HARWICH — The second incumbent selectman whose term expires in May, Larry Ballantine, has joined Selectman Donald Howell in taking out nomination papers for another three-year term. Ballantine, currently the board's chairman, served on the board for six years before taking a hiatus in 2015 for a couple of years. He came back in 2017, winning election to a third term. He took out nomination for a fourth term on...

EAST HARWICH — With a little fanfare Monday morning, the Harwich Fire Department opened the new $6.75 million fire substation in East Harwich. Most of the fanfare came nearly two months ago, during an official ribbon cutting for the new station. Since that time, additional work has been taking place on the epoxy floor in the six-vehicle apparatus bay, and some challenges with the heating system have been addre...

Contamination May Force Current Site To Be Abandoned HARWICH — The water department is concerned about pollution to the well fields at its Chatham Road site and is considering moving its operation to the land on Queen Anne Road where a pet cemetery was previously proposed. Selectmen asked the real estate and open space committee a couple of weeks ago to assess the future of the parcel, the jurisdiction of w...

HARWICH — There will be another effort by a Harwich Center Initiative Committee, working more closely with town agencies, to develop a road map for revitalizing Harwich Center. Selectmen last week heard a report from the committee, which was put in place a year ago and charged with shaping a plan but which took a hiatus last March. Committee members said they needed additional assistance, including traffic, pa...

HARWICH — For Lee Culver, wearing a Harwich Police Department badge for nearly 30 years wasn’t the sum of his service to the town he loved. It was just a start. Mr. Culver, who retired from the department in 2008, died Sunday morning at the age of 72 after what friends describe as a courageous battle with cancer. Though the disease was debilitating, Mr. Culver remained civically active as long as he was physic...

HARWICH — The affordable housing committee is looking to put its first housing project in place to demonstrate the abilities of the recently installed affordable housing trust to develop housing. The group received some good news from a due diligence assessment conducted by Bohler Engineering on behalf of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. The company conducted an assessment of the 265 Sisson Rd. property,...

HARWICH — Selectman Donald Howell took out nomination papers to run for a fourth term on the board this past week. His term and that of Selectmen Chairman Larry Ballantine expire in May. Ballantine has said a couple of times on the past month he has not reached a decision yet on whether he will run for another term. Town spending and its impact on taxpayers is the major issue facing the community, Howell to...

HARWICH — The former fire station on Bank Street could be demolished in the near future. Selectmen last week instructed Interim Town Administrator Joseph Powers to take the steps necessary to begin the process. Powers said Selectman Michael MacAskill requested moving ahead with the demolition plans and a site visit was held with Town Engineer Griffin Ryder and Harbormaster John Rendon. The building has not bee...

HARWICH — The community preservation committee saw the need for a community playground adjacent to the Harwich Elementary School, but wrestled with funding the entire project when deliberating on how the town’s Community Preservation Act funds should be spent in the May town meeting. The committee ended up reducing the playground request from $641,035 to $500,000, and also reduced the affordable housing trust ...

HARWICH — Selectmen will soon be putting together a request for proposal for town administrator search companies to assist the committee they have put together to screen candidates to fill the town's chief executive position. On Monday night the board heard presentations from Groux-White Consulting, LLC and Community Paradigm Associates. The board was looking for some foresight into the services companies prov...

HARWICH — The conservation commission approved two requests for determination of applicability relating to floodplain issues for two recreational projects along Route 28 last week. The projects include a 36-hole mini-golf course adjacent to Bud’s Go Karts and expansion and a snack shack for The Trampoline Center across from the A&W Root Beer restaurant. There will be additional site plan review permitting ...

HARWICH — The conservation commission will hold a public hearing tomorrow morning (Friday, Jan. 16) on proposed changes to the town’s wetland protection and water-dependent structures bylaws as it works on preparing articles for the annual town meeting. “The goal is to be able to allow the commission to more consistently apply the bylaws,” Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski said this week. The focus is ...