Tax Bills Issued

Real Estate and Personal Property tax bills for FY2024 were issued on September 21st. If you have not received your bill, please contact the Treasurer/Collector's Office at 508-945-5108.

The total amount of taxes, betterments, special assessments, and other charges you owe for fiscal year 2024 is payable in two payments (semi-annual). Your first payment is due on November 1, 2023 and should be at least one-half of the tax and any betterments, special assessments and other charges shown. The balance is due May 1, 2023.

Payments are due by 4pm on the due date.

Payments can be made on-line and/or established on automatic payment at https://www.chatham-ma.gov/615/Pay-Online

Checks should be made payable to the Town of Chatham.

If your payments are not made by their due dates, interest at the rate of 14% per annum will be charged on the unpaid and overdue amount. Interest is computed on overdue first payments from November 1, 2023 and on overdue second payments from May 1, 2024, to the date payment is made. You will also be required to pay charges and fees incurred for collection if payments are not made when due. Payments are considered made when received by the Collector. To obtain a receipted bill, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and both copies of the bill with your payment.

If you have questions on your valuation or assessment or on abatements or exemptions, or to change your mailing address you should contact the Board of Assessors 508-945-5103.

If you have questions on payments, you should contact the Collector's Office at 508-945-5108.

Gold codfish inside a blue circle within a white circle with the words County of Barnstable Massachusetts wrapping around it

ARPA Grant Awarded

On September 27th the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners announced the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) awards to Chatham, Brewster and Wellfleet, marking a milestone in the county's goal to distribute $10 million to all 15 Cape towns.

Chatham received an award of $345,543.15 under the Revenue Replacement category.

Jill Goldsmith, Chatham Town Manager, said "We appreciate the flexibility that funding from the Revenue Replacement category provides. Chatham will be allocating these funds to a diverse range of initiatives, including the funding of Behavior Health Community Services clinicians and the improvement of our public restrooms." The funds will support the hiring of two Licensed Social Workers in Chatham - one focused on youth and the other on adults and seniors.

Commision Chairman Mark Forest, in his closing remarks while awarding the last three town ARPA grants, thanked the ARPA Advisory Committee, Town staff members, and the County ARPA team for their dedication and hard work. He also expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts of the Assembly of Delegates in devising a shared plan for the community's benefit.

Community Preservation Act Public Hearing

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, October 2, 2023 at 4:00 PM in the small conference room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road to solicit input from Chatham citizens that can help guide the CPC’s decision making on Community Preservation Act (CPA) project proposals.

Chatham adopted the CPA in 2002, approving a 3% property tax surcharge which, combined with funds from the State, support local projects addressing four allowable purposes; open space, historic preservation, outdoor recreation and community housing. Since then, over $24 million has been approved to fund 190 projects in Chatham. This year in May, the Town Meeting approved $2,654,330 to support 12 projects recommended by the CPC. The deadline for submitting applications for CPA funding in 2024 is November 1, 2023. An online application is available. The Chatham CPC welcomes questions, comments and input from all Town residents.

Trees marked with yellow tape with a laminated notice posted on a stake next to them

Tree Warden Public Hearings

Chatham's Tree Warden will hold two public hearings on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in accordance with MGL Chapter 87 during the regularly scheduled Select Board meeting to hear concerns over proposed shade tree removal. The hearings will be held in the large conference room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

One hearing will address proposed tree removal to accommodate a new bike path along the eastern edge of George Ryder Road. The proposed path will connect the existing Old Colony Rail Trail to the multi-use path along the northern side of Route 28. Thirty-two trees of varying size and type are proposed for removal as part of this project. Community Preservation Act funding for this project was approved at 2023 Annual Town Meeting with matching grants from MassTrails.

The other hearing will address the removal of two trees at the Eldredge Public Library, 564 Main Street, to accommodate the implementation of the Eldredge Public Library Site Master Plan project for site access safety improvements approved at the 2018 Annual Town Meeting.

