Margaret Knight>

508 627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

With us baby boomers aging and more retirees settling on the island, it’s good to see that the number of children on Chappaquiddick has taken a leap in recent years, too. According to Liz, who keeps track at the ferry, there are now 22 school-age kids, plus six or seven younger ones. There are 11 elementary, seven at the regional high school, three at the charter school, and one homeschooling. It’s nice to see that so many kids are getting to grow up on our beautiful island, and we do need someone to populate it in the future!

Last Wednesday at the Community Center, Chappaquiddickers gathered at a potluck hosted by Nancy Slate and Dennis Goldin to honor Abigail Chandler, the new CCC coordinator, who is board member Sharlee Livingston’s daughter. Abigail and her family recently moved to Chappy, and she brought little John, who was a big hit. He has just started walking, and even though it was past his bedtime, he was happy to socialize. Welcome to Abigail in her new job! Abigail also works with the chorus at the high school.

Joan Adibi wrote to me from San Francisco last month, where she and Siamak went to greet the newest family members of their daughter Jennifer Adibi and her husband, David Teoste. Their twins were born on Oct. 5: a boy, Cyrus Oliver Teoste, and a girl, Lucinda (Lucy) Elise Teoste. Everyone is doing well.

Molly and Erik Gillies suddenly have a new house. It was delivered by barge and by truck, in four pieces. With the help of a crane, it was put together on its new foundation on their property off Narragansett avenue. The new house is located across the road from where they live presently, but still nice and close to Grandpa Pete and Granny Sal.

Adult and Community Education of Martha’s Vineyard (ACE MV) holds its second annual benefit on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the high school. An ethnic international food court will be hosted by local chefs and caterers, with music from DJ Donald Rose and demonstrations of salsa, Capoeira, belly dancing, Irish tunes, folk dancing and a fashion show of Janice Frame’s hats fit for a royal wedding. Vendors and displays will show native jewelry, Haitian art, Irish pottery/art, African crafts and books, Huichol art, and Zapotec fortune telling. A silent auction will offer amazing treasures. A concert will feature La Eskuelita Candombe, an Afro-Uruguayan rhythm group from Boston, the Black Brook Singers, Sabrina and Don Groover, singer/song writer Elizabeth Straton and Irish music from Gregg Harcourt and Mary Wolverton, among others. More details are available at acemv.org.

The Chappy Wireless Committee held its second meeting last Friday, Nov. 4. Edgartown’s wireless consultant, David Maxson of Isotrope, LLC, answered various questions and also gave a presentation of the merits of a Distributed Antennae System (DAS) versus a 150-foot standing tower. A DAS, which is being installed up-Island, seems to be well-suited for Chappy. It would need 15 to 20 poles, about 35-feet high, and could use existing telephone poles. Mr. Maxson agreed to do a preliminary design by Nov. 11, including a survey to see what the coverage of such a system would be, compared with the tower approach. The committee will meet on Nov. 18 to review the design and finalize a presentation to take to the selectman on Nov. 21, asking them to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for installation of a DAS on Chappaquiddick. The RFP could be sent out before the next town meeting, though no awards would be made until the town voted. Thanks to Bob Gurnitz and Dennis Goldin for help with this report of the meeting.

Since becoming involved with the cell committee, I’ve become much more aware of cell towers, including the one near the water tower, which we can see from the ferry line. As I traveled north on I-95 last weekend, I was surprised at how regularly placed along the highway those giant towers were. Service was good­ definitely better than at myhouse­ but I’m hoping we can get by with a DAS on Chappy.

In a snappy little article on the Forbes Web site titled “Lady Gaga Won’t Be Joining Obama on Martha’s Vineyard,” you can confirm the sad news that Lady Gaga isn’t really moving to North Neck, in case you still held out hopes that she would be pulling in behind you in the ferry line next summer. The article includes a photo from her “would-be home” looking out over Cape Pogue toward the lighthouse and mislabels it “View of Edgartown Harbor from North Neck.”