Chatham Summer Town Meeting Aug. 13

CHATHAM – The annual summer town meeting will be held next Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. at the annex.

Sponsored by the summer residents advisory committee — an official town committee established to provide town officials with input from second homeowners — the summer town meeting is not an “official” town meeting, but serves as a venue for seasonal residents to catch up on town issues and ask questions of town staff.

“It’s a great opportunity to give everyone a chance to interact with town leadership,” said SRAC Chair Jeffrey Spalter.

A focus of the meeting will be the town’s wastewater management plan, which includes a decades-long program for installing sewers throughout most of the town. That’s been a chief topic for the committee in its regular Friday morning meetings, Spalter said. The committee has looked into the program’s financing, the impact on homeowners and such issues as the need for grinder pumps.

Many second homeowners may not know that they will be required to connect to sewers, when available in their neighborhood, and that it could involve considerable expense.

“There’s a lot of money involved,” possibly ranging from $10,000 to many tens of thousands of dollars, depending on a property’s location. “For a lot of folks it could be a big nut.”

The committee also looked at the program’s overall goal — chiefly to remove nutrients from coastal waters — and such issues as the availability of engineers and contractors to facilitate sewer connections. Chatham isn’t the only town in the town in the area requiring that properties connect to sewer, which is stretching contractors thin, he noted.

But the ongoing sewer project here and in other towns, along with enhancing the environment, will also provide good-paying jobs for local residents, he added.

SRAC is also looking at other town issues this summer, including drinking water, town finances and short-term rentals.

Next Tuesday’s meeting will begin with an overview by Select Board Chair Michael Schell, who is also the board’s liaison to SRAC. Town Manager Jill Goldsmith will review the town’s finances. Public Works Director Rob Faley will provide an overview of the sewer program. Spalter will talk about other town issues that SRAC is keeping its eyes on, including affordable housing, the center for active living (formerly the senior center), and financial concerns.

Spalter, a resident of Longboat Key, Fla., said the 13-member SRAC is made up of a “wide range of folks, a nice blend of folks” from a variety of backgrounds and locations, from Massachusetts to California and Texas.

“Everyone is really engaged,” he said. “We’ve all been able to work together on what we thought were important issues.” The group has no specific agenda, he added, but focuses on “the big issues that are really important for the whole town.”

SRAC is also sponsoring a two-question online survey, the results of which will be announced at the summer town meeting. It can be accessed through the committee’s page on the town’s website, www.chatham-ma.gov/395/Summer-Residents-Advisory-Committee.

DETAILS:

Chatham Summer Town Meeting

Tuesday, Aug. 13, 7 p.m.

Town Hall Annex, George Ryder Road

Remote link at www.chatham-ma.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=5415