Easter Closures Sunday, April 5th

The Transfer Station and the Community Center will be closed on Sunday, April 5, 2026, in recognition of the Easter holiday.

Easter Oyster Distribution

Approximately 4,000 over-sized oysters were distributed at the Harbormaster flat and at the Causeway on Monday, March 30th, ready for harvesting and just in time for your holiday observance.

Remember - you need a valid Town of Chatham Shellfish Permit to harvest! Oyster season ends April 30th.

Thank you to Chatham Shellfish Co. for donating approximately ½ of this year's distribution to the Town’s Shellfish Division!

Large tree branch lying on snow covered ground

Last Day for Free Storm Debris

Chatham residents may dispose of woody debris at the Chatham Transfer Station, 97 Sam Ryder Road, free of charge through tomorrow, Saturday, April 4, 2026. This temporary fee waiver applies only to trees and limbs damaged as a direct result of Blizzard Hernando on February 23, 2026.

All material must be separated as woody debris; stumps with root balls, construction and demolition debris, and household waste will not be accepted under this waiver. Standard Transfer Station rules and regulations remain in effect. This program is limited to residential drop-offs and does not apply to commercial haulers, professional landscapers, or tree service companies.

Normal disposal fees will resume for all materials beginning Monday, April 6, 2026.

Elimination of Passing Zones

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MDOT) will be removing passing zones on Orleans Road and Old Harbor Road beginning on or around April 6^th.

Areas will be re-striped to solid (no passing) from dashed (passing).

This issue was discussed by the Town’s Traffic Safety Committee which reached out to MDOT about it. According to Director of Public Works, Rob Faley, MDOT had been considering some improvements, and the input from the Traffic Safety Committee reinforced their actions.

Work will be weather dependent, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Drivers traveling in the area should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution.

Route 6 Detours

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has announced it will be replacing missing and damaged median delineators along a section of Route 6 between Exits 78 (Old Exit 9) and the Orleans Rotary beginning on Monday April 6th through Friday April 10th from 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. the following morning. Work is expected to be completed in four nights. This work will result in the temporary closure of Route 6 with appropriate detouring in place. Traffic management will consist of posted detours with police details assisting motorists as needed.

Exits 78-82 (Old Exits 9-10) Detour:

Eastbound Detour:

East on Exit 78A and merge onto East-West Dennis Road (Rte. 134), turn Left onto Upper County Road, take the 1st Left onto Great Western Road, turn Left onto Depot Street, turn Right onto Main Street, slight Left onto Queen Anne Road, turn Left onto Pleasant Lake Avenue (Rte. 124).

Westbound Detour:

Take Exit 82, head South on Pleasant Lake Avenue (Rte. 124), turn right onto Queen Anne Road, continue onto Main Street, turn left onto Depot Street, turn right onto Great Western Road, turn right onto Upper County Road, take the 1st right onto East-West Dennis Road (Rte. 134), take the US-6 W ramp.

Exits 82-85 (Old Exits 10-11) Detour:

Eastbound Detour:

Take Exit 82, turn left onto Pleasant Lake Avenue, turn right onto Long Pond Drive, turn right onto Brewster-Chatham Road, turn left onto US-6E ramp to continue Route 6 eastbound.

Westbound Detour:

Take Exit 85, turn right onto Brewster-Chatham Road (Rte. 137), take the first left onto Long Pond Drive, turn left on Pleasant Lake Avenue (Rte. 124), turn left onto US-6 W ramp to continue Route 6 westbound.

Exits 85-89 (Old Exits 11-12) Detour:

Eastbound Detour:

Take Exit 85, turn right onto Brewster-Chatham Road (Rte. 137), continue on Rte. 137/ Long Pond Road, turn right onto Underpass Road, turn right onto MA-6 E/Main Street, slight right onto MA-6 East Ramp.

Westbound Detour:

Take Exit 89 to Route 6A, keep right at the fork, follow signs for MA-6 and merge onto 6W, turn Left onto Underpass Road, turn left onto Rte. 137/Long Pond Road, turn left onto MA-6 West Ramp.

Exit 89 (Old Exit 12) to the Orleans Rotary Detour:

Eastbound Detour:

Take Exit 89, right onto Cranberry Hwy (Rte. 6A), continue straight until Rte. 6A/Rte. 28 rotary, follow signage for Rte. 6A East.

