Sandwich Selectmen's Update ~ 7.20.20

The town beach, pre-coronavirus. Photo by Jude Davis

Courtenay Delaney writes: Hello all, we hope that you are enjoying your summer! Our July 20th Selectmen’s Meeting and work session covered a lot of ground, including a ‘Meet and Greet’ with our Town Counsel Walter Mitchell and Laura Spector-Morgan.

Police Chief Shawn Varney provided us with COVID-19 updates, noting that there are no known active cases in town and that we have a sufficient supply of PPE. Chief Varney also provided a summary of how parking enforcement is going at our Town beaches. All agreed to ‘deputize’ Ole Anderson so he can also issue parking tickets to those without a valid pass/sticker.  Ole visits all three beaches on a regular basis and can be that extra set of eyes for enforcement on busy days.

The Sandwich Climate Action Coalition (SCAC) met with the Selectmen and Planning Board Chair, Mike Babcock, to learn how they can help with the Energy Chapter of the Town’s Master Plan when it is next updated with fresh census data. Discussion followed on how best the Selectmen can implement the initiatives within Article 21 from the 2020 Town Warrant.

Alison Gage, our Town Clerk/Tax Collector went through the official liening process which was executed earlier in the day. Documents were signed and notarized and the Selectmen were briefed on the potential deeding of a few properties and those taxes which are delinquent. Despite COVID-19, we are happy to report that the number of properties with delinquent taxes is on par with years past.

The Selectmen have also been evaluating opportunities to improve organizational culture, increase cross-training of staff, and Selectmen Horn has been working on improvements to our employee performance review process. Earlier this summer, the Selectmen agreed to prioritize the goal of empowering the workforce, increasing efficiency where possible and engaging employees in a shared vision for the Town; the Selectmen will continue to evaluate organizational structure, culture, and processes for town business to work toward that end.

Lastly, we had a very good discussion on Town fireworks and postponing them further into the winter based on recommendations by both Chief Varney and Fire Chief Call. After thoughtful consideration, the Selectmen supported the Chiefs’ recommendations and agreed that safety of the town and frontline workers is of the utmost concern during these difficult times. We are hoping Atlas Fireworks agrees to do our fireworks display on New Year’s Eve so we can give a very loud and celebratory goodbye to 2020. Stay tuned!

As always, we are pleased by the efforts of everyone to pitch in, work together, and observe safe protocols.  Respectfully, Joanne Haight, Leo Dwyer, Todd Horn, Sandwich Board of Selectmen