Most meetings are being held in person, but some are still remote or virtual. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on the meeting you are interested in to learn about meeting locations and any remote options that may be offered.
Thursday, Dec. 16
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9:30 a.m., Council on Aging
- Cape Cod Commission, 3 p.m., virtual
- Board of Health, 3 p.m., Town Hall
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., virtual
Monday, Dec. 20
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Dec. 21
- Historical Commission, 10:30 a.m., Library
- Elementary School Committee, 4 p.m, virtual
Conversation Starters
Transitional Trailer Transaction
The Nauset Regional School Committee may soon be the proud owner of 37 pre-owned modular classroom trailers, courtesy of the town of Lincoln. The deal, which has been in the works for months and is needed for renovations to get underway at Nauset High, “almost fell through,” School Building Committee Chair Greg Levasseur said at the school committee’s Dec. 7 meeting. “But we rescued it at the last minute,” he said. “Put it on life support.”
The two parties had tried and failed to complete the transaction by each issuing requests for proposals, but the “legal eagles” nixed the plan, said Levasseur.
The school building project manager, however, discovered an exception in Massachusetts procurement law. Now, representatives from Nauset and Lincoln can legally sit in a room and negotiate the price of the trailers. At the meeting, the committee voted to nominate as chief negotiators Giovanna Venditti, the district’s director of business and finance, and Griffin Ryder, a member of the regional school committee.
If everything goes according to plan, the modular classrooms will be in use this fall when Buildings N and E, which house administration, special education, foreign language, science, and math, will be under construction.
Kathleen Tringale, a building committee member and science teacher at Nauset, said the shifting teaching spaces have affected schedule planning for next year, and that administration is “constantly counting and recounting” how many courses can be offered. “The move feels challenging,” Tringale said, speaking for fellow teachers. “But they know the end result is going to be awesome.”
Tringale and Tom Faris reported they were excited by a recent visit to West Bridgewater Middle and High School, which was built by Flansburgh, the architect hired for the Nauset project. “Some of the little nooks that they have for students everywhere looked like they were very effective,” said Tringale. Faris was interested in the communal areas. “I think the way the community spaces are grouped together works extremely well,” he said, also noting as a positive the proximity of the gym to the cafeteria and the auditorium. “The new performing arts center,” he added, “is something that the community is going to be really proud of.” —Cam Blair
