Town of Chatham

fund balance to offset potential larger increases. These new rates will be communicated to
employees and retirees in March/April in anticipation of the annual Health and Wellness Fair to
be held in May. During February time was spent with preparations and analysis for Chatham
Municipal Employees Association and Fire contract negotiations.
Channel 18
The channel 18 staff responded to the weather event by posting notices and running an
informational crawl on the channel and live stream. An intermittent problem was discovered on
the broadcast was causing interference. This problem was traced back to converter boxes in the
studio. These are under warrantee, and will be replaced. Additionally, in tracing the problem,
Comcast provided a new modulator at no expense to the Town, and reconfigured the signal
such that our broadcast has been improved significantly in appearance.
Council on Aging
The Senior Tax Work-off program has nine participants placed, six requests in various stages of
being fulfilled, two pending requests, and three slots still available for department requests.
The gourmet Monday lunch program continued with lunch prepared by Heather Bailey at a cost
of $7 per meal and has been funded through the end of the fiscal year. There have been recent
grant approvals for $700 for Chronic Disease Self-Management, $500 for computer purchase,
and $600 for a six week cooking course from Cape Consortium for At-risk Older Adults. The
Board of Selectmen has accepted the Pastore Foundation donation to the Friends of COA for
the purchase and installation of a generator for the Senior Center, and the bids are out. This
time of year typically brings a significant number of outreach challenges, and this year is no
exception. The needs have been in financial (housing, food, medication), employment,
caregiving, memory loss, and transportation.
Human Services Committee
The Human Services Committee February meeting was cancelled due to the weather event.
PARKS & RECREATION: Submitted by Dan Tobin
Creating lasting memories and community through people, programs, parks and beaches with
integrity and excellence.
Below is a list of activities and some highlights that took place during the month of February
2013 with the Chatham Parks and Recreation Department.
Youth Services Programs:
In February, we had a 5 th and 6 th grade party on the 1 st , with many in attendance. Cooking
gained a couple new participants, and pottery started at the Creative Arts Center. Arts and
Crafts, and floor hockey continue to be successful, while Wednesday group sports has
not. Sewing will continue with a second installment with Kathy Doyle as our instructor. Hide
and seek on February 18 and movie day on February 22 were also successful; while the
Lazergate trip on the 21 st was not. We had a low enrollment for our Ragged Mt. trip, so it was
cancelled and the Wachusett trip in March replaced it. Planning with Sheila House for
upcoming combination events Boys and Girls Nights occurred. Our Father/Daughter dance
planned for February 8 was cancelled due to snow; and is rescheduled for March 22.
Department Head Monthly Report to the Town Manager – February 2013 Page 18