ORLEANS — In a small space in the back of the lower level of Hilltop Plaza, members of the Nauset Model Railroad Club busy themselves with some last-minute preparations. Elaborate tracks and layouts, each varying in size and design, fill the room. The largest layout, an elevated "O Gauge" track, occupied the attention of Jeff Bassett. A member of the club for more than 10 years, Bassett not only knows his trai...

ORLEANS — Efforts to secure necessary funding for a proposed affordable housing development at 107 Main St. are following separate but parallel tracks. Between an application submitted to the community preservation committee seeking $1 million for the project in the spring and an earmark seeking the same amount as part of the senate's ARPA bill, local and regional housing officials are confident that the funds...

WELLFLEET — After a three-year hiatus, the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission could be on track to begin meeting again. The commission, which provides input from Lower Cape towns on policies and programs in the National Seashore, has been dormant since its authorization expired in September 2018. Legislation is working its way through the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the commission, but whether or no...

ORLEANS -- Miles Tibbetts not only played chess, he tried to share his love of the game with others. Miles, who was fatally struck by a car in August 2013 while riding his bike to work along Route 6, would tutor elementary school students in chess at the Wellfleet Library. Now more than eight years after his death, his love of chess continues to spread through Nauset Regional High School. On Tuesday, close ...

ORLEANS - Heading into last month's special town meeting, select board members anticipated that one article in particular might stir up some discussion in the Nauset Regional Middle School Auditorium. The Orleans School Committee's request for $495,000 to fund a universal pre-kindergarten program in town was expected to draw some back and forth, especially given the cost, which was to be funded through a Propo...

ORLEANS -- After being held virtually in 2020, a celebrated holiday tradition returns next week to Orleans. The Orleans Chamber of Commerce will bring back its annual Santa Stampede as a live event on Dec. 4. The 5K and accompanying kids race were held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stampede is the cornerstone of the chamber's Seaside Christmas festivities, which also include events s...

ORLEANS -- With town roadways facing an increased risk of flooding in the coming years, local officials are being asked to prioritize which stretches of road are most in need of protection. The Cape Cod Commission and Woods Hole Group presented findings of its analysis of the town's low-lying roads to Orleans officials Nov. 16. The presentation, which was held remotely via Zoom, was the first of several public...

ORLEANS – For members of the Nauset Regional School Committee, any discussion about using district land for a new fire station in Orleans is premature. That was the message Nov. 18 from committee members, who for the first time publicly addressed discussion that has been ongoing among town officials about possibly building the new station on three acres of land currently occupied by Nauset Regional Middle Scho...

ORLEANS -- The planned renovation of the Main Street community center promises to bring many improvements to the aging facility. But questions were raised last week about if and how the project will increase the functionality of the building. The select board on Nov. 17 voted 5-0 to endorse the placement of an article seeking community preservation funds for construction on the warrant for the annual town meet...

ORLEANS - Michael Mansfield might not be a household name, but for State Rep. Tim Whelan the nation's longest serving senate majority leader embodied what it was to be a veteran. From his time as a congressman and senator representing the state of Montana to his long tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Japan and his integral role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Mansfield's credentials were many. But m...

ORLEANS -- The select board wants to find a way to lower betterment costs for users in the Meetinghouse Pond sewer area, but it remains to be seen if they can work out a plan in time for the annual town meeting this spring. Figures presented to the select board Nov. 10 show that Meetinghouse Pond users are currently slated to pay more than twice that of downtown users in betterments. Sewer use rules and reg...

ORLEANS -- The planning board wants industrially zoned areas in town to be considered as possible locations for dormitory-style workforce housing. The board believes that dormitory housing could be a way of creating more places to live for seasonal workers that local businesses depend on during the summer months. Businesses in Orleans and across the Cape and Islands were plagued this past summer by a lack of s...