Map showing the Chatham in the Fall 10K road race route

Chatham In the Fall 10K Traffic Advisory

The annual Chatham in the Fall 10K road race will be held this Sunday, November 24^th, at 11 AM. The race will start near the intersection of Crowell Rd. and Lake St. and end in front of Monomoy Regional Middle School. The race will be held rain or shine.

There will be traffic impacts and temporary road closures and detours.

Uniformed officers will be posted at nine traffic posts along the route to facilitate safe passage to all runners and walkers. Several streets will need to be temporarily detoured, and traffic redirected from 10:30am to approximately 12:30pm. Traffic will be stopped as needed when runners approach major intersections along the race route.

If you require access to these areas, please arrive early, or expect delays.

Cartoon image of two turkeys with pilgrim hats wearing race bibs that say Chatham Cape Cod

Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Morning

The 20th Annual Turkey Trot steps off from the Oyster Pond parking lot at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 28th.

The route follows Stage Harbor Road to Champlain Road, turning onto Battlefield Road, then onto Cedar Street where the runners will complete a loop on Capri Lane before heading back onto Cedar Street for the return to Stage Harbor Road and the finish line.

This family-friendly 5K fun run/walk, benefiting the Lower Cape Outreach Council, is an extremely popular event and holiday tradition for many. Last year 2283 participants registered and 2077 crossed the finish line with official times.

If you are participating this year, registration pick-up is Monday and Tuesday, November 25th & 26th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Marathon Sports, 484 Station Avenue, Yarmouth and at our Community Center, 702 Main Street, on Wednesday, November 27th from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

If you must travel on or near the race route on Thanksgiving morning, please use extra caution.

West Chatham Neighborhood Center Buildout Analysis Discussion Continued

The public will have the opportunity to provide additional input to the Planning Board on the West Chatham Neighborhood Center Build-Out Analysis conducted by BHS Group at the Planning Board's regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, November 25th beginning at 5 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road. Remote participation will be available through the link in the posted agenda.

The Planning Board held a work session with the consultants on November 18th in follow-up to the initial presentation on the Analysis at its October 28th meeting.

On Sunday November 17, 2024, Wild Care staff in Eastham reported to USDA Wildlife Services the discovery of a dead raccoon on Smith Road in Eastham, near the entrance to their facility.

The deceased raccoon was discovered on the side of the road near the Wild Care entrance with porcupine quills in its muzzle and arm; a blue cloth had been draped over it.

The situation was immediately reported to USDA’s Rabies Program Coordinator, Brian Bjorklund, who arranged for the raccoon to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for rabies testing. DNA testing was conducted to help determine the raccoon’s region of origin.

On November 20, 2024, CDC reported that the raccoon had tested positive for rabies.

Raccoon variant rabies has not been detected on Cape Cod since 2021 when a rabies positive raccoon was discovered in Hyannis. That animal was found to have originated in Plymouth. Prior to 2021, the last case of raccoon variant rabies on Cape Cod was in 2013.

Officials are still investigating this incident and are reporting all findings to the appropriate state, county, and town entities.

Healthy raccoons do not typically approach porcupines, so immediately upon discovery the raccoon was suspected to be rabid. It is important to note that porcupines are not common on Cape Cod. Wildlife experts suspect any porcupine sightings within the last 15 or so years are due to accidental translocation, for example, a juvenile porcupine was thought to come over on a shipment of Christmas trees in 2009. Therefore, it is likely that this raccoon was transported to Eastham from another location where it had contact with the porcupine.

While it is illegal to translocate wild animals, officials encourage anyone with information about this raccoon and its area of origin to contact Brian Bjorklund, Cape Cod and Southeast Massachusetts Rabies Program Coordinator, at (413) 537-9394 or send an email to CARE@capecod.gov. Any information, anonymous or otherwise, is welcomed and encouraged. Informants will not be penalized.

Citizen Police Academy Registration Open

The Chatham Police Department is currently accepting applications for its next Citizens Police Academy beginning on Monday, January 6, 2025. The Academy provides an opportunity for residents to gain further knowledge and a better understanding of the day-to-day workings of the Police Department through a series of classroom style sessions integrated with a hands-on application of various aspects of Police work. Some of the areas of instruction include:

Traffic Enforcement
Patrol Procedures
Crash Investigation and Reconstruction
Criminal Law
Use of Force/Firearms
Constitutional Law Issues
Domestic Violence Issues & Child Abuse Issues
Emergency Dispatch & 911 Call Taking
Interview & Interrogation
Arrest/Booking and Detention of Arrestees
Court Procedures

The program is scheduled for eleven (11) consecutive weekly sessions meeting on Mondays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Classes will be held at the Chatham Police Station, 249 George Ryder Rd. Space is limited to fifteen (15) participants. Applications are accepted online through the Town's website and should be submitted as soon as possible for processing.

Interested individuals should understand that this program does not lead to any offer of employment within the Police Department and does not lead to any law enforcement certification. It is intended to provide residents and business owners of Chatham with a broader understanding of the Chatham Police Department and how we serve our community.

The next Citizen Fire Academy will be held in March 2025.

Zoning Board of Appeals Comprehensive Permit Training

The Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a training session led by Town Counsel Jay Talerman on the process of issuing a Comprehensive Permit (40B) for a housing development on Thursday, December 5th at 3 p.m. in the large meeting room of the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

Anyone interested in learning about the Zoning Board of Appeals’ role in the review and approval process for the development of 1533 Main Street (the former Buckley property) for affordable housing is welcome to observe the training.

