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, Sept. 29
- Council on Aging Board, 9:30 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health, 3 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Oct. 3
- Barnstable County HOME Consortium, noon, virtual
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, Oct. 5
- Community Preservation Committee, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Oct. 6
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Fertilizer Regulation
The select board on Sept. 26 discussed controlling fertilizer application on private lawns, which would follow action taken earlier this year in the towns of Orleans and Nantucket. Agrochemical fertilizers typically have high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
According to the Fertilizer Institute, those nutrients are the main two of the “big three” that aid plant growth — the third being potassium. But excess amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in groundwater create conditions for cyanobacteria blooms, which release dangerous toxins and have led officials to close various Outer Cape ponds to swimming for short periods in recent years.
Eastham voters will be asked to adopt a fertilizer regulation at the annual town meeting on May 1, 2023, according to Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe. For now, the select board will send letters on the subject to the town’s conservation commission and board of health.
Water Will Flow to Wellfleet
The select board signed a contract on Sept. 26 to extend Eastham’s water system to connect to the Wellfleet Drive-In property.
Town water will replace the drive-in’s five individual wells. The wells have to be tested once a month, said John Vincent, an owner of the drive-in and Wellfleet Cinemas.
The business will cover capital costs via a construction base fee and will ultimately pay the cost of the extension in its entirety, estimated at $250,000.
The town has received plans and cost estimates for connecting other South Wellfleet properties to the water system, including Maurice’s campground, according to the town administrator’s report. —Sophie Mann-Shafir
