News Flash

Administration

• Storm: I want to thank everyone who helped respond to last week’s storm and related impacts - Town staff, Police & Fire, first responders, DPW, Eversource, etc. Thank you to the team at the VMCC for hosting the charging station. Nearly 400 residents came to use the station throughout the day. 
• Parking: Town Hall staff met with Passport Parking to discuss system improvements and expanding the technology to improve the user experience. This is part of a larger effort to improve parking operations in advance of the 2022 season. 
• 3 Jerome Smith Rd: In response to Select Board vote, I am working with Town Counsel to begin negotiating a Purchase & Sale with The Community Builders. 
• Town Hall: Town Hall hours are back to normal hours, open Monday - Thursday, 8am-5pm, Friday, 8am-12pm. 
• VFW Demo: Our contractor has given us a date of November 8th to start the demolition of the VFW building. The project should take 5-7 business days to complete.

Building

• Bradford Access Project (BAP): The structure was inspected by the State of MA. Elevator Inspectional Department last week and received the operational permit for the incline elevator.  The project can now pursue complete closeout of the building permit.  The items left to complete will occur over the next few months with an anticipated full operation as of April 1, 2022.
• 286 A Bradford:  The first of the eight buildings has been erected.  The construction method is panel construction similar to the method used at 30 Shank Painter and 90 Shank Painter. This method involves the offsite construction of the exterior walls.  It allows for faster onsite erection of the building envelope.
• Building Codes: The BCEGS (Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule) originally scheduled for October 18, 2021 was postponed until mid-November. The BCEGS assesses the building codes in effect in a particular community as well as how the community enforces its building codes.  BCEGS encourages the implementation and enforcement of effective building codes, resulting in safer buildings, less damage and communities that suffer less damage when natural disasters occur.

Council on Aging/ Human Services

• Veterans Event: In appreciation for those who have served our country, the COA invites Veterans of any age to pick up a special treat at the Coffee Pot on Friday, November 12 from 7:00 – 10:00 a.m. The COA Outreach Coordinator will be there to welcome all.  To sign up and for more info, Veterans can call 508-487-7080.
• Fuel Assistance: Applications for this year are now available. The VMCC is one of three approved sites in Provincetown for Fuel Assistance applications and residents of all ages can call the Senior Center at 508-487-7080 for an appointment.
• Gosnold Services: Gosnold offers (1) substance abuse and behavioral health counseling and (2) social services assistance (applications for Fuel Assistance, food programs, emergency funds, health insurance, disability and more) at the VMCC by appointment. Services are confidential and open to all ages.  Residents can call 508-487-2449 for an appointment.  

Emergency Management and Marine Coordinator

• Charging Station Open: During the power outage, we opened the Veterans Memorial Community Center with generator power to allow citizens a place to charge their electronics from 1 to 5 pm on Wednesday, October 27^th. Between 200 to 300 people stopped by the recharge throughout the day. We had the COA multi-purpose room and Recreation Department game room available. Due to covid concerns and use of the kids’ rooms, masks were required without any objections. 
• Storm Communications: The county held emergency meetings leading up to, during and after the storm. Attended twice daily briefings of the County Regional Emergency Planning Committee as well as a previously scheduled Continuity of Operations meeting and Initial Damage Assessment meeting with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Finance

• Finance Director Departure: Josee Young’s official last day as full-time Finance Director was 10/22/21. She will continue to assist the Town on a part-time basis during this interim phase. We wish her the absolute best on the next chapter in her career. 
• FY2021 Annual Audit: The FY2021 audit will be underway shortly. We will be working with Clifton Larson Allen (CLA) to submit all necessary documents.
• 2021 Parking: The parking season has officially ended. Thank you to all staff members who had a part in the successful parking operations this year.

Harbormaster

• Oct 27th Storm Clean Up: Of the five significant boats that ended up in the west end of the harbor, only one remains high on the NPS beach yet to be resolved.
• Abandoned Numerous Small Boats from Storm: Multiple boats from 6 to 16 feet were overturned and/or washed onto the beach. All such known vessels have been retrieved and returned to owners.
• Harbormaster and Pier Staff: Seasonal employees ended service Oct 31 with only the Deputy Harbormaster remaining on call as needed.

