Harwich News

Stakeholder Meetings Underway For Cultural Districts

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — The first stakeholder meeting for the formation of two cultural districts in town was held last week, with a focus on Harwich Port. A second event is scheduled next Tuesday night, Oct. 30, at the cultural center and will focus on a Harwich Center district. The Harwich Port district session was moderated by Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cyndi Williams and Town Planner Charleen Greenhalgh, who...

HARWICH — Sailors at the Allen Harbor Yacht Club got an insightful depiction of what it is like to circumnavigate the globe solo on Friday night from Jerome Rand, who completed the 271-day voyage at the end of June. “It was nine months without touching land,” Rand said of a trip that challenged the spirit and the limits of the human body. Circumnavigations of the globe are not common experiences. Rand said ...

SHMH Auction Celebrates A Historic Treasure This Weekend

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — Anyone looking for a wedding venue might want to attend the annual Auction Gala at the South Harwich Meetinghouse. One auction item provides the opportunity to be the first couple to be wed in the newly restored historic former Methodist Church. There are certainly other reasons to attend the auction. The event, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 28 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., will provide the public with an oppo...

Neighbor Demands Cranberry Valley Address Errant Golf Balls

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — Errant golf balls from the Cranberry Valley Golf Course, a municipal facility, are causing a disturbance in one adjacent neighborhood. Apparently a hook or a slice that lands a ball on private property can be construed as trespassing. Town Administrator Christopher Clark informed selectmen last week that the town has received a claim for damage on a residential property from golf balls hit from the m...

Selectmen Adopt Green Communities Energy Reduction Plan

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — Selectmen on Monday night took a major step toward becoming a Green Community with the adoption of an energy reduction plan. The plan seeks to reduce energy consumption by the municipality by 20 percent in the next five years. With the adoption of the plan, assistant town administrator Evan Melillo told selectmen, all five of the criteria for the Green Communities program have been completed and by n...

Historic West Harwich Schoolhouse Could Have New Life

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — The historic West Harwich Schoolhouse may have inhaled another breath of life Monday night as selectmen express support for issuing proposals for the vacant building's use, likely through a licensing agreement. The board also voted to support a Preservation Massachusetts application to place the building on the organization's “most endangered” list. Over the past two weeks selectmen have been disc...

High School 'Jawsome Hour' Dropped

By: Kat Szmit

Stalled Teacher Contract Talks Blamed HARWICH – Jawsome Hour, an academic support period that saw success during its trial run last year at Monomoy Regional High School, is no more, and likely won't return until a favorable agreement can be reached in the Monomoy Regional School District's ongoing contract negotiations between teachers and administrators. Monomoy's teachers have been working without a contr...

Town Provides 'Interactive' Session On Sewer Connections

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — Approximately 40 people attended the informational community meeting last week put on by town officials and CDM Smith, Inc, the town's consulting engineers, to update residents on the steps necessary to connect to sewers in East Harwich. Town Administrator Christopher Clark called the session an “interactive” one in which town officials would explain the necessary steps that must be taken and provide...

Trusts, Town Get New AmeriCorps Land Steward

By: Alan Pollock

HARWICH — A member of AmeriCorps of Cape Cod will be assisting the town and local conservation trusts with land stewardship projects again this year. Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski said her department, the Harwich Conservation Trust and the Chatham Conservation Foundation has been utilizing AmeriCorps staff services for the past 20 years and will continue the collaboration this year. Ben Cockrell of...

Town Pushing For Hinckley's Pond Alum Treatment Permits

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — The town plans to move forward this fall with an alum treatment in Hinckley's Pond. The 176-acre water body, the largest pond inside the limits of the town, has suffered several algae blooms and fish kills in recent years caused by excessive fertilization of those waters. Natural Resources Department Director Heinz Proft was before the conservation commission last week with the proposal for an alumin...

Legislation Filed For DHY Wastewater District

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — The DHY Clean Water Community Partnership legislation approved by the boards of selectmen in Dennis, Harwich and Yarmouth, has been filed in the State House Clerk's Office, and the expectation is it will be promulgated in this legislative session. The legislation, HD 5160, will establish the entity through which a regional wastewater district in the three town's will function as a corporate and polit...

New Harwich Center Initiative Committee Established

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — It's been 18 years since the initial Harwich Center Initiative study was done with the goal of bringing economic vitality to the historic village. There have been several additional attempts to revive the effort since then, and selectmen agreed Monday night to make another attempt. “We have several people who have shown an active interest,” Selectman Larry Ballantine said. “There is enthusiasm and I'...