HomeMy Public PortalAboutTA Report 08.05.19
Town of Brewster
2198 Main Street
Brewster, MA 02631-1898
Phone: (508) 896-3701
Fax: (508) 896-8089
MEMORANDUM
TO: Select Board
FROM: Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator
RE: Town Administrator Report
DATE: August 5, 2019
Personnel
David Johnson will begin work as our new Natural Resource Officer starting August 19,
having most recently served as a Deputy Natural Resource Officer in Eastham. David is
a graduate of Nauset Regional and has a Bachelor of Science in Forest Conservation
from University of Massachusetts Amherst. Our new Health Director, Amy von Hone, is
set to begin work on August 19 as well. Having completed the interview processes for
the new Council on Aging Program Coordinator and Department of Public Works
Administrative Assistant positions, we are also set to fill those this coming week.
Millstone Road Project Community Outreach
Following up on the Board’s recent conversation about this project, we will be meeting
with residents again on Thursday September 5th at 7:00pm in Rooms A&B at Town Hall.
As we did prior to last year’s input session, we are sending out postcards this week to
residents who live on Millstone and all related side streets inviting them to attend this
information session, as we look to move forward on a redesign of Millstone Road that
will include enhancements aimed to improve pedestrian and bicycle access, drainage
design, and overall safety.
New Emergency Management Protocols
Following up on our recent tabletop exercise and discussions at our monthly Public
Safety Team meetings, we have recently finalized new interdepartmental protocols to
address how we handle our collective emergency management responsibilities during
both hurricanes and other severe weather events as well as shark sighting and/or
attacks. These new guidelines go into effect this week and represent best practices in
ensuring a fully coordinated public safety response. While Brewster has done an
exceptional job in preparing for and responding to storms over the years, we wanted to
formalize certain baseline policies and procedures across departments to ensure a safe
and efficient response to these large-scale emergencies. In addition, given the
emerging emphasis on preparations for responding to shark activity in Cape Cod Bay,
we wanted to clarify how each department will respond to a sighting or attack,
Office of:
Select Board
Town Administrator
especially since our Town beaches are not staffed with lifeguards. If we receive a call
about a shark or other unidentified marine animal sighting, the Police Department will
respond and will close that beach and, given the proximity of many of our beaches,
those adjacent to it to swimming for 1 hour. Upon notice of a shark predation incident,
beaches in that area will be closed until the following day. In the event of an attack,
the Fire Department will handle primary emergency response duties and all Town
beaches will be closed until further notice. The Department of Natural Resources will
respond to all calls of this nature and other regional partners will be notified as
appropriate as well.
OneCape Conference
Last week, the Cape Cod Commission held its now annual two-day conference.
Brewster officials attended workshops ranging from building coastal resiliency in the
face of climate change to working on regional water quality initiatives and from
diversifying community housing options to developing partnerships around the
emerging blue economy to help drive economic development. Our Town Planner, Ryan
Bennett, participated in a panel discussion about strategic planning efforts, highlighting
the work of our Vision Advisory Group over the past few years.