ORLEANS — The select board and the finance committee are recommending that the town buy the Governor Prence Inn properties for $2.8 million and kick in another $125,000 for maintenance, insurance, and design services for demolition. "The basic message is to secure the property," Select Board Chair Kevin Galligan said. "It's so important we control this so we can plan for the property in an inclusive way t...

ORLEANS — Both affordable housing developments have been in the news for years. One was poised to receive a comprehensive permit from the zoning board of appeals last night (April 7), while the other is a few months away from identifying a developer and a plan. Both the former (Pennrose, LLC’s plan for 62 rental units at the former Cape Cod 5 operations center on West Road) and the latter (ongoing work to cr...

ORLEANS — When the town says transfer station stickers are on sale, they really mean it. The stickers aren’t just available. Until July 1, you might even say they’re being offered at a discount. It’s proposed that the basic sticker price will go up from $140 to $165 as of July 1. But most stickers are sold each year well before that date, so anyone buying a sticker before then can lock in a lower price fo...

The $131,825,665 renovation and expansion of Nauset Regional High School was approved by all four district towns in a special election Tuesday. Each town approved two separate questions, one authorizing the regional school committee to borrow the cost of the project, the other exempting each town's share from Proposition 2½. “The voters of the Nauset Region have spoken, resoundingly,” Christopher Easley, ch...

ORLEANS – Orleans has a broad array of dining options likely to suit most any culinary craving. But one thing that’s been missing around here is Japanese cuisine. That will change with the arrival of Ten Yen, mainly a sushi bar but also serving a limited number of ramen bowls each day, according to owner-chef Michael Jacek. “We’re hoping to open in early- to mid-May,” Jacek said, explaining that renovations...

NORTH CHATHAM — A just-published study led by researcher Megan Winton of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy concludes that white sharks in local waters spend nearly half of their time in waters 15 feet deep or shallower. The research signals that, while rare, encounters between white sharks and people are a regular possibility. “These sharks are here and they spend a lot of time in shallow water when they ...

The $131 million renovation and expansion of Nauset Regional High School was approved by all four district towns in a special election Tuesday. Each town approved two separate questions, one authorizing the regional school committee to borrow the cost of the project, the other exempting each town's share from Proposition 2½. “The voters of the Nauset Region have spoken, resoundingly,” Christopher Easley, ch...

ORLEANS — One of the few things that proponents and opponents of the Nauset Regional High School building project agree on is that district-wide in-person voting will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 30. From discussions about addressing the needs of the 1970s school in Eastham begun nearly a decade ago to the current $132 million proposal before voters, there have been many efforts to inform and involve ci...

ORLEANS — The heavy cruiser FY 22 General Operating Budget is being readied for final review by town meeting in May. This year, it will be accompanied by five smaller vessels, a flotilla of enterprise funds with their own budgets running mostly on user fees. That change, intended to reveal more transparently the actual cost of services such as the transfer station and the beaches, is part of a draft warrant of...

ORLEANS — The consensus of the zoning board of appeals is that Pennrose, LLC, deserves a comprehensive permit to proceed with its plan to convert the former Cape Cod 5 operations center into 62 units of affordable rental housing. A formal vote is expected April 7. Before coming to that view at the board’s March 17 meeting, members heard from some of the West Road site’s near neighbors, including residents of...

ORLEANS — The elementary school committee voted March 15 to approve a $5,505,818 budget for the fiscal year beginning in July, a 1.47 percent increase that’s well within the cap that the town asked be observed. That decision was almost overshadowed by member Josh Stewart’s response to remarks by planning board member Brian Sosner, which Sosner made as a private citizen during public comment at the select boa...

ORLEANS — The Orleans Conservation Trust is reaching out to donors to help it embrace and preserve the ecological diversity of Henson’s Cove. OCT is just 3.74 acres – and $900,000 – away from completing a 23-acre Henson’s Cove Conservation Area, a long-sought goal. The 4 Braddock’s Way parcel, with 157 feet of saltwater frontage, “was ready to develop,” OCT Executive Director Stephen O’Grady said during a to...