Remote access will be available through the link in the posted agenda. The session will be broadcast live on Xfinity channel 1072 and streamed through the Town website. It will then be available for viewing through Chatham TVs on-demand archive.

Select Board and Town Manager seated at the meeting room dais.

Select Board Action - November 19th

In a public hearing the Select Board approved a petition from NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Electric to install conduit to provide underground service at 390 Old Harbor Road.

The Board approved nine Special One-Day alcohol permits for upcoming holiday events for local businesses and non-profit organizations and granted permission for an author to sell books at the Community Center in conjunction to a Chatham Men’s Club meeting.

Seasonal shellfish area openings were approved for Mill Creek, Taylor’s Pond, Champlain Creek, Oyster Pond, Muddy Creek, and Buck’s Creek as of December 1, 2024.

Paul Stuka, Chair of the Chatham First Night Committee, made annual requests for the use of Town properties and resources for the 2024-2025 First Night celebration, all of which were approved.

The most substantiative discussion was on the consideration and approval of granting two licenses to Enter and Use Town Real Property to property owners at 37 & 38 Blackberry Lane which abut Seaside Links municipal golf course. This discussion follows the amendments of the Town’s Encroachment on Town Property Policy to include the option of granting a license which were adopted by the Select Board at its last meeting.

Max Lucarelli was appointed to the Aunt Lydia’s Cove Committee.

Town Manager Jill Goldsmith reviewed the current items from the Town Manager’s October Report which may be reviewed online.

The meeting may be reviewed in its entirety through Chatham TVs online on-demand archive.

Jingle Ball Bingo at the Community Center on December 11 at 5 p.m.

Town seal with silhouette of a speaker at a podium in the center

Upcoming Public Hearings

The Select Board will hold the following public hearings at 5:30 p.m. in the large meeting room of the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road:

December 3rd

To consider an application for an Alteration of Premise to the Seasonal All Alcoholic Beverages License for Pete Higgins d/b/a Dogfish Taco Co., 22 Barnhill Road, Chatham, to add a service bar trailer to the existing patio.

To consider a petition from NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy to install six (6) new handholes, 20’ +/- 1-4” conduit, 20’ +/- of 1-4” conduit, and 118’ +/- 2-4” conduit on Mill Pond Road and Homestead Lane.

December 10th

To consider a request for a Change of Manager from Gary S. Thulander to Sean Linehan on two (2) Annual All Alcoholic Beverages Hotel licenses for CBI Operations, LLC d/b/a Chatham Bars Inn, 297 & 286 Shore Road, Chatham.

All interested parties are encouraged to participate in-person or through the link in the posted agenda.

Person in orange vest standing on a large pipe in the ground with an excavator in the background

Sewer/Road Construction Update

November 25th – November 27th

Morton Road/Meetinghouse Road Sewer Extension Project

Paving and site work will continue at Pump Station #3 on Meetinghouse Road and site work will continue at Pump Station #4 on Morton Road.

Stage Harbor Road Sewer Extension Project

Site work is expected to continue at the pump station site at Old Mill Boatyard. Paving is expected on Honeysuckle Lane and Cedar Swamp Lane. Police detail(s) will be on-site to assist motorists; access may be limited.

Oyster Pond Sewer Extension Project

Sewer Work will continue on Pond View Avenue. Access will be limited; Police detail(s) will be on-site to assist residents.

Mill Pond Pump Station

Sewer work will continue on Mill Pond Road. Road closures are expected for Mill Pond Road and Homestead Lane; access for local traffic only. Police detail(s) will be on-site to assist motorists. Work associated with the Mill Pond Pump Station will close access to the Town Landing.

Paving

Paving is expected on Old Harbor Road and Seaview Street. The schedule is pending and weather dependent. Police detail(s) will be on-site to assist residents.

Three car red train with "Toys for Tots" written on them in white

Toys for Tots Collection Kicks-Off

The Chatham Police Association has started its annual Toys for Tots toy drive.

The effort received a generous donation of $200.00 from Ocean State Job Lot Store Manager Nikki Nazir to kick off the annual collection drive which will be used to purchase new, unwrapped toys.

Please stop by Ocean State Job Lot for the annual “Stuff-a-Cruiser” drive on Saturday, December 7th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and meet the men and women of the Department and drop off new, unwrapped toys. All toys collected remain on-Cape and go to local families.

Please look for the official CPD “Collection Site” signs that designate where donation boxes are located around Town. The primary collection box is located in the Police Station lobby, 249 Main Street.

Free COVID-19 Test Kits Available

The Health Division has received a limited supply of COVID-19 test kits ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The new supply includes 5 individual tests per box. These kits are available to Chatham property owners, limited to 1 box per household, at no charge, at the Natural Resources counter in the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

Free COVID-19 test kits are also available through the United States Postal Service with delivery straight to your mailing address.

Map showing three air quality monitors with yellow indicators

Air Quality Monitor Installations

Three of the Town’s five grant-funded air quality monitors have been installed and are already working to inform our community.

On Monday, November 18th and Tuesday, November 19th, smoke from a forest fire in Boxford, MA, located north of Boston, drifted south over Cape Cod Bay. An odor of smoke and a slight haze was detected by some and reported to local fire departments. The sensors installed at the Town Offices, Town Office Annex and Fish Pier detected slightly elevated levels of particulate matter for about 1½ hour mid-afternoon on Monday and on Tuesday morning.

Next Select Board Meeting - December 3, 2024 @ 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#.

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

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