GREEN SMOKESCREEN

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Regarding the close in last week’s piece, headlined “Tribe Signals Court Fight Ahead As Cape Wind Decision Nears,” those three-quarters of the 1,600 comments to Secretary Salazar favoring Cape Wind are more a sign of green smoke than any indication of public support. Big Green, the corporate friendly wing of the environmental movement, is well-funded and quite adept at getting out the vote for whatever projects it favors (regardless of its drawbacks). The Web sites and mailing lists of Big Green were no doubt working overtime to get their followers to contact Salazar in support of the right project in the wrong place. Of course, most of the followers from afar, unfamiliar with all the problems associated with Cape Wind, were quick to pile on. Hey, they don’t have to live with it!

People need to be more aware of the power of such well-funded groups. They can turn reality on its head and stick us with projects that require far more broad and deep consideration. Given the massive problems corporations and their friends have caused in this nation the past few decades, we would do well to challenge their sudden turn toward “green” solutions. All is not what it seems.

Don Ogden

Leverett and Oak Bluffs

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CONNECTOR ROAD CLARITY

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Is it true? At the special town meeting did we vote to put the new connector road three feet from the dog pound? Did we vote for the design shown on the graphic or some version the engineers are “working on?” When will we know?

The proposed connector road has been planned for some time and the town has been asked to approve several stages. This crucial stage, the actual design of the road, deserves our careful attention. This is the road that will determine our driving habits for years. I, for one, do not know whether what we voted for was the design shown on the screen or some version that the engineers said they are working on. We need more than a flat projection, poorly delineated and adorned only with little stamps to indicate vehicles. Will there be sidewalks, curbs, trees? None of this was addressed in the short presentation at the special town meeting before we voted.

A project as important as this requires our careful attention. What we were shown last Tuesday evening and voted on so quickly did not meet the necessary criteria. When the engineers have completed their design, will the board of public works schedule another hearing to clarify what we can expect?

This matter deserves your attention.

Mary H. Snyder

Vineyard Haven

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CHURCH AND TOWN

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The decision of the town of West Tisbury at the annual town meeting to spend $150,000 in addition to the $30,000 it has already spent on the Congregational Church is totally unacceptable. I cannot say that it surprises me. It is just one more instance of a group of special interests being able to prevail on a local government, no matter how unconstitutional their actions are. Parishioners who attended the meeting stated that many groups use the church facilities, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the town owns seven buildings largely not used that could house these group meetings.

I am quite sure many residents in the nicer historic section of town want to keep their part of the town picture postcard perfect. Forget about the other, not-so-nice sections of the town. It is not unusual to find 80 to 100 house subdivisions on dirt roads, some back to back, one of which has 20 traffic generating businesses on it, many of which are light industrial. One would have to go to a third world country to find something similar. I have tried since 1987 to get the town to take responsibility for these subdivisions, but they have refused, stating that they are private roads and instead have doubled their potential size by allowing residences in garages, barns and other structures. But money for a church is fine. The dust levels in these subdivisions are illegal. The town has the nerve to charge for habitation permits in areas they have rendered not fit for habitation.

Since the finance committee recommended this spending, perhaps it will recommend the elimination of government and history classes in the schools to offset it. Clearly the teaching of concepts such as the separation of church and state are a waste of money in West Tisbury. On the positive side, the American Civil Liberties Union has expressed an interest in this case. If they take it up, the finance committee can recommend paying town counsel to defend it who was mum during the passage of this article.

James Sepanara

West Tisbury

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LONG REACH

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Presently I am 1,500 miles from the Vineyard. I got a call on my cell phone from a shop in Vineyard Haven; Two Susans is the name. The message on my cell said that perhaps I had left my cell phone in their shop. Hmmm, I am listening to this message on my cell phone. I quickly deduced that a very dear friend of mine has a habit of leaving and/or forgetting where her cell phone was last laid to rest. I called the shop and asked, “Is it a small, black Verizon phone?” Yes. “Was Dolly Campbell in your store?” Yes.

Then I left a message on her home phone and with a close-by friend as to the whereabouts of said cell phone. All along I imagined her scouring the streets of Vineyard Haven for it.

Around nine o’clock that night Dolly got her cell phone back; she had reached one of the Two Susans.

Funny, we are so far away and yet so connected. Such is the Vineyard — very long-stretching arms.

J. Goodman

Vineyard Haven

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HOSPITAL THANKS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined us on Saturday evening and throughout the day on Sunday, for making our community’s dream of a new hospital come true.

To our contributors, we will be forever grateful for your overwhelming generosity and support for this project. Your belief that high quality health care should always be available on the Island is a true testament to your community spirit.

I’d also like to thank our board of trustees who have consistently had one goal in mind: to ensure we have been able to provide the best care possible and to work toward improving the health of our neighbors, friends and family.

I feel confident that our goal of becoming one of the finest small community hospitals to be found anywhere is now within our reach. My thanks to the dedicated staff of medical professionals and support staff who bring a level of caring to their jobs each and every day; that is truly unique.

Finally, my thanks to all of our volunteers, including the honor society from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School; your help was indispensable.

Congratulations to everyone. We could not have done this without you!

Timothy J. Walsh

Oak Bluffs

The writer is president and chief executive officer of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.