HARWICH — After National Grid gas line replacement tied up traffic along Route 39 this past spring, a spokesman for the company made it clear work would not be done on that main road in the next couple of months. However, gas main replacement will be done on Depot Road and side streets throughout the summer. Brad Wheeler, a senior project manager for National Grid, explained to selectmen last week that work wa...

HARWICH — Grey skies and a few rain drops may have held down the crowd, but it could not contain the excitement generated by those who attended the inaugural Harwich Cape Verdean Festival held in Brooks Park on Saturday. The voice of Cape Verdean International singer Candida Rose and the heart healthy beat of Cape Cod African Dance and Drum brought warmth and eventual sunshine to the festival. The event was an...

HARWICH — With both the waterside and landside renovation projects now out to bid, there is likely going to be a lot of activity in and around Saquatucket Harbor over the winter. However, it will take a trip to the former Harwich Middle School building to locate harbor and natural resources departments staff. Harbormaster John Rendon said there are only a couple of more permits to put in place which are expect...

HARWICH — The board of health made it official this past week, voting to increase the age at which people can purchase tobacco products within town limits from 18 to 21. That was the only major change in the regulations, though there were a number of changes to the document designed to clarify language. The board worked on adjustments to the regulations for several months and weighed additional restrictions, i...

Using towns on the Lower Cape as a model, a bill filed by Congressman William Keating aims to help other communities save money when taking part in federal flood mitigation programs. The legislation, H.R. 3135, would provide resources so towns with flood-prone neighborhoods can create regional partnerships to share the cost of participating in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS...

EAST HARWICH — As they near their deadline to produce a groundbreaking report for the Friends of Pleasant Bay, researchers from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies are gaining a clearer picture of the organisms, large and small, that inhabit the bay. The researchers gave an update of their work at the annual meeting of the Friends of Pleasant Bay Monday afternoon at the Wequassett Inn. The study, com...

HARWICH — Residents along Lovers Lane were not showing much affection for their neighboring farmer when they came before selectmen Monday night to complain about incessant roosters crowing. Lovers Lane resident Audrey Greenway initially thanked selectmen for the assistance she has received from town officials over issues she has had with the Resilient Family Farm at 35 Chatham Rd., but she said she needed more...

WEST HARWICH – Duncan Berry has been one of the skippers of the effort to create the Captains' Row Historic District. There is something inside him driving this initiative: genetics, a linkage like halyards to the history of sail. Last Friday, a subtropical storm pounded winds and rain like ocean waves against the side of the the Captain James Berry House along Route 28, an 1860 Greek Revival which Berry owns ...

HARWICH — It was clear Monday night that some town officials are still concerned with the cost of the Saquatucket Harbor landside development project. The town is expected to seek bids on the project this week. Harbormaster John Rendon provided selectmen with the latest estimate from Brown Lindquist Fenuccio & Raber, Architects, the firm that did the design for the harbor improvements. “I know there are...

HARWICH –The state Department of Environmental Protection has placed a stay order on the fish house project on the Herring River, which was before the conservation commission last week for an after-the-fact notice of intent filing for work conducted there this spring. The commission issued an emergency certification allowing the stabilization of the structure, which sits in the river, based on a structural eng...

More than a postcard backdrop, the Cape's working waterfront is an economic engine. And it deserves continued financial support from the state, said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who is also the chairman of the state's Seaport Economic Council, which is making sizable investments in the shorefront infrastructure in Chatham and Harwich. Polito visited Old Mill Boat Yard in Chatham and Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich Por...

Cape Cod's housing shortage is a big problem. Some say help could come in the form of tiny houses. Very, very small houses – think about the square footage of a big garden shed or a garage – increasingly have appeal to people who want to live with a modest footprint. It's called the “tiny house” movement, and while they aren't for everyone, these diminutive domiciles have distinct advantages. They also have a ...