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    currents

    This Week in Wellfleet

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    Meetings Ahead

    All meetings are held online. Go to Wellfleet’s town website and click on the individual meetings for instructions.

    Thursday, April 30

    • Town Administrator Screening Committee, 2 p.m.
    • Cape Cod Commission, Herring River Restoration Project Phase 1, 4:30 p.m. (for public access: org/ccc and click on “Join Virtual Hearing”; or call in to 929-205-6099 and enter meeting ID: 426 522 224.)

    Friday, May 1

    • Wellfleet Covid-19 Needs Response Task Force community call, 10 a.m.

    Tuesday, May 5

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

    Wednesday, May 6

    • Conservation Commission, 4 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    As of April 27, Wellfleet has one active case of Covid-19, four cleared cases, and one death as a result of the coronavirus.

    Cape Cod Commission Meeting

    The Cape Cod Commission will hold a hearing on Thursday, April 30, to discuss the first phase of the Herring River Restoration Project. This phase includes plans to re-introduce tidal flow to about 570 acres of coastal wetlands in Wellfleet. “The current dam is deteriorating and will eventually fail and cause the water to flow in an unplanned manner and cause much damage,” said Herring River Stakeholders Group member Moe Barocas in an email. “Doing nothing is not an option.”

    Town Meeting and Election Postponed

    Wellfleet’s annual town meeting will be postponed until Oct. 5. The select board agreed not to hold the meeting online or take votes by mail but, instead, to hope that large gatherings will be permitted by the fall. The annual town election will be postponed until June 15; citizens will be able to vote by mail.

    Fourth of July Parade Canceled 

    Wellfleet’s Fourth of July parade has been canceled by the select board. The motion passed unanimously at the April 28 meeting.

    Tax Deadline Delays

    The select board voted unanimously to move the deadline for applications for Wellfleet’s residential tax exemption to May 1, and the deadline for property tax payments to June 1.

    Social Distancing at the Beach

    You may not have to worry about overcrowded beaches this summer. Wellfleet staff are considering keeping public beaches at 25 to 40 percent capacity, though there have been no decisions yet on how to enforce such a limit, or how long it would be enforced, said Suzanne Grout Thomas, director of community services, Tuesday during a conference call.

    “At this point there are no final decisions on anything; we are looking for guidance from the Commonwealth,” she later told the Independent.

    Avoid Covid-19 Scams

    Wellfleet Police Chief Mike Hurley asks residents to be extra vigilant for Covid-19-related scams. Do not respond to suspicious texts or emails that appear to come from the government, ignore online offers for vaccinations or test kits, and hang up on virus-related robocalls, Hurley said. If you come across what you think might be a scam, file a police report.

    Amnesty Postponed

    The Wellfleet transfer station’s annual Amnesty Day, when residents can dispose of mattresses and other household goods for free, is postponed until the fall. An official date will be announced later, said Town Administrator Dan Hoort.

    Wifi Hotspots Coming Soon

    Wellfleet Library Director Jennifer Wertkin is in the process of purchasing Verizon wi-fi hotspots to give to residents with poor internet connection. She will announce when they are available. —Devin Sean Martin

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    This Week in Eastham

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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 meeting to read its agenda. That document will provide information on how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, April 30

    • Board of Health, 3 p.m.

    Monday, May 4

    • Select Board, 5:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, May 6

    • Community Preservation Act Committee, 5:30 p.m.

    Thursday, May 7

    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    June Town Meeting May Not Happen

    Gov. Charlie Baker’s extension of his stay-at-home advisory to May 18 has consequences for Eastham that may stretch much further into the year.

    That date is close to the deadline for sending the warrant for a proposed June 15 town meeting to the printer, said Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe. On April 28, she told the finance committee, “It’s not looking good for a town meeting before the end of the fiscal year.” She said she would confer with the select board about whether a June 29 meeting would be possible. The new date for the town election remains June 23.

    The biggest concern is setting the tax rate so bills can be drawn up. Estimated bills could be sent, “but then we would have to have a cascading way to deduct any overpayment from the spring bill,” Beebe said. And if tax bills don’t go out until November, the town might have to do some short-term borrowing to cover expenditures in the busy summer season.

