Retirement Announced

Ted Keon has announced his intention to retire from public service as of April 18, 2025. Mr. Keon has served as the Town’s first and only Director of Coastal Resources since 1998. Prior to his tenure with Chatham, he served as Coastal Planning Section Chief for the Philadelphia District of the Corps of Engineers.

Join us in congratulating him on a truly impressive 40-year career in public service! His institutional knowledge and expertise will not only be missed here in Chatham but throughout our region.

Select Board Action - Jan. 14th

In four public hearings at the outset of its January 14th meeting, the Select Board retroactively approved the placement of one utility pole on the north side of Main Street in the area of the Eldredge Garage parking lot, approved one new utility pole on the west side of George Ryder Road in the area of the Police Station, approved a new “Stop” sign on the left side of Sam Ryder Road at its intersection with Route 28, and approved the transfer of the annual all alcoholic beverages hotel license from Inn Partners LLC dba The Inn at 359 Main to Chatham Inn Partners LLC dba Chatham Inn for the business located at 359 Main Street.

Director of Public Works Rob Faley updated the Board on the status of the Town’s drinking water wells and water usage. He noted the work status on the Water Treatment Plant on Training Field Road. He said approval has yet to be received to bring Well 10 online. Work continues on the water line inventory. He reviewed the pumping of water in the month of December and for 2024 in total. He said seasonal groundwater recharge has yet to occur.

The Board held a discussion on the proposed renovations and associated cost estimates for the Center for Active Living presented on January 7th and voted to direct the Town Manager to prepare an article to fund the project for the 2025 Annual Town Meeting. See above.

The owners of 25 Glendon Way requested the Board consider abating water and sewer charges for their property for water bill dated October 7, 2024, covering June through September. The Director of Public Works denied their initial appeal and the Water & Sewer Advisory Committee approved a partial abatement of the bill. After hearing from the Director of Public Works and the property owners, the Board voted to abate the bill down to $3,000.

The Traffic Safety Committee returned to the Board on two topics that had been remanded back to the Committee for further consideration. The Committee rescinded its previous recommendation for “No Parking” on one side of Shattuck Place based on additional input from property owners on the street.

The Committee reported on research conducted on the process to lower the thickly settled statutory speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph that found that such action would require Town Meeting vote to adopt Massachusetts General Law (MGL) Chapter 90, Section 17C and funding to replace speed limit signage throughout Town. As the Committee does not have authority on warrant articles or any budgetary authority, it deferred to the Select Board on the matter. The Select Board discussed implementing the restriction on specific streets in areas of Town which are that considered “thickly settled,” which are defined under MGL Chapter 90 as residential or commercial districts where the buildings are 200 ft. apart or less for a ¼ mile or more.  The Board voted to have staff prepare an article proposing the adoption of MGL Chapter 90, Section 17C to 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

Human Resources Director Megan Downey reviewed departmental requests for additional staff in the FY2026 budget. She first noted realignments of existing but vacant part-time positions to fill a full-time proposed Engineering Technician in the Department of Public Works. She said eight positions were requested by Departments of which the Town Manager is recommending five, the addition of a Local Building Inspector, a Boat Operator/Marine Mechanic, a Police Officer, and two Laborers in the Parks & Grounds Division. After some discussion, the Select Board provided feedback on positions requested as they await the Town Manager's proposed FY2026 Operating and Capital Budget presentation on January 21st.

The public is encouraged to view the meeting in its entirety through the Chatham TV on-demand archive.

Sewer Construction Update

Work for the week of January 20^th – January 24^th:

Oyster Pond Sewer Extension Project

Sewer and water work will continue on Pond View Lane (West). Local traffic only, detour will be in place. Police detail(s) will be on-site and signage in place to assist residents.

Site work is expected at the Oyster Pond Condominiums pumping station site at 1233 Main Street.

Stage Harbor Road Sewer Extension Project

Continued site work is expected at the pumping station site (Old Mill Boat Yard/Harbormasters Garage).

Mill Pond Pump Station Project

Sewer work will continue on Mill Pond Road. Road closures are expected for Mill Pond Road and Homestead Lane, local traffic only. Police detail(s) will be on-site to assist motorists. Work associated with the Mill Pond Pumping Station will close access to the Town Landing.

Free Cash?

“Free Cash” is a term often heard during discussions of municipal finances but what exactly is it?

Free Cash is comprised of unrestricted funds that have closed out from operations of the previous fiscal year; it is not a budget surplus.

Free Cash is generated when actual revenue collections exceed estimates and when expenditures are less than appropriations, plus unexpended Free Cash from the previous year.

Unpaid property taxes and certain deficits from grants or debt revenue received reduce the amount that can be certified as Free Cash by the Director of Accounts at the Department of Revenue, which is required before the funds are available for appropriation by Town Meeting vote for any lawful purpose.

Chatham uses Free Cash for nonrecurring expenditures, such as for land purchases, capital and equipment purchases or for appropriation to a stabilization fund, and to maintain a reserve fund that is adequate to address unforeseen circumstances. Free Cash is not used to balance operating budgets.  

Hanson-Milone Act Signed into Law

On Wednesday, January 8th, Governor Maura Healey signed the Hanson-Milone Act, which mandates that boat operators in the Commonwealth complete a boater safety test and obtain a boater safety certificate, which must be present on the boat they operate at all times.

The Town’s Waterways Advisory Committee reviewed the draft legislation in December 2023 and voted unanimously to request the Select Board send a letter in support of the Act to the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Transportation, which was approved and sent by the Board in early January 2024.

The legislation provides certain exemptions to the requirements for individuals such as merchant mariners, active members of the Armed Forces who are qualified to operate motorboats, or students of a secondary or maritime school or college who operate motorboats as part of instruction. Individuals who previously possessed a boater safety certificate will not be required to receive another certificate or retake an examination. 

Guidance for enforcement of the law will be published by the office of law enforcement no later than October 1, 2025. Anyone born after January 1, 1989, has until April 1, 2026, to obtain their certificate.  Anyone born on or before January 1, 1989, must obtain their certificate before April 1, 2028.

The bill is named after David Hanson, a young man who tragically lost his life in a boating accident in 2010, and Paul Milone, the late harbormaster from Weymouth who dedicated his life to boat safety and was a major proponent and advocate for this legislation.

"Tuesday Talks" at the Atwood

Make your reservations now and join the Chatham Historical Society in welcoming Barbara Burgo to the Atwood Museum’s Tuesday Talks series on February 11th at 5 p.m. for a lecture on the rich history Cape Verdeans on Cape Cod.

Historian, cultural anthropologist, and co-founder of the Cape Cod Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Center (67 Davisville Road, East Falmouth) will cover pre-colonialism, the colonial period, role in the trade of enslaved peoples, Cape Verde’s independence from European colonizers, and the growth and identity of Cape Verde in the modern world.

Don't miss this exploration of the history and livelihoods of Cape Verdeans on Cape Cod.