Dennis committee plans review of Provincetown resiliency playbook, eyes outreach and coordination role

An informal meeting of the Town of Dennis coastal resiliency committee on June 18 convened without quorum and centered on preparing the town’s approach to Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Phase 2 and Coastal Zone Management work by using the Provincetown Coastal Resiliency Plan as a reference.

The group agreed to treat the Provincetown plan as a starting point and asked members to review it before the next meeting so the committee can flag items applicable to Dennis and shape outreach for vulnerable populations. Mary Del Buono, who introduced herself as a South Dennis resident with about 40 years in nonprofit fundraising and communications, said she hoped to join the committee and suggested “if we could get that down in a document, that would go a long way to helping us get off on the right foot.”

Why it matters: members said Dennis already has an inventory of projects — described in prior MVP work — but lacks a single coordinating body to ensure departments do not duplicate effort or undercut each other. Tom, the town engineer, currently manages design, funding and implementation for many projects, and committee members said he is overwhelmed and needs a champion to coordinate departments and shepherd projects from assessment to execution.

The Chair summarized how MVP2 can fund community outreach: “It’s like, I think 60 hours for $3,800,” the Chair said, describing paid roles for people who can reach residents with language barriers and perform defined outreach tasks. Committee members discussed using paid outreach workers to connect with environmental-justice communities before, during and after storms so residents receive alerts, assistance and information about recovery options.

Members highlighted concrete coordination problems. One committee member said harbor and beach personnel have independently sought the same grants and “we both lost out” because units were not coordinating applications. The committee proposed acting as a conduit — convening monthly or quarterly briefings of department heads to share upcoming work so projects such as culvert repairs, road repaving and beach management do not conflict.

On progress: speakers reported that the first phase of culvert assessments is complete and some remediation work is contracted; the committee’s immediate role is to help secure funding and align department calendars so work is not undone by later interventions. Members repeatedly stressed that outreach and publicity matter for town meeting success: technical plans need public champions and communication to translate expert recommendations into voter support.

Next steps: attendees agreed to review the Provincetown plan before the committee’s next meeting, which they set tentatively for Aug. 14, after new appointees are expected to be sworn in on Aug. 12. No formal votes or motions were taken at the informal session because the group lacked quorum.

Quotes (selected): “I’m Mary Del Buono,” Mary Del Buono said when she joined the call and summarized her experience at the Environmental Defense Fund and in nonprofit fundraising. “He’s overwhelmed with it, and he’s looking for help,” a committee member said of the town engineer’s workload and the need for committee support. “We need a champion, and that’s the committee,” the Chair said of the committee’s role in moving projects from assessment to funding and execution.

The committee will circulate the Provincetown plan and related materials and reconvene formally once members are sworn in and quorum is available.