Adult in white Easter Bunny costume wearing green vest

Annual Easter Egg Hunt Returns

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt takes place on Saturday, April 16th at Kate Gould Park. The Hunt begins at 11 a.m. sharp! No registration is required for this free event sponsored by the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association.

There will be an area designated for the little ones ages 5 and under while bigger kids ages 6 -10 will have free range of the rest of the Park.

Foil wrapped milk chocolate eggs donated by the Candy Manor will be "hidden" throughout the Park. There will also be 12 "golden" eggs. Anyone who finds a "golden" egg will be rewarded with a beach pail full of treats. Thanks Easter Bunny!

Transfer Station Closed Sunday, April 17, 2022

Man in plaid shirt giving the thumbs up.

New Addition to Team Chatham

Introducing Hunter MacDonald, our newest Building Supervisor at the Community Center!

Hunter has been a previous employee of the Parks and Recreation Department, working as a Summer Program counselor before heading off to school. This past year he has been working at the Community Center as an Intermittent Building Supervisor and assisted with the PARK afterschool program. He is currently attending Cape Cod Community College where he is pursuing an Associate’s degree in Visual Arts.

Hunter has a passion for photography and videography. He enjoys spending time with his family, is an avid sports fan, and resides in Yarmouth. We are so pleased to welcome Hunter as a permanent part of the team!

Grant Awarded to Address PFAS

The Town has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the State through the Interim PFAS6 Response Grant Program to support immediate efforts to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in two Town wells.

In total the Baker-Polito Administration announced $950,728 is being awarded to 12 public water suppliers to help offset the cost of initial responses implemented when “PFAS6” (the sum of six PFAS substances) exceeds the state standard of 20 parts-per-trillion (ppt). The grants were also awarded to the Towns of Avon, Barnstable (Hyannis), Boxborough, Burlington, Dudley, Hopkinton, Natick, Wellesley, West Bridgewater, and Wilmington, and the City of Woburn.

This is the second round of funding through the program, which is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). These second-round grants will reimburse for eligible costs to assist communities that have already expended funds to address elevated levels of PFAS6. The grant supports the Town’s effort to reactivate a closed well to enable blending until a permanent solution to the local PFAS6 exceedance is in place.

“This funding will help Chatham remediate and reactivate a previously closed well,” said State Representative Sarah Peake (D-Provincetown). “Chatham stepped up to quickly identify and remediate the PFAS found in its water. I thank the Baker-Polito Administration for awarding this funding.”

Tax Deadline Approaching

Real Estate and Personal Property taxes are due in the Treasurer/Collector's office by 4 p.m. on Monday, May 2nd. Payments may be made by mail, in-person, or online.

Online payments can be made through the Town’s website. The “Pay Bills Online” option opens the City Hall Systems payment portal.

As a reminder, online features through City Hall Systems include e-billing, a single shopping cart for multiple bill types, as well as giving the online user the ability to view and print original bill copies for this current or past fiscal year which will be useful when filing annual taxes. All ACH (electronic check) transactions are free of charge. Credit/debit card payments are charged 2.95% ($1 minimum) of the amount charged.

Hand holding a hose with watering nozzle

Outdoor Watering Ban Re-Affirmed

On April 12th the Select Board reaffirmed continuation of the ban on outdoor watering.

Following discussion, the Board reinforced the ban applies to:

1. Watering of established turf (lawn), shrub, or flower gardens by irrigation systems, sprinklers, or hand watering.

2. Washing of vehicles, driveways, sidewalks, decks, houses, or outdoor furniture.

3. Topping off of swimming pools or hot tubs.

While outdoor water use is allowed for the following, we ask for your help to conserve our water supply whenever possible:

1. Watering is allowed for newly installed lawns, plantings, and transplanting’s, vegetable gardens, and the Community Garden. If residents want to plant trees and shrub, consider waiting to do so as these plantings require more water.

2. Watering mitigation plantings approved by the Conservation Commission.

3. Power washing of boat bottoms and flushing of engines and washing of gear.

4. Water use at Town Landings and Fish Pier.

The Town continues to experience reduced water supply capacity due to two municipal wells being off-line because of PFAS contamination. While Well #4 has been brought back online after extended closure to help offset the closure of Wells 5 & 8, the Town is asking users of municipal water to limit outdoor water use whenever possible. Temporary treatment for PFAS for Wells 5 & 8 is expected to be online before this summer. Water entering the Town’s supply is safe to drink.

Groundwater levels continue to be low following last summers drought conditions and lack of sufficient precipitation over the winter and so far, this spring.

