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nomination papers

    POLITICS

    Lyons Joins Andrews in County Commission Race

    Three Democrats will try to dislodge Republican Ron Beaty from board

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    The race is on for two Barnstable County Commission seats, and two experienced Outer Cape politicians are among the contestants.

    Former Select Board Member Cheryl Andrews, 60, of Provincetown, announced her candidacy in December. This week, Wellfleet resident Sheila Lyons, 62, told the Independent that she would join the race. Yarmouth Selectman Mark Forest, 64, has also announced his candidacy, according to the Cape Cod Times.

    All three are Democrats; they must overcome social distancing barriers to get the required 500 signatures on nomination papers by April 28.

    The only announced Republican for the November election is incumbent Commissioner Ronald Beaty Jr. of Barnstable, a Trump supporter who is a prime target for Democratic challengers. The other incumbent is Democrat Mary Pat Flynn, 86, of Falmouth, who is retiring from the three-member county board. The Democratic primary is scheduled for Sept. 1.

    Cheryl Andrews
    Cheryl Andrews. (Photo courtesy Cheryl Andrews)

    Andrews, a dentist with 30 years in town and county government, has been collecting signatures since January. She still doesn’t have 500 collected and certified, she said this week. The certification process entails town clerks in 15 towns checking the information on each signer, which is a challenge when town halls are closed, Andrews said.

    Lyons said she plans to send out emails with information on how to sign her nomination papers. She asked that supporters watch for information on Facebook on where to sign. “You’ll be able to bring your own pen, or sign with a pen and keep the pen,” she said.

    Lyons served as a county commissioner from 2009 to 2016.

    A Wellfleet resident since 2003, Lyons is employed by Outer Cape Health Services, where she assists people in signing up for MassHealth as a health care specialist. She has a background in geriatric social work.

    Sheila Lyons photo
    Sheila Lyons. (Photo Ed Miller)

    “I do feel that county government is very important for Cape Cod,” Lyons said. “It’s a regional hub that can do for a town what it cannot do for itself.”

    She said her leadership helped create the county’s emergency response system, which now has been coordinating the regional response to the coronavirus pandemic. She helped start the regional network on homelessness, which improved identification of the most vulnerable residents in the county, she said.

    She also served two years on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates. Currently Lyons is president of the Wellfleet Community Forum and a board member of FORWARD (Friends Or Relatives With Autism & Related Disabilities), which is building housing for adults with autism in Dennis. She serves on the board of WOMR-FM.

    Andrews began volunteering on the Provincetown Board of Health in 1990 and has served on multiple boards and committees, including the select board for 14 years. Her county experience includes four years on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates. She has been Provincetown’s representative on the Cape Cod Commission since 2018.

    “I’m walking into this with a breadth of experience that no one else has,” Andrews said. “I’m thrilled that there are at least two other candidates.”

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    This Week in Eastham

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    Meetings Ahead

    Town Hall is closed to the public. The meetings listed below are still posted but may change. Check the town’s website, eastham-ma.gov, for information on meeting schedule changes and how to view and take part remotely

    Thursday, April 2

    • Zoning Board, 5 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Monday, April 6

    • Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Tuesday, April 7

    • Charter Review Committee, 5:30 p.m., Small Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Wednesday, April 8

    • Capital Projects Committee, wastewater meeting, 4 p.m., Small Meeting Room, Town Hall
    • Finance Committee, 5 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Conversation Starters

    Riding Out the Storm

    The town’s public safety officials shared the latest on the community’s response to the pandemic at the March 26 board of health meeting. Director of Health and Environment Jane Crowley praised her colleagues throughout the town as “a unit trying to fight this war together.”

    Crowley followed that with thanks “to everyone in our community for your attention, understanding, and continued commitment to social distancing. It will take everyone doing the right thing to keep those most at risk safe, those over 65, those with compromised immune systems, and those with underlying health conditions. They are our family, our friends.” The health director praised the business community, volunteers, and school nurses for stepping up.

