Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, Jan. 5
- Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
Monday, Jan. 9
- Energy Committee, 4:30 p.m.
- Conservation Commission, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
- Budget Task Force with Finance Committee, 8:30 a.m.
- Council on Aging, 9 a.m.
- Commission on Disabilities, 4 p.m., Public Library
- Select Board, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 11
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Post-Storm Sand and Stairs
Truro is still recovering from coastal erosion on the bay side following the Dec. 23 storm, said Health and Conservation Agent Emily Beebe.
“There was a fair amount of damage and lots of erosion in places where there was really not a lot to give” in terms of excess sand, said Beebe.
Many residents lost beach stairs and need sand nourishment, said Beebe, and the conservation commission is working on getting the word out about permitting. Permits are required even for those replacing stairs that were damaged or swept away.
“That’s not meant to be punitive; it is meant to document what is where,” Beebe said. The required documents are low-level permits because “we’re trying to make it easy for folks to do the right thing and get the permit filed,” she said.
The conservation commission is recommending that residents install removable beach stairs, Beebe said, which are better for the environment and can make more financial sense.
Though areas in need of repair and sand nourishment are mainly privately owned, part of Noons Landing is town-owned and was “pretty badly eroded,” Beebe said. The town will be replenishing sand there.
The North Jetty at Pamet Harbor also took a hit. It’s a provisional beach that is nourished yearly from the town’s dredging program, Beebe said. The town has requested this happen ahead of schedule due to recent erosion.
Beebe said conservation agents from various towns across the Cape have joined with a team from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown to work on a shorefront management plan for areas that are constantly eroding. —Sophie Mann-Shafir