Violations of this mandatory outdoor watering ban will result in the following:

• First offense – Warning

• Second offense - $100 fine

• Third offense - $200 fine

Good quality and enough fresh drinking water are vital to the health of our community. While the ban applies only to those on the public water supply, private well owners are asked to take these measures into consideration as we all draw from the same aquifer.

The Select Board will re-visit the ban in June.

New Housing Resource

Community Development Partnership and Homeless Prevention Council have teamed up to address the Lower Cape's year-round housing crisis. The newly formed Lower Cape Housing & Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Resource Center will offer:

Financial incentives, technical assistance, and other resources to eligible homeowners interested in building an ADU, also known as an in-law suite, basement apartment, etc.
Housing Stability Fund for residents who are not otherwise eligible for housing support and are at greatest risk of becoming homeless
Resident services to landlords and tenants to promote positive tenancy and long-term rental success
Online resource library and community training

For more information, please contact Vicky Crea at (508) 290-0119 or Ellie Zucker at (508) 255-9667.

A montage of images of young women training as firefighters

Unique Opportunity for Young Women

Camp Fully Involved is a physically challenging, aggressive hands-on, live-in weeklong summer camp held at the New Hampshire Fire Academy in Concord directed towards young women between the ages of 14 (and having completed the 8th grade) and 20 who are interested in exploring a career in firefighting. Cadets participate in numerous hands-on evolutions focused on firefighting career skills (SCBA drills, Engine & Truck company operations, forestry to name a few), as well as developing leadership and teamwork skills. No previous fire service experience is necessary. For more information and to download an application visit the Camp Fully Involved website.

Next Select Board Meeting - April 19, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.

All are welcome to attend and participate in our open and public meetings. The agenda for each meeting is posted 48 business hours prior to the scheduled meeting time and can be accessed through the Select Board’s webpage.

Attend in-person at the Town Office Annex, Large Meeting Room. Join the meeting on-line or participate by phone by dialing 1-508-945-4410 and entering Conference ID 134 208 476#.

I. Minutes
April 12, 2022

II. Public Announcements and Agenda Item Requests

III. New Business

A. Public Hearings

1. Consider Application to Transfer Annual All Alcohol Innholder License from 512 Main Street, Inc. d/b/a The Wayside Inn, Shane Coughlin, Manager to TPG Chatham Beverage LLC d/b/a The Chatham Wayside Inn, Jillian F. Kelley, Manager, 512 Main Street, Chatham

B. Public Comments on Business Agenda

C. Business Agenda (Board Discussion Items)

1. Arbor Day Proclamation; Friends of Trees (Dann Jung)

2. Town Landing Special Use Permit; Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (Cynthia Wigren)

3. Mobile Food Vending Regulations; First Read

4. Chatham/Orleans Nauset Beach Agreement – Review
5. PFAS Source Investigation – Update

6. Consider Approval and Release of Executive Session Minutes

a. Property Acquisition – Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, 150 George Ryder Road (April 22, 2019; May 6, 2019)Property Acquisition – Chatham Pier Fish Market/Baler Property (November 5, 2018; March 18, 2019)

b. Property Acquisition – Land Bank - Goose Pond Road (January 28, 2019)

c. Property Acquisition – 7 Champlain Road (December 10, 2018)

d. Property Acquisition – 365 Main Street (August 3, 2016)

e. Litigation – Beatty, et all v. Town of Chatham [Re-consideration of the 1997 Taking of Stage Harbor Road, Battlefield Road, Cedar Street, Champlain Road, Port Fortune Lane, Sears Road, and Stage Neck Road /ATM vote of 2019] (January 7, 2019)

f. Litigation – Eversource; Use of Herbicides (September 12, 2017)

g. Litigation – Schewe (December 16, 2014)

7. Committee Appointments; Cultural Council, Summer Residents Advisory Committee

IV. Executive Session - MGL Chapter 30A, §21 #3
To discuss strategy regarding to pending litigation (Sciaba Construction Fish Pier Contract Claims) and the Chair declares that an Open Meeting would be detrimental to the litigating position of the public body.

The Mainsheet

The name of our e-newsletter was selected from submissions by our community.
In nautical terms a mainsheet is the line connected to the boom which allows a sailor to control the speed of a boat. We think that is fitting for an e-newsletter that can be used to quickly send out important information to our community or at a more leisurely rate for less pressing matters. It reflects Chatham’s maritime history, is reminiscent of the front page of a newspaper, and it is a fun play on Main Street, where you go to be part of all that is happening in Town!

Town of Chatham website www.chatham-ma.gov