HARWICH — Property owners made it clear to selectmen Monday night that the time is not right to place additional taxes on rental units. Selectmen were weighing a couple of draft warrant articles for the annual town meeting warrant that could have increased rental taxes by 2 to 5 percent, but decided to table the proposal for now and take it up again at a later time. Room rental and home rental taxes here are c...

The Monomoy Regional School District launched a pooled COVID-19 testing program this week, designed to identify spread of the disease among students and teachers who show no symptoms. But as of Tuesday, only about half of the school population had agreed to be tested. Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said more permission slips are being received each day, and he hopes by the end of the four-week poole...

Monomoy Regional High School’s science, technology and engineering department is set to undergo changes that will allow students to take a deeper dive into the school’s engineering curriculum. Project Lead The Way recently awarded the school a $44,000 grant for the engineering program. The national nonprofit organization creates engaging classroom environments while paving new pathways for students interested ...

HARWICH — The James G. Marceline Arboretum, located on 25 acres in Island Pond Cemetery, received a level one accreditation on Monday from the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum. It is the first arboretum to be accredited on the Cape and the fifth municipally owned one in the commonwealth. The arboretum initiative started with the cemetery commission in 2017 and came together thank...

HARWICH — As the town begins its hunt for a new town planner, Town Administrator Joseph Powers has provided an additional charge to the position, giving it the new title of director of planning and community development and assigning it the task of coordinating and overseeing the health, conservation, building and planning departments. The new director will coordinate community development department activitie...

HARWICH — The town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan will be five years old in a couple of weeks, and during that time the road map for addressing nitrogen pollution in surrounding marine waters has taken a few detours. Among them was the higher-than-expected cost of sewering sections of East Harwich. The opportunity to move away from building a town treatment plant at the former landfill site and joi...

If Chatham Doesn't Take On Elementary Costs HARWICH — As financial chasm between Chatham and Harwich in the Monomoy Regional School District budget increases, selectmen on Monday night agreed to send a strong message to their counterparts in Chatham that action is needed this year to address the “subsidy” Harwich is paying under the regional agreement. Otherwise, selectmen made it clear they are prepared to...

HARWICH – When Monomoy Regional High School technology and engineering teacher Rich Oldach was notified about the Massachusetts Ninth Congressional District’s annual Congressional App Challenge, he quickly thought of Jessica Brown, a senior in his advanced placement computer science class. “When it came to my attention, I thought of her immediately,” Oldach said. Oldach was aware that one of his co-teachers...

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...