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...

ORLEANS – After some initial concerns about project cost and location, the select board has gotten behind plans to seek Community Preservation Act funding to support improvements to the Nauset Beach bandstand. The board indicated its intention to author a letter of support for the project at its Jan. 11 meeting. The board was expected to vote to draft the letter Wednesday. The application to the community p...

ORLEANS – The Orleans Fire Department is allowed to staff as many as five people per shift. More often than not, they get four. But Fire Chief Geof Deering reiterated to the select board recently that his department needs more staff. With seven fire personnel per shift, he said his department can avoid instances where the fire station is left unmanned, a scenario that's become more commonplace as the departmen...

$38.1 Million Puts Project Back On Track The cost of renovating Nauset Regional High School ended up being significantly more than anticipated, but that didn’t keep district voters from supporting the additional cost Tuesday. Voters in the four Nauset towns of Orleans, Brewster, Eastham and Wellfleet each passed ballot questions during a district-wide election called to secure an additional $38.1 million in...

ORLEANS – In December, the conservation commission received a financial donation from Orleans residents Marcie and Hardie Truesdale to be spent on future work at Putnam Farm. The commission on Dec. 20 decided to make quick work of the $15,000 donation, which will in part go toward permitting and designing the restoration of two wetlands on the farm located off Rock Harbor Road. "We think [the work at Putnam...

ORLEANS – The select board plans to make another run at adopting a registration bylaw, this time with a focus on all rentals in town. Voters at the special town meeting in October rejected a proposed registration bylaw for short-term rentals, but the select board on Jan. 4 stressed the importance of tracking rental activity in town. The select board is seeking to rein in what it sees as the overcommercializati...