Gift of Land - 1610 Main Street

Local resident and Chatham business owner Bill Marsh has re-committed to donating property in West Chatham to the Town for the purpose of constructing a new senior center facility. Marsh first agreed to donate the property at 1610/0 Main Street in January 2020.

“My family and I appreciate the opportunity to give something back to the Town that we love and that has given so much to us.  We embrace the idea of a new Council on Aging facility in this location with the hopes that it will provide an anchor for the West Chatham Village Center for decades to come,” said Marsh.

The original donation agreement between Marsh and the Town expired when Article 15 at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting seeking funding for design and construction of the facility fell 98 votes short of the required two-thirds majority.

Select Board Chair Jeff Dykens said “We are thrilled that Bill has renewed his offer to donate the property to the Town. The Select Board voted unanimously in 2020 to support the construction of the facility there and has always felt that 1610 Main was the gold standard property for a new Center for Active Living. We were perhaps remiss in not being more proactive in 2021 to get the funding article passed. A new building at 1610 Main Street will provide our seniors the facility they deserve and have been waiting for so patiently.”

Town Manager Jill Goldsmith agrees that locating the new Center for Active Living in West Chatham will benefit older adults for decades to come and notes its positive economic impact to the area. “Bill’s generous gift will advance the vision of a vibrant neighborhood center that the Planning Board has been working towards.”

The Town has been actively pursuing the construction of a new facility since 2016 when it was determined that the condition of the existing building at 193 Stony Hill Road and limitations of the site made it operationally obsolete. A review of Town-owned properties followed, after which several sites were advanced for closer study. A 2019 Annual Town Meeting Article proposed a facility on Middle Road which failed to reach the required two-thirds majority vote. Properties on Stepping Stones Road, the Marconi Campus on Crowell Road, and the Community Center have been discussed but none achieved favorable consensus.

Dykens said “None of the other properties we looked at were as suitable for a new Center for Active Living as 1610 Main Street. In addition to its prime location in a neighborhood center, it is a previously disturbed site, so the environmental impact of its redevelopment is minimal and there is no conflict of use as there would be at the Community Center or at Marconi.”

Community Services Director Leah LaCross said “The Community Services Department is overwhelmed with gratitude for Mr. Marsh’s generosity in his offer to donate the parcel at 1610 Main Street for a new Center for Active Living. The Chatham Council on Aging is now proudly providing programs and services to adult Chatham residents aged 60 to over 100. I look forward to the day when the newly built Center for Active Living is a reality, and an integral and impactful part of the Chatham community.”

The renewed gift of land will be presented to the Select Board at its meeting on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

Sewer Construction Update

C.C. Construction, Inc. will continue work for the Phase 1D-2A: Route 137 – Morton Road Sewer Extension Project (1D-2A) and continue work for the Queen Anne Pumping Station (QAPS) Upgrade as outlined below. N&M Excavating LLC will continue work for the Crowell Road Phase 2 & Chatham Fish Pier Infrastructure Project (Crowell Road Phase 2 & CFP) as outlined below. 

Work for the week of January 30^th – February 3^rd: 

1D-2A:

-Continued sewer work expected on Meetinghouse Road, work is progressing north from the Rt. 28 intersection. Detour utilizing Morton Road in place. Traffic heading to Commerce Park to be accessed by Main Street.

-Tentative site work at Pump Station #3 (Meetinghouse Road).

-Crowell Road Phase 2 and CFP:

-No work expected.

QAPS:

-Site work at pump station site expected (40 Queen Anne Road; SE corner of Queen Anne Road and Oyster Pond Furlong). Police detail as needed to facilitate traffic.

This is a projected schedule and will be adjusted accordingly based on the Contractor’s actual progress and the weather. Roads will be passable at the end of each day. Police Details and Contractors will work with residents to ensure their needs for access are addressed. Police Details and signage will be in-place to assist motorists in reaching their destination. Normal work hours are 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday to Friday, weather permitting, unless otherwise noted.

Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Committee

The Town is accepting applications from parties interested in serving on the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission. 

The Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission began operating in 1966. It was last authorized for a 10 year period in 2009 which expired in 2018. The Commission was re-established as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022 until September 26, 2029.

Pursuant to the Cape Cod National Seashore enabling legislation, the Secretary of the Interior will appoint one voting member and one alternate member from two nominations forwarded by the Select Board. The Select Board must forward nominations to the Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent by February 23rd. All appointments are for two years.

If you are interested in being considered, please fill out our online Talent Bank application.

Save The Date 

The Town of Chatham, along with Consultants Barrett Planning Group and Landscape Architects, Dodson & Flinker, have scheduled the second of three community engagement meetings to look at possible affordable and attainable housing development scenarios on the recently purchased properties on Main Street (the former Buckley Property) and Meetinghouse Road (the former Diocese of Fall River property). This hybrid meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 15th, at 5:00 pm, in the Town Offices Annex at 261 George Ryder Road, Large Meeting Room.

This meeting will continue an inclusive community visioning process launched on December 14,  2022 to guide the direction future development on each Town-owned property.  During the meeting, Barrett Planning Group will provide project background information, including an overview of the longer-term timeline that will follow this visioning process. Landscape architects Dodson & Flinker will present several design concepts to illustrate the development potential of each site.

Following the December 14^th community meeting, the project team determined that the online survey would be best utilized following the second meeting to allow the Chatham community to provide feedback directly on the concept designs. Thus, the visual preference survey will launch immediately following the February 15^th meeting. The survey will include questions about each concept design, in addition to more nuanced visual preference questions relating to architecture, landscaping, building type, and more. This will allow Dodson & Flinker to refine preferred concepts based upon community feedback received from both the December and February meetings as well as the online survey.

William Smith, Chief Wastewater Operator for Weston & Sampson, the Town's Water Operator, was awarded the Operator Safety Award by the New England Water Environmental Association at its 2023 Annual Conference on January 25th.

Bill has worked for Weston & Sampson 1997 - 2000 and 2009 to present. Congratulations!

Anglers 2023 Season Schedule 

Cape Cod Baseball League has released the 2023 schedule. The Anglers' season opener will be at Cotuit on June 10th with their home opener the following night against the Brewster Whitecaps.

It will be a busy season for the players with only 10 days off throughout the schedule. The All Star game is scheduled for July 22nd at Whitehouse Field in Harwich and the playoffs will start on August 4th. To see the entire schedule visit the Anglers webpage.

Next Select Board Meeting - January 31, 2023 @ 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

January 24, 2023

II.  Public Announcements and Agenda Item Requests 

III. Public Comments on Business Agenda

IV. Business Agenda (Board Discussion Items)

- Gift of Land by William Marsh at 1610/0 Main Street, West Chatham for a Council on Aging Facility and Other Related Considerations

- Referral of Proposed Zoning Amendments Pursuant to MGL Ch. 40A Section 5: West Chatham Neighborhood Center and R20 Zoning Districts to Planning Board for Public Hearing (Principal Planner Christenberry)

- Film Permit Review Process/Policy (Agenda Request by Select Board member Davis 12/27/22)- Police Chief Anderson

- FY2024 Budget Review/2023 Annual Town Meeting Articles Review:

Natural Resources Operating and Capital Budgets/Capital Articles

- American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds – Designation – application by December 31, 2024  for use by December 31, 2026  (Finance Director Heilala) 

- Announce Monomoy Regional School District Vacancy