Caution sign mounted on a beach by a pond in the woods

Goose Pond: Cyanobacteria Potential for Concern

A cyanobacteria advisory has been posted at Goose Pond. The Town received notification from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) on Wednesday, June 11th of a visible algal bloom/scum in Goose Pond, which may signal the presence of elevated levels of cyanotoxin.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) recommends a public health advisory be posted due to toxin concerns.

Potential for Concern Definition: Monitoring results or the presence of cyanobacteria scum at the time and place of sampling indicates a potential for increased risk for exposure to cyanobacteria toxins. While these conditions may pose lower health risks to adults, risks are higher for children or pets based on lower body mass, particularly if contaminated water is incidentally ingested.

Children may inadvertently consume pond water while swimming and pet exposure can result from drinking or ingesting pond water or from grooming after swimming.

Seek medical attention if you or family members are experiencing illness after swimming or playing in water.

Pets may be vulnerable to adverse health effects of cyanotoxins. Contact a veterinarian if your pet shows signs of illness.

If you, your family members, or pets have experienced adverse cyanobacteria-related health effects, please contact the Chatham Health Division to report the illness.

Chatham Health Division is working closely with APCC to address the situation. Testing of the water body will take place this week and follow up testing will take place next week.

The Town of Chatham will post updated information when the Advisory is lifted or if there are any changes to the conditions of this recreational closure.

For more information, please contact Chatham Health Division or visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/harmful-algae-blooms-in-freshwater-bodies or https://apcc.org/our-work/science/community-science/cyanobacteria/

Chatham's public beaches will close at 9 p.m. on the July 4th weekend

July 4th Weekend Early Beach Closures

In an effort to ensure a safe and respectful holiday for all, the Town of Chatham will be closing its south-facing beaches and Lighthouse Beach one hour earlier than usual over the July 4th weekend. Beach parking lots will close at 9:00 p.m., and the beaches will be cleared of visitors shortly thereafter.

This temporary adjustment is being implemented in the interest of public safety and to reduce the potential for disorderly behavior during a traditionally busy and high-traffic holiday weekend. Chatham Police officers will be present to enforce the earlier closures.

“The Fourth of July is a special time in Chatham, bringing people together to enjoy our beaches and celebrate summer,” said Jill R. Goldsmith, Town Manager. “By slightly adjusting nighttime beach hours, we’re supporting a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.”

The Town may implement similar beach restrictions on select dates throughout the summer, as determined by public safety officials and based on expected beach activity levels.

Chatham remains committed to welcoming all who wish to enjoy our natural beauty while ensuring the health, safety, and enjoyment of everyone.

For updates and additional information, please visit www.chatham-ma.gov or follow the Town’s social media accounts on Facebook (Town of Chatham, MA) and Instagram (townofchatham).

Nauset/North Beach OSV Status

Chatham’s portion of Nauset Beach, also known as North Beach, remains closed to Over Sand Vehicle (OSV) travel to protect multiple broods of federally and state-listed endangered shorebirds, including Piping Plovers and Least Terns. The beach was initially closed to OSV access on May 30, 2025, due to estimated hatch dates for Plover nests. Since then, nesting activity has increased significantly and remains widespread along the length of the beach.

As of June 11, there are 20 active Plover nest sites, including 12 incubating nests—some of which are second or third nesting attempts following storm-related losses. While all early nest losses were re-established by the birds, many of the current nests are expected to hatch in mid-July.

In addition, Least Terns have begun nesting throughout nearly the entire front beach. These birds nest in colonies that are highly sensitive to disturbance. Under state and federal guidelines, special protections must be implemented when OSV travel occurs near unfledged chicks. Given the dispersed and active nesting conditions of both Plovers and Terns, Chatham cannot safely implement a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to allow limited vehicle access at this time.

We recognize that the Orleans portion of Nauset Beach remains open under their own management protocols. However, the habitat conditions and distribution of nesting shorebirds in Chatham—particularly the broad overwash areas favored by both species—require restrictive protections to comply with the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and the Town’s HCP permit conditions.

Our Natural Resources staff and shorebird monitors continue to assess conditions daily, however the earliest likely potential for OSV access is in late July or August, once the majority of chicks have fledged and nesting activity has declined.

We appreciate the public’s continued patience and cooperation in supporting efforts to protect these sensitive species during their critical nesting period. Updates will be posted on the Town’s website and social media as conditions change.

Annual Harbor Update Saturday

The annual update on changes to local waterways sponsored by the Monomoy Yacht Club will be held Saturday, June 14th at the Chatham Orpheum Theater, 637 Main Street from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Harbormaster Jason Holm will be joined by Harwich Harbormaster John Harker, Sr. Chief Ross Comstock of Station Chatham, and members of the Cape Cod Sail & Power Squadron, and US Coast Guard Auxiliary for the presentation.

People with chairs and umbrellas on a beach

Beach Stickers Required June 20th

Beach Stickers/Passes are required to park at the following beaches beginning Friday, June 20th:

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. Any Chatham resident/taxpayer sticker (Beach, Transfer Station, Combination, North Beach ORV) is acceptable. Any Non-Chatham resident/taxpayer may purchase a visitor pass. (Parking at Lighthouse Beach overlook is limited to 30 minutes).

