CHATHAM — Any recent wet weather aside, the town's water system is being taxed to its limits by this summer's drought. But even more importantly, it's feeling the pressure of increased demand year after year. Last week, selectmen had an update from Water and Sewer Advisory Committee Chairman Larry Sampson, and heard again that the amount of water being pumped from the aquifer is increasing year to year. Board ...

CHATHAM — At the request of downtown merchants, selectmen reconsidered their earlier vote not to purchase the Eldredge Garage property for use as a municipal parking lot. In a new vote last Wednesday – they again rejected the proposal, seeing it as potentially too pricey for taxpayers. Announcing the board's decision Tuesday, Chairman Jeffrey Dykens said that, in passing on the offer, the majority of members...

CHATHAM – During the summer of 1937, when Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in her twin engine monoplane, nine-year-old Alice Brandeis Gilbert of Chatham, today known as Alice Popkin, wrote an homage to Earhart. Popkin’s article was published in the Chatham Chatter. And soon after, on Aug. 8, 1937, Popkin was quoted in the New York Times in an article about the Chatter under the headline “Brand...

CHATHAM — Some matters coming before the board of selectmen are muddy, but not the proposal to rename Muddy Creek as “Monomoy River.” Board members summarily dismissed the idea Tuesday. The proposal came from Chatham resident George Olmsted, who argued that the name “Muddy Creek” is a poor description for the estuary, which has better water quality and clarity since the installation of the Route 28 bridge. C...

CHATHAM — For 17-year-old Caroline Verrilli, a Chatham lifeguard who sometimes works at the Oyster Pond, it's fun to gaze out on people waterskiing or tubing far beyond the swim area. “But when they fall off, I worry,” she said. And Verrilli, whose family summers on Cape Cod each year, has good reason to worry. Not only could she be pressed into service for such an emergency, but she knows what it feels l...

CHATHAM — In the past year, several town committee meetings have spawned heated debate; one prompted the chairman to call police, and in another, a shouting match devolved into a brief fistfight. In response, it might be time for board and committee chairmen to come together for training on how to encourage proper decorum in meetings. That was the perspective of selectmen, who discussed meeting decorum Tuesd...

CHATHAM – Again, one of the Sharks in the Park – now the Sharks on the Lawn of the Eldredge Public Library – has been stolen, just two weeks before an online auction of the artwork is slated to end. The Chatham Real Estate's shark was painted by artist Heather Labbe. Another shark painted by Labbee, sponsored by Minglewood Homes, was taken from Kate Gould Park in June but found in a nearby parking lot. The ...

PROVINCETOWN — Imagine the days when great nations relied on brute naval force – big guns on big ships – to stake their economic claims. Actually, in places like the South China Sea, it still happens today. Late last month, a replica of the 17 th century Swedish armed merchant ship Kalmar Nyckel visited Provincetown, taking passengers aboard for a sail and a history lesson. Actually built by the Dutch in ar...

CHATHAM – Last year, a total of 2,415 recreational shellfish permits were issued to residents, nonresidents and seniors. The permit sales generated nearly $120,000 in revenue, but the amount of shellfish harvested by those folks is a big question mark. While commercial shellfishermen are mandated to report their catch by state law, recreational shellfishers reporting is voluntary. “Some people are very dili...

CHATHAM – Again, one of the Sharks in the Park – now the Sharks on the Lawn of the Eldredge Public Library – has been stolen, just two weeks before an online auction of the artwork is slated to end. The Chatham Real Estate's shark was painted by artist Heather Labbe. Another shark painted by Labbee, sponsored by Minglewood Homes, was taken from Kate Gould Park in June but found in a nearby parking lot. The ...

CHATHAM – Town officials are willing to talk with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to try to resolve the dispute over the western boundary of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, but only if both parties have an equal voice management of the area. However, federal legislation may still be the ultimate avenue the town takes to resolve the issue. Representative William Keating said last week he will submit...

CHATHAM — There are a number of steps the town needs to take to prepare for the expected surge in its senior population in the decades ahead, but the one that's likely to generate the most discussion is the replacement of the senior center on Stony Hill Road. Consultant Kathleen Schatzberg, the former president of Cape Cod Community College, is offering her services for free to the town; she analyzed the resul...