News

News

Star turn for Tremont Nail?

After decades of producing steel cut nails followed by years of disuse, the Tremont Nail Factory might soon have a new role to play in town — that of a film set. A movie-making company out of Boston and the HGTV show “Save This House” and have both...

Cannabis testing company to terminate lease for 4 Recovery Road building

The fate of a town-owned building at 4 Recovery Road is once again unknown after Baystate Labs — a company that planned to conduct cannabis testing at the site — asked to terminate its lease. The Baystate Labs facility would have been located in the...

‘Blooming 4 Good’ program to benefit Church of the Good Shepherd

The Church of the Good Shepherd in Wareham was selected as a Stop & Shop “Bloomin’ 4 Good” program beneficiary for the month of March. For every $9.99 “Bloomin’ 4 Good” bouquet purchased at the East Wareham Stop & Shop store from Feb. 26...

Officials respond to state’s controversial move to pull local vaccines

Many state legislators and local officials have expressed frustration with the slow vaccine roll-out and Governor Charlie Baker’s plan to prioritize mass vaccination sites. As Southcoast Health and other healthcare groups have received new supplies...

Selectmen discuss additional Town Meeting articles

The Board of Selectmen discussed adding two new articles to upcoming Town Meeting warrants during a Feb. 23 meeting. One article would create a “Renewable Energy Bylaw Study Committee” to explore a bylaw that would restrict renewable energy...

Discount on trash services approved for seasonal residents

Following significant pushback from Wareham residents about the cost of the town’s mandatory trash services, the Board of Selectmen approved a third — and supposedly final — adjustment to the new trash plan, this time for seasonal residents. The...

Smelt fishing by net closed for three years

No harvesting of smelt by net will be allowed in Wareham’s Weweantic River for the next three years, following a vote by the Board of Selectmen at a Feb. 23 meeting. The board’s vote followed the recommendations of Harbor Master Garry Buckminster...

Host community agreements approved, process evaluated

The Board of Selectmen discussed adjustments to the town’s procedure for negotiating host community agreements with marijuana businesses that plan to operate in Wareham, before approving two such agreements during their Feb. 23 meeting. Following...

Southcoast Health vaccine clinics to resume Feb. 24

Southcoast Health’s vaccine clinics — operated at the Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham, the Vanity Fair outlet in Dartmouth, and in Fall River — will resume vaccinating patients from across the region on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The clinics opened on Feb...

Trade Roots founder hopes to open marijuana delivery company

Trade Winds, a new company, has applied to be a marijuana courier for Wareham and surrounding towns. The company would be owned by the same people as Trade Roots, a provisionally-licensed marijuana grower, manufacturer, and retailer located at 6...

Planning Board votes to recommend ‘Hospitality District’

Members of the Planning Board voted 3-1 to recommend that Town Meeting voters approve the proposed “Hospitality, Recreation, and Entertainment District” which will be up for votes at a Saturday, April 10 Special Town Meeting. Richard Swenson, Mike...

Solar field over active cranberry bog proposed

For cranberry farmer Brett Meredith, installing a solar field over his active cranberry bogs would enable him to continue farming the land. “It’s basically letting me stay in business and keep doing what I love,” Meredith said at the Feb. 22...

Chipotle restaurant planned for Tobey Road

A Chipotle restaurant and an as-yet-unknown retailer will round out the three-building development in front of Walmart, developers told the Planning Board on Monday night. The other two buildings host an Aspen Dental (now open) and a Starbucks with...

Man found dead in Wareham reservoir identified

The man found dead earlier today after entering the water of a frozen bog reservoir has been identified as Thomas Bartholomew, 44, of Wareham. Bartholomew grew up in Marion and was the Chief Mechanical Officer for Cape Cod Central Railroad...

Businesses can apply to use the old train station on Merchants Way

The town is accepting proposals for the use of the old train station on Merchants Way, which has been fixed up with security gates, tables and chairs, and new lighting and security. The station -- known as a comfort station when it was in use -- is...

Man’s body recovered from frozen bog reservoir

The middle-aged man who died after entering the water at a frozen-over bog reservoir on Feb. 21 was there for a swim, according to officials. His body was recovered at about 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 by members of the Wareham Fire Department and the...

