HARWICH — Selectmen heard this week that it would be possible, through a multi-step process, for the board to reclaim control over - or even sell - the proposed pet burial ground land on Queen Anne Road. But that can't happen without the consent of the cemetery commission, which strongly backs the proposal, commission Chairman Cynthia Eldredge said. “The cemetery commission will not ever consider this surplu...

HARWICH – Major preservation and improvement plans are being considered for historic Brooks Academy based on an exterior assessment and concept design study done for the Brooks Academy Museum Commission by the architectural firm BIA Studio. At May's annual town meeting, voters will be asked to approve an initial $130,000 from Community Preservation Act funds, and the commission is projecting approximately $500...

HARWICH — Walking through the Harwich Cultural Center, one can feel an energy from the days when the former middle school was filled with students. Now, however, it's coming from the artists who occupy the building, many of whom are teaching their crafts to enthusiastic residents. “It's not just for the artists, it's for everyone,” said Community Center Director Carolyn Carey, who oversees the cultural center ...

HARWICH — The conservation commission agrees that repairing and slightly enlarging a revetment is the best way to stem erosion at the east end of Red River Beach. Provided that state regulators agree, the town will move ahead with the work as soon as possible. After a short discussion last Wednesday, the commission voted to grant a notice of intent to the town to extend the landward side of the jetty by abou...

EAST HARWICH — By the end of the century, tide levels in Pleasant Bay could increase up to three feet because of sea level rise, meaning that places that were once high and dry could be subject to erosion. That’s a key reason the Pleasant Bay Alliance has been working to formulate a set of best practices that towns and individual property owners can use to manage erosion, without overly disrupting the natural f...

HARWICH — The latest cost estimate of the town's comprehensive wastewater management plan caught some selectmen by surprise when consultant CDM Smith provided a status report to the board earlier this month. David Young and Michael Guidice were before selectmen to update the board on the status of Cold Brook project, East Harwich sewering and the Dennis-Harwich-Yarmouth Clean Waters Community Partnership, whic...

HARWICH – In the midst of budget season comes a new debate for the Monomoy Regional School District: whether to replace Spanish with a science/STEM curriculum at the elementary level. While no decision has yet been made, the matter sparked a lengthy discussion at the Feb. 12 school committee meeting. Superintendent Scott Carpenter said the proposal for the curriculum change came from a strategic planning fo...

HARWICH — If a petition article passes muster with voters this spring, Harwich town departments will no longer be able to purchase or distribute beverages in plastic bottles. The article, submitted in Harwich by resident Patrick Otton, is not a town-wide ban on single-use plastic bottles, just a bylaw change to prohibit town government from procuring and distributing them. “I walk the beaches daily, and I...

EAST HARWICH — When it comes to addressing climate change, what’s needed is an audacious plan to get the nation to zero carbon emissions within the decade. And while some might call U.S. Sen. Ed Markey’s “Green New Deal” too ambitious, State Rep. Sarah Peake said there’s precedent for the nation getting behind sweeping change – if the stakes are high enough. Speaking before Harwich Democrats Monday, the Prov...

HARWICH — While the heavy nutrient loading in Hinckley's Pond that has caused serious algae blooms and fish kills in recent years needs to be addressed, the conservation commission made it clear it wants long term monitoring of the pond's health after the chemical remediation is applied. The town had hoped to employ aluminum sulfate/sodium aluminate – also known as alum – to the pond this past fall to address ...

HARWICH — The volunteers and staff of the Harwich Historical Society regularly receive artifacts from all over town that tell the story of bygone Harwich. But their greatest find in recent months has been right under their noses the whole time: a chalkboard in one of the old classrooms, still bearing writing from 1913. Town maintenance crews are repainting the large upstairs exhibit room in advance of the su...

HARWICH — The Cape’s year-round housing shortage is undeniable, and town volunteers deserve much of the credit for the affordable units that have been created so far. But now, with the talents of a housing expert from the Community Development Partnership, Chatham and Harwich are treating the housing crisis with a full-time focus. Until now, Harwich and Chatham have worked with volunteer committees to chart ...