Meetings Ahead
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, May 19
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., virtual
Monday, May 23
- Search Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, May 24
- Historical Commission, 10:30 a.m., Public Library
Wednesday, May 25
- Search Committee, 1 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, May 26
- Council on Aging Board, 9:30 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 3 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Election Results Are In
The $500,000 override to fund general town operating expenses passed, 252 to 152, at the May 17 town election. That means the estimated median tax bill for property owners will be $5,013, a 1.88-percent increase (about $93) over last year.
There were no contested races, though there was a surprise write-in winner: James C. McMackin won a five-year term on the housing authority with six votes. Sarah Burrill came in second with five votes, according to Town Clerk Cindy Nicholson.
Suzanne E. Bryan got 333 votes for select board, and Gerald Cerasale won 347 votes for the second open seat. Incumbent Ann Crozier and Eric Christopher Shannon won three-year terms on the elementary school committee, and Erin C.S. Ellis was elected for one year.
Ian Kerig Hamilton and Joanna W. Stevens were elected library trustees. Moira E. Noonan-Kerry joins the Nauset Regional School Committee.
Good and Bad News
First, the bad news: the Nauset Light Beach parking lot was closed May 16 through May 19 for paving and will close again on May 23 and 24 for striping.
The good news: after that work is complete, “the fenced construction area will be reduced, and many more parking spaces will be available to enhance visitor access,” stated an announcement from the Cape Cod National Seashore.
The renovation of the parking area and construction of a new bathhouse has caused two-thirds of the beach parking area to be closed since 2020. Reconfiguring the lot and installing a new bathhouse to replace one lost to erosion in 2017 have been delayed for months, for reasons related to the pandemic.
Supt. Brian Carlstrom told the Independent on Tuesday that the Seashore has “terminated the contract” with the original builder, Vann Construction LLC of Satellite Beach, Fla.
“They just had a lot of problems, and the contract was terminated,” Carlstrom said.
The U.S. Dept. of the Interior hired Classic Site Solutions of Framingham to finish the work. Costs have stayed within the $2.1 million bid, Carlstrom said.
Carlstrom has said the new bathhouse should last 20 years.
A little more bad news: the bathhouse itself is not done yet. The Seashore announcement states, “Portable restrooms will be available until the bathhouse is finished this summer.”
On the upside, the new facility will include restrooms, showers, changing rooms, office space, and storage for lifeguard operations. —K.C. Myers
