Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, May 30
- Conservation Commission on-site meeting, 8:15 a.m., meet at town hall
- Board of Health, 3 p.m.
- Conservation Commission regulation agenda, 5:30 p.m., online-only
- Conservation Commission meeting and executive session, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 3
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 5
- Community Preservation Act Committee, 5 p.m.
Thursday, June 6
- NRMS Advisory Council, 3:30 p.m., Middle School Room 269
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Time to Conform
At its meeting on May 30, the conservation commission will consider adding two new definitions to the town’s wetland regulations: one for “reconstruction” and one for “abandoned.” Neither term is currently defined.
The proposed definition of “reconstruction” would mean that any rebuilding of more than 50 percent, measured either by floor area, foundation area, or volume, would be treated as a new building.
Any project that includes “substantial demolition (i.e. removal of more than one exterior wall)” would also be considered a new building and therefore need to conform to the most current version of the regulations.
The new definition of “abandoned” would state that any structure within a wetland buffer zone that has “fallen into a state of disrepair due to neglect and/or damage to such an extent that it is no longer usable for its intended purpose and has not been repaired or replaced for a period of five years or greater shall be considered abandoned and shall not be re-established.”
In both cases, the definitions would clarify when the pre-existing use protections afforded by the wetlands regulations would terminate.
The meeting is online only, and is likely to be brief. —Paul Benson
