Thursday, January 25, 2024

Each year, at the Annual Town Meeting, voters assemble to debate and ultimately approve funding for operating the town during the next fiscal year.  Included are funds for the maintenance, improvement, and creation of capital facilities.

Orleans has over 40 buildings or fixed equipment and owns over 100 pieces of rolling stock. The Town Charter sets up procedures for maintaining and updating these capital assets by requiring the development of a five-year Capital Improvements Plan.  The plan is prepared by the Town Manager annually and submitted for a review process on January 15^th.

This forum provided an overview of three critical parts of this process, presented by the following panelists.

• Kim Newman, Town Manager, presented the draft of the five-year Capital Improvements Plan
• John Ostman, Member of the Long Range Capital Planning Committee, presented the recent work of the committee, which is charged with projecting out an additional 15 years to alert the town about longer-range needs
• Alan McClennen, member of the Long Range Capital Planning Committee and OCF board member, moderated

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

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Click here to watch the video

Time to ask: Where are we and what’s next on the 50-year sewer plan? Who’s paying and how? What are “non-traditionals” like PRBs? View this comprehensive progress report on all-things-wastewater conducted by Orleans & MA DEP panelists.

FORUM PANELISTS:

• Marybeth Chubb, Section Chief of the Wastewater Management Program, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection discusses the Commonwealth’s initiatives to clean up Cape Cod waters.
• Kevin Galligan, Orleans Select Board and Chair of the Wastewater Management Advisory Committee provides an update on Orleans’ wastewater management project: progress & what’s next.
• Michael Giggey, Sr. Vice President, Wright-Pierce Environmental Engineering describes Orleans’ role in the Pleasant Bay watershed compact: the regional approach to cleaner water.

PROGRAM MODERATOR: Ryan Bray, from The Cape Cod Chronicle.

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

Tuesday, October 24, 2023
150 Rock Harbor Road, Orleans

Watch it on YouTube

All over the nation, school districts have been working hard to overcome difficulties that arose from the pandemic for children, teachers, and administrators.  Orleans schools have faced these challenges and have had, and are continuing to have major successes, including the Nauset Regional High School Building Project, and the academic achievements of Orleans Elementary School. There are still areas that the schools are working on in their post-covid journey to ensure that our students receive the help and support they need with respect to their academic, social-emotional, and physical growth and development.

This forum explored the progress the schools are making in these areas, and provided parents and other community members, and educators an opportunity to ask questions and voice your thoughts regarding this transformative time in education.

Forum speakers included:

• Gail Briere, Orleans Elementary School Committee Chair
• Brook Clenchy. Superintendent of Schools
• Judith Schumacher, Nauset Regional School Committee Vice-Chair
• Michael Brink, Moderator

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

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Watch it on YouTube
(Note: there are problems with the early part of the recording)

 

Orleans has new leadership: A Town Manager, a new Select Board Chair, and turnover on the Finance Committee. The September 28 Orleans Citizens Forum offered residents a chance to hear from some of these leaders on an array of subjects found in the warrant for the upcoming Town Meeting (October 16:  our economy, natural environment, human resources, public safety, recreation, and wastewater, to name a few.)

We tried a more interactive format allowing lots of opportunities for questions.

Our panelists:

• Kimberly Newman, Orleans’ Town Manager: shared her early impressions of Orleans, her thoughts about where the Town should be heading, and how key articles in the upcoming warrant might move the Town in that direction.

• Michael Herman, Chair, Orleans Select Board addressed key articles in the warrant and discussed the Select Board’s goals for the coming year and its progress to date. 

• Constance Kremer, Finance Committee provided the Finance Committee’s views on Orleans’ financial situation as well as discussing warrant items. 

Moderating the forum were Martha Sherrill and Emily Miller from EXIT 89, the hyperlocal e-digest with a mission to explain Orleans town issues and demystify Town Meeting.

 For more information about OCF, click here.

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

Guest Speakers: Provincetown Independent Editor, Ed Miller and Publisher, Teresa Parker
Against the Odds – Starting a Local Newspaper on Cape Cod.
Thoughts from the founders of the Provincetown Independent

Click here to see a recording of the forum

Since 2005 the United States has lost a quarter of its newspapers.  Many of the survivors are characterized as ‘zombie papers’ as news staff have been laid off and local content has shrunk.  Some areas are news deserts where there are no papers at all.  The drivers of this decline are many and the consequences are complicated – but troubling – for a healthy democracy.  In the face of these realities, the notion of a start-up paper on the outer edge of Cape Cod might not seem like a good idea.

Ed Miller and Teresa Parker thought differently.  They are both strong believers in the practice of professional journalism at the local level which is a cornerstone of democracy.  They thoughtfully and carefully embraced the risk and established The Provincetown Independent in 2019.  They are still in business.

Ed is the Editor of the paper and Teresa is the Publisher.  In 2022 the paper was recognized by the New England Newspaper and Press Association as ‘The Newspaper of the Year’ of those with circulations over 5,000.  What gives?

Ed and Teresa shared their story and their views on the news landscape at our Annual Meeting.  Both have impressive resumes with lots of experience in business and the media.  Ed established two weekly newspapers before the Independent, one magazine and a book publishing company.  He taught writing at Sarah Lawrence and Harvard, served as an associate editor of the Provincetown Banner for 4 years  and has written five books.  Teresa was a senior manager at the Ernst and Young Center for Business Innovation, ran her own travel business and helped several start up local organizations, including the incubator that became the Wellfleet OysterFest.

Watch the video for a stimulating tour d’horizon of today’s news world.

Prior to Ed and Teresa’s presentation, we held a brief business meeting and election of 2023-2024 Board Members and Officers. The following documents were voted on at the business meeting: By-Laws;   Conflict-of-interest-policy

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

CANDIDATES FORUM
What can we look forward to from the Select Board?
Thursday, April 27, 2023

Click here to see a recording of the forum

Orleans’ town election will take placeTuesday, May 16, Much of the ballot will include a number of items related to action at the Spring Town Meeting.

There are also a number of positions that will be voted on, including two Select Board seats.

Andrea Shaw Reed and Mefford Runyon have filed papers for these positions.  Both are incumbents who will be running for re-election.

On Thursday, April 27, the candidates participated in a Candidates Forum hosted by the Orleans Citizens Forum at the Nauset Room in Town Hall.  This was an in-person event, live streamed, accessible by zoom and archived on the Town and Orleans Forum websites.

The candidates were introduced, given a chance to make short statements about their priorities during their second term.  A question-and-answer session followed.

 

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

What do we need to know to be informed voters?
April 20, 2023

Click HERE to watch a recording of the forum.

To help residents prepare for the town meeting and election, the Orleans Citizens Forum hosted a presentation on some of its major components on April 20, 2023. The meeting was in-person presentation, live streamed, accessible by zoom, and archived on the Town and Orleans Citizens Forum websites. The panel included the following speakers and topics.

Charles Sumner, Acting Town Administrator:  Budget overrides.

Tom Daley, Director, Public Works and Natural Resources:  Herring Run Renewal Warrant.
View Tom’s presentation by clicking here

Kevin Galligan, Member, Select Board and Wastewater Management Committee: Water warrants.
View Kevin’s presentation by clicking here

Alan McClennen, Chair, Affordable Housing Trust: Update on community housing.
View Kevin’s presentation by clicking here

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