CHATHAM – In 2022, Chatham, along with the rest of the region, continued to climb out of the pandemic and move toward a semblance of normalcy. The Independence Day parade was back to its usual crowds, fans flocked to Cape League baseball games, and this weekend's First Night returns to form with both indoor and outdoor entertainment. Yet the impact of the pandemic lingered. Town meeting continued to be held ou...

CHATHAM – In its first year, the Dr. Florence Seldin Family Support Program contributed to the preschool tuition of 23 students, lifting a huge financial burden off 23 local families. “It's almost like one of those too good to be true things,” said Doug Lapuc, whose four-and-a-half-year-old son Felix attends the Rocking Unicorn Nursery School. “The cost of living on the Cape and Islands is much greater than mo...

CHATHAM – As many as eight single-family homes could be built on the two-acre parcel along Stepping Stones Road that the select board has targeted for affordable and workforce housing. A preliminary “test fit” by a consultant examined several scenarios for the property, including single-family homes and duplexes. Between eight and 10 units with 20 and 36 bedrooms could be accommodated on the property, accordin...

CHATHAM — First Night Chatham is ready to welcome in 2023 with music, arts, fireworks, food and frivolity. And if you’re among those who love to party but start yawning well before midnight, this year’s celebration is made to order. The town’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration has a schedule packed with concerts, performances and activities, all of which conclude by 9 p.m. While past celebrations incl...

CHATHAM — It might not take an act of town meeting to regulate short-term rental properties in town. A working group considering the matter favors using a board of health regulation to control summer rentals, saying it would provide more flexibility than a town bylaw. It could also be more politically expedient. A short-term rental registration bylaw went before the special town meeting in Orleans in October a...

CHATHAM — By virtue of their topography, the funds used to buy them and the neighborhoods around them, two land parcels purchased by the town will likely host different mixes of housing. That was one of the themes discussed at last week’s meeting about housing options for land on Meetinghouse Road in South Chatham and at 1533 Main St. in West Chatham. Held by the Barrett Planning Group, the town’s housing cons...

CHATHAM – Citizens know they can rely on the town’s first responders when there’s an emergency. But Chatham firefighters and police are also pitching in to help the community with food, toys and other essentials this holiday season. Holiday Groceries This week, Chatham firefighters will be assembling bags of groceries for a handful of local families, in partnership with an unnamed benefactor and Chatham Vill...

CHATHAM – “Spike” and “electricity” are not two words anyone wants to hear together. In this case the spike isn't going to destroy your electronics, but it could take a significant toll on your finances. Electricity rates in the region are scheduled to increase significantly next month, with the cost per kilowatt hour for Eversource customers rising from 17.8 cents to 25.64 cents as of Jan. 1. Consumers who bu...

CHATHAM — Having virtually exhausted other alternatives, the select board this week voted to take a fresh look at a site on the Marconi campus in Chathamport as a potential new home for the council on aging.  In a process that started in 2016, the Marconi location was considered twice before, and it was discarded both times in favor of spots that seemed more favorable, but which ultimately didn’t win favor wit...

Other Solutions Explored For South Side Erosion CHATHAM — In the short term, the town could install sheet pile “vanes” to keep sand from the Fool’s Cut from filling in the Stage Harbor entrance channel. It’s a problem that’s expected to solve itself In the long term — say 15 or 20 years — when experts predict shifting sands will close off the cut naturally. Last Thursday, engineer John Ramsey of Falmouth-ba...

Conservancy Marks Decade Of Collaboration With State NORTH CHATHAM — Working in partnership with state shark biologist Greg Skomal, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is marking the end of another successful season tagging white sharks off the beaches of Cape Cod. Over 18 research trips conducted between July and early last month, researchers tagged 31 individual sharks, shedding a bit more light on the q...

Time Will Allow Inspection By Historic Preservationist CHATHAM – How deep should the historical commission delve to determine if an old building is historically significant? That was one of the questions facing the commission last week when it considered a request to demolish a 117-year-old Stage Harbor Road house. While representatives of owners Susan Probst and Anthony Grimm asserted that there was nex...