A Short Entry This Week ...

The end of the first quarter is approaching quickly. April is emerging from the fog and that means the start of prep season here in Provincetown. Prep season is defined as the two months leading up to Memorial Day, the official kick off of our season. During that time, stores, restaurants and galleries scramble to hire seasonal workers and stock inventory that they hope will sell.

Seasonal workers are now searching for their summer digs. In towns like Provincetown, they are competing with the vacationer. Of course, when it comes down to it, the accommodations for a seasonal worker are more comparable to steerage on the Titanic. Let’s just hope this ship doesn’t go down.

There is fear amongst some business owners that this summer may be much slower than usual due to the economy. However, three rental agencies that I spoke with have reported strong seasonal and weekly rental bookings in July and August. Guest house owners are reporting strong reservations for the summer as well. This will translate into cash on Commercial Street. The only week that is consistently down is 4th of July. This ultimate week for circuit boy fun is no longer an official circuit party and rentals have been impacted.

Well, as Varla practices her show and Dina Martina smears her makeup, save your pennies and bring them to town this year. Keep Ptown, your town for fun. If you haven’t rented your vacation getaway, ya better hurry...seriously. As the economy forces New York and Boston boys to vacation here, the best places are getting snatched up. If you are buying, however...the market belongs to you.

Remember, play it safe and send me an email if you have any questions, mike.dubour@verizon.net.

Provincetown Monthly News March 2009

Late Winter News

There seems to be a lot going on here this week. 

A local fisherman has proposed to make an area at MacMillan Pier used as free tie-up for recreational boaters. There is 300 feet of space along the parking lot that can be used to house boats while their owners and guests spend money in restaurants and shops along Commercial Street. The cost to create the area is estimated at around $1700.

Provincetown School Superintendent Jessica Waugh will retire at the end of this school year. She started her career with the Provincetown school system as a reading teacher 29 years ago. She was promoted to Curriculum Coordinator, Professional Development Director and MCAS Coordinator in 2004. Waugh has also served as Principal since 2008. A search for a new superintendent and principal are underway.

Provincetown is still working to balance its municipal budget. The teacher’s union agreed to freeze wages and save the town roughly $81,000. This still leaves the town $79,000 in the red. Additional funds may be raised by freezing the salaries for department heads and union personnel. The Finance Committee is also working on closing the budget gap.

The annual town meeting for Provincetown will be held on Monday, April 6th at 6 pm.
Agenda items include the budget, town hall renovation, sewer expansion, town vehicle purchases including a fire truck and sweeper, new parking meters, zoning issues, the recent marijuana law and three animal control articles. Town Warrants are available for review prior to the meeting.

Three lots on Browne Street may become community gardens. The 2.29 acre site would be divided into 50 garden plots. The Land Bank would fund the purchase and fund the maintenance of the site. The gardens will be an article at the town meeting on April 6th and is being submitted by the Conservation Commission.

The renovations for town hall are on schedule. Besides a large amount of rot being discovered and removed, the project is on budget. In Early March, steel channels and supports arrived that will be installed to make the building sound. A heating and air conditioning unit is expected to be installed across Bradford Street behind the Bas Relief.

The town hall will also be painted its original color as part of the renovations. Paint samples were removed and analyzed by historic paint consultants. The trim will be a cream color, windows and doors a deep reddish blue and the building itself, sage.

If you are looking for things to do:

WOMR features “Winter Benefit Film Series” every Thursday at 7:30pm at The Schoolhouse.

Counter Productions at The Provincetown Theatre presents “The Effect on Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds” through March 29th.

It’s “Sunday Salon” at The Provincetown Theatre hosted by John Thomas.
March 29th and April 12th at 2PM

Thanks for reading and check back next week for “Provincetown Monthly” video news. Play it safe and send me an email at mike.dubour@verizon.net if you have any questions.

Provincetown Update

Things to do in mid-March

In consideration of WOMR’s 27th birthday, The Schoolhouse Gallery, located in the same building as the radio station, is hosting a party March 20th from 6-8 PM. Artists are encouraged to submit artwork that is valued between $100-$1,000. 20% of all work sold will benefit WOMR. Visit www.womr.org for more details.

The Norman Mailer Writers Colony will open May 18th. Located in the late author’s Provincetown home, aspiring writers will be offered fellowships to attend special workshops and programs on location. Application deadline is March 20th. Visit www.nmwcolony.org for more information.

The Fine Arts Work Center will feature paintings by artist Jason Mones through March 11th. 

Cape End Inn features free movie nights. Movies are relatively new as they are not released to video, but no longer in theaters. Start time is 7 PM Monday-Thursday and 8 PM Friday-Sunday, free popcorn, full bar and pub fare.

Winter Reading Series at The Provincetown Theatre. Various material. $5 donation.

Monday nights at The Mews is open mic. Starting at 8PM.

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