2023 Marked By Change, Progress In Orleans

ORLEANS – Coming into 2023, Orleans had had consistency in the town manager’s office for more than 25 years. But with the retirement of John Kelly at the end of 2022, the town shifted toward new leadership in the manager’s office.

Kim Newman’s hiring as town manager was emblematic of a year of movement on a lot of fronts in Orleans. With Newman’s hire came staff departures and new hires. The years-long back and forth of recreational marijuana ended with the opening of the town’s very first pot shop. The town’s sewering plans took a major leap forward, while the Orleans Fire Department and the town’s recreation department both won some much-needed support from voters at May’s annual town meeting.

There’s no way of fully capturing all the ins and outs of town activity in one story. But here’s a taste of the biggest stories in Orleans that made the news in 2023.

Kim Newman Hired As Town Manager

Newman was hired from a field of four finalists for the town manager (formerly town administrator) position in April, marking the town’s first hire for the job since 1996. She started in the role on July 1.

The select board’s decision in April ultimately came down to a choice between Newman and Donna Kalinick, the assistant town administrator in Brewster. Newman, who came to Orleans after nine years as town administrator in Mendon, was favored by the board as someone who could bring a fresh off-Cape perspective to the job.

In Mendon, Newman created the town’s planning, human resources and inspectional services departments. She also helped regionalize planning, dispatch and animal control services and oversaw a historic renovation of Mendon’s town hall and campus.

Newman also spent four years as city administrator in Lyndon, Kan. From 2005 to 2010, she was assistant town administrator in Killingly, Conn., and before that she worked as a budget analyst in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

It’s been a busy first few months on the job for Newman, who has overseen the hire of a new recreation director, assistant town manager, building commissioner and most recently public works director (see separate story). She is also in the process of hiring for a new finance director and evaluating operations in the finance department.

OR-yir1-122823: Kim Newman began as Orleans town manager on July 1.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Goes Online

It might have taken 23 years, but the town finally started its sewering operations this spring with the opening of its new wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way.

On an early Monday morning in March, a truck from JMB Septic Services made the first septage delivery to the new $33.8 million facility, which is equipped to treat 350,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The project also included an additional $18.2 million for construction of the collection system and three pumping stations.

Ground broke on the project in September 2020, but talk of bringing sewer to Orleans dates as far back as the year 2000.

“It’s fun,” Tom Daley, the town’s former public works director, said as the first truck pulled into the new facility. “You what it is? It’s the team. We have a great team.”

Sewering represents the town’s primary means of reducing the amount of nitrogen entering the town’s waterways, as the bulk of existing nitrogen pollution comes from groundwater contaminated by Title 5 septic systems. Officials anticipate approximately 60 percent of the town will eventually be tied into sewer in phases.

With the new facility online, 1,100 downtown residents and businesses have until March to connect to town sewer. That process involves the hiring of an engineer to design the connection and a contractor to do the necessary work.

At the special town meeting in October, voters authorized fines of $200 per day for those customers who are late in making their connections. Customers have one year from the receipt of a letter from the town in March 2022 notifying them of their need to connect to make their connections. But with the demand for engineers and contractors high, property owners can avoid the daily fines by demonstrating that they have begun the process of making their connections.

OR-yir2-122823: The town’s new wastewater treatment facility took in its first septage haul in March.

Fatal Fire Claims Life Of Harwich Boy

A fire on Route 6A that took the life of a six-year-old boy from Harwich rocked the communities of Orleans and Harwich in February.

Kyi Bourne, a kindergartner at Harwich Elementary School, died in the fire at a two-story mixed use office and apartment building at 177 Route 6A on Feb. 4. Four other members of Kyi’s family were displaced as a result of the fire.

When firefighters responded to the scene, they learned that one person, later identified as Kyi, was unaccounted for. He was found and transported to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A faulty electrical fan was later determined to have caused the fire.

“I can only ask that every family take a few minutes today to create a home escape plan that includes two ways out,” Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering said in a statement following the fire. “Practice it regularly so that everyone in your household knows what to do and where to go when there’s an emergency.”