    “All my members are healthy and all working at this time,” Fire Chief Kent Farrenkopf reported. “I have enough personal protective equipment probably for two weeks with a heavy load. We started purchasing a month and a half ago, and things are starting to trickle in.”

    The fire station has locked its doors to keep the staff healthy. There’s an emergency phone at the front foyer which can be used to summon help. In another change affecting ambulance calls, one firefighter in full protective gear will enter the residence or business and assess the situation while the other responders wait. The department is conducting limited inspections, focusing on those that are time-sensitive.

    Police Chief Adam Bohannon said he’s “not had any officers with symptoms.” The front lobby of the police department is closed to all nonemergency business; if you call the department’s business line, someone will come out to speak with you. Anyone with an emergency can enter the lobby. Building renovations have been halted and firearms licensing appointments canceled. “There’s only police staff in the building,” the chief said.

    Bohannon thanked local businesses that have donated hand sanitizer and citizens who have brought in masks. He said a lot of businesses deserve credit for making changes to protect public health.

    Crowley said the building inspector is asking that houses be vacant when inspected, a policy that extends to plumbing and electrical inspections. The health director got approval from the board to suspend the rental inspection program and the requirement for water inspection for the time being.

    “Everybody has a part to play,” Crowley said. “If you’re in the high-risk category, please isolate yourself. Have others help you. Safe-distance yourself if you have to go out. Wash your hands. Think it through. With time, hopefully, this will pass.” 

    Condo Development Advances

    The board of health gave conditional approval last week for the septic system to serve a planned 18-unit condo development at 4615 Route 6 pending approval of a stormwater plan by the DPW and further review by the planning board and zoning board of appeals.

    Another project proposed by Coastal Companies CEO Tim Klink, a new mixed-used commercial-residential building at 4665 Route 6 with four apartments on the second floor and an accessory building out back, ran into tougher sledding. Its review was continued until April 30 to allow a site visit and a discussion with state and town officials and Klink about limitations on combining allowable septic flows on adjoining lots under common ownership.

    “We wanted to do something to benefit the environment,” Klink told the board March 26. “That’s why we wanted to transfer flow across lots. It would be a better designed septic system and development for the town of Eastham.”

    “We all know Eastham needs more housing and businesses,” health board chair Joanna Buffington said later in the meeting. “We want to support things, but also protect our groundwater and do things the right way.”

    Shellfish Grant Cleanup Deadline Extended

    John Milliken and Brendan Adams will have another year to remove unused and obsolete gear from their two-acre aquaculture site in Nauset Marsh. At the select board’s March 23 meeting, Shellfish Constable Nicole Paine asked that their license be revoked, as the shellfishermen had been given a one-year deadline in March 2019. “Very little effort has been made to get the site cleaned up,” she said.

    Speaking to the board by telephone, Adams admitted getting a reminder letter in August that he didn’t open because he was busy during lobster season. “We did go out on the grant and clean some stuff up,” he said. “We did plan on doing more of that. Unfortunately, we’ve been busy…. We planned going out in early March to harvest out quahogs. There’s nowhere to sell ’em, and now we have red tide. That’s all locked up. I don’t know if anybody will be able to sell quahogs or oysters for months.”

    Select Board Chair Aimee Eckman said she had “no desire to take anyone’s livelihood away at this point in time in world events.” She suggested a one-year extension of the deadline and urged Adams to work things out with the constable. Paine said she was happy to do that and “by no means do I want to take someone’s livelihood away. This grant needs to be cleared and started over. I want to keep the great working relationship with the Seashore and not have everything out there go to trash.” —Ed Maroney

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    This Week in Provincetown

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    Provincetown is conducting virtual regulatory town board public hearings through an online live stream. Follow the instructions below to watch and participate in the meetings.

