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Provincetown select board

    This Week In Provincetown

    Meetings Ahead

    By

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch.

    Wednesday, Dec. 2

    • Historic District Commission, 4 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of Nov. 23, Provincetown had zero active cases of Covid-19, 37 cases considered recovered, and one death.

    $50K Available for Child Care Vouchers

    Provincetown residents or town employees who lost their free child care when Provincetown Schools Supt. Suzanne Scallion shut down the toddler day care program due to the pandemic may soon receive a voucher to send their children to another child care center.

    While infants and preschoolers are now allowed back for Provincetown’s pioneering free program, but Scallion felt it was too difficult for toddlers to wear masks.

    To help those families, perhaps 9 and 14 children, the select board on Nov. 23 considered how best to make $50,000 in school funds available for childcare vouchers.

    Acting Town Manager Charlie Sumner suggested that a voucher program could include an income statement. The original program has no income eligibility requirement. But Sumner explained that, with only $50,000 available, he wanted to be sure those with the most need get help first.

    Select board member Louise Venden objected to any sort of income restriction.

    “This is a step in the wrong direction,” Venden said. “Making this additional burden of providing financial information isn’t necessary.”

    Other select board members felt differently.

    “We want to be able to afford it,” said Lise King.

    “I’m not a big advocate of income verification, but the reality is we’ll have more demand than funds,” Sumner said.

    Sumner said he and Scallion would bring a voucher plan back to the board for a vote at the next meeting.

    —K.C. Myers

    COVID UPDATE

    Despite New Guidelines, Indoor Venues to Remain Mostly Shut

    Phase three, step two changes leave some scratching their heads

    By

    Theater and music lovers were overjoyed last week when Gov. Charlie Baker announced that lower-risk communities may move to “step two” of phase three reopening guidelines, as of Monday, Oct. 5. Step two allows for indoor performances, and outdoor performances are given increased capacity.

    Interviews with managers of performing arts venues and organizations on the Outer Cape, however, suggest that little is likely to change in the near future.

    In lower-risk communities, which currently include Cape Cod, indoor performance venues may now open with 50-percent capacity and a maximum of 250 people. Outdoor performance venues may increase to 50-percent capacity, also with a maximum of 250 people; previously, the limit outdoors was 25 percent, with a maximum of 50 people.

    Fifty-percent capacity is based on an occupancy permit, or, if one doesn’t exist, 10 people per 1,000 square feet of space.

    The “now playing” sign on the Wellfleet Cinemas is blank for now, but that should change by mid-November. (Photo Saskia Maxwell Keller)

    Indoor gatherings (not performances) remain capped at 25 people, while private outdoor gatherings remain capped at 50 people. Outdoor gatherings “at event venues and in public settings” may have up to 100 people. Back in August, Gov. Baker had decreased that number from 100 to 50.

    The difference between a “public outdoor gathering” and a show at an outdoor performance venue — which have wildly different limits — appears simply to be whether the event is held “for the primary purpose of watching a performance,” according to Reopening Massachusetts. It’s not clear why there should be a difference.

    Indoor movie theaters were allowed to open in step one of phase three. The permitted capacity, 50 percent with a maximum of 250 people, has not changed.

    To make matters even more complicated, in Provincetown, where most Outer Cape venues are located, indoor performances are still prohibited by a joint emergency order of the board of health and select board that has been in effect since the beginning of June.

    David Abramson, the select board chair, and Steve Katsurinis, the board of health chair, said in a joint public statement, “Provincetown Schools are opening for in-person learning next week for the first time since March, and this significant development is the only change concerning the use of indoor space in town at this time.”

    Rick Murray, general manager at the Crown & Anchor, said that the step two changes mean his outdoor poolside space will return to a capacity of 85 patrons. Regarding the town’s decision to prohibit indoor performances for the time being, he said he “supports it 100 percent.”

    David Burbank, entertainment manager at Pilgrim House, doesn’t believe that the new guidelines expand the capacity of his inn’s outdoor space. He worries about how he will keep performers employed as the weather gets too cold for outdoor performances.

    David Drake, artistic director of the Provincetown Theater, said that the step-two changes will have no effect on its 2020 season: “We’re doing virtual programming, but we’re not programming anything live.” He is in discussions on adaptable hybrid approaches for next year.