Sales of Visitor parking passes (daily, weekly, or seasonal) are available online at https://epay.cityhallsystems.com/selection. Visitor parking passes may also be purchased (cash only) at the entrance booth to Harding’s Beach, Ridgevale Beach, or Cockle Cove Beach starting Friday, June 20th.

2024-2025 Resident/Non-resident taxpayer stickers are valid through June 30th!

QR code to take the Community Climate Survey

Click the graphic to access the survey right now!

Two women standing in front of the Barnstable County seal holding a certificate.

Director of Community Services Leah LaCross (l) and Outreach Coordinator Kerri Kelly (r)

Dementia Friendly Designation

On Tuesday, June 10th Leah LaCross, Director of Community Services, on behalf of the Town of Chatham, was presented with the “Dementia Friendly Designation” in recognition of the Town’s efforts to become a Dementia Friendly Community. This distinction was presented to Ms. LaCross, by Madeline Noonan, Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Councils on Aging at the “Reframing Aging” conference hosted by the Barnstable County Department of Human Services.

The designation recognizes Chatham for its commitment to becoming dementia friendly. By fostering a supportive, inclusive, and welcoming community for individuals living with dementia and their care partners, Chatham joins a network of communities across Massachusetts dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and improving lives.

Select Board and Town Manager seated at the dais in the large meeting room

Select Board Action – June 10th

The Select Board opened its meeting with a public hearing to consider increases to the current list of Town of Chatham Transfer Station fees and to consider establishing a new fee for crib mattresses. After hearing from the public and local commercial haulers the Board referred the proposed increases to the Economic Development Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Board of Health for consideration and development of an implementation schedule.

Rob Faley, Director of Public Works provided an update on the status of the Town’s drinking water wells for May. He reported that the Water & Sewer Advisory Committee was not recommending any changes to the water conservation measures already in place despite recent rain.

The Board granted three Special One Day Alcohol Licenses for wine & malt beverages only to representatives of the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association for Oktoberfest; four Special One Day Alcohol Licenses for wine & malt beverages only to Amy Middleton on behalf of the Creative Arts Center for various dates; granted Theresa Malone of Monomoy Community Services a use of Town property for the Town Beach Party on June 18th and a Special One Day Alcohol License for all alcoholic beverages, a One Day Entertainment License, and granted permission for alcohol to be consumed on Town property for the Back to Summer Concert at Chatham Municipal Airport on July 5th.

The Board voted to endorse the closing of Town beaches one hour earlier at 9 p.m. on the July 4th holiday weekend as recommended by the Police Chief in an effort to deter large gatherings.

The Board agreed to amending its Meeting Public Participation Policy to allow public comments on most business agenda items, with a three-minute time limit. The Chair will retain the right to determine if public comments will not be allowed on certain items, such as Committee appointments.

The Board discussed developing a protocol to encourage individuals participating in Select Board meetings remotely through Microsoft Teams to turn their cameras on when speaking.

The Board requested that a policy be developed to ensure that Select Board meeting minutes are in compliance with the Open Meeting Law.

The Board agreed to rescind the backlog of agenda item requests from Board members and the public.

The Board re-appointed David Whitcomb to the Cemetery Commission. Tina Mead, Roger Donald, and Ron Manderscheid were re-appointed as full members and Don Drinkwater and Frank Pinto were appointed as Associate members of the Summer Residents Advisory Committee. Bill Daley was re-appointed to the Economic Development Advisory Committee and Adam Garcia and Jerry Jolly were appointed as new members.

The following were re-appointed as full members to three-year terms: Nick Brown to the Board of Assessors; Bob Oliver and Robert Noonan to the Bikeways Committee; John Beckley to the Board of Health; Rob Hilliard to the Committee for People with Disabilities; Patricia Burke and Nancy Fields to the Council on Aging Board of Directors; Gerry Stahl to the Energy and Climate Action Committee; Michael Stello to the Golf Advisory Committee; Thomas Campbell to the Independence Day Parade Committee; Frank Sherer to the Open Space Committee; Robert Dinnie to the Railroad Museum Committee; James Sullivan to the South Coastal Harbor Plan Committee; Jeff Gordon to the Traffic Safety Committee; Ann Ryan and Jeff Colby to the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee; Andrew Dunn and Ed Conway to the Waterways Advisory Committee; Jared Bennett, James Nash, and Robert Ryder to the Working Waterfront Advisory Committee.

The following were re-appointed as Associate/Alternate members to a one-year term: Joanna Kale and Ron Weishaar to the Board of Health; Gary Toenniessen to the Opens Space Committee.

The public is encouraged to watch the meeting in its entirety through the Chatham TV on-demand archive.

The Town is hiring a Community Behavioral Health Clinician

Two irrigation heads n a lawn spraying water

Water Conservation Measures in Place

Despite recent rain, no changes have been made to the water conservation measures for users of Chatham’s municipal water system voted by the Select Board, acting as Water & Sewer Commissioners, on April 29^th in response to the Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Office’s ongoing declaration of a Level 2 – Significant Drought for all of Cape Cod.