Health

• Grease Trap Inspections: The Board of Health granted an extension for these inspections due to COVID, with reports required from applicable food service establishments prior to 2023 license renewals. The reports are reviewed jointly by Health and the DPW Director to assess adequacy of these critical infrastructures, with resulting operation and maintenance directions provided in writing to the licensees. The Agent has built a new Grease Trap Inspection application into the Viewpoint portal, to efficiently replace the hardcopy process used in the past.
• License Renewals: The Agent is coordinating with the Licensing Department to process incoming 2022 Health license renewals. The Agent is preparing a memo to go out with all restaurant licenses as a reminder to schedule grease trap inspections within the next year. Internal grease traps protect the plumbing of the facility, while external traps reduce the fats, oil and grease (FOG) passed into the municipal sewer. High FOG loads have negative impacts on wastewater treatment processes. Health additionally supports protection of WWTF function with annual compliance review in the licensees’ renewal process, to ensure establishments are meeting grease trap pumping and monitoring requirements.
• The Status of Onsite Wastewater Disposal Systems in Provincetown: Former Health Director Morgan Clark presented her analysis of onsite septic systems at her final Board of Health meeting (10/14/21), the culmination of five years research, coding and interpreting data. The intent of the report is to inform future wastewater planning, sewer expansion and policies related to Title 5 inspections. The Agent has reviewed the report with staff and is presenting it to the Water & Sewer Board. The Board of Health would like to follow up with a joint meeting with Water & Sewer, with the Agent accessing Town Counsel for technical assistance updating local regulations.

Housing 

• Ownership Units: The lottery for 30 Shank Painter Rd. Unit #102, a one-bedroom inclusionary zoning unit at $215,000, was rescheduled from 10/27/21 to 10/28/21 due to the storm. Nine of the eleven applicants proceeded to the lottery. The process will now proceed with the #1 drawn applicant with the expectation to close by the end of December. Should the #1 applicant not move forward for any reason, the #2 applicant will have the opportunity to do so.
• Grants: The CPA [Community Preservation Act] grant cycle has begun with applications due no later than 12/30/21. CPA categories include community housing, historic preservation, and open space/recreation. 
• Housing Workshops: Housing Workshop #1 was held on 10/18/21 including the Year Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust, the Community Housing Council, and the Select Board. Housing Workshop #2 is scheduled for 12/15/21 to continue the discussion about housing resources, funding, priorities, and proposals for Town Meeting.
• Economic Development Committee: The committee met on 10/5/21 and on 10/19/21 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 and shellfish activities, increased maximum grants, and adjusting the eligibility requirements to reflect impacts of the pandemic and the labor shortage. There will be a request to discuss this with the Select Board in advance of initiating the grant cycle.
• 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]. Presentations were made on 10/6/21 with a recommendation by the Town Manager to the Select Board for an award to TCB on 10/25/21.

Human Resources

• Resignation: Clayton Nottleman, Library Circulation Aide (last day 10/28/21).
• 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, Utility Billing Specialist, Transfer Station & Recycling Center Working Foreman, Buildings & Grounds Custodian, P/T COA Program Assistant, P/T Library Circulation Aide and On-Call Secretaries. Applications and job descriptions for all positions can be found on the Town’s website. 

Library

• Two Positions Open: The Library is in search of a new coordinator for the Winter Wednesdays program. Please contact Amy at araff@clamsnet.org for more information. Additionally, the Library has posted the position of Part Time Circulation Aide. Go to the Town website for more details http://www.provincetown-ma.gov/6/Employment.
• In-person Programming Continues: The Library is pleased to announce the return of “Crafty Coffee Hours” to be held every Friday the Library is open from 10am-12pm. This program continued through the pandemic via Zoom, but attendees will be pleased to be together in-person. The Library has also restarted the evening book club which is held on the last Tuesday of the month in the Library. Zoom link offered to those who prefer to join virtually. Email araff@clamsnet.org for more information. 
• Library is now open regular (pre-pandemic) hours of Monday and Friday 10-5; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10-8; Saturday & Sunday 1-5. Mask wearing in the building is still required. 