Westbound Detour:

Enter Orleans rotary, follow signage for Rte. 6A West, continue on Rte. 6A West through the rotary at Rte.28, turn left towards US-6 West Ramp.

Drivers who are traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution. Emergency vehicles will be allowed to access Route 6 as needed. All scheduled work is weather dependent and/or may be impacted due to an emergency situation.

red fire hydrant with water streaming out of it

Hydrant Flushing Begins

The annual hydrant flushing program will begin the week of April 6th.

Once again, due to the ongoing drought conditions, hydrant flushing will be conducted on a limited basis. This year flushing will be focused on the South Chatham Area.

Center for Active Living Building Project Information Center on April 15 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Community Center

Your Guide to Voting & Town Meeting

Do you have questions about how the local voting process works or what to expect at Town Meeting? You’re not alone.

With elections approaching and Town Meeting just around the corner, stop by the Eldredge Public Library on Thursday, April 16th at 5:30 p.m. in-person informative program with Chatham Town Clerk Julie Smith. She’ll walk participants through voter registration, Town Meeting procedures, how to review warrant articles, and everything voters need to participate in the process with confidence. Town Moderator Bill Litchfield will be on hand as well to discuss his role in the conduct of Town Meeting.

Town Meeting Warrant Online

The 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant is now available online!

Per the requirements of the Town’s Home Rule Charter, a copy of the warrant will be mailed to the household of every registered voter in Town but why wait until the end of April to start reviewing the articles. Download your copy today!

Select Board seated at the dais in the large meeting room

Select Board Action – March 31st

The Select Board granted permission to use Town property and a Special One-Day Entertainment License to the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra for a free concert at Kate Gould Park on July 13th at 6:00 p.m.

Huntley Harrison, Chair of the Airport Commission, updated the Select Board on the progress to bring an Upper Air/Weather Station on Airport property. He noted that discussions with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service had been moving forward but due to cuts by the federal government, those efforts were halted. A private company, Urban Sky, subsequently contacted the Town to discuss entering an agreement to launch weather balloons from the Airport property. It was noted that the company would pay a monthly fee to the Town. Stephen Daniel, Chair of the Finance Committee, spoke in favor of the project. Edits were suggested to the Agreement document. The Select Board voted to support the Town entering the agreement.

The public is encouraged to watch the meeting in its entirety through Chatham Tv’s on-demand archive.

Paid Parking On Select Board Agenda

The Select Board will have a discussion on paid parking on its agenda on Tuesday, April 14th during its regular meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. in the large meeting room in the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

Residents, visitors, and members of the business community are encouraged to participate either in-person or virtually through the link in the agenda that will be posted 48 hours in advance of the meeting at www.mytowngovernment.org. Those unable to participate in the meeting may forward comments for the Board’s consideration via email to Executive Assistant Cathy Lewis.

Town seal with the silhouette of a speaker at a podium in the center

Upcoming Public Hearings

The Select Board will hold the following public hearings during their regularly scheduled meetings on Tuesdays, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the large meeting room at the Town Office Annex, 261 George Ryder Road.

April 7, 2026

To consider a request for a new annual entertainment license for indoor live and recorded music for Chatham Moods, 1617 Main Street, Chatham.

To consider a petition from Verizon New England, Inc. to install one (1) new pole numbered 22/5/5 thirty six (36) feet east of existing pole numbered 22/5 and eighty (80) feet west of existing pole numbered 22/6 on Mill Pond Road and to install new conduit from the proposed pole numbered 22/5.5 southeast along Mill Pond Road approximately one hundred-eight (180) feet to new Mill Pond Road pumping station project. (Continued from March 10, 2026)

To consider a petition from NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy to install 215’ +/- 2-4” conduit and one (1) new manhole 10242/010 for new underground service at 162 Shore Road.

All interested parties are encouraged to attend in-person or through the link in the posted agenda.

Model house with stacked coins next to it

Tax Payments Due May 1st

The second installment of FY2026 Real Estate and Personal Property bills are issued the week of March 23rd and payments are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 1st. Payments not received in the Treasurer’s office by the due date will be considered late and will be subject to interest.