    Beebe is working on a revised budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that reduces anticipated revenue by almost $1 million, with drops expected in state aid, new growth, and local receipts. The planned capital budget will be pared down, with some expenses moved to later years.

    The town is keeping track of all pandemic-related costs in hopes of reimbursement after the state of emergency is lifted, but Beebe cautioned that such payments can take a couple of years.

    The finance committee voted to support the high school building project 8 to 1, and by the same margin endorsed creation of an education, housing, and human services special purpose stabilization fund and funding for the family support package.

    Boat Storage Lottery Deadline Is Friday

    There’s still time to enter the town’s vessel storage lottery, which closes Friday, May 1, at 3 p.m. Go to eastham-ma.gov/harbors-landings/pages/vessel-storage-information for details and a link to the lottery form.

    “Last year was ridiculous,” select board chair Aimee Eckman said of the former first-come first-served policy. “I got there at quarter of seven and I was 20th in line.” When the office opened at 8, “there were 60 or 70 people in line. People were getting multiples for neighbors. I think this will be much better and we’ll still get all the revenue. I’m sure we’ll fill up, maybe even more.”

    T-Time Committee Plays Through

    The modular home you’ll see sitting on the T-Time property is not a statement from the development committee. The building’s one-night stand is a courtesy to a resident who will be taking delivery of her “forever home” and needs a place to park it overnight. “She waited a year to get it, and suddenly it’s here,” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebee told the select board Monday.

    Meanwhile, the T-Time Development Committee met Tuesday to hear progress reports from its community development, economic development, and infrastructure subcommittees. —Ed Maroney

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    This Week in Truro

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    Meetings Ahead

    From truro-ma.gov, click on “remote meeting information” on the lower left. The next page will prompt you to click again for a pdf document with instructions for viewing or listening to remote meetings. Where comments are invited, they must be sent before the meeting to be read at the meeting.

    No meetings posted for April 23 to April 30 as of the Independent’s deadline Tuesday.

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    As of April 21, there were two active cases and seven resolved coronavirus cases in Truro.

    Town Manager to Stay
    Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer has agreed to postpone her retirement until Sept. 30, 2020, in order to provide consistent leadership for the town through uncertain times. Before the coronavirus stay-at-home advisory, she had planned to retire in June. On April 21, the select board agreed to give her a raise for her extra time on the job, so she’ll be paid at an annual rate of $145,000 for the three months beyond her planned June 30 retirement, said Bob Weinstein of the select board. The board is advertising her position at $145,000. Palmer’s current annual salary is $140,000.
    The select board will interview and appoint the town manager screening committee by May 12. “We want to hire someone by September,” Weinstein said, adding that they hope to do the interviews in person.

    Town Meeting Set for June 23
    The select board has delayed the annual town meeting, originally scheduled for April 28, to June 23, in the hopes that by then people will feel OK about congregating. Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer advised the board on April 21 that some Cape towns are considering virtual town meetings or outdoor town meetings. She said virtual town meeting won’t be fair to those without reliable internet service. An outdoor town meeting or further postponement may be necessary, she added. The town election will be held on June 30.

    Tax Delay
    The Truro Select Board voted unanimously on April 14 to extend the due date for 2020 second half real and personal property tax bills and for applications for property tax exemptions to June 1, 2020, to provide some relief to residents during the Covid-19 public health emergency. Tax payments would have been due on May 1. —K.C. Myers

     

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    This Week in Wellfleet

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    Meetings Ahead

    From wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar, click on the meeting you’re interested in to open its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, April 23

    • Town Administrator Screening Committee, 2 p.m.
    • Local Housing Partnership, 4 p.m.

    Tuesday, April 28

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

    Thursday, April 30

    • Cape Cod Commission, Herring River Restoration Project Phase 1, 4:30 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    As of April 21, Wellfleet had zero active cases of Covid-19, four cleared cases, and one death as a result of the coronavirus.

    Taxation Aid Fund Donation

    The Wellfleet Taxation Aid Fund Committee is asking the public to consider a donation to the fund when you submit your tax payment. The fund helps to pay the property taxes of low-income seniors and the disabled. To donate, write a separate check to the “Taxation Aid Fund” when you pay your taxes. These donations are tax-deductible.

