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town election

    TRURO ELECTION

    Planning Board Hopefuls Both Say They Favor New Housing

    Townsend, 23, and Stahl, 67, vie to replace Sollog

    By

    TRURO — Two candidates, Caitlin Townsend and Steve Stahl, are on the ballot to fill the seat of retiring planning board member Steve Sollog in the May 10 town election. Both say that the board needs to balance conservation with a pressing need to use the town’s limited developable land for housing. The seven members of the planning board are currently elected to five-year terms, although there is an effort to change the board to an appointed one (see related article.)

    Townsend: ‘Indebted’ to Truro

    “There’s a way to maintain the beauty and charm of Truro while making it a sustainable community,” says Caitlin Townsend, 23, who was born in Truro.

    Townsend says working multiple jobs is the only way she can afford to stay in town. She works on a lobster boat with her father, Chris Townsend. She also does farm work, is a server and bartender at Truro Vineyards, and has written articles as a freelancer for the Provincetown Independent.

    Planning board candidate Caitlin Townsend. (Photo courtesy Caitlin Townsend)

    But she says she’s staying in Truro for good. “I decided to run for planning board because I’m dedicated to making life here possible for people like me, people who are in our workforce,” she says. “Words can’t describe your feelings about the place you call home. I feel indebted to my community.”

    Townsend supports the proposed change to the town charter that would have planning board members appointed by the select board rather than elected. Truro’s is the only planning board on the Outer Cape that is elected rather than appointed.

    “I don’t believe the status quo is sustainable,” she says. “There needs to be more diversity in age and background on the planning board. It’s difficult to do that through a town election, though I am trying my best, because small-town down-ballot elections are often an afterthought, and are restricted to people who have the entrenched, established connections with large groups of voters that are simply not available to everyone.”

    Townsend is also in favor of developing the 70-acre Walsh property for affordable housing, and she supports the Cloverleaf affordable housing project, which the current planning board has opposed. She wants to see more compromise on development than the current board has engaged in. “I think there’s a way to meet in the middle,” she says.

    Townsend attended Truro Central School and Nauset Regional High School and graduated from Mass. Maritime Academy in 2021 with a degree in marine science, safety, and environmental protection.

    “I’ve spent all 23 years of my life here,” she says when asked if she thinks her youth is a liability. “I have a very good sense of what we need to create a sustainable community.”

    Townsend will hold a meet-and-greet for voters at Truro Vineyards on April 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Voters may contact her at [email protected].

    Stahl: A Second Bid

    “It’s very important that we figure out how to balance quality of life in Truro with potential degradation of resources and affordable housing,” says Steve Stahl, 67, making his second bid for a seat on the planning board. He ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign three years ago.

    Stahl and his wife moved to Truro full-time six years ago from Cabot, Vt. “We didn’t look anywhere else,” he says. He has volunteered at Payomet, Cape Abilities, and the Provincetown Schools. In Vermont, Stahl was a teacher and for five years served as president of the Family Center of Washington County, which provides child care, parent education, and other services to families. “Nearly everything I’ve done in my life has been helping people,” he says.

    Planning board candidate Steve Stahl. (Photo courtesy Steve Stahl)

    “The planning board is probably going to have the most important impact on Truro’s future,” he says, adding that he is particularly interested in long-term shaping of the zoning bylaw.

    Stahl calls building affordable housing a “top priority.” He is also concerned about drinking water contamination, but he says he supports the 39-unit Cloverleaf project, which will nearly double the number of affordable units in Truro.

    Stahl says the debate over the Cloverleaf’s wastewater system “resulted in a better plan” and raised public awareness of cesspools and drinking water problems. He credits the campaign waged by a group calling itself “Docs for Truro Safe Water” with “the Zoning Board of Appeals having the developer put in a better water filtration system.”

    The so-called Docs group, which does not include a hydrologist, produced a report whose findings were disputed by a groundwater scientist with the Cape Cod Commission. The Docs advertised their report as being “peer-reviewed,” but later admitted that they themselves were their own “peer reviewers.” The Docs have refused repeated requests to be interviewed by the Independent.

    Stahl describes the current planning board as “conscientious and open to public input,” but he noted that “they need to come out of their committee and collaborate more with other boards and committees.” The stormwater proposal recently presented by the planning board, Stahl says, “clearly wasn’t ready. It really needs collaboration.”

    He believes the planning board should remain elected. An appointed board, he says, would mean “less opportunity for diverse opinions, ideas, and concerns.”

    Stahl calls the Walsh property “a great opportunity for affordable housing,” but he has strongly opposed the Habitat for Humanity project at 181 Route 6, which the organization acquired in 2014. At one November 2020 meeting, Stahl made a formal request that the Truro Housing Authority not allow Habitat to develop the property. “It places the town at risk, and it places the abutter at risk,” Stahl says. “Affordable housing projects need to protect the occupants and the residents around it.

    “I am not against affordable housing in any way,” he adds. “I’d be very happy if the house next to mine was affordable housing. But I don’t want to see people hurt by it, and that’s what I see with the Habitat project.”

    Stahl will hold a meet-and-greet for voters at his home on Saturday, April 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. Voters may contact him at [email protected].

    Editor’s note: A previous version of this article, published in print on April 14, reported that Steve Stahl said it was the lawsuit over the Cloverleaf project that resulted in an improved wastewater treatment plan. In fact, Stahl says, he was referring to the activities of the Docs for Truro Safe Water. “Regarding the lawsuit,” he says, “I don’t know who filed it, I never read it, and I don’t know what was in it.”

    OLD EXIT 12

    Sherman Defeats Hastings in Brewster Vote

    School choice petition fails at Orleans town meeting

    By

    BREWSTER — Sarah Harlow Sherman won a one-year term on the Brewster School Committee in the May 25 town election by defeating Rheanna Hastings. The vote was 1,675 to 839.

    Cathryn B. Lonsdale and Richard Charles Draper, with 1,914 and 1,658 votes, respectively, were elected to the Nauset Regional School Committee (NRSC) over Dion C. Dugan, who got 736 votes.

    Hastings, the Independent reported on May 20, had at one point this spring been named Lower Cape team captain for the United Cape Patriots, a politically conservative group that was recruiting candidates for local school committees.

    Citizen petitions aimed at reducing school-choice out-of-district enrollment in the Nauset Regional Schools failed at both the May 15 Brewster town meeting, in a 144-75 vote, and at the May 25 Orleans town meeting, by a vote of 152 to 49.

    Both petitioned articles sought to reduce school-choice enrollment to 2 percent or less of the total student population and asked that Truro and Provincetown, which are not in the Nauset Regional School District but send many students to its schools, to pay a share of operating, capital, and debt service costs. The two towns are currently paying tuition of about $18,500 per student under an agreement that runs through the 2023-2024 school year.

    The articles’ proponents had argued that per-student costs far exceeded the approximately $5,800 per-student reimbursement from the state for out-of-district students other than those from Truro and Provincetown. They claimed that district taxpayers were subsidizing the program by more than $4 million a year.

    “The frustrating thing with numbers is that you really can make them say whatever you want to say,” said NRSC member Josh Stewart at the Orleans town meeting. “The committee has looked at the supposed costs of school choice every year. It’s determined that there is zero additional net cost to the schools. We are making money off of school choice, and we are providing a higher-quality educational program at the high school because of it.”

    He noted that the NRSC holds a public forum each spring on school choice and a vote on school choice is taken at every school. “A nonbinding referendum at a town meeting isn’t really the place to discuss this,” Stewart said. “So, we’d love to have more of you at our school committee meetings. Come, check out our numbers, talk to us. But this right here is not going to do anything productive for our schools.”

    YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

    Young People’s Participation in Politics Is Growing

    Allowing 16-year-olds to vote in town elections could boost engagement

    By

    The day Nauset High senior Garrison Guzzeau went to take his driver’s test, he left the Registry of Motor Vehicles with both his license and his completed voter preregistration, so he will automatically be able to vote when he turns 18 later this year. In this way, Massachusetts makes it easy for young people to pre-register as soon as they turn 16.

    Not everyone Garrison’s age is as tuned in as he is to the importance of politics and voting, but young people’s mindsets could change with the passing of the Empower Act. The bill, which was introduced in the Massachusetts legislature by Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro and Rep. Dylan Fernandes of Falmouth, would allow individual towns to decide if 16- and 17-year-olds would be allowed to vote in town elections. It is currently awaiting action by the Joint Committee on Election Laws. Provincetown’s Rep. Sarah Peake is a supporter. “Local elections are a good way to get into the habit of voting,” she said, “as you continue to make that effort throughout your lifetime.”

    If Peake is correct, passage of the Empower Act could affect the outcome not just of local elections but also county and statewide ballots. Young people typically do not vote in large numbers compared with older citizens. But when they see government actions having a direct effect on their own lives, they are more likely to become engaged. Allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for members of select boards and school committees, whose decisions often have such direct effects on young people, could produce that kind of civic engagement.

    “It’s easy to get involved with things that the select board does,” said Guzzeau, who lives in Orleans, “because the towns out here are only a few thousand people.”

    There is also emerging evidence that young people are paying closer attention to politics with the approach of this November’s presidential election.

    A recent poll conducted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University’s Tisch College found that 83 percent of the 2,232 subjects, who ranged in age from 18 to 24, believe that they have the power to change the country. Among those polled, 27 percent had been to a political march or demonstration, compared with 16 percent in a similarly timed poll in 2018; 50 percent of the subjects had tried to persuade others to vote this year, compared with 33 percent in 2018. Two years ago, 6 percent had participated in a political campaign; that number tripled to 18 percent in 2020. Though the Covid-19 pandemic is making civic action more difficult in some ways, the research suggests that young people are giving political participation higher priority.

    “Young people care about the same issues as old people,” said Nancy Thomas, the director of Tisch College’s Initiative for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE). These include the job market, the economy, and their own financial stability. Both the CIRCLE poll and interviews with students, however, show that they are deeply concerned about climate change, racial equity, and education.

    On the Outer Cape, the renovation of the decaying Nauset Regional High School in Eastham has emerged as a topic of debate. Each of the four towns in the Nauset district must approve the expenditure of about $130 million in all for the project, with the state expected to contribute about $30 million of that. Brewster taxpayers would have to pick up the largest share, because that town accounts for the largest percentage of students. But Brewster voters tend to be more conservative than those in the other three towns. (Donald Trump got 36 percent of the votes in Brewster in 2016, compared with 34 percent in Orleans, 33 percent in Eastham, and 23 percent in Wellfleet.)

    “It makes sense for young people to be interested in this, because they’re the ones being educated,” said Guzzeau. “But it’s not a classic thing that young people mobilize for. They really want to make sure that their voice is heard at town meetings and to make sure people understand what they want for their school.”

    Alison Bellarosa of Brewster has a different take on what’s important: empowering women and putting them in positions of power. Her interest in politics was sparked during the leadup to the 2016 election, when she was a senior at Nauset High and then a freshman at Emerson College in Boston.

    “I saw Hillary Clinton as a potential female president and I got really excited at the prospect,” Bellarosa said. This year, she supported Elizabeth Warren. “She encompassed a lot of the qualities that I was looking for, such as a commitment to climate change, and a commitment to protecting women’s rights over their bodies,” she said. “Prison reform has been really important to me, especially as of late with people deciding where we’re putting our money.”

    Tisch’s Thomas noted, “Like most Americans, students really care about presidential elections. I’ve also seen a lot of action on college campuses around contentious local races. These students want their vote to count. Out-of-state students are more likely to register in the place where their vote will have the most impact.” Bellarosa agreed, noting the increased attention that she paid to the Democratic primaries compared to other years.

    Sometimes, it can be hard for students who have moved away from home to feel invested in local politics either where they grew up or where they went to college. Bellarosa, who was living in Brighton before the pandemic, explained, “I’m not that invested in Brewster politics. And I didn’t really have a pulse on what the Brighton community needed. So, I felt like I couldn’t vote there. I’m a college kid. Moving into their town and telling them how they should run it was just not for me.” As a result, she is putting more time into learning about the presidential race.

    Nancy Thomas says young people need to understand that civic engagement is not just about presidential elections, but about the daily life of communities. “This work is year-round,” she said. “The worst things that campuses can do is treat elections as an event. It’s one of many opportunities to participate in the democratic process.”

    ELECTION

    Truro Turns Down New Firefighters

    New ambulance passes, but DPW truck purchase fails

    By

    TRURO — Voters said no to hiring four new firefighter-paramedics and purchasing a heavy-duty tractor trailer for the DPW at the June 30 town election.

    Only 469 or 24 percent of the 1,929 registered voters participated in the election, with 214 voting by mail, according to Susan Joseph, the temporary assistant town clerk.

    The vote on excluding the expenditure of $170,000 for a new tractor trailer from Proposition 2½ limits was 205 yes and 259 no. By a similar margin, 209 to 257, they rejected a Prop 2½ exclusion of $351,904 to hire four new firefighters.

    The voters, however, did say yes by a vote of 255 to 187 to buy a new ambulance for $325,000. They must also approve this ballot question at the Sept. 15 town meeting.

    The Truro Fire Chief Tim Collins and the select board favored the hiring of four new firefighters, which would add one person to each shift in a 24-hour period, bringing the staffing level from two firefighters to three per shift.

    There were no contested races for town positions. Stephanie Rein got re-elected to the select board. Kolby Jackson Blehm is on the school committee. Monica Kraft was re-elected moderator. Martha Magane and Margaret Royka are library trustees and Marilyn Adams was re-elected to the cemetery commission. John Riemer and Paul Kiernan were re-elected to the planning board and Elizabeth Gallo is on the housing authority.— K.C. Myers

    currents

    This Week in Wellfleet

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to wellfleet-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for instructions on how to participate.

    Thursday, June 25

    • Natural Resources Advisory Board, 4 p.m.

    Tuesday, June 30

    • Nauset Regional High School Building Committee, 10:30 a.m.

    Wednesday, July 1

    • Herring River Executive Council, 3 p.m.
    • Conservation Commission, 4 p.m.

    Thursday, July 2

    • Housing Authority, 10 a.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of June 22, Wellfleet had zero active cases, six cleared cases, and one death as a result of the coronavirus.

    New Chair, Vice Chair, and Clerk

    Mike DeVasto is Wellfleet’s new select board chair. Former Chair Janet Reinhart took over departed member Kathleen Bacon’s role as vice chair, and new member Ryan Curley will be the clerk. The three positions were set at Tuesday’s select board meeting, all passing with a 4-0 vote, with Curley abstaining.

    Town Administrator Extends Contract

    Wellfleet Town Administrator Dan Hoort offered to stay on the job until July 31. He had originally planned to retire June 30. With his successor, Maria Broadbent, possibly not able to start until Sept. 3, according to select board vice chair Janet Reinhart, Hoort decided to extend his tenure. In the interim between Hoort’s departure and Broadbent’s arrival, Hoort proposed the idea of having current Assistant Town Administrator Mike Trovato hold the position.

    July Budget Approval

    The select board unanimously approved the town’s $3,518,822 operating budget for July at Tuesday’s meeting. Because the town won’t be able to vote on a budget for fiscal 2021 until town meeting in October, the select board will vote monthly on a budget. The July budget is particularly high, according to Town Administrator Dan Hoort, because July is when the town pays for liability and workers compensation insurance.

    The Fun Begins

    Wellfleet’s recreation dept. has opened the playground, skate park, basketball and tennis courts, and baseball and soccer fields. The rec staff have also moved back into their offices at Baker’s Field, 10 at a time, observing social distancing, according to Director Becky Rosenberg. Contact sports are prohibited, and active supervision of children is required. Rosenberg recommends that people bring their own full water bottles, as the water filler station will not be in operation. —Devin Sean Martin

     

    currents

    This Week in Eastham

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held remotely. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Monday, June 29

    • Eastham 400 Commemorative Committee, 10:30 a.m.
    • Select Board, 5:30 p.m.

    Tuesday, June 30

    • Nauset High School Building Committee, 10:30 a.m.
    • Tee Time Development Committee, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of June 22, the number of active cases in Eastham was 10. The number of cases has remained at 10 since June 4.

    The Results Are In

    It took longer than expected but town election was held on June 23 and the results are in.

    Judy Lindahl and write-in candidate Ben Niggel won the two available seats on the Eastham Elementary School Committee, receiving 956 and 102 votes respectively.

    Scott Kerry will be the town’s new moderator after running uncontested and receiving 989 votes; Cindy Nicholson will remain as town clerk after receiving 983 votes.

    Aimée Eckman will remain chair of the select board, as she received 929 votes, and Art Autorino will become the newest member of the board with 907 votes.

    Mary Shaw and Ignatious Alfano will remain on the board of library trustees after receiving 973 and 951 votes respectively.

    Town Clerk Cindy Nicholson said a total of 1,043 people voted, including 907 early voter ballots and 30 absentee ballots.

    Niggel, who is the son of Willy’s Gym owner Barbara Niggel, is a student at Harvard University and the latest example of younger members joining boards and committees.

    The last time there was a contested race for the select board was in 2017, when Eckman and Martin McDonald beat Linda Burt and Al Cestaro for the two open seats.

    But in 2018 Jamie Rivers was uncontested and Al Cestaro won a special election to fill former select board member John Knight’s seat.

    In 2019 Cestaro and Jared Collins were uncontested.

    Eckman, Cestaro, Rivers, and Collins all represent a trend uncommon among boards and committees on the Outer Cape — they are comparatively young. Lauren Barker, CEO of Cape Cod Young Professionals, joined the town’s planning board in 2019 and now serves as vice chair.

    “I think it kind of started with the water issue,” Eckman told the Independent. She referred to the town water project that was finally approved at town meeting in 2014 after seven previous attempts had failed.

    “I think they really saw that they could make a difference.”

    The town has worked to make sure meetings are held at reasonable times. The board used to meet both on Mondays at 5 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. but has removed the Wednesday meetings from its calendar.

