HARWICH – After serving the community for 30 years, Town Clerk Anita Doucette will retire at the end of her term in May. “It’s happening. I am not taking out my nomination papers,” Doucette said. “I love my town, my job, but I need to spend more of my time with my family. I have beautiful grandchildren and want to spend more time with them all.” Her tenure as keeper of the records for the municipality is th...

HARWICH — The Brooks Free Library’s collection of Rogers Group statues, which remain the source of one of the town’s great unsolved crimes, are back in the limelight. And this time it’s for a happy reason. At one time, the library had a collection of 69 of the valuable clay-and-plaster statuettes, which were created by artist John Rogers and mass produced by skilled craftsmen. They were found in the best parlo...

HARWICH – The board of health has implemented an emergency order mandating that masks to be worn in all town buildings. The board also issued a public advisory recommending masks be worn in all indoor public spaces. The board met on Dec. 28 and approved the emergency mask order for town buildings effective Thursday, Dec. 30. The advisory recommending masks in indoor public spaces was effective Dec. 29. The ...

HARWICH – The Harwich Fund has awarded a $1,000 grant to the Friends of Harwich Early Childhood Advisory Council for a virtual “science arts” discovery-based learning program for preschoolers. The council, in partnership with Cape Cod Children’s Place, will administer the grant. The grant was funded in part by a donation from the Guild of Harwich Arts to encourage arts in any form in the community. ...

HARWICH – The holiday season edition of the Family Pantry of Cape Cod and The Cape Cod Chronicle’s Helping Neighbors campaign is charging toward its goal of $100,000. The fundraising total reached $90,070 after $12,050 was earned this past week, the fifth since the campaign began. Only $9,930 more is needed to reach the $100,000 goal, which will help the pantry purchase groceries for 2022. “We [accept] food...

But Selectmen Want To See Higher Fees HARWICH – Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in town, and the recreation department is seeking to add outdoor courts and to increase additional gym time at the cultural center in the winter months to accommodate the demand for playing time. But selectmen are concerned about the costs associated with expanded use. Recreation Director Eric Beebe told board me...

HARWICH – Selectmen have instructed Town Administrator Joseph Powers to develop two proposals for the historic West Harwich Schoolhouse: one to obtain a realtor to handle the sale and a second to sell the building. “Town meeting was clear, they said to sell the building,” Selectmen Chairman Michael MacAskill said. “It’s time to move on and list it with a preference for [saving the] historical facade.” West ...

HARWICH – This was the second year that the town had to make adjustments to curtail the spread of COVID-19. Board and committee meetings continued to be conducted remotely in the first half of the year. Access to public buildings was restricted, and once again the annual town meeting was delayed and held outside. The year started with Interim Town Administrator Joseph Powers interviewing as a finalist for the ...

HARWICH – Approximately 600 children from throughout Cape Cod will experience the thrill of opening presents on Christmas morning thanks to the 31 st edition of the Family Pantry of Cape Cod’s Toy Day event, which took place Sunday at the pantry’s warehouse on Queen Anne Road. The Toy Day event returned to the pantry’s calendar this year after it was canceled last December due to COVID-19. Safety was still a ...

Monomoy Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Scott Carpenter is one of four finalists for the superintendent position in both the Barnstable Public Schools and the Hingham Public Schools. Both communities are expected to name the successful candidate shortly after the holiday break. “There are moments in life when leaving your comfort zone may open the door to tremendous personal growth,” Carpenter wrot...

Board Nixes Recommendation To Stop Outdoor Entertainment HARWICH – In acting on long-awaited findings on alleged noise and liquor license violations against five local establishments, selectmen rejected a recommendation to not issue any outdoor entertainment permits in 2022. However, the board warned that if noise complaints and liquor license violations continue, there could be more severe action. “If t...

HARWICH — The cultural center, which began as a stopgap use for the old Harwich Middle School building, has become an important feature for residents and visitors. Acknowledging that fact, Town Administrator Joseph Powers has proposed creating a full-time director of cultural affairs position to oversee the building and the town’s two soon-to-be-established cultural districts. “We can’t do justice to talking a...