Two stop signs and a crosswalk at the intersection of Main street and Woodland avenue in Vineyard Haven will be put in place after a well-attended public hearing at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night.
About 15 residents, many from Havenside apartments on Main street, came to the meeting to express concern over the intersection.
“Even to walk to downtown you have to cross over because there’s no sidewalk on the harbor side of Main street,” said Jack Rollins, a resident of Havenside. “I think it needs a stop sign to slow down the cars a bit because they really go like hell over there. And also we need a designated crosswalk.”
Pamela and Jack Street, who also live on Main street, said in the past 10 years they have witnessed at least five accidents near the intersection, one of which damaged their mailbox.
“There are three spots [on the street] which are extremely exposed to high speeds,” said Mr. Street. “Havenside is a concern, obviously. So is Owen Park, where you have kids, frisbees and other things. And at the library there are small children getting out of cars.”
The Vineyard Haven Library is north on Main street toward Greenwood avenue.
The residents also requested a speed limit of 20 miles per hour for the street. Selectman Jeff Kristal said the state enforces the speed limit based on data collection.
“With a stop sign, traffic will have to slow down,” said Mr. Kristal. “Then you could monitor the speed and we could petition the state.”
The department of public works will install the stop signs and paint the crosswalk, and the selectmen will hold a public hearing at the next meeting for the speed limit request.
Not too far away in town, more crosswalks will be painted, as requested by resident Lee Bruni.
Mr. Bruni, a parent of children at the Tisbury School, asked for a crosswalk at the intersections of Pine and Lake streets and at Pine and Summer streets.
“Many of the children in that area walk to the Tisbury School,” said Mr. Bruni. “Exiting cars at Lake street and Summer street tend to go completely through the stop signs, and you have two blind spots there. I’d like a crosswalk there for the safety of the kids.”
“I agree with Mr. Bruni,” said public works director Fred LaPiana.“Crosswalks across Lake and