HARWICH — It has been 175 years since the Man with the Branded Hand became a central character in the abolitionist movement on Cape Cod. Harwich resident Captain Jonathan Walker suffered the pain of a branding iron bearing the letters “SS” after been imprisoned under Territory of Florida law as a “slave stealer.” The abolitionist movement had momentum locally in those days, as was well documented with the foun...

HARWICH — The appeals board upheld Building Commissioner Raymond Chesley’s position that the rear fence of Perks Coffee Shop and Beer Garden does not meet the criteria for a structure and thus does not violate sideline setbacks to the abutting Port Restaurant and Bar. The two restaurants, which are separated by that fence, are in the midst of a property line dispute that one member of the board called “petty b...

HARWICH — It took a year, but the proposed mixed-use convenience store with two apartments above was approved this past week for the former Getty gas station site in the middle of Harwich Center. “I’m really happy and excited about this,” Saumil Patel said after the project was approved. “Getting a perfect design the committees and neighbors like has taken some time.” Patel hopes to complete the purchase of...

It seems that every year, more and more people rely on the Family Pantry of Cape Cod to help put food on the table. So far this year, client visits are up 17 percent, and the nonprofit is on track to have a client roster of around 10,000 in 2019, up significantly from last year. Can the Harwich-based organization keep pace with the increased need? Family Pantry Executive Director Christine Menard says it can, ...

HARWICH — The planning board came close Tuesday night to pulling the trigger on sending the Harwich Retail LLC project to the Cape Cod Commission as a limited discretionary referral for a development of regional impact review. Board members agreed, however, that more definition of the reasons for the filing was necessary before taking a vote. Approximately 150 residents filled the large hearing room in town ha...

Family Pantry Of Cape Cod Turns 30 When a few parishioners of Holy Trinity Church came together to stock a closet with nonperishable food for the needy, little did they know that, 30 years later, their effort would grow to become the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. They probably also couldn’t have foreseen how important the pantry would prove to be, not just for families facing emergency hardships, but also for peo...

HARWICH — Some offices in town hall will be reconfigured in the next week, Town Administrator Christopher Clark has informed the board of selectmen. The change will better utilize the largest room in the selectmen/administration offices, he said. “It’s about how we get greater use of space in the building,” Clark told The Chronicle this week. Under the reconfiguration plan, Clark said Assistant Town Adminis...

HARWICH — The affordable housing trust set a few housing development priorities last week and plans to work with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership to evaluate potential housing locations and the number of units that can be placed on certain lots. After considering several available lots, the trust settled on investigating the housing potential of land on Oak Street. The partnership is a quasi-state agen...

HARWICH — Affordable housing and historic preservation projects were identified as priorities as the community preservation committee conducted a public information hearing on needs, possibilities and resources as it looks to allocating Community Preservation Act funds next year. The committee is required by law to hold an informational hearing as it begins seeking applications for funding requests each year. ...

HARWICH — The planning stage for the $600,000 Safe Routes to School sidewalk project around Harwich Elementary School is underway with an eye on providing a safe evacuation route for students and staff should an emergency occur. Selectmen on Monday night received an update on the project from Harwich Elementary School Principal Mary Oldach and Town Engineer Griffin Ryder, who met with state officials and consu...

Additional Contract May Be Necessary To Complete Work HARWICH — Frustration levels are high as town officials examine how to move forward with funding the remainder of the phase two sewer project for East Harwich. On Monday night selectmen approved the first construction contract for the work, even though the town may not have enough money to cover a second contract to complete the project. Selectmen approv...

HARWICH — Lower County Road was referred to is being in “shambles” at the selectmen’s meeting on Monday night, but the board could not make a decision on how to move forward with repairs. The town’s department of public works put together a plan to reconstruct a 2.25-mile section of the road, which was assessed as being in deplorable condition and which had recently been dug up to accommodate water department ...