    Eastham is the only Outer Cape town with a standing search committee. Committee members keep an eye on openings, solicit potential members, review applications, interview candidates with a select board member and the chair of the relevant committee, and make a recommendation to the board.

    In the last year the select board has also worked to update all of the town committee and board charges.

    “We’ve tried to work with chairs of every board to come up with clear and short explanations of what these boards do,” Eckman said. “That’s opened the eyes of a lot of people.”

    —Ryan Fitzgerald

    currents

    This Week in Wellfleet

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Go to wellfleet-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for instructions on how to participate.

    Friday, June 19

    • Wellfleet COVID-19 Needs Response Task Force Community Calls, 10 a.m.

    Tuesday, June 23

    • Select Board with Emergency Management Team: Covid-19 Updates, 10 a.m.
    • Select Board, 7 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of June 15, Wellfleet had two active cases, four cleared cases, and one death as a result of the coronavirus.

    Election Results

    In Wellfleet’s 2020 town election on June 15, five incumbent candidates were re-elected, and three new faces will appear on boards.

    Ryan Curley will join the select board; he received 232 votes. He replaces Kathleen Bacon. Andrew Freeman and Robin Robinson are the new library trustees, with 274 and 276 votes, respectively.

    The incumbents re-elected include Dan Silverman as moderator, Martha Gordon to the Wellfleet School Committee, Christopher Easley to the Nauset Regional School Committee, Nancy Vail as Cemetery Commissioner, and Gary Sorkin to the Housing Authority.

    Question One on the election ballot, which asked if the town government should work with state legislators and Gov. Charlie Baker to ensure that spent nuclear fuel at Pilgrim nuclear power station is secured in better quality casks and hardened onsite, and spent fuel and casks are protected with heightened security, received 283 yes and 21 no votes.

    Question Two, a nonbinding referendum, asks the town government to fund a universal child care voucher program up to $400,000 annually and to direct state legislators to support Wellfleet in their pursuit of universal children’s education. It received 249 yes votes and 59 no votes.

    In 2015, the voters elected to spend up to $100,000 a year to provide vouchers for Wellfleet preschoolers.

    Beach Fire Permits

    Beach Administrator Suzanne Grout Thomas is investigating ways to allow beach bonfire permits, which are currently banned to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Grout Thomas said that the required paperwork to apply for a permit, which must prove the applicant is a resident or nonresident taxpayer or staying in Wellfleet, is “too cumbersome” to process online. She said she hopes to find a solution by July 1. During Tuesday morning’s select board meeting, member Michael DeVasto said that deciding on a permitting process sooner than later is a priority, because “not allowing beach fires will probably result in unpermitted beach fires.”

    Outdoor Seating Galore

    The Fox and Crow, Mac’s Shack, the Beachcomber, VR’s, C Shore, the Wicked Oyster, Ceraldi’s, the Pearl, and Herrigan’s Cafe have all been granted an amendment to their liquor licenses from the select board that will allow them to serve alcohol in their parking lots and other areas around their properties. The restaurants will be allowed to begin serving once the fire dept. concludes an on-site visit to each property and confirms that the outdoor seating arrangement aligns with the restaurant’s application to the select board and complies with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission’s requirements.

    No Vacationers at Lecounts

    The Lecount Hollow Beach parking lot will be open to residents and nonresident taxpayers only through Labor Day. The restriction passed unanimously at Tuesday morning’s select board meeting after member Michael DeVasto proposed the idea. “If we are really busy and we have access issues, I think with Covid-19 and the sort of stress that local residents and taxpayers are under, we owe them the access to that resource,” DeVasto said. Beach Administrator Suzanne Grout Thomas supported the idea, emphasizing the need for busy working people of Wellfleet to have a beach to enjoy without worrying about vacationers. —Devin Sean Martin

    Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article quoted Michael DeVasto incorrectly on the Lecount Hollow restriction.

     

    currents

    This Week in Eastham

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, June 18

    • Affordable Housing Trust, 11 a.m.

    Tuesday, June 23

    • Town Election, noon to 6 p.m.

    Wednesday, June 24

    • Low-lying Roads Presentation, 6 p.m.

    Thursday, June 25

    • Board of Health, 3 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Election Day Almost Here

    If you haven’t already voted in the town election, you’re welcome to drop by town hall between noon and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23 and do so. Social distancing will be observed and face coverings required (for staff) and highly encouraged (for voters). Voters will be greeted outside town hall and given a complimentary voting pen and gloves and offered a mask if they’re not wearing one. Only six voters will be allowed in the polling place at one time.

    There’s not much to decide as all incumbents — Aimée Eckman (select board), Cynthia Nicholson (town clerk), Judy Lindahl (elementary school committee), and Mary Shaw and Al Alfano (library trustees) — are unopposed. Scott Kerry is running unopposed to succeed Steve Cole as moderator, and Art Autorino has no challengers for the select board seat being vacated by Martin McDonald. There’s one wild card: a write-in vote for the second elementary school committee post.

    The ballot includes an invitation to instruct town officials to ask the governor and legislature to  ensure that storage and security for spent fuel at the decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant is improved.

    No Hiccups Expected

    As of our press time, the select board was planning to hold an unusual Wednesday meeting on June 17 to approve expansion of alcohol licenses for outdoor seating as allowed under Gov. Baker’s pandemic guidelines. Those applying included Red Barn Pizza, Local Break, BrickHouse Restaurant, Mac’s Seafood, and the Orleans-Eastham Elks Lodge.  —Ed Maroney

    And Now for Something Completely Different

    A family-friendly music and comedy show featuring parody songs and jokes by Dave Maloof can be enjoyed virtually from June 20 through 26. Maloof sings and plays the piano and ukulele in “Funny Words, Funny Music,” which will be shown multiple times on Lower Cape TV (go to lowercapetv.org or MusicPlusComedy.com/eastham-show-2020 for times).

