Editor’s Note: The proposal to build a fish pier in Oak Bluffs has generated dozens of letters to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, which is reviewing the project as a development of regional impact (DRI). Most of the letters favor the pier. What follows is an edited selection.

A Grandmother’s Endorsement

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

As a grandmother who lives in Oak Bluffs, I feel that the fishing pier near the SSA would be a great asset to children and adults alike.

It is so close to downtown Oak Bluffs that kids could ride their bikes to a safe and secure place to fish. It would be a wonderful asset as a healthy, fun sport. Kids who grow up learning to fish will have a great hobby that can last them all their lives. My family grew up on the shores of Long Island Sound, and my kids spent many happy hours fishing from the jetty near our home.

And as a grandmother who still loves the active lifestyle, I can see myself fishing there also! It would be so easy to access, even carrying a cane!

And it would be such a boon to the saltwater fishermen on this Island.

Please act favorably on the pier, which would be located to the left of the SSA pier.

Glenna F. Barkan

Oak Bluffs

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Pier With Dividends

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

As an Islander who has a problem with walking long distances and who has three young grandsons who love fishing, it would be wonderful to have a fishing pier in Oak Bluffs. The location is excellent and it really is somewhat separated by the wide road and the embankment from the neighbors who feel that they might be bothered by the project. It really should not present any significant problems for them.

Furthermore, it should be of considerable benefit to the town of Oak Bluffs which has a considerable number of summer residents within easy walking distance to the pier. This is a great opportunity that will be paying dividends to the Islanders for many years to come.

I respectfully ask you to approve this project.

Michael Colaneri

West Tisbury

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Ill-Advised Site

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I am writing as a resident of the North Bluff in Oak Bluffs in response to the proposed fishing pier. We learned of this idea late in the game, and were surprised that we were not consulted or involved in the planning. I am reluctant to throw cold water on people’s enthusiasm, however in this circumstance I think the proposed site is ill-advised, and I recommend an alternative site not far away and with positive advantages.

This is a residential neighborhood and those of us who live here already feel under siege by the traffic congestion and overwhelming activity in the harbor. Several ferries use this area as their loading and unloading spot. We are concerned that the site of the proposed fishing pier would further complicate the parking and traffic and chaos of this area. Being open 24/7 we are also concerned that this will be a magnet for loitering and drinking (parties and noise) at all hours of the night.

The remains of cleaned fish on the pier has the potential to attract vermin (rats, skunks etc.). This is an active and much-used swimming beach. Plunking this fishing pier in the midst of swimmers is obviously ill-advised and dangerous.

I would propose moving the pier to the opposite side of the Steamship terminal. There is no neighborhood there, so noise would be less of a nuisance. The swimming beach on this side of the terminal doesn’t start for maybe one or two hundred yards further down. The police are situated directly across the street ( enhancing regulating and controlling what actually occurs on the pier). The bus stop is right there (making handicapped access easier), and the public restrooms are just about the same distance as from the previous design.

I hope these suggestions are useful. Thank you for your consideration.

Jason and Injy Lew

Oak Bluffs

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Tipping Point

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I have, at various times, made online comments supporting the fishing pier in the proposed location and would like to reiterate my support for the project. The Island, like the rest of the country, has changed dramatically in the 350-plus years since my ancestors first arrived — but the one constant has always been fishing.

Most Islanders have fond childhood memories of fishing; for me those memories were made on the docks in Menemsha. Unfortunately, parking and time constraints limit access for most of the year and make it difficult for me to share the experience with my two sons.

No one is debating whether the Oak Bluffs fishing pier will be used or not; all arguments against it stem from assumptions made due to over-use and the Not-In-My-Backyard attitude. There are times obviously when people question the purpose and decisions of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, but your goal to create a system of regional planning and regulation in order to protect the unique “natural, historical, ecological, scientific, [and] cultural” qualities of the Vineyard is admirable. So I challenge the commission — what is more indicative of Martha’s Vineyard than fishing? Where can busy Islanders struggling to earn a living easily obtain free access to the one pastime that unites us all? Where can we continue this tradition and inspire our children on a regular basis? Is there now a single structure on the Island that is more needed than the fishing pier?

