News Flash

Administration

• Compensation and Classification Study: Progress is being made on the study. Employees attended meetings with representatives from GovHR and are in the process of submitting Job Analysis Questionnaires. 
• Health Department: I had a meeting with Charlie Sumner, Acting Town Manager in Wellfleet, and Hillary Greenberg, Wellfleet Health and Conservation Agent, to discuss potential regionalization of Health and other services in midst of transitions. 
• Housing Workshop: The workshop was a success - thank you to members of the Select Board, Community Housing Council, and the Year Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust for a productive and policy-focused discussion. 
• Community Outreach: I met with representatives of the PBG to discuss marketing efforts, and I also attended and spoke at the PBG annual meeting on 10/20. 
• VFW Building: The demolition of the VFW building has been pushed back until after November 1st to allow RV permit holders to have full use of their permits which expire on the 31st of October. Once all parking permit holders are removed from parking lot, the contractor will start demolition.

Council on Aging/ Human Services

• MySeniorCenter: The Senior Center has begun using our new software system that allows us to manage data without paper sign-up or attendance sheets.  Guests and volunteers can now sign in to programs via a touchscreen using an assigned key tag. Replacing a very outdated system that required lengthy data entry, MySeniorCenter also simplifies the compilation of statistical reports required by the state and has other cost and time saving features. Many thanks to our Friends of the COA fundraising group who paid for the system.
• New Support Group: Sight Loss Services is offering a new, free, confidential peer-led support group at the VMCC on Friday mornings. It is open to all regardless of age, degree of visual impairment or reason for impairment. For info:  508-394-3904.
• Human Services Grant Program: The FY2023 application for Town human services grants will be available the last week of October following a Human Services Committee meeting and Public Hearing to gain input on community needs. The application deadline is December 1 and it is available online as well as paper. 

Emergency Management and Marine

• End of Season Bathing Beach Results: An end of season report was presented to the Board of Health at their meeting on October 14^th. In brief, over the 13 testing weeks of summer the  bathing beaches (and water quality) was good. This is inferred by the limited number of beach closures this season and matched against Marine Fisheries water quality data for shellfish this year.  See table below. For more detailed information please see the Health Department page.

• Peak Population Report: Working with design consultant to complete layouts of the Peak Population Report for the Health Director. Tourism Administrator assisting with images and presentation to Visitor Services Board.
• Winter planning and meetings: EM&M Coordinator moving projects forward involving the outer cape town’s shoreline project, public access to Chapter 91 licenses and information, county dredge planning, with climate resilience, continuity of operations, and sheltering workshops.

Harbormaster

• Harbormaster boats: Primary patrol boat, Marine 1 is back in service and the utility boat, Marine 3 is ready for winter service. The pump out boat, Marine 2 will be taken out of service within next 10 days.
• Harbormaster and Pier Staff: Harbormaster is beginning winter schedule (Tues-Sat) and Assistant Harbormasters will be ending 2^nd shift (4pm to midnight) on Oct 31.

Housing 

• Economic Development Committee: The committee met on 10/5/21 in preparation for the new economic development grant cycle. Given the increased funds, there will be consideration for a set-aside for the blue economy & shellfish activities, increased maximum grants, and adjusting the eligibility requirements to reflect impacts of the pandemic and the labor shortage.
• 3 Jerome Smith/VFW Housing Development: The Town received three proposals on 7/29/21 – from Commonwealth Community Developers, Pennrose and The Community Builders [TCB]. Interviews were conducted on 10/6/21 with a recommendation forthcoming from the Town Manager.
• Board Meetings: The Year Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust and the Community Housing Council met on 10/13/21 to prepare for Housing Workshop on 10/26/21.
• Ownership Units: 30 Shank Painter Rd. Unit #102, one-bedroom inclusionary zoning unit at $215,000, is now available. The open house was held on 9/11/21. 11 applications were submitted by the due date of 9/27/21. The lottery is scheduled for 10/27/21. 
• The Community Preservation Committee met on 9/29/21 and approved the FY 23 CPA Application timeline and packet. Outreach will begin in October with applications due by December 30^th.
• The Lower Cape Housing Institute Housing 101: Conducted by the CDP virtually on 10/15/21 with Provincetown’s efforts to address community housing frequently featured. 

Human Resources

• Open Year-Round Positions: Currently the Town is seeking an Assistant Town Manager for Finance & Administration/Finance Director, Water Department Skilled Laborer/Equipment Operators, DPW Facilities Manager, Assistant Director of Tourism, COA Program Coordinator, Fire Department Secretary/Paramedic, Water Department Meter Reader/Repairer, P/T COA Program Assistant and On-Call Secretaries. Applications and job descriptions for all positions can be found on the Town’s website. 

