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, May 29
- Board of Health, 3 p.m.
Monday, June 2
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
- Wastewater Informational Session, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 4
- DPU public hearing, 2 p.m., online only
Thursday, June 5
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.
- DPU public hearing, 7 p.m., online only
Conversation Starters
What’s a DPU Hearing?
According to Mass. Dept. of Public Utilities Order 20-80, which was issued in December 2023, local gas distribution companies are required to file a Climate Compliance Plan every five years “to ensure compliance with the state’s emissions limits,” according to the DPU website.
National Grid filed its climate plan with the DPU on April 1, 2025; it can be found on the agency’s website under “2025 Climate Compliance Plan of Boston Gas Company d/b/a National Grid.”
The state is holding two public hearings to accept comments on the plan. National Grid’s pipeline ends in Eastham; there is no piped natural gas available in Wellfleet or points northward.
Strategic Plan Update
Eastham’s strategic planning committee held its annual public information session for the town’s strategic plan on Thursday, May 22 at the library. The plan presents a rough five-year guide for the town’s goals and priorities.
The first focus area listed on the 2025 strategic plan is “water quality and wastewater,” which alludes to the proposed municipal sewer system to be installed near Salt Pond to reduce nitrogen in the estuary. Other focus areas listed include “housing assistance programs,” “climate adaptation,” and “communications and coordination.”
The committee also offered a presentation on the town’s accomplishments from 2020 to 2024 in accordance with past strategic plans — among them, the creation of the climate action committee, the purchase of the Thrift Store at 580 Massasoit Road, and the permitting of 15 ADUs in town.
Those present at the meeting were also asked to take a survey about their priorities for the town. That survey is still available on the town’s web page for the strategic planning committee. —Parker Mumford
