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 ...

HARWICH — The Seaside Marketplace at Saquatucket Harbor will open on July 3, and the Harwich Cultural Center is now accepting applications from artisans interested in leasing the sheds on a weekly basis. The marketplace was a major component of the landside renovations at the waterfront facility and will make it more of a destination for residents, visitors and boaters, said Erica Strzepek, program aide at the...

HARWICH — The effort to establish a Cape Cod Toy Library, a facility that fosters healthy child development through free play, remains alive, but in West Barnstable, not Harwich. It’s been a couple of years since Chatham resident Deb Willsea floated the idea of the Cape Cod Toy Library, based on a similar project she founded and which has been successful in Rochester, N.Y. Willsea sought to purchase the former...

HARWICH — The latest plans for a proposed mixed-use development at the former Getty gas station lot in Harwich Center were well received by the planning board last week, although issues were raised regarding the buffer zone at the rear of the lot and how the new building will fit into the character of the historic village. This is the second time around for project proponent Saumil Patel, who withdrew an earli...

HARWICH — Harwich Retail made two presentations on Tuesday on its plans for property on Route 28 in West Harwich, one to residents of the community and the other to the planning board, but in both sessions residents made it clear they do not want the 7,489-square-foot retail store the company is proposing located in their village. The project proponents held a 4 p.m. meeting in town hall with 20 people in atte...

HARWICH – The next to the last commencement at the current Cape Cod Regional Technical High School building, which will be replaced by a newer structure in 2021, was held Saturday afternoon. In the presence of a standing-room-only audience of family, fellow students and friends, 109 seniors from Cape towns from Mashpee to North Truro received their high school diplomas and/or technical certificates during a ce...

HARWICH — The dispute between The Port Restaurant and Bar and the abutting Perks Coffee Shop and Beer Garden became a little more fractious this past week, with 541 Main Street LLC, The Port, filing suit in state Land Court challenging the planning board’s issuance of a site plan special permit for Perks. This is the second challenge The Port, managed by Justin and Jared Brackett, has filed in the past few wee...

HARWICH — Brooks Academy Museum will celebrate the 175 th birthday of the historic Brooks Academy building with its seasonal opening Sunday. Native son Sidney Brooks supervised the construction of the building, completed in 1844, which initially served as the Pine Grove Seminary. Today the building belongs to the town of Harwich and is operated as a museum by the Harwich Historical Society. Sunday's opening w...

HARWICH — Selectmen agreed Monday night to establish an ad hoc noise containment committee to develop a policy designed to prevent noise from outdoor entertainment venues in commercial districts from disturbing people living in adjacent residential neighborhoods. Residents who live in and around Harwich Port are especially concerned about the increased volume of music emanating beyond the business district. Ov...

HARWICH — The cemetery commission this past week voted to return the 2.25 acre parcel that had been approved for a pet cemetery on Queen Anne Road to the board of selectmen. That action puts to rest the year-long battle among factions in town over whether a municipal government should be involved in such an enterprise. There has been considerable debate about whether the town did due diligence in developing a ...