HARWICH — Saying there's evidence that town finances are stabilizing, Town Administrator Christopher Clark submitted a balanced budget to selectmen Monday night. The draft fiscal 2018 spending plan will now be scrutinized by selectmen and the finance committee and is likely to undergo many revisions before town meeting in May. Though it omits or reduces nearly $1 million in funding requests from department hea...

HARWICH — It doesn't qualify as leisure reading, but the town's new handbook on water quality aims to answer some key questions about wastewater treatment, like why it's being done, where certain measures will be needed, and how much it'll cost. Selectmen approved the 12-page document on a split vote last week. It can be downloaded from the town's website by clicking on the water droplet button on the home pag...

HARWICH — When it comes to drafting permanent regulations governing potential marijuana retailers in town, selectmen are seeking a one-year moratorium on pot shops, giving time for the legislative smoke to clear. Selectmen Monday voted to seek a zoning amendment designed to temporarily keep marijuana retailers from setting up shop in town. If approved by town meeting voters, the moratorium would ban recreati...

HARWICH — Housing is getting too expensive to sustain an adequate service provider population, and that's likely to get worse as the population ages. That message came through loud and clear during a presentation on the latest version of the town's housing production plan. There is a great need to provide affordable housing here and across the Cape, but communities should also address the need for workforce ho...

HARWICH — The Stone Horse Motel property is back on the market. Outer Cape Health Services, which had planned to convert the former motel to new medical offices, will instead move its health care facilities into the former BackOffice building across from Saquatucket Harbor. OCHS purchased the Stone Horse more than two years for $1 million and set its sights on building a 25,000 -to-30,000-square-foot facility ...

HARWICH — The landside plans for redeveloping Saquatucket Harbor is rapidly taking shape. With the architectural design work almost 75 percent complete, the Saquatucket development committee will be bring the project before the board selectmen next week. The landside project, which incorporates the 5.2 acre town-owned harbor site and the newly acquired 2.2- acre former Downey property, will provide additional ...

Firefighters everywhere know that, when it comes to fires or injuries at home, senior citizens are particularly vulnerable. A successful state grant program is helping to ensure that firefighters and elder advocates continue to team up to keep seniors safe. The Senior SAFE grants are an offshoot of SAFE, the Student Awareness of Fire Education program that has provided millions of dollars for fire safety educa...

HARWICH — Selectmen made it clear Monday night the new coat of paint for Brooks Free Library should be white, and town counsel has questioned the historic district and historical commission's jurisdiction over dictating colors on the library in the Harwich Center Historic District. As part of the restoration project for the facade of the library, which is made up of the 1855 bank building, the 1880 Brooks buil...

HARWICH — Former selectman Larry Ballantine has taken out nomination papers for another run for the office. Ballantine served on the board for six years before making the decision in 2015 not to seek a third term. “I was worn out last time, but I'm fully rested,” Ballantine told The Chronicle on Thursday after taking out papers. He is the second candidate to take out nomination papers for a seat on the boar...

HARWICH — The community preservation committee gathered in a legally posted meeting last Thursday evening and revisited its recommendations for applications to be funded through the Community Preservation Act at the annual town meeting in May. A previous meeting of the committee held on Jan. 12 was called into question for potential violations of the state Open Meeting Law for failing to specifically identifyi...

WEST HARWICH — The fish house on the edge of the Herring River is in danger of collapsing. On Monday, Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski was crafting an emergency certificate that will allow minimum repairs to stabilize the structure to prevent its falling into the river and causing environmental damage. Usowski said she got word of the imminent danger on Friday from the owner, Francis Zarette, who had ...

HARWICH ─ Jordan Fisher's primary passion in his short life was basketball. Armed with that knowledge, and a deep desire to honor their son, cousin, and nephew, Fisher's family members came before the school committee this week to formally request the retirement of his basketball jersey and number. “We lost our son Jordan in a fatal car accident,” said his mother Charlene Fisher. “Our lives have been shatter...