    Go to the Provincetown website homepage. Scroll down to the “Most Requested” section and click on “PTV Videos and Livestream.” There you will be able to view the live feed for town regulatory meetings by clicking the “Channel 18 Stream” button. Once in a live meeting stream, you will be able to participate by typing into the chat screen beside the video. There will also be a phone number on the screen that you can call or text to provide input. The upcoming schedule for town regulatory meetings is available by clicking the “Channel 18 Schedule” button on the page before the stream. There you will also find the archive for past meetings.

    Thursday, March 26

    • Visitor Services Board, 3 p.m.
    • Finance Committee, 5 p.m.
    • Planning Board, 6 p.m.

    Friday, March 27

    • Charter Compliance Commission, 11 a.m.
    • Open Space Committee, 10 a.m.

    Tuesday, March 31

    • Year-Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust, 6 p.m.

    Wednesday, April 1

    • Historic District Commission, 6 p.m.

    Thursday, April 2

    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Election and Town Meeting Delayed

    Both town meetings and town election have been delayed in order to allow enough time for public hearings to take place following a period of social isolation. The April 6 town meeting is tentatively set for June 8, though there has not yet been an official vote on it, since the date can only be posted 30 days ahead, said Moderator Mary-Jo Avellar.

    The select board Monday voted to move the town election from May 12 to June 9, at which time voters will decide on three ballot questions and the election of town officials.

    The ballot questions include one to exempt from the limits of Prop 2½ the amount of money required to buy a new ambulance to replace an old one for $325,000.

    And there is a ballot question to raise the select board’s salaries. Whoever is elected in June may get $15,000 instead of $2,000 (or $2,500 for the chair). Arthur Egeli, an artist and gallery owner, submitted the ballot question, which would permanently raise the tax limit under Prop. 2½ by $64,500.

    A Race Is On

    There will be a contested seat for the select board. The deadline to return nomination papers was March 24. Both incumbents, Louise Venden and Bobby Anthony, are running again, and they are being joined in the election contest by a former select board member, Austin Knight, who resigned in 2014 from his previous seat on that board.

    The rest of the elected town officials are running unopposed. —K.C. Myers

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    This Week in Eastham

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    Meetings Ahead

    Town Hall is closed to the public. The meetings listed below are still posted but may change.

    Eastham is holding virtual regulatory town board public hearings through online live stream. Follow the instructions below to watch and participate in the meetings.

    Go to the Eastham website homepage, www.eastham-ma.gov. Scroll down to the “Popular Link” menu on the left-hand side and click “CH 18 Schedule and Live Streaming.” There, you will be able to access the upcoming meeting schedule and view meeting live streams by clicking the video box. When a live meeting is in progress, a phone number will be posted on the screen that viewers can use to call or text any input or questions. The chair of the meeting will read aloud any questions or comments you send.

    Thursday, March 26

    • Board of Health, 3 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Monday, March 30

    • Eastham 400 Commemoration Committee, 10:30 a.m., Eastham Public Library

    Tuesday, March 31

    • Search Committee, 4 p.m., Small Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Wednesday, April 1

    • Community Preservation Act Committee, 5:30 p.m., Small Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Thursday, April 2

    • Zoning board, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Stay in Touch

    Eastham Public Library
    The Eastham Public Library is closed for a while, but the staff has made sure that book-hungry patrons will be served. They plan to replenish this cart regularly. (Photo Ed Maroney)

    The town has issued guidelines for public participation in meetings while town hall is closed to the public, and they seem to be working. Monday’s select board session found members Aimee Eckman and Jared Collins sitting with Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe around a square of tables in front of a big-screen TV filled with images of select board members Al Cestaro, Martin McDonald, and Jamie Rivers, who were calling in. As Video Services Coordinator Mike Caliri tweaked the equipment, the voices of shellfishermen, Shellfish Constable Nicole Paine, and the new owner of The Landing joined the conversation. There were only occasional blips in the live stream.

    The phone number for the public to call to participate is 508-922-5983. Information about sending texts will also be displayed on the screen.

    “Thank you all for your patience,” Caliri wrote in a March 18 posting, “as we continue to explore better ways to conduct non-meeting meetings!”

