CHATHAM – A community forum to gather public input on the operation of the town's elementary school will be held by the select board next Thursday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The board is looking for direction as it addresses the concerns of the Monomoy Regional School Committee about decreasing enrollment at Chatham Elementary School (CES), its impact on elementary students' educational experience, the ...

CHATHAM – The finance committee is putting its money where its mouth is. Or, rather, the town's money. Acting on conclusions reached by a committee working group a year ago, the committee is recommending the voters approve four town meeting articles that take significant steps in the drive to increase the availability of attainable and affordable housing in town. The committee backed the acquisition of prop...

CHATHAM – While the chief of Coast Guard Station Chatham defended the replacement of the station's surf boats with the agency's standard patrol boat, the chairman of the Aunt Lydia's Cove Committee said the change would be disastrous for the town's commercial fishing fleet. “We're being left high and dry” by the move, said fisherman Doug Feeney. Chatham Harbor has one of the most dangerous bars on the east coa...

While more and more people are getting COVID-19 vaccinations each day, Barnstable County is still struggling with a surge of cases linked to the Mid Cape. The county’s 14-day incidence rate, expressed as cases per 100,000 people, stands at 40.2, pushed high by the town of Barnstable’s rate of 78.5 cases. On the Lower Cape, the rate stands at 27 cases per 100,000 in Chatham, 31.8 cases in Harwich and 22.9 cases...

CHATHAM – Coast Guard Station Chatham's three 42-foot surf boats will be replaced by two 45-foot patrol boats, which will strip the station of its ability to carry out surf and heavy weather rescues. Town officials met last Friday with Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England commander Captain Christian J. Glander who confirmed the swap. Chatham officials initiated the meeting after getting wind of the chan...

CHATHAM — Having learned that it would cost the same – or a bit less – than building a new structure, the select board voted unanimously Tuesday to endorse the use of the historic Coast Guard Stage Harbor boathouse to house a new upweller at 90 Bridge St. The town’s engineers estimated that it would cost about $4,740,500 to build a new building for the town’s shellfish propagation program, putting it on a new ...

After Final Balloon Launch, Facility Shuts Down To Await Demolition CHATHAM – The National Weather Service's Upper Air Station on Morris Island was scheduled to end more than half a century of weather balloon launches on Wednesday. Closing the station is bittersweet, said Andy Nash, meteorologist in Chatham at the National Weather Service Norton office. “But mother nature is evicting us.” The station is ...

Poor Condition Made It A Safety Hazard CHATHAM – The iconic silver maple tree at 483 Main St. escaped the chainsaw back in 2015 after the owners sought permission to remove it; a huge branch had fallen down, and as it extended over the sidewalk as well as much of the courtyard in front of the commercial building, the tree's poor condition raised safety concerns. At the time, Tree Warden Dan Tobin denied the...

Despite the wider availability of vaccines, COVID-19 cases on Cape Cod are surging ahead of the state average. That has public health officials at all levels of government pleading with the public to continue wearing masks, avoiding crowds and taking other necessary precautions. Led by a “significant COVID-19 outbreak” in Barnstable and Yarmouth, the Cape registered a 5.59 percent two-week positivity rate as o...

SOUTH CHATHAM – Two local men have launched a community supported aquaculture (CSA) program to bring fresh, locally grown oysters to residents of the Cape and greater Boston. Shellfish Broker, based in South Chatham, will deliver three dozen fresh oysters to subscribers once a month. Right now the service is open to residents of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline. Local residents can also subscribe an...

CHATHAM – Photos of the trusses in the salt shed at the rear of the DPW yard on Crowell Road tell the story. The bottom edge of many are broken off, others are cracked, the result of machinery intersecting with the low height of the wooden crossbeams. The town is proposing to replace the shed with a new salt storage structure with a gambrel roof that will be 40 feet high, 10 feet more than the current structure. ...

CHATHAM — Calling it a great opportunity for the town, the select board threw its unanimous support behind a plan to purchase four parcels of land in South Chatham to build affordable and attainable housing. The proposal will be addressed by town meeting voters in June. The property at 2337 Main St. is in the area of the town-owned Bassett House visitor center, and owner Dennis Jordan has offered the land to t...