CHATHAM – Giants are coming to town. Three giant whale sculptures, to be precise. In 1998, Sandwich glass artist Michael Magyar created his first “giant” illuminated steel structure. Since then he's created some 60 of the whimsical structures in many shapes and sizes, spread among many Cape towns, the nearest being Orleans. Chatham is about to join the list; local residents Mary Bath and Stephen Daniel are ...

CHATHAM -- In a 19-minute special town meeting Sunday afternoon, voters approved $5.9 million in improvements to the town's water system aimed at treating PFAS contamination and increasing capacity. The two articles approved unanimously will complete construction of two wells off Mill Hill Road and begin the process of treated PFAS in two wells off Training Field Road which were shut down earlier this year bec...

Through New Community Voice Portal CHATHAM – Got an opinion on how the town should deal with food trucks? As part of upgrades to the town website, a new module called Community Voice serves as an online forum for the public to comment on specific town projects. The first topic: food truck regulations. The portal is now open and accepting comments on “mobile food vendors,” a subject that caused some contr...

Officials Warn Public Not To Feed Wild Animals CHATHAM – Officials are warning people not to feed coyotes and other wild animals after a teenager was bitten at Harding's Beach on Oct. 11. It wasn't the first report of a coyote bite at Harding's Beach, and officials are investigating several reports of a person who has been feeding coyotes at the beach. Sixteen-year-old Jacob Packard and a friend were eat...

Over Objections From Area Residents CHATHAM – Peter Higgins just wants to have the opportunity to offer live music at his Dogfish Taco Co., to maybe attract a few more customers during slow times in the afternoon and early evening. It's something customers have asked him about, he said, and would never go any later than the restaurant's 8 p.m. closing time. Select board members had no problem with the reque...

CHATHAM – What better way to follow up Saturday's special town meeting than a visit to the town's annual Oktoberfest? After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Oktoberfest is back in Kate Gould Park with a day-long festival of food, music and games sponsored by the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association. Events begin at 10:30 a.m. with a Bubble Party with Maureen and continue through 4:30 p.m...

CHATHAM – Recognizing that there may be influence in numbers, the select board has joined a coalition of municipalities, organizations and individuals supporting legislation allowing communities to levy real estate transfer fees to raise money for affordable housing. “It would be better to be part of this than not,” said Select Board Chair Peter Cocolis. Voters earlier this year backed home-rule legislation...

CHATHAM – Upgrades to several town wells in response to PFAS contamination will be the chief topic of Sunday's special town meeting. Two of the three articles on the warrant seek funding to complete construction of two wells and begin the process of building a treatment facility for the two wells shut down in recent months after levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl were found to be above the state maximum. Th...

CHATHAM — An online rental site recently advertised a house in Chatham that could accommodate 16 guests. Trouble is, it has only three permitted bedrooms. “There’s evidence that they had construction work done to add an extra bedroom and bathroom on the second floor and additional bedrooms in the basement,” board of health member Richard Edwards said last week. “They should be forced to deconstruct that...

CHATHAM — The select board is moving closer to a conceptual design for improving the Eldredge Garage property that they hope will win the support of voters and neighbors – and a potential benefactor. Sidelined because of the pandemic and other budget priorities, the project was back before the board last week, with Kurt Raber of Catalyst Architects providing new drawings. Raber proposed remodeling the ex...

CHATHAM – Chatham Elementary School students can consult a prolific author every single day if they wish, because the school’s new library/media specialist, Jenna Grodzicki, has published 14 books for children, with five more in the pipeline. “For someone who loves teaching and books, this is the perfect job for me,” Grodzicki said in an email interview last week. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the amazing staf...

CHATHAM – Pumpkin People didn't skip a beat during the pandemic, appearing in Kate Gould Park last October right on schedule even though the annual Oktoberfest had to be canceled. But the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association-sponsored Oktoberfest will be back on Oct. 23 with a day-long festival of food, music. This weekend the Pumpkin People will return for their annual seasonal exhibit, wi...