Paving Project Underway in West Brewster

BREWSTER, MA – Today (9/23/20) National Grid begins the final phase of the gas main replacement project in Brewster. This work involves road repair and repaving. Over the next two weeks, crews will be milling and paving the four mile stretch of road that lies within the project’s footprint. This will include the east end of Stony Brook Road, Satucket Road, and Slough Road. During the road construction, traffic will at times be reduced to a single lane and some detours may be put in place to help motorists avoid work crews. Frequent updates will be posted to the Brewster Police Department Facebook page and the Town of Brewster Website.

9/24 Traffic Advisory:
Today the paving project will involve milling Satucket Road. Eastbound traffic will be detoured down Airline Road to avoid the construction zone. Residents who live within the work area will have access and officers will be on location to assist.

Voting Options for November 3rd State General (Presidential) Election

On July 6th, 2020 the Governor signed legislation which calls for Vote by Mail ballots be available for both the State Primary and the Presidential Election, scheduled for November 3rd, 2020. Click here to download a Vote by Mail Application, which must be submitted by October 28th, 2020 for the November 3rd State & Presidential Election. Of course, you may still choose to vote in person at the polls on Election Day or vote in person during the Early Voting Hours to be held in Town Hall.

As of September 14, the Town Clerk’s Office has processed over 4,200 vote-by-mail applications for the upcoming November election. The November ballots are not yet available from the MA Secretary of State’s Office. As soon as the Clerk’s Office is in receipt of the ballots, we will start the process of mailing them to those who have requested one. The Secretary of State, under the current legislation, has until October 9th to have the ballots delivered to the local Town Clerk’s Office.

A complete schedule of dates and hours can also be downloaded in PDF format.

How Has COVID-19 Impacted You?

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA-DPH) is trying to better help people through the COVID-19 crisis by hearing about their experiences and challenges right now. By taking this survey, you can help find new solutions to community problems, and give MA-DPH the information they need to take action and support the communities that need it most. MA-DPH is also committed to sharing information back in ways that will help us all take collective action.

I believe this effort will help us better understand the impact of COVID-19 on our communities, and would encourage anyone over the age of 14 to participate using this link: www.mass.gov/COVIDsurvey

Residents in Need Invited to Apply to Brewster COVID Relief Fund

Earlier this year, the Town established a relief fund designed to provide direct and essential support to Brewster residents whose health and well-being are most immediately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.  The goal of this fund is to help meet the basic needs of our residents faced with financial challenges related to housing, medical bills, utilities, etc. 

To qualify for assistance, residents must meet certain financial eligibility criteria based on established federal standards and must have lived in town for at least 3 months.  Brewster Council on Aging and Housing staff will assist residents in completing the application process, review completed applications, and determine program eligibility.  Requests for financial assistance from eligible residents will then be voted on by the Brewster COVID Relief Fund Committee on a regular basis.  The identity of applicants will be kept confidential throughout the process.  Payments will be made directly to the appropriate vendor. 

Applications are available in PDF format.  Please contact Town staff with questions at covidrelieffund@brewster-ma.gov.

Thanks to the generous support of our residents, over $27,000 has been raised to date and is now available for distribution. Residents interested in donating to this tax deductible relief fund can click here.

Public Works Projects Update

The Town is undertaking several significant public works projects this fall. The Department of Public Works, in conjunction with a local contractor, is completing drainage upgrades and road work on Robbins Hill Road. Work is being performed from 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday for approximately one month. During the workday, there may be delays while work is ongoing; roads will be open and secure each evening and before each weekend.

During the next few weeks, the Department of Public Works and Natural Resources Department will be improving the walking paths at Drummer Boy Park. Paths will be paved and benches will be placed along the paths to increase accessibility for visitors to the park. Some sections of the park may be closed temporarily during the day to accomplish this work. Please use caution when work is ongoing. This project is primarily funded with state Recreational Trails grant funds.

Installation of a new culvert and upgrades to the parking lot at Crosby Landing will begin after Columbus Day Weekend. We expect this project will continue into the Spring of 2021. Pedestrian access to the beach will remain open throughout the project. More information will be provided prior to the start of the work. This project is primarily funded with state and federal grant funds.

Phase I of the Brewster Woods Housing initiative on Brewster Road will commence in late October and will involve the necessary infrastructure work for the creation of 30 units of affordable housing on Brewster Housing Authority land. We expect this phase to last about 6 months. Phase I of this important project was funded through a $1.68 million MassWorks grant from the State of Massachusetts, with matching Community Preservation Act funds.

Thank you in advance for your patience as we make progress on these important initiatives to improve Town infrastructure and facilities.

Brewster Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan – Community Survey

The Town of Brewster is currently developing a Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan is important because it helps the Town plan and receive funding for projects that reduce the risk of  injury or damage to property from future natural, communicable, human-caused or technological hazard events such as flooding, hurricanes or cyber security.  This Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan update will build on some of the work already completed by the Town including the Brewster Coastal Adaptation Strategy (September 2016), Town of Brewster Vision Plan (2018), the Town of Brewster Coastal Resource Management Plan (2019), and the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan (2019).  

We need your help as we gather information for the plan. The information you provide in this survey will help us coordinate activities and identify projects. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and responses will remain anonymous. The Brewster Local Hazard Mitigation Workgroup thanks you for taking the time to participate in this information-gathering process. Please click here to take the survey online.

