Over the next few months we'll be running periodic updates on the status of the Swain family of Harwich, who are sailing down the east coast with Bahamas as their ultimate destination. Along the way, children Jesse, Lucy and Stanley will be sampling seawater for ocean plastics as well as providing their insights on the sailing life through their blog. In a Sept. 28 blog post, Lucy Swain recounted the family'...

HARWICH — Golfers at Cranberry Valley Golf Course seem to be very pleased with the services provided at the municipal course, judging from results of an annual survey. Director of Golf Roman Greer started the annual survey when he came to the course three years ago to find out from the members “what we do correctly and what we need to correct.” He said the survey is designed to gauge find members' needs and is...

When kids receive a high school diploma after 12 years of public school education, they're academically proficient. But a new program aims to help the Monomoy district generate young adults who are also aware of their own emotions and those of the people around them. Together with eight other districts in Massachusetts, Monomoy has been selected to take part in a planning network addressing social-emotional le...

HARWICH — “We need to slow down and stop spending money,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Michael MacAskill said when presenting the board of selectmen's budget message Monday night. Referring to the five-year financial analysis presented last week by Town Administrator Christopher Clark and Finance Director Carol Coppola, the message stated clearly the need of selectmen, administration, finance committee and depa...

HARWICH — Donations of “gently used” Halloween costumes are being sought to give to local children in the community center's annual “Boo-tique.” Now in its third year, the program has been a big success, according to Community Center Director Carolyn Carey. “We got four costumes yesterday,” she said last Thursday. The costumes will be displayed in the Boo-tique and children will be allowed to come in and se...

HARWICH — After lengthy discussion concerning whether changes to the Saquatucket Harbor landside project are within the scope of what voters approved in the May town meeting, selectmen Monday night, by consensus, agreed to instruct Town Administrator Christopher Clark to seek a second round of bids. The project has been fraught with cost overruns, with the initial design done by the architectural firm of Brown...

HARWICH — Having served for more than six months as interim director, Cyndi Williams has been appointed as the new executive director of the chamber of commerce. “We are excited and happy to announce that Cyndi Williams is the new Harwich Chamber of Commerce executive director,” chamber board chairman Michael Ulrich stated in an email sent to members Sunday. “Cyndi has devoted herself to the town of Harwich...

HARWICH — The town's annual budget is projected to increase by about $10 million over the next five years, based on the numbers in the town's five-year financial plan presented to selectmen on Monday night. While Town Administrator Christopher Clark admitted it is harder to project the later years of the plan, the document shows the town could be running at a deficit of $896,404 by fiscal year 2021, and it cou...

HARWICH — A lot of paperwork and determination means that local organizations will be benefiting from unclaimed monies held by the state. After securing more than $37,000 that was once considered abandoned property, members of the now-disbanded Harwich Junior Woman's Club are distributing the money to more than half a dozen Harwich nonprofits. In 2015, former club president Antigone London and clerk Debra DeCo...

HARWICH — Resilient Family Farm continues to have two outstanding issues to address after a cease and desist order was issued by the board of health last April. Those issues relate to the operation of an unlicensed piggery and manure management noncompliance. Last week the health board declared commercial piggeries a noisome trade and will licensing them on a site-by-site basis (see story, page 1). The farm ow...

HARWICH — The board of health has declared piggeries to be a “noisome trade” and will require site assignments for such commercial enterprises. The board defined a commercial piggery as three or more animals, allowing up to two pigs on residential properties. The health board conducted a public hearing on the piggery issue last week with Board of Health Chair Pamela Howell stating the board wanted input on whe...

HARWICH — The town will once again seek Community Preservation Act funding to restore the health of Hinckley's Pond. Town Administrator Christopher Clark was before the community preservation committee last week and made it clear the project is important, citing another fish kill at the pond this year. The CPC public hearing last Thursday was a requirement under state statute that the group conduct a public in...