CHATHAM — Agreeing to codify certain state-identified “best practices” in financial management, public accessibility and human resources, Chatham has become the latest Massachusetts municipality to join the Commonwealth Community Compact. The town becomes the 297 th in the state – including every other town on Cape Cod – to join the program. Compact member communities get priority for certain state grant pr...

CHATHAM – On Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Ted Henken will give a talk at the Eldredge Public Library about the long-fraught relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. “The main areas that I focus on are economic reforms and the emerging micro enterprises in the private sector,” Henken said. Specifically, Henken will explain how an increased access to the internet has affected Cuba’s economy. “Cuba is t...

CHATHAM -- Human remains were uncovered Thursday at an Uncle Albert's Drive home during excavation for a swimming pool, according to police. In a press release issued Friday morning, police said there appeared to be two to three sets of remains that are "very old," possibly part of a larger burial site. A state anthropologist was scheduled to arrive at the site to work with police to determine the possible ...

CHATHAM — Selectmen Tuesday were given three concepts for rebuilding the busy intersection of Main Street, Crowell Road and Queen Anne Road. But because the first choice made no major changes, and a roundabout was ruled out by engineers, the board chose option three: a wider intersection with new traffic lights and turning lanes on Route 28. That concept will now begin a lengthy public comment and design proce...

CHATHAM — In a closed-door session Tuesday, selectmen voted to proceed with the purchase of the former Eldredge Garage property at 365 Main St. The terms of the proposed sale were not immediately available, but in January, special town meeting voters appropriated $2.5 million to buy the land for possible use for parking, open space preservation, rest rooms or other public purposes. Selectmen will have the ul...

WEST CHATHAM — Almost exactly one year after community leaders, volunteers and prospective homeowners gathered to raise the first walls on new Habitat for Humanity houses in West Chatham, they gathered again last Thursday to dedicate the completed homes. Jonathan Liska and his daughter Victoria will soon be moving in to one of the houses, located behind the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance building and...

CHATHAM – Beaches along Chatham Harbor were closed last Thursday afternoon after a fishermen saw a great white shark bite a seal in half off Andrew Harding's Lane Beach. Peter O'Neill was coming in through the 1987 inlet at about 3 p.m. after a day of fishing when he spotted a “giant pool of blood with the head of seal poking out” in the channel about 150 yards off the beach. The seal had already been bitte...

CHATHAM — When it comes to improving water quality along Chatham's shoreline, Martha Stone has never been afraid to wade right in to the reeds. Literally, sometimes. For her work developing septic regulations and planning documents, and for her efforts as a volunteer water quality monitor, Stone received the Captain's Award from the Friends of Chatham Waterways Monday evening. It's a fitting tribute from the...

CHATHAM – The town's sidewalks have long been a topic of discussion, alternately causing controversy and concern due to the absence of them in some locations and the poor condition of others. The topic came up again at last week's summer town meeting, eliciting a promise by one town official that a comprehensive plan to upgrade the town's sidewalks was in the works. Officials cautioned, however, that now al...

CHATHAM – The town is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Skydive Cape Cod, Inc., seeking $100,000 in damage for the company's inability to operate out of Chatham Airport for the past several years. Expressing concerns about safety, the town declined to renew Skydive Cape Cod's contract in 2013. The town was later ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a contract for skydive services at th...

CHATHAM – For the first time in its 55-year history, the Chatham Conservation Foundation, the Cape's oldest land trust, has hired a full-time director. Matt Cannon, who previously worked as the Foundation's part-time director of land stewardship, was named the organizations first executive director/land manager at its annual meeting earlier this month. Cannon had also worked part-time for the Harwich Conservat...

CHATHAM – Designs for an 1,800-square-foot building to house the town's shellfish upweller and a gangway and float system along the waterside of town-owned land at 90 Bridge St. will be refined after members of three waterways-related committees agreed that was the best option for use of the property. The upweller will sit on pilings above the water to the east of the property, parallel to the Mitchell River d...