At last year's Massachusetts Municipal Association convention, Harwich received the Kenneth E. Pickard Municipal Innovation Award for its pet cemetery project. But what seemed like a good idea has escalated into a fiasco. The cemetery commission improperly used funds from its revolving account for site work at the 2.25-acre town-owned parcel on Queen Anne Road, including construction of a gazebo. That $70,000 was...

Ban Is The Responsible Thing To Do Editor: I am writing in support of the municipal plastic bottle ban proposed by Sustainable Practices that would prevent the town of Chatham from buying plastic bottled beverages. Each year 35 million plastic bottles are thrown away and only 9 percent of plastic bottles are recycled. At school, I see plastic bottles in the trash can instead of the recycling bin. And though...

“On the road again Just can’t wait to get on the road again Goin’ places that I’ve never been Seein’ things that I may never see again And I can’t wait to get on the road again.”   Willie Nelson wrote and sang “On the Road Again” which won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 1980. The song has become one his most popular recordings. Willie, even at 85, still does lots of touring and spends lots ...

Editor's note: Letters to the editor regarding candidates for the May 21 Harwich town election will be published through our May 9 edition. Letters about the May 16 Chatham town election will be published through the May 2 edition. The deadline for letters to the editor is Monday at noon. End Pet Cemetery Debacle Editor: There is an expression “when in a hole, stop digging.” This expression is quite ap...

In 1974, the Chatham Conservation Foundation purchased Strong Island in Pleasant Bay for $700,000, saving 46 acres of upland and another 78 acres of marsh from development. A three-acre area was reserved for a house for the previous owner and his heirs, but otherwise the island remains open to the public. It is considered a jewel, and it's hard to imagine today what the bay would be like had the island been devel...

Don't Trash This Tour Editor: The Tour de Trash is the once-yearly town-wide litter campaign intent on preserving the attractiveness of our beautiful little patch of earth. Last year, 1,200 lbs. of trash, 513 lbs. of recyclables and over 1,200 empty NIP bottles were collected and hauled away. Much of it would still be around if it weren’t for the 100-plus volunteers who helped make the 2018 event the be...

In two well-attended public forums, the Chatham 365 task force heard from dozens of residents, and people who would like to be residents, about the challenges to living in town and how those challenges can about. The group heard about owners of downtown businesses living with their parents because they can't afford a house or find an apartment; about having to go off Cape to find a pediatrician; about housing ava...

As Chatham officials and others are discovering, protecting swimmers from a shark attack is a problematic proposition. There were no takers when the town asked for proposals on shark safety measures at Oyster Pond Beach. Proponents of a shark warning buoy pilot project, currently the subject of a Go Fund Me effort, have run into reluctance from some outer Cape towns, whose legal eagles warn that such a system cou...

This column STEMs from my need to advocate for art and creativity that does not necessarily involve numbers and engineering. As you may know, the acronym STEM translates to science, technology, engineering and math. Schools have gone bonkers in this educational direction. Presicent Obama stressed that since the U.S. was losing ground worldwide in these categories, and girls and minorities were being “left behind,...

Make Decision On Facts  Editor: I was disappointed to read of the Harwich Board of Selectmen balking at the idea of a plastic bottle ban. While the board conveyed the message that they thought it was a good and well-intentioned idea, they fell short of voting in favor of the ban for reasons of convenience and misinformation. They argued that the fire department uses plastic bottles to hydrate firefighters, our...

Reasons For Anti-discrimination Laws Editor: In response to Commissioner Beaty’s question to ponder, I have a request for Mr. Beaty (and others ready to engage this topic). I invite you to please take the time to learn about the privilege that white men share. We have access to treatment both under the law as practiced, and in our culture as experienced, that is not granted in the same way to other groups. ...

Getting more year-round residents – particularly young people – involved in local government isn’t just a good idea. It’s a pillar of social sustainability on the Lower Cape. What does that mean? If you understand the need for affordable year-round housing, or the necessity of supporting businesses that provide good, year-round jobs, or the need for affordable child care for young families, then it’s not en...