Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option. Go to eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Nov. 2
- Board of Assessors, 11 a.m.
- Nauset Regional Middle School Advisory Council, 3:30 p.m.
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 6
- Behavioral Health Task Force, 3:15 p.m., Zoom
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 8
- Human Services Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 9
- Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m.
Conversation Starter
Forgive Us Our Loans
The town will receive $4,740,000 in loan forgiveness from the state, over 30 percent of the cost of implementing Phase 2E of the public water system, Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe told the select board at its Oct. 30 meeting. The project will provide the town with clean drinking water and improved fire protection.
Eastham is one of 47 towns receiving $115.2 million in loan forgiveness grants from the Mass. Clean Water Trust by way of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The money behind the trust’s grants is coming from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
The total cost of Phase 2 was estimated to be roughly $86 million in 2018. The town has had several loans forgiven for successive phases of the project. “We’ve had good loan percentages in the past but nothing like this,” Beebe said.
The first phase of the project began in July 2015 and included two well fields, a 750,000-gallon storage tank, and 45 miles of distribution piping throughout the town. This second stage, first approved five years ago, adds an additional well field, a second storage tank, and 80 miles of piping. On the town’s website, residents can find a timeline for when they should expect to receive water under Phase 2. —Olivia Oldham
