Late Winter Report

March is right around the corner and that means spring is practically here.

The budget issue that Provincetown has been facing is now a little smaller. The Visitor Services Board will contribute $77,000 to the town, thus closing the overall budget deficit to $150,000. The rest of the cuts are expected to come from the School Department.

The Cape Cod Year Rounder’s Festival will not be held again until repairs to town hall are complete. This event is usually held the second Saturday in March and features arts, crafts, museums and the town’s various organizations. Renovations are expected to take up to two years. 

The sewer system may be extended to the Beach Point area. Based on a possible environmental benefit, the State Department of Environmental Protection and the Provincetown Health Agent have urged the town to get a sense of residents’ interest in a hook up. The extension of the sewer system to this far East End of Provincetown will also generate revenue for the town.

An increase in water bills for Provincetown homeowners is on tap. Selectmen and the Water and Sewer Board voted a 40% hike for the lowest water users and a 2% jump for large commercial properties. The proposed increase will be discussed at a public hearing on March 12th.

Provincetown’s finest now has a new sergeant. Officer Thomas Steele was promoted after serving eight years on the force. Steele will replace Sergeant Phil Suchecki who has retired. 

There is a strong chance that Provincetown will be the recipient of a $2 million grant which it will use to repave Commercial Street. The Board of Selectmen voted to hire and engineering firm to develop applications. The cost of this process is just over $16,000. The grant will be awarded in July. If Provincetown does receive the money, a test strip will be repaved this fall and main construction will start in 2011.

Trash collection in Provincetown may soon be curbed. Last month the Board of Selectmen put forth the idea that trash collection should be eliminated. Voters, however, overwhelmingly refused to change the current trash collection procedure last year.

A group of Eighth graders at Provincetown High School managed to raise over $3,000 to buy a new ladder fire truck for the town. Although this falls far short of the needed funds to purchase a new vehicle, the students planned and executed fundraising efforts themselves. 

That’s it for this week. I hope your winter is going well. If you have any questions, please email mike.dubour@verizon.net. Play it safe and come back next week.

Winter Recess

I’ll be back next week to provide more info about Provincetown. In the meantime, please enjoy the pictures from my February 19, 2009 ptown blog entry at michaeldubour.com.

Provincetown Monthly News February 2009

Cape Goes Red

Provincetown has turned its monument red. Not literally, but in time for Valentines Day weekend, the monument is awash in red spotlights. The illumination of the tower is actually being done for awareness of heart disease and The American Heart Association as part of the “Cape Goes Red.”

Outer Cape Health laid off eight employees in late January. Two part time nurses, the Human Resource Director and various administrative staff.

Guesthouses and hotels that are open year round are reporting that President’s Day Weekend is going to be busy. Occupancy is up and rooms have been booked for the holiday weekend.
A new police officer joined the force in late January. He moved from Western Mass and will be full time. He now resides in Provincetown.

There’s not much else happening here this week. Come back next week and check out the monthly video news blog “Provincetown Monthly” for February.

Have fun and play it safe. Send me an email at mike.dubour@verizon.net.