Broader Question Of Noise Regulations Remains ORLEANS – A lengthy debate over noise and outdoor music at the Barley Neck Inn has been put to rest. But for town officials, the broader question remains as to how to better regulate noise in town. A settlement was reached between the inn’s owners, Phil and Claire Ruggieri, and abutters guiding outdoor entertainment and food and alcohol service on the inn’s...

Judi Wilson To Help Steer Recreation Department Through Transition ORLEANS – As efforts continue to shore up recreation operations, one town staffer has been tapped to help guide the department through a period of transition. The proposed budget for fiscal 2024 includes a $10,000 stipend for the town’s senior center director, Judi Wilson, who will be tasked with helping mentor and guide the town’s next...

Town Could Be In Line For Healthy Federal Grant ORLEANS – There’s a window for the town to secure federal funding to perform needed work at the fish ladder and herring run at Pilgrim Lake. But it may not stay open for long. There’s money available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service to potentially dredge the run and perform other work, and that’s an incentive for the town to act sooner r...

Funding To Be Sought In Interim To Shore Up Summer Staffing ORLEANS – The timetable of a federal grant that would help get eight new firefighter positions off the ground has led town officials to put off pursuit of those positions until the fall. The fire department was to apply for a $2.59 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response [SAFER] grant, which would cover the cost of funding sa...

ORLEANS — Residents were given the floor Monday to weigh in on what they want to see in Orleans' next town administrator/manager, but feedback during a public hearing held by the town manager search committee was minimal. Just three people spoke in person at Monday's hearing, which was designed for the search committee to listen and take in comments and suggestions from members of the public. A few others join...

Officials in the four towns that make up the Nauset Public Schools asked Superintendent Brooke Clenchy for an honest budget for the coming fiscal year. They got what they asked for. Faced with rising costs, staffing shortages and needs extending beyond the classroom, the Nauset Regional School Committee on March 9 unanimously approved a $32.9 million operating budget for fiscal 2024, an increase of 7.6 perc...

ORLEANS – The Barley Neck Inn has new managers, and owner Phil Ruggieri didn't have to look far to find them. Across the street, Cameron and Tyler Hadfield have built a reputation for themselves in recent years at their popular breakfast spot The Rail. Now the brothers will look to put their touch on the inn by taking over dinner service at the restaurant. "The energy level is good and there's an interest i...

ORLEANS — In the center of Putnam Farm, two wetland areas sit so overgrown with brush that they're only visible on close inspection. But town officials and local volunteers took important first steps toward restoring the wetlands during a three-day site visit and assessment at the farm last week. The conservation commission plans to remove invasive plants and do replanting at the wetlands. The restoration effo...

ORLEANS – Just after 7:30 Monday morning, a truck from JMB Septic Services of Barnstable pulled into Orleans' new wastewater treatment facility. Less than a half hour later, the facility had finished receiving and treating the first of many septic deliveries to come. Town officials joined members of the board of water and sewer commissioners and representatives from the town's wastewater consultant, AECOM, and...

As more towns across the Cape continue to plan for and enact sewering, the county has expanded its septic loan program to include those residents ready to connect to municipal wastewater systems. Formerly known as the Barnstable County Community Septic Loan Program, the newly rebranded "Aquifund" offers loans with interest rates ranging from zero to 4 percent to residential property owners looking to repair or...

ORLEANS – Being a small business owner is more than a job. For those who do it, it's something you live everyday. But the demands of owning and operating a local business have only grown in recent years. In addition to managing things such as payroll, staffing, inventory, scheduling and insurance issues, many business owners on the Cape have been left to take on another difficult but critical role. "Part of...

ORLEANS – For years, the council on aging newsletter, "Tidings," has kept residents in touch with the agency's programming and services. It's done so in part through money budgeted annually by the town to help produce it. But that funding almost didn't come through for the council for the coming fiscal year. The select board voted March 1 to reinstate $6,000 in the draft fiscal 2024 operating budget earmarked ...