ORLEANS – Is it a boat, or is it a sign? The zoning board of appeals on Feb. 2 will again take up the status of the boat out in front of Atlantic Workshop, even though the business' owner already won an appeal of an order calling for its removal in 2020. Scott Feen, who owns and runs the business out of his home at 94 Main St., is appealing a letter he received in November from the town's building commissio...

ORLEANS – If the town wants to move ahead with dredging the Nauset Estuary, some important questions need addressing. Questions include the location of the town boundary in the project area separating Orleans from Eastham, and can the boundary be moved? Town Counsel Michael Ford summarized for the select board Jan. 19 where things stand regarding the boundary as it relates to plans to follow through on the dre...

ORLEANS – Between state and federal COVID-19 funding and anticipated revenue from two recreational marijuana shops due to open in town, more money is coming to Orleans. But town officials need more guidance on how to spend it. The select board on Jan. 19 had a preliminary discussion on what the town can expect from state and county COVID-19 relief funding and tried to get a sense of how that money can and cann...

ORLEANS – Town officials want to have all of the information they need in place if and when the time comes to demolish the existing Governor Prence Inn buildings. The select board and the affordable housing trust board, which together co-own the 5.5-acre property on Route 6A, voted during a joint meeting Jan. 18 to begin the process of undertaking site reconstruction and a topological survey, funding for which...

NORTH EASTHAM – The energy and excitement was reminiscent of what you would expect during the final moments of a tense sporting event in a school gymnasium rather than the usually quiet confines of the library. For four days spread across two weeks, Nauset Regional High School’s library served as a battlefield, as the school welcomed Dennis-Yarmouth and Falmouth High School students to compete in the Cape Cod ...

ORLEANS – The select board wants clarity on the town's insurance policy on the Governor Prence Inn buildings, which Town Administrator John Kelly said the town could be at risk of losing. Kelly told the board Jan. 12 that he received communication from Lloyd's of London, which is insuring the building, that the town has 45 days to make needed repairs to the property, otherwise it could risk losing its $1 milli...

ORLEANS – A new urgent care facility is on schedule to open its doors this spring at the site of the former Lobster Claw restaurant on Route 6A. Ground broke last month on the yet-to-be-named facility, which will be located at 42 Route 6A. The 6,500-square-foot center is being built as part of an extensive $125 million capital campaign announced by Cape Cod Healthcare Jan. 4. Plans for the new center show a...

EASTHAM – A vaccine clinic at Nauset Regional High School Jan. 13 drew protestors to school property in the morning and afternoon. Nauset High Principal Chris Ellsasser said that eight people protested the clinic with signs outside the main entrance before the start of school. A group of about 15 people returned in the afternoon to continue the protest, he said. About 190 people participated in the clinic. ...

ORLEANS – A proposal to site a new fire station behind the existing facility on Eldredge Park Way would also allow expanded Orleans Elementary School parking, as well as a quicker tie-in to town sewer. The Orleans School Committee heard a preliminary pitch Jan. 12 from Ron Collins, the town's facilities manager, to site a new fire station on an unused acre of school land. The town is seeking a vote from the co...

ORLEANS – An expanded survey of the town's historic properties and improved traffic signaling near the intersection of Main Street and the Cape Cod Rail Trail are among the projects seeking community preservation funding this spring. The community preservation committee began hearing project presentations Jan. 13. The committee is charged with making recommendations on approximately $1.5 million in proposed Co...

EASTHAM – A vaccine clinic at Nauset Regional High School Jan. 13 drew protestors to school property in the morning and afternoon. Nauset High Principal Chris Ellsasser said that eight people protested the clinic with signs outside the main entrance before the start of school. A group of about 15 people returned in the afternoon to continue the protest, he said. About 190 people participated in the clinic. ...

ORLEANS – The Underground Mall off Route 6A has been vacant for years. But Chris DeSisto sees parking inside the existing buildings and landscaped greenspace breaking up the expansive pavement. More than anything, however, he sees an opportunity to provide moderately-priced housing to people in and around Orleans who need it. DeSisto, owner of Maple Hurst Builders, presented preliminary plans for building w...