Funds Available: New Brewster Rental Assistance Program

Short term assistance for Brewster renters with challenges paying their rent during COVID -19
and
On-going monthly rental assistance to help make year round rentals affordable for low to moderate income residents

This new Brewster Rental Assistance Program, created by the Brewster Affordable Housing Trust, with Town Community Preservation funds, has resources available for both year round affordability and emergency COVID-19 assistance. Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) is administering the program which also has a case management component.

Requirements include, but not limited to:

• Income limits. Up to 80 or 100% Area Median Income (AMI) depending on program.
• Brewster resident or employee or child in public elementary schools.
• Rental unit in Brewster.
• Lease payments made directly to landlord.

To apply, contact HAC at 508-771-5400, email hac@haconcapecod.org or apply online at www.haconcapecod.org/programs/homeless-prevention

For more information about the creation of the Town program, contact Jill Scalise, Brewster Housing Coordinator at jscalise@brewster-ma.gov or 508-896-3701, ext. 1169

Additional information from HAC about rental and mortgage assistance for Brewster residents in PDF format.

Brewster Fire & Police Departments Awarded $45,650 Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Grant Funding

The Baker-Polito Administration recently allocated more than $9.6 million in federal Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program (CESFP) grants awarded to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR) from the U.S. Department of Justice. More than 100 local and state public safety agencies received this funding for additional resources to further aid in preventing, preparing for and/or responding to the Coronavirus.

With the award, Brewster Fire/Rescue will purchase a mask fit testing machine that will allow the department to conduct annual OSHA mandated fit testing of self-contained breathing apparatus facepieces and N-95 respirators. The remaining capital will be used to subsidize the disinfecting and deep cleaning of fire headquarters and department vehicles.

The Brewster Police Department will use their portion of the award to purchase portable air filtration equipment, additional personal protective gear, and to supplement disinfecting of the police station and vehicles.

“These awards to municipal departments and state agencies across the Commonwealth demonstrate our commitment to providing our police officers, firefighters, and other public safety personnel with the necessary tools to effectively serve their communities while continuing to fight a pandemic,” said Governor Charlie Baker.

Eligible municipalities were invited to solicit up to $50,000 in total funding to benefit their police and/or fire department needs. In total, 65 fire departments and 44 police departments representing 94 cities and towns will directly benefit from the CESFP awards.

“These grants will help aid local municipalities to purchase the additional safeguards necessary to protect our frontline workers against COVID-19,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “Massachusetts has made great strides in slowing the spread of this virus, and we will continue to support our local heroes with the resources they need to protect themselves and their communities.”

Brewster Fire Rescue and the Brewster Police Department are grateful to the Baker-Polito Administration for the opportunity to apply for this competitive grant and for the awarded funding that will be used to support the health and safety of our firefighters, rescue personnel, and police officers as we continue with our response to Coronavirus related incidents. 

Brewster 9/11 Commemoration

'Never Forget': Brewster Fire Dept. Honors 9/11 Victims from Lower Cape TV on Vimeo.

Community Development Partnership to offer $400,000 in Community Development Block Grant funded forgivable loans to Lower Cape Businesses

The Community Development Partnership (CDP) is pleased to bring critical financial relief to Lower Cape small businesses through forgivable loans of up to $10,000 to businesses with five or fewer employees, also known as micro-enterprises.  Funds of $400,000 were awarded to the Town of Truro through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) to assist small businesses affected by COVID-19 impacts.

The grant program, administered by the CDP, supports low-to-moderate income business owners and is part of the CDP’s ongoing efforts to support small business, particularly to those who have been disproportionately impacted by the global pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.

To support this program and help revitalize the local economy, the CDP has been awarded $20,000 from the Cape Cod Foundation to continue its small business recovery efforts through workshops, technical assistance and access to capital. 

“The work of the Community Development Partnership in supporting our local small businesses as they recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is essential”, stated Kristin O’Malley, President and CEO of The Cape Cod Foundation. “We are honored that we can support their efforts to help revitalize our local economy.”

CDP CEO, Jay Coburn noted that “The Cape Cod Foundation’s support is very much appreciated and is helping us to leverage $400,000 in relief for our region’s most vulnerable small businesses.”

Since the pandemic began in mid-March, the CDP has been “open for business” providing ongoing support to the business community.  Initially, the CDP helped businesses navigate the Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs through one on one technical support and to date has served over 125 businesses.  The CDP’s monthly e-blast, Inside Scoop, has become a weekly guide to COVID-19 assistance and resources.

Business owners who are interested in learning more about the forgivable loan program should contact Pam Andersen at pam@capecdp.org or call 508-240-7873 x18. 

Download Flyer in PDF Format

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

The Community Development Partnership leads the Lower Cape in building a diverse year-round community of people who can afford to live, work and thrive here.  To accomplish our mission, we promote, develop and manage affordable housing; nurture the launch and growth of small businesses; and facilitate collaboration with business, non-profit and government partners.

To find out more information about this organization, go to www.capecdp.org. 

The Cape Cod Foundation is a community foundation whose mission is to build permanent charitable resources for community betterment through informed grantmaking and civic leadership. The Foundation has distributed more than $70 million in grants and scholarships since its founding in 1989.  www.capecodfoundation.org

This institution is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

For Additional Information Contact:

Ann C. Robinson, Chief Program Officer
Community Development Partnership
3 Main Street Mercantile, Unit 7, Eastham MA 02642
508-240-7873 ex 13, ann@capecdp.org