    This production of the Eastham Public Library, the Eastham Senior Center, and Lower Cape TV is supported in part by the Eastham Cultural Council, a local agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. —Ryan Fitzgerald

    CURRENTS

    This Week in Truro

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held remotely. To watch live, go to truro-ma.gov.

    Thursday, June 11

    • School Committee, 5:15 p.m.

    Tuesday, June 16

    • Cemetery Commission, 10 a.m.
    • Board of Health, 4:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, June 17

    • Planning Board, 6 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of June 9 there were zero active cases in Truro and 10 resolved cases.

    New Town Manager Salary

    The select board June 9 voted to advertise the position of town manager for the smallest town on the Cape at $160,000, which is negotiable and dependent on experience, said Bernard Lynch, of Paradigm Associates, the consultant hired by the town to help with the search for a new municipal leader.

    Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer earns $140,000 currently. She is scheduled to retire in September. The select board will begin advertising for her replacement this week, with applications due July 6.

    Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly gave the advertised salary for the town manager as $145,000.

    Annual Town Election June 30

    In yet another tricky situation created by coronavirus, the town meeting is delayed until Sept. 15, but the town election will go forward on June 30. Three questions on the election ballot are all overrides or debt exclusions from the limits of Proposition 2½. These questions must be voted on at town meeting as well as at the ballot box in order to be approved.

    Usually town meeting is a good time for voters to learn about such costly projects before deciding whether to support them.

    This year, however, the election precedes town meeting. The select board members agreed June 9 to try to publicize the questions before the election. But voters will still need to vote favorably again at town meeting on Sept. 15 in order for the spending to receive final approval.

    The first ballot question, to buy a $170,000 heavy duty tractor trailer for the Dept. of Public Works, is needed to replace three aging trucks, said Jarrod Cabral, the DPW director.

    The second is to raise $350,000 for a new ambulance to replace a 2001 ambulance. Both of these are one-time expenses that would raise the tax rate for a single year.

    The third, however, would mean a permanent increase. Voters will be asked to raise $351,904 for the addition of four full-time firefighter/paramedics. Jan Worthington, the select board chair, said these new hires would be “an insurance policy” to provide a rescue squad if Lower Cape Ambulance “goes down,” she said.

    Provincetown Fire Chief Michael Trovato has said he wants to cancel Provincetown’s relationship with the regional ambulance service created in the 1930s. This would effectively make both towns hire full-time rescue squads. Though the cord with Lower Cape Ambulance has not been severed yet, Worthington said, “I think the future is that we will be on our own.”

    “We need to be prepared,” Palmer said.

    Four new firefighter/paramedics would increase staffing on all shifts from two to three people.

    Worthington said the select board will try to talk about the ballot questions frequently leading up to the election to educate the public. —K.C. Myers

    currents

    This Week in Eastham

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, June 11

    • Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m.

    Saturday, June 13

    • Library Board of Trustees, 9 a.m.

    Monday, June 15

    • Elementary School Committee, 5:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, June 17

    • Planning Board, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Upgrade for Seashore Septic

    A design bid invitation is out for improvements to the septic system that services the Salt Pond Visitor Center at the Cape Cod National Seashore, the town’s director of health and environment reported.

    “This is a milestone,” Jane Crowley told the board of health last month. “We’ve been working with them and hoping for that.”

    The upgrade will provide “secondary and almost tertiary treatment,” she said, “really improving the effluent discharge before it gets into the groundwater. They hope to have the project in construction phase in the fall.”

    Meanwhile, plans to address stormwater runoff from a Route 6 outfall and an area behind the elementary school are moving forward to the 10-percent design phase, with plans for a public meeting in the next few months.

    “We’re looking at green infrastructure for both systems,” Crowley said. “We hope to implement this within the calendar year.”

    Revenue Report Is Positive

    During the pandemic, town employees “have been working the whole time,” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe told the select board last month. “They’ve been doing inspections, handing out permits, doing everything you’d normally do, except for a couple of items.”

    The result was an “excellent” revenue report for April, said Beebe, who also thanked “everyone for paying taxes. Tax revenues are where they should be.”

    And Speaking of Revenue…

    It’s time to secure a beach sticker. Go to eastham-ma.gov/home/news/beach-sticker-information-2020 for details and forms.

    Don’t look for beach floats in the water this month. The popular platforms could be back later this summer if social distancing seems to be working.

    Taps Tribute

    The annual Memorial Day march of Eastham Elementary School fifth graders to Evergreen Cemetery couldn’t happen this year, but that didn’t stop class members Daniel Handville and Mason Smith from playing “Taps” on the Windmill Green under the direction of music teacher Chuck Hollander-Essig. Their tribute can be viewed on the town’s Facebook page. —Ed Maroney

    Kindness, Recognized

    Eastham resident and Nauset Regional High School sophomore Wyatt Falk received an award from Sharing Kindness. This local nonprofit raises suicide awareness and provides grief support especially for youth. It was founded in honor of Jeremy Walters, 16, of Orleans, who died by suicide in 2016 while a student at Nauset.

    This year, Sharing Kindness recognizes students who have been observed throughout the year performing acts of kindness, generosity, and support to others, without seeking attention for their actions, according to Lisa Goodrich of Sharing Kindness. Each student so recognized receives $500.

    Falk was nominated by his teacher, Addison Weeks, who wrote: “Wyatt has an upbeat and enthusiastic personality. His eagerness to work with any of his peers is heartwarming to witness.”

    Hundreds Have Voted Already

    Town Clerk Cindy Nicholson told the select board on June 8 that the town has sent out more than 4,000 applications and more than 850 ballots for the June 23 town election. At that point 272 ballots had been returned.

    Early voting is being encouraged so that fewer people will come to town hall on June 23 to vote in person from noon to 6 p.m. On Monday, Nicholson told the select board that there will be sneeze guards and facial shields between ballot boxes. The town will reduce staffing on Election Day and have masks and hand sanitizer available outside the building.

    When voters arrive, Nicholson said, they’ll be shown how to enter the building. She’s considering allowing a maximum of six at a time inside.

    Also Monday, the board set Sept. 21 as the date for the annual town meeting and welcomed Rich Bienvenue, the new finance director and assistant town administrator.