    No Rush on Town Meeting Warrant

    A review of town meeting articles was on the select board’s agenda Monday, but “we’re not going to do that,” Chair Aimee Eckman said. “We have bigger fish to fry. Everybody have fun reading the warrant, and I’m sure we’ll be talking next meeting about what our plans are for town meeting and the town election.”

    Town meeting “won’t be May 4,” the date now on the schedule, Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe told the board later. “It may be sometime in June, and we’d have a second date available. I’m consulting with the moderator and town clerk and coming up with some options for you.”

    Plans for the meeting, and the May 19 town election, have been thrown into a cocked hat by the pandemic. Legislation to allow delays of both events, perhaps even past the end of the fiscal year on June 30, is in the works on Beacon Hill.

    Town Departments ‘Open’ for Business

    “We have valiantly been trying to keep up with everything we would normally do,” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe reported to the select board Monday. “As we go into this new phase of staying in place, we will have some things that may take a longer time or that we may not be able to do until after April 7. I hope people will be patient with us but let us know what’s critical versus noncritical.”

    Staggered shifts of employees are working at town hall while it’s closed to the public, but “we are all on duty and available,” Beebe said. “I have a lot of staff working from home…. We are still doing building inspections, electrical inspections, plumbing and fire inspections.” She said water testing for rental certificates may have to wait until next week.

    Beebe said the state is extending some deadlines, such as allowing residents to go conduct real estate closings without a fire inspection for up to 90 days, if the realtor and owner agree.

    “It’s amazing to see our town come together,” Board Bember Jared Collins said as the meeting began. “I think we’re doing things a lot faster than the state and federal [governments]. It’s our ability to adapt.”

    “Try to be patient with people, and us,” Eckman said just before adjournment. “Everybody’s sort of stressed about this. Be patient and we’ll get through this. Keep as safe as possible, and see you in a couple of weeks.”

    Health Board and COVID-19

    The board of health is scheduled to discuss the pandemic and the town’s response today (March 26) at 3 p.m. Also on the agenda is a review of two proposed housing developments on Route 6, one for townhouse units and the other a mixed-use commercial building with apartments on the second floor. (See separate story on page 5.) Those developments will also be reviewed by the zoning board at its April 2 meeting.

    On the Run?

    The last day to obtain nomination papers to run in the town election — whenever it will be held — is March 30. Contact the town clerk’s office for more information. —Ed Maroney

    currents

    This Week in Truro

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    Meetings Ahead

    Truro is working on remote capacity to enable people to participate in public meetings. “We don’t have that in place yet,” said Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer. “So we have delayed all regular meetings.”

    A board of health meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, on the Truro Motor Inn’s plans to upgrade its septic system and avoid receivership was delayed. The board of health met briefly only to discuss the COVID-19 public health crisis. An audio of that meeting will be posted on the town’s website, Palmer said.

    Palmer said she hopes to have a remote access plan in place by the end of this week. Check the town’s website, www.truro-ma.gov, for updated information on the two meetings posted below, which could not be delayed.

    Thursday, March 19

    • Select Board, 2:30 p.m.; look for an update on remote access on the town’s website.

    Tuesday, March 24

    • Select Board, 5 p.m.; look for an update on remote access on the town’s website.

    Conversation Starters

    Technicalities

    Being the most rural town on Cape Cod has left Truro challenged when it comes to arranging online meetings, needed now due to the coronavirus crisis.

    One of the select board members lives on a street that does not have Comcast internet service because the street has fewer than 25 homes per mile. Comcast refuses to provide access to such homes because it’s not worth it for them, said Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer. The town is negotiating with the utility company to change its policy to reach people in areas of 10 homes per mile, Palmer said.

    Who’s Running

    Incumbent Stephanie J. Rein is the only person who has pulled nomination papers to run for a seat on the select board in the May 12 annual election.

    There is competition for two seats on the planning board, however. Incumbents John R. Riemer and Paul Kiernan have pulled nomination papers and so has a new candidate, Clinton Kershaw.