Licensing

• Licenses: Annual Alcohol License renewal season in full swing.
• Licensing Board: Discussed reviewing regulations.
• Business Contact Information: Contacted applicable Alcohol Licensees regarding updating Manager info.

MacMillan Pier

• Ferry Service: Service has been reduced to just one ferry company, Baystate Cruise Company. Service is only on Saturdays and Sundays with the last service leaving Provincetown Harbor at 3pm on Sunday October 31^st.   
• Restrooms: The public restrooms out at the end of the pier will be closing for the winter season after the last Ferry on the 31^st of October and will be winterized on November 1^st.   
• Preparing for Off Season: A majority of the fishermen are pulling their traps and removing their gear for the winter season. The Pier continues to be busy with activity because of this.  
• Pier Fishing: Fishing (rod and reel, squid fishing) from the pier ended for the season as of October 15^th.  
• Cruise Ships: There are four more cruise ship visits scheduled to visit Provincetown Harbor, the last visit taking place on November 3, 2021.  These vessels will all be anchored out in the harbor with a tender into the pier to a secured designated area. 

MIS

• Cybersecurity: In recognition of our efforts, Provincetown has been recognized by the Commonwealth as a Cyber Aware Community. We have been participating in a state-wide awareness program that is being sponsored by the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS). A virtual ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 26 to honor Provincetown and other Cyber Aware Communities.
• Phone System Upgrade: MIS recently coordinated a major phone system software upgrade. This upgrade was required in order to give us access to newer hardware and is the first step in an overall strategy to improve our aging phone system. The newer software provides modern features and functionality, for both the end-user experience as well as system administration.

Parking

• Winter Boat Storage: The annual winter boat storage forms are available on the Town website as a part of the parking department section.
• Relocation of RVs and Campers: The relocation of RVs, campers, trolleys and trailers from behind the VFW has begun. This is to be completed before 11/1/21 to prepare for the demolition work to be done to the building.  

Planning

• Recycling and Renewable Energy: The Town Planner met with the Recycling and Renewable Energy Committee and the Deputy Director of Public Works to discuss the mapped locations of public water bottle refilling stations around Town. This included coordinating with the Recreation Commission to add a water fountain with a bottle refilling station at the East End Waterfront Park. There was a discussion of potential locations for future electric vehicle charging stations at public parking facilities. The Planning Board includes standard conditions in their decisions for multi-unit developments with parking areas to install the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging.
• Community Development Department: Every available time slot for pre-application meetings with private property owners proposing projects has been booked through the past month and continue to be reserved weeks in advance. 
• Transportation: The Town Planner attended Complete Streets 201: Designing Your Streets for People webinar as part of the Town’s commitment to implementing the newly adopted Complete Streets Policy. This training is provided by MassDOT and UMass Amherst’s College of Engineering Transportation Center as part of the Complete Streets Funding Program. The Program awarded over $62 million to eligible municipalities across the Commonwealth between 2016 and 2020. The next step is for the Town to develop and adopt a Complete Streets Prioritization Plan in order to be eligible to apply for future project funding.
• Local Comprehensive Planning Committee: The LCP continues meeting regularly to draft the Targeted Action Plan. Public input has commenced with Sally Deane attending meetings and providing valuable input. 

Public Works

• Water Service Work: Water department crews are working to replace service lines on Alden Street over the next two weeks. Line replacements are being conducted ahead of anticipated paving of the roadway in early Spring. 
• VFW Building: The demolition of the VFW building has been pushed back until after November 1^st to allow RV permit holders to have full use of their permit which expire on the 31^st of October. Once all parking permit holders are removed from parking lot, the contractor will start demolition.  
• Budgets: The DPW administration will be working hard to finalize our Fiscal Year 2023 budgets which are due October 29^th. Our budgets are extensive and take considerable time to put together, including the preparation of CIP articles.

