HARWICH — The engineer doing the assessment on the historic Brooks Academy building foundation told the community preservation committee this week the building is unstable and major intervention is needed. The committee is weighing a request for Community Preservation Act funds to reconstruct the historic brick foundation wall holding up the building, but there are other questions and costs being considered fo...

HARWICH — The selectmen agreed Tuesday night to drop the “interim” from Joseph Powers' title, making him town administrator, and to have Selectmen Chairman Larry Ballantine start negotiations for a three-year contract. The 4-1 vote came after Powers was passed over for the town administrator's job in Yarmouth. The motion was met with opposition from Selectman Michael MacAskill, who said the action was prema...

HARWICH – The 26-unit Royal Apartments project is back before the planning board under the new multifamily use zoning amendment approved by town meeting in September. The new amendment has done little, however, to abate the concerns of neighbors over density, traffic and public safety. Royal Apartments LLC has been seeking permits for a year to convert the former Royal of Harwich Center assisted living facilit...

 HARWICH — Officials are considering removing parking along the north side of Main Street in Harwich Center and shifting the travel lane to accommodate business on the south side of the road. That was one suggestion that came out of a Jan. 13 gathering with stakeholders and town officials as Town Engineer Griffin Ryder works on a Winter Shared Streets and Spaces grant application to be filed with the Massachus...

HARWICH — Selectmen held an emergency executive session on Friday afternoon to discuss strategies for contract negotiations with Interim Town Administrator Joseph Powers that could lead to Powers becoming the town's permanent town administrator. The move came after selectmen learned that Powers is a finalist for the town administrator’s position in Yarmouth. Powers received a one-year interim town administrato...

HARWICH — There are still a lot of variables, but Monomoy Regional School District Superintendent Scott Carpenter provided selectmen with a draft FY22 budget Monday containing an overall 1.5 percent increase over this year. Harwich’s share of the budget, however, is projected to increase between 2.9 and 3.2 percent. The student population gap between Chatham and Harwich is becoming a major issue. On Monday sel...

HARWICH — There is no doubt in the minds of selectmen and members of the water/wastewater commission that a computer-aided design model for sewering throughout the town would be a valuable tool in developing a road map for moving forward with the comprehensive wastewater management plan. It's the funding that has drawn questions. Selectmen last week were asked to approve a contract for $150,000 with GHD, Inc.,...

WEST HARWICH — After a one-year demolition delay expired less than two weeks ago, the Roman Catholic Diocese and Holy Trinity Church moved quickly to remove the Gothic Revival late Victorian 1914 structure on church property along Route 28 in West Harwich, razing it last Wednesday. “It is sad that the church couldn’t have found it in their hearts to conserve, restore and repurpose this...historic parish home,”...

HARWICH — There was a sense of urgency expressed by selectmen Monday night when Monomoy Regional Schools Superintendent Scott Carpenter came before the board to discuss the growing inequities in the per pupil budgets in the district's elementary schools. In the past decade the Harwich Elementary School student population has decreased by 12 percent. At the Chatham Elementary School the enrollment has declined ...

There's Still Hope For The Project, However HARWICH — Hope that a policy change in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Complete Streets Program could pave the way for a long-sought sidewalk along Route 28 from Saquatucket Harbor to Harwich Port may have been premature. The agency altered its policy on sidewalks and bike lanes, which could not have been accommodated on both sides of Route 28. Bu...

To honor 'Hidden Wound' Veterans HARWICH — The Route 137 bridge over Route 6 could take on another purpose than just carrying vehicles over the state highway. An eighth grade civics class at Monomoy Regional High School wants to have the bridge honor veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other lingering effects of their service. The state Senate is weighing that idea now. The idea was s...

Baker Launches Small Business Relief Effort HARWICH PORT — Outer Cape Health Services is now providing COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic people at its Harwich Port health center. Appointments are required to receive a test; to reserve a space, call 508-905-2888. Tests are also available at Outer Cape Health Services’ sites in Wellfleet and Provincetown. Asymptomatic people will receive an Abbott BinaxN...