Meetings Ahead
Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join.
Thursday, Jan. 23
- Open Space Committee, 1 p.m., online
Friday, Jan. 24
- Select Board executive session, 9:30 a.m., online
Monday, Jan. 27
- Zoning Task Force, 11 a.m., Town Hall and online
- Conservation Commission, 4 p.m., Town Hall and online
- Energy Committee, 4:30 p.m., online
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall and online
Tuesday, Jan. 28
- Budget Task Force with Finance Committee, 8:30 a.m., online
- Select Board, 5 p.m., Town Hall and online
Wednesday, Jan. 29
- Ad Hoc Walsh Property Advisory Committee, 11:30 a.m., Town Hall and online
- Housing Authority listening session, 5 to 7 p.m., Town Hall and online
Conversation Starter
Town Seal Redux Underway
The select board appointed Holly Ballard-Gardner, Peter Cook, Sue Lichtenstein, Isadora Medley, and Chris Nagle on Jan. 14 to two-year terms on the town’s inaugural ad hoc town seal committee. The committee will oversee the redesign of the seal, which illustrator and Truro Historical Society co-founder Edward A. Wilson created in 1900.
In recent years, the seal has faced criticism for its historical inaccuracies, particularly its reliance on the stereotypical imagery of feather headdresses and teepees to depict the Indigenous people who lived here. The Nauset and Wampanoag people did not use either. Also, as Wampanoag historian Paula Peters told the Independent in 2020, Corn Hill, which the seal commemorates, is where colonists stole corn from Indigenous people.
“We’ve been waiting for this a long time,” said chair Susan Areson. Member Sue Girard-Irwin praised the group, calling it “the most qualified committee we’ve ever put in place,” and congratulated member Stephanie Rein, who spearheaded its creation and will serve as the select board’s liaison.
The members, with experience in design and marketing, said they were committed to honoring Truro’s history and community. Ballard-Gardner, who also chairs the cemetery commission, called for a seal that “reflects a more modern identity for the town.” Nagle suggested collaborating with tribal representatives during the design process, and Medley saw the effort as an opportunity for Truro to set an example for other towns.
“I’d love to be leaders on the Cape to change this and point it in the right direction,” said Medley. —Aden Choate
