Director of Community Services Leah LaCross

Introducing Community Services

The Town’s newly created Department of Community Services is taking shape with the appointment of the Town’s first Director of Community Services Leah LaCross who began work this week at the Council on Aging.

Ms. LaCross has over 25 year’s Human Services leadership experience and is fluent in matters of compliance, healthcare for underserved populations, operations, and leadership development. She has spent her career focusing on both developing programming for youth, as well as advocating for aging and vulnerable adults and ensuring that their healthcare and programmatic needs are met. She is a skilled grant writer and is highly experienced in budget development and oversight.

Ms. LaCross most recently served as the Director of Planning and Grants at the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), where she managed all federal and state funding, ensured agency compliance, and was in charge of planning for the program expansion at the agency. Notably, she led and further developed the “Enhanced Mobility for Seniors” program, which provides a vehicle (or multiple vehicles) free-of-charge to all Council on Aging agencies in our region in order to provide timely medical and other transportation for the senior population in each town.

The Department of Community Services will serve as the umbrella for our Council on Aging, Community Center, Recreation and Beaches Division, Human Services Grant Program, Childcare Voucher Program, and the newly created Dr. Florence Seldin Family Support Program.

Are You a Summer or Part-Time Resident?

Do you know about Chatham’s Summer Resident Advisory Committee (SRAC)?

The Summer Residents Advisory Committee was established in 1996 by the Town to give summer residents a voice in local government. The Committee has 11 members representing a broad spectrum of summer residents.

So what does the SRAC do for summer residents? It provides them with a voice; gives the Select Board the benefit of information and views from summer residents; and takes a position on Town stewardship matters.

For over 70 years summer residents have held an annual summer meeting to confer upon matters of mutual interest and engage Chatham’s Town officers with issues, questions, and concerns. The Summer Residents Advisory Committee hosts this meeting to share relevant information and create an opportunity for engagement with the Select Board and speakers on a range of topics. This year the meeting will be on Tuesday, August 9th at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road. It is an informative and important event for summer residents to attend. Mark the date in your calendars and plan on attending this year.

Check out the Committee's webpage for more information.

Chatham Fire Rescue Department in block letters on side of Fire Station

Swearing In & Awards Presentation

The Chatham Fire/Rescue Department will host an awards ceremony on Tuesday, August 2nd at 8:30 a.m. at the Fire Station. The ceremony is open to the public and light refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

The ceremony will feature the swearing-in of Fire Fighters Thomas Scott Devlin and Peter Hennigan; mark the completion of probationary period for Fire Fighters Louis Carlo and Dustan McGlinn; and presentation of service awards for Fire Fighter Nick Pelkey (5 years), Fire Fighter William Field (10 years) and Captain Ryan Clarke (15 years).

A Unit Citation will be awarded to personnel involved in the response to a Motor Vehicle Accident on December 10, 2021 whose actions and teamwork contributed to saving a life or preventing further pain, suffering or injury. Additionally, a Merit Award and two Life Saving Awards will be presented to Department members.

The ceremony will conclude with the presentation of the 2022 Chatham Fire Association Scholarship to Madelaine Silvester (Keene State College) and Audrey Smith (University of Hawaii).

Please join us in recognizing the achievements and contributions of our Fire Department members.

Water Bills

The vendor who processes our Water bills has sent out two sets of bills in error. One bill is printed on blue paper and the other bill is printed on white paper. Please disregard the bill printed on white paper. If you have any questions, please contact the Water Department directly at 508-945-5150.

Connie Lyman and members of the Fire Department

Welcome Back Connie!

Fire Department personnel are thrilled to welcome Connie Lyman back to the Fire Station.

Ms. Lyman worked for the Department as a Call Dispatcher from 2007 to 2017 and is returning as a part-time Administrative Assistant.

A white feather quill drawing waves with two white seagulls above the words Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival in Chatham on blue background

Shakespeare Festival Starts Monday

The Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival in Chatham begins it inaugural season on Monday, July 25th with two of the Bard's comedies.

