The Cape Coddah
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☀️ Living with Erosion on Salt Marsh Road

☀️ Living with Erosion on Salt Marsh Road

Plus: The Cape wine bar with soft serve

Cape Coddah
March 20, 2026

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Good morning Cape Cod and happy spring! We're one step closer to full beach lots, outdoor dining, and that moment when you realize your favorite quiet lunch spot is now a 90-minute wait with a line out the door. 🌸

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

MA looking for bridge builders
Floating oyster farms?
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

🏫 Students Cut Ribbon on New Nauset Campus

Nauset Regional High School celebrated completion of its $169.9M campus renovation Saturday with students cutting the ceremonial ribbon, marking the end of construction that began in 2023 and forced classes into modular units.

The project involved new construction (60% of campus) and renovation of existing 1972 buildings, funded by $131.8M approved by Orleans, Brewster, Eastham, and Wellfleet voters in March 2021, plus $38.1M more in 2023 to cover inflation costs. The Massachusetts School Building Authority covered $36.6M.

New buildings include a gymnasium, modernized science classrooms, auditorium, and administration offices. The new administration building will be named after former Superintendent Tom Conrad, nicknamed "Mr. Nauset," who served six years as superintendent and 21 years as principal. Final site work should finish by year's end. Read more»

🏠 Living with Erosion on Salt Marsh Road

Michael Pottey, 71, has lived year-round on Salt Marsh Road in East Sandwich since the 1980s and has seen the beach retreat 150 to 200 feet since his childhood, with 100 feet lost in the past 20 years.

He watched his family's former house next door collapse onto Springhill Beach during a storm after years of waves weakened its foundation. The property sold in February for $3.3M.

Hard structures like seawalls aren't allowed, so residents plant beach grass and install biodegradable "coir envelopes" to slow erosion. Sand replenishment after major storms can cost around $100,000, expenses residents shoulder themselves.

"I'd like to think that I pass it to my children and grandchildren," Pottey said. "I'm not sure that will happen. I'm thinking the odds are against it." Read more»

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🚧 State Ready to Find Sagamore Builder

Massachusetts plans to ask for letters of interest within two to three weeks from contractors who want to design and build the $2.1B Sagamore Bridge replacement, with a request for proposals coming in late summer or early fall, said MassDOT Megaprojects Delivery Office executive director Luisa Paiewonsky.

The state has finished taking nine of 13 homes near the bridge through eminent domain, with two more expected soon. The number of displaced households rose to 17 from 14, reflecting properties with multiple tenants. The state provides rental support for 42 months, covering the difference between current and market-rate rents.

Before bidding begins, foundation testing involving drilling shafts over 100 feet deep will start in May or June. The $2.1B project is fully funded; the $2.4B Bourne Bridge replacement isn't yet funded. Read more»

📸 @lindasladkey |📍Eastham

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🦪 Wellfleet Considers Floating Oyster Farms

Wellfleet's shellfish advisory board voted March 9 to recommend a two-year pilot program allowing oyster growers to use floating gear like barges and rafts to collect spat and grow oysters, a practice not currently permitted in Wellfleet but used in towns like Provincetown.

The program, which would start May 1 if approved by the select board, limits grant holders to one structure up to 200 square feet with gear extending no more than 48 inches underwater. Growers must install bird deterrents to prevent fecal coliform contamination, which caused area closures in Ipswich this year and Martha's Vineyard in 2023.

Advantages include faster growth near phytoplankton-rich surface water and allowing deep-water grant holders to work at high tide. Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta expressed "fair amount of trepidation" but said she doesn't "want to inhibit innovation." Read more»

MA legislators filed a bill to make the American lobster the state's official crustacean, celebrating its role in the maritime economy as the second-largest lobster producer in the country.

Nicholas John Alvernaz, 22, a University of Vermont anthropology student expected to graduate in May, died Saturday after his kayak overturned in Wellfleet.

Navy Machinist First Class Freeman Johnson, one of the oldest living Pearl Harbor survivors, celebrated his 106th birthday on March 11 at the Barnstable Adult Community Center in Centerville.

Will Harrington, a 30-year-old Provincetown street musician was part of the ensemble cast of "The Singers," which won Best Live-Action Short at Sunday's Oscars after the director found him two days before shooting.

