SOUTH HARWICH — Ospreys have returned to the Cape for the spring, following their migration from South America, and are busy settling into nests that have been used year after year. But one pair, unable to return to its nest on a South Harwich utility pole, has been offered alternate housing arrangements. Osprey pairs have been nesting on the pole near 915 Route 28, near Handren Bros. Builders, for several y...

HARWICH — Weston and Sampson Engineering, Inc. will serve as the town's wastewater management and outreach coordinator, selectmen decided Monday night.  Selectmen have been considering such a position for several months due to the need for someone to communicate with and answer questions raised by citizens and work closely with town staff and the design engineers on the multi-million dollar wastewater project....

HARWICH – It was a room full of blues as police officers from near and far came to the Harwich Public Safety Facility on Sisson Road to observe the swearing-in ceremonies of officers ascending the chain of command. Following the retirement of Deputy Police Chief Thomas Gagnon on April 6 after 33 years of service to the department, Police Chief David Guillemette conducted an extensive promotional selection proc...

HARWICH — The ad hoc Harwich Port parking committee is recommending a two-hour parking limit in the public Schoolhouse Road parking lot in the center of the village. The group is also considering asking employees of village businesses to park at the former fire station on Bank Street and take a shuttle to Harwich Port. The group is planning to make its recommendations to the board of selectmen on Tuesday night...

HARWICH — A resident of Hawksnest Road in the Six Ponds District of East Harwich is seeking to have the town make improvements to that road and Round Cove Road, which lead into the Hawksnest Pond and Hawksnest State Park.  Area residents, however, objected to the request, saying the proposal would increase traffic and open up more land for development. Robert D. Fratus, Jr. has made some improvements to Haw...

HARWICH — Kelpeher Farms will be allowed to expand its experimental kelp farming operation outside the Herring River to a 2.5 acre site, selectmen voted Monday night. Mark Kelleher was before selectmen seeking approval to expand the experimental kelp project he has been operating this winter in Nantucket Sound. He also asked the board to put in place aquaculture regulations that would assist in making the perm...

The plovers are back. The small shorebirds have begun returning to the area pretty much on time, according to local officials. The birds have been sighted on Nantucket Sound and Atlantic beaches, and efforts have begun to erect protective measures to help ensure a successful nesting season. Plovers have been spotted on Red River Beach, Bank Street Beach and Merkel Beach in Harwich and at the east end of Har...

HARWICH — Selectmen on Monday night revisited votes on the annual town and school district budgets, generating debate on the spending habits of the community and whether the board should take a stronger position on reducing taxes. Selectman Michael MacAskill has made his position clear, repeatedly saying the growth in the annual operating budget is unsustainable and the town needs to take a break on funding ca...

HARWICH — “Sip, Sample and Sparkle,” the theme for the 18 th Toast of Harwich, is a good characterization of the annual spring kickoff event sponsored by the chamber of commerce at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club on Pleasant Bay.  “It's an event where people like to dress up and come out and enjoy their local restaurants, sample some wines, and see what's new,” said Chamber Executive Director Cyndi William...

HARWICH — The 2.25-mile reconstruction of Lower County Road received the endorsement of selectmen on a 3-2 vote Monday night. The project has been estimated to cost $5.5 million, but Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper told the board he is anticipating bids to be much lower. Hooper told selectmen his department sees this project as the priority road improvement for the community. The project was...

HARWICH — When Tom Gagnon started work with the Harwich Police Department in 1986, the job was a bit different. Law enforcement involved less paperwork, the number of calls was much lower, and what's now known as community policing was just, well, policing. This week, Gagnon will retire as deputy chief after a 33-year career in Harwich. It’s actually been a public safety career of around 40 years for Gagnon,...

HARWICH — Selectmen have made it clear in the FY20 budget process that the cost of capital projects, debt exclusion votes, and increases in the Monomoy Regional School District budget are not sustainable and steps need to be taken to curb spending. When Town Administrator Christopher Clark put forward his balanced budget earlier this month, he was proposing an increase in the room occupancy tax from 4 to 6 per...