BIKE PATH CONTROVERSY

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The Chappaquiddick bike path battle continues. While our committee, Sharing Chappy Roads, is tired of fighting, our problem is that despite a clear majority opposed to a side road path, the Chappy Path Committee continues to try to shift public opinion. There is every reason to think that the path committee and Stuart Fuller, highway superintendent, plan to take this issue to Edgartown town meeting in 2011. If they prevail, we believe that every dollar spent on this project whether they are local, state, or federal funds will be taxpayer money poorly spent.

Keeping Edgartown taxpayers in the loop of information would mean a well-informed public if the issue ever comes to a vote. For those of you who rarely, if ever, visit Chappy, we urge you to spend time in the next months walking, driving, or bicycling the roads and wooded paths. Chappaquiddick is still mostly rural and emits a feeling of the past. The construction of a bike path here will forever and negatively change what has worked well for years and what is cherished by many Edgartonians. Chappaquiddick is a small island. Forcing a project of this magnitude on friends and neighbors is unkind and thoughtless.

We don’t believe that Edgartown needs a bike path on Chappy. There is no reason to move traffic along the road. It is three cars on, three cars off. There is nowhere to go except to the beach at one end and to wait in the ferry line at the other end. There have only been eight reported bicycle accidents here since 1991, none involving cars or trucks. Still, the path committee continues to claim significant, but unspecified safety issues.

As was reported in both newspapers in December, the path commitee hired Daniel Dulaski, a civil engineer, and some of his Northeastern University undergraduate students to do an objective study of the Chappy road and ferry parking lot. The committee announced to the community that this engineering group would collect data, get input from the community, identify significant safety issues, and then make recommendations based upon the data collected and a thorough engineering study.

What actually happened is that the students visited Chappy for two days in late January, and immediately recommended building a side road path on the north side of the road, eight feet wide with a buffer strip only wide enough to allow a little grass to grow (with luck) along most of the way. This was done prior to compiling any traffic or safety data or getting input from any members of the community other than Stuart Fuller and the path committee.

On April 19, the path committee held a public meeting presented by Mr. Dulaski and the students. The advertised purpose of the meeting was to disclose the results of a Chappy public opinion survey that the path committee claimed to have been sent to every Chappy property owner and only one person per property, not including year-round renters; the due date for returns was April 12. But the results were not disclosed and the path committee has since sent out an e-mail to a select list — perhaps mostly supporters — saying that it wasn’t too late to mail in their survey responses. We can’t help but believe that the path committee didn’t like the initial results.

After the formal presentation at the April 19 meeting, public discussion revealed the following: there was no safety or traffic data collected by the students, and the Edgartown police reports still indicate only eight bicycle accidents on Chappy in 18 years; the Martha’s Vineyard Commission still reports a traffic count on Chappy which is just a small portion of the traffic counts on most of the other count sites across the Vineyard; the undergraduate students have done no significant research relating to published bicycle safety studies; the only engineering that took place was done to show how best to cram a side road path along the Chappaquiddick Road and reconstruct the ferry parking lot and ferry waiting area.

The students could not provide any basis for their recommendations of a side road path despite several audience questions. Mr. Dulaski is supposed to be an objective engineer leading this study; however, all of the photos included in their power point presentation were provided by the path committee and depicted cars passing on curves and beach goers strolling along the Chappy roads.

Perhaps there is some town laughter at our expense, “another Chappy controversy,” but we cannot stop our opposition unless or until the Chappy Path Committee recognizes the will of the community and stops their nonsense.

Bob and Fran Clay

Chappaquiddick

•

WIND TOWERS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Our Island is now faced with a proliferation of wind power projects, on and offshore, which it should be. Ending our dependence on foreign oil is a priority for survival. Wind is an excellent source of clean energy, especially in this area of our country, along with other clean alternative energies. Because the subject of offshore wind farms has already been fully discussed, I only wish to make a comment on wind energy here on the Island.

I do not want to see lots of large 100 to 200-foot tall steel towers all over this Island. (Utility poles are bad enough, which I hope will ultimately be replaced with invisible underground service.) However, I do see a compromise for wind usage on the Island. I envision five or six large-scale community-owned wind towers to supply a considerable amount of our power. One large wind turbine would be the equivalent of 200 smaller wind turbines. What would you rather see, one large wind tower in each town, or 1200 individually owned steel towers? I think the answer is obvious.

However, I do understand there is research to harness the wind at much lower levels, so that a tall tower is not needed, but so far, no one has been able to perfect this technology. Until then, we may want to consider a moratorium on new towers for small turbines.

Paul Adler

West Tisbury

•

AN UGLY WIN

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

If great American landmarks that are an essential part of our heritage like Nantucket Sound are destroyed, we all lose something vitally important that can never be replaced. And worse yet, it sets an extraordinarily ugly precedent. If Nantucket Sound isn’t worth preserving — then nothing else is.

