CHATHAM — With shoaling at the entrance to Stage Harbor now at a critical level, the federal government is sending in the cavalry, or more precisely, the Army Corps of Engineers. The hopper dredge Currituck is expected to begin work around the second week in December. “Conditions have deteriorated substantially over the last few months, and from what I gather, even more so in the last few weeks after the serie...

CHATHAM – In the mid 1980s, it was clear that the town's drinking water system needed to be expanded, but the private company that owned it lacked the resources to undertake such a project. In 1985 the town purchased the system, but to oversee the ambitious goal of extended municipal water to most of the town, the right person needed to be found. It wasn't easy, but selectmen persuaded long-time finance commit...

CHATHAM — Despite worries about excluding voters who leave town for the winter, selectmen have called a Jan. 13 special town meeting to consider buying land for a new senior center. The warrant, which will be finalized shortly, will include a request for around $200,000 for additional design work, and an article for the purchase of the property 1610 Main St., using $750,000 to be funded by free cash. Because t...

CHATHAM — During a recent coastal storm, Chatham fire officials stopped in the Little Beach neighborhood to monitor the rising water at high tide. A bystander asked what they were doing, and when they explained, the man looked puzzled; he had just bought a home nearby. “It was a steal,” he said, pointing out the property with a smile. But do the flood waters ever reach his place? With a little discomfort, Chie...

CHATHAM – It's not yet set in stone, but it's very likely that a compromise will result in the historic home known as “Starboard Light” remaining on the shores of Stage Harbor, where it's served as a landmark for the past 150 or so years. Members of the historical commission reached a consensus last Tuesday on a plan proposed by prospective property purchaser Robert Moss to move the antique house, also known a...

CHATHAM — Since Vietnam, the nature of warfare has changed substantially. But what it means to serve in the armed forces—the selflessness and sacrifice—remain the same. The U.S. Coast Guard’s honor guard enters the assembly in the community center gymnasium Monday. Hank Holden, the guest speaker at Chatham’s ...

CHATHAM – The town has begun fining the contractor of the fish pier deck project $500 a day. Sciaba Construction Corporation was put on notice that the town would be seeking “liquidated damage”—the term in the contract for fines—beginning Oct. 17, the day after the latest deadline for completion of the $1.4 million deck project. As of late last week, a new completion date has yet to be set, according to Dir...

CHATHAM — At 5 p.m. Tuesday, the airport commission convened a special listening session on the divisive airport master plan update. Three-and-a-half hours later, most attendees seemed to be even more strongly opposed to the plan, calling it potentially costly, unsafe and unnecessary. Near the end of the session, board of selectmen Chairman Shareen Davis criticized the commission for staunchly defending the pl...

First of two parts CHATHAM – Two years ago, the Little Beach area experienced the worst flooding it had seen in 30 years, maybe longer. Sandbag walls were breached, houses were inundated, and boats plied the submerged streets rescuing residents. With warnings that climate change and sea level rise will only make conditions worse, property owners are already throwing up sandbags to stanch the flooding that...

CHATHAM – Times change, as do concerns and items on the public’s agenda. This became very evident last Thursday evening when the third in a “Series on Race Relations and Community Policing” was held at Saint Christopher’s Episcopal Church. Jointly sponsored by the Reverend Brian W. McGurk, rector of the church, and Chatham Police Chief Mark Pawlina, the previous two well-attended events had seen lively discuss...

CHATHAM – Critics peppered members of the airport commission with questions and comments about three sections of the Chatham Airport Master Plan Update during a three-plus-hour meeting last week, likely a dress rehearsal for a community forum on the entire plan scheduled for Tuesday. The commission is bringing in former Yarmouth town administrator Robert Lawton to serve as moderator for the Nov. 12 forum and h...

CHATHAM – The conservation commission has referred the removal of 62 trees from a coastal bank without a permit to the state department of environmental protection for enforcement. The trees, some of which were 24 inches in diameter, were removed on June 2 from the coastal bank at 107 Taylor's Pond Rd., overlooking Mill Creek. The property is owned by 107 Taylor's Pond Road Real Estate Trust, which lists Byran...