    They’ll Serve Again

    The select board reappointed a number of committee members on June 8, including Carolyn McPherson to the affordable housing trust; Joanna Buffington, Denise Kopasz, and Dave Hobbs to the board of assessors; Sylvia Sullivan to the board of cemetery commissioners; Adele Blong to the board of health, Beverly Hobbs and Kopasz to the cable television license renewal advisory committee; and Karen Strauss and Charles Wagner to the conservation commission.

    Also, Richard Ramon and Lucile Cashin to the council on aging board of directors; Brian LaValley to the cultural council; Thomas Gardner to the finance committee; Henry Lind and Janet Benjamins to the forest advisory committee; Kate Berg, Dilys Smith, and Felice Coral to the human services advisory committee; Frances Lewis and Buffington to the open space committee; and Robert Bruns to the zoning board of appeals. —Ryan Fitzgerald

    TOWN ELECTIONS

    Get Your Voting Done Early

    Voter registration and absentee and early voting deadlines are near

    By

    All citizens are encouraged to vote by mail this year. To do that, however, a registered voter must fill out and mail in an absentee or early voting application, and then have a ballot mailed to them.

    Town halls are now closed, and may still be closed even at election time. So those who want absentee ballots must mail in applications far enough in advance for the town clerk to respond in time. (You can also fax or email the ballots to save time. See instructions for each town below.)

    Absentee and early voting are technically different, but this year that distinction is not so important. If you are not already registered to vote, you need to do that first. The state has changed the rules during the pandemic to allow extra time to register. But there are still deadlines, and they are soon. For example, the deadline for registering for the Wellfleet town election on June 15 is Friday, June 5.

    People with any form of I.D. from the Mass. Registry of Motor Vehicles can register to vote online at www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr.

    PROVINCETOWN

    • Annual Town Election: Tuesday, June 30
    • Voter Registration Deadline: Friday, June 19
    • Absentee/early voting: Absentee ballot applications may be addressed to the town clerk at 260 Commercial St., Provincetown MA 02657, or faxed to (508) 487-9560. Allow ample mailing time for the ballot application and the ballot itself. You can hand-deliver your actual ballot to the clerk’s office, or you can mail it, but it must be received by the town clerk’s office by the time polls close on election day to be counted.

    TRURO

    • Annual Town Election: Tuesday, June 30
    • Voter Registration Deadline: Friday, June 19
    • Absentee/early voting: Completed and signed applications can be mailed, faxed, emailed (must include a scan with a signature), or (if town hall is open by then) dropped off in person to: Truro Clerk’s Office, 24 Town Hall Rd., P.O. Box 2012, Truro MA 02666-2012; Fax: (508) 349-5505; Email: [email protected].Ballots must be returned by election day.

    WELLFLEET

    • Annual Town Election: Monday, June 15
    • Voter registration deadline: Friday, June 5
    • Absentee/early voting: To submit an application to vote by mail, print out an application, fill it out, sign it, and mail to Town Clerk, 300 Main St., Wellfleet MA 02667, or you may email it to[email protected]. You may also drop it at town hall in the drop box at the back door by the tax collector’s office. A ballot will be mailed to you, or if you email the town clerk, she will put one out in the drop box for you. Ballots must be returned by end of voting on June 15 at 7 p.m.

    EASTHAM

    • Annual Town Election: Tuesday, June 23
    • Voter Registration Deadline: Friday, June 12
    • Absentee/early voting: By mail, Eastham Town Clerk, 2500 State Hwy., Eastham, MA 02642. One can email the absentee ballot application or an early voting ballot application to [email protected]. Ballots must be returned by 6 p.m. on election day. If you have questions regarding absentee or early voting, or elections in general, call (774) 801-3225.

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    Meetings Ahead

    Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on the meeting agenda for information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, June 4

    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.

    Tuesday, June 9

    • Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.

    Wednesday, June 10

    • Board of Cemetery Commissioners, 10 a.m.
    • Finance Committee, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Covid-19 Update

    As of June 1, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Eastham was 10.

    Chief Expresses Sympathy, Promises Respect

    In a Facebook post, Police Chief Adam Bohannon offered his prayers “for peace and justice — for George Floyd, his family, friends, and the entire city of Minneapolis.” He wrote that the “actions of several Minneapolis police officers,” which led to Floyd’s death, “have again tarnished the badge that most police officers work so hard to hold to a high standard.” Bohannon promised that his department “is committed to treating everyone, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other background, with the utmost respect, fairness and civility.”

    Big Turnout for Uncontested Election

    Although there are no races for offices at the June 23 town election, more than 443 applications for mail-in ballots have been returned to the town clerk. “I think we’re going to have the highest turnout ever for an uncontested election,” select board chair Eckman said Monday. The polls will be open for in-person voting on June 23, but the town is encouraging citizens to cast their ballots via mail.

    Experience Counts

    With planning board chairman Art Autorino joining the select board after the June 23 election, Craig Nightingale agreed to serve an additional special term. Former chairman Dan Coppelman also said yes to a return engagement. Both were appointed to three-year terms Monday. William Craig, who previously served on the South Burlington, Vt., planning commission, was named an alternate.

    With the resignation of David Schropfer, the town’s member of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board, the select board appointed Roz Diamond to the post. Her experience includes work for the New York City Dept. of Transportation and New Jersey Transit’s planning department. —Ed Maroney

    Select Board Takes Interest in Teardowns

    Prior to the planning board’s May 20 review of three teardown and rebuild projects, select board member Jamie Rivers read a statement from her board about the demolition of old houses, construction of larger houses and merging of lots. “It is the belief of the select board that several of these proposed building projects and projects in the not distant past do not line up with the content of the strategic plan,” Rivers said.

    The town’s five-year strategic plan includes efforts to offer financially attainable housing for people of all ages, supporting development that is appropriately located and scaled, and to improve conditions of existing properties that are deteriorating.

    “When we tear down affordable homes on sensible sized lots and approve merging of properties to build homes that are not in line with the current community character, we restrict access and affordability of housing,” Rivers said.