    There’s another race for one seat on the school committee; Colby J. Blehm has pulled and returned papers, while Denise M. Seager has pulled papers but had not returned them as of Tuesday.

    Incumbent Moderator Monica Kraft is running again. Martha Magane and Margaret Royka are unopposed for two seats on the library board of trustees. Incumbent Marilyn Adams is running unopposed for cemetery commission.

    Elizabeth Adele Gallo is running unopposed for the housing authority.

    All nomination papers must be returned by March 24 at 5 p.m. —K.C. Myers

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    This Week in Wellfleet

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    Meetings Ahead

    The coronavirus has taken a toll on civic involvement, but you can still watch and call in to the meetings that have not been canceled. Town offices and buildings are closed, but Wellfleet is using Zoom Rooms, a software-based conference room application that can include over 100 participants, said Courtney Butler, executive assistant to Town Administrator Dan Hoort. Many meetings have been delayed or canceled, so it’s best to frequently check the town website, www.wellfleet-ma.gov, which will include links to conference into meetings.

    Wellfleet is unique on the Outer Cape in that regulatory boards, including the conservation commission and planning board, are not normally recorded. But in order to comply with the open meeting law when in-person meetings are not allowed, they must now be recorded, Butler said.

    There is a chat feature to participate in meetings, or you can email questions to Butler at [email protected].

    Tuesday, March 24

    • Nauset Regional School Negotiations Subcommittee, 5 p.m.

    Wednesday, March 25

    • Nauset Regional School Committee Building Committee Forum, 6 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Curley and Smith Take Out Papers

    There is an upcoming town election on May 4, and the following people have taken out nomination papers to run for elected office in Wellfleet. The deadline for taking out papers was March 6 and papers must be returned by March 30.

    Two candidates have taken out papers for Kathleen Bacon’s seat on the select board. Bacon will not run for office again. They are Ryan Curley and Susan E. Smith.

    Incumbent Christopher Easley is the only one running for one seat on the Nauset Regional School Committee. Incumbent moderator Dan Silverman has pulled and returned his papers. Gary Sorkin is running unopposed for the housing authority. On the board of library trustees both Robin Robinson and Andrew Freeman are running unopposed for two seats. Martha Gordon is running unopposed for the elementary school committee; there is another seat that’s still open. Nancy Vail has pulled papers for the cemetery commission. —K.C. Myers

    currents

    This Week in Provincetown

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    Meetings Ahead

    Thursday, March 12

    • Bicycle Committee, 2 p.m., Maushope Community Room
    • Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall

    Tuesday, March 17

    • Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Town Hall

    Wednesday, March 18

    • Historic District Commission, 4 p.m., Town Hall

    Thursday, March 19

    • Animal Welfare Committee, noon, Veterans Memorial Community Center
    • Board of Health, 4 p.m., Town Hall
    • Public Pier Corp., 2 p.m., Town Hall
    • Water and Sewer Board, 2 p.m., Veterans Memorial Community Center
    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall

    Conversation Starters

    No contested races yet in P’town

    So far only Select Board Member Louise Venden has taken out nomination papers for re-election, leaving one position on the select board with no candidate. Incumbent Bobby Anthony has not taken out papers to run again.

    Incumbent Frances Coco is running for housing authority, and Robert Klytta took out papers to run for re-election to the charter compliance commission.

    So far all the prospective candidates are unopposed. But it’s not too late to join a race. The last day to obtain nomination papers is March 20; the final day to return them is March 24.

    For more information: Town Clerk Darlene Van Alstyne, 508-487-7013 or [email protected].

    The Barracks at Route 6

    The proposal for workforce housing in a dormitory and condos on Route 6 next to the Patrick Studios and Marine Specialties warehouse was the main topic at the March 5 zoning board of appeals meeting. The project — dubbed “The Barracks” — includes a 112-bed dormitory and 16 condominiums in a three-story building. Each two-bed dorm room would have its own bathroom, and the building includes an elevator, common kitchen and dining facilities, a shared lounge space, shared laundry facilities on each floor, 112 bike parking spaces, and 20 car parking spaces in a garage and surface lot.

