In the past week or two, it’s been hard to drive even short distances without encountering a detour sign, traffic cones or road construction crews. But take heart: town officials say much of the work will be done by Memorial Day. It’s a fact of life on Cape Cod, Chatham Public Works Director Tom Temple said. Paving crews have to work in a narrow window of time between the onset of warm weather and Memorial Day...

CHATHAM – Save the date—June 29, at the Chatham VFW on George Ryder Road—for the Art of Charity's final swansong, really-and-truly-last-time event. Local food trucks, music and a limited but extremely selective silent auction will be the highlights of the evening, which will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. It's the Art of Charity Foundation's way of saying so long and thanks to the community, said President Otis Rus...

CHATHAM – Voters spent some $60 million at the annual town meeting, and while the major expenditures received coverage last week, there were numerous smaller appropriations that didn't make the news but nonetheless deserve attention. There were also several articles that were not acted upon, including changes to the Monomoy Regional School district agreement. Although the changes mostly involved removing referen...

CHATHAM – Voters in the annual election Thursday approved borrowing $7.1 million for the next phase in the town's wastewater management project. Incumbent Selectmen Peter Cocolis and Jeffrey Dykens ran unopposed and will serve three more years on the board. Incumbent School Committee member Joseph Auciello and housing authority member Alan Mowry also ran unopposed. Cocolis received the most votes at 334, with D...

CHATHAM – Within the Rolf E. Sylvan Gardens Conservation Area, there are hundreds of plant species, many of them left over from the days when Sylvan operated Lower Cape Nursery on the land. “There's just so much stuff in here,” said Cynthia “DooDee” Nowak, a landscaper who grew up and still lives nearby. “There's stuff programmed to bloom all the way through the fall.” Known for years for its lavish display...

CHATHAM – The board of health will hold a public hearing next month on a proposed regulation banning the sale of flavored tobacco and electronic cigarette products. The proposal was initially put before the board by Monomoy Regional High School students, who were particularly focused on e-cigarette, or vaping, products. The students conducted a survey at the school and found that 35 percent of students had tri...

CHATHAM — Town officials have mixed news when it comes to two projects they’d hoped to have complete before the Memorial Day weekend. While the Mitchell River drawbridge repairs were completed ahead of schedule, the construction of a new observation deck at the fish pier might not be. The contractor carrying out the work at the fish pier has requested a slight extension of the deadline for building the new o...

CHATHAM — By the slimmest of margins, voters Tuesday rejected a plan to seek a shark detection and deterrent system for Oyster Pond Beach. But they passed most other articles in the second and final night of the annual town meeting, and soundly approved a $325,000 plan to acquire property interests in the VFW to support renovations to its building. Voters approved several bans on consumer plastics, and decided ...

CHATHAM – Despite warnings that delays would escalate costs, concerns about the size and location of a new senior center led voters to reject the $6.6 million project and send it back to the drawing board on the first night of the annual town meeting. Also Monday, voters approved a zoning bylaw that will allow the creation of apartments in single-family homes, which advocates say will increase the stock of mar...

CHATHAMPORT — Before Lucky Lindy, Amelia Earhart or Howard Hughes took their places in aviation history, there was the crew of the NC-4, whose all-but-forgotten adventure began a century ago in Chatham. “Without an exaggeration, it changed the world,” retired Coast Guard Capt. Greg Ketchen said. “To paraphrase Neil Armstrong, it was a giant leap forward for mankind.” On Tuesday, Ketchen led a small assembly ...

In the 18 th century, sophisticated Parisians met in private homes to hear music performed in intimate venues. So it is appropriate that to mark the 20 th anniversary of the Chatham Music Club (CMC), which also meets in private homes to perform classical music, the group is planning a gala concert called “Vive La France.” The May 19 concert will feature a dozen soloists—singers and instrumentalists—as well as ...

CHATHAM — By the slimmest of margins, voters Tuesday rejected a plan to seek a shark detection and deterrent system for Oyster Pond Beach. But they passed most other articles in the second and final night of the annual town meeting, and soundly approved a $325,000 plan to acquire property interests in the VFW to support renovations to its building. Voters approved several bans on consumer plastics, and decided ...