ORLEANS — With time and tide against them, the park commissioners voted 4-1 Monday to terminate John Ohman's lease for Liam's at Nauset Beach and demolish the storm-damaged concession stand. “I want to express our appreciation for Mr. Ohman's 28 years of shepherding this special business for the town,” commissioner Mefford Runyon said, “and thank him for 28 good years.” The commissioners, who more often mee...

ORLEANS — There was a grand opening on Main Street Monday, ill-attended save for construction crews and police officers. Shortly after 7 a.m. March 12, Revoli Construction opened the pavement of Main Street in front of Snow Library's parking lot to begin construction of the downtown sewer system. Giant earth-moving equipment clanked into position as pavement was ground down to dirt. Selectman Alan McClennen...

ORLEANS — “Don't change the onion rings recipe.” That's what Liam's at Nauset Beach owner John Ohman heard when he took over Philbrick's snack shack there almost three decades ago. But, as Ohman realizes more than most, there's no stopping change when an ocean and a shoreline meet. On Monday at 5 p.m., selectmen and other town officials will talk about whether to tear down Liam's in the wake of the weekend's...

ORLEANS — What do you like about Snow Library? What would make you like it more? Two public forums about the “strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, and specific aspirations that community members might have for their library” will be held March 14 at 7 p.m. and March 21 at 2 p.m. They'll be hosted by consultant Mary Braney at the library. But you don't have to wait to share your thought...

ORLEANS — The growing support for more housing options manifested itself last week when the selectmen asked the planning board to take a look at expanding its proposed apartment development bylaw amendment to include areas outside the village center district. On Tuesday night, the planning board voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on the idea March 27. The extraordinary series of events was set in mot...

ORLEANS — Talk may be cheap and housing unaffordable, but the Orleans Citizens Forum held a discussion Feb. 22 aimed at disproving those judgments. At “New Directions in Community Housing,” five panelists talked about what they've done and plan to do to increase housing options, including where to find the money to finance their activities. Facing an audience of about 90 at the senior center were Katie Wi...

ORLEANS — It wouldn't be much of a stretch for the town to adopt the state's Stretch Code, selectmen were told last week. That step is one of five required to achieve Green Community status as an energy-efficient community, which in turn could unlock hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants. “Basically, we're already enforcing this code,” Building Commissioner Thomas Evers told the board at a publ...

ORLEANS – The downtown sewer construction project will begin March 5 on Main Street at the entrance to Snow Library's parking lot, DPW/Natural Resources Director Tom Daley told selectmen last week. For two days, library patrons will have to park across the street or in the Nauset Regional Middle School lot above the library. Other changes are ahead for businesses in the downtown area. Daley said Police Lt. Kev...

ORLEANS — The marine and fresh water quality task force heard from the public Feb. 6 on its recommendation that polluted Uncle Harvey's Pond be treated with a mix of aluminum salts to reduce the negative effects of phosphorus there. “This has been a very careful process,” a woman in the audience told the committee. “Not everyone will like your conclusion, (but) it's more dangerous not to do anything... I'd l...

ORLEANS — Kevin Galligan, a finance committee member and president of the Orleans Conservation Trust, is the first candidate to return nomination papers for selectman. He's seeking the seat held by chairman Jon Fuller, who's not running again, at the May 15 election. “I think I've been in training for this post for many, many years,” Galligan said in a phone interview. “I've watched so many selectmen at work...

ORLEANS — The town's science experiment in Lonnie's Pond is one step closer to becoming a self-supporting commercial enterprise. At an extraordinary Saturday meeting, the board of selectmen asked its consultants for a management plan for a private grower to take over the effort in 2019, when three years of town funding will end. Members were encouraged by the amount of nitrogen removed from the pond so far b...

ORLEANS — Imagine that voting has begun on a controversial issue at town meeting. Instead of standing up and shuffling to the ballot box in a long line, as is the practice now for a secret ballot, you just press your clicker to record your vote in an instant. Sounds simple, but many of the devils in the details were aired last week when selectmen met with Town Clerk Cynthia May, Moderator David Lyttle, and T...