    Project attorney Jay Murphy of Dennis said that updated plans had been submitted to the town via email, but those plans were not available at the meeting for the ZBA or the public to review. He said the plans incorporated recommendations from the town planner, including additional grading details and locating some of the bike parking indoors to be protected from the weather.

    Under the existing general commercial district zoning, the building would be limited to two-and-a-half stories in height. The proposal available before the meeting requested zoning relief for height, parking, and scale. The project received a select board economic development permit in November 2019 for the sewer gallons needed.

    The housing report prepared for the town in 2019 by the consulting firm Camoin 310 indicated that the housing crunch has made it extremely difficult for about 1,500 seasonal workers to find housing anywhere in the region. Workforce housing was also indicated as a significant need in the town’s 2000 Local Comprehensive Plan, and this project is the first initiative to begin to address that need.

    Acting Chair Peter Okun said, “I spent a lot of time studying this and made two site visits.” He said he has questions about the finished grade and elevations, and that “without having all of these plans to review, I’m going to have a difficult time coming to a decision tonight.” Board Member Bob Nee also said he could not make a decision without seeing the full plans.

    Okun suggested that the hearing be continued on April 16 to allow the board to review the revised plans. Attorney Murphy agreed.

    Lobster Pot Express Sign

    Tim McNulty of the Lobster Pot and contractor Plymouth Sign Co. appeared before the ZBA to discuss signage for the new Lobster Pot Express restaurant that is planned to open this season at the former Mojo’s location on Ryder Street, at 281 Commercial St., Unit 5.

    Under current zoning, businesses may have no more than two signs with a maximum of 16 square feet. The current signage at Mojo’s takes up 76 square feet on three signs, well beyond what a new business would be allowed to install.

    McNulty’s application proposed replacing the signage in kind, which would mean that he would continue to use all of the existing signs and change out the logos and wording.

    Acting ZBA Chair Peter Okun asked why the signage for the new business should be exempted from the bylaw. “Under the bylaw, what’s there now is irrelevant,” he said.

    Town Planner Thaddeus Solé read from Section 3213 of the zoning bylaw to clarify that signs may remain noncompliant until the signs are changed. Okun noted that the new signs would need to be brought into compliance.

    The hearing was continued to March 19 at 6:30 p.m.

    Hearings Postponed

    Applicants for permits for the Reliable Hotel at 227R Commercial St., 26 Bradford St., and the Pilgrim House at 336 Commercial St. all requested to postpone their hearings to the ZBA’s meeting on March 19. The applicant for 30 Shank Painter Road also requested a postponement to May 7. —Rik Ahlberg

    currents

    This Week in Eastham

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    Meetings Ahead

    Thursday, March 12

    • Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., Brewster Town Hall

    Saturday, March 14

    • Board of Library Trustees, 9 a.m., Greg Turner Room, Eastham Public Library

    Monday, March 16

    • Elementary School Committee, 5:30 p.m., Small Meeting Room, Town Hall
    • Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Tuesday, March 17

    • Charter Review Committee, 5:30 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Wednesday, March 18

    • Board of Cemetery Commissioners, 10 a.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall
    • Planning Board, 4:30 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room, Town Hall

    Conversation Starters

    Meetup on School Renovation

    The regional school committee will discuss the Nauset High renovation project at its March 12 meeting. Pictured is the school’s courtyard. (Photo Ryan Fitzgerald)

    Finance Committee Chair Jerry Cerasale said his peer in Brewster has contacted him about getting together all four finance committee chairs from the Nauset School District towns to discuss holding a joint meeting of the four committees on the high school building project. “It’s not something that’s hidden,” he said. “It’s an important issue for all of us, and a very important issue for Brewster. They’re looking at paying half the cost potentially.” At its meeting March 12 in Brewster Town Hall, the regional school committee was to receive an update on the project from the building committee, hear from its adviser on the alternatives regarding number of years for bonding the debt, and hold public hearings on next year’s budget and participation in school choice. —Ed Maroney

    Decision Coming on Storage Buildings

    At its March 5 meeting, the zoning board of appeals again discussed the proposal from Barbara Niggel and her companies, Goeroe’s Goldens and Stow Away, to construct six storage buildings at 4730 State Highway. The buildings would contain multiple storage units.

