Meetings Ahead
Most meetings are being held in person, but some are still remote or virtual. Go to eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in to learn about meeting locations and any remote options that may be offered.
Thursday, Jan. 5
- Task Force on Residential Zoning, 10 a.m., Town Hall
- Board of Assessors, 11 a.m., Town Hall
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Jan. 9
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Jan. 10
- Nauset Regional High School renovation voting, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Town Hall
- Conservation Commission site visit, 8:15 a.m.
- Library Board of Trustees, 5 p.m., Public Library
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 11
- Human Services Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday, Jan. 12
- Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starter
Town on the Turf
Town meeting will be held outdoors in May due to the expected renovation of the high school. After considering a few potential spots, Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe has settled on holding the meeting on the turf field at Nauset Regional High School.
Other proposed locations, the Little Creek parking area and the T-Time property, have never been used this way before, while the football or turf field has, Beebe said. And there is enough parking to accommodate voters.
A month ago, Beebe and the select board discussed having a drive-in town meeting at Little Creek parking lot or T-Time, with voters listening to deliberations through their car stereos. The advantage of the drive-in option would be warmth, as this town meeting must be held in the early part of May. During the pandemic, the governor had allowed municipalities to hold town meetings in balmier June. But those days are over. The governor has lifted the allowance for town meetings to be held beyond the times prescribed by municipal charters.
The average temperature on the proposed date of May 6 is 50 degrees F, Beebe said. But while the drive-in setup would have provided extra warmth, the technology for information display and other mechanics might not have been so hot.
Town staff are now in the process of renting a tent, though for fire safety reasons it will not be heated, Beebe said.
This spring, under that tent, voters will be asked if they approve holding town meetings in neighboring communities. If voters agree, the 2024 town meeting could be indoors at the Nauset Regional Middle School in Orleans, or maybe at the Wellfleet Drive-In. —K.C. Myers