Like Nantucket Sound, the dramatic landscape between Mt. San Jacinto and Mt. San Gorgonio near Palm Springs, Calif., was once a place known worldwide for its awe-inspiring beauty. But in 1975, the BLM and Riverside County politicians started parceling it off to Palm Springs windmill developers, and since then they’ve never once denied the approval of a San Gorgonio Pass windmill development. While they acted like environmental heroes, they turned a place of spectacular beauty and tranquility into a sprawling industrial slum that destroyed monumental scenic views, displaced wildlife and rendered adjacent land worthless for any other purpose — all for one of the most land intensive, costly, and unreliable power sources available. What good is an industry that, in order to produce a nominal amount of power, has to consume vast amounts of land and create a large-scale blight on the landscape?

So now, with this eminent domain-like order from Mr. Salazar, we have decided to junk up beautiful Nantucket Sound with hundreds of giant windmills and miles of big ugly powerlines, just like the San Gorgonio Pass, on the vague promise of power for 400,000 homes. With every new pass of windmill development, we in Palm Springs were informed of similar impressive statistics, but the thousands of homes San Gorgonio Pass windmills now supposedly power are evidently not here in Palm Springs, where summer temperatures can rise above 115 degrees and we still pay some of the highest rates for electricity in the nation.

Knowing that the accuracy of any windmill developer’s power production statistics rely on his ability to predict when the wind will blow, even if Cape Wind’s numbers are accurate, is that all Nantucket Sound is worth? Are our most celebrated and special places now just relics of the past that no longer have any real significance beyond their possible capacity to facilitate power? If this development is allowed to proceed, then every place that should be off limits to large scale industrial development is up for grabs. This is a big win for ugly. And that should be a real concern for all of us.

Les Starks

Whitewater, Calif.

•

EXPIRED EGGS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I was recently shopping at the Stop and Shop in Vineyard Haven. As I was looking at some organic eggs, I noticed that, despite the fact that this was early May, there were at least seven or eight packs with expiration dates from early April. I brought this to a floor stocker’s attention, and he said, “That’s supposed to be checked by the guy who works at night, but he doesn’t do it.” I asked “This has been ignored for a month?!” He didn’t check these once?”

This is the second time I have found items way past their expiration date on the shelves of this store.

It’s a health hazard.

Kendall Black

Oak Bluffs

•

ISLANDER TO THE RESCUE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

This past winter, my wife, granddaughter and I were driving in Sharon when a mechanical failure caused our car to crash. Fortunately, Charles Feeney, who is employed as a West Tisbury firefighter, was outside of his father’s house. He immediately came over to see if we were all right. He called the Sharon police department, and best of all, he directed traffic around our vehicle while we waited for the police and a tow truck to arrive.

I would like the people of West Tisbury to know what a dedicated public servant they have on their fire department. Without Mr. Feeney’s help, a car could easily have struck us.

I would also like to apologize to Mr. Feeney for the long delay in publicly thanking him.

David Fairbanks

North Easton

•

MILES OF MEMORIES

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Last Sunday we held the annual Miles of Memories Walk for Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod and the Islands. More than $5,000 was raised, which is great. If you forgot to donate, you may still contribute: the address is Alzheimer’s Services, c/o Box 749, Oak Bluffs, MA, 02557.

It was a treat to see young (six-year-olds), old (an 82-year-old) and middle-aged people walk along the bike path to Dodger’s Hole and beyond. A super turnout.

A plaque for the most money raised was awarded to Bink’s, and Willie DeBettencourt was the top money raiser. Congratulations.

Thanks go out to Reliable Market, Vineyard Bottled Water and Joyce, for her baked goods.

For everyone who participated, and to those who wanted to, thanks so much!

Tom Dresser

and Joyce Stiles-Tucker

Oak Bluffs

and Vineyard Haven

HELPING NICARAGUA

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Adult and Community Education of Martha’s Vineyard (ACE MV) recently completed its first humanitarian travel service project in Nicaragua. Those of us who were fortunate enough to participate enoyed a stimulating cultural experience and made positive connections with people we met there. The Island community support was overwhelming, and we were able to present our new friends with some needed clothing, toys, school and health supplies, four laptop computers, and cash for new reference books. The Nicaraguan school children were thrilled with the letters and drawings from Island students. We are grateful to all the Vineyarders who contributed those gifts to the Nicaraguan community.

Lynn and Michael Ditchfield

Edgartown

The Vineyard Gazette welcomes letters to the editor on any subject concerning Martha’s Vineyard. The newspaper strives to publish all letters as space allows, although the editor reserves the right to reject letters that in her judgment are inappropriate. Letters must be signed, and should include a place of residence and contact telephone number. The Gazette does not publish anonymous letters.