The Wareham Information Center, a resource for residents and tourists alike, will not reopen this summer unless grant money can be secured to fund its operation. The Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce, which currently runs the center, is closing it due to budget constraints.

The visitor center has been open seasonally for five years and costs about $10,000 per year to operate, said Marie Oliva, president and CEO of the chamber of commerce. The chamber, a nonprofit, has to raise the money to run the center, which gets more difficult each year in the current economic climate, Oliva said.

"We've decided we do have to consolidate, we do have to cut back," she said.

The center, located on Main Street, has been operating with reduced hours for the past couple of years in an effort to keep it open. Oliva said that visitor centers, to be effective, should be consistently open 7-days-a-week.

Wareham Village Association event coordinator Jacqueline Lindsey said the loss of the center would greatly impact local businesses.

"People come to the center for just about everything. Local B&B's, restaurants, building supplies, electricians, plumbers, lawyers, gardening, realtors, entertainment, and directions," she said.

Lindsey is working with Community and Economic Development (CEDA) director Christopher Reilly to explore the possibility of getting grant money to keep the center open. Reilly said he is looking into available state and tourism-related resources.

"As an emergency measure, we may have some CEDA funds that could keep it open," Reilly said, though it may not be fully operational.

"The visitors' center is a great asset to our residents, local merchants, and tourists," Lindsey said. She said she is optimistic about finding a way to keep the center operating.