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...

HARWICH – Standing in the middle of the Family Pantry of Cape Cod’s 12,000-square-foot warehouse located on Queen Anne Road can be a busy — and dizzy — spectacle. Grocery baskets zig-zag across the floor like bumper cars, often filled with curated bags filled with groceries, boxed food items or clothing. Delivery trucks beep in the background while a steady collection of clients pull into the parking lot one a...

HARWICH – It has been more than four months since the town has had a full-time building commissioner. That will change next month with the appointment of Robert Piccirilli to the post. Piccirilli has more than 30 years experience as a building trade professional and worked in the building department in Halifax for 21 years, serving as the town’s building inspector for 15 years and as building commissione...

HARWICH – “Pickleball, I can say, is not a passing fad anymore,” Recreation Department Director Eric Beebe told the Community Preservation Commission (CPC) last week when making a pitch for money to build more courts at Brooks Park. Beebe was before the committee seeking a positive recommendation on a $245,500 Community Preservation Act request for four more pickleball courts and a half basketball court at the...

HARWICH – The police department has received a gift of three Harley Davidson motorcycles that will be used to train officers conjunction with the Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement Council’s motor unit. The motorcycles – 1999, 2008, and 2010 models – were a gift to the town from Victor Petkauskos. Each motorcycle has a value of $2,500. The bikes will be used for training officers from across the county for moto...

HARWICH – Unhappy with the single offer to buy the historic West Harwich Schoolhouse, officials will once again solicit proposals for purchase of the building, but this time will include a minimum sale price and other contingencies. Selectmen agreed Monday to set a minimum price of $140,600, the assessed value of the land at 5 Bells Neck Rd., and to require that the exterior of the circa 1871 building be prese...