HARWICH — In 1899, Caleb Chase gave the town $10,000 to establish a fund to assist the less fortunate members of the community. That contribution has grown and provided between $300,000 and $500,000 in assistance to community members over the years. Caleb Chase Fund Trustee Paul V. Doane made a presentation to selectmen last week on the status of the fund. It continues, 120 years later, to be a successful prog...

HARWICH — The hotel/motel and short- term rental tax may be heading for an increase from 4 to 6 percent. The selectmen have instructed Town Administrator Joseph Powers to draft an article reflecting the increase for the next town meeting. Last week, the board discussed the local option tax as it applied to short-term rentals. Powers informed selectmen that an increase would also apply to hotels and motels as w...

HARWICH — The attorney for an abutter to the proposed Chloe’s Path 96-unit housing development off Sisson Road is claiming that the developer does not have the right to build on the land because it would violate a Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife covenant. Attorney Andrew Singer, representing property owners Gary Terry and Peter Donovan and the proposed developer Kemah Apartments, was before...

HARWICH — The owners of the Seal Pub argued that a surge in unruly customers is not unique to their establishment but is a post-pandemic situation restaurants and bars across the state are experiencing. The pub owners on Tuesday offered a defense against several alleged liquor license violations filed by the police department with the board of selectmen. Town Administrator Joseph Powers conducted an initial sh...

HARWICH — The owner of Jake Rooney's in West Harwich was awarded the lease to operate the restaurant at Saquatucket Harbor by selectmen Monday, but the unavailability of a beer and wine license may delay the opening of the harborside eatery, perhaps for the rest of the summer. Ashwood Food Services was the sole bidder when the town put out requests for proposals to lease the restaurant space through Oct. 11. B...

HARWICH — The natural resources department reported this week the presence of cyanobacteria, a toxic blue-green algae, in the West Reservoir, adjacent to the Herring River. Natural Resources Department Director Heinz Proft said low levels of the algae have also been detected on the Brewster side of Seymour Pond and in Skinequit Pond. “It’s of concern, but it is not considered a critical situation,” Proft sa...

HARWICH — These coyotes don’t howl at night, but they do spend a lot of time in the local parks keeping the Canada geese at bay. The recreation department and the local Little League are using “fake coyotes,” silhouette cut-outs of the predators, to keep flocks of Canada geese from feasting on grass in the parks and depositing the end result of digestion on the playing fields. Recreation Director Eric Beebe sa...

HARWICH — Jason Barbour and Judy Abbruzzese could be homeless on Friday. The couple has been bouncing around since May 11 when fire and heavy toxic smoke destroyed their home in Dennis. But time and the generosity of others are now running out. Having lost cherished belongings to the fire, along with their cat Bobo, they are facing the reality of the housing crisis on Cape Cod. They have been working with s...

HARWICH — The town hopes to sell the historic West Harwich Schoolhouse at 5 Bells Neck Rd., which has been vacant for approximately 20 years. In May town meeting voters approved the sale of the building, which could include conditions that require preservation of the 1871 structure. Town Administrator Joseph Powers told selectmen last week that a request for proposals for the sale of the building is ready t...

HARWICH — The Children’s Center has received a contribution from former students at the preschool to purchase new books and puzzles. The $700 contribution came from the profits at a lemonade stand set up during the Chatham Independence Day Parade. Abby Newberry-West, the director of The Children’s Center, said the Meyers family children – Abigail, Kaleb, Paige, Cynthia and Eleanor – raised the money selling co...

HARWICH — Thayer’s Flowers Inc. has been dressing up and refreshing homes and spirits for nearly 90 years, but the South Harwich landmark will be closing its doors next month. “Time has caught up with us,” Pat Thayer said of the reason behind the decision to close the shop on Saturday, Aug. 28. “Gordon will be 80 in February.” Gordon Thayer’s father, Sheldon Thayer Sr., started the business in 1932, and ove...

HARWICH — Harwich has long been a seafaring town, and the nautical theme in the newly opened Bud’s Mini Golf, next to Bud’s Go Karts near the intersection of Route 28 and Sisson Road, reflects that maritime history. The course has been open since July 1. Owners Steve Gopoyan and Swavi Osev are planning an official opening and ribbon-cutting for Thursday, July 22 (today) at 9:30 a.m. Gopoyan said last week that...