CHATHAM – Lt. Governo Karyn Polito toured the town-owned Old Mill Boatyard on Stage Harbor Tuesday morning, getting a first-hand look at facilities that will be renovated and upgraded with a $1 million state grant awarded late last year. The $1.5 million project, scheduled to get underway this fall, includes replacement of the facility's bulkhead, renovation and replacement of piers, floats and gangways, a new...

CHATHAM – Q: What do you think of immediately when you’re asked to imagine a shark? A: “Jaws.” This question was one of several posed by Cynthia Wigren, founder and president of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC), during a talk last Wednesday evening at the community center. The title of Wigren’s talk, which she delivered to about 75 people, was “Awareness Inspires Conservation: White Sharks in the...

Shark Week In Review If you've looked at your Sharktivity app or at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Facebook page, then you know it's been a busy week for sharks. Last Friday, July 15, Dr. Greg Skomal of the state division of marine fisheries, working with the Conservancy, tagged the fifth and sixth great white sharks of the season, 11 and nine feet, respectively. On Monday, an 11-foot shark off Mono...

CHATHAM – In the run-up to next month's annual summer town meeting, members of the summer residents advisory committee have been busy talking with town officials and others to assess the major issues facing the town. In the past few weeks, the group, which meets Fridays at 9 a.m. at the annex, has held discussions with Town Manager Jill Goldsmith and Chairman of Selectmen Jeffrey Dykens, Finance Director Alix ...

CHATHAM – The airport commission has rejected a claim that it violated the state Open Meeting Law by prohibiting a resident from speaking at its June 6 meeting. Resident Juris Ukstins filed a complaint June 21 stating that commission chairman Peter Donovan allowed a resident to criticize an airport commission member at the June 6 meeting, but when Ukstins tried to speak in defense of the commissioner he was no...

CHATHAM — In less than a century, rising sea levels could cause localized basement flooding, septic system failures, roadway deterioration and problems with underground utilities. That's the prediction of a U.S. Geological Survey study carried out in cooperation with regional and state experts. Released last week, the study used sophisticated computer models to predict the effects on the Cape's freshwater aqui...

CHATHAM — Three years ago, the federal government stopped printing traditional paper navigational charts, moving toward electronic charts and print-on-demand products to help mariners find their way. But old paper charts provide a window to local history, and the Chatham Historical Society has started the process of preserving some of them, even making them available for viewing online. “We realized that we ha...

Muddy Creek has a new bridge, better water quality, and a new group of devotees who are visiting by canoe and kayak. Chatham resident George Olmsted thinks it's time for the waterway to get a new name, as well. Olmsted says he'd someday like to drive across that bridge and see a little “Monomoy River” sign where the Muddy Creek sign used to be. “Muddy Creek is not an attractive name. And furthermore, at thi...

EAST HARWICH — The Harwich Conservation Trust has signed a purchase and sales agreement with the Marini family to acquire 17 acres of land with 1,400 feet of frontage along Muddy Creek. The acquisition is seen as important in protecting the headwaters of the creek that feeds into Pleasant Bay. “This gives us a window to raise the funds to purchase the property,” Harwich Conservation Trust Executive Director Mi...

HARWICH — Parking and inclusion of a restaurant are among the issues that need to be worked out before the Harwich Port Plaza proposal makes its way before the planning board for Village Commercial Overlay District site plan approval. Attorney Michael D. Ford detailed changes proposed for the 28,008-square-foot parcel in the center of Harwich Port during a pre-conference meeting last week. The focus was not o...

HARWICH — Town officials have begun examining the draft final report on the nitrogen attenuation potential in Cold Brook in the Bank Street Bogs. The evaluation assesses the waterway's ability to naturally absorb nitrogen as a way to improve water quality and reduce the need for costly sewer construction. The study was prepared by the Coastal Systems Group from the School for Marine Science and Technology at U...

HARWICH — Phase three of the Brooks Park recreation department expansion will be heading to the planning board this week for site plan special permit approval. The plan is to add tennis and basketball courts, more parking, a picnic pavilion and new restrooms while providing better connections to the bike trail. The project was funded in the annual town meeting in May with $188,000 in Community Preservation Act...

HARWICH PORT— TD Bank is working with The Family Pantry of Cape Cod to “Bring Change” to the way services are provided to food pantry clients. The campaign will help The Family Pantry provide mobile service to clients who are lacking transportation. “TD is partnering with communities across our footprint to support people and organizations that are making a real, local difference,” said Paula Warhol, field m...

HARWICH — Recognizing her $3.6 million bequest, Cape Cod Hospital has named its intensive care unit in honor of the late Elizabeth Munroe Arnold Stevens of Harwich. “Libby was such an inspiration, and we are honored that she remembered Cape Cod Healthcare in this way,” President and CEO Michael Lauf said in a news release. Her sister, Judith Palmer of Harwich Port, said Stevens was treated at the hospital o...

HARWICH ─ Monomoy golfer Jake Poitras had one goal for the 2015-2016 school year: to make the New England Championship. He did, but weeks before he was to play, the then sophomore suffered a broken elbow playing baseball for the Sharks, an injury that required a cast – and no golf – for weeks. Though sidelined for a bit, Poitras remained undaunted, returning to his beloved sport with gusto, winning the Cape ...

HARWICH ─ In a summer filled with baseball games, most become a blur of hits and pitches. But then there are the games both players and fans won't soon forget, such as last Saturday's 11-0 drubbing of the Orleans Firebirds by the Harwich Mariners, led by the stellar pitching of one Packy Naughton. Naughton, a West Roxbury native who, according to his player bio, is an ambidextrous pitcher, made excellent use...