CHATHAMPORT — It's the time of year for weeding, pruning and a fresh coat of paint, and last week, around 50 volunteers from CARE for the Cape and Islands converged on the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center for a spring spruce-up. Designed to provide service opportunities for visitors to the Cape, CARE is now in its fifth year, Executive Director Jill Talladay said. Among those taking part in the clean-up at th...

CHATHAM – The only thing certain about the fate of an iconic Shore Road home is that it will continue to exist in its present state for at least the next 18 months. After unanimously agreeing that the 91-year-old house, whose official address is 233 Seaview St., is historically significant, the commission voted Tuesday to impose an 18-month demolition delay on the structure. Owners Ronald and Ann Cami of San F...

CHATHAM – Toxic algae has closed several freshwater ponds on Cape Cod in recent years, including Harwich's Hinckley's Pond in 2009. So far Chatham's ponds have not been impacted, and a new testing program aims at providing a warning if that changes. Volunteers are being sought to help collect water quality samples from five ponds this summer. Testing for cyanobacteria – the organism that causes the blue-green ...

CHATHAM — Because of an apparent miscommunication, an article seeking to renew the Monomoy Regional School agreement was not included on Chatham's annual town meeting warrant and will have to wait until next year. Fortunately, the revised agreement doesn’t include any weighty changes, so the postponement doesn’t pose a problem, Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said. At first, it seemed the revisi...

CHATHAM – After the 1987 break in North Beach, a long-range plan was developed in response to what was expected to be continued erosion south of Lighthouse Beach. But conditions changed – South Beach connected to the mainland and provided protection for the inner shoreline – and the plan was never fully implemented. That's just one reason no one was prepared for the devastating effect this past winter's four n...

CHATHAM – After nearly two years of work, consolidated waterways regulations were approved last week by the waterways advisory committee. The final draft will now go back to the board of selectmen before being adopted by the harbormaster. A theme that emerged from the committee's hearing on the draft last Thursday was the need to take a look at the waterways bylaw, the override authority under which the new re...

This is the second of a three-part series focusing on warrant articles for Chatham's May 14 annual town meeting. CHATHAM – Every year, homeowners pay a 3 percent surcharge on their property taxes that's used to fund affordable housing, historic preservation, open space and recreation projects that would not usually be covered by the town's operating budget. The Community Preservation Act was signed into law ...

CHATHAM — When it comes to the plan to widen Route 28 at the intersection of Crowell, Depot and Queen Anne roads, selectmen are tapping the brakes. On Monday, engineer Keri Pyke of Howard/Stein-Hudson showed selectmen a new design that includes a modern traffic signal coupled with turning lanes and bike lanes on Route 28 west of the crossroads, but with less road widening on the east side of the intersection...

     CHATHAM - In what seems likely to be the only chance for voters to hear from the five men seeking three seats on the board of selectmen this year, the Chatham Alliance for Preservation and Conservation has scheduled a public candidates' forum for Wednesday, May 2 at 3 p.m. at the Eldredge Public Library. Incumbents Cory Metters and Dean Nicastro are being challenged by Seth Taylor for two full terms on the b...

Articles Seek Funding For Airport, Library, COA, Dredging This is the first of a three-part series looking at warrant articles for Chatham's May 14 annual town meeting. CHATHAM – It's a big year for capital expenditures. When all capital spending proposals are combined – the annual five-year capital improvement plan, water department capital projects and a half dozen special capital funding requests – ...

CHATHAM — With the weather feeling decidedly more spring-like, people are getting out their bicycles, dusting them off and hitting the pavement. But town officials have had bikes on the brain for the last year or so, and have unveiled an ambitious bicycle master plan that recommends millions of dollars of improvements over the coming years. “The heart of the plan is a list of 25 discrete projects,” bikeways ...

CHATHAM – For the first time in the more than two decades it has sponsored candidate forums centered on the annual town election, the League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area has cancelled a planned debate. That leaves a single event, a forum sponsored by the Chatham Alliance for Preservation and Conservation scheduled for May 2, for voters to hear the five candidates for the board of selectmen discuss and ...