Payments may be made by US Mail, in-person at the Treasurer/Collector’s office or via drop box at in the vestibule at the Town Offices, 549 Main Street.

Online payments can be made through the Town of Chatham’s website through City Hall Systems.

Contributions to the newly established Taxation Aid Fund may be made in the designated space on your real estate tax bill or via online payment.

Please take note: the residential exemption is not in effect for the current tax season.

Irrigation System Reminders

Despite recent rains, the Massachusetts Drought Status for our region remains at Level 2 – Significant Drought.

If you are planning to reactivate your irrigation system in the coming weeks, please be sure to program it in compliance with the water conservation restrictions of Thursday, May 1, 2025 which are still in effect:

Until further notice, all non-essential outdoor water use shall be restricted to no more than two days per week. Watering by sprinkler or irrigation is allowed on customer assigned days only before 9:00 AM and after 5:00 PM.

• Odd numbered addresses are assigned Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Even numbered addresses are assigned Wednesdays and Fridays.

As a reminder, non-essential uses include:

• Irrigation of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems

• Washing of vehicles, except in a commercial car wash or as necessary for operator safety

• Washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways, or sidewalks (except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement, or concrete).

Households and businesses that draw water from private wells are exempt from these restrictions; however, the Town encourages their participation given their impact on our shared aquifer.

Mandatory water restrictions put in place now will help protect our resources and possibly reduce greater water shortages this summer. The Chatham Water Department respectfully requests the support of our residents and business community in complying with these restrictions to ensure the future health and adequacy of our water supply. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

If you have any questions, please contact the Chatham Water Department at (508) 945-5150.

Honoring Their Memory

Chatham’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Community Center on Monday, May 25th.

The Public Ceremonies Committee encourages members of the community to submit the names of family members or loved ones who died while serving in the US military, either in war or peacetime, to be honored during the ceremony. Please send those individual’s name, rank and branch or military via email to Shanna Nealy or by calling 508-945-5105.

Blue lighthouse with red stripes and gold stars behind it

Parade Registration Open

Registration is open for entrants to the 2026 Chatham Independence Day Parade. This year’s theme is “Anchored in Freedom: Timeless Tides & Traditions.”

July 4th will be here before we know it (90 days and counting)! If you want to be part of the 250th celebration of America, don’t wait to visit www.chathamparade.com to fill out the registration form. Deadline to register is June 15th.

Not feeling creative but still want to be a part of the biggest small-Town parade in the country? We need volunteers for a variety of roles from handling registration pick-up, to serving as Parade Marshals on the day!

Parade volunteer registration will open shortly and nominations for this year’s Grand Marshal will start in mid-April!

Statue of Mercy Otis Warren holding book in outstretched hand in front of Columned stone building

Mercy Otis Warren Nominations Open

The Mercy Otis Warren “Cape Cod Woman of the Year” Selection Committee is now accepting nominations for the 25th annual award honoring a Cape Cod woman whose leadership, service, and volunteerism have made a meaningful impact in her community.

This milestone year celebrates 25 years of recognizing women who strengthen Cape Cod and honors the enduring civic legacy of Mercy Otis Warren.

Nominations are due by April 20, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Nominations may be submitted online, by email to mercyotiswarrencapecod@gmail.com, or by mail to the Mercy Otis Warren Cape Cod Woman of the Year Committee, c/o Barnstable County, PO Box 427, Barnstable, MA 02630. Nominees must be Cape Cod residents.

Nominations should include a one-page, single spaced letter (maximum 500 words) describing what best qualifies the candidate and what makes her deserving of this award. The Honoree will be recognized at a public ceremony in early June.

Help recognize an extraordinary woman making a difference on Cape Cod.

Gold concentric circles with Cape Cod Commission below in gray

TIP Public Comment Period

The Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has released proposed amendments to the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the FFY 2026–2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for a 21-day public comment period. Copies of the proposed amendments are available at www.capecodcommission.org/mpo.

