All meetings this week are in person at Town Hall. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch to see if a remote option is available.
Thursday, Oct. 28
- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Nov. 1
- Select Board, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Nov. 2
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, Nov. 3
- Historic District Commission, 4 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Nov. 4
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Stranded Boat Could Delay Shellfish Season
Harbormaster Don German is trying to get the owner of a wrecked 27-foot Columbia sailboat to remove it from the rocks of the West End breakwater, where it has been stuck since Sept. 2.
So far, however, owner Robert Walsh of Hyannis has avoided claiming his uninsured vessel, delaying the town’s ability to remove it, German said. He fears the recreational shellfish season, which opens Nov. 5, will be delayed because the state Div. of Marine Fisheries (DMF) will not allow the shellfish beds by the breakwater to open as long as the grounded boat is present, according to an Oct. 25 letter to the town from Dan McKiernan, the DMF director.
German said he did not know how long it would take to complete the legal process to remove the vessel.
The harbormaster said he sent a certified letter to Walsh, which Walsh has not signed for. Once the letter is returned, German can take steps to condemn the boat and then have it removed. Noah Santos of Towboat U.S.A. said that would cost $10,000 to $15,000. The town may need to take Walsh to court to recoup the cost, German said.
The boat is not leaking fuel, as the tank was removed shortly after the boat struck the rocks, German said. Nevertheless, closing nearby shellfish beds as a precaution is standard procedure under these circumstances, said Shellfish Constable Steve Wisbauer.
Cybersecurity Standouts
Provincetown and Truro were among 34 towns honored for completing training in cybersecurity awareness by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security.
The state agency named Truro, Provincetown, Dennis, Nantucket, and Edgartown as among the state’s most “cyber-aware communities.”
The designation goes to municipalities, police, and school departments that volunteered to take a year-long training program, said Provincetown Technology Director Beau Jackett. The course is still ongoing, but the towns honored have had their staff complete a significant number of the assignments, Jackett said.
The training includes simulating phishing stings, which tests the employees’ ability to recognize signs of scams. At first, about four percent of Provincetown staff clicked on the phish bait. But no one opened the last phishing email. That is progress, Jackett said. —K.C. Myers
