Main Street Project Asks Modest Change in Vineyard Haven

By JOSHUA SABATINI

The Main Street Project committee presented at a public hearing last
Thursday a plan for the restoration of the Vineyard Haven thoroughfare
after it is torn apart to install a sewer system.

The plan is a modest one. Only a few alterations are proposed for
the existing Main street.

Some changes are to create a more efficient working roadway. Others
are just basic aesthetic improvements.

The committee is to submit a final plan with recommendations to the
Tisbury board of selectmen by Sept. 1, although likely it will come to
the board a few days later, as the committee is putting finishing
touches on the plan.

The committee plan proposes: a town sidewalk five feet wide along
Main street's east side, parallel parking spots every block for
loading zones and handicap spots next to each, the removal of the steep
steps on the corner of Leslie's Drug Store and a gateway to the
main road from the Steamship Authority terminal along Union street.

The committee was established by an April town meeting vote to
review the plans drafted by architect Jamie Weisman of Terrain
Associates of Vineyard Haven.

Mr. Weisman was paid $25,000 by the Tisbury department of public
works (DPW) to design possible improvements to the downtown area.

The town plans to start the sewer installation in the downtown area
on Oct. 15 and continue until Nov. 22. Work will reconvene after Jan. 1
and continue until mid-April.

DPW director Fred LaPiana said he believes the curbing and first
coat of pavement for 1,000 feet of Main street can be complete before
Christmas.

Mr. LaPiana said the committee plan calls for "no major
changes."

Over a year ago, Mr. Weisman began drafting his design. Throughout,
he met with community members and solicited written comments. The
process has remained open and controversial suggestions simply faded off
the table.

The committee members were appointed by the Tisbury board of
selectmen as prescribed by town meeting: one member each from the DPW,
board of selectmen, Tisbury Business Association, planning board and
historical commission.

John Thayer, a DPW commissioner, said: "[The committee] began
by walking Main street, and ended by walking Main street."

Tristan Israel, selectman on the committee, said one of the goals
set for the project was to ensure Vineyard Haven would not end up
"looking like Edgartown when finished."

"From an architectural standpoint that has been
achieved," said Mr. Israel.

"I wanted to make sure it still stays a business
district," said Jeff Kristal, president of the TBA.

Nancy Hall, of the Tisbury historic commission, said her role on the
committee has been to "protect what is Tisbury and what
distinguishes it from other towns and cities in New England and the
Island."

Mr. Thayer spoke to the more than 20 in attendance. He first
addressed the plan for parking. Along Main street, said Mr. Thayer,
loading zone parking places were made horizontal wherever possible.

"We have loading zones for every block," he said.

Handicap parking places were placed alongside each loading zone
spot.

In thinking of traffic flow, Mr. Thayer said, police chief Theodore
Saulnier has recommended restricting the time when trucks over 20 feet
can travel Main street.

Various materials for sidewalks have been discussed since the Main
Street Project design was first put on the table. But at an April town
meeting, residents put the debate to rest by voting in favor of using
concrete.

One option for the sidewalks along Main street was to straighten
them out into a smooth curve. The committee has settled on sidewalks not
in a straight line, but in keeping with the present appearance.

He said owners can do whatever they like with their part of the
sidewalk, but the municipality side will be concrete aggregate.

The curbs, said Mr. Thayer, will be rough granite.

The corner of Main street and Union street will see a dramatic
change. The steep steps near Leslie's Drugstore will disappear and
in their place a ramp is proposed.

The ramp, where it wraps around the corner, will be level with the
street so trucks, if need be, can roll over the edge without hitting a
curb when turning onto Union street. The opposite corner will be trimmed
back a bit to make the turn more manageable for trucks.

For crosswalks, the committee proposes cobblestone borders and the
rest blacktop.

"In Massachusetts, when we drive on a crosswalk, we should
feel as if we are driving over a sidewalk," said Mr. Weisman.

Mr. Weisman suggested making the entire crosswalk cobblestone. The
committee has not made a final decision about the crosswalks.

As for Union street, Mr. Thayer said the committee proposes to
create a more "pedestrian friendly" road.

"We want to do something for people who are walking,"
said Mr. Thayer. "We want them to look up and see some place they
want to go, that looks friendly."

The committee proposes sidewalks along both sides of Union street,
putting trees along a portion of the sidewalk adjacent to the Union
street parking lot and possibly closing the car exit nearest MV Strictly
Bikes, owned by Bill Brown.

"The whole key to Vineyard Haven," said Mr. Weisman,
"has been how to connect Main street to the harbor."

He said using Union street and an alley of trees to achieve this is
a dynamite idea.

Another suggestion from Mr. Weisman was creating a water source for
walkers, calling Tisbury's water as good if not better than
bottled water.

The committee will have its last meeting this Thursday at 5 p.m. in
the Katharine Cornell Theatre. In 10 days, said Mr. Kristal, the
committee's proposed plan will be hung on the shop window of
LeRoux at Home on Main street, provided by shop owner Michael
Levandowski.