Maps indicating the location of the trees proposed for removal are posted in the Town Offices, 549 Main Street. The trees themselves are posted with notices or tagged with yellow tape.

The public is invited to attend the hearings in-person or via the link in the Select Board's posted agenda.

Environmental Awareness Fair on September 30, 2023 at the Chatham Community Center

COVID-19 Reminders

Cases of COVID-19 are rising in our community and across Cape Cod. Please help stop the spread by staying home if you are sick.

If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home. You are likely most infectious during these first five days. Wear a high quality mask if you must be around others at home or in public.Monitor your symptoms. If you have any emergency warning signs such as difficulty breathing, call 911.

If you had no symptoms you may end isolation after the fifth day.
If you had symptoms and your symptoms are improving, you may end isolation after the fifth day if you have been fever-free (without the use of fever reducing medication) for 24 hours.
If you continue to have symptoms, continue to isolate until your symptoms improve.

After you have ended isolation, please continue to wear a mask around others for five additional days or until your test negative twice 48 hours apart.

COVID-19 antigen tests are again available free through the Federal government and may be ordered online for delivery by the US Postal Service.

Brewster VFW Celebrates 75 Years

All are welcome to the 75th anniversary celebration of the Brewster Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #9917 on Saturday, September 30th from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., 989 Freeman's Way, Brewster.

There will be live music, food, and beverages. Stop by and enjoy the afternoon!

Person in orange safety vest standing on a pipe in the ground in front of an excavator

Sewer Construction Update

Work resumes on on the Morton Road Sewer Extension Project the Queen Anne Pumping Station next week, October 2nd – October 6th:

Meetinghouse Road/Morton Road Sewer Extension

Miscellaneous sewer manhole work is expected on Meetinghouse Road and site work will continue at the new pump stations on Meetinghouse Road and Morton Road at Twine Field Drive.

Drainage improvements work is tentatively scheduled on Balfour Lane.

Queen Anne Road Pump Station

Site work at pump station (40 Queen Anne Road; south side of Queen Anne Road and Oyster Pond Furlong intersection) is expected.

Please note that this is a projected schedule and will be adjusted accordingly based on the Contractor’s actual progress and the weather.

Roads will be passable at the end of each day. Police Details and Contractors will work with residents to ensure their needs for access are addressed.

Police Details and signage will be in-place to assist motorists in reaching their destination.

Normal work hours are 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday to Friday, weather permitting, unless otherwise noted.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this important project to restore and protect our environment.

FEMA & FCC to conduct test of Emergency Alert Systems on Wednesday October 4 at approximately 2:20 p.m.

BOCH CERT Training Offered

The Brewster Orleans Chatham Harwich (BOCH) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will hold an annual training course for new members from October 12th through November 4th at the Community Center. Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with two practical sessions on Saturdays October 28th and November 4th.

The course will follow Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standardized training and will include a session on Sheltering and Community Point of Distribution. New members will receive First Aid, CPR, and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) training.

More information and applications are available on the BOCH CERT website.

Chatham Railroad Museum with open door and OPEN flag displayed

Railroad Museum Open Oct. 7th & 8th

Looking for a fun family activity on the upcoming holiday weekend? You are in luck - the Chatham Railroad Museum will be open on Saturday, October 7th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, October 8th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

As always admission is free but donations are welcome!

Medicare Open Enrollment assistance at the Center for Active Living by calling 508-945-5190

Capital A in light blue on a darker blue square with "at the Atwood" written next to it

Seaside Cemetery Walk & Tour

Join the Atwood Museum and Chatham Historical Society for a stroll through the historic Seaside Cemetery, the resting place of some of Chatham's most famous and influential residents, on Friday, October 20th.

A guide will walk you through the cemetery as actors educate you on the lives of selected Chatham (former) residents and about the history of the cemetery itself. Tours will last approximately 1 hour and will begin at 12 noon, 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. After your tour you will return to the Atwood Museum to learn more about these and other important figures in Town history while enjoying coffee, hot chocolate, and treats.

Tickets are $35 per person and available by reservation through the Historical Society's website.

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