Harwich Approves Harbor Fee Split, Safe Routes Easements in Busy Session

HARWICH — February 17, 2026 — Harwich Select Board approves bifurcated harbor slip fees and a $144,450 eminent domain order to advance a $3.6 million Safe Routes to School project. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt Harbor Master John Harker's recommended fee structure, which will bill all recreational slip lessees at a 15 percent non-taxpayer rate and offer a reduction to 5 percent for those who document property-tax liability by December 1 each year — a split expected to generate between $135,000 and $150,000 in new annual revenue, with only a $1,940 difference from a flat 10 percent increase. DPW Director Link Hooper secured board approval for an order of taking covering temporary and permanent easements along Main Street, South Street, and Sisson Road near Harwich Elementary, funded through Chapter 90 gas-tax-return money, clearing the final local step before MassDOT bids the federally backed sidewalk project in early March. Select Board member Jeff Howell reported the Affordable Housing Trust has committed $2.3 million across three projects — West Harwich Square ($500,000 for five SHI units), Penrose ($800,000 gross, $300,000 net, for 60 units), and Pine Oaks 4 ($1 million for 50 units) — drawing public calls for broader community input on the town's housing direction.