Town Administrator

Town Meeting Wrap Up

On Thursday, May 2nd, Town Meeting voters managed to complete all 34 Articles in one night. With the exception of two Articles that were postponed indefinitely, all Articles and Budgets were approved, most unanimously. At the Town Election held on May 14th, all the override and capital exclusion questions - with the exception of funding for a new Police cruiser - were passed by the voters. With funding approved at Town Meeting and at the Town Election, we are moving ahead with a number of projects and purchases:

We have been in touch with Michael Joyce from Turning Mill Consultants, Inc. about moving ahead with the development of plans and specifications for the grounding work at the Public Safety Building. As soon as that phase is completed, we will advertise for bids; and with Turning Mill Consultant’s assistance, we will select a contractor. You may recall that this work includes the purchase and installation of a stand-alone generator. We also are continuing negotiations with AT&T, which may include partial reimbursement for some of this work.

DPW Director Paul Morris and I put together the specifications for the transfer trailer. Funding for that will be available on July 1, 2013. Also, Paul and I will be working on a bid for the roof replacement at the Public Safety Facility.

We signed an agreement with Purrfect Cleaning to come in on the weekends and clean the large meeting room and bathrooms at the Community Center and the bathrooms at the Library. These facilities both get a lot of use on the weekends during the season, and we want to keep them clean and functioning for the public and the staff. This weekend service will continue through the weekend after Columbus Day.

I am working with the Assistant Town Administrator and Housing Authority Chairman Carl Brotman on a Request for Proposals for the $180,000 in CPA funds, which was approved for construction of an affordable single-family house. We will select a developer who then can use the CPA funds to purchase a lot and develop the house. We would be looking for a private nonprofit such as Habitat of Cape Cod.

We are in the process of renewing a number of our annual contracts for gasoline, diesel, and heating oil. We also are working on renewals of service contracts for the Town electrician and plumber.

Kelly Clark, Recreation and Beach Director, has ordered the two new handicap beach chairs and the mobi mats. They will be delivered by the end of June, and purchased through the FY2014 funding approved at the Town Meeting. Kelly also is continuing to develop the radio system for the beaches. Our goal is to have all beaches able to communicate with each other and back to the Beach Office and truck. On May 2nd, the Finance Committee approved a transfer from the Reserve Fund to cover this unexpected but very important upgrade.

Beach Office Opening June 8th

The Beach Office will be opening on June 8th and will be open every day from then on, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please keep in mind you may use a credit card to pay for your beach sticker this year.

Transfer Station Stickers Available

New Transfer Station Stickers are available at the Transfer Station. The new Stickers are required by July 1, 2013. These Stickers can be paid using a credit card, also.

Shore Bird Monitoring

The situation at the beaches with regard to the Piping Plovers continues to evolve on a daily basis. The Town has contracted with Mass Audubon to monitor all Bayside beaches and the new habitat at Ballston Beach. The Cape Cod National Seashore will monitor all other Oceanside beaches, but any decision to close a Town beach will be up to Town officials.

Because the Plovers nest on the surface of the sand and out in the open, their nests are especially vulnerable to predators and the weather. Already we have lost some nests to foxes, crows, and other animals. When it comes time to position the lifeguard chairs and mobi mats, Audubon will work with Town staff to choose the best locations.

Meanwhile, all beaches remain open. When the chicks hatch, there may be restrictions placed on overland vehicles; but we will wait and see where we end up. We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding. We must strike a delicate balance between protecting the birds and allowing the public to access the beaches.

NSTAR Outage Issues

Dotty Smith, Chief of Staff for State Representative Peake, organized a meeting on April 24th with representatives from NSTAR and the Towns of Truro and Wellfleet. The main topic of discussion was the number of privately-owned electric lines in both Towns. There was discussion, also, about the rights and responsibilities of property owners within the CCNS to maintain and brush back roads.

One of the major problems is that many property owners served by private lines do not know their services are private and that it is their responsibility to maintain and repair the lines. One suggestion was to acquire the maps NSTAR has compiled of the private lines and overlay those with our Assessor's maps. Then we could determine exactly which property owners are affected, and we could also easily do a mailing with information about the service and responsibility for maintenance and repair. We will continue to update you on this issue

Another Season is Upon Us

Welcome back to all the Non-Resident Taxpayers and to other summer visitors. Please feel free to stop by the Town Hall while you are here. Have a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,