Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online-attendance option for both committee members and residents. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details. All meetings are at town hall unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, Nov. 9
- Water and Sewer Board, 2 p.m., V.M.C.C.
- Planning Board, 6 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 13
- Select Board, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 14
- Licensing Board, 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 15
- Disability Commission, 9 a.m., online only
- Historic District Commission, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 16
- Board of Health, 4 p.m.
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Free Parking in April
At the annual traffic hearing on Nov. 6, the select board rejected a proposal from parking administrator David Anderson to charge nonresidents to park in town during April.
“We think that by charging $10 a day at the MacMillan parking lot and at Grace Hall, we could be bringing in an additional $51,000 in revenue,” Anderson told the board. After about $9,000 in staffing costs at the lots, the town would net just over $40,000, he said.
Select board members appreciated the option, they said, but did not want to extend paid parking hours that far into the shoulder season.
“April is a really tough month for a lot of businesses,” said select board member Erik Borg. “I’m still inclined to incentivize day-trippers.”
The board also rejected a citizen’s proposal to close Commercial Street to vehicles to create a more bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly street. The proponent, Doug Walker, argued for limiting cars, but three people spoke in public comments to ask for scooters to be more tightly regulated instead.
Select board members Austin Miller and Leslie Sandberg both said that a traffic study might be useful to set the stage for further action.
“We have motorized scooters, motorized bicycles, motorized skateboards going against traffic, and they don’t have helmets, and it drives me nuts,” said Sandberg.
Miller said he felt lucky to live in a town with so many bicycles and pedestrians but that it was important “to balance the interests involved.” —Paul Benson