An investigation by the town’s inspectional services department found several violations in the building, including those involving permitting, occupancy and disabled smoke detectors. Within those violations, Building Inspector Martin Furtado noted other infractions “too extensive to numerate,” according to a letter detailing his findings.

Kyi’s death weighed heavily on the students, staff and families at Harwich Elementary. In the days following the fire, staff and parents wrestled with how to explain the loss to their students and children.

“We took the stance of being honest with the kids and giving them opportunities for sharing what they were feeling after hearing the news,” said principal Christie Cutone.

Cutone said Kyi’s classmates remembered him as someone who was “funny” and a “good friend.”

Rental Registration Bylaw Passes

After a setback at the special town meeting in 2022, the select board course corrected and passed a rental registration bylaw at the annual town meeting in May.

The new bylaw, which requires all owners of year-round and seasonal rentals to register their properties with the town, goes into effect in January.

Rental registration is seen by the select board as a necessary first step toward understanding how many properties are being rented in Orleans. The town needs data on rental activity in order to better plan for the town’s long-term housing needs, board members say.

The bylaw passed 246 to 155, and was revised from the one that failed in October 2022. That version sought to apply the bylaw only to owners of seasonal rentals.

Property owners can register their rentals online at no cost. They’ll be required to fill out a form with the town assessor’s office annually specifying how many bedrooms are in their rental, as well as the number of working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

“We made it very clear tonight. This is a very simple, no cost registration online,” Select Board member Kevin Galligan said after the May meeting. “This is important for us to know what our rental demographic is. We don’t know yet.”

Voters Give Fire Staffing A Boost

For the first time in 10 years, additional positions are being created and hired for in the Orleans Fire Department.

Eight new firefighters are poised to join the department’s ranks in the coming months after voters at the special town meeting in October supported a Proposition 2½ override to create the positions.

The $925,000 override covers the cost of salaries and benefits for the eight positions. An additional $231,000 in free cash was also approved to pay for uniforms, training and additional one-time expenses. Both were given final approval by voters at a special town election on Nov. 7.

The new positions come as the department’s call volume has continued to increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that, the department has also seen an increase in simultaneous calls, which often leave the fire station on Eldredge Park Way unmanned.

With the new positions, the fire department can fully staff two fire apparatus for simultaneous deployment as needed, and hopefully leave some personnel behind to respond to additional calls.

“That’s really what this is about, having the tools and the people to do what we need to do,” Fire Chief Geof Deering said following the October town meeting.

The additional positions will also help give existing fire personnel a much needed break. With the increased call volume, Deering said prior to town meeting that firefighters have been working 38-hour shifts with as little as 10 to 14 hours off in between.

The department has advertised for the positions, and Deering said he hopes to have the new firefighters hired and trained in time for them to begin work in town by the summer.

What’s Next For Christmas Tree Shop Property?

The Christmas Tree Shoppe has anchored the nexus of South Orleans Road and Route 6A for decades. So when the store closed in June, the sense of loss was felt by year-round residents and visitors throughout the community.

The Bilezikian family, which has owned the 1.8-acre property since 1982, closed the store in July. Bed, Bath and Beyond, which bought the Christmas Tree Shops in 2003, announced plans this summer to liquidate many of the chain’s stores, including Orleans.

“I don’t know if they can replace it,” Paula Marcotte, a seasonal resident of Orleans, said prior to the store’s closure.

But something will. Greg Bilezikian, son of Christmas Tree founders Charles and Doreen Bilezikian, said his family doesn’t plan to sell the property, but rather to rent it out to a new tenant.

Bilezikian asked for and was provided with supporting materials and information from the town and the Orleans Chamber of Commerce to help him attract a new tenant to the location. One business that has directly expressed interest in the site is Baskin’s ACE Hardware, located around the corner from the property on South Orleans Road. The store has outgrown its existing footprint, and co-owner Lynn Colangione said in August that the former Christmas Tree Shop building would be an ideal site to grow the business.

OR-yir3-122823: It remains to be seen what will come of the former Christmas Tree Shop property on South Orleans Road.

Recreational Marijuana Comes To Orleans

Three town meeting votes. Legal wrangling over license issuance. Years of permitting.