Tobey Hospital moves emergency room access

As the progress on Tobey Hospital’s new emergency room continues, patients will now be served in a temporary location. Rather than parking in the South Lot adjacent to High Street, emergency room patients are asked to park in the front section of...

Water rescue: First responders work to rescue person believed to have fallen through ice

First responders are working to search the area of 786 County Road in West Wareham, where it is believed a person fell through the ice on Sunday evening. According to the Wareham Department of Natural Resources, it is believed the person fell into a...

Fundraiser must ‘Bridge the Gap’ in library budget

After covid-19 canned annual plans for a play and an author talk and dinner, the Wareham Library Foundation is left scrambling for funds to make sure the library is able to maintain its certification. Without the necessary funding, the Wareham Free...

Covid numbers continue to decrease as officials urge caution

Wareham saw 33 new coronavirus cases in the past week, keeping the town in the “yellow” according to the state’s Feb. 18 public health report. Wareham’s Council on Aging staff is also launching a hotline for residents who need help making a covid-19...

Sewer rates to increase slightly

Sewer rates will be increasing slightly this year. Homeowners are billed for sewer usage twice per year. Each bill will be increased by $10, which Guy Campinha, the director of water pollution control, said will cover the increased costs of doing...

Culvert under Elm Street bridge to be repaired

A repair at the Parker Mill Pond Dam under Elm Street has been approved, but it will not reopen Elm Street. The Elm Street bridge was closed in 2014. An August 2014 report said the dam “faces a multitude of repairs in order to maintain public safety...

Program providing boxed meals for kids expands to East Wareham School

A free meal distribution program designed to combat childhood food insecurity in Wareham, the Tri-Town and surrounding communities is expanding, according to the Marion Institute’s Executive Director Liz Wiley. The Marion Institute collaborated with...

Selectmen oppose Governor’s vaccine plan

The Board of Selectmen penned a letter to Governor Baker expressing their disapproval of his move away from supplying vaccines to community healthcare clinics like those run by Southcoast in favor of mass vaccination sites. The letter is below: Dear...

Selectmen approve two adjustments to mandatory trash plan

The Board of Selectmen approved two avenues for people to save money on town trash disposal: A senior discount and an opt-out form for those with other means of disposing of trash. Discounts for seasonal residents were discussed but not finalized at...

Decas School could become offices, lab space

The Decas School property could have a bright future as office and lab space, according to a presentation by Grant King, the Director of Comprehensive Planning for the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic and Development District, at the Feb. 16...

Onset Fire District to sell old police sub-station

The Onset Fire District will be selling the building formerly used as a summer police station in Onset. At the Feb. 11 Prudential Committee meeting, Frank Basler of the Plymouth County Commissioners talked the committee through the process of...

Special Town Meeting delayed yet again

The Special Town Meeting at which voters will weigh in on a proposed Hospitality, Recreation, and Entertainment overlay district has been delayed yet again until Saturday, April 10. The meeting will be held at noon at Spillane Field at the high...

Wareham back down to ‘yellow’ covid-19 risk level

This story has been updated to include information about the town’s vaccine appointment hotline. After seeing fewer than 40 new cases of covid-19 in the past week, the town has been reclassified as “yellow” in the state’s Feb. 11 Weekly...

Wareham School District’s IEP forms now compliant

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education determined that language used by the Wareham School District in its forms related to Individualized Education Plans was “inconsistent with Department guidance.” The language has...

Scouts brave cold weather to hold drive-thru cookie sale

A forecast of below-freezing temperatures didn’t deter a troop of Wareham Girl Scouts on a mission to sell cookies on Saturday, Feb. 13. The four members of Daisy Girl Scout Troop 70838 hosted a pandemic-safe contactless drive-thru cookie sale from...

Vaccine clinic at YMCA suspends first dose bookings

This story has been updated to include comments from Wareham Selectman Alan Slavin. Wareham’s Southcoast Health vaccination clinic at the Gleason Family YMCA will no longer be booking appointments for first doses of the covid-19 vaccine,...

Home-delivery cannabis operation seeks to open in Wareham

Another cannabis business, referred to as The Emerald Turtle, is pursuing licensing to open in Wareham. With plans to operate out of a location at 10 Little Brook Road, Aaron and Janelle Goines would cultivate and manufacture a variety of cannabis...

