Harwich Select Board Dissolves Accessibility Committee, Seats Chair on School Formula Panel

HARWICH — June 29, 2026 — Harwich Select Board dissolves its accessibility committee and names its chair to a new regional school working group. The board voted unanimously Monday to disband the Harwich Accessibility Rights Committee after member Jim Handler, who serves as the town's ADA coordinator, reported the group had not met in more than a year due to loss of leadership and inability to achieve quorum; former committee Chair Lynn Boudel attended the meeting and urged the board to recognize that "we're not done" on accessibility. In a separate unanimous vote, the board approved an 11-member structure for the Monomoy Regional Joint Regional Agreement Formula Working Group — drawing one select board member, one school committee member, one finance committee member, and the town administrator from each of Harwich and Chatham, plus the district superintendent or business manager — with citizen and student representatives designated as advisory only. The board then unanimously appointed Select Board Chair Peter Pekarski as Harwich's representative, with Pekarski saying he is "open-minded" and focused on "building consensus" between the two towns. Town Administrator Jay McGrail reported the 2026 dredging season removed approximately 15,000 cubic yards of material from three Harwich harbors, with sand sales to private beaches netting the town $186,000 against a total construction cost of $419,000.