Chatham Celebrates Women For Real Editor: Really! Women deserved much more than a “virtual” parade to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s rights in 2020. Granted, the COVID pandemic was the reason that the parade was canceled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t rectify the misfortune. I’m sure there were some fantastic ideas floated (pardon the pun) for honoring the greatness of women, past, present, and...

The tension between keeping land open and natural and using what little remains available to help ameliorate the regional housing crisis played out – and is still playing out – last year when Chatham officials tried to designate a portion of town-owned open space off Middle Road for housing. That request was defeated after open space advocates mounted a spirited defense of the plants and critters that call the ar...

Grateful For Tobin's Guidance Editor: We want to give a special thanks to Dan Tobin for his support as we formed the Chatham Windmill Group in 2010 to restore the Godfrey Windmill in Chase Park. This made the mill available once again to be visited and enjoyed by the public. Even though this added another area of responsibility to his work for the town, his guidance helped make this possible through at...

Chatham seems to have borne the brunt of the last weekend's blizzard, despite lower snowfall totals than many areas to the west. Almost the entire town from Morton Road east lost power, a full 89 percent of Eversource customers. Plunging temperatures turned the early wet snow into ice under the more powdery stuff that fell during most of Saturday, weighing down trees and wires and creating challenges in clearing ...

Spread CPA Funds Around Editor: Chatham is at another crossroads of deciding whether to preserve the historic fabric of this uniquely positioned town. Though graced with an extensive supply of beach frontage, it is its charm created by its streetscapes of houses built 100, 200, 300 years ago that attracts residents and visitors, all of whom invest in it when shopping and paying taxes.  My family has been do...

Re: Take Action In New Year Editor: ReThink, ReFurbish, ReBuild, ReFuse, ReDuce, ReUse, RePurpose, RePair. Or Rot. When it comes to plastic there is no ReCycle. What are you doing for the New Year? Patrick Otton East Harwich    Tobin Went To Bat For A's Editor: I would like to take this time to first congratulate Dan Tobin on his retirement after 37 years with the Chatham Parks and R...

What happens when too much development impinges on the natural environment? Conflicts develop. We've seen this in the abstract with the controversy over the open space off Middle Road in Chatham. Taking just a small part of it to build affordable housing prompted a backlash from residents who want to see the land remain undeveloped, despite the deep housing crisis the town and region are experiencing. Peopl...

Some members of the Chatham Select Board and other critics of re-use of the town-owned property at 127 Old Harbor Rd. as housing are shortsighted in their opposition to moving ahead with an assessment of the parcel's potential. Some say there's no hurry, that another use may eventually emerge for the property, while others say that it's not the best location for affordable housing and using it for that purpose...

Rather than asking for a study of parking after banning it on Barcliff Avenue, the Chatham Select Board should have done the reverse – gotten the results of a study first, then decided if parking should be prohibited on Barcliff. Parking has long been a problem in town, and there's never been a comprehensive approach to it – either in identifying problem areas or finding new locations. Officials designate no p...

More Housing Is Good News Editor: What Great News! I saw that the developer who bought the Underground Mall in Orleans plans to turn it into workforce housing. This is wonderful news for the Lower Cape. I was hoping that space would be turned into housing and it seems that my wish has come true! While the one- and two-bedroom units won’t help my family, who needs at least three bedrooms, it will help c...

Over the years, we’ve used this space many times to urge Chatham voters to support open space purchases, for the purpose of protecting our aquifer, saving critical wildlife habitat and providing wild spaces for the public to enjoy. Like many voters, we appreciate the need for land conservation to help protect the Cape’s ecology. But it’s helpful to remember that ecology is about the relationship between the en...

Grateful For Community Support Editor: Thank you, Tim Wood and Alan Pollock, for your touching words about Otis. We know that he reached the hearts and minds of everyone he met and your tributes truly capture Otis’ character. Words cannot describe how much the generosity of all who contributed means to us. The donations we received will aid us greatly in this difficult time we face. Beyond the monetary v...