All of the time, energy and effort that went into making Orleans’ first adult-use recreational marijuana shop a reality came to a head Dec. 14 as Seaside Cannabis Co. made its first official sale during an invitation-only gathering at the Lots Hollow Road store.

A proposed ban on the sale of recreational marijuana failed town meeting in 2018, but a citizens petition article in support of a ban passed the following year. A third and final vote to overturn the ban at an outdoor town meeting at Nauset Beach in October 2020 passed, setting the stage for recreational marijuana sales to come to town.

But it would take just over three years for the rubber to hit the road in Orleans. The select board in June 2021 voted to issue two licenses for the sale of recreational marijuana, including one to Seaside Cannabis. A second business, Ember Gardens, has plans to open a facility at 46 Route 6A.

Seaside obtained its final license from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission on Nov. 9. Following the Dec. 14 ceremony, the shop opened for its first official day of business on Dec. 20.

At Seaside, customers will be able to select from and educate themselves about a variety of different items, from flower products to infused beverages, oils and both recreational and more therapeutic-based products. The store also features a deli-style “bud bar,” where customers can learn more about the store’s inventory, as well as space for programs and for vendors to come in and sell their products.

“There’s just a lot of excitement,” Spencer Knowles, Seaside’s chief operating officer, said following the Dec. 14 “first sale” event. “A lot of support, a lot of energy. As I said before, that’s what drives us and keeps us pushing hard.”

Seaside Cannabis is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Knowles said the shop will eventually transition into operating seven days a week.

OR-yir4-122823: Seaside Cannabis Co. became the first business to open a recreational marijuana shop in Orleans in December.

Recreation Ends Tumultuous 2023 On A High Note

There was no shortage of drama on the recreation front this year. But the close of 2023 left town officials with a sense that better things are on the horizon for the struggling department.

No fewer than three people held the recreation director post this year. In February, Alan Harrison resigned from the position after having been placed on paid administrative leave in December 2022. Harrison’s departure came in the face of concerns about flagging programming and communication issues between the department and the town’s recreation advisory committee.

Patricia McDonald was hired to lead the department in May, but she resigned just three weeks into the job to return to Sandwich, where she had served as the town’s assistant recreation director.

“Upon my reflection of the outpouring of support from the families of Sandwich, I felt I had no choice but to return home and finish my work there,” she said in a statement announcing her resignation. “Orleans is a wonderful community, but I truly feel my heart and work are still with Sandwich.”

Council on Aging Director Judi Wilson was tapped to help steer the department through the summer and into the fall. In November, Tom DiSiervo began work as the town’s new recreation director, having led recreation programs in his native New Jersey prior to his arrival.

Town officials are hoping DeSiervo will bring stability to the department to help improve the town’s recreation offerings, especially during the busy summer season. At the annual town meeting in May, a $168,000 override was passed to hire the equivalent of 1.5 new people for the department, as well as cover maintenance costs associated with recreation operations.

“It’s been a difficult year for rec with that position,” Tracy Murphy, who chairs the recreation advisory committee, said in October. “So to have someone in there that people are really excited about is very comforting, and it makes me very hopeful about where the department goes from here.

Housing Projects Inch Toward The Finish Line

No year-end recap would be complete without checking in on housing.

In Orleans, two developments long in the planning remain on the precipice of breaking ground. Housing Assistance Corporation is working to redevelop the site of the former Masonic Lodge at 107 Main St. into 14 units of affordable housing. On West Road, Pennrose is developing the former Cape Cod 5 headquarters property into 62 housing units, 52 of which will be affordable.

HAC and Pennrose both hoped to break ground on their respective projects by this fall, but gaps in funding needed to be satisfied before shovels could go in the ground. It was announced earlier this month that HAC had received a $571,000 county grant for the 107 Main St. project.

Select Board chair Michael Herman said in December that both projects could begin construction in early 2024.

Progress was also made this year on plans to redevelop the site of the former Governor Prence Inn into affordable and workforce housing. HAC and Pennrose have each submitted proposals to develop the property. HAC is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod and Preservation of Affordable Housing on its proposal.

A committee has begun meeting to review the bids, and Herman said a contract could be awarded for the project in February.