HARWICH — Voters in the May town meeting turned aside an article seeking to establish a charter enforcement commission. But Sandra Hall, sponsor of the article, continues to see the need for oversight of the town's constitution. Hall was the chair of the original charter commission that shaped the Harwich Home Rule Charter adopted in 1987. She also served for four terms on the board of selectmen. While there h...

HARWICH — Municipal services were on the blink on Tuesday as town hall and the Albro House were evacuated when a maintenance accident severed a gas line. Brooks Free Library was also closed when a lighting inverter failed leaving the facility in the dark. For the second time in less than a year Brooks Library was closed to the public because of a faulty insulated-gate bipolar transistor which controls lighting...

HARWICH ─ There are plenty of sharks in the waters off Cape Cod, and then there's the one on Jay Hannon's front lawn. No, it's not real, but it has had many passers-by slowing down for a second look, which suits Hannon just fine. “He loves the attention,” said his wife, Michele. The shark's name is Bruce, based both on the character in “Finding Nemo” and the legendary mechanical beast in “Jaws,” and he's ...

HARWICH — Decoys and bird carving were center stage at the Elmer Crowell barn last week as carvers and collectors came to examine the workshop in which Crowell, considered the father of modern bird carving, conducted his work. “This is so beneficial for the town of Harwich. There is so much history here,” said bird carver Paul Phillips, a West Harwich resident. Phillips has assisted with setting up the new loc...

HARWICH PORT — After three and a half years under the leadership of an interim minister, Pilgrim Congregational Church has hired a full-time pastor, The Rev. Dr. Susan Cartmell. Church leaders carried out a national search, but in the end, didn't have to look very far. An author and scholar, Cartmell is also the wife of the interim minister, the Rev. Peggy O'Connor. “The people in this church have been ju...

HARWICH — The Bell's Neck ring was completed on Friday with a chainsaw-cutting ceremony which removed a wooden barrier along the Cape Cod Rail Trail, creating a passage way to the former Hall property and connecting the loop of public trails around the West Reservoir. The Bell's Neck Conservation Area is one of the town's premiere nature preserves and encompasses a large stretch of the Herring River, which lea...

HARWICH PORT — Two boaters are lucky to be alive after a fishing trip off Allen Harbor went badly awry last Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a man aboard a 28-foot center console boat radioed the Chatham harbormaster to report an empty inflatable motorized boat south of Allen Harbor. Chatham's 21-foot patrol boat, which was patrolling off Harding's Beach, diverted to the scene. Assistant Harbormas...

HARWICH — Because of a problem with the building's emergency lighting system, Brooks Free Library will be offering reduced services for the next few days, officials announced this morning. Most of the library building itself is closed to the public but limited services will be available in the lobby, where patrons can check out books and movies from a small collection; they can also pick up items on hold.  Chi...

HARWICH PORT — Two boaters are lucky to be alive after a fishing trip off Allen Harbor went badly awry Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a man aboard a 28-foot center console boat radioed the Chatham harbormaster to report an empty inflatable motorized boat south of Allen Harbor. Chatham's 21-foot patrol boat, which was patrolling off Harding's Beach, diverted to the scene. Assistant Harbormaster B...

Muddy Creek has a new bridge, better water quality, and a new group of devotees who are visiting by canoe and kayak. Chatham resident George Olmsted thinks it's time for the waterway to get a new name, as well. Olmsted says he'd someday like to drive across that bridge and see a little “Monomoy River” sign where the Muddy Creek sign used to be. “Muddy Creek is not an attractive name. And furthermore, at thi...

EAST HARWICH — The Harwich Conservation Trust has signed a purchase and sales agreement with the Marini family to acquire 17 acres of land with 1,400 feet of frontage along Muddy Creek. The acquisition is seen as important in protecting the headwaters of the creek that feeds into Pleasant Bay. “This gives us a window to raise the funds to purchase the property,” Harwich Conservation Trust Executive Director Mi...

HARWICH — Parking and inclusion of a restaurant are among the issues that need to be worked out before the Harwich Port Plaza proposal makes its way before the planning board for Village Commercial Overlay District site plan approval. Attorney Michael D. Ford detailed changes proposed for the 28,008-square-foot parcel in the center of Harwich Port during a pre-conference meeting last week. The focus was not o...