ORLEANS — There was some confusion of terms last week as the Eastham and Orleans select boards talked over their arrangements regarding the proposed dredging of Nauset Estuary. Was the draft document memorializing those thoughts a memorandum of agreement or a memorandum of understanding? “Understanding” came a lot closer to capturing the situation. At the Eastham board’s May 3 meeting, its vice chair Aimee Eck...

ORLEANS — The town’s present seems to be catching up with its future. Long-debated projects like the downtown sewer system are being built, and visions of better housing options are coming ever closer to reality. Less than two weeks before town meeting, which decides whether plans will become projects, the Orleans Citizens Forum held a busy session May 10 that covered three warrant articles: the Governor Pre...

ORLEANS — The Eastham and Orleans select boards agreed on an agenda for tonight’s joint meeting, but that may be where the agreement ends. The subject is a draft Expanded Environmental Notification Form, prepared by Woods Hole Group as a key step toward obtaining a slew of permits to dredge Nauset Estuary. To improve navigation and public safety for commercial and recreational users, the EENF calls for impro...

ORLEANS — Location, location, location. Again and again during last week’s five virtual community outreach meetings, each hosted by one of the groups hoping to win one of two available retail marijuana licenses, “where” appeared to be the central question for proponents and opponents. b\well’s proposal to set up a “boutiquey” shop at 29 West Rd. ran into heated opposition from owners of nearby condominium...

Meeting together last week, the Chatham Select Board and the Orleans Parks Commissioners approved a one-year extension of the annual agreement for the joint management of Nauset (North) Beach. And while the two boards haven’t yet tackled the divisive issue of dividing beach sticker revenues, they now have a framework for negotiations. The Orleans board is seeking to raise fees across all the town’s beaches in ...

ORLEANS — It’s been five years since the town revenue committee started talking about enterprise funds as a way to show the true costs of providing services to the community. On May 22, town meeting will be asked to continue that work by funding five enterprise fund budgets for the beaches, transfer station, moorings, Rock Harbor boat basin, and sewer operations. “It’s not much of a change from the way we cu...

ORLEANS — Close to 50 people gathered online April 27 for a workshop on the community’s economic strengths and challenges. “The planning board recognizes the need for the town to be more active in planning for the future of our business districts,” board chairman Chip Bechtold said at the outset. “We intend to assemble an overall economic development plan for the town. The board wants to hear your ideas abou...

Local children from Chatham, Harwich and Orleans will be able to experience somewhat-normal activities this summer when all three towns resume their summer recreation programs after canceling the 2020 lineups due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re so excited to move forward and give the kids some semblance of normalcy,” said Chatham Youth Service Coordinator Sharon Stark. Although COVID-19 remains a very real...

ORLEANS — Once you step onto the sand at the town’s Tonset Landing, it’s less than a stone’s throw to your left to two small signs reading “End of Town Property.” It’s a gentle reminder that the right to walk the tempting shoreline trail ahead derives from the kindness of the owners of the homes with the million-dollar views. The path passes the end of the Orleans Conservation Trust’s Woods Cove Conservation...

ORLEANS — “Pick up after yourself” is the command many of us heard in childhood. Some took it so seriously that they pick up after everyone else. The most many of us do when we see a can by the side of the road, if we even notice it, is to curse the miscreant who tossed it there. Others assume responsibility for fixing the problem. April and Earth Day bring a lot of the latter together for targeted clean-...

ORLEANS — The profiles of the five contenders for two retail marijuana licenses will become clearer next week as each conducts a virtual community outreach meeting. For dates and times, and the text of their responses to the town’s request for information, go to www.town.orleans.ma.us/home/news/schedule-and-requirements-for-community-outreach-meeting-for-retail-marijuana-dispensaries/. Since Sept. 4, b\well...

ORLEANS — Like many, she stayed close to home the last few months. She picked up a lot of information about Deep Pond, and made sure to get as much sun as she could. Now she’s taking a break before moving to Pleasant Bay for the summer and fall. She (that’s how her creators refer to her) is PEARL, aka Platform for Expanding AUV exploRation to Longer ranges (“Auv” stands for autonomous underwater vehicles). C...