Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are held in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, March 23
- Local Housing Partnership, 4 p.m.
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 24
- Duck Harbor site visit, 11 a.m.
- Bylaw Committee, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 28
- Natural Resources Advisory Board, 4 p.m.
- Select Board, 7 p.m.
Conversation Starters
A Bridge Party
Wellfleet plans to celebrate the start of construction on the Chequessett Neck Bridge, which is part of the Herring River Restoration Project, with an event at the “Gut” — the strip of sand that connects Great Island to the mainland — on Friday, March 31 at 11 a.m.
The $31-million bridge with nine sluice gates and access ramps to the water will replace the dike at Chequessett Neck Road, which has restricted tidal exchange since 1909. The construction of the bridge is the first phase of the restoration work. It will be built by MIG Corporation, Inc.
State and federal elected officials and agency partners are invited to join the party, and a list of speakers will be provided before the event, according to an announcement from Town Administrator Rich Waldo.
More Accounting
The select board voted on March 14 to increase this year’s operating budget by $40,000 to fund the creation of a part-time assistant accountant to help steady the finance dept.
The assistant accountant would be paid $40 an hour for a 19-hour work week. “The goal is that we would get a retired municipal official to fill the position on a part-time basis,” Chair Ryan Curley said during the March 14 select board meeting. “The other benefit with this approach is that a part-time position would make it easier to move on once the immediate work has been resolved.”
The select board previously approved Town Administrator Rich Waldo’s request to change the currently vacant full-time accountant position to a dual finance director-accountant position, with a salary increase of $40,000. In total, an $80,000 increase in the finance dept.’s budget will be brought before town meeting voters as part of the operating budget override.
“We really need to put the book ends on our financial problem and solve it once and for all,” Waldo said at the March 14 meeting. “This is the fiscally responsible thing to do to get this department in order.”
Waldo said that he would be open to making the position remote to cast a wider net in the applicant pool. —Sam Pollak
