Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, June 26
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., Adult Community Center
Tuesday, July 1
- Nauset Schools Regional Agreement Subcommittee, 5:30 p.m., online only
- Select Board, 6 p.m., Adult Community Center
Thursday, July 3
- Council on Aging Advisory Board, 9:30 a.m., Adult Community Center
Conversation Starter
$200K for Fiber Optics
At its June 17 meeting, the select board accepted a $200,000 grant to install underground fiber optic cables to Newcomb Hollow Beach and to the marina.
Cable internet and cellular service advisory committee vice chair Steven Kopits told the select board that the committee had secured the grant earlier this year from the Mass. Municipal Fiber Grant Program.
The extension to Newcomb Hollow accounts for $160,000 of the funds and will bring wi-fi to the last of Wellfleet’s beaches, as earlier grants had already connected Cahoon Hollow, White Crest, and LeCount Hollow beaches.
The rest of this year’s grant will pay for a cable running underneath Commercial Street that would connect the harbormaster’s office, the beach office, and the Baker Field recreational park building to the town network — although not to public wi-fi. The town could consider approving funds to add public wi-fi at the marina, town center, and at the new affordable housing complex at 95 Lawrence Road, Kopits said.
“If we’re providing affordable housing, maybe we want to provide free internet, which would be exactly the same internet as we have here tonight that I’m using right now,” Kopits said.
Board members were interested in the idea but didn’t make any decisions beyond accepting the $200,000.
“I hope we can continue to find new grant opportunities for the various receivers and hot spots so we can actually bring fiber online,” said board member Josh Yeston. —Tyler Jager