MacMillan Pier

• Ferry Service: Service has now officially ended for the 2021 Season.    
• Public Restrooms: The restrooms out at the end of the pier are now closed and will be winterized for the off season.
• Storm Aftermath: The Pier itself weathered last week’s storm fairly well with no major damage.  The wave attenuator protected the marina and slips as it was intended to do.    
• Winter Preparation: The Fishing fleet/ Macmillan Pier tenants continue to pull their traps and removing their gear for the winter season.   
• Whale Watch Boats: The Dolphin Fleet/Whale watching Co. has finished their season but will remain at MacMillan Pier until the end of the month to do fall maintenance and clean to each vessel. 
• Cruise Ship Season Ending: The last Cruise ship scheduled to visit Provincetown Harbor for this season was scheduled to take place on November 3, 2021, from 10am-6pm.  This vessel will be anchored out in the harbor and tender into the pier to a secured designated area. 

MIS

• Security Improvements: In addition to the ongoing State-sponsored cybersecurity awareness training, MIS is implementing other safeguards to protect the Town’s data. This includes a combination of tenant-level protections, as well as improvements in endpoint security. In the coming weeks, MIS will be rolling out software that will not only harden our cybersecurity posture, but will also provide intelligent insight into daily threats and mitigation techniques.
• Equipment Upgrades: During the month of November, MIS will be coordinating the replacement of the equipment used in the Town’s rescue vehicles. The existing devices are heavy and cumbersome. The new devices are highly portable and will allow rescue personnel to access critical systems -- whether in the vehicle, in the hospital, or in the field.

Planning

• Community Development Department: The Town Planner, Housing Specialist and Assistant Town Manager are developing draft bylaw amendments designed to further incentivize and increase affordable housing.
• Planning Board: The Planning Board began preliminary discussions of possible zoning bylaw amendments for the 2022 Annual Town Meeting to increase affordable housing.
• Land Use and Zoning: The Town Planner attended the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors Annual Land Use Case Law Review on November 4, 2021 that is hosted by Pamela Brown of Brown and Brown, PC and Barbara Saint-Andre from the Town of Medway.
• Local Comprehensive Planning Committee: The LCP is reviewing the draft the Targeted Action Plan for Land Use, Historic Protection, and Community Character.

Public Works

• Water Billing: Water and Sewer peak season meter reads were conducted on October 15^th and bills are being compiled. The Water and Sewer Board voted on the commitments on November 4^th and it is our expectation that bills will be sent out November 15^th with a due date of December 15^th.
• Sewer Outreach: In an effort to get a better sense of where our community stands for sewer connection, the Public Works Department is undergoing a sewer outreach to determine where interest lies for a sewer connection. This interest will allow us to better plan for future sewer expansion. Letters will be going out on November 1^st with a response request date by December 1^st.
• VFW Demo: Our contractor has given us a date of November 8^th to start the demolition of the VFW building. The project should take 5-7 business days to complete.

