HARWICH –The Harwich Hometown Parade will begin rolling down Route 28 at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, bringing floats, marching bands and fire trucks to celebrate the town’s seven villages. The parade theme this year focuses on both remembrance and celebration of the seven villages. But Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cyndi Williams said the date of the parade, 9/11, should be recognized and parade participant...

HARWICH — Local freshwater ponds are like a necklace of jewels strung across the Cape Cod landscape. The health of ponds has become increasingly tarnished as water quality deteriorates because of nutrient loading from septic systems, lawn fertilizers and road runoff, according to Harwich Conservation Trust Executive Director Michael Lach. In 2002, HCT launched its Priority Ponds Project to focus on key parcels...

HARWICH PORT — Divers have recovered the body of a man believed to have fallen overboard at Saquatucket Harbor late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Rescuers were called to the harbor shortly before 4 a.m. to search for the man, who was last seen Friday night when he was headed for the harbor to prepare his boat for a family fishing trip Saturday. A brief search of the area led officials to believe that...

In the boom-and-bust seasonal economy of the Cape, the time for earning is just about over for those who work in the hospitality and service industries. Ahead lies what can be a long, lean winter, and the Family Pantry of Cape Cod stands ready to help. But it can’t do that without community support, and The Cape Cod Chronicle’s summertime Helping Neighbors campaign is in danger of falling short of its goal o...

HARWICH – Town Clerk Emily Mitchell spent last Thursday afternoon checking the town’s voting machines to assure accuracy in the count before they are put to use in the state primary election on Tuesday. New tabular voting equipment approved by town meeting in May for $75,000 won’t be purchased until after the state election in November.  “The vendor said these machines are working well,” Mitchell said of the c...

HARWICH – The planning board has given its unanimous approval to the Main Street HP LLC mixed use development in Harwich Port.  The proposal still has one detail related to parking that must be worked out before an occupancy permit can be issued. But the last major vacant property in the heart of the village may soon have a two-story structure containing restaurants, retail shops and five one-bedroom apartment...

HARWICH – There is consensus among the board of selectmen and the bylaw/charter review committee that a comprehensive charter, general, and zoning bylaw review is necessary, and that a consultant should be hired as soon as possible to begin the process. Voters will be asked in the upcoming special town meeting to appropriate $75,000 to be used to hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the town’...

HARWICH – The Harwich Conservation Trust honored Ann and Peter Lambertus as the 2022 Conservationists of the Year at the trust’s annual meeting at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club on Aug. 22. The trust has been active this year, pursuing several major land acquisition projects. It accomplished its fundraising goal for the purchase of the 31-acre Hinckley’s Pond preservation acquisition, is making major prog...

HARWICH – The Herring River has historically been one of the largest river herring runs in Massachusetts, with records dating back as far as 1764 showing more than 1,100,000 herring being harvested that year. In 1912, nearly 1,500,000 fish were taken from the West Reservoir landing station. In a report for the Massachusetts Commissioners of Fisheries and Game in 1921, shellfish biologist David L. Belding wrote...

HARWICH –  Setting a date for a fall special town meeting has been a difficult process. The date has been changed a couple of times, and a final decision has yet to be made.  Town Administrator Joseph Powers said officials are now looking at Tuesday, Oct 18. Selectmen are scheduled to make a final decision at their Tuesday, Sept. 6 meeting.  The special town meeting was initially planned for Sept. 26, but t...

HARWICH – The town will be using more than $600,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for final design plans, speciation, and to obtain construction cost estimates for the Great Sand Lakes sewer collection system. The board Monday night approved the use of $616,255 in the ARPA funds distributed by Barnstable County for design of approximately four miles of gravity, low pressure, force main pipeline,...

Virtual Hearing Scheduled For Sept. 13 HARWICH – It has been more than three years since the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that the Harwich Elementary School would be getting sidewalk improvements through the Safe Routes To School Program. The state agency is now looking for design input on the project. MassDOT has scheduled a virtual public information meeting t...