HARWICH – Harwich native Jeremy Wiley recently assisted local wood ducks and the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) by installing two waterfront nest boxes at Cornelius Pond Woodlands, a 15-acre HCT preserve and walking trail destination. His volunteer work to attract wood ducks helps support the ecological health and biodiversity of Cornelius Pond. Wood ducks are a colorful, uncommon, cavity-nesting duck specie...

While Carefully Watching For Possible COVID-19 Resurgence Punctuated by warnings that new virus variants may set back the fight against COVID-19, public health officials are pushing to accelerate the vaccination process. On Cape Cod, a large regional vaccine clinic is expected to open perhaps as early as this week. The vaccine site is being established at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstabl...

HARWICH — The 26-unit Royal Apartments project was approved last week by the planning board over the objection of residents in the neighborhood who were concerned with density, traffic and parking issues that will be generated by the conversion of the assisted living facility to apartments. The proposed apartments would be located in the former Royal of Harwich assisted living facility at the corner of Bank an...

HARWICH — Wastewater infrastructure projects may be put on hold while the town makes adjustments to its comprehensive wastewater management plan. “I’m not willing to advance building any hard assets anywhere unless we go through this endeavor first,” Selectman Donald Howell said. “We’re not even sure what should be built, where and how big it should be built. I wouldn’t support anything going to town meting.” ...

HARWICH — The planning board has given its unanimous approval to a 4,000-square-foot boat maintenance and repair shop along Route 28 in West Harwich, despite issues raised about the aesthetics of the planned metal structure. Allen Harbor Marine Service proposed construction of a 60-by-78-foot building with a maximum height of 25 feet at 282 Route 28, to the east of Villa Roma Restaurant. The project required s...

HARWICH — Property owners made it clear to selectmen Monday night that the time is not right to place additional taxes on rental units. Selectmen were weighing a couple of draft warrant articles for the annual town meeting warrant that could have increased rental taxes by 2 to 5 percent, but decided to table the proposal for now and take it up again at a later time. Room rental and home rental taxes here are c...

The Monomoy Regional School District launched a pooled COVID-19 testing program this week, designed to identify spread of the disease among students and teachers who show no symptoms. But as of Tuesday, only about half of the school population had agreed to be tested. Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said more permission slips are being received each day, and he hopes by the end of the four-week poole...

Monomoy Regional High School’s science, technology and engineering department is set to undergo changes that will allow students to take a deeper dive into the school’s engineering curriculum. Project Lead The Way recently awarded the school a $44,000 grant for the engineering program. The national nonprofit organization creates engaging classroom environments while paving new pathways for students interested ...

HARWICH — The James G. Marceline Arboretum, located on 25 acres in Island Pond Cemetery, received a level one accreditation on Monday from the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum. It is the first arboretum to be accredited on the Cape and the fifth municipally owned one in the commonwealth. The arboretum initiative started with the cemetery commission in 2017 and came together thank...

HARWICH — As the town begins its hunt for a new town planner, Town Administrator Joseph Powers has provided an additional charge to the position, giving it the new title of director of planning and community development and assigning it the task of coordinating and overseeing the health, conservation, building and planning departments. The new director will coordinate community development department activitie...

HARWICH — The town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan will be five years old in a couple of weeks, and during that time the road map for addressing nitrogen pollution in surrounding marine waters has taken a few detours. Among them was the higher-than-expected cost of sewering sections of East Harwich. The opportunity to move away from building a town treatment plant at the former landfill site and joi...

If Chatham Doesn't Take On Elementary Costs HARWICH — As financial chasm between Chatham and Harwich in the Monomoy Regional School District budget increases, selectmen on Monday night agreed to send a strong message to their counterparts in Chatham that action is needed this year to address the “subsidy” Harwich is paying under the regional agreement. Otherwise, selectmen made it clear they are prepared to...