Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles
Thursday, October 25, 2018
3:30 – 5:00 p.m. AND 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. (2 sessions)
Orleans Senior Center
150 Rock Harbor Road
Orleans, MA

CLICK HERE 
to see the video from the Special Town Meeting

Almost 150 people participated in the two sessions of the Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles forum on October 25.  The panel of experts presented comprehensive reviews of three of the main Articles that appear on the Town Meeting ballot on October 29:

• Nauset Public Beach restoration

• Wastewater betterment options to pay for sewer connections

• Proposed bylaws pertaining to marijuana retail and cultivation

The panel, led by Moderator Barry Alper, consisted of:

• Lynn Bruneau — Finance Committee Chair
• Tom Daley — Director, Public Works & Natural Resources
• Alan McClennen — Board of Selectmen
• George Meservey — Director of Planning

Article 6, a citizens petition to ban retail outlets for recreational marijuana sales in Orleans, was explained by Steve Bornemeier, its author.

Video of the afternoon session of the Forum:

Video of the evening session of the Forum:

The Orleans Citizens Forum is an all-volunteer, independent and non-partisan organization that provides public forums on topics important to the quality of life.

Photos of the two forum sessions appear below.  Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the pictures.

Quality of Life Expo
Saturday, September 29, 2018
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Nauset Middle School Gym
70 Route 28
Orleans, MA  02643

On a beautiful fall Saturday morning, over 250 people participated in this year’s Quality of Life Expo.  The Gym at the Nauset Middle School hosted over 50 exhibitors from across the Cape, representing a cross-section of non-profits, cultural and service organizations that impact the quality of life of Cape Cod.

Participating Organizations included:

Many thanks to all of the great organizations that participated in this year’s event.

Below is a gallery of photos from the 2018 Expo.  Click on a thumbnail to open the picture:

 

Cape Cod Healthcare
November 16, 2017
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Orleans Senior Center
150 Rock Harbor Road
Orleans, MA

“Kudos … for presenting yesterday’s forum.  All three speakers were compelling.  You HAD to listen to them.  Really makes you proud to be blessed to live here.”

  — L. C., Orleans, MA, 11/17/17

********

“What are the Health Care Challenges on the Cape and how is Cape Cod Healthcare addressing them?”

Over 75 people attended this important and informative forum on the status of medical treatment and care for all Cape Codders.  A phenomenal leadership panel from Cape Cod Healthcare presented the state of medical services and treatment here on the Cape and explained what is yet to come.

Our panelists were:

Michael K. Lauf, President and CEO, Cape Cod Healthcare.  CCHC is a regional health system with more than 450 physicians and 5,300 employees.  The system is comprised of two-acute care hospitals, four outpatient centers, the largest home health services agency on the Cape (VNA), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility and numerous health programs.

Mr. Lauf spoke about changes in the healthcare industry and how they affect the residents of the Cape, and how Cape Cod Healthcare is preparing for them.

Mr. Lauf talked about:

• Update on CCHC
• Overview of clinical programs
• Overview and update on facilities
• The future of healthcare

Dr. Donald A. Guadagnoli, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer.   Dr. Guadognoli came to Cape Cod Healthcare in 2012.  In 2016, he was appointed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School as Associate Dean for Medical Education at Cape Cod Healthcare.  He was also appointed Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the medical school.

Dr. Guadagnoli talked about the Quality of Life Initiative and the need to prepare for end-of-life issues and why they are important.

Dr. Elissa Thompson, MD, board certified cardiologist with Cape Cod Healthcare Cardiovascular Center, is medical director of cardiac rehabilitation at Cape Cod Hospital and the new Cape Cod Healthcare Heart Failure Clinic.

Dr. Thompson spoke about the #1 killer of people in America — heart disease — and new, innovative ways for cardiac rehab and keeping Cape residents out the hospital and alive.  She discussed:

• Cardiac rehabilitation
• CCHC Heart Failure Clinic

 

Photos from the forum.  Click on the thumbnail to enlarge and see captions:

Orleans Wastewater Warrant Articles
October 12, 2017
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Orleans Senior Center
150 Rock Harbor Road
Orleans, MA

WASTEWATER WARRANT ARTICLES

What you need to know before you vote at the Special Town Meeting in October!!!

See the presentation shown at the Forum

At the Citizens Forum session on October 12, 125 attendees heard the panel explain the status of the Orleans Wastewater initiative and what remains to be done, as well as covering the items that will appear in the Warrant at Town Meeting on Monday, October 16.

