CHATHAM — The town's economic engine is running smoothly, but a few initiatives – like a new focus on providing affordable child care – could provide some high-octane help for local employees and the companies they work for. That was the word from economic development committee Chairman Luther Bates, who told selectmen last week that his group also favors the creation of new events and festivals to boost the v...

CHATHAM — At least for the time being, it's all green lights for the controversial West Chatham Route 28 roadway project. On Monday, regional transportation planners opted to keep the project as part of the current Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), triggering a 21-day public comment period before the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization takes a final vote. Opponents of the roadway plan soug...

CHATHAM – Balancing the student population between Chatham and Harwich elementary schools will likely require changes in the Monomoy School District's regional agreement. Despite efforts to attract more Harwich students to the Chatham school in order to bolster its numbers, there will be one fewer kindergarten class in Chatham next fall, and one more class in Harwich. The adjustment will maintain equitable ...

CHATHAM — Selectman Seth Taylor and challenger Shareen Davis underscored their different visions and leadership philosophies during a League of Women Voters debate last Thursday. The two are vying for a single seat on the board of selectmen in the May 11 annual town election. Taylor stressed his experience on the board and his public sector work for the state Department of Youth Services and in the Peace Cor...

CHATHAM — Though some practical questions remain, selectmen in Orleans and Chatham have taken steps to prevent a possible closure of a popular stretch of Nauset (North) Beach to off-road vehicles this season. In a joint meeting in Chatham Monday evening, the boards voted unanimously to extend the current intermunicipal agreement for an additional year. Earlier this year, Orleans selectmen sent the Chatham bo...

CHATHAM — A deadlocked board of selectmen Tuesday failed to endorse the continuation of the West Chatham Route 28 reconstruction project. The vote sends a fresh signal to state officials that the board is divided on the plan, but by itself, it does nothing to stop the project from going forward. Chairman Jeffrey Dykens said board member Seth Taylor called on him to recuse himself from the vote because his wi...

HARWICH – Complaints against two Monomoy Regional School Committee members remain unresolved after both declined to acknowledge that they'd violated the group's conduct policy. Karen Ryder and Sharon Stout were accused by fellow committee member Nancy Scott and eight Monomoy Regional High School department heads of violating sections of the committee's norms and protocols at a March 23 meeting. During a curric...

CHATHAM — For many years, fighting for a sustainable commercial fishery meant ensuring that there were enough fish in the sea to support the industry. A new sustainability initiative seeks to ensure that, years from now, there are enough fishermen. Though fishing is often a family business, there's never been a coordinated, nationwide effort to train, educate and support the next generation of commercial fis...

CHATHAM — Though they weren't ready to sign a check, selectmen last week gladly signed a letter once again opposing the use of pesticides to control vegetation along Eversource power line rights-of-way. The campaign is being organized by the group Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA), which is also asking Cape towns to contribute to a legal fund. Laura Kelley, president of POCCA, is visiting towns around the C...

CHATHAM – The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's Sharktivity smartphone app is usually pretty quiet during the winter and early spring months. The white sharks that visit Cape waters during the summer are usually long gone by the new year, and the first sightings of the season usually don't happen until June. It may have come as a surprise, then, when notifications of shark detections began showing up on the a...

CHATHAM – Especially during Friday nights in the summer, when the Chatham Band performs at nearby Kate Gould Park, the north side of Chatham Bars Avenue is lined with vehicles, many of them parked up against a stockade fence along property owned by Chatham Bars Inn. Planning Board member Robert Dubis wants to make sure those parking spaces aren't lost under a new proposal by the inn to use the former bowling a...

CHATHAM – Architecturally, the Eldredge Public Library stands out on Main Street both for its uniqueness – its Renaissance/Romanesque Revival style is unlike anything else in town – and the nearly pristine state of preservation of the original 1886 building. Upon close inspection, however, some of the details of the building have suffered with age. Specifically, the sills, sashes and windows in the 131-year-ol...