    “We had some plans to do outdoor stuff this summer, and we decided to not do it, because we didn’t know if Covid was going to spike again,” Drake said. “We couldn’t afford to invest.”

    Kevin Rice, artistic director of the Payomet Performing Arts Center in Truro, said that his venue will be unaffected by the new indoor guidelines, as the Payomet tent is not up, but he’s hoping to raise it in April.

    “It’s clear that we are able to increase our capacity, and I’m sure we will,” Rice said, referring to Payomet’s outdoor Ballfield Drive-in. “But, honestly, the governor could increase it to 2,500, and that doesn’t mean we will sell more tickets. People are so impacted in their behavior. I think it is going to be years until we are back to normal.”

    Christopher Ostrom, artistic director of the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, said, “In the short term, we do not anticipate opening our doors: it’s too risky.”

    Janet Lesniak, executive director of Wellfleet Preservation Hall, expressed confusion about Gov. Baker’s guidelines.

    “In one place it says one thing, in another, it says something else,” she said. “Given the size of our back yard, we might be able to go up to 100, if it allows for appropriate social distancing and sight lines. That’s a math problem I haven’t figured out yet. However, I don’t anticipate anything inside at this point.”

    None of the four Outer Cape libraries plans on doing indoor concerts or events in the near future. Jennifer Wertkin of the Wellfleet Public Library said that there are no plans to open its meeting room.

    “I don’t see any live indoor programming at the library until there is a vaccine that has been distributed to the community,” said Debra DeJonker-Berry of the Eastham Public Library.

    Though movie theaters were allowed to reopen at the beginning of phase three, many have chosen to remain shuttered until now.

    Heidi Bolinger of the Provincetown Film Society said that the Waters Edge Cinema is hoping to reopen “on a limited basis,” available for “private use, special screenings, and programs.”

    John Vincent, owner of the Wellfleet Cinemas, said his indoor movie theater will open in mid-November.

    “The new guidelines enable us to open with concessions and a little more people in the auditorium,” he said. Vincent’s Wellfleet Drive-in is now closed for the season.

    Howard Karren contributed reporting for this story.

    CURRENTS

    This Week in Provincetown

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch.

    Thursday, Aug. 6

    • Board of Assessors, 9 a.m.
    • Public Pier Corp., 11 a.m.
    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.

    Friday, Aug. 7

    • Local Comprehensive Planning Committee, 10 a.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of July 30, Provincetown had one active case of Covid-19, 30 cases considered recovered, and one death.

    Sumner Gets the Job

    The Provincetown Select Board last week hired Charlie Sumner to be the interim town manager for the next six months or until a permanent town manager can be found.

    Sumner worked as Brewster town administrator for 29 years before retiring in 2015. He is now president of the board of directors of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod and is chair of the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School Building Committee. He’s on the board of the Brewster Conservation Trust and Cape Cod Conservation District.

    On his resume, Sumner described himself as “a good communicator, who values open government and democratic processes. A team-oriented manager, with a passion for leadership and public service. A results-oriented problem solver, who welcomes challenges.”

    The select board is working on a contract and salary, which may be finalized by Aug. 10, according to Elizabeth Paine, the select board’s secretary.

    ‘Don’t Stop Hazard Pay’

    State Rep. Sarah Peake has written a letter urging Stop & Shop to reinstate hazard pay for its frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Stop & Shop instituted a 10-percent pay increase for its employees in March. This was to compensate workers for the additional risks they have taken during the pandemic. Stop & Shop discontinued the extra pay on July 4, according to a statement from Peake.

    A total of 82 legislators, including state Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro, signed on to Rep. Peake’s letter to Stop & Shop CEO Gordon Reid.

    No Blanket Mask Policy
    The select board has ruled out requiring masks to be worn all over town 24 hours a day regardless of your ability to stay six feet from others.

    On Monday, Dr. Susan Troyan of the town board of health recommended against a suggested expansion of the mandatory mask zone. Troyan said passing someone on the streets presents little risk of transmission of Covid-19. Exercising, on the other hand, is really important and yet difficult when your nose and mouth are covered. The small risk doesn’t outweigh the great benefit of comfortably exercising outdoors, she said.

