen Face Hypoxia in Outer Cape Waters
Low oxygen levels linked to warmer water spell trouble for local lobsters
PROVINCETOWN — Alex Iacono, a lobsterman who says he favors lobsters and ocean solitude over people, is worried about the future of his business. Iacono, who lives in Truro and […]