    Social Distancing and Recycling

    The Department of Public Works is in the process of retrofitting the Wellfleet transfer station to accept recyclables in a hands-off way while respecting social distancing. DPW Director Mark Vincent said he hopes to open up the recycling area of the station within the week.

     Soup for Those in Need

    Chef Maryann Lucas of the Wellfleet Council on Aging’s Iris’s Café will be making soup to be packaged and delivered by volunteers on Friday, April 24 to people who could use the help, said Suzanne Grout Thomas, director of community services. —Devin Sean Martin

     

    currents

    This Week in Eastham

    By

    Eastham

    Meetings Ahead

    From eastham-ma.gov/calendar-by-event-type/16, click on the meeting you’re interested in to read its agenda. That document will provide information about how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, April 23

    • Council on Aging, 1 p.m.

    Monday, April 27

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

    Tuesday, April 28

    • Conservation Commission, site visits, 8:15 a.m.
    • Finance Committee, 3 p.m.
    • Tee-Time Committee, 5 p.m.
    • Conservation Commission, 6:30 p.m.

    Thursday, April 30

    • Board of Health, 3 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Weighing Town Meeting Options

    Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the town election hours as ending at 7 p.m.

    The annual town election will be held June 23 from noon to 6 p.m., but don’t feel you need to be there. In fact, the town would prefer that you vote early by mail, and will be sending applications to do so to every residential address. Voting will be limited to election of town officers, with ballot questions put off until the fall.

    Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe resorted to physics to explain the twisting path toward a town meeting (or two) and an election (or two) in an April 21 memo to the select board. “Newton’s Third Law … is heavily in play,” she wrote. “(F)or every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

    The work of the town, including approving a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, electing officers, and passing judgment on the Nauset Regional High School building project, must go on even in a pandemic. Municipalities are waiting for word from Gov. Charlie Baker, expected shortly, on whether town meetings can be scheduled before June 30; at this point, town elections must still be held before that date.

    Beebe has assembled enough pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to offer two options, which the select board discussed Tuesday night. In Plan A, a stripped-down annual town meeting on June 15 would address “essential, budget-related articles to make it as short as possible,” the town administrator wrote. This event might require provision of masks, widely separated seating, temperature checks, a change of venue, and other safety measures. The board decided Tuesday that a vote for town offices but no ballot questions would be held June 23 with an emphasis on early voting by mail.

    (Ironically, there are no contests for town offices this year. Without ballot questions, the only decision needed would be to write in someone for the elementary school committee seat that did not draw a candidate; incumbent Judy Lindahl is running for the other one.)

    Plan A continues with a special town meeting on Oct. 19 that would cover all other articles and the school building project, followed by a vote on the school project Nov. 3, Election Day.

    If the pandemic and the state’s response prohibit a June town meeting, Beebe’s Plan B cancels the proposed June 15 session and reschedules it on Oct. 19 with a full warrant. The June 23 election, with town offices only, would still be held on that date, and Election Day on Nov. 3 would include a separate ballot for ballot questions.

    Although communities have been given “tools for carrying on basic business after July 1 without a town meeting,” Beebe wrote, that’s not a great option. Towns would be allowed to spend 1/12 of the current fiscal year’s budget each month, a challenge for a community that spends more in summer than in winter. And without a new budget, the town can’t set a tax rate and send out bills.

    Boat Storage Lottery Coming

    If you’re planning to enter the town’s vessel storage permit lottery, be aware that the deadline for your application is May 1. The select board planned to review the process at its April 21 meeting.

    The COA and Covid-19

    On April 23 at 1 p.m., the council on aging’s board of directors will hold a virtual meeting that will include an update the COA’s response to the pandemic. The agenda page (eastham-ma.gov/sites/easthamma/files/agendas/coa_04.23.20_meeting_post.pdf ) has instructions for viewing and participating online

    More Time for Tax Payments

    The select board was expected this week to approve adjustments regarding property tax payments and penalties following action by the state government. Changes would include extending the property tax due date from May 1 to June 1, waiving penalties and interest charges for bills due on or after March 10 if they are paid by June 30, and extending the deadline for residential tax exemption applications from April 1 to June 1.

