HARWICH — The preservation of the face of Brooks Free Library has been a hot topic in town over the past couple of years. While selectmen have approved an architectural firm to oversee the work to be performed, the firm remains a bone of contention, as do comments made against a former historic district and historical commission member who takes exception to recommendations made by the firm. Mirande Dupuy-Dewi...

HARWICH — Barnstable County has placed an order for a second dredge to be used in keeping local harbor channels open for boaters. But the county is also beginning to discuss extending dredging activities into freshwater, including rivers and streams leading to headwaters. “My main goal is to clean up estuary passages because they are not flushing out the way they should,” County Commissioner Leo Cakounes said ...

HARWICH — The FY18 budget message presented to Town Administrator Christopher Clark by selectmen states clearly the board's directive to stay within the limits of Proposition 2½, and to assist in doing so, the board is discouraging new hires and increased hours for part-time employees. “I view this as the most important document the board of selectmen votes in the year,” Selectman Peter Hughes said. Selectm...

HARWICH — “It's a complicated dance,” Monomoy Regional High School teacher Richard Houston told selectmen Monday night of opinions in favor and against Question 2 on the election ballot being disseminated in 30 second commercials on television and radio. The ballot question seeks to expand the number of charter schools that would be allowed in the commonwealth. Approval of the question would give the state Boa...

HARWICH — The pet cemetery approved by voters for 2.25 acres of town-owned land along Queen Anne Road is showing a little life, with department of public works employees using a Bobcat to clear brush from the lot. “We trying to get the lay of the land, find out what the topography is there,” Cemetery Administrator Robbin Kelley said of the work taking place last Thursday. Voters approved the use of the land...

HARWICH — Saturday will be a busy day around the Route 124 overpass of Route 6, as state and local officials, together with the Bridges for the Fallen organization, dedicate the bridge to fallen World War II pilot U.S. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Ralph Wallace Burns. The 10 a.m. dedication is anticipated to draw a large crowd at the commuter parking lot near the bridge, where the ceremony will be held. With l...

WEST HARWICH — The selectmen on Monday night voted to provide Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod with $240,000 from the town affordable housing trust fund to purchase approximately 1.5 acres of land off Route 28 to construct six affordable homes. As required when approving the use of the housing trust funds, the town's housing authority and housing committee last week also endorsed the allocation to Habitat proj...

HARWICH ─ It’s not often that an auditorium full of high school students is so silent one can hear the proverbial pin drop, but that was the case when Chris Herren spoke at Monomoy Regional High School on Monday. Herren, a former member of the Boston Celtics and a recovering drug addict now sober for eight years, brought a powerful message to students, many of whom were moved to tears by his words. But it...

WEST HARWICH — Residents and town officials got a thorough presentation Monday night on the plume that has moved slowly from Dennisport, through West Harwich to the Herring River over nearly the past 20 years. While several studies have been done, there still remains concern about the status and impact from the plume, which initially showed tetrachloroethylene levels 1,000 times beyond limits along Smith Stree...

HARWICH — The south wind whispered across Nantucket Sound last Thursday shortly after the equinox drew the line on autumn. But with 80-degree temperatures, little wave movement from the light south wind on Nantucket Sound, and the sand at Bank Street Beach still hot beneath the feet, it was hard to believe summer was in the rear view mirror. Bank Street Beach parking lot was three-quarters full and beach umbre...

HARWICH — With Halloween only a month away, departments at the community center are looking to stock their “Boo-tique” with a costume donation drive. Anyone with a used Halloween costume kicking around the house who is looking to get rid of it can make a donation to the “Boo-tique.” The “Boo-tique” is set up to help kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to get a Halloween costume and become a pirat...