The Cape Coddah
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☀️ Scammers are Selling Land They Don't Own

☀️ Scammers are Selling Land They Don't Own

Plus: Super Bowl parties you can join

Cape Coddah
February 06, 2026

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Good morning Cape Cod. This is the 100th issue of the newsletter, thank you for being a part of our growing community. 🎉 💯

We've hit triple digits just in time for the most sports-packed weekend of the year: the Pats face the Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday, the Winter Olympics are underway, and honestly, nobody's leaving their couch until Monday.

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Sandwich bike path plans
Transfer fee on sales over $1M?
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

🏠 MA Won't Reveal Buyout Amounts

Massachusetts is refusing to disclose how much taxpayer money it's paying Bourne homeowners whose properties are being seized for the new $2.1B Sagamore Bridge, raising transparency concerns around the state's eminent domain process.

The state seized five homes last month, with assessed values totaling nearly $2.9M. State lawyers argue payments are exempt from public records law because they're "work product" that could hinder negotiations, and may not be disclosed for years until litigation wraps up or the three-year challenge window closes.

First Amendment and eminent domain attorneys say it's unclear whether this exemption covers award amounts, which are separate from appraisals. The state plans to seize 13 homes and seven vacant properties by fall 2027, with construction starting afterward and the first new bridge span opening in 2033. Read more»

🚴 Sandwich Hopes to be Bike Path's "Spine"

Sandwich is working to become "the spine" of Vision 88, the planned 88-mile shared-use path from Woods Hole to Provincetown, by connecting the Cape Cod Canal to the existing Service Road path through a safer, mostly off-road route.

The town's Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee, working with consultant Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, looked at five or six routes and picked the most viable: from Service Road along Route 130 to Water Street, Morse Road, through state fish hatchery land behind Jennifer Road, then to Main Street and Route 6A.

Some Jennifer Road residents oppose the plan, citing concerns about noise and crime. Committee chair Sean Polay says the design is in "pre-25%" phase with significant community meetings ahead, but the pathway would create crucial connections between businesses, recreation areas, schools, and town buildings. Read more»

SPONSORED BY: CAPE SZN

🌞 Cape Mama: Sunscreen, Snacks & Sunset Chases

Being a Cape Mama means beach days are non-negotiable, you know which ice cream shops have the shortest lines, and your kids can spot a lighthouse from a mile away. It's teaching them that the best days end with sandy car floors and sun-kissed cheeks.

This sweatshirt is for the moms doing it all with a little coastal flair, whether you're raising your crew year-round on the Cape or just spending every possible summer here making memories. Soft, comfortable, and perfect for school pickups, coffee runs, or those sunset walks when the kids finally wear themselves out.

Because raising kids who love the Cape as much as you do? That's the real win.

💵 Should Sales Over $1M Pay a New Fee?

Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates faced pushback at a January 21 public hearing over a proposed petition allowing Cape towns to enact a 0.5-4% transfer fee on real estate sales over $1M, with revenue supporting housing initiatives.

Select board members from Bourne and Chatham opposed the county-level approach, preferring local control. Realtor John Julius argued property sales are already declining and the county should focus on wastewater issues instead. Others called the fee unfair to property owners.

Under the proposal, 90% of revenue would return to towns where transfers occur, with 10% kept by the county for regional programs. Each town would vote at town meeting whether to opt in and set their own threshold and percentage. The assembly may vote next month. Read more»

📸 @jeffkrehely |📍Race Point Beach

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

🔬 Inside the New Nauset High

Nauset Regional High School students returned from winter break January 5 to a completed $169M renovation, finishing a project that began in February 2023 after voters in Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, and Brewster approved overrides.

The renovation connected previously separate buildings into a "hard shell" around the central courtyard with 28 emergency exits, added air conditioning throughout, replaced uninsulated 1972 classrooms, and created specialty spaces like one of only two jewelry labs in the country. New features include a full-service cafeteria kitchen, black-box theater, innovation lab with robotics equipment, TV studio, and comfortable student lounges.

The school, originally built for 600-800 students, now accommodates up to 905 but currently enrolls around 720. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for March 14.
Read more»

The Bartlett House in Eastham, where White House counsel John Ehrlichman made a Labor Day 1971 phone call launching the first Watergate-linked break-in, will be demolished this week.

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is recruiting volunteers for 10-minute herring run counts at Cape waterways in April, May, and June, with training sessions in March, to track the annual spawning migration and monitor restoration efforts.

Harwich Town Clerk Emily Mitchell is holding an "I Voted" sticker design contest for residents ages 5-18, with winners in four age categories having their designs printed and distributed to voters starting at the 2026 annual town election.

