'Weather Nerd' Phil Burt Explains HARWICH – Tornado!? That single word, complete with the astonished punctuation, was the first image in a PowerPoint talk on Nov. 14 at Brooks Free Library about the unusual event that pounded Harwich, Chatham, and some of the Upper and Mid Cape on July 23. The speaker was Phil Burt, a self-proclaimed “weather nerd” who has a master’s degree in meteorology. “I’ve been add...

HARWICH — In the next few years, voters will be asked to fund a number of big-ticket capital projects, but the funding requests from the fire department will be a bit lower than originally expected. Facing the need for a new ladder truck and a new pumper, the department will instead seek to buy a "quint," which can perform both functions at a fire scene. The move could save taxpayers around $900,000 over the cost...

HARWICH — The town has begun what will be a series of informational sessions between now and the spring town meeting to educate residents about changes being made to the comprehensive wastewater management plan. There is the potential for major changes to the plan. Gov. Charlie Baker signed special legislation for the DHY Clean Waters Partnership, allowing Dennis, Harwich and Yarmouth to work together and poss...

SOUTH HARWICH — Some high-profile seasonal visitors to town will enjoy new waterfront accommodations next spring, thanks to the Harwich Conservation Trust and AmeriCorps Cape Cod. Last Thursday, volunteers erected a new osprey nesting platform on conservation land in the salt marsh behind Red River Beach. Funded by a donor to the Trust, the platform was assembled in the beach parking lot, carried across the ma...

HARWICH — The Cape Cod Commission gave its unanimous approval to the selectmen’s request to establish the West Harwich District of Critical Planning Concern. The request will now be sent to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates for enactment as a county ordinance. If approved by the assembly, the town will have one year to adopt and incorporate implementing regulations in its official bylaws, regulations...

HARWICH — The message from Lt Col. Charles D. Carroll, USAF, Retired, was clear: The freedoms we enjoy in this country do not come from the efforts of religious leaders and politicians, but from the veterans who put their lives on the line. The Monomoy Regional High School Ladies A Capella Group sang patriotic songs at the Veterans Day ceremony.  ...

HARWICH — Twenty years ago this month, in a bid to stop a rush of residential development and the groundwater pollution it would bring, Harwich officials took a gamble on a new regulatory tool. In creating the Six Ponds District of Critical Planning Concern, or DCPC, and the zoning rules that followed, they rolled the political dice and hoped voters wouldn’t see the move as a government land grab. Two decades ...

EAST HARWICH — With the rapidly aging demographic on Cape Cod, and the shortage of skilled workers who can afford to live here, it’s time for local businesses and citizens to find creative ways to support the local workforce. That was the message from Rosalin Acosta, the state's secretary of labor and workforce development, who spoke at a meeting of the Cape Cod Young Professionals Friday morning. Unemploym...

HARWICH — There has certainly been acrimony between some members of the board of selectmen and Town Administrator Christopher Clark over his nearly six-year tenure, and it has intensified over the past several months. Clark announced last week he will not seek reappointment as town administrator when his term expires at the end of June. He reached an agreement with selectmen and will be leaving his position wi...

NORTH HARWICH — When severe thunderstorms brought high winds and a tornado to the Lower Cape back in July, tree branches fell on a modest home in North Harwich, putting three holes in the roof. The owner, an 83-year-old Air Force veteran, didn't have the means to make repairs. Thanks to an army of volunteers and generous local companies, the roof got some TLC and the yard had a proper fall clean-up on Friday. ...

EAST HARWICH — After about 10 months as executive director of Pleasant Bay Community Boating, P.J. Richardson is taking a different tack. PBCB board President Ted Baylis made the announcement in an email to the group’s supporters last week. “On Monday, Oct. 28, P.J. Richardson and the PBCB board jointly concluded that a change in leadership was in both his and the organization’s best interests,” Baylis wrote. ...

HARWICH — Thanks to the generosity of two unrelated private donors, the town of Harwich now holds the keys for a new police motorcycle and a council on aging van. Selectmen voted last week to accept both gifts and to extend the town’s thanks. The senior center van was provided by Jay Kavanaugh of Cape Destinations. Council on Aging Director Emily Mitchell said her department leases two vans from the Cape Cod R...