The panel covered the following items:

• Where the Treatment Facility will be located/what its capacity is?
• What Collection System is proposed?
• Where the Disposal Site is?
• What the project will cost?
• What the Financial Model is designed to provide?

The panel  consisted of:

• Lynn Bruneau — Orleans Finance Committee Chair
• Tom Daley — Director, DPW & NR
• Alan McClennen — Orleans Selectman
• Tom Parece — AECOM Project Manager

Attached is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation that all four panelists used in their presentations.  CLICK HERE or below eo download the presentation

2017-10-12-OCF

Please attend the Special Town Meeting on Monday, October 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium.

The pertinent articles on the Warrant will be:

Article 1:  Fund construction of downtown sewer collection system by MassDOT as part of Main Street Intersection project.  Est. Cost: $3,680,000

Article 2:  Authorize the Board of Selectmen to negotiate a lease with MassDOT for the use of the Route 6 cloverleaf at Exit 12 as the Town’s primary effluent disposal site  —  No Cost

Article 3:  Fund (completion of ) Aquaculture demonstration project at Lonnie’s Pond  —  Est. Cost: $94,000.

Article 4:  Fund independent review of 25% sewer design plans  —  Est. Cost: $75,000

Photos from the Forum on Wastewater Warrant Articles.  Double click on thumbnails to open photos and see captions:

The Orleans Citizens Forum is an unbiased, public service organization dedicated to keeping the residents of Orleans knowledgeable about the issues confronting our Town

 

Do NOT miss this important forum!  Learn first-hand about the issues that will be voted on at Town Meeting.

Join us on Thursday, October 12, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. in the Orleans Senior Center.

 

County Administration & 2018 Issues
January 31, 2018
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Orleans Senior Center
150 Rock Harbor Road
Orleans, MA

Barnstable County Administrator, Jack Yunits, provided an in-depth look at our County government, including its history and the operation of various Departments such as Health, Emergency Management, Cape Cod Commission and Registry of Deeds.

His knowledge of how Country Government works was obvious as he presented detailed facts and figures from memory, regarding issues such as water and wastewater, dredging of our waterways, County budget, etc.  His candid comments regarding present day-to-day problems and issues we are facing as a community were well received.

Over 50 people attended the forum and asked many detailed questions during Mr. Yunits’ interactive presentation.

Photos from the forum are below.  Click on one of the thumbnails to open the photos and see the captions:

 

 

New Directions in Community Housing Needs
February 22, 2018
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Orleans Senior Center
150 Rock Harbor Road
Orleans, MA

There was an excellent turnout from many Lower Cape towns who attended the forum on New Directions in Community Housing Needs on February 22.   Five panelists addressed issues regarding year-round housing in all of the towns on Cape Cod…

• Do the towns have adequate housing to meet the needs of:
  • Younger working families?
  • Those who work in our service industries?
  • Elderly or single-person households?
• What about subsidized housing?
• Are the towns meeting the 10% goal established by the state?

The panel of experts consisted of:

• Barry Alper — Member, Orleans Housing Authority
• Andrea Aldana — CDP Director of Housing Advocacy
• Vicki Goldsmith — Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity/Cape Cod
• Bob Jones — President of the Board of Directors, Cape Cod Village
• Katie Wibby — Vice Chairman, Orleans Affordable Housing Committee

Ms. Wibby opened the forum with her comments and included presentation slides prepared by a consultant.  The presentation is below.  Advance through the pages by clicking on the arrows on the left upper or lower border:

Orleans Housing Study presentation 4-11-17 FINAL (1)

Forum Videos —

This forum was video recorded and presented here in segments.

The first video is Ms. Wibby’s presentation:

The next video section is the remaining panelist presentations:

The panelists addressed the following questions in their opening remarks:

• What project is your organization currently working on related to Community Housing Needs?
• How many housing units will this project yield?
• How did your organization go about securing or acquiring land for this project?
• How is your organization funding your project?
• What are your views on other sustainable funding sources (Federal, state, local, other)for community housing projects?
• What are your views on creating incentives to attract developers?
• What actions are you taking to change the direction of Community Housing Needs?

Presentation on the Autism Project

This is the Questions and Answers segment

An article appeared in the Cape Cod Chronicle describing the forum.   CLICK HERE read the article.

Photos of the Forum — click on a thumbnail to open the photos and read the captions: