HARWICH — Cynthia McGalliard brought the music into Harwich Center and the smile on children’s faces as recreational programs in this community expanded under her tutelage. Mrs. McGalliard, passed away on Feb. 9 at the age of 90. Mrs. McGalliard was the secretary for the parks and recreation commission for 31 years and was instrumental in expanding recreation programs over those years. One of those initiatives...

HARWICH — Town Administrator Joseph Powers, serving as hearing officer for the board of selectmen, has found the Port Restaurant and Bar and Ember Pizza, Inc. violated state laws during the COVID-19 State of Emergency. Powers in his findings concluded the Port Restaurant and Bar committed three violations and Ember Pizza, Inc. committed one violation. Powers stated in his findings he would hold his disciplinar...

HARWICH — Selectman Ed McManus will have served as a selectman for 14 years when his term ends in May and he says it’s time to change hats. He took out nomination papers this week to run for a two-year term on the new water/wastewater commission. “I think I can be of more use concentrating on water/wastewater projects,” McManus told The Chronicle last Wednesday. “I’ve had a fair amount of experience on lar...

HARWICH — Thanks to hedges and other landscaping, as well as a slight bend in Route 28, entering traffic from Freeman Street or Snow Inn Road in Harwich Port can be a white-knuckle experience. The traffic safety committee has asked the selectmen to make changes to improve visibility at the intersection. Traffic Safety Committee Chair Gerald Beltis said the crossroad has been the site of 13 accidents in r...

HARWICH — Health Director Meggan Eldredge will be making a transition to assistant town administrator, but she will remain as the interim health director until the town fills that position. Town Administrator Joseph Powers Monday announced the appointment of Eldredge as assistant town administrator. “I’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment,” Powers told selectmen. Selectmen confirmed the appointment on a 4-0...

HARWICH — Town Administrator Joseph Powers presented selectmen with a balanced FY 22 budget Monday night. The $71,165,144 budget is up 3.3 percent, with funding sources covering the proposed increase. The draft budget has had some paring down since a few weeks ago when Powers unveiled a preliminary version, which had a more than a $1 million deficit between revenue sources and funding requests. The capital pla...

HARWICH — If the smiles behind the COVID-19 masks of the employees at Star Market and Shaw’s on Cape Cod are even more difficult to discern these days, it may be because they have just taken a hit in their weekly pay check. Comments about the pay reductions could be overheard in the aisles and at the cash registers of the Star Market in Harwich Port over the past couple of weeks. The move struck some patrons a...

HARWICH — The town received good news from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s project review committee meeting last week: approval of the proposed sidewalk project from Saquatucket Harbor to Harwich Port. Cape Cod Commission transportation program manager Steven Tupper informed town officials of the approval of the project, which will require waivers from MassDOT’s Complete Streets Program. Th...

HARWICH — Selectmen are weighing the use of the former fire station property on Bank Street for a four-bedroom home for disabled individuals. Jeff Locantore, who has cerebral palsy and two different types of seizure disorders, made a presentation to the board last week on the reuse of the property. Locantore, 35, said he and Jonathon O’Callaghan, 36, who has cognitive and physical disabilities, are working to ...

HARWICH — A second candidate has taken out nomination papers for the one seat on the board of selectmen on this year's town election ballot. Mary Anderson, who served as the executive director of The Family Pantry of Cape Cod for 11 years, threw her hat in the ring on Tuesday. Anderson joins Thomas Sherry, who took out nomination papers for the seat more than a week ago. Incumbent Ed McManus said on Tuesday he...

HARWICH — The community preservation committee voted last week to recommend that voters support two major funding projects for historic preservation and open space at the annual town meeting in May. The committee is endorsing funding for the Brooks Academy foundation and basement addition project and funds to assist the Harwich Conservation Trust with the purchase of the 31-acre Jenkins bogs property. The C...

HARWICH — Town Administrator Joseph Powers has entered into a new contract agreement with the board of selectmen that extends his tenure for more than three years. Powers has been serving as interim town administrator for a little more than a year. Last August, after interviewing four finalists for the town administrator’s position, selectmen were unable to obtain the super-majority vote required by the town c...