Weekend Closures

Community Center - Saturday, Feb 8th

Due to staffing shortage, the Community Center will be closing at 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 8th. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Transfer Station - Sunday, February 9th

Due to the forecasted snow event Saturday night into Sunday and the need to reallocate Public Works staff to plowing/sanding operations, the Transfer Station will be closed on Sunday, February 9th. Normal operating hours will resume on Monday, February 10th.

Thank you for your understanding as we prioritize roadway safety.

A woman with dark hair wearing a white jacket standing in front of flowers

Meet Your New State Representative

State Representative Hadley Luddy, 4th Barnstable District, will hold community office hours at the Eldredge Public Library on Saturday, February 15th from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

Please stop by to meet your new Representative and share your thoughts and ideas on how the State Legislature can support the citizens of Chatham.

Citizens Fire Academy Announced

The Chatham Fire Rescue Department is accepting applications to its Citizens Fire Academy. The Citizens Fire Academy is an 8-week program designed to provide participants with a basic understanding of fire, rescue, and emergency medical operations in the Department. The Academy will help to enhance the participants’ knowledge of the Department’s capabilities, day-to-day operations and activities. Participants will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience. Applications are available at Chatham Fire Headquarters.

The Academy will be held on 8 consecutive Wednesdays from March 26th – May 14th from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Chatham Fire Rescue Headquarters, 135 Depot Road. Deadline to apply is March 6th.

Class topics may include Department tour and history, personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus, fire apparatus and equipment, thermal imaging cameras, search and rescue, fire extinguishers, ambulance operations and equipment, CPR, first aid and basic medical treatment, bleeding control, tower ladder operations, Special teams - dive, water and technical rescue, and dispatch and communications.

Those interested in participating must be at least 21 years of age with no criminal history, able to commit to regular attendance and pass a background check.

Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Received

Chatham’s Fire Rescue Department has been awarded $12,350.38 from the Department of Fire Services (DFS) FY2025 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant program. The funds will be used to purchase gas metering equipment for the Department’s fire engines and turnout gear for staff.

Select Board and Town Manager seated at the dais in te large meeting room

Select Board Action - Feb. 4th

After reviewing the Land Disposition Agreement by Town Counsel Lisa Mead and hearing comments from the public and the legal representative on an abutter to the property, the Select Board approved the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) with Pennrose, LLC for the sale and development of affordable rental housing units at 0 Meetinghouse, with one minor amendment.

Director of Public Works Rob Faley provided staff policy recommendations for the Town to purchase one grinder pump per household as needed to connect a property to the sewer system and provide a one-time stipend of $2,000 to assist with the costs of installation to the Select Board. The Policy would apply retroactively to those properties which have already installed grinder pumps. After discussing the recommendations and receiving input from members of the public, the Select Board agreed by consensus to defer a vote on the Policy for two weeks.

Finance Director Carrie Mazerolle reviewed the Operating and Capital Budgets included in the Department of Natural Resources. Greg Berman, Director of Natural Resources, discussed the Department’s requests and noted the line items within the Operating Budget with changes from the current fiscal year. He reviewed annual Capital Budget requests and the separate article for the annual dredging appropriation.

The Select Board voted to place the capital article seeking the annual appropriation of $400,000 for dredging on the 2025 Annual Town Meeting warrant and voted to recommend approval of the article to Annual Town Meeting.

Finance Director Carrie Mazerolle reviewed the Operating Budget amounts for the Community Development Department. Katie Donovan, Director of Community Development, reviewed the Department’s Operating Budget, including the request for one additional local inspector required for inspections of short-term rentals annually.

Angela Bucar, Executive Director of the Chatham Chamber of Commerce, presented the Chamber’s Operating Budget request for FY2026 which is level funded at $95,000.

Leah LaCross, Director of Community Services, reviewed her Operating Budget requests for FY2026. She noted that the requests included funding for the Council on Aging Division and the Recreation and Beaches Division.

The Select Board voted to place an article and recommend an annual appropriation of $175,000 for the Childcare Voucher program on the 2025 Annual Town Meeting warrant.

The Select Board voted to place and recommend an article to establish a new Revolving Fund per MGL Ch. 44 Sec. 53E1/2 for the Ryder’s Cove Respite Adult Day Program on the 2025 Annual Town Meeting warrant.

The Select Board voted to place and recommend an article in the amount $410,000 seeking capital funding for a new ambulance on the 2025 Annual Town Meeting warrant.

The Select Board closed the open meeting session by entering Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining [Chatham Municipal Employee Association (CMEA) and Chatham Managers Association (CMA)] as allowed by Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A, Section 21(3).

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

The Town's Digital Budget Book is accessible for review at the public's convenience.

Grief 101with Sharing Kindness at the Eldredge Public Library Thursday February 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Town seal with the silhouette of a speaker at a podium in the center

Upcoming Public Hearings

The Select Board will hold the following public hearings beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

February 11

To consider a petition from NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy to install 30’ +/- of 3” conduit from proposed handhole 189/H1A to customer installed handhole at 14 Bucks Creek Road.

February 18

To consider a request for a new Seasonal All Alcoholic Beverages Restaurant license for Hemm Fam LLC d/b/a Chatham Moods, 1617 Main Street, Orlando Hemming, Manager.