Recreation

• East End Waterfront Park Planning: The third Community Planning meeting was held on October 20^th from 6-8pm in the Town Hall auditorium. The Town and the Weston and Sampson presents a preferred conceptual plan that outlines the public’s desire on the park to date. The most recent conceptual design will reflect the latest changes in public input such as opening up the site, eliminating some components and providing a restroom option.  It is the hope that we take the public’s feedback from this meeting, adjust the plan as needed, and Weston and Sampson will provide the preferred conceptual plan from the community planning process, an estimated budget, permitting process, and an estimate construction timeline. The Recreation Commission will then review and set forth the process of moving the project forward. 
• Pickleball: The Recreation Commission continues to hear complaints about the noise at the West End Playground courts from the sport pickleball. The continuous noise that the plastic ball and paddle make from 8am-8pm have caused neighbors to voice their concern to the Recreation Department and Recreation Commission. Neighbors are describing the noise as loud and continuous, which is now affecting their ability to enjoy their patios, decks and their ability to have their windows open. The Recreation Commission has now decided to alter the hours of play for pickleball to start at 9am and end at 5pm through April 1, 2021.The hope is to give neighbors some relief of the noise in the morning and evening hours, while still providing ample time for pickleball play during the day. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, due to its popularity and its ability to be played by all ages; its popularity and demand is exploding in Provincetown. The Town currently only has five public outdoor pickleball courts, which does not meet the demand that Provincetown has for the sport.
• Halloween Events: The Provincetown Recreation Department is looking forward to Halloween and the events we have planned.  As of right now we have two events/programs we will be doing, they are as follows: 
  1. The Recreation Department has begun advertising for our 7th Annual Greet N’ Treat that will be held on October 29, 2021 at Motta Field 4:30PM-6:30PM. The rain date for this event will be October 28^th. This public event provides a safe alternative for children and families to get dressed up and trick-or-treat. Local community members and businesses are more than welcome to register and decorate their vehicle to hand out individually wrapped candy and be a part of this awesome event. The more vehicles we have registered, the more fun the event will be for all. Vehicle Registration is free and can be submitted online here: https://forms.gle/cWeBfQ3r4VAtYhjk9 . In addition, to help ensure safety and mitigate large crowds, we will be breaking the event into two time slots, and families will need to register in advance. Registration for families will be here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea9af2ea3f9c70-greet. In addition, although masks will not be required, they are advised. 
  2. Our second Halloween festivity is the SPOOK-tac-u-TOUR. Do you ever think about the history of Provincetown and how long the town has been around? Well Provincetown is home to more than just memories and past times; participate in this year's Provincetown Recreation SPOOK-tac-u-TOUR and learn about the creepy buildings, numerous fires and local ghost stories. Again, this year Provincetown Recreation will present our spooky, but family friendly interactive tour of Provincetown and add a new, requested by popular demand, spookier adult version. Throughout Provincetown, QR codes will be placed on Town buildings/locations. Once scanned on a cellular device, the QR codes will provide images and the historical background of that specific location, provided by the Building Provincetown website and the book Paranormal Provincetown. At the end of each QR Code there will be a clue, leading families/community members to the next location on our SPOOK-tac-u-TOUR. To make this tour inclusive to all, QR Codes will be accessible from the person's vehicle as well as by foot. For those who do not have access to a cellular device a hard copy of the SPOOK-tac-u-TOUR can be provided upon request. Our overall goal of this tour is to provide families and community members a safe, fun and alternative way to celebrate Halloween here in Provincetown. This tour not only provides those three things, but also incorporates local history, while also encouraging one's imagination.

School

• Sports Program: Provincetown Soccer is having a great season with both great skills and amazing sportsmanship.  An official recently commented that our kids demonstrated the best sportsmanship he has seen. We are proud of our Fishermen!
• Grants: ESSER grants have been submitted and we have built a robust program for recovery from the impact of COVID on our learners including social, emotional and academic. A late bus each day has been added so students may attend various enrichment activities. In addition, we are planning for extensive summer programming including theater productions by our students and staff!
• IB Visit: Our staff has worked very hard to prepare for our visit by the International Baccalaureate accreditation team. We will host the evaluators from November 1st - 3rd.  We are excited to show the incredible learning projects that our students experience under the great IB instruction by our staff.

Tourism

• Tourism Grants: The fiscal year 2023 Tourism Marketing Grant applications opened on Thursday October 14, 2021 in line with the public notice ads in the local newspaper; the ads are being published October 14, 21 & 28. There are two types of grants offered: Event Marketing Grants and Matching Marketing Grants; VSB Announces Tourism Marketing Grant Opportunities for FY 2023 The due date for applications is Monday December 6, 2021.
• First Light Provincetown: The signature events taking place for First Light have been scheduled. The Light Bright Bike Ride will be on New Year’s Eve at 4:30 PM, the Polar Bear Plunge will be New Year’s Day at noon, and New Year’s fireworks display has been scheduled for January 1^st at 5:30 PM with a rain date of January 2^nd. The Office of Tourism sent an email about these activities to all licensed businesses to plan accordingly for the New Year’s Weekend.
• Digital Advertising: The Late Summer campaign transitioned to Second Summer and will run through October. The messaging points to the outdoor activities and the things visitors can do to play and enjoy Provincetown responsibly and safely. The holiday campaign will launch November 1^st and promote shopping local and visitation through the New Year.
• Radio Advertising: A robust regional radio campaign has been extended through the 4^th quarter to promote activities and events, as well as shop local in Provincetown for the holidays. Radio ads will run into the month of December to promote the holidays reaching the Cape, Islands, Bristol and Plymouth counties.
• Radio Public Service Announcements: PSAs will run during First Light Provincetown to promote the fireworks. The PSA spots will be updated with the accurate date of the display if it changes due to weather restrictions.