Developer presents plans for Tremont Nail Factory property

Bentley Companies, a Rhode Island-based operation and the potential master developer for the Tremont Nail Factory property, presented its vision for the Tremont property to the Wareham Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 11. Bentley Companies said it...

Town is hiring Election Day workers

The town is hiring Election Day workers for the upcoming May 4 Town Election. Election Day workers must complete a CORI form and must be: • R egistered to vote in Massachusetts • A vailable to work on election day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. or later,...

Dog licenses, tags now available

Dog licenses and tags are now available. Those who did not include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with their dog license application may pick up their dog’s tag at the Town Clerk’s office. To pick up a tag, call 508-291-3140 and a town employee...

‘A win-win for everybody’: Vaccine clinic kicks off at the Y

The Gleason Family YMCA was bustling on Wednesday, Feb. 10, as roughly 400 seniors received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at a clinic led by Southcoast Health. Martin Fishman, a former Onset resident who now lives in Carver, was one of...

Teen’s Gambit: Wareham seventh grader teaches chess

For one young Wareham entrepreneur, the pandemic created an opportunity. When boredom struck Bill Gouveia, a seventh grader who attends Wareham Middle School, he came up with a creative way to occupy his Wednesday afternoons: He started giving...

Officials explore ways to adapt town trash plan

Following a barrage of calls, voicemails and emails from Wareham residents frustrated with the new trash plan, town officials are considering ways the plan’s financial burden might be reduced for some individuals. Under the new trash plan — made...

Town’s budget is balanced, bigger than last year

The town’s budget for the next fiscal year does not include the deep cuts to services that some officials feared would be necessary, reported Town Administrator Derek Sullivan at the Feb. 9 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Although the town’s revenue...

Selectmen weigh in on Besse Park stormwater management

The selectmen spoke favorably on Feb. 9 about proposed upgrades to Besse Park that would reduce pollution from stormwater runoff that is channeled into the Agawam River. Besse Park, the strip of land at the end of Main Street that features picnic...

Town paves the way for cannabis testing sites

Two companies that hope to conduct cannabis testing at laboratory sites in Wareham are now one step closer to that goal. At their Feb. 9 meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted to authorize the negotiation of marijuana host community agreements with...

Clearing up confusion about the town census

Because residents completed the 2020 U.S. Census just last year, Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette is a little worried people in Wareham might be confused about this year’s town census. “The federal census, that’s every 10 years,” Bissonnette said. “...

Residents raise environmental concerns about proposed hospitality district

Rats, poor water quality and increased traffic were among the concerns raised by members of the public about the proposed Hospitality, Recreation and Entertainment District, brought forward by the Notos Group. The Notos group are the developers who...

Officials hope to restrict new solar fields

Town officials and conservation advocates hope to overhaul the town’s bylaws regulating solar fields. The Planning Board, the Wareham Land Trust and the Conservation Commission will be working to adjust the solar bylaws to mitigate the impacts of...

Massachusetts vaccine hotline is up and running

This story has been updated to reflect that the vaccine clinic at the Gleason Family YMCA will now open Wednesday, Feb. 10. Wareham’s seniors who prefer the phone to the internet now have a way to schedule a covid-19 vaccine appointment...

Snow parking ban reminder

Between Nov. 1 and April 1, there is a ban on street parking during storms with at least three inches of snow until the roads are cleared. When the town determines that a snow emergency necessitating a parking ban exists, it will be made public on...

Streamlined grant process could benefit town projects

More parking in Onset. A pier on Merchants Way. Walking paths along the bluffs. Those are just a few of the projects for which Director of Planning Ken Buckland plans to request funds through a new, streamlined state grant process called Community...

Damien’s Place urges those in need to come get food

The Damien’s Place Family Food Pantry is open to any and all people who need food, regardless of where they live. Executive Director Jackie Arsenault said that all people need to do to receive food is bring a piece of mail with their address on it...

Bioretention beds proposed for stormwater treatment at Besse Park

Besse Park could get a facelift through new stormwater retention and treatment beds filled with native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. The park was identified by the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program as an area that could benefit from better...

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