CHATHAM – When it comes to delivering fresh seafood, time is of the essence. But town officials are worried that, without some intervention, fishermen will find themselves waiting in line for hours to unload the day’s catch. The packing house at the municipal fish pier has space for two companies to operate, receiving and packing the local catch for transport to market. But when Marder Trawling, one of the two...

CHATHAM – Amid the cookouts, traffic jams and summer sales, citizens were asked to pause for a few moments Monday to reflect on the reason for the Memorial Day holiday. In front of Chatham’s memorial to the Great War Monday morning, they did just that. “People sometimes confuse the meaning of Memorial Day and Veterans Day,” said retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Robert Franz, who led the observance. Vetera...

CHATHAM – Seeing a need to invest in the town’s landings and waterfront infrastructure, town meeting in 2017 voted to authorize an $11.3 million bond to fund a slate of overdue projects. Today, a number of major jobs have been completed and two-thirds of the borrowing authorization has been spent — despite the fact that other big projects remain in the pipeline. On May 16, Health and Natural Resources Direc...

CHATHAM – It's not unusual for kids playing little league to get hit by balls. That's part of learning how to play the game. But when injuries happen due to poor field conditions, that's another matter altogether. Two recent incidents where players were hit by balls at little league fields at Volunteer Park and the community center highlight deficiencies in the maintenance of the town's facilities. "That st...

CHATHAM – To encourage the creation of more affordable and workforce housing units, the planning board is brainstorming ideas for new requirements and new incentives for developers, in the form of a revised zoning bylaw. Housing and Sustainability Director Gloria McPherson led the board in a working session last week to consider ideas that could be included in a revised zoning bylaw designed to better encourag...

CHATHAM – The building at 193 Main St. has seen its share of controversy in recent years. After owners Tina and Hilary Foulkes failed to get permission from the town to move the building back from the street, the iconic structure was painted lime green in 2010. Although it is located in the Old Village National Register Historic District and falls under the jurisdiction of both the town’s historical commission...

CHATHAM – Having received encouraging test results from shellfish harvested there last week, town and state officials lifted the red tide shellfish ban for Chatham Harbor on Friday. The closure remains in effect for Pleasant Bay and its connected waterways, including Bassing Harbor, Crow’s Pond, Ryder’s Cove and Muddy Creek. The reopening is key because Chatham Harbor has a commercially important set of mussel...

CHATHAM – They may not be able to promise faster action replacing double poles, but representatives of Verizon, Eversource and other utilities are pledging better communication with the town and continued progress on long-term improvements. The select board invited utility representatives to its May 16 meeting to discuss concerns about dangerous, deteriorated utility poles around town. During a recent strong r...

CHATHAM – Saying they remain convinced that 1610 Main St. is the best possible spot for a new council on aging facility despite the proposal’s failure by just one vote at the May 16 annual town meeting, the select board Tuesday called a special town meeting in September to revisit the vote. For supporters of the $10.6 million project, it’s another chance to win the two-thirds majority needed to authorize const...

SOUTH CHATHAM – Where there’s smoke, there’s not always fire. In the case of a house on Wadsworth Road, the smoke that puffed through windows, doors and a hole in the roof this week and last signaled a valuable training opportunity for firefighters. The house at 10 Wadsworth Rd. is set to be demolished soon, and developer Polhemus Savery DaSilva agreed to allow the Chatham Fire Department to use the building f...

Local residents will gather on Monday, May 29 for Memorial Day ceremonies honoring those who gave their lives for the country. Chatham Sponsored by the public ceremonies committee, the town’s Memorial Day ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at the World War I memorial at the community center. Guest speaker will be Chatham Coast Guard Commander Senior Chief Ross Comstock. Participants will include members of the sele...

Public monuments tell stories. Some are tales of glory, others elegies to the ultimate sacrifice — “the last full measure of devotion,” in the eloquent words of Abraham Lincoln. In passing, Chatham’s Soldiers’ Monument in Sears Park — like so many memorials in America’s town squares — is an honor roll of the dead. It conveys the sadly all too familiar narrative of local sons lost on alien fields in distant war...