The amendment updates project descriptions and funding information for the Cape Cod Bridges Program based on the latest information. The Cape Cod Bridges Program proposes to replace the Sagamore and Bourne highway bridges spanning the Cape Cod Canal, reconfigure the highway approach networks north and south of the canal to align with the replacement highway bridges, and provide improved pedestrian and bicycle accommodations along the replacement bridges and local roadway network. The latest information on the Cape Cod Bridges Program can be found at www.mass/gov/cape-bridges.

As the Cape Cod Bridges Program progresses, and new information becomes available, additional updates to these regional planning documents are anticipated. Incorporating updates ensures that the RTP and the TIP reflect the most up-to-date information and conform to federal planning requirements.

A virtual public meeting of the Cape Cod MPO is scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2026 at 1:00 PM to hear additional public comments and consider approval of these amendments. Virtual meeting details will be available at www.capecodcommission.org/mpo.

Comments on these amendments may be submitted via mail, e-mail, or fax by April 17, 2026, as follows.

Mail:
Cape Cod Commission Transportation Program
Attn.: Steven Tupper, Deputy Director
3225 Main Street, PO Box 226
Barnstable, MA 02630

E-mail: please put “RTP” or “TIP” in the subject line and send to transportation@capecodcommission.org

Fax: 508-362-3136 Attn.: Steven Tupper, Deputy Director

Capital "A" in light blue with "at the Atwood" on a dark blue background

Tuesday Talks at the Atwood

The Chatham Historical Society is pleased to welcome award-winning photographer Kimberly Wordell Robbins for the first time at the Atwood Museum on Tuesday, April 14th at 5 p.m.!

In this Tuesday Talks: Bird Migration and Photography, Ms. Robbins will share how the quality of light, the time of year, tidal shifts, and the simple act of listening shape what we discover during bird migration season on Cape Cod.

Registration is required. Admission is $10 per person, free for current members.

Next Select Board Meeting - April 7, 2026 @ 5:30 p.m.

All are welcome to attend and participate in our open and public meetings. The agenda for each meeting is posted 48 business hours prior to the scheduled meeting time and can be accessed through the Select Board's webpage.

Attend in-person at the Town Office Annex, Large Meeting Room. Join the meeting on-line or participate by phone by dialing 1-508-945-4410 and entering Conference ID 203 386 491#.

I. Minutes

A. March 17, 2026

B. March 31, 2026

II. Public Announcements and Agenda Item Requests

III. Public Hearing

A. To Consider a request for new annual entertainment license for indoor live and recorded music for Chatham Moods, 1617 Main Street, Chatham

B. To Consider a petition from NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy to install 215’ +/- 2-4” conduit and one (1) new manhole 10242/010 for new underground service at 162 Shore Road

C. To consider a petition from Verizon New England, Inc. to install one (1) new pole numbered 22/5/5 thirty-six (36) feet east of existing pole numbered 22/5 and eighty (80) feet west of existing pole numbered 22/6 on Mill Pond Road and to install new conduit from the proposed pole numbered 22/5.5 southeast along Mill Pond Road approximately one-hundred eighty (180) feet to new Mill Pond pumping station project (Continued from 3/24/26)

IV. Consent Agenda

A. Consider Sale of Goods on Town Property; Chatham Men’s Club Author Event on April 17, 2026 at 702 Main Street, Chatham (Chatham Community Center)

B. Consider Use of Town Roads and Special One-Day Entertainment License; 8th Annual Walk for Home June 20, 2026 – Homeless Prevention Council

V. Public Comments on Business Agenda

VI. Business Agenda

A. Consider Sale of Goods on Town Property; Addition of Food Truck to Previously Approved Annual Plant Sale on June 6, 2026 at 702 Main Street, Chatham – Chatham Garden Club

B. Consider Stepping Stones Road Right of Entry and License Agreement

C. Design Guidelines Draft – 127 Old Harbor Road

D. Consider Commission Appointment; Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission Town Liaison

The Mainsheet

The name of our e-newsletter was selected from submissions by our community.
In nautical terms a mainsheet is the line connected to the boom which allows a sailor to control the speed of a boat. We think that is fitting for an e-newsletter that can be used to quickly send out important information to our community or at a more leisurely rate for less pressing matters. It reflects Chatham’s maritime history, is reminiscent of the front page of a newspaper, and it is a fun play on Main Street, where you go to be part of all that is happening in Town!

Subscribe to The Mainsheet

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