    Based on her advice, the mandatory mask zone will remain the town’s central district, on Commercial Street from Bangs to Franklin streets, on Bradford Street between Gosnold and Standish streets, and out to Lopes Square and MacMillan Pier. —K.C. Myers

    CURRENTS

    This Week in Provincetown

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch.

    Wednesday, Aug. 5

    • Historic District Commission, 4 p.m.

    Thursday, Aug. 6

    • Board of Assessors, 9 a.m.
    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of July 28, Provincetown had one active case of the coronavirus, 29 cases considered recovered, and one death.

    Salary Bump for Superintendent

    Suzanne Scallion was hired as superintendent of the Provincetown Schools in May 2019 to work three days a week for $60,000 from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2019, and then $60,000 for all 12 months of 2020.

    But the school committee agreed in March to pay her an additional $512.82 for every extra day she worked so that she could help the schools adjust to the online learning and other challenges presented by the pandemic.

    So far, she has worked 21 extra days for a total of $10,769, which can be covered by CARES Act funds, said Scallion this week.

    Scallion said the job was already nonstop but the pandemic has amped up the challenges for school leaders.

    Wait Times for Test Results Too Long

    Board of health chair Steven Katsurinis told the select board Monday that the plans for keeping the town safe during a pandemic relied on quicker test results than are currently available, as the medical labs are overwhelmed.

    “We did not expect to wait for seven days for a test return,” Katsurinis said. “Quest Diagnostics is inundated and so we are trying to do something to improve that.”

    On the other hand, he said, the town had made it more than 20 days past a busy July 4th weekend without any apparent outbreak.

    “But we should not let our guard down,” Katsurinis said. “As long as there is a pandemic, we are at risk. So we need to wear masks and keep six-foot distancing.”

    Rapid tests, available at Carewell Urgent Care in Dennis, are not as accurate as the molecular tests, which are now taking a week or more to get results, said Morgan Clark, director of the health department.

    Paradigm Associates Not Rehired

    Community Paradigm Associates of Plymouth, the consulting firm used to help the select board hire Robin Craver as town manager, was not picked to be part of the hiring process this time around.

    Craver resigned after six months at the end of her probationary period on July 10 following a closed select board meeting. The reasons for her abrupt resignation were not made public.

    The select board Monday chose four “headhunter” organizations to pick from and Paradigm was not one of them. The executive search firms invited to submit bids are Municipal Resources Inc., the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management, Groux-White Consulting, and Isaacson Miller.

    The board members agreed not to rush this decision and will hire an interim manager for the next six months while they look for a new permanent town manager —K.C. Myers

     

     

     

    CURRENTS

    This Week in Provincetown

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch.

    Thursday, July 23

    • Visitor Services Board, 10 a.m.
    • Public Pier Corp., 3 p.m.
    • Planning Board, 6 p.m.

    Monday, July 27

    • Visitor Services Board, 6 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid 19 Update

    As of July 20, 2020, Provincetown had one confirmed active case of coronavirus, one death, and 28 additional cases considered recovered.

    Colton or Sumner to Be Interim Manager

    Two finalists have been selected to vie for the job of interim town manager following the resignation of Robin Craver on July 10.

    Craver lasted six months as town manager and resigned following a closed meeting with the select board. The reasons for her resignation may never be made public, since the matter was discussed in executive session. The Independent will make a formal public records request for the minutes of the session under the state’s Open Meeting Law.

    On Monday former Easton Town Administrator David Colton, who now lives in Provincetown, and Charles Sumner, a Brewster resident and former administrator of that town for 29 years, were selected to be interviewed for the interim position, which should last six months or perhaps longer, depending on how quickly a new town manager search is launched.

    Lise King, the select board member in charge of finding candidates, said she got seven recommendations and that Colton and Sumner rose to the top because they could begin soon and potentially stay for an extended time period. Other qualifications for the temporary post are experience in town management and familiarity with Provincetown, King said.

    “They are highly recommended and both really great candidates,” she said.

    Sumner was “called ‘beloved’ by some townspeople in Brewster,” King said.

