Brewster Chamber Forced Out Of Town Hall After 30 Years

BREWSTER – Brewster town officials have asked the chamber of commerce to vacate its offices and visitors’ center at town hall. The news, which was announced publicly last week by chamber Executive Director Kyle Hinkle, has left members “completely shocked.”

 The chamber has operated its offices and visitors’ center out of town hall for years, serving as a central resource for merchants, residents and tourists. While the town’s request for the chamber to vacate the space was made in October, it was not publicly disclosed until Hinkle’s announcement last week.

 “We have several town staff who are currently working in less-than-ideal conditions, including in closets and shared public meeting spaces,” Town Manager Peter Lombardi said in an email. “Accordingly, in October, the town informed the chamber that we would no longer be able to provide them with space in town hall for their office and welcome center.”

 At the initial meeting with Lombardi, Hinkle said he “said he would do anything he could to help us.” In a phone conversation on Monday, she said that has not been the case. 

 According to Lombardi, the town does not have any additional space to offer the chamber for an alternative location, effectively forcing Hinkle to look for an office in private space. While Lombardi said the town has offered “technical assistance to help the chamber find a suitable new home,” Hinkle said she has not heard that phrase used by town officials. The chamber does not have a lease for the town hall space.

 Hinkle believes much of the decision stemmed from social media complaints made by a handful of residents calling the chamber’s location a “conflict of interest.” 

 Hinkle said there is one individual who has consistently complained about the location and accused the chamber of “influencing” the select board. The complaints have been seen on Brewster community pages, as well as being sent directly to Hinkle, she said. 

 When asked if the move was the result of social media pressure, Lombardi responded “no.” 

Select board Chair Mary Chaffee also said that was not the case, asserting that social media posts had no role in the town’s decision. 

 “The chamber of commerce has been asked to leave the office they’ve occupied at Brewster Town Hall for about 30 years because the space is required for Brewster government operations,” she said. “Three town staff, including our IT director and our communications director, are working in substandard areas. For those staff members to serve the community effectively, we need them to work with sufficient space. The chamber office is the only option available.” 

The second reason Hinkle has heard was that the chamber’s assistance in facilitating sticker sales was no longer needed. At one time, the chamber acted as an information hub for beach and recycling center sticker sales but is no longer needed to address resident and visitor concerns, since sticker sales have moved primarily online.

Part of Hinkle’s announcement to her membership was a plea for potential office spaces in town. The chamber is currently not seeking a public-facing space as they don’t feel they have the luxury of putting limitations on potential spaces before Brewster in Bloom this spring, Hinckle said. They also have a self-serve information kiosk in Lemon Tree Village that has been “working out really well” since its installation two years ago, she added. 

 Hinkle said the timing of the decision was not ideal. The annual Brewster for the Holidays events began in late November and continued through December, so they haven’t been able to put the time and energy needed into finding a new location. 

 Lombardi said while a select board vote was not needed in the decision making process, they are supportive of the situation. 

 “The select board is aware of this situation, and they are supportive of providing town staff with an appropriate work environment, but no formal vote is required since there is no lease agreement with the chamber,” he said.

 Hinkle said no formal timeline has been established, but they have been asked to vacate by spring. 

 The chamber has around 180 members, Hinkle said.

 “What disturbs me about the whole situation is that the town is listening to the vocal minority and giving in to what their demands are,” she said. “At this point, I’m just disappointed with the whole situation.” 

 Lombardi said the town values the relationship with the chamber and wished them luck moving forward. 

 “We value the chamber’s contributions to supporting our local business community as is evidenced by the $35,000 in funding that the town provides to the chamber every year as part of our annual budget process, as approved by town meeting,” he said. “We appreciate our positive working relationship with the chamber and wish them every continued success going forward.”