Margaret Knight>

508 627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

People are remarking on the actual spring we’re enjoying this year. It almost seems warmer now than it did last July. The daffodils are in full bloom, and the grass is green. Bird choruses wake us in the morning and send us inside in the evening, at which time they’re competing with the peeper choruses. With Easter weekend and school vacation elsewhere, many seasonal residents have been here enjoying time at their homes before the busyness of summer.

The annual spring egg hunt at the community center brought many folks together on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon this past weekend. Over 30 people gathered on the porch where Liz Villard, adorned with bunny ears, welcomed the families. She directed the kids to age-appropriate egg hiding spots, and off they went with their baskets. There were lots of happy faces to be seen.

The osprey are back! People have been seeing them at Cape Pogue Pond, at Brine’s Pond, and crisscrossing the harbor. Whenever anyone tells me they’ve seen one, it’s always with a sense of wonder or excitement. I know I feel awe when I’m walking or driving somewhere, and I look up to see one soaring overhead. Hearing their calls and seeing their forms against the sky are signs that nature has come alive again. For we who live where the land meets the ocean, they’re our symbolic “bald eagle.”

This Saturday, April 10, Felix Neck is celebrating the Return of the Osprey from 8 a.m. to noon — admission free. At 8, Island birder Lanny McDowell will lead a bird-watching walk. At 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30, Felix Neck staff will give guided walks to the osprey pole. There will be hot drinks and baked goods, osprey crafts, and a bargain table with nature items.

Keith Jackson was captain on the ferry last week when he saw an eider duck fly into an overhead electric wire at the Point, and fall to the ground. The duck was bleeding and didn’t look good, so Keith called a friend who took the duck to vet Michelle Jasny, where Keith used to work as veterinary assistant. Michelle sewed up the duck with a few stitches. Evidently if sea ducks are away from the water for more than two hours, the gland that excretes excess salt (a result of living in saltwater) will close. This duck was rushed back to Chappy and released into the harbor by Keith. The duck swam off, probably wondering what the heck had just happened.

Captain Bob Gilkes’ knee surgery went very well, and he should be back on the Island by now. Peter hopes to have him back at work on the ferry within a couple of months. While Bob recovers, his dog is staying with Chrissie and Rick Haslet, who have owned an Akita before and know how to treat one.

Jonathan and Kim Morse are back after spending a few months out west skiing. Kim will be filling in for Bob on the ferry, along with Liz on the night shifts. Jonathan will be helping with repairs on the On Time II when it gets hauled around the beginning of May.

Plans for summer at the community center are underway, including fun and fund-raising. The board will be seeking the remaining donations needed to build the long-awaited tennis court and a basketball court. Meanwhile, tennis classes will continue at the Tilghman court with Donna DeFrancis returning as the tennis instructor. Katie Clinnin will head the sailing program this year, assisted by veteran sailing instructor JJ Phinney. Class registration for sailing and tennis is now open. You can download a form from the Web site (chappycommunitycenter.org) or request one by phone (508-627-8222) or by e-mail (chappycc@verizon.net) if you haven’t received one in the mail. There are lots of fun events already on the summer calendar, including ice cream socials, concerts and films, and other classes, including yoga, pilates and Latin exercise.

The census continues on the Island, so if no one has come to your door yet, they will. After doing the census in the Enos lots area, with so many unmarked roads and unnumbered houses, I asked Peter Wells, captain of the Chappy fire truck, how he finds houses during emergency calls. He said he puts the address in the GPS, and it leads them to the house. I found more than one house in that area known by more than one address, so I wonder if the GPS is foolproof. When we had to name Chappy roads awhile back, I wasn’t much in favor of putting up signs, but after trying to find addresses for the census, I can see how they’re handy, especially in an emergency, or for renters who might not be able to give directions to the house.

Our annual town meeting is on Tuesday, April 13, starting at 7 p.m. at the Whaling Church. After approving, or disapproving, the line items of the budget for town government, we’ll tackle the warrant articles. There are some proposed changes to the personnel bylaws, appropriations from the Community Preservation Act fund, and additions to the Code of the Town of Edgartown regarding Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Devices, or EPAMDs. Those are self-balancing electronic propulsion systems that transport only one person, i.e.. electric wheelchairs, scooters and Segways. There are quite a few articles asking us to approve appropriations from free cash, which is not the same as free money.

We’ll also be asked to approve funding for engineering and architectural services for the library expansion. The selectmen, working with the library trustees, have formed a building committee to come up with a plan for expanding the library which can be taken back to the state board of library commissioners as part of an application for funding. The state’s next deadline for receiving a letter of intent from Edgartown is October, with a more detailed application due in January. The funding needs to be approved in the ballot box on Thursday, April 15.

The annual election takes place on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the town hall. Harold Zadeh is running for reelection to the board of health. All the candidates are running uncontested except for the planning board one-year position, for which Dudley Levick and Michael McCourt are competing. The last ballot is a nonbinding question about whether we are in favor of allowing mobile concession stands at South Beach. At least we don’t have to fight about that on Chappy. Yet!