ORLEANS — Imagine that voting has begun on a controversial issue at town meeting. Instead of standing up and shuffling to the ballot box in a long line, as is the practice now for a secret ballot, you just press your clicker to record your vote in an instant. Sounds simple, but many of the devils in the details were aired last week when selectmen met with Town Clerk Cynthia May, Moderator David Lyttle, and T...

ORLEANS — There's a plan to circle the wagons for some good eats in the village center this summer. The town's site plan review committee was scheduled to hold an informal review yesterday (Feb. 7) on a proposal to surround eight picnic tables with six food trucks and a “container bar” on Route 6A just west of The Red Balloon. Specifically, the review focused on Blue Bubbles, LLC's plan to tear down a garage...

ORLEANS — Recreation Director Alan Harrison has proposed a fee schedule for the town's youth sports and summer day programs, which are now free. Harrison told the selectmen last week that the neighboring communities of Brewster, Chatham, Eastham and Harwich all charge for their similar programs and are able to offer more to their citizens. Since his arrival in September, Harrison said, he's talked with pa...

ORLEANS — Mike Nelligan of Powers and Sullivan, the town's new auditors, told selectmen last week that “everything went according to plan” for the fiscal year that ended June 30. “The numbers for the year were pretty much within budget,” he said Jan. 24. “You were about 2½ percent over on the revenue side, and expenses were about that number under. There were good controls.” During the audit, the firm “be...

EASTHAM — A new group of players made its debut on the stage of the Nauset Regional High School auditorium last week, to a round of applause. The men and women were members of the Nauset Regional High School Building Committee, taking a tour of the 1970s complex as part of their inaugural meeting Jan. 22. Superintendent Tom Conrad told students meeting in the auditorium about the work ahead for the commit...

Contract Award Expected Early Next Month   ORLEANS - Two of the three bids to build the first section of the downtown sewer system came in below the estimated construction cost of $2,681,900.   Cape Cod Construction of South Dennis bid $1,917,954.10 and Revoli Construction Co. of Franklin bid $2,279,606.06. The only other bidder was Robert B. Our Co. of North Harwich, at $2,799,307.45.   The bids were opened t...

ORLEANS — Keeping things safe on Beach Road, the town's scenic route through East Orleans to Nauset Beach, means different things to different people. If you cycle or walk along the winding road, it might mean adding bike lanes or sidewalks. If you live along the road, it might mean defending your landscaping and the overall scenic charm. The bike and pedestrian committee asked selectmen last week to supp...

ORLEANS — The fiscal year that begins July 1 will see a projected 3.8 percent increase in the non-school operating budget to $20,197,000, just within the 4 percent cap imposed by selectmen this year. Adding projected school costs (at 4 percent for now as final numbers for the Orleans Elementary, Nauset Regional, and Cape Tech budgets are not available) and debt service brings the proposed spending plan to $37,1...

ORLEANS — Another way to apportion the cost of the planned town sewer system is gaining ground. The current phased approach would burden those in the early stages with more of the cost for the treatment plant and disposal site that will eventually be used by all sewer customers. Putting the plant and disposal costs on the tax rate, rather than paying for those facilities in part with individual betterments, cou...

ORLEANS — As you travel on Main Street from Route 28 into East Orleans, the sense of history is palpable. Many 19 th century homes line either side of the road and most are situated to preserve the open elegance of the area. Yet something is missing from this picture: a guarantee that such history and style will survive to represent one of the town's great resources. Unlike many Cape communities, Orleans ha...

ORLEANS — Uncle Harvey's sick, and those who care are discussing what to do about it. The 7.5-acre pond south of Pochet Road has been flagged for harmful algal blooms by the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the state Department of Public Health has issued advisories to avoid contact with the water. Since the turn of the century, volunteers have been monitoring water quality in Uncle Harve...

ORLEANS — Jon Fuller believes he's had his turn at the tiller and won't run for reelection to the board of selectmen in May. “I've already done six terms,” he said. “That's enough.” Fuller, a leading proponent of downtown sewering, noted that he's been working on wastewater issues for the past 14 years. “Finally we've got some pipe in the ground and are moving forward,” he said of the Main Street sewer work ...