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, April 28
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9:30 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 3 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, May 2
- Town Meeting, 7 p.m., Nauset Regional High School
Conversation Starters
First Encounter, With Trucks
If you see a truck on First Encounter Beach this summer, don’t panic. On April 12 the conservation commission approved an order of conditions allowing shellfish growers to drive to their grants from the beach between May and September.
Growers can already bring their trucks out to the Boat Meadow Aquaculture Development Area from First Encounter from October until April. Last year, town meeting approved year-round access, but ironing out the details has taken months of work by conservation commission members.
Permitting the use of trucks will allow growers to put shellfish on ice and deliver them to market more quickly, Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe wrote in a memo to the select board on April 25.
The select board approved 13 licenses for beach driving during its Monday meeting this week. Eight of the applicants are Orleans residents and five live in Eastham, board member Aimee Eckman said during the hearing. There are more grant holders in the Boat Meadow Aquaculture Development Area, Beebe said, and the majority live in Eastham.
Trucks will be allowed on the beach 30 minutes prior to sunrise until 8:30 a.m., providing growers are accessing their grants 2.5 hours before or after morning low tide. Vehicles will be required to be off the beach by 8:30 a.m. from May 20 until Sept. 11. Holiday and weekend access will not be permitted.
The 20-foot-wide travel route will be marked with brightly colored buoys. Trucks will be required to keep at least 25 feet away from the salt marsh. In May and June, natural resources dept. staff will check the corridor daily prior to any trucks driving on the beach to check the area for horseshoe crabs and move them if necessary.
House Fire Near Great Pond
An accidental fire at 555 Great Pond Road Sunday night that originated near a first-floor wood stove caused approximately $80,000 in damage. The 1,616-square-foot home, which was built in 1890 and is owned by Kemper Carlsen of Leverett, was occupied at the time of the fire, but there were no injuries, according to the Eastham Fire Dept. press release.
When firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after 9:15 p.m., flames was visible from the outside of the house, the release stated. With help from Orleans, Wellfleet, Truro, Harwich, Brewster, and Chatham crews, firefighters brought the fire under control in less than an hour. —Cam Blair
