CHATHAM – When Matthew Hillman arrived at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge as its new manager, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the town had just gone through a controversial review of the refuge's comprehensive conservation plan (CCP). While aspects of the final document still rankle some in town, Hillman found working with town officials and residents one of the most satisfying parts of the job. It's ...

CHATHAM — Despite the disruptions to life on land, the town is making good progress on several key waterways projects. The new trap dock at Old Mill Boat Yard is complete and is already being used by commercial fishermen, the long-awaited observation deck at the fish pier is basically finished, and there’s a plan for completing the dredging at Stage Harbor. In a recent update for selectmen, Health and Natura...

CHATHAM – Because of declining enrollment, there will be only one kindergarten class at Chatham Elementary School next year. The continuing drop in the number of Chatham elementary-age students has also created a disparity between the per-pupil costs at Chatham and Harwich elementary schools, which may require adjustments to the way the Monomoy Regional School District funds its early education program. “Th...

Chatham Beaches To Open As Planned, But Schoolhouse Pond May Be A Problem CHATHAM — Though it’s anybody’s guess how may people will flock to the sand and surf this summer, or how many of them will fit on the beaches given new social distancing requirements, beach permit sales will continue as normal this summer. Well, almost normal. With the permit office closed to the public, resident beach stickers are ...

CHATHAM – The annual Independence Day parade is the biggest event of the summer. For more than 100 years, thousands of people — local residents, summer folks and visitors from throughout the region — have gathered to mark the nation's birthday with a processions sometimes stretching from one end of downtown to the other. Recent parades have included more than 100 floats, bands and other entries and hundreds of ma...

CHATHAM – Local waterways officials expect a busy season this summer as boaters escape to open waters and isolated beaches. “I expect a full marina throughout the summer, and our transient dockage is significant,” Harwich Harbormaster John Rendon said of the town's public boating facilities. “So we're going to be busy this summer.” But boaters will have to deal with two major issues: significant shoaling in...

Day by day, more retailers are opening their doors to customers as they adjust their operations to meet new COVID-19 safety requirements. As of Monday, retailers who comply with those rules were allowed to welcome customers indoors as part of the second phase of the state’s economic reopening plan. And they’re banking on pent-up demand from customers who’ve missed the experience of in-person shopping. “People ...

CHATHAM – If she was back home in New York City rather than sheltering at her parents’ house due to the pandemic, Abby Dykens would “1,000 percent” have been marching with protesters in Manhattan and her Greenpoint neighborhood. “I would be there every day, if I could,” she said last Wednesday following a vigil that she organized on Lighthouse Beach in support of the Black Lives Matters protesters around the n...

Former Chatham Band Director Kenneth Eldredge Dies At 97 CHATHAM – Kenneth Eldredge joined the Chatham Band in the 1930s, but by that time he'd already been playing music for a while in the elementary school band. He started on trumpet but later took up drums and xylophone, which he played in the band for nearly 50 years before stepping into the big shoes of Whit Tileston as musical director. “I must say I ...

CHATHAM – The only contested race in the June 25 annual town election is for two three-year terms on the Monomoy Regional School Committee. Incumbents Nancy Scott and Jacqueline Zibrat-Long are being challenged by Robert Hessler and Elizabeth Taylor. Selectman Shareen Davis is running unopposed, as is housing authority member Janice O'Connell. Polls will be open at the community center from noon to 6 p.m.; to req...

CHATHAM — When it comes to safely managing the town’s bathing beaches this summer, officials are weighing more than just the public health implications of COVID-19. They have to consider a key source of town revenue and a major driver for the town’s economy. “The number one thing that everybody wants when they come here is the beaches,” said parks and recreation commissioner Kimberly Robbins, who also operates...

Annual Session To Be Held At Veterans Field CHATHAM — There won’t be any baseball played on Veterans Field this summer, but on June 22, town officials will be pitching an abbreviated town meeting warrant to a gathering of socially-distanced voters. For safety during COVID-19, the town’s annual legislative session is being held outdoors at 6 p.m. rather than at the middle school. It’s certainly the first tim...