Cory Metters and Dean Nicastro with right hands raised being sworn in as Select Board members

Select Board Re-Organized

Following the Annual Town Election held on Thursday, May 16^th which resulted in the re-election of Board Members Cory Metters and Dean Nicastro, the Select Board met at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 17^th to re-organize.

Mike Schell was elected as the new Chair; Dean Nicastro was elected as Vice Chair; and Shareen Davis was elected as Clerk.

Voters seated in the Middle School gym at 2024 Annual Town Meeting

Annual Town Meeting & Election Results

537 voters attended our Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 13th

Four articles failed to pass:

Article 17 – Capital Project – Transfer Station Project
Article 18 – Waterfront Bond Article
Article 28 – Capital – Chatham Municipal Airport; EV Charging Stations Project
Article 40 – General Bylaw Amendment; Chapter 100; Airport Approach Zone Map

A Citizen Petition Authorizing the Chatham Select Board to petition the State Legislature for the Authority to Acquire Year-Round Housing Occupancy Restrictions was indefinitely postponed.

No motions were offered on three articles:

Article 4 – FY2024 Budget Adjustments/Transfers
Article 23 – Establish Adult Supportive Day Care Program
Article 29 – Property Acquisition; 0 Pleasant Street, South Chatham

Scorecard reporting electronic vote counts and the Town Moderator's determination on voice votes is available in Town Meeting Central.

In addition to Cory Metters and Dean Nicastro being re-elected to their seats on the Select Board, Town Moderator Bill Litchfield and Housing Authority Member Alan Mowry were re-elected, and Brad Schiff was elected as the newest Chatham representative to the Monomoy Regional School Committee at the Annual Town Elections on May 16th.

Both ballot questions seeking Proposition 2 1/2 overrides for the Transfer Station project and the proposed Waterfront Infrastructure Bond also passed despite being defeated at Annual Town Meeting.

Asphalt parking lot with white painted lines

Line Painting Sunday Night

Markings, Inc. will be conducting line painting of parking spaces along Main Street downtown and in the parking lot at 549 Main Street beginning at 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 19th and concluding before 6 a.m. on Monday, May 20th.

Four spaces in the parking lot adjacent to the Town Offices will be striped yellow and marked as restricted to permit parking only, tow away zone to facilitate parking for a food truck which will be operating in the lot most evenings during the summer. During the day the spaces will be used by municipal employees with a valid Town of Chatham Employee parking pass.

Jr. Lifeguards needed, $17 per hour, call Sue Frederickson at 774-701-0473

Rob Franz in uniform standing beside the World War I Memorial

Memorial Day Observance

Chatham's Memorial Day observance will be held on Monday, May 27 outdoors at the Community Center at the World War I memorial on the front lawn of the Community Center at 10 a.m.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the gymnasium.

People sitting in chairs under umbrellas around a lifeguard stand on a beach

Visitor Beach Pass Sales

Visitor Beach Pass sales begin on June 1st.

Daily passes are $20, weekly are $75, and seasonal passes are $175. Passes may be purchased online.

Resident/Non-Resident Taxpayer Beach stickers and Visitor passes are required Friday, June 21st through Sunday, September 1st:

Harding’s Beach: Resident/Non-resident taxpayer sticker or visitor pass. (U.S. Military personnel, active or retired with valid Military picture ID, are allowed free access to Harding’s Beach)
Ridgevale Beach: Resident/Non-resident taxpayer sticker or visitors pass.
Cockle Cove Beach: Resident/Non-resident taxpayer sticker or visitors pass.
School House Pond: Resident/Non-resident taxpayer sticker ONLY.
Lighthouse Beach: Passes for parking on Bridge St. to access Lighthouse Beach are required between July 1st and Labor Day, daily 9am-5pm. (Parking at Lighthouse Beach overlook is limited to 30 minutes)

Reminder: 2023-2024 Resident/Non-Resident Taxpayer Beach stickers are valid through June 30th.

Police Officers and Fire Fighters looking at radio control device in a parking lot

Radio controlled drone flying against a gray sky

Fire Fighter looking at a radio control device screen

Police & Fire Drone Teams Training

The Police and Fire Departments Drone Team conducted a routine monthly training session on Wednesday, May 15th at Hardings Beach. The Drone Team consisting of three members of the Fire Department and two members of the Police Department has been operational for about two years.

This winter a second drone was added, a DJI Matrice 350, which has significantly increased the Team's capabilities. The drones, which are all weather capable, have multiple camera systems including thermal imaging and are used primarily for search and rescue. The 350 also has advanced capabilities which can be used for mapping and evaluating the shoreline.

Chatham Garden Club Plant Sale on June 1st at the Community Center 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wooden platform adjacent to a bulkhead with metal stairs leading down into the water

Old Mill Boat Yard Access Stairs

The access stairs & platform replacement project at Old Mill Boat Yard has been completed.

The Old Mill Boat Yard area of Stage Harbor is home to prolific shellfish beds, the Champlain Flats, harvested by recreational shellfish permit holders. The only access from the northern edge of the parking lot was previously via a deteriorated stair system.

The new non-slip stair system and small platform, constructed with funds from the Community Preservation Act as approved by 2021 Annual Town Meeting voters, improves pedestrian access to these intertidal flats.

Preschool students sitting on the floor while an adult reads to them

Applications Available for Dr. Florence Seldin Preschool Family Support

Applications for the Dr. Florence Seldin Preschool Family Support program for the 2024-2025 school year are now available.

The Program provides up to $5,000 in pre-school tuition for 3 year olds and up to $10,000 in pre-school tuition for 4 year olds with enrolled pre-school providers. Payments are made directly to the providers on a monthly basis. Proof of residency is the only requirement for students to participate in the program.

Funding for the program was originally approved by Town Meeting voters in 2022 and funds were replenished in 2023.

In its first year, 27 students were enrolled with 11 participating providers saving those families almost $124,000 in tuition costs and providing the students the educational, social and emotional skill they will need to enter elementary school.There are 17 children currently enrolled in the program which is on track to provide approximately $106,000 in tuition assistance in its second year.

If you know a family that would benefit from this program, please encourage them to apply.

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.

Town of Chatham website www.chatham-ma.gov