Criticisms against the fishing pier seem to imply that the noise, traffic and trash that may possibly result will stress out an already fragile infrastructure and have a detrimental effect on Oak Bluffs. As a resident of Oak Bluffs, I am continually asking myself in what direction “Circus” avenue will take the town. When I initially heard about the fishing pier, I thought, finally, the tipping point! The building of the Oak Bluffs fishing pier and the resulting community it will create among young and old, fishermen and nonfishermen, Islander and visitor will be the tipping point for Oak Bluffs.

This is the point at which our town stops being the drinking and partying town and becomes known for the fishing pier, Flying Horses and gingerbread cottages. This is the point where we lose our poor reputation among other Island towns and regain our family-friendly identity. It is where we continue the fishing traditions that still abound on the Island and inspire a new generation. It is where we regain our sense of Island community.

Katherine Mayhew May-Waite

Oak Bluffs

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Joy and Happiness

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I am in total support of the proposed fishing pier in Oak Bluffs. As a longtime Island visitor and current resident, I see the joy and happiness children and families gain from fishing together. This location is great and it would be a welcome addition to residents and visiters alike.

Ralph Peckham

Edgartown

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Full Speed Ahead

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I completely, 100 per cent, support the fishing pier proposed for Oak Bluffs (200 feet west of the SSA pier).

This is a fantastic project that will benefit many people, fishermen and nonfishermen alike. I believe the pier will be an Oak Bluffs destination that will provide scenic views, increase business, and provide public water access that is increasingly being limited on the Island.

Let’s get this project moving ahead full speed!

John Piekos

Westford and Edgartown

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Welcome Opportunity

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the proposed fishing pier on North Bluff. I have seen several fishing piers while on vacations in Florida and I would welcome the opportunity to fish with my husband and my grandchildren at home here in Oak Bluffs. As we get older, shore fishing will be less and less possible for us. Public access to the shore is a hallmark of the town of Oak Bluffs; please approve this project.

Judith A. Searle

Oak Bluffs

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Good for All

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I would like to take the time to let you know that I am 100 per cent in support of the proposed plan to build a recreational fishing pier in the town of Oak Bluffs on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. I support the plan as is and I am sure it would be good for all the residents and visitors of the Island.

Matthew Sudarsky

Vineyard Haven

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Explore Alternatives

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

My name is Patricia Wallace and I am a resident of the North Bluff Neighborhood and live in proximity to the proposed fishing pier. I am writing to state my opposition to this project.

I am the mother of four children who swim at this beach and I believe that constructing a fishing pier here would greatly affect the safety of swimming at this beach. We have lived here for more than 20 years and I have never seen anyone catch fish that were of size to keep. Furthermore, I was shocked to learn that no consideration or evaluation of an alternative site had ever been considered.

Alternative sites need to be strongly investigated before undertaking a project of this magnitude. This is a very expensive project and it is clear to me that it has been very poorly researched. Again, in this economy this is shocking. Most of what I heard in the meeting of support and defense of the proposal was based on hyperbole and anectodal evidence based on a fisherman from Edgartown. How confusing it is to me that we are this far into this proposed project and it is the first time you met with the people who actually live in front of the proposed pier. Other concerns I have is how the placement of this pier would greatly stress the already-stressed neighborhood in terms of parking congestion, nighttime noise and traffic.

I am not against a fishing pier; three of my children love to fish and go out fishing with Capt. Russell and on the Skipper fishing boat all the time, as well as fishing off of our boat. Please rethink your position and actively pursue an appropriate alternative.

Patricia Wallace

Oak Bluffs