Hurricane Sandy

As I am writing this, winds continue to pick up from Hurricane Sandy.  Our current plan is to close the Town Hall at noon today, Monday, October 29.  We will re-open at noon tomorrow after the worst of the storm has passed.  At this point, we have received very little rain, and the major concerns are the wind and potential for coastal flooding.

Our preparations have been coordinated by Police Chief Kyle Takakjian, who also serves as the Town’s Emergency Management Director.  Chief Takakjian has been in constant contact with the Mass Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) via conference calls and updates every three hours.  Police staffing and DPW staffing has been increased.  The Nauset Regional High School shelter opened at 8:00 this morning.  A transportation plan was developed with Provincetown to provide rides to the shelter on a continuous loop using the COA vans from the two towns.

NSTAR will be staging equipment behind the Public Safety Facility throughout the storm.  The amount and type of equipment will depend on the updated track of the storm and its anticipated impact.  The Truro Police Department will have storm updates on their website throughout the event.  We have added a link to the PD site on the Town's website.  There is also a Storm Preparedness Guide available.  http://truropolice.org.  We also have a link on the Town Website to the National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov. The local CERT team will be notifying businesses in low-lying areas such as Beach Point about the potential storm surge and about steps to be taken to protect property, water supplies, and perishables.

This morning the Truro Selectmen voted to declare a State of Emergency.  That declaration will allow us to apply for reimbursement from MEMA for the additional staffing and equipment.

FY2014 Budget

We are starting to develop the budget for FY2014.  With tax bills going out on time this year, we were able to certify our Free Cash last week.  It appears we will have $1.6 million available this year to fund projects in the current Fiscal Year and to fund the operating budget for next year.  We do anticipate some major capital expenses for next year:

We also anticipate an increase in the operating budget for the Beach Department if the Selectmen decide to place additional lifeguards on the Ocean beaches.  As you may know, currently only two of the beaches have guards.  Following last summer’s shark attack at Ballston Beach, the idea of stationing guards there and at Longnook has been discussed.

Housing Activity

Some of you may have seen the story in the Cape Cod Times about the thirteen Town employees who participated in a day of community service at the Habitat house under construction in Truro.

Additionally, Community Housing Resource (CHR) is in the process of closing on the financing for the Sally’s Way project:  sixteen units of affordable rental housing.  That project, located next to the Library and Community Center, should begin construction within the next month and be completed by Spring of 2013.  Anyone interested in applying for a unit should contact CHR at 508-487-2426.

Barnstable County Human Rights Commission

The Board of Selectmen is seeking a volunteer to serve as Truro’s representative to the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission.  You can read about the Commission’s work at: http://www.bchumanservices.net/barnstable-county-human-rights-commission/

If you are interested in serving, please contact the Administration Office at 508-349-7004, ext. 10.

Charter Review Committee

Also, we are looking for at least two more volunteers to serve on the Charter Review Committee.  This group would review the Town Charter to see if updates are needed.  They would then file a report with the Board of Selectmen.  If you are interested, please call the Administration Office at 508-349-7004, ext. 10, or fill out an application form at: http://www.truro-ma.gov/html_pages/boards_committees/Openings/Openings.php

This page also contains a listing of all Board and Committee vacancies in the Town.  We rely on our volunteers to do much important work in the Town.  Please consider volunteering your time.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Rex Peterson
Town Administrator
townadm@truro-ma.gov
(508) 349-7004, ext 10