    Transfer Station Limits

    The town is taking household trash and recyclables, including residential (but not commercial) yard waste. But it has stopped accepting construction and demolition debris and bulky items such as furniture, refrigerators, and electronics, and drop-off areas for those items are closed to picking.

    The Cape Cod National Seashore reported an uptick in illegal dumping last week, including construction materials found in the Doane Rock area in Eastham and household trash at Great Island in Wellfleet.

    A list of companies accepting construction and demolition debris can be found at eastham-ma.gov/public-works/pages/transfer-station under “Say NO! to Illegal Dumping.” —Ed Maroney

    Deadline for Comments on Hazard Plan

    Monday at 4 p.m. is the deadline for comments on the town’s draft hazard mitigation plan, which lists strategies and actions to reduce risks to human life and property from natural hazards such as nor’easters, hurricanes, floods, and coastal erosion. Go to easthammvp.weebly.com to scan the document and leave comments.

    Eastham’s plan attempts to build a long-term strategy to educate residents and prepare them for such events. Town staff, residents, and local stakeholders worked together for several months to develop a plan that meets Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements and reflects the character and individuality of Eastham.

    Once the plan is approved by FEMA and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and adopted by the select board, the town becomes eligible to receive funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance program. —Ryan Fitzgerald

    RENOVATION

    Nauset Asks for High School Project Extension

    The district has filed for a 120-day extension for project voting

    By

    EASTHAM — The Nauset Building Committee has requested an extension from the state of the deadline for getting four towns’ approval for the proposed renovation of Nauset Regional High School.

    The Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA) voted to endorse the project on Feb. 14. State regulations give the district towns (Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, and Wellfleet) 120 days from that endorsement to secure approval for the expenditures at town meetings and elections. The 120-day window expires on June 11.

    The building committee held a virtual meeting on April 8 and the regional school committee did the same thing the following day to discuss the project.

    Gov. Charlie Baker has signed legislation giving towns the ability to reschedule town meetings up to or beyond June 30, the last day of the fiscal year. Town elections can be rescheduled for as late as June 30.

    The district towns have begun some tentative rescheduling of town meetings and elections because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Town Town meeting Town election
    Brewster TBD June 23
    Orleans June 15 June 23
    Eastham June 15 June 23
    Wellfleet June 1 TBD

    Some towns have rescheduled town meeting and elections, while two dates are still up in the air.

    The regional school committee has also postponed its vote on the bonding method and request for funds for the project. Once the committee takes that vote, district towns have 60 days to hold town meetings and elections to vote on the matter.

    “The school committee votes to request the funding,” regional school committee chair Chris Easley said. “That sets a 60-day time frame for towns to respond. With no town meetings being established in any of the towns, just preliminary discussions, we do not want to force the hand of the towns. We want them to make the decision, then we’ll determine the best way to proceed with our request for funding.”

    Project Manager Richard Marx said that the MSBA can authorize a 120-day extension from the June 11 deadline, which would push it back to Oct. 9. The MSBA was scheduled to hold a board meeting on April 15.

    Proposed NRHS site plan
    The site plan for the proposed renovation of Nauset Regional High School. (Courtesy Nauset Building Committee)

    Both Marx and Easley said it may be necessary to ask for another 120-day extension after the October deadline, based on the current predictions about the pandemic.

    “They want to be able to commit funds to other schools,” Marx said. “They don’t want to tie up funds.”

    Greg Levasseur, chair of the building committee, said right now they’re not trying to push out too much information to residents and are waiting for town meeting and election dates become firm.

    “Part of the reason we’re kind of slowing down is that this is not really the time to be bombarding folks about the project,” Levasseur said. “We want them to deal with the crisis and their families and their personal lives. When we do have a schedule for the four towns we can regroup and move forward.”

    “I think as towns we have a conundrum right now,” said Eastham Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe. “I think it would be unreasonable for the MSBA to not allow us a further extension, given that it is the emergency order of the governor that we cannot have town meeting until he’s lifted his ban.”

