Harwich News

Work Begins On Town-operated Pet Cemetery

By: William F. Galvin

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...

Bridges For The Fallen Dedication Saturday On Route 124

By: William F. Galvin

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...

Selectmen Approve $240K For Habitat Housing Development

By: William F. Galvin

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 Plume Conditions Remain A Concern

By: William F. Galvin

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...

Summer Warmth At Equinox Draws Global Warming Questions

By: William F. Galvin

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...

Community Center Seeks “Boo-tique” Costume Donations

By: Cape Cod Chronicle

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...

Brooks Library Slated To Open Thursday, Pending Repairs

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — The Brooks Free Library emergency lighting transistor inverter, which has failed three times in the past year, was scheduled to be repaired on Wednesday and full services are expected to be restored on Thursday. That was the word from library director Ginny Hewitt earlier this week. Should the library open on Thursday, the failed inverter will have caused the municipal library to operate with vastly ...

Harwich Health Department Rolls Out E-Permitting

By: William F. Galvin

HARWICH — It's been a while in coming, but the board of health has rolled out the town's first e-permitting function. Additional express permitting may be coming soon for the conservation commission and building department. Harwich is one of six towns involved in the Accela e-permitting program being overseen by the Cape Cod Commission, designed to make filing permits easier and allow the general public to con...

Wayward Manatee Rescued, Found To Be Pregnant

By: Alan Pollock

The manatee that visited Harwich waters over the summer got a surprise last Thursday when it was captured by marine mammal rescue experts and shuttled to the Mystic Aquarium for rehabilitation. And then it had a surprise for researchers. It's pregnant. On Tuesday, veterinarians were conducting a routine medical exam on the manatee, named “Washburn” after the island in Falmouth where it was rescued. “An u...

The manatee that visited Harwich waters over the summer got a surprise last Thursday when it was captured by marine mammal rescue experts and shuttled to the Mystic Aquarium for rehabilitation. And then it had a surprise for researchers. It's pregnant. On Tuesday, veterinarians were conducting a routine medical exam on the manatee, named “Washburn” after the island in Falmouth where it was rescued. “An u...

Monomoy Athletic Director Resigns

By: Kat Szmit

After just one year on the job, Monomoy Athletic Director Brendan Case has resigned, according to an email sent by Superintendent Scott Carpenter to families in the school district on Saturday (Sept. 24). The email states that the reason for Case’s resignation, effective Sept. 23, is to “explore other options and have more time with his young family.” The email further states that a formal job posting for a...