Recreation

• East End Waterfront Park Planning: The final scheduled community meeting was held on 10/20, where community members were able to view and provide feedback on the “preferred” concept plan based on the community planning process to date. Weston and Sampson refined the previous two conceptual plans presented in September at the community meeting and the Select Board meeting, based on the comments received and was able to incorporate all of the feedback into one conceptual design. It was evident from those meetings that there was a strong desire to have the site opened to preserve sight lines to the water, and the need for restrooms. The final conceptual design was presented to a crowd in Town Hall auditorium while also providing the meeting via zoom. The feedback heard from this presentation was that the design still looked too “urban’ and that materials and edges needed to be softened, but in terms of the layout of the park, the attended felt that the firm had accurately captured what they had been asking for throughout this process. It’s worth noting that this is a preferred “conceptual design” and reflects the community planning process to date. The focus on the conceptual design is to focus on the layout of the space. Materials and components such as hardscapes, seawalls, grass, bike racks, etc will be decided in the final design phase. Weston and Sampson will be making some small revisions, and also be preparing a historical integration plan for the site, which represents the history of the site, which can be integrated into the design. Then a project schedule and budget will be presented to the Recreation Commission and the Select Board for consideration. 
• Pickleball: The demand for pickleball play continues into the shoulder season, even as people leave the community for the offseason. Pickleball play at the West End continues to be very popular even with the changed daily hours of 9am-5pm. The tennis courts at Motta Field have also been striped for pickleball play so that they can be used for both tennis and pickleball play, but remains on a first come, first serve basis. In an effort to provide more pickleball courts, the Recreation Department will be providing the opportunity to play pickleball in the VMCC gym two evenings per week. This will provide the community access to pickleball over the winter months and help lessen some usage of the West end courts.  
• Halloween Events: The Provincetown Recreation Department was happy to be able to host the 7th Annual Greet N’ Treat event at Motta Field on October 29, 2021. Having been two years since our last in-person Halloween event, EVERYONE was excited to be back and celebrating. We had a total of 274 attendees come to trick-or-treat and 20 local businesses and organizations volunteer to decorate their trunks and cars for the children. A special thanks to the following, as we could not have done the event without them: Provincetown Department of Public Works, Marcey Oil, Provincetown Public Library, Northeast Insurance, Arthur Egeli Gallery, The Funk Bus, Seashore Pointe Rehab Center, Knights of Columbus, Provincetown Schools, UU Meeting House of Provincetown, Provincetown Ghost Tours, Coffee Pot, Mike Peckowitz and Fran O’Neil, Provincetown Police Department, Center for Coastal Studies, Womencrafts, Ace Hardware, Provincetown Fire Department, Cape Cod National Seashore and Harbor Lounge. In addition to the Greet N’ Treat, we put up all the Spook-tac-u-Tour signs up around town on October 23rd. There were a total of 12 stops all throughout town, starting at the Provincetown School, going to the East End, West End, and then ending back up at the Veteran’s Memorial Community Center. Each stop included images and a variety of information regarding the history of that specific location, some locations even included more in-depth spooky stories. We look forward to offering the tour again next year, with even more stops.

School

• Student Routines: Our students have 'weathered' another disruption after last week's storm and school closure.  We look forward to a return to 'normal' one day soon!
• Sports Programming: Our soccer team has some make-up games and a fun student:staff game to round out their very successful season of great skill, teamwork and sportsmanship.  Orange and Black Fishermen Pride was very evident all season long!  We are very proud of our athletes.
• IB Evaluation: The long awaited 5-year evaluation of our International Baccalaureate program is underway effective November 1st.  It is the culmination of a 2-year self study and scrutiny of our programs.  We look forward to receiving the report from the visiting team on ways to deepen and strengthen our program.

Tourism

• Tourism Grants:  The fiscal year 2023 Tourism Marketing Grant applications opened on Thursday October 14, 2021. The public notice is posted on the Town of Provincetown website and ads were published in the local newspaper October 14, 21 and 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 all applications is Monday December 6, 2021.
• Digital Advertising: On November 1, 2021 the holiday campaign was launched to promote holiday/winter activities. The messaging points are shop local, experience the fun of Provincetown for the holidays, wide open spaces and Sleigh All Day, to encourage visitation through the New Year and winter. Ads are tagged with “masks are recommended.”
• Radio Advertising: A robust regional radio campaign has been extended through the 4^th quarter to promote activities, concerts and events as well as shop local in Provincetown for the holidays. Radio ads are being broadcast on eight radio stations as well as streaming on four stations through the end of December reaching the Cape, Islands and Bristol and Plymouth counties. 

Town Clerk

• Board Vacancies:  There are numerous board members whose terms expire at the end of December. Current board members who wish to be reappointed need to submit a new board application online to be considered for reappointment. Please fill out the simple application found here https://provincetownma.viewpointcloud.com/categories/1074/record-types/1006552. It is quick and easy to reapply. 
• Services:  Recreational Shellfish Permits are available for purchase online. They will be mailed directly to your door!  Please use our online portal to get your permit https://provincetownma.viewpointcloud.com/categories/1074. 
• The Office of the Town Clerk requires appointments to file marriage intentions. Please email our office at ecatanese@provincetown-ma.gov or call us at 508-487-7013.

Transportation Coordinator

• Parking Lots: The parking season has now come to an end. Parking in Town lots is free until 5/1/22.
• Relocation of RVs and Campers: The relocation of RVs, campers, trolleys and trailers from behind the VFW is underway to prepare for the demolition of the building.