    Planning board chair Art Autorino said “Unless you are going to come up with a bylaw that limits the size of the building you can put on a piece of property —it’s difficult for us to say, ‘That house is too big.’ ” —Ryan Fitzgerald

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    Meetings Ahead

    While town hall is closed to the public, meetings are being conducted remotely. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, May 21

    • Affordable Housing Trust, 11 a.m.

    Tuesday, May 26

    • Conservation Commission site visits, 8:15 a.m.
    • Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.

    Thursday, May 28

    • Board of Health, 3 p.m.
    • Joint School Committee, 6 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    No June Annual Town Meeting

    Rather than gamble on conditions being right for a June gathering, the select board agreed Monday with Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe that the annual town meeting should take place in the fall.

    Beebe said plans to address the Nauset Regional High School building project in the fall — possibly on Sept. 21 or 28 — rather than the spring “was what really committed us to the fall. Do we really need two town meetings in a time when we’re already totally challenged? Any day in September or October is fine as long as we can take a vote [on the project] at the ballot box at the November election.”

    The state is allowing towns that decide against a June meeting to spend 1/12 of their current fiscal year’s budget on a month-to-month basis after the fiscal year ends June 30, until town meeting is held.

    The town election is still on for June 23, with polls open from noon to 6 p.m. Applications for mail-in ballots are going out to all households in hopes of avoiding a crush at the ballot box.

    Aquaculture License Revoked

    With shellfishing members Al Cestaro and Jared Collins recusing themselves, the three remaining select board members voted unanimously Monday to revoke the aquaculture license of Nathan Davis and suspend his commercial shellfish permit and that of David Howe.

    Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe said complaints were made that soft-shell clams had been placed on Davis’s new grant, and that an investigation by the shellfish constable and the state environmental police confirmed the allegations.

    “An entire shellfish aquaculture community could be damaged by placement of product from another source,” Beebe said. “It’s one of the most fundamental rules of aquaculture.”

    The town administrator read a communication from Davis, who said he had been unable to take the day off given that “the fishing industry is very unstable,” but hoped “to appear before a non-biased arbitrator” and “clear my name of false allegations.”

    “A lot of people out there are doing things correctly,” board chair Aimée Eckman said. “If all their grants get contaminated, shame on us if we don’t step in to stop this kind of behavior.

    Rock Harbor Improvements

    The Rock Harbor parking and ramp project may be completed as soon as mid-July, harbormaster Scott Richards told the select board Monday. “Everything has to be fabricated,” he said. “Companies for fabrication were furloughed” because of the pandemic but will now be able to get back to work.

    The town has three commercial slips on the Orleans side of the harbor, and the fire dept.’s boat “will go in this weekend,” the harbormaster said, next to the historic Coast Guard rescue boat’s spot. —Ed Maroney

    It’s OK to Play on Field of Dreams

    Eastham Recreation is keeping the basketball and pickleball courts at the Field of Dreams open, Director Christine Mickle told the recreation commission May 13. They’ll be available, she said, as long as people abide by social distancing guidelines.

    The courts and playground were built with $500,000 in community preservation funds, approved in 2016. In 2018, $71,000 was added for phase two: new dugouts at the baseball/softball fields, landscaping and rock removal, and a 10-foot protective fence along the walkway. Rec committee chair Ed Casarella said Cape Cod Tech had won the bid for construction, but the pandemic has disrupted scheduling.

    The commission has an article in this year’s town meeting warrant to tap $375,000 in community preservation funds for playground improvements at Wiley Park. “I don’t envision any problem of the article going through, but we have to wait for town meeting,” Casarella said.

    Although summer recreation camp was approved for seven weeks at the high school, Mickle wasn’t sure it will happen. She said the department’s seasonal hires are on hold, and she couldn’t say when the beach sticker office will open. Ordinarily, stickers aren’t required for town bay beaches and ponds until June 20. —Ryan Fitzgerald

     

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    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are being conducted remotely. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, May 14

    • Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m.

    Monday, May 18

    • Eastham 400 Commemoration Committee, 10:30 a.m.
    • Elementary School Committee, 5:30 p.m.
    • Select Board, 5:30 p.m.

    Tuesday, May 19

    • T-Time Committee, 5 p.m.

    Wednesday, May 20

    • Planning Board, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Historical Society Cancels Season

    Based on “a concern for the health and safety of our volunteers and many seasonal visitors,” the   Eastham Historical Society will not open its museums for the 2020 season. It has had to cancel its popular annual Plant and White Elephant Sale as well. Some events scheduled for this year may take place remotely; check easthamhistoricalsociety.org for updates.

    Eastham Public Radio?

    Select board chair Aimee Eckman and Supt. of Public Works and Natural Resources Silvio Genao had such fun hosting last week’s live vessel storage lottery that they’re thinking about a regular “radio” show about the town. “We’d love to broadcast from the library, just like Boston Public Radio,” Eckman told the library trustees at their meeting Saturday.

    Teardowns on Planning Agenda

    Three property owners will seek the planning board’s approval May 20 to tear down existing buildings and put up new homes.

    Jeffrey and Mary McAleney want to raze three residential dwellings and a garage at 885 Doane Road Rear and build one new house and an accessory guest house/garage. Building Commissioner Thomas Wingard found that the project exceeds zoning limits as a site coverage expansion of more than 200 feet (from 4,283 square feet to 6,819 square feet).

    At 35 and 45 Bay Shore Lane, Jesse and Claire Johnson plan to demolish a house at No. 45 and combine two buildable lots to put up a new home. Total site coverage for the combined lots would rise from 5,120 square feet to 7,941 square feet; review is required when lots of 20,000 square feet or more are proposed for site coverage greater than 3,000 square feet.

    Elaine Bonoma seeks to tear down the house at 1 Nycoma Way and build a new dwelling and garage with an increase in site coverage that will trigger a planning board review as above.

    A Wiley Approach to Parking

    Dirt parking areas leading into lots at Wiley Park and Boat Meadow will be reserved for Eastham taxpayer or visitor beach sticker holders this summer, the select board decided last week. In a memo, Recreation Director Christine Mickle said out of town cars bring many dog-walkers to Wiley Park and pull-off parkers at Boat Meadow are would make it difficult for a fire truck to get by them in an emergency.” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe noted the out-of-town parkers are “mostly from Orleans, not from Canada.”

