ORLEANS – Town officials, a commercial fisherman and the owner of the Goose Hummock Shop traveled to Lakeville Jan. 11 to draw attention to the need for prompt action to dredge Nauset Estuary. A panel of state and federal regulators, some present by phone, listened attentively and asked thoughtful questions but offered little encouragement for relief anytime soon. “This is an area where dredging hasn't been ...

ORLEANS — The Snow Library Board of Trustees voted 4-3 Jan. 8 to support the town locating a sewer pumping station – most of it underground – on library property abutting the village green. The decision was complicated by ongoing planning for a new or expanded library that could push the library east to accommodate more parking and full vehicle access around the building. AECOM project engineer Reggie Don...

ORLEANS — The push to get something done regarding affordable housing continued last week as the selectmen appointed seven members of the new affordable housing trust fund board and the affordable housing committee zeroed in on practical steps toward acquiring specific properties to meet the need. The new trust, created by town meeting, will no longer have to wait until that body meets to act on property pur...

ORLEANS — The chairman of the board of selectmen expects to “have something to say” by mid-month about running for another term. The vice chairman is already saying it. Alan McClennen and Mark Mathison, whose terms are up this May, can disagree strongly on approaches to the town's challenges, yet their probing discussions of the issues have brought clarity to and prompted action on many concerns. In the s...

ORLEANS — Since Dec. 17, the town has been preparing a treat for the ocean at Nauset Beach. It's not being delivered by food trucks but by dump trucks. “We're either going to feed the ocean asphalt this winter or feed it some sand,” Natural Resources Director Nate Sears told town meeting Oct. 29. Voters agreed to spend $1.1 million to build up the dune between the ocean and the parking lot, and then approved...

ORLEANS — The year began with the Academy Playhouse rolling out plans for a $4 million campaign that included a renovation and expansion of its historic theater that would increase accessibility. It ended with an announcement from the Academy of Performing Arts trustees that the theater would take an “intermission” for four months and its staff would be laid off. “The idea and the need and concept to renovat...

ORLEANS — The town took concrete steps in 2018 to support the pursuit of affordable housing options. Perhaps the most significant was a general override of the tax levy limit in May to fund a new version of the town's affordable housing trust with $275,000. In future years, an annual amount will be included in the budget for town meeting approval. The trust will also receive $300,000 in community preservation f...

ORLEANS — Phil Howarth says the former Beth Bishop store on Route 28 “is a building my wife fell in love with on our honeymoon in 1994.” That's one of the reasons the owner of Bluefish Outfitters, the parent company of the Goose Hummock shop, signed a lease purchase agreement for the property recently. There are other people who love it, too, including Gail and Rick Runyon, whose home is directly behind the ...

The January session is full and there's just a handful of slots remaining for the Feb. 12 “ Stop the Bleed ” class sponsored by the Orleans Citizens Forum and the Orleans Fire Department . The 90-minute session trains civilians of all ages how to help people injured in accidents and shootings. Go to orleanscitizensforum.org/stop-the-bleed/ to register. Keep your calendar handy to circle another date. On Feb. ...

ORLEANS — When it comes to apportioning sewer betterments, selectmen want to go with the flow. Presented with three options for assigning the cost of building the downtown sewer collection system (the treatment plant and disposal area will be paid for on the tax rate), the board voted 4-0 Dec. 12 to recommend using a property's water usage rather than its assessed value. The chosen method will require town m...

ORLEANS — The finance committee is inviting the public to its Dec. 13 meeting, where there will be a presentation on the financial implications of the Cape Cod Tech building project. Tech school Superintendent Bob Sanborn will speak about the projected cost of the new school building and the ramifications for Orleans and other member towns.   The session begins at 7 p.m. in the Nauset Room at town hall.  Fi...

ORLEANS — The state's expert on library building development had a perhaps surprising answer when asked about “deal-breakers” that could curtail funding for a project. “Not enough parking is a big problem,” Lauren Stara, library building specialist with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, told the library's facilities advisory committee Dec. 10. “A lot of towns say, 'Everybody walks to our libr...