CHATHAM – There are Pumpkin People in Kate Gould Park again, and this Saturday they'll help usher in the Chatham Merchants Association's annual Oktoberfest celebration. Events in the park begin at 10:30 a.m. and run through 4:30 p.m., and will include seasonal food and beverages, games for kids and music with the Chatham Band, That '60s Band and more. There will also be a “Pumpkin Patch Sidewalk Stroll” sale S...

CHATHAM – Selectmen met for an hour in executive session Monday to discuss the fish pier observation deck project, which has missed numerous completion deadlines, the latest of which was Oct. 16. The board is “undertaking all appropriate steps” regarding the project with staff and town counsel, Selectmen Chair Shareen Davis said. She declined to be more specific. “We're keenly aware of where we're at with t...

CHATHAM – A half century ago, Florence Seldin's family rented a cottage every summer in Wellfleet and could walk to the water just up and over a dune. One year they returned and the path ended in a sheer cliff over the beach. “That certainly shows me what could happen here on Cape Cod,” Seldin said, referring to the threat to the peninsula from climate change. She was one of about 50 people who attended a w...

Final Decision On Two Options Postponed CHATHAM – Although they deferred a formal vote, several selectmen indicated Monday that they prefer a privately owned parcel on Route 28 in West Chatham as the site for a new senior center. “I believe 1610 [Main St.] is the more functional area,” said Selectman Peter Cocolis. But, he added, echoing other board members, “I don't like the price.” Selectman Jeffrey Dyken...

The only way to be completely safe from a shark attack, a new report released Wednesday concludes, is to stay out of the water. The $50,000 study by the Woods Hole Group analyzed 27 shark mitigation alternatives but did not recommend any single or group of solutions. The report concludes that current practices, such as “shark smart” education, heightened awareness and emergency measures such as stop the bleed ...

CHATHAM — In news that causes town officials plenty of dismay but little surprise, the contractor replacing the observation deck at the fish pier has missed the final project deadline. After multiple delays and change orders, Sciaba Construction Corp. and the town agreed on a final extension of the project completion date of Oct. 16. As of press time, it was clear that the deadline would be missed. Healt...

This is the first of two stories examining the draft master plan update for Chatham Municipal Airport. CHATHAM – Much of the attention being given to the update of the Chatham Municipal Airport Master Plan has been devoted to the proposal to allow direct instrument approach landings. But the thick, 10-chapter study, still in the development stage, contains other significant proposals which could change the ...

CHATHAM – The summer residents have gone and the leaves are falling from the trees. Must be about time for the Pumpkin People to make their return. Indeed, this Friday, Oct. 18, members of the Chatham Merchants Association will be marching into Kate Gould Park to set up their autumnal creations in the group's annual Pumpkin People in the Park display, which runs through Oct. 29. This year's Oktoberfest cele...

Board: Reusing Current Site Too Costly, Complex CHATHAM — It still remains to be seen where a proposed new senior center will be located, but it won't be at the existing site on Stony Hill Road. Meeting in special session last Thursday, selectmen showed interest in using either part of the Marconi campus in Chathamport or a private parcel at 1610 Main St. in West Chatham for the new council on ag...

The days are getting shorter, and Chatham's Main Street can be deserted after dark as a breeze whirls dead leaves through the gutters. Sometimes, down by the lighthouse with the wind howling and nothing but the black water below, it can be downright creepy. You’re right to be creeped out, because it turns out a ghost has been haunting these streets for many years. Over a century and a half ago, the ghost wa...

CHATHAM – Barring unforeseen objections, it looks like smooth sailing for the proposal to nominate South Chatham as a National Register Historic District. There were few questions and no objections raised to the plan at a public informational meeting last week sponsored by the historical commission and the South Chatham Village Association, attended by about 25 neighborhood residents. At the end of the session...

CHATHAM – The nature of retirement has changed in the past few decades. With fewer companies offering pensions, older folks who might have quit the workforce altogether once they reached 65 are now either working longer or transitioning to some sort of quasi-retirement that includes a part-time job or consulting work. Those factors have led the Chatham Retired Men's Club, now in its 62 nd year, to drop the wo...