ORLEANS — Selectmen voted last week to file for permits for a phased retreat of the town's facilities at Nauset Beach. “The average rate of erosion was 12 feet per year between 1994 and 2005,” town consultant Leslie Fields of the Woods Hole Group told the board July 10. “The last two years, it's been a little bit less. Mother Nature has bought the town a little bit of time.” That reprieve has allowed a co...

ORLEANS — This town is well known for its stunning seascapes, but its loveliest landscapes, hidden behind hedges, mostly go unseen. For nearly three decades, the Orleans Improvement Association has revealed these concealed gems through its annual garden tour. On June 24, everyone is invited to walk “Along the Garden Path” to experience six private gardens. Details about the gardens and their locations are...

ORLEANS — Facing an expiration date of June 30, the revenue committee has been meeting in recent weeks to shape its June 21 report to the board of selectmen and perhaps ask for more time to advance its ideas to augment the town's coffers. The committee's signal success to date was Town Meeting's agreement in May to accept state law that allows the creation of enterprise funds. Communities use such funds to s...

ORLEANS — An exhibit at the intersection of the arts, sciences and the environment will showcase the work of Nauset Regional Middle School students from June 10 to 19 in and around the community building at 44 Main St. There's an opening reception for the STEAM Driven Art Show June 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some of the material for the show was gathered by the youngsters on local beaches during a cleanup spo...

ORLEANS — The Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank is consolidating its four operations centers, including one on West Road in Orleans, into a new, state-of-the-art facility to be built on Route 132 in Hyannis. Cape Cod Five will continue to operate its branch bank on Route 6A and its wealth management office on West Road, according to First Executive Vice President Robert Talerman. “That Orleans branch is a ver...

ORLEANS — The Cape Cod cottage is a recognized architectural style, and Cape Cod artists are recognized as individual stylists. Put them together and you have the community known as Artist Cottages at Orleans Market Square. The sheds clustered off Old Colony Way may be more utilitarian than the standard Cape, but the creators inhabiting them this summer have their own distinctive takes on a wide range of med...

ORLEANS — Cape Codders are invited to show their support for the nationwide March for Truth June 3 by gathering on the Boston Common from 2 to 5 p.m. or at the Orleans-Eastham rotary from noon to 2 p.m. The Our Revolution Cape Cod Affiliate has joined forces with Lower Cape Indivisible to encourage a big turnout. Our Revolution, a national organization that grew out of the Bernie Sanders campaign, lists thre...

ORLEANS — Standing in the cold rain and gusty winds was a small sacrifice for a crowd of residents who gathered Monday to commemorate Memorial Day. The ceremony began under a tent at the Orleans Yacht Club, where a bouquet of flowers was dropped into Town Cove to remember veterans of the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. Gen. Jimmy Dishner, USAF Ret., offered a prayer giving thanks for those “who gave their liv...

ORLEANS — Four oars produce more power than one. That's the argument that the Pleasant Bay Alliance is making to its constituent towns of Brewster, Chatham, Harwich, and Orleans about pulling together to help the state develop a first-time-ever watershed permit for the town. The first step is to make sure the towns are proceeding in sync. To do that, the Alliance spent the last year-plus preparing a Pleasant...

ORLEANS — Over the last 14 years, the historic Northwest Schoolhouse between Namskaket and Rock Harbor roads has received around $350,000 in community preservation funds from the town. Paul Davies is among those who wants to invite townspeople inside to benefit from their investment in the building, also known as the Odd Fellows Hall. Although a public discussion May 20 at Snow Library on creating a “well-pl...

ORLEANS — Mefford Runyon and David Currier were elected to the board of selectmen Tuesday. Runyon pulled down 1,147 votes to Currier's 1,008. Erik Oliver, who earned 868 votes, said he'll try again. Turnout was 31 percent, with 1,797 ballots cast. Voters backed up several decisions made last week by town meeting, approving borrowing for the DPW/natural resources facility (1,212 to 499), for continued water q...

ORLEANS — Proponents of a new CVS at Skaket Corners swallowed a dose of strong medicine administered by the architectural review committee May 11. With the project under formal review, the board criticized its design, location on the site, height, overall mass, and lack of variety of materials. Stressing the prominence of the site as a gateway to Orleans, members said the building failed to reflect the chara...