ORLEANS – What will the Snow Library look like in 30 years? A new feasibility study may be the first step toward finding out. The Snow Library Board of Trustees got the select board's support last week to work with town staff to prepare an article for May's annual town meeting seeking capital improvement funds for the study, which would look at options and possibilities for a new facility. The existing libr...

ORLEANS – The applicant behind a proposed recreational marijuana business planned for Route 6A could satisfy its local permitting before the town's zoning board of appeals next week. Ember Gardens has a long-term lease at 41 Route 6A, where the company hopes to open a recreational marijuana dispensary on a portion of the property. In 2021, the select board voted to enter into host community agreements with Emb...

ORLEANS – A six-year-old boy has died following an apartment fire on Route 6A Saturday night. In an email to parents and staff Monday, Momomoy School Superintendent Scott Carpenter identified the boy as Kyi Bourne, a kindergartner at Harwich Elementary School. "We share our deepest condolences with the family for their unimaginable loss, and are here to support them through this difficult time," Carpenter s...

ORLEANS – Can historic preservation funds through the Community Preservation Act be used to finance new construction? That was the question facing the Centers for Culture and History in Orleans regarding its application to use $55,000 in community preservation money to help fund the design and engineering of a new building to house the historic CG36500 lifeboat. Jay Stradal, president of the CHO's board of ...

ORLEANS – While the future of free lunches in Massachusetts remains in question, higher lunch and breakfast prices could be coming to the Nauset Public Schools. The Nauset Regional School Committee and the district's elementary school committees voted last week to raise the cost of lunch and breakfast for the 2023-2024 school year, provided the state opts not to extend the free lunch program first implemented ...

ORLEANS – Town officials envision the former Governor Prence Inn property being used to accommodate a variety of different housing options. That includes opportunities for homeownership. But if responses to a request for information from developers is any indication, diversifying housing on the 5.5-acre site could be tricky. The select board and the affordable housing trust board were presented with respons...

ORLEANS — Efforts are underway to safely clean up exposed lead in a work area at the public works garage. But the select board wants to know why its membership wasn't properly informed of the issue. Select Board member Mark Mathison first raised questions about the lead in December. Former Town Administrator John Kelly confirmed the exposure, saying it came while staff were performing fire hydrant maintenance....

ORLEANS – Voters at the annual town meeting in May could be asked to support funding to design the town's next phase of sewer work. The latest phase would cover approximately 300 properties in the areas of Crystal Lake, Pilgrim Lake, Lonnie's Pond and Arey's Pond, as well as a portion of Meetinghouse Pond that was not covered in the second phase of sewering. A timetable laid out to the wastewater management...

ORLEANS – There's great enthusiasm in Orleans for elevating and building upon the town's recreation programming. But a draft study presented to the select board last week says the town lacks the resources and organization needed to do so. A lack of staffing, ineffective leadership, a questionable organizational structure and poor communication and collaboration were among the findings outlined in the organizat...

ORLEANS — Eight new farm plots have been identified for the next phase of agricultural expansion at Putnam Farm. The town's agricultural advisory committee and conservation commission each were presented with options earlier this month for laying out the fourth phase of farm plotting at the farm, which is located off Rock Harbor Road. The new plots will be 50 by 70 feet in size and will join 12 active commu...

ORLEANS – Tiffany Wood-Wright never had issues with her four children taking the bus to and from school, that is until recently. The East Orleans resident, who has children in the Nauset Public Schools including a first and fifth grader at Orleans Elementary School, said adjusted bus routes implemented in early December due to a lack of drivers have caused problems for her and other elementary school parents. ...

ORLEANS – According to the International Fund For Animal Welfare, Cape Cod is a hotspot for dolphin strandings. Now the agency plans to open a facility locally to better address the problem. The zoning board of appeals on Jan. 4 unanimously voted to approve a special permit for IFAW to open and operate a short-term critical intensive care facility at 115 Route 6A. The facility would operate out of the space fo...