Officials in the four towns that make up the Nauset Public Schools asked Superintendent Brooke Clenchy for an honest budget for the coming fiscal year. They got what they asked for. Faced with rising costs, staffing shortages and needs extending beyond the classroom, the Nauset Regional School Committee on March 9 unanimously approved a $32.9 million operating budget for fiscal 2024, an increase of 7.6 perc...

ORLEANS – The Barley Neck Inn has new managers, and owner Phil Ruggieri didn't have to look far to find them. Across the street, Cameron and Tyler Hadfield have built a reputation for themselves in recent years at their popular breakfast spot The Rail. Now the brothers will look to put their touch on the inn by taking over dinner service at the restaurant. "The energy level is good and there's an interest i...

ORLEANS — In the center of Putnam Farm, two wetland areas sit so overgrown with brush that they're only visible on close inspection. But town officials and local volunteers took important first steps toward restoring the wetlands during a three-day site visit and assessment at the farm last week. The conservation commission plans to remove invasive plants and do replanting at the wetlands. The restoration effo...

ORLEANS – Just after 7:30 Monday morning, a truck from JMB Septic Services of Barnstable pulled into Orleans' new wastewater treatment facility. Less than a half hour later, the facility had finished receiving and treating the first of many septic deliveries to come. Town officials joined members of the board of water and sewer commissioners and representatives from the town's wastewater consultant, AECOM, and...

As more towns across the Cape continue to plan for and enact sewering, the county has expanded its septic loan program to include those residents ready to connect to municipal wastewater systems. Formerly known as the Barnstable County Community Septic Loan Program, the newly rebranded "Aquifund" offers loans with interest rates ranging from zero to 4 percent to residential property owners looking to repair or...

ORLEANS – Being a small business owner is more than a job. For those who do it, it's something you live everyday. But the demands of owning and operating a local business have only grown in recent years. In addition to managing things such as payroll, staffing, inventory, scheduling and insurance issues, many business owners on the Cape have been left to take on another difficult but critical role. "Part of...

ORLEANS – For years, the council on aging newsletter, "Tidings," has kept residents in touch with the agency's programming and services. It's done so in part through money budgeted annually by the town to help produce it. But that funding almost didn't come through for the council for the coming fiscal year. The select board voted March 1 to reinstate $6,000 in the draft fiscal 2024 operating budget earmarked ...

ORLEANS – Inside Nauset Farms, the shelves are bare, equipment is stowed away and there's not an employee or patron in sight. It's an unusual look for the popular Main Street market, which is typically open year-round. But while there's still much to be done, Peter Gori is excited about what lies ahead when the store reopens in April. "We want to build off of what's here," said Gori, who was due to close as...

ORLEANS – When the Orleans Fire Department last conducted an inspection of the building at 177 Route 6A in 2017, the mixed-use apartment and commercial building met the state building code. But findings from a recent inspection conducted last month by the town's building inspector found numerous violations, including the existence of two additional unauthorized units. "No more than two dwelling units may be...

ORLEANS – Both select board members up for re-election in May say they're ready to take on new three-year terms. Andrea Reed and Mefford Runyon have both taken out nomination papers to keep their seats on the board and have begun the process of gathering signatures from registered voters to get on the ballot for the May 16 annual town election. Residents interested in running for seats on the select board, ...

As the Army Corps of Engineers and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation continue to plan for the replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, town officials on the Lower Cape say it's still too soon to effectively plan around the new spans. In January, MassDOT unveiled what the new spans would look like in concept. Public feedback found support for arched bridges that look similar to the existing ...

ORLEANS – With one vote, a project decades in the planning became reality last week. The board of water and sewer commissioners on Feb. 15 unanimously voted to deem the town's new wastewater treatment facility on Overland Way substantially complete, some small "punch list" items notwithstanding. "It took a lot of decades to get to this day," Tom Daley, the town's public works director, told the board follow...