DOING HIS JOB

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I read in today’s morning news a brief announcement of the summons against Jamie Zambrama.

He does a terrific job managing the intense numbers of visitors to the Atlantic restaurant in Edgartown during the summer. With its massive holding capacity and added attractions of music and bars, it is well known that Edgartown is a popular destination for the Presidential entourage. Many well-known names frequent the premises and behave less than decently. The special service officers often consider themselves to be an elite group of entitled thugs and should not abuse their position.

It’s good to know that the manager is capable of protecting his clients.

Francesca Kelly

West Tisbury

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PRETTY PRICEY

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I thought it might be important to let the folks at Polly Hill Arboretum know why I didn’t attend the aster identification workshop last week. I had to make some value judgments about my discretionary income, so I had to decide whether to pay the $120 fee and pack my own brown bag lunch, or buy five lobsters at Net Result, a handbook on wildflower identification, and a half a tankful of gas for my car.

I chose the latter.

Charles Kernick

West Tisbury

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VTA: A GREAT RIDE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I would like to thank you for this opportunity to voice my opinions of the Vineyard Transit Authority.

Having stayed for the month of August and part of September on our boat in Vineyard Haven and used the VTA daily to and from Oak Bluffs as well as for additional side trips, we became well acquainted with the service. Let me first say that we have seldom witnessed such a well-run organization. Much is to be said about it from the top down and the bottom up. The effort that has gone into making this system work so well is readily apparent.

We found that the equipment was always clean and well maintained and the bus drivers well groomed and very pleasant. They provided a wealth of information to the riders, helping them move around the Island, answering countless questions (sometimes the same over and over again) and yet keeping the buses on schedule. We were amazed at the cheerful, friendly attitude that these drivers displayed, no matter the attitude of the passengers or state of the traffic. Every driver drove carefully and we never saw one of them mistreat the equipment or drive aggressively. We don’t want to overlook the ticket sellers, who were a steady source of information and help in connecting people to the right bus. All the employees we encountered obviously had pride in the service they provided. Rarely does one have the chance to observe such a fine group of people, each one a credit to the VTA. The human resources department has done an outstanding job of recruiting both year-round and seasonal employees. The VTA can be very proud of the way that these people represent the organization.

Kudos to the VTA. See you next year.

Ladd and Denise Caine

SV Blue, Pompano Beach, Fla.

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MOVIE MAN

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Last week, Richard Paradise wrote an eloquent thank you in these columns to those people and companies that helped make the recent Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival such a success. It seems timely for us, in turn, to thank Richard.

Let us take a little time to recognize the amazing volunteer work undertaken by Richard himself. With the assistance of a few volunteers, Rich has run the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society for 12 years. Every week, year-round, he arrives on-Island (he used to live here, but now resides in Falmouth) to set up his projector and sound system to bring us high-quality “art” films, both foreign and US-produced. Thanks to Richard’s tireless interest and pursuit of quality, we have a real choice when it comes to movies. In the fall, winter and spring, he selects and screens movies at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, and in the summer at Union Chapel. In addition he maintains the Web site, sends out e-mail alerts and takes care of dozens of other chores, too numerous to mention. Over the years the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society has screened movies for the benefit of other Island nonprofit organizations as well.

Most recently, Richard has embarked on an ambitious new project to raise the money to fit out a custom movie theatre building to be built in Vineyard Haven. (Constructing the actual building will not be part of this effort). The MVFS will enter into a long-term lease and will hugely expand the number and variety of high-quality movies available to us all. The fund-raising effort for this is just getting underway. It’s a modest but very worthwhile endeavor.

Richard has never taken a penny in salary for his efforts. The film society is a 501(c)3 organization and is run as a 100 per cent volunteer effort. Richard does this for our community and for his own love of films. We owe him our gratitude and support. Thanks, Richard, and more power to you as you move to the next level.

Alan Brigish

West Tisbury

UNFRIENDLY ISLAND

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

My family and I are from Michigan and decided to go on vacation to Martha’s Vineyard in August, from August 29 to Sept. 2. It’s a beautiful place, although we were not crazy about how small the streets are; many are one-way streets, which make it difficult for visitors like us who are not familiar with the area. Another problem was the general lack of parking spaces for visitors; there are too many areas with parking spots for special people only, including residents only or fishermen only, in the shopping areas. I’m sure the Vineyard’s income is mostly generated by tourism but when it comes to street signs and parking areas, both are unfriendly to visitors.

Speaking of parking, we had a disappointing experience while we went to Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah. There were some restaurants and gift shops up there around the area, so on that day, my husband and I decided to drive there. When we got there, we drove around and tried to find a parking spot, and as usual, we couldn’t find any. There were signs that said parking for one hour, no parking for certain hours, or residents only. So we kept driving, still trying to find a parking spot. After we drove around for awhile, we were excited because we finally saw an area where there were some cars parked diagonally on the side of the road. Before we parked there, we purposely looked for the sign that might say no parking or resident parking only, and since we couldn’t find one, we thought it was finally safe to park — and we did.

Two hours later, after we finished with our sightseeing at the Gay Head Lighthouse, we walked back to our car, seeing some people who also had just parked there. We got in our car and left. After driving for a few miles, my husband noticed a piece of paper on the windshield that looked like a parking ticket, so we stopped and took the paper off the windshield and confirmed that it was a parking ticket for $50! It said that we had violated parking rules. We were truly shocked! How could it be? We were so angry and didn’t understand how this had happened. Later that evening we decided to drive back to the spot where we parked to find the no parking sign we had missed. We looked and looked and finally we found it — the residents only parking sign. It was very low, and we remembered there had been a big truck parked in front of it. That big truck totally blocked the sign! The sign was lower than the hood of that big truck, so no wonder we didn’t see the sign at all, but still we were punished with a $50 parking ticket.

What happened to us was totally wrong and unfair. We came all the way from Michigan to enjoy the Vineyard, but in the end we were sorry that we went there and disappointed in our experience. Somehow we feel that the Vineyard is not a friendly place for tourists. We still didn’t feel we did anything wrong by parking on that spot where the very low resident only parking sign wasn’t easily seen at all. We were just visitors, not residents, and shouldn’t be expected to know that there is a parking spot for residents. In most places parking spots for residents are by their houses. If a police officer wants to ticket a violator, at least make sure that the sign is obvious and easily seen. We did send our $50 to the Edgartown parking clerk like good citizens.

It’s a shame and sad that we have to tell our family and friends that the Vineyard is not a welcoming place for tourists. We wish we didn’t have to write this but it was so ridiculous and it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Lucy Sanborn

Wayne, Mich.

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HISTORY RETOLD

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Recently I submitted two photos of the footbridge over Sunset Lake in Oak Bluffs, taken by photographer J. A. French in the late 1800s. I suggested that the bridge was part of the path from Norris Wharf in Eastville to the Camp Ground and asked “What is that bridge all about?” I am grateful to Douglas Ulwick who advised that the Norris Wharf path skirted the head of Squash Meadow Pond (now Sunset Lake) further inland (perhaps Vineyard avenue area) and long before any bridges were built. The photos show Ellinwood Heights footbridge, part of the 10-acre section of Vineyard Highland homes developed by Truman Jeremiah Ellinwood at the close of the 19th century. According to the 1906 edition of Who’s Who in America, Mr. Ellinwood was one of the founders, officer and teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Summer Institute. It seems there’s always more to learn about Oak Bluffs history.

Philip H. Chapman

Oak Bluffs and

Burlington, Conn.

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.