CHATHAM – Nominations are open for grand marshal for this year's Independence Day parade. Year-round summer residents who have made a significant contribution to the community, according to parade committee chairman Brad Schiff. Nominations can be made by emailing the committee at chathamparade@gmail.com, or visit its website, chathamparade.com. Registration forms for the parade are also available on the...

CHATHAM — Selectmen joined a handful of other town boards Tuesday in endorsing a local entrepreneur's pilot project to grow sugar kelp, a kind of native seaweed that can be eaten, used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, or converted into biofuel. Jamie Bassett told the board this week about his plans to grow the kelp in two test plots, one just inside the new break in Lighthouse Beach near Outermost Harbor,...

CHATHAM — Acknowledging that the town's water system could be stressed to its limits again this summer without more conservation, selectmen last week adopted a strict set of voluntary restrictions and new regulations that control nonessential water use. As of April 1, 2018, no new turf irrigation systems will be allowed to connect to the town water system if a suitable private well is available. Any existing...

CHATHAM – For the first time in nearly a decade, the Aunt Lydia's Cove mooring basin is being dredged to ensure commercial fishing boats have enough depth to operate at all tides. Early this week the Barnstable County dredge Codfish was pumping sand from the bottom of the Cove some 5,000 feet to the north onto a private beach off Linnell Lane. The approximately $169,000 project is being funded by four private ...

CHATHAM – At any one time, one to two dozen Monomoy Regional School District students are homeless. This school year, 26 students were technically homeless, defined under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as children “who lack fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” Currently, 17 students, 1.4 percent of the district's total enrollment, meet that definition. “It does speak to some...

CHATHAM — The town's economic engine is running smoothly, but a few initiatives – like a new focus on providing affordable child care – could provide some high-octane help for local employees and the companies they work for. That was the word from economic development committee Chairman Luther Bates, who told selectmen last week that his group also favors the creation of new events and festivals to boost the v...

CHATHAM — At least for the time being, it's all green lights for the controversial West Chatham Route 28 roadway project. On Monday, regional transportation planners opted to keep the project as part of the current Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), triggering a 21-day public comment period before the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization takes a final vote. Opponents of the roadway plan soug...

CHATHAM – Balancing the student population between Chatham and Harwich elementary schools will likely require changes in the Monomoy School District's regional agreement. Despite efforts to attract more Harwich students to the Chatham school in order to bolster its numbers, there will be one fewer kindergarten class in Chatham next fall, and one more class in Harwich. The adjustment will maintain equitable ...

CHATHAM — Selectman Seth Taylor and challenger Shareen Davis underscored their different visions and leadership philosophies during a League of Women Voters debate last Thursday. The two are vying for a single seat on the board of selectmen in the May 11 annual town election. Taylor stressed his experience on the board and his public sector work for the state Department of Youth Services and in the Peace Cor...

CHATHAM — Though some practical questions remain, selectmen in Orleans and Chatham have taken steps to prevent a possible closure of a popular stretch of Nauset (North) Beach to off-road vehicles this season. In a joint meeting in Chatham Monday evening, the boards voted unanimously to extend the current intermunicipal agreement for an additional year. Earlier this year, Orleans selectmen sent the Chatham bo...

CHATHAM — A deadlocked board of selectmen Tuesday failed to endorse the continuation of the West Chatham Route 28 reconstruction project. The vote sends a fresh signal to state officials that the board is divided on the plan, but by itself, it does nothing to stop the project from going forward. Chairman Jeffrey Dykens said board member Seth Taylor called on him to recuse himself from the vote because his wi...

HARWICH – Complaints against two Monomoy Regional School Committee members remain unresolved after both declined to acknowledge that they'd violated the group's conduct policy. Karen Ryder and Sharon Stout were accused by fellow committee member Nancy Scott and eight Monomoy Regional High School department heads of violating sections of the committee's norms and protocols at a March 23 meeting. During a curric...