Community Engagement Session on Affordable & Attainable Housing

The Town, along with consultants Barrett Planning Group and Dodson & Flinker Landscape Architects, will hold the third and final community engagement meeting to look at possible affordable and attainable housing development scenarios on the Town-owned properties on Main Street, West Chatham and Meetinghouse Road, South Chatham on Wednesday, January 17th, at 6:00 pm. Members of the Chatham community are invited to participate in this hybrid meeting, either in-person in the large meeting room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road, or online via the Teams meeting link, available below and at the Meetings & Events Calendar on the Town’s website www.chatham-ma.gov.

Click here to join the meeting.

This meeting will conclude an inclusive community visioning process launched in December 2022 to guide the direction of future development on each Town-owned property. The Meetinghouse Road site was purchased exclusively with Affordable Housing Trust funds and will have affordable housing, while the Main Street site will likely have a combination of both affordable and attainable housing.

During the meeting, Barrett Planning Group and Dodson & Flinker will present final design concepts that illustrate the development potential of each site. The concepts presented will not represent official plans for either property but will reflect information and feedback received from the Chatham community at the two prior forums in December 2022 and February 2023 and through the online Community Housing Survey, as well as feedback from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board of Trustees at their meeting of September 19, 2023, regarding site layout, density, and housing type.

This year-long community visioning exercise provides the basis for a longer-term development process. Following this third and final community engagement meeting, the Town will focus on the development of affordable and/or attainable housing on each parcel. The design concepts presented for each site will be used to inform Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for future development in keeping with a grounded, feasible community vision for each site. Housing Development RFPs are expected to be issued in February 2024.

Three large trees bare of leaves along a street with residential construction behind them

Tree Warden Public Hearing

The Chatham Tree Warden will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 2:00 PM in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 87 to discuss a request by abutting property owners of 19 Old Wharf Road to remove three (3) street trees located within the Town Right of Way along Old Harbor Road which have been determined to be impacted by Phytophthora root rot. The trees are Sycamore Maples and are approximately (2)28” & (1)32”. The meeting will be held in the small meeting room at the Town Offices Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

All interested parties are encouraged to participate.

Questions may be directed to Deputy Director of Public Works Tom Barr.

The Town of Chatham is seeking applications for two positions - an Adult Behavioral Health Community Services Clinician and a Youth Behavioral Health Community Services Clinician

View of Mitchell River from the pier at 90 Bridge Street

Dredging to Begin at 90 Bridge Street

The Robert B. Our Co. is scheduled to begin mobilizing on or about January 11th to begin dredging associated with planned waterfront improvements for 90 Bridge Street on Mitchell River.

Work involves mechanical dredging of approximately 2,000 cubic yards of material using a barge and crane. Additional barge “scows” will be utilized to dewater the material, which will then be transferred for off-site upland disposal. Work is expected to take approximately three weeks. Navigation in Mitchell River and through the Mitchell River Bridge will be kept clear for vessels.

If you have questions or need additional information regarding this project, please contact Ted Keon, Coastal Resources Director, at (508) 945-5176 or via email. Contact the Chatham Harbormaster, (508) 945-5185, for operational updates or questions.

Seafaring Stories is a new program at the Center for Active Living

Seafaring Stories is about connecting generations over the shared love and respect for Chatham's local waters and fishing traditions. All are welcome to the first installment of Seafaring Stories! Come enjoy thrilling stories, rich histories and all there is to know about F/V Great Pumpkin and Capt. Sam Linnell. This program will be held at the Center for Active Living, 193 Stony Hill Road.

Emergency and Non Emergency Notifications from the Town of Chatham

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Non-Emergency Notifications - Notify Me!

Notify Me! allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists (subscribe to the "Government" list to have The Mainsheet delivered right to your inbox. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today!

Emergency Notifications - Smart911

In an effort to provide reliable and effective communications to residents, the Town has implemented Smart911 as its emergency notification provider. Smart911 is a high speed notification system designed to make calls, emails, and SMS text notifications to specific people or areas in the event of an emergency. These messages may include information on floods, fires, water emergencies, road closures, missing persons, evacuation orders, weather, or other emergencies.

Residents can add additional telephone numbers including a cell phone. The address documented must be in Chatham, but the phone number can be anywhere. Emergency messages can reach TTY (teletypewriter) phones used by the hearing impaired. Please sign up using this link.

If you have already enrolled in Smart911, please take a minute to verify your contact information. Accurate email addresses, landline, and mobile numbers help to ensure, but cannot guarantee, that emergency information will reach you in an emergency.

If you need assistance enrolling in the program, call the Fire Department at 508-945-2324.

Overhead view of someone wearing rubber gloves slicing a tomato on a white cutting board with a large knife.

Foods To Encourage Program

Help Wanted

As part of SNAP-Ed programs across the Cape, the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension’s nutrition educators are regularly out in the field as part of the Lower Cape Outreach Council’s Foods to Encourage Program. Once a month, educators offer a simple cooking demonstration focused on the preparation of fresh fruits and vegetables provided through the program at eight food pantries. Barnstable County Public Health nurses are also on-site for non-fasting blood glucose monitoring and blood pressure checks. Food pantry clients can take advantage of this free program which provides regular health screenings alongside healthful ingredients and recipes to help them work towards their wellness goals.

The Extension’s Nutrition Education Program is looking for people to assist in this project on the Lower and Outer Cape. Pay is $22/ hour, hours are varied, and would be ideal for a retired nurse, teacher, or food service worker who is engaging and has their own transportation to program sites as well as to the Extension office in South Yarmouth. Applicants must be able to lift up to 25 pounds, and currently have or can get ServSafe Food Manager certification and allergen awareness training.

For more information, reach out to Kim Concra or Sue Bourque.

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