    Regional Planning for the New Normal

    Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe serves on several regional groups that are coordinating how Cape communities will roll out services once the state of emergency is lifted. One was brought together by Cape Cod National Seashore Supt. Brian Carlstrom to talk about beaches. Another includes town administrators, town managers, and health agents from Provincetown to Brewster. A third group being formed at the invitation of the Truro Select Board would include three representatives — select board chairs, one other member, and town administrator/managers from Provincetown to Orleans and perhaps Brewster and Chatham.

    Get Your June 23 Ballot Early

    Polls will be open from noon to 6 p.m. at town hall for the June 23 annual town election, but please don’t plan to come by. If you do, social distancing will be maintained and there will be barriers to separate voters and workers, but your best option is voting early by mail.

    Early voting applications to receive a ballot by mail will be sent to all registered voters in the next few weeks. If you can’t wait, the form is available on the town’s website.

    If you’re not registered, the last day to do so before the June 23 election is June 12. Go to eastham-ma.gov/town-clerk for more information. —Ed Maroney

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    Meetings Ahead

    Town Hall is closed to the public. Meetings are being conducted remotely. Go to eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16 and click on a particular meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, May 7

    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.

    Saturday, May 9

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

    Tuesday, May 12

    • Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.

    Wednesday, May 13

    • Recreation Commission, 3 p.m.
    • Finance Committee, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Roundabout Discussion of T-Time

    The T-Time Development Committee, which is expected to think outside the box about the town-owned property at 4790 State Highway, heard one such thought from Town Planner Paul Lagg when members met online April 28.

    With left turns into and out of the property a potential headache, Lagg suggested building a roundabout to channel traffic in both directions. “I think the roundabout option on Route 6 alleviates the left-hand turn issue,” he said.

    The meeting featured updates from the community development, economic development, and infrastructure subcommittees, with the first two focused on uses such as a community-recreation center, a senior center, mixed-use housing, and co-working space. Nothing is off the table yet.

    Most of the conversation centered on traffic and access in and out of the site, a concern of the infrastructure subcommittee. Lagg was doubtful about using an access road for utilities at the rear of the property to connect to Brackett Road.

    “I think running a road along the power lines would be difficult,” he said, noting that it would be hard to work with Eversource on that.

    Another option would create a road to Brackett Road through adjoining properties. Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe said the town needs to come up with a plan and have a discussion with neighboring business owners, which Beebe said she hoped could be professionally facilitated either by the Cape Cod Commission or some other entity to bring the businesses together in a creative way. The result could be a new kind of “main street,” if all businesses in the area came to agreement.

    Town Meeting and Finances

    The select board has not set a date for town meeting. Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe’s Plan A was to hold a shortened annual meeting in June to deal with essential budget-related articles and then a special town meeting in October to vote on the rest, including the Nauset Regional School Committee building project. Plan B would be to hold one town meeting in October. Both plans would take advantage of the Presidential election on Nov. 3 to address ballot questions.

    The board has discussed two options for a June meeting: the 15th or the 29th. If it’s the former, that decision must be made by May 18.

    The town “is fortunate in some areas,” Beebe said, “because we did not plan to spend any of our short-term rental tax. A month ago when people [in other towns] started panicking over revenue because they were using it this year, let alone next year, we didn’t have to. Our revenues are fine. Property taxes are coming in fine. We’re still providing all normal inspectional services. The only thing we’re not taking money for right now is short-term rental applications,” but the town is processing them. In addition, revenue from residential beach stickers is healthy.

    Going with only a fall town meeting would mean delaying hiring for new positions until November or December and reduce expenses further.

    Boat Lottery Storage on TV Friday

    More than 170 applications were received in the town’s vessel storage lottery, and the winners will be drawn Friday at 10 a.m. with live coverage on Channel 18 and streaming video. “We’ll try to have as much fun with it as we can,” select board chair Aimee Eckman said May 4.

    Shellfish Areas Reopened

    The state has lifted shellfish taking closures, with the exception of blue mussels and Moon snails, for Nauset Harbor, Mill Pond, Town Cove, Nauset Marsh, and Salt Pond in Eastham and Orleans. The Div. of Marine Fisheries found that the level of biotoxins no longer exceeded standards.

    Beer and Wine OK’d for Mac’s

    The select board approved a beer and wine license last month for Mac’s Market and Kitchen at 4680 State Highway. The revised application confined consumption to on-premises; a plan to serve on the patio was withdrawn.

    While praising the information provided as “fantastic” and the application as “setting a standard,” select board member Jamie Rivers said “the board should look at the number of licenses and make sure the framework set for the town is in line with our perspective, that the maximum number is a fair number, but not too high or low. We may want to look at that next year.” —Ed Maroney

    Pandemic Planning

    A day after the board of health met and discussed issuing a mask-wearing advisory, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a statewide requirement that masks or other face coverings be worn, indoors and outdoors, whenever people are unable or choose not to maintain six feet of separation.

    At the board’s April 30 meeting, Health Agent Jane Crowley said her department was working on signage for town beaches. “Particularly for our beaches, we’re going to need some kind of social distancing sign,” she said. “The whole topic is really important to our town, and we are trying our best to be proactive.”

    The town’s beaches remain open to the public with no plan yet in place for the summer, Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe said via e-mail.

    Stewart Case Rescheduled

    A pretrial conference in the case against Bill Stewart, owner of Stewart’s Restaurant, has been rescheduled for July 7 in Orleans District Court. The conference was originally scheduled for May 4 but was postponed due to the state of emergency for Covid-19, according to court dockets.

    Stewart was accused by six women who were former employees at his restaurant of sexual harassment, but a magistrate hearing in 2019 found that charges could be brought by only one of the women. In April 2019, Stewart pleaded not guilty to charges of accosting a person of the opposite sex, threats to commit a crime, and assault and battery. —Ryan Fitzgerald

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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