Some meetings are in person, some online, and some are both. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch to see if a remote option is available.
Thursday, Feb. 17
- Animal Welfare Committee, noon, Veterans Memorial Community Center
- Building Committee, 3 p.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 4 p.m.,
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Friday, Feb. 18
- Bicycle Committee, 10 a.m., virtual
Tuesday, Feb. 22
- Licensing Board, 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 23
- Local Comprehensive Plan Committee, 1 p.m., virtual
- Public Pier Corp. Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Feb 24
- Public Pier Corp. Board, 4 p.m.
- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Mask and Vax Mandates Lifted
The town’s indoor mask mandate and the vaccination requirement to enter restaurants, bars, fitness centers, and indoor entertainment venues both ended at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15, according to an announcement from Town Manager Alex Morse.
The two mandates had been imposed since Dec. 20 in response to the rise of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. They will now turn into “advisories,” as case rates have declined dramatically in recent weeks.
There were “zero active cases among Provincetown residents reported 2/11/22,” stated the town’s announcement.
The most recent state report still shows a 5.4-percent test positivity rate for Provincetown, but that report covers the period from Jan. 23 to Feb. 5. The town’s announcement on Feb.15 called it a “lagging indicator.”
The town is also continuing to bulk-purchase rapid tests, Morse told the select board on Feb. 14. Tests are still available to town residents and business owners at the community development window in the town hall basement.
The weekly free PCR testing at town hall, held every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of the state’s Stop the Spread program, will also continue for now.
Town Election Time
Three-year positions on the select board, board of library trustees, school committee, and charter compliance commission will appear on the May 10 ballot.
Candidates can obtain nomination papers until noon on March 18 and must file them before 5 p.m. on March 22.
The annual town meeting is April 4. —Thomas Lyons
Clock Ticking on Worker Housing
Town Manager Alex Morse told the select board on Feb. 14 that the town has had preliminary meetings about housing options for seasonal workers this summer, but the season is fast approaching and time is running out.
Morse said that he’s met recently with Grace Moreno, president of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, who offered to help convene the town government, business owners, and residents to discuss temporary seasonal housing solutions.
Morse also said a lack of information or plans from the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce and the Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) has been a problem.
“We haven’t heard much substance, in terms of ‘Here are our ideas, and we want to work together on X, Y, and Z,’ ” said Morse. “There have been no concrete options or solutions presented to the town. In my opinion, it’s really been the town convening these conversations and taking the initiative.”
If the town is going to make an investment, Morse continued, the business community must be willing to contribute.
“It’s very frustrating to have that situation, because it’s kind of like a cart and horse,” said the select board’s Leslie Sandberg. “People say to us, ‘The town needs to do something.’ We reach out to people in the business community to do something; and we’re not getting any kind of feedback or commitment.”
Morse told the board he would be meeting with the new executive director of the PBG, Stephan Hengst, later in the week, and would raise these subjects in that meeting. —Paul Benson