Barnstable Historic Commission approved demolition of a former 1902 Hyannis church at 94 Stevens Street for a 40-unit apartment building.

🏈 5 Cape Super Bowl Parties to Join

Cape Cod bars and restaurants are hosting Super Bowl parties on Sunday as the Pats take on the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara. Here are five spots:

Barnstable Brewing (Hyannis): Free entry, $1 wings, pig roast starting 4 PM, massive TVs. Reserve by calling 774-470-6989.

Harwich Fire Association: $40 ticket includes buffet, three TVs (98-inch screen), 20 speakers. Party starts 5-5:30 PM.

Dino's Sports Bar (Mashpee): 161-inch screen plus dozens of TVs, pretzel bites, wings, pizza. Owner celebrating his 31st Super Bowl.

Highlands Bunker Bar (Dennis): Giant wings from $13.99, spacious golf course club.

DJ's Family Sports Pub (Hyannis/Falmouth): 18 wing flavors, train-car seating in Hyannis, prices from $9.99.
Read more»

The Trustees of Reservations received a $75,000 state grant to thin 28 acres of pitch pine forest at Wasque Reservation on Chappaquiddick in anticipation of southern pine beetle infestations.

Nantucket's Quentin the Quahog squirted right Monday morning, predicting an early spring, contradicting Punxsutawney Phil's shadow-seeing forecast of six more weeks of winter.

Two Martha's Vineyard Regional High School sophomores are leading an effort to establish a school mascot, with top contenders including ospreys, makos, and Vikings.

Nourish Nantucket received a $1M USDA grant to renovate its new Boynton Lane food security hub, marking the nonprofit's second $1M infusion in six months.

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🚨 Scammers are Selling Land They Don't Own

Real estate scammers are impersonating Outer Cape property owners and attempting to sell their land using fraudulent documents, with several cases reported in Truro and Wellfleet in recent years.

Dan Kuncio and Maria Karpov nearly lost $430,000 when they bid on a neighboring vacant lot in Truro, only for their lawyer to catch the scam minutes before wiring the money, noticing suspicious details like identical passport and ID photos and the owner's names in the wrong order. Three years later, another Truro vacant lot owned by Paul LeFort was fraudulently listed for $791,000 on Zillow.

Vacant lots owned by part-time residents are especially vulnerable. The National Association of Realtors reports 62% of recent fraud cases involved vacant land. Barnstable County offers free property alerts at barnstabledeeds.org to notify owners of any property activity. Read more»

👋 Meet: Alia
🐾 Chihuahua - Smooth Coated Mix
🎂 5 years old
♀︎ Female
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

FRIDAY - FEBRUARY 6

Glass Fusing @ Sandwich Glass Msm | 10 AM
Movie Matinee @ Brewster Ladies Library | 2 PM
Open Reception @ CC Creative Arts | 4:30 PM
V-Day Card Making @ Eastham Library | 4:30 PM
A Monster Calls @ Cape Rep Theatre | 7 PM

SATURDAY - FEBRUARY 7

Youth Boat Wrkshop @ CC Maritime Museum | 9
Glass Fusing @ Sandwich Glass Msm | 10 AM
Sailor’s Valentine @ Falmouth Museums | 10:30
Amazing World of Water @ Osterville Library | 11
Découpage Oyster Shell @ Chatham Bars Inn | 1
A Monster Calls @ Cape Rep Theatre | 2 & 7 PM
Mixed Media Class @ Chatham Bars Inn | 4 PM
Comedy Night @ Pelham House Resort | 7 PM
Glow Party @ Sea Dog Brew Pub | 7 PM

SUNDAY - FEBRUARY 8

Fabric & Fiber Sale @ Woods Hole Library | 10
Meet Chef Gavin Smith @ Highfield Hall | 12 PM
Mahjong @ Dennis Library | 12:30 PM

SUNDAY - FEBRUARY 8

Sam Luke Chase @ Love Farms | 1 PM
Leslie Boyle & Jazz Trio @ CC MOA | 4 PM
Rose Clancy @ Chatham Squire | 5 PM
Candlelight Concert @ Cape Cinema | 6 & 8:30

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll let you know when something's sponsored.}

Friday

35 🌡️ 22 | ⛅️ | 💧 4% | 💨 NNE 7 mph

Saturday

32 🌡️ 12 | 🌨️ | 💧 88% | 💨 NE 16 mph

Sunday

16🌡️ 9 | 🌨️ | 💧 65% | 💨 NW 16 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 34ºF

59 Sea Street, Dennis Port
Asking $1.35M
5 🛏️
3 🛁
2,060 sqft
0.25 acre lot

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll always let you know when something's sponsored.}

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