Harwich Conservation Commission Votes to Press Town on Neglected Bog Property Cleanup

HARWICH -- March 18, 2026, Harwich Conservation Commission sends cleanup letter on town-owned Main Street property while approving three wetlands permits. The six-member commission voted unanimously at its March 18 meeting to send a letter to new Town Administrator McGrail, copied to the Select Board, demanding the town assess and remove materials left by a previous lessee at 374 Main Street, a parcel the town purchased roughly 23 years ago for $630,000 and currently leased to Cape Cod Regional Technical High School at $1,000 per year. Harwich resident Matt Sutphin told the commission the lease's performance period has expired and the town has collected no more than $80,000 over two decades, urging members to "reclaim the property so that the town can decide for its benefit what is best." The commission also approved 6-0 a Request for Determination for a septic upgrade at 263 Bank Street, Notices of Intent for a pond walkover at 6 Panorama Point Drive and a dwelling reconstruction at 140 Clearwater Drive, and Orders of Conditions for three previously heard projects at 53 North Road, 166 Bank Street, and 303 Bank Street.