    Colton was administrator of Easton from 2006 to 2018, according to his resume. But the Easton Journal reported that he left the job in 2017 after the select board fired the town clerk. Colton’s failure to supervise the clerk, Jeremy Gillis, properly was the reason he was let go, according to the Journal. The newspaper reported that Easton paid $600,000 in salary and benefits to terminate Colton’s contract early.

    In fact, said Colton, the actual cash payout was $345,000, based on a year and a half of his salary, plus $75,000 in cash. The rest represented other benefits.

    The episode began when the select board changed and wanted change, he said.

    “They made some really big mistakes and violated my civil rights,” Colton said. “Their insurance company recommended this settlement,” he said, adding, “It was not a good time in my life.”

    He technically was under contract until 2018, and that’s why he described his tenure in Easton as such on his resume.

    King said she did not know about these events in Easton.

    The meeting to interview the finalists, which will be public, is tentatively set for Wednesday, July 29, at 6:30 p.m., King said.

    Statements Limited to 3 Minutes

    The select board members voted Monday to put a three-minute cap on their own public statements. The vote was 3-2, with Lise King and David Abramson opposed.

    They did not, however, put a cap on other public statements, which was also on the table. The vote on reducing the time slot for such statements from a one hour to 30 minutes was zero in favor and 5 opposed. —K.C. Myers

    RESIGNATION

    After 6 Months, New Town Manager Quits

    Craver’s ‘probationary period’ would have ended this week

    By

    Robin Craver
    Robin Craver. (File photo)

    PROVINCETOWN — Robin Craver was hired as Provincetown’s town manager by the select board on Jan. 13, 2020. Her contract included a six-month probationary period, after which, if she were terminated by the select board or asked to resign, she would be entitled to a $126,666 severance package, equal to eight months of her $190,000 annual salary.

    Only a few days before that six-month probation would have ended and those severance provisions would have taken effect, Craver resigned as town manager.

    The resignation was announced the day after the board met and went into “executive session” on Thursday, July 9. The state’s Open Meeting Law allows town boards to meet behind closed doors when personnel matters are being discussed, including contracts. The select board’s agenda indicated that the town manager’s contract was the subject of that meeting — but under the rules covering executive sessions, neither the public nor the press is allowed to observe the proceedings.

    Minutes must be kept of such closed meetings, but they may be kept confidential as long as “publication would defeat the lawful purposes of the executive session,” according to the Open Meeting Law Guide published by the state attorney general’s office.

    Without public access, minutes, or direct statements from those in the room, little is known about what happened at the meeting. The announcement the next day, in a joint statement from Craver and Select Board Chair Dave Abramson, gave few details.

    “Provincetown is a unique community, and I enjoyed my time meeting and working with the town’s residents and employees,” said Craver, according to the statement.

    “We greatly appreciate Robin’s efforts to help us navigate through the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic,” said Abramson. “We wish her the very best in her future endeavors.”

    Another Search Begins

    Provincetown has struggled to find and retain a town manager. Sharon Lynn served from 2007 to 2013. In 2013 Lynn had to fire Police Chief Jeff Jaran for overtly campaigning for select board candidates. She left Provincetown and became city manager of Rehoboth Beach, Del., that December.

    David Panagore was town manager from 2015 to 2019. He left the job to become chief administrator of the Mass. Bay Transportation Authority, though he still lives in Provincetown and was recently appointed as an alternate on the finance committee.

    Panagore told the Independent that being town manager in Provincetown is a tough job.

    “You’ll notice no other town administrator on Cape Cod applied for the job — at $200,000,” said Panagore. (Craver received a $9,000 housing allowance in addition to her salary.) Affordable housing, coastal resiliency, and a new police station are all interesting challenges, he added. So, what’s the problem?

    A population that thrives on argument, a toxic Facebook culture, and open hostility on the select board were three difficulties the former town manager identified.

    “Free speech is valued in Provincetown, and compromise is not,” said Panagore. “The population values its contentiousness.”

    Panagore said he thought Craver had good ideas. Nonetheless, he added, Craver and Provincetown “seemed like a mismatch.”

    The town manager search committee identified three finalists last fall, and Craver was the unanimous choice of the select board. Both Craver and Provincetown are now back to their respective drawing boards, trying to make a better match.

     

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