Effective until further notice, all non-essential outdoor water use shall be restricted to no more than two days per week. Watering by sprinkler or irrigation is allowed on customer assigned days only before 9:00 AM and after 5:00 PM.

Odd numbered addresses are assigned Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Even numbered addresses are assigned Wednesdays and Fridays.

As a reminder, non-essential uses include:

Irrigation of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems
Washing of vehicles, except in a commercial car wash or as necessary for operator safety
Washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways, or sidewalks (except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement, or concrete).

Households and businesses that draw water from private wells are exempt from these restrictions; however, the Town encourages their participation given their impact on our shared aquifer.

Mandatory water restrictions put in place now will help protect our resources and possibly reduce greater water shortages this summer. The Chatham Water Department respectfully requests the support of our residents and business community in complying with these restrictions to ensure the future health and adequacy of our water supply. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

If you have any questions, please contact the Chatham Water Department at (508) 945-5150.

A man holding a microphone and a woman holding a certificate in from of a stone and brick library

Select Board Chair Dean Nicastro and Town Manager Jill Goldsmith

Incorporation Day

On Wednesday, June 11th Historic Chatham hosted a celebration of the 313th anniversary of the incorporation of the village of Monomoit into the Town of Chatham.

After opening remarks from Kevin Wright, Executive Director of the Chatham Historical Society, Town Manager Jill Goldsmith read the Select Board's proclamation of June as History Month in Chatham and Select Board Chair Dean Nicastro commented on his personal connections to the Town's history in observance of Chatham's incorporation on June 11, 1712.

Visit www.historic-chatham.org for a full listing of events and activities taking place this month.

Juneteenth Closures

Chatham’s Town Offices, the Community Center and the Center for Active Living will be closed on Thursday, June 19th in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

The Transfer Station will be open for normal operating hours.

Report Public Works Issues Online

Public Works employees work diligently to resolve issues around Town as they arise, but their eyes can’t be everywhere all the time.

To ensure that staff is aware of conditions in need of attention, the Town has added a convenient portal for the public to report a variety of road, sidewalk, and public property issues directly to our Department of Public Works on the homepage of our website.

Reporting potholes, poor drainage, or other problems is as easy as sticking a pin in a map of Town to identify the location and providing a brief description of the issue to be resolved. Submissions are entered directly into the Department’s work order system. Team Chatham will address these issues as soon as possible once the report is verified to be on public property.

Have you noticed an issue that we haven’t? Please let us know! https://www.chatham-ma.gov/CitizensRequest

Stylized fish made up a tail and head with CCC between

Cultural Council Seeks Members

The Chatham Cultural Council reviews applications from artists and performers to award grants that enhance and enrich our cultural community. We are currently seeking two new board members to join our team. The Council meets for one hour at Town Hall on the first Monday of each month at 4:00 PM, with a two-hour meeting held in December. If you're interested in supporting the arts and helping distribute grant funding, please complete a Talent Bank form online.

Be a yard hero keep chemicals out of stormwater runoff

cartoon image of bottles and cans marked toxic and poison

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Chatham’s household hazardous waste collection will be held tomorrow Saturday, June 14th at the Harwich Transfer Station, 209 Queen Anne Road, Harwich from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Is it time to get rid of old oil paints, cleaners, lawn chemicals, or random mystery bottles you forgot you owned? Don’t toss them in the trash—bring them to the collection and help keep Cape Cod’s drinking water clean!

For a run-down of what is and is not accepted visit www.loveyourlocalwater.org.

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

Upcoming Public Hearings

The Select Board will hold the following public hearings during their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesdays, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the large meeting room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

June 24th

To consider a request for increased sewer flow of 266.55 gpd for 878-880 Main Street, Chatham, to accommodate a new floor plan consisting of 291 sf of retail space (14.55 gpd), 2 bedrooms (220 gpd), and 3-chair salon (300 gpd) which would result in a total of 534.55 gpd flow.

To consider increases to the current list of Town of Chatham Construction Permit fees for the following categories:

Building Permit Fees – Residential & Commercial
Other Related Building Permit Fees - Work Started Without a Permit, Underestimation of Work on a Permit, Outside Plan Review Costs, Shed Regulation, Unusual Situations Fee Calculation
Plumbing and Gas Permit Fees - Single Fixture – Residential and Commercial; Multiple Fixtures – Residential and Commercial
Electric Permit Fees - Residential & Emergency Call Outs

The public is 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 Construction Update

For the week of June 16th- June 20th

Oyster Pond Sewer Extension Project

Sewer work will continue on Smith Street. Local traffic only, detour will be in place. Police detail(s) will be on-site and signage in place to assist residents.

Miscellaneous site restoration work along roadways including Kelley Lane, Woodcarver Knoll and Ellis Street is expected. Impacts to traffic are not expected.

Mill Pond Pump Station

Site work continues at the Mill Pond Pump Station site (85 Mill Pond Road).

Next Select Board Meeting - June 24, 2025 @ 5:00 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

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.