🍷🍦 The Cape Wine Bar with Soft Serve

Josh Cole and Dominga Ruiz-de Jesús opened Mr. Bob's Cape Cod in late October, transforming the legendary Ice Cream Sandwich shop in Sandwich into a wine bar and ice cream cafe offering natural wines, creative cocktails, soft serve with toppings like shaved strawberry or caviar, and charcuterie plates.

Named after Cole's late father and Ruiz-de Jesús' 92-year-old grandfather, coinciding with former owner Robert F. Hannon, a beloved Sandwich High School teacher, the space benefits from one of five new liquor licenses the state issued to Sandwich in 2025.

All wines are priced at $15 per glass to ease customers unfamiliar with natural wines. The midcentury-decorated space features Balinese wooden masks and cookbooks, creating what Plymouth regular Rachelle Tacbi calls "that vibe and strong personality" reminiscent of small San Francisco neighborhood wine bars. Read more»

Three Nantucket HS juniors presented a proposal to modify the GPA weighting system, arguing the current system doesn't sufficiently reward students taking more rigorous courses with heavier workloads, with a vote scheduled for March 24.

MassWildlife held public listening sessions on potentially lifting the longstanding Sunday hunting ban, drawing mixed reactions from nearly a hundred Vineyarders.

The Steamship Authority will conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the 72-year-old M/V Governor, 45-year-old M/V Sankaty, and 52-year-old M/V Nantucket following public support for keeping the beloved Governor.

Toscana construction company abandoned plans to ship Nantucket yard waste to its Newbury, NH gravel pit after around 100 residents opposed the operation at a Planning Board meeting over concerns about PFAS contamination in Nantucket's soil and water.

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⚖️ Car Thief Found Cocaine, Called Police

A Barnstable judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $500,000 surety bond Tuesday for Nantucket resident William Sarnie, 62, charged with cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to violate drug law after a months-long investigation that began with a November overdose death in Barnstable County ruled as diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by cocaine intoxication.

Sarnie allegedly worked with Edward Gillispie and Andre Silvia, 56, of Wareham. Gillispie faces charges after a car thief attempting to break into his vehicle discovered a kilogram of cocaine in January and reported it to police.

Prosecutors used cell phone records and surveillance footage to tie the three together. Sarnie's home was searched by Barnstable Police, State Police, and Nantucket Police. As of Tuesday afternoon, Sarnie remained in custody, with a probable cause hearing scheduled for April 15. Read more»

👋 Meet: Moose
🐾 Pit Bull Terrier Mix
🎂 6 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

FRIDAY - MARCH 20

Teen Crafter-Noon @ Eastham Library | 1 PM
Bracelet Class @ Creative Arts Center | 6 PM
Outermost Dance @ Wellfleet Pres. Hall | 6 PM

SATURDAY - MARCH 21

Supporting Momma @ S. Dennis Library | 9 AM
Maker Space @ Cahoon Museum | 10 AM
Felted Easter Eggs @ Highfield Hall | 10 AM
Book-ish Art @ Truro Library | 10:30 AM
Fix-it Clinic @ Brewster Ladies Library | 1 PM
Oysters 101 @ Chatham Bars Inn | 4 PM
Paint & Sip @ Chatham Bars Inn | 4 PM
Family Skating Night @ Hyannis Comm. | 6:30
That Was Lucky! @ P-Town Theater | 7 PM
Comedy Night @ Oak Bay Brewery | 7:30 PM

SUNDAY - MARCH 22

World of Fireflies @ CC Msm. Nat. History | 1 PM
Easter Bunny @ CC Coffee | 1 PM
Drop-In Dance Class @ Wellfleet Pres. Hall | 3

SUNDAY - MARCH 22

Chris Ballerini @ Love Farms | 1 PM
Leah & Colleen @ The Lanyard | 2 PM
Tim Ray Trio @ Highfield Hall | 4 PM
Rose Clancy & Max Cohen @ CC MOA | 4 PM
Daniel Behlman @ Margaritaville | 7 PM

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

Friday

45 🌡️ 40 | 🌥️ | 💧 6% | 💨 SSW 13 mph

Saturday

42 🌡️ 38 | 🌤️ | 💧 1% | 💨 NNW 10 mph

Sunday

44 🌡️ 38 | ☁️ | 💧 25% | 💨 S 10 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 39ºF

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