    Beebe said the select board and finance committee in Eastham had unanimously endorsed the project. Levasseur said the Brewster Select Board had also endorsed it, but the town’s finance committee had not met to vote on it yet.

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    This Week in Truro

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    All meetings are being held remotely. For viewing information go to the town’s website, truro-ma.gov, and look on the left for “Remote meeting information.”

    Tuesday, April 21

    • Truro Cemetery Commission, 10 a.m.
    • Select Board, 2 p.m.
    • Board of Health, 4:30 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    As of April 13, Truro had one active case of Covid-19 and eight resolved cases.

    Live-Streaming Available

    On April 14, Truro town government began live-streaming meetings for the first time since the town banned public meetings in mid-March. Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer said the town needed a piece of equipment, difficult to obtain, called a TRMS live-streamer server. Now the public may watch and participate in public meetings live, from their computers.

    Pre-Town Meeting on Hold

    Along with the annual town meeting and town election, the pre-town meeting and candidates’ night that was going to be held on April 14 at the Truro Community Center was also postponed. New dates will be announced when they are determined.

    Hand-Crank Voting Is Back

    On Jan. 28, the Truro Select Board voted to begin using the ImageCast Precinct Optical Scan Tabulator, also known as an electronic voting machine, effective Sept. 1, 2020, the date of the state primary election. But due to the delay in town meeting, the timing will not legally allow the town to switch voting methods. Therefore, the select board was expected to vote Tuesday to continue using the old hand-crank ballot box.

    If the board members wish to try again to switch to electronic voting, they must revote to discontinue the hand-crank machine in the future, stated Assistant Town Manager Kelly Clark in a memo to the select board. Until this recent reprieve for the old ballot box in Truro, Provincetown was the only remaining town on Cape Cod that had not made the switch to electronic voting. —K.C. Myers

    Truro Board Defends Itself on Crisis Response

    The Truro Select Board had one topic on the agenda for its April 9 meeting: to discuss and respond to two articles in the April 2 edition of the Provincetown Independent.

    In one article the newspaper reported that Truro had lagged behind other Outer Cape towns in making regulatory board meetings accessible to the public. The second was an opinion column by the editor, criticizing town officials for a March 27 message on the town website warning of “an influx of people fleeing urban centers” and advising such people to stay away.

    The meeting concluded with the board voting to send a letter to the editor of the Independent, which was posted on the town website that same day. The letter said, “Resort communities nationwide are struggling with this same issue.” It also said, “The statement followed the governor’s guidance to avoid unnecessary travel.”

    Editor Edward Miller of the Independent responded to the select board on April 9, explaining that the board’s letter was more than twice as long as the newspaper’s word limit for letters and offering to help craft a shorter response for publication. No one had responded to the offer by this week’s deadline.

    At the board’s meeting, member Susan Areson proposed meeting with the editor to “clear the air here and see if there is something going on.”

    Board Chair Jan Worthington, Vice Chair Robert Weinstein, and member Stephanie Rein dismissed Areson’s idea.

    “We are dealing with, and I use the term loosely, a ‘local press,’ ” said Weinstein. “I don’t think it would be productive to meet with them.”

    Areson said the newspaper was correct “in pointing out that we have lagged behind other communities” in providing access to meetings during the pandemic.

    “I won’t even give [the Independent] credence for the fact that other towns are doing a better job,” said Weinstein. “I have no evidence of that.”

    At the time, Provincetown, Wellfleet, and Eastham had all had directions for accessing and participating in meetings on their town websites for several weeks. The following week, a notice appeared on the Truro website announcing the live-streaming of Truro Select Board meetings beginning on April 14.–Devin Sean Martin

     

     

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    This Week in Wellfleet

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    All meetings are held remotely. To watch or participate in meetings live, go to the town website, wellfleet-ma.gov, and click on the link to the meeting in the calendar. To watch older meetings held remotely click on the red bar on the top of the website stating “Covid-19 Information Page,” click again on a second link to “Covid-19 information page” and then look on the left and scroll down to “Board/Committee Meetings Recorded Virtual During Covid-19.”

    Friday, April 17

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

    Tuesday, April 21

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

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    As of April 13, Wellfleet had two active cases, two cleared cases of Covid-19, and one death as a result of Covid-19.

