Fall Town Meeting location still to be decided

Wareham’s Town Meeting is scheduled for October 26 -- just a few weeks away.

But the location for that meeting is still unknown, and rising numbers of coronavirus cases are likely to make the decision even more difficult for town officials.

In the spring, an abbreviated Town Meeting tackled only routine business and financial articles in the high school gym, which had plenty of room for residents to spread out.

This Town Meeting has several high-interest warrant articles that are likely to draw a crowd, including naming (or re-naming) the new elementary school, rezoning downtown, changing the Town Charter, and a $9 million sewer project.

Town Moderator Claire Smith said that the high school’s gym and auditorium could only accomodate about 200 people following social distancing.

Chair of the Board of Selectmen Peter Teitelbaum said on October 7 that the town is awaiting information from the state and from Robert Ethier, the town’s Health Agent, that will inform their decision.

The town has discussed holding the meeting outside, perhaps on the football field or under a large tent, to accommodate more people.

Due to the evolving nature of the coronavirus pandemic, it is likely that a decision on the meeting’s location will be made quite close to the date of the meeting.