    Attorney Ben Zehnder, representing Niggel, requested a continuance to April 2. The ZBA is expected to make a ruling then. The proposal must receive special permits from both the ZBA and planning board. “Bringing this permit to two different boards in different cycles is creating significant problems for us,” Zehnder said at the meeting.

    The ZBA has received letters for and against this project. One letter of support, submitted by Deb Mangelus in early February, was read into the record at that time. At the March 5 meeting, ZBA member Steve Wasby said that Mangelus is Niggel’s partner but did not so identify herself in her letter. He said this presented a conflict of interest that should have been made clear at the time. —Ryan Fitzgerald

    Residential Development

    The planning board may vote on special permits for two residential development proposals at its meeting March 18. Cedar Banks Landing LLC wants to build a 16-unit apartment complex at 4615 State Highway, while 4655 State Highway LLC wants to demolish buildings at that address and put up a mixed-use (retail and residential) commercial building and accessory storage building.

    Who’s Running?

    The last day to pick up nomination papers to run in the May 19 town election is March 30. They need to be returned to the town clerk’s office by April 1.

    Of those who have returned papers, Aimee Eckman is seeking another term on the select board and Arthur Autorino is a candidate for the other available seat. Scott Kerry is running for moderator and incumbent Cindy Nicholson for town clerk. Library trustees Mary Shaw and Al Alfano want another term, as does elementary school committee member Judy Lindahl. Papers have not been taken out for the other school committee seat, now held by Joanne Irish.

    New Restaurant in Old Box

    Select Board Member Jamie Rivers expressed concern March 2 when Natacha Krum applied for common victualler and beer, wine and malt on-premise licenses for her new business, Basco Grill, at 4205 State Highway.

    “It’s where Box Lunch used to be,” said Krum, who plans to serve burgers, seafood, and hot sandwiches for lunch and dinner year-round. “We’re looking for a beer and wine license,” she said. “It’s good with a burger.”

    Rivers said that “liquor licenses are very easy to distribute and very hard to revoke, so when we’re making a decision to approve one, we have to be very diligent about that process.” Asking to see at least a tentative menu as well as specific plans for how beer and wine would be served, she said, “I need more information before I can approve another liquor license in town, not because I want to be anti-business but because I want to be safe.”

    The board approved the food license March 2. At its March 9 meeting, after reviewing a printed menu and a plan of the premises, members granted the beer and wine license.

    (Editor’s note: Because of an editing error, a headline in last week’s Currents that read “TIPS Yes, Nips No at Sam Deli’s” referred to owner Susan Knight’s statement that she and her manager have taken TIPS [Training Intervention Procedures] training and “will require anyone checking out anybody to be TIPS-certified.” Since the new register area will handle all transactions, said Knight, the store is discontinuing sales of nip bottles of alcohol.)

    Help Wipe Out Infection

    Bleach wipes and Purell alcohol-based antiseptic have been distributed to every town department, Jacqui Beebe told the select board March 2. “We’re wiping down handles on doors, fixtures every day just to knock the virus back,” she said. “Each department assigned a person, and our cleaning person does it every night.”

    Beebe said the fire and health departments are working on preparing the town for the arrival of the coronavirus. “Our health agent is on the phone with the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] for weekly updates and more if needed.” Summing up, the town administrator said, “People need to take precautions but stay calm.”

    On March 9, Beebe said a coronavirus response team that includes the health agent and representatives from the police and fire departments, the library, and the COA are meeting “at least weekly” and plan to release a public statement early next week. —Ed Maroney

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