HARWICH – Town counsel has determined the town’s fertilizer and nutrient control regulation approved last January conflicts with the state statute that gives jurisdiction over the use and disposal of pesticides and fertilizers to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. “ Yes, the board of health will be voting to rescind the fertilizer regulation on Nov. 16 at their regularly scheduled m...

Named 2021 Massachusetts Realtor Of The Year HARWICH PORT — Richard Waystack, the newly minted Massachusetts Realtor of the Year, leans forward in his chair when he talks about his profession. Thirty-five years after he started selling real estate, Waystack now enjoys teaching people who are new to the industry, and his eyes light up when he talks about the key to the business. It’s the same mantra he li...

HARWICH — The idea of a bald eagle in flight, its dark wingspan and dramatic white head shining against a blue sky, conjures up many images. Fierce beauty. Natural grace. Freedom to soar among the clouds and majestic peaks of some remote mountain range. The bald eagle does not necessarily conjure up images of Harwich. That's exactly where many local photographers and bird aficionados have gathered, however, to...

HARWICH – The Harwich Fire Association and the Harwich Conservation Trust are collaborating on a plan for joint use of the former fire station on Bank Street. The association wants to restore the town’s first fire station, constructed in 1927, and use it to some degree as a museum. The trust sees the opportunity to develop an education center with offices and parking for the abutting 66-acre Robert F. Smith Co...

HARWICH – Three members of AmeriCorps Cape Cod are working directly with town departments and the Harwich Conservation Trust to enhance the community's quality of life, focusing primarily on environmental management, maintenance and education. The national AmeriCorps program was established in 1994 and is often referred to as the “domestic Peace Corps.” The AmeriCorps program in Barnstable County started 23 ye...

HARWICH — Students at Monomoy Regional High School are being offered access to a unique program designed to help them understand and avoid addiction, thanks to a $1,500 grant from the Cape Cod Foundation’s Harwich Fund and Chatham Fund. To be offered by Behavioral Health Innovators, the program is a one-of-a-kind speaker series that teaches students about the teenage brain and the biology of addiction, the p...

HARWICH – It’s trick or treat on four wheels once again this year. The community center Halloween party on Friday, Oct. 29, will be a drive-through event, beginning at 5:30 p.,m. “It’s back by popular demand,” Community Center Director Carolyn Carey said. “We will have a drive-through service for you to collect your goodie bag. Dress up and drive in. There’s no need to get out of the car.” The event will...

The town is offering free COVID tests to anyone who attended Monday's special town meeting after one attendee tested positive for the virus. In an email and emergency phone blast Friday afternoon, Town Administrator Joseph Powers said that all close contacts of the person who tested positive have been identified. Those who attended town meeting and have not been contacted are not considered a close contact. ...

HARWICH – Voters approved an increase in the local room tax from 4 to 6 percent at Monday night’s special town meeting, at the same time unanimously supporting using a portion of the revenue for wastewater and affordable housing. The proposal drew a mix of support and opposition. Non-resident Tony Guthrie, who said he has worked in town for 25 years, said he spent a number of years managing the Wequassett Reso...

But Not Without Dissent HARWICH – Special town meeting voters Monday approved funds to revise the town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan but also registered protests against proposals to expand the sewer system in East Harwich. It took two hours for voters to act on the 14-article warrant in which they approved an increase in the short-term rental tax from 4 to 6 percent and approved wa...

HARWICH – The conservation department issued an emergency order allowing the demolition of the former Handler Auto Parts buildings located along Route 28 in Harwich Port after safety issues were raised about the conditions of the buildings and activities on the property. Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski said the police and fire departments sent letters of support for the removal of the structures. The bu...

HARWICH – Wastewater and taxes will be the weighty issues facing voters in Monday’s special town meeting. Several articles seek funds for wastewater design and engineering projects and to make changes to the town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan. Another article seeks to increase the short-term rental tax from 4 to 6 percent. Two additional articles would direct 25 percent of the short- term rental t...