    Birthday Caravans in Wellfleet

    Wellfleet Recreation will be holding birthday caravans for all Wellfleet Elementary School birthdays. The first one is Thursday, April 16, for a second-grader at the school. If you are interested in participating, private message the recreation committee’s Facebook page or email [email protected].

    Public Call-in About Covid-19

    The public is invited to the first bimonthly Zoom call to ask questions of health, safety, and town officials about the coronavirus on Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. Community members may call in and talk to people from Outer Cape Health Services and the Lower Cape Outreach Council, and others involved with food and mental health delivery. This is a Zoom remote meeting. The link is on the town’s website.

    Do You Need a Mask?

    If you need a mask to comply with health and safety recommendations to protect yourself when out in public, Wellfleet Health and Conservation Agent Hillary Greenberg-Lemos is working to obtain them for members of the public. Contact her at [email protected].

    A Mail-In Meeting Idea

    Town Administrator Dan Hoort says town meeting is June 1, and he’s recommending the town election be scheduled for June 18. Hoort is pursuing the possibility of allowing town meeting participants to vote by mail. [See separate story on page 1.] He said he needs to ask state government for special legislation to make it possible. It would involve a “live forum” where people can discuss the warrant articles together before the vote. —K.C. Myers

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    This Week in Eastham

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    Meetings Ahead

    Town Hall is closed to the public. Meetings are being conducted remotely. Check the town’s website, www.eastham-ma.gov, for information on meeting schedule changes and how to view and take part remotely.

    Tuesday, April 21

    • Charter Review Committee, 5:30 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Beach Cleanup on Hold

    The recreation dept. and chamber of commerce’s beach cleanup set for April 22 has been postponed to a date yet to be announced.

    Let the Sun Shine In

    Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe brightened the mood at the April 6 select board meeting with news that a company wants to build a 10-acre solar array close to the municipal sand pit. “It would give us new revenue of almost $700,000 a year,” she said. The town may have to issue a request for proposals, and the installation would need town meeting approval.

    Beer and Wine OK’d for the Landing

    The select board granted a seasonal beer and wine license to the new owners of the Landing, a convenience store near Campground Beach. The vote on April 6 was 4 to 1, with member Martin McDonald opposed.

    “Historically, the Landing is kind of a gathering place for young people in the area,” he said. “I’m a little upset with the combination of two things,” he said, “the young people in the area and the ice cream bar.”

    “Martin, I’m with you,” member Jamie Rivers said. “But this was already an establishment that had this type of set-up without issues, so I’m open to giving the new owners the same opportunity the previous owners had, so long as they stick to the same guidelines.”

    Boards Vote on Warrant Articles

    The select board and finance committee have very few areas of disagreement on warrant articles for the annual town meeting, now likely to be held in June.

    The board and the committee are backing the Nauset Regional High School building project, the former unanimously. The draft finance committee letter does not include a vote. In an email reply, committee chairman Jerry Cerasale wrote, “We did not vote on article 8, the NRHS building project. We had a sense of the committee and waited to see what the draft paragraph might say and any future developments. So we’ll likely vote on April 28.”

    In recommending a vote for the project, the committee’s draft letter notes that the school “does not meet current code and needs renovation.” If the member towns turn down the proposed project, a rejection that the letter states would be “fiscally imprudent,” they will lose the $36 million promised by the state toward the $132 million total cost. The committee added that if major repair were needed, the state would require that the entire existing building be brought up to code at a cost of about $97 million, borne by the towns alone. That’s $2 million more than what the four towns would pay for their share of the rebuilding project.

    The committee has asked for an analysis of the incremental costs of the school choice program, which would allow a cost-benefit analysis and discussion during the four years of building construction. “If the towns decide to curtail the program,” the letter notes, the committee “believes that the district should consolidate school buildings, close the middle school and house middle school students in the brand-new school facility.”

    The two groups unanimously recommended the creation and funding of an education, housing, and human services needs special purpose stabilization fund to support working families through subsidies for preschool and childcare services, school lunch, and an after-school elementary program. The new fund would also hold money to be tapped by the town’s affordable housing trust for workforce housing development.

    “We are in competition with all our neighboring towns to attract younger individuals and families that can both work and live in our town,” the finance committee draft letter states.

    Although the board is unanimously for a ban on commercial sale of single-use plastic water bottles by Sept. 21, 2021, the committee split 3 to 3 on the petitioned article. “Those opposed to Article 23,” the draft letter states, “believe that the Article should state that approval of neighboring towns be a condition precedent before Article 23 is endorsed.”

    At its April 6 meeting, the select board didn’t disagree with that analysis. “Since it’s a petitioned article, we can’t change anything now,” Chair Aimee Eckman said. “If it passes and we’re the only town, we can always come back at town meeting and push that effective date out until the other towns pass it.”

    The two bodies parted company decisively on a proposed general bylaw to commit the town to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from human activity to zero “at the earliest technically and economically feasible time.” The select board voted 4 to 1 in favor; the finance committee 0-6 against. “I feel like this is in line with our strategic plan,” board member Jamie Rivers said.

    The finance committee letter did not address its position. “It’s true that it does no harm,” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe said of the article, “but it doesn’t say anything very specific either. They did not know what to do with this particular animal.”

    “It’s vague,” said board member Martin McDonald, who cast the lone vote against. He also voted no when the rest of the board backed a petitioned article requiring the town to push the governor and legislature to provide better security for spent nuclear fuel at the closed Pilgrim power station in Plymouth. The finance committee opposed the petition 1 to 5. —Ed Maroney

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    This Week in Truro

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    Meetings Ahead

    From the town’s website, www.truro-ma.gov/, click on Remote Meeting Information for updated details on how to view public meetings.

    Thursday, April 9

    • Select Board, 10 a.m.

    Tuesday, April 14

    • Pre-town meeting and candidates’ night, 5 p.m.

    Wednesday, April 15

    • Planning Board, 6 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    As of April 7, Truro has had 9 residents who tested positive for Covid-19 and four of those cases “have been resolved.”

    Town Manager’s Replacement on Hold

    Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer is supposed to retire on June 30, but the work of finding her replacement has been delayed by the coronavirus. Palmer told the select board that there are 29 applicants for the job. The town’s search consultant, Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, has told the candidates that interviews will be placed on hold because of the pandemic.

    “Palmer thinks it’s safe to at least temporarily suspend the applicants, and she thinks there are some fairly good applicants,” according to the minutes of the March 19 select board meeting.

    (All select board minutes are written in detail and posted within a few days of the meeting in order to provide a full public record of the meetings, which as of Tuesday are still not accessible live for people who don’t have a television with cable service in Truro. Audio recordings of meetings are posted after the meeting is over.)

    The select board chair and vice chair will be meeting with Palmer to discuss terms to allow Palmer to work beyond June 30, Palmer said this week. Those meetings will probably be held in executive session, she said.

    No Contested Races

    Select Board Member Stephanie Rein will run unopposed for her first full term in this year’s town election. Rein joined the board in February to fill the last few months of the late Maureen Burgess’s term.

    Other candidates who are all running unopposed are Kolby Blehm for school committee; Monica Kraft for moderator; Martha Magane and Margaret Royka for two seats on the library board of trustees; Marilyn Adams for the cemetery commission; John Reimer and Paul Kiernan for the planning board; and Elizabeth Gallo for the housing authority.

    Due to the coronavirus, the election scheduled for May 12 will be delayed, though no new date was decided by the Independent’s deadline. —K.C. Myers

    currents

    This Week in Eastham

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Town Hall is closed to the public. Meetings are being conducted remotely. Check the town’s website, www.eastham-ma.gov, for information on meeting schedule changes and how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, April 9

    • Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m. The meeting will be conducted remotely, with a recording and minutes posted on the Nauset website and town website afterward. To attend remotely, go to Zoom Meetings and enter ID 116 337 791. The password is 010311. To telephone in, call 1-646-558-8656.

    Monday, April 13

    • Select Board (tentative), 5:30 p.m.

    Tuesday, April 14

    • Conservation Commission, 8:15 a.m., 555 Old Orchard Road and on to site visits
    • Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.

    Wednesday, April 15

    • Planning Board, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Pencil in June 15 for Town Meeting

    It’s not official yet, but June 15 is the target date for the rescheduled annual town meeting. “Really the only date that allows us to have the town meeting and election in June would be if we pick June 15 … and have the election June 23 or 30,” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe told the select board Monday.

    Noting that “there are quite a few tendrils to town meeting,” Beebe said she’s working with Nauset Regional High School on the date and is seeking to secure electronic voting equipment. As for the election, she’s consulting with Town Clerk Cindy Nickerson “about how much early voting we could have. We could have at least two weeks of early voting by mail or drop-off ballot. That would allow people not to have to congregate on voting day.”

    Nickerson and Town Moderator Steve Cole will be invited to the select board’s Tuesday, April 21 meeting (the Monday before is Patriots’ Day) to help settle on dates for town meeting and the election.

    No Races in Town Election

    Everyone running for town offices in the annual election is unopposed. Incumbent Aimee Eckman and planning board chair Art Autorino are seeking the two select board seats. Library trustees Al Alfano and Mary Shaw and Town Clerk Cindy Nickerson drew no challengers. Judy Lindahl is seeking another term on the elementary school committee, but no one took out papers for the second seat up for election; voters will have to write in a fellow citizen. Scott Kerry is the sole candidate for moderator.

    The ballot will have four questions covering funding for new police radios and dispatch consoles; the proposed education, housing, and human services special purpose stabilization fund; and the town’s share of the Nauset Regional High School building project, as well as a petition calling on town officials to ask the governor and legislature to do more to see that spent fuel is stored safely at the closed Pilgrim nuclear power plant.

    On Monday, Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe noted that, while the state has passed legislation allowing communities to hold annual town meetings after June 30, elections must still be held by that date. “We have ballot questions reliant on people’s understanding of the issues we are going to discuss at town meeting,” she said, stressing the need to have town meeting before the ballot vote.

    Two Looks for Town Budget

    The select board voted Monday to recommend most of the articles on the annual town meeting warrant but held off on a few at the request of Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe. One of the latter is the town’s operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

    The current number, $31,310,410, “is what I’m calling the ‘A’ budget,” Beebe said. “I have developed a ‘B’ budget that cuts about $400,000 based on reductions in revenue… We most likely will see drastic reductions in some of our revenues and have to make decisions… I don’t want you to vote [now].”

    New Finance Director

    Wellfleet native Rich Bienvenue, the Yarmouth’s municipal operations director, will be coming back to this neck of the Cape as Eastham’s finance director and assistant town administrator. Citing his “fantastic credentials,” Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe told the select board Bienvenue, a C.P.A., worked for many years as an auditor specializing in municipalities.

    “Rich spent the last two years figuring out ways to pay for all the wastewater needs of the town of Yarmouth, over $300 million, without raising the tax rate, which most of us in the business thought was totally impossible,” Beebe said. “Rich managed to pull it off.”

    “I don’t think we can go wrong,” Select Board Chair Aimee Eckman said, “having a finance director named Rich.”

    More Time for Shellfishermen

    Commercial shellfish and aquaculture permit holders will have until July 31, rather than April 30, to submit applications for this year’s season. Shellfish Constable Nicole Paine requested the change “due to the current market disruption and hardships brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic,” and the select board agreed unanimously.

    Honk for First Responders

    The men and women of the fire and police departments won’t have to toot their own horns this Friday night. The community will do it for them.

    The Eastham Elementary School Parents Group is inviting everyone to drive by the stations on Route 6 between 6:30 and 7 p.m. on April 10 to express appreciation for the town’s first responders in this trying time. Horn beeps, waves, posters, and flags are encouraged.

    Parents group president Ashley Vasques Foster said she saw a posting from a Provincetown firefighter who “thanked people who drove by their station and beeped. They were so appreciative. I said, ‘Let’s make this possible for Eastham.’ ”

    A celebration of the public safety officers’ dedication that also respected the need for social distancing made sense to the board, including a member whose husband is a firefighter. Foster wrote to both chiefs who, she said, “showed great appreciation.” Both plan to have department members outside to wave back. —Ed Maroney

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