Deposit Is Preferable To Outright Prohibition HARWICH — As selectmen consider whether the sale of nip bottles should be banned, package store operators are seeing red – as in a major financial impact if such a prohibition is put in place. Some owners say nips generate as much as 30 to 40 percent of their business. Selectmen have heard from people in the community about the street-side litter of nip bottles,...

HARWICH — Housing committee members are confused and frustrated over what their role is in shaping the housing needs of the community, now that the focus and funding has shifted to another group, the affordable housing trust. The committee last week discussed their mission and expressed concerns about being “sidelined.” Housing Committee Chairman Art Bodin said he had a discussion with Selectman Stephen Ford, ...

HARWICH — Thanks to a lot of patience, a dash of ingenuity and gallons of disinfectant, the community center remains open during the pandemic. And for the people who use it and the Harwich Cultural Center, it’s a badly needed connection to neighbors during the COVID-19 era. It’s far from business as usual, however. Community Center Director Carolyn Carey said she’s worked closely with Health Director Meggan El...

HARWICH — Along with the cold weather, the reality that it may be a tough winter for restaurants is settling in. Facilities for outdoor serving are being shuttered and limited indoor serving capacity could make the usual slow winter even slower. Town officials are weighing options available to restaurants. One is to allow longer closures. Selectmen last week approved owner Damien Wiseman's request to close the...

HARWICH — Close to 50 people tuned in remotely to the selectmen’s meeting Monday night to support the construction of a sidewalk from Harwich Port to Saquatucket Harbor. Public safety and economic benefits were cited as benefits, and there were also pleas to extend the sidewalks further east to Julien Road. Selectmen conducted the session to determine support for a sidewalk along the six-tenths of a mile stret...

HARWICH — Selectmen have instructed Interim Town Administrator Joseph Powers to prepare the necessary paperwork to lease or sell the West Harwich schoolhouse and the former fire station and surrounding property on Bank Street. There have been numerous discussions and votes relative to the properties in recent years, some of which restrict what actions the board can take. Powers informed selectmen last week ...

HARWICH — Christmas in Harwich will not be as festive this year as in the past, when traditional events such as the Christmas stroll brought the community together for a tree lighting, the arrival of Santa on a fire truck, horse drawn carriage rides through the streets and local shops with doors wide open with holiday spirit. The COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed the festive side of the holiday season, but the c...

HARWICH — Local firefighters and police officers will join together for the sixth consecutive year to make the holiday season a little easier for those facing hard times. The public safety staff will be “Homeless for the Holidays” for three days beginning on Friday, Dec. 4. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the setting will be changed this year. The homeless encampment set up in Brooks Park by fire and poli...

WEST HARWICH – Things were not going well for Adelia Marquis. Once, she lived and worked on Nantucket, enjoying her job as a landscaper. But then the hard times hit, and with force. “I struggled with homelessness for quite a while,” Marquis said. Thrown out of her home due to her sexuality, Marquis then lost her job due to COVID-19 layoffs. Faced with the unfathomable decision of where to go, Marquis opted ...

HARWICH — Connecting Harwich Port and Saquatucket Harbor with a sidewalk is a few steps closer to reality. Town Engineer Griffin Ryder said discussions have been taking place between the town and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and a new directive from the state agency could pave the way for construction of the sidewalk. Officials are also looking for public input into the sidewalk proposal at ...

HARWICH — The Harwich Conservation Trust has met its goal of raising $1,225,000 to buy 6.65 acres in the Sand Pond Woodlands. The acquisition puts in place the final piece of a 75-acre land connection puzzle along the Herring River. Purchase of the 6.65 acres will not occur until the spring of 2021, said Harwich Conservation Trust Executive Director Michael Lach, because the trust will have to comply with stat...

HARWICH — Selectmen Monday night rejected reducing annual restaurant liquor license fees for the coming year. Restaurants had requested the reductions because of lost business due to restrictions under the commonwealth’s emergency COVID-19 orders. For a time, the emergency regulations prohibited serving of alcohol for on-premise consumption. Once restaurants were allowed to serve liquor on the premises, it ...