Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Oct. 24
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9 a.m.
- Nauset Regional School Committee, Communications Subcommittee, 9 a.m., Nauset Admin. Bldg. conference room
- Taxation Aid Committee, 11 a.m.
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., LCTV, 5 Namskaket Rd., Orleans
Monday, Oct. 28
- Visitors Tourism and Promotion Services Board, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30
- Open Space Committee, 2:30 p.m.
- Human Services Advisory Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9 a.m.
- Board of Health, 3 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Select Board Goals for 2025
Natural resource management and affordable housing are at the top of the select board’s list of priorities for next year, according to a draft of the board’s 2025 goals discussed on Oct. 21.
The goals include finalizing an education and outreach plan for upcoming wastewater treatment measures and developing a master plan goal “focused on economic, housing, and infrastructure development” for the former T-Time driving range, Town Center Plaza, and Council on Aging sites.
Board member Jamie Demetri suggested adding “strategies to mitigate the burden of increased taxes” to the list. She said that Eastham taxpayers might harbor anxieties about funding the town’s future projects, and she wanted to show the town’s work on efforts like the Eastham Community Fund.
“When I draft the goals, I can be overly focused on projects,” Town Manager Jacqui Beebe said. “The message from us should be that we’re doing everything possible to minimize the increases while still achieving our infrastructure goals.”
But, Beebe continued, “it’s not honest or realistic” to promise lower taxes when the town is engaged with so many projects. “It’s better that people hear our honesty and vote against a project than be told the situation isn’t as serious as it is,” she said.
Finance Director Rich Bienvenue called Eastham’s budget “very responsible,” saying that it “provides for the long-term health and well-being of the community.”
Other items on the list include a continued effort at shared staffing between Outer Cape towns, including regional dispatch options and a shared behavioral health-nursing outreach program, and the installation of stop signs at the intersection of Bridge Road and Bayview Road. —Parker Mumford