All interested parties are encouraged to participate in-person or through the link in the posted agenda.

Mill Pond Pump Station under construction

Sewer Construction Update

February 10-14th

Oyster Pond Sewer Extension Project

Sewer work is planned to begin on Smith Street. Local traffic only, detour will be in place. Police detail(s) will be on-site and signage in place to assist residents.

Continued Site work is planned to continue at the Oyster Pond Condominiums pumping station site (1233 Main Street).

Stage Harbor Road Sewer Extension Project

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

Mill Pond Pump Station

Continued sewer work is planned on Mill Pond Road. Road closures are planned for Mill Pond Road and Homestead Lane, local traffic only. Police detail(s) will be on-site to assist motorists. Please note that work associated with the Mill Pond Pumping Station will close access to the Town Landing.

February Vacation programs offered at the Community Center

Blue lighthouse with red stripes and gold stars behind it

Parade Themes Wanted

The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee (IDPC) wants you to swap your wool hat for your thinking cap and come up with a theme for the 2025 Chatham Independence Day Parade.

The IDPC will select the winning theme based on its relevance to Chatham, the parade and the people in our community. Theme submissions will be accepted until February 21st through this online form. Include a brief description of why you think your theme will make the parade the most talked-about event of 2025!

If you have any difficulty using the online form email the IDPC for assistance.

The Community Center, 702 Main Street, will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the Center for Active Living, 193 Stony Hill Road, will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. if anyone affected by the outages needs to warm up or charge a device.

Cape Cod Ready Renters Program Accepting Waitlist Applications

Apply now to be added to the general waitlist for the Cape Cod Ready Renter Program’s affordable housing units in Falmouth, Barnstable, Yarmouth, and Dennis. The list is used to fill existing scattered-site affordable rental units including studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom units and a four-bedroom unit located in apartment buildings, duplexes, and single-family homes.

Applications are available from the Town of Yarmouth’s Affordable Housing Office, 1146 Route 28, South Yarmouth. Applications may also be requested by contacting Mary Waygan via email or by calling 508-398-2231 ext. 1275.

Information sessions to learn more about the Ready Renter Program and upcoming lotteries will be held on Wednesday, February 12th at 6:30 p.m. at the Dennis Police Station Training Room, 90 Bob Crowell Road, South Dennis; Thursday, February 20th at 1 p.m. in Yarmouth Town Hall’s Hearing Room, 1146 Route 28, South Yarmouth (Remote access by Zoom available); and on Thursday, March 6th at 6 p.m. in Yarmouth Town Hall’s Room A, 1146 Route 28, South Yarmouth.

Completed applications must be delivered or postmarked by Wednesday, April 9th at 4 p.m. to Plymouth Redevelopment Authority, 26 Court Street, Plymouth, MA 02360.

Income limits apply. Households with rental vouchers are encouraged to apply. This is an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Hand holding a small house model with a key

Cape Cod Ready Renter Program Apartment Lottery

A one-bedroom apartment located at 530 Main Street, West Dennis, is available by lottery through the Cape Cod Ready Renter Program. Applications for this opportunity are available from the Town of Dennis, Planning Department, 685 Route 134, South Dennis or at any Dennis Public Library.

Information on this opportunity will be included in the information sessions listed above. You do not need to apply to be on the Ready Renter Program’s waitlist to apply for this lottery.

Completed applications must be delivered or postmarked by Wednesday, April 9th at 4 p.m. to Plymouth Redevelopment Authority, 26 Court Street, Plymouth, MA 02360.

Income limits apply. Households with rental vouchers are encouraged to apply. This is an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Rendering of an affordable home for sale by lottery

Affordable Home Lottery

The Housing Assistance Corp is offering a brand new affordable 3-bedroom, 2-bath home located at 8 Josiah Path, Falmouth, by lottery for $251,000 with a $150 monthly Homeowners Association fee.

Register for the virtual information session on this opportunity to be held via Zoom on Tuesday, February 18th at 5:30 p.m. to explain the application process and provide details on the affordable homes being built.

Application deadline is March 21st at 5 p.m.

Managing Run-Off with Rain Gardens

The Chatham Conservation Foundation’s Winter Webinar series continues Saturday, February 15 at 10 a.m. with a presentation by the Foundation’s Vice President Cathy Weston on managing excess water in a home landscape with rain gardens. She’ll discuss tips and techniques for dealing with rainstorm run-off and lessons learned from the Foundation’s recently installed rain garden at the Mill Pond Overlook.

Registration for this free webinar is required.

Volunteer Opportunities

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity or a way to give back to the community you love? Please consider serving on a Town Board, Commission, or Committee.

Members serve 3-year terms; Alternates/Associates serve 1 year term. Non-resident taxpayers are eligible to serve on Advisory Committees, the Cultural Council, and the Council on Aging Board of Directors. Only those registered to vote in Chatham are eligible to serve on regulatory and statutory Boards and Commissions.

New applications are now being accepted! Apply online today - https://www.chatham-ma.gov/.../Town.../Talent-Bank-80

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!

Subscribe to The Mainsheet

Subscribe today to have the latest issue of The Mainsheet delivered directly to your inbox each week! Sign-up through Notify Me! by entering your email address and clicking on the envelope icon next to the "Government" subscription list.