HARWICH – Use of the West Harwich Schoolhouse could help boost economic activity along the historic stretch of Route 28 through West Harwich, a nonprofit group told the selectmen Monday. The non-profit Historic West Harwich Schoolhouse group bid $1 for the building, which was constructed in 1871. The group’s proposal is to preserve the building and use it as a community learning center, possibly as a sa...

HARWICH – Monday was a day of culmination for Freedom Cruise Line Captain Barry Fuller, who has spent 60 years crossing seas near and far and has enjoyed every minute of those voyages.  Fuller, 80, navigated the Freedom passenger ferry into the Saquatucket Harbor channel at 5:20 p.m., escorted by the Coast Guard and the Harwich Harbormaster’s boat, both honoring a man who has spent his life on the sea. ...

HARWICH – The Harwich Conservation Trust has received a $146,700 grant to begin the Hinckleys Pond-Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project, which strives to restore water quality in the watershed.  The Southeast New England Project (SNEP) grant was announced last week by Congressman Bill Keating. Grant selections were made by Restore America’s Estuaries and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Th...

EAST HARWICH – Less than 100 feet from where state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy greeted Paul Fox, owner of Harwich Paint and Decoration, Dunkin’ Donuts sat dark and shuttered, the business closed because of a lack of staff. Kennealy has been taking tours across the state, visiting downtowns and villages, communicating with small business owners to better understa...

HARWICH – Former selectman Julie Kavanagh will return to the board of selectmen after out-distancing Jeffery Handler by 30 votes in Tuesday’s special election. The turnout was light, with 1,383 voters casting ballots, just 12 percent of registered voters.  Kananagh received 582 votes, Handler 552 votes and Mark Kelleher  243 votes. Kavanagh served one term as a selectman from 2016 and 2019,...

HARWICH - The two-day Harwich Cranberry Arts and Music Festival and Chamber of Commerce fireworks display will be held on Saturday and Sunday. “ We’ve got talented crafters, terrific music and great food vendors and there is an opportunity to address a thirst,” Harwich Cranberry Festival President Ed McManus said of the festival’s return after a year off due to the pandemic. “We’re expecting a good time...

HARWICH – Voters will be facing a 14-article special town meeting on Oct. 18 that seeks to raise taxes on short-term rentals and fund a number of wastewater initiatives, including changes to the town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan. Selectmen heard protests Sept. 7 over the proposed increase from 4 to 6 percent of the local tax on hotel, motel and short-term rentals. Selectmen want to direct a...

HARWICH – Town officials are not happy with the single bid received for the sale of the historic West Harwich Schoolhouse. The bid was submitted by the nonprofit Historic West Harwich Schoolhouse group based in West Harwich and proposes the purchase of the property for $1 for use as a community learning center. Selectmen Chair Michael MacAskill said he hoped the board and Town Administrator Joseph...

HARWICH – The former Treasure Chest building at the town transfer station may serve a dual function in the future, with the swap shop open during the summer and the department of public works using the building during the winter. That was the conclusion selectmen reached Sept. 7 after several weeks of debate  related to re-opening of the Treasure Chest, which was closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pande...

HARWICH – Former selectman Robin Wilkins, 80, passed away Sept. 5 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Wilkins, a longtime educator, gave more than a decade of his retirement to his adopted community, serving on the planning board, school committee and board of selectmen. He was widely respected for his efforts to foster school regionalization and had a hand in bringing Chatham and Harwich togethe...

HARWICH – “Twenty years, it seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it seems like yesterday,” Fire Chief David LeBlanc during a 9-11 remembrance ceremony on Saturday.  “The terrorist attack that took place is unthinkable. We struggle to describe it. No words seem appropriate enough,” he told close to 100 people gathered at the 9-11 Memorial outside the public safety facilities on Sisson Road. Sept. 11 2001 took ...

HARWICH – Jeffery Handler, Julie Kavanagh and Mark Kelleher – the three candidates running for a seat on the board of selectmen in the Sept. 21 special election – sought to win voter support in a candidates forum last Thursday evening. The session was sponsored by the town’s voter information committee and moderated by Joan Craig of the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area. Questions for the candi...