The Festival will kick-off with "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Monday, July 25th and performances will alternate with "Twelfth Night" through Thursday, July 28th. The second week of the Festival will feature "Twelfth Night" on Monday, August 1st and alternate with "A Midsummer Night's Dream" through Thursday, August 4th.

All performances begin at 7 p.m. at Kate Gould Park and are free. Bring your blanket or your folding chairs for a night of live theater. The performers and production staff of the Festival are a mix of pre-professional actors and designers from university theater programs, local talent, and select group of professional actors.

Water Conservation Information in a blue square

Water Conservation measures remain in effect!

Community Preservation Act Applications

The new deadline for applications to receive funding through the Community Preservation Act (CPA) is November 1.

This earlier date for submissions will will give the Community Preservation Committee adequate time to review all applications and meet with the applicants prior to recommending projects for funding. All backup materials supporting an application must be submitted by to the November 1 deadline.

Community Preservation Act funding supports affordable housing initiatives, outdoor recreation improvements, historic preservation, and open space conservation. Any individual, non-profit group, or Town entity may submit an application for funds. Each application recommended for approval by the CPC is drafted as a warrant article and voted on at Annual Town Meeting in the spring. To date, over $21 million in CPA funding has been approved to support over one hundred projects helping to preserve Chatham’s unique character and high quality of life. CPA eligibility criteria and guidelines for completing an online application form are available on the Town's website.

The CPC will hold a public informational hearing at 4:00 PM on September 19, 2022 at the Community Center to address preservation needs and possibilities and to respond to questions from the general public.

988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline within blue square with white border

New Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was re-launched on July 16 replacing the 10-digit phone number with the easy to remember "988."

Anyone experiencing a mental health emergency can call or text "988" and be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing suicide prevention network.

For more information on when to use "988" and what to expect if you or a loved one needs to call visit the MA Bureau of Community Health and Prevention's website.

Seeking Land for Affordable and/or Attainable Housing

The Town and the Chatham Affordable Housing Trust are seeking to acquire real property, by purchase, gift, or lease (minimum term of 99 years) a parcel or parcels of land within the Town suitable for construction, or an existing building suitable for renovation, for use as a mix of affordable and attainable housing (30% of Area Median Income and up to 200% of Area Median Income).

The Request for Proposals (RFP) and supporting documents may be obtained via email from Shanna Nealy (snealy@chatham-ma.gov) or at the Chatham Town Offices, Town Manager’s Office, 549 Main Street, Chatham, MA.

Sealed proposals will be received at the Office of the Town Manager, 549 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633 until 2:00 PM on August 26, 2022. Late submittals will not be accepted. After the bid closing time, the Interested Party submittals will be opened for the sole purpose of recording the names of the Interested Parties submitting.

The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals if deemed in the best interest of the Town.

Next Select Board Meeting - July 26, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.

All are welcome to attend and participate in our open and public meetings. The agenda for each meeting is posted 48 business hours prior to the scheduled meeting time and can be accessed through the Select Board’s webpage.

Attend in-person at the Town Office Annex, Large Meeting Room. Join the meeting on-line or participate by phone by dialing 1-508-945-4410 and entering Conference ID 203 386 491#.

I. Minutes

July 12, 2022

II. Public Hearings

1. Consider Application for Change of Hours; Backpack Forever LLC d/b/a Mom & Pops, 1603 Main Street (Tom Deegan)

III. Public Comments on Business Agenda

IV. Business Agenda (Board Discussion Items)

1. Request to Use Town Roads; Turkey Trot, November 24, 2022 (Kathleen Wibby)

2. Special One Day Alcohol Permit; Chatham Threadworks; August 15, 2022, 4-7 p.m. (Jen Falvey)

3. Informational Item - Reclassification of Mill Pond, Little Mill Pond, Battlefield Landing, Stage Harbor, Mitchell River, Oyster River North, and Oyster River South Mooring Areas (Renee Gagne)

4. Committee/Constable Appointments/Reappointments

5. Town Manager Report – Monthly Report for June 2022

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