ORLEANS — If you thought the presidential election was a close one, take a look at the race between Coastal Engineering and Orleans Bowling Center/Big Dogs Barbecue for Business of the Year. The board of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce couldn't decide between the two nominees, so for the first time, the vote was opened to the general membership. After three weeks of voting, a tie was declared. Coastal CEO an...

ORLEANS — Mixing business and politics isn't everyone's cup of tea, but state Sen. Dan Wolf had plenty to say about both at last week's annual meeting of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce. The Cape Air founder, a Democrat from Harwich, received an award from the Chamber Nov. 15 at the Captain Linnell House for his “years of dedication to our community.” He chose not to run for another term and has been spoken ...

ORLEANS – Water quality issues were the focus at the Nov. 9 selectmen's meeting, with the board starting with an update from consultant Mike Domenica. A draft amended comprehensive wastewater management plan to be presented for informal review to the Cape Cod Commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection was a focus of the discussion. Because the plan contains non-traditional nitrogen removal...

ORLEANS — The announcement over the PA system at Stop and Shop Saturday was about a decidedly different sale. Turkeys were available at a special price, and customers were urged to load the birds into their cars and drive them over to The Farm, on Rock Harbor Road. That's where Sassy Richardson-Roche and her family and neighbors were waiting by a freezer truck to receive the donations to the Lower Cape Outre...

ORLEANS — By a margin of 2,733 to 1,359, voters approved spending $3.2 million to continue water quality projects through June 30. “It's almost two times the largest number of voters who ever voted to clean our waters,” Selectman Alan McClennen said. Selectmen Chairman Sims McGrath said he was “heartened that it's such a significant margin. That tells me people who did not go to town meeting are intereste...

ORLEANS — A glacier that moved through these parts took millennia to shape the Cape we know as home. These days, progress in creating the variety of homes Cape Codders need can seem glacial as well. Not everyone is lining up for another single-family home on an acre lot. In fact, some of the folks in those houses are looking to downsize into something more manageable as they enter their golden years. On the ...

ORLEANS — Known as the commercial hub of the Lower Cape, the town may be on its way to a new status as the region's cultural capital. The Nauset Endowment Fund (NEF) rolled out plans this weekend to turn the Nauset Regional Middle School auditorium into the Nauset Performing Arts Center, a “dynamic, multipurpose facility for everyone.” Proposed upgrades include installing air conditioning to allow summert...

ORLEANS — Supporters are dreaming big about what shape Snow Library should take in the next decade. On Oct. 28, members of the Old Firehouse design group encouraged them to think even bigger. The group, a collection of architects, planners, and other involved citizens, has offered advice on projects ranging from the above-named firehouse to streetscape planning, intersection redesigns, and walkways intended ...

ORLEANS – The colonial settlement of the town and its post-Revolutionary War incorporation is detailed in three new historical markers unveiled last week outside Snow Library. “There's an incredible, compelling story to tell,” said Ron Petersen, who co-chairs the Orleans Historic Markers Committee with Pat Perry. The new panels speak of the town's connection to famed Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins, who...

ORLEANS – Harry Truman famously complained about a “Do-Nothing Congress.” He would have loved the “Do-Everything Special Town Meeting” held Oct. 24. Acting as the town’s legislators, voters approved spending $3,228,200 through June 2017 on water quality improvement projects, $200,000 for engineering work on permits to dredge channels and rivers to increase tidal flow, and $20,000 to hire a land use consultant ...

ORLEANS — Voters at a special town meeting Monday night approved a $3.22M article to advance the town's efforts to protect water quality. The article reserves around $2.5 million for continued planning and engineering, and about $750,000 for implementing adaptive management measures and program management. The initiative passed on a 369 to 98 secret ballot vote, now goes before voters as a Proposition 2 ½ debt...

ORLEANS – Six months after benching him, the town returned Jon Fuller to the starting line-up Oct. 18. The former selectman, who lost an excruciatingly close race last spring, got 984 votes to 863 for Dave Currier, and will return to the board. “We did a lot more campaigning this time,” said Fuller, who related that he was at the senior center at 5 in the morning to put up his big sign. For him, the turning po...