Due to the pandemic, meetings are held remotely. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch.
Thursday, May 6
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.
Monday, May 10
- Select Board, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 11
- Licensing Board, 5:15 p.m.
- Town Election, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Town Hall, 260 Commercial St.
Wednesday, May 12
- Local Comprehensive Plan Committee, 1 p.m.
Thursday, May 13
- Planning Board, 6 p.m.
Conversation Starters
It’s Been a Tough Year, but…
“This has been a crazy year, but thank you,” said Steve Katsurinis, board of health chair, as he adjourned a joint meeting with the select board on April 29.
“This was a tough year,” agreed select board chair David Abramson. And with that, they concluded a meeting that, if anyone had the energy, might have been cause for celebration.
The two boards had just, for the first time in over a year, voted to allow masks to be optional outdoors if people could maintain six feet of distance. They lifted the “Covid curfew,” which cut off alcohol service at 11 p.m. at restaurants. The board members relaxed nearly all of Provincetown’s restrictions in favor of adopting what Gov. Charlie Baker allows statewide in terms of reopening plans.
This means singing indoors and road races with masks can begin again. On May 29, bars can open without serving food. Public outdoor gatherings will have a 250-person limit.
Still, this summer there will be no 4th of July parade, no fireworks, and no Carnival parade.
The state will allow such activities, categorized as “street fairs,” to happen at 50 percent capacity, but how can you keep spectator crowds down to half at town-wide events such as these, asked Health Director Morgan Clark.
Each sector of the business community will need to learn the fine print of what exactly they can and cannot do regarding reopening this year.
The health dept. will hold virtual question-and-answer sessions for industries on the state’s guidance:
- Restaurants: Wednesday, May 12 at 11 a.m.
- Lodging: Wednesday, May 12 at 1 p.m.
- Retail: Thursday May 13 at 1 p.m.
Email Clark at [email protected] to register and to send questions in advance.
In 2020, Provincetown had imposed rules that were stricter than in many other towns. Last week, Town Manager Alex Morse encouraged officials to let go of these for the 2021 season, saying the added layer could be counterproductive.
“Without the vaccine, outdoor transmission is rare,” he said. “And now, with vaccines, it’s rarer.”
Over 75 percent of frontline workers are vaccinated, Morse added. Clark said Provincetown was, as of April 29 anyway, the town with the highest vaccination rate in the state.
According to the U.S. census, Provincetown has 278 residents over the age of 75. State data say there are 361 residents over 75 who have been vaccinated. “So, as we know, there are more people than officially counted,” Clark said.
Town Election May 11
On Tuesday, May 11 the polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 260 Commercial Street. Voters will decide on five ballot questions that stand to raise the tax rate beyond 2.5 percent. There are three candidates for one seat on the select board. Several other elected positions are uncontested. To read the ballot, go to the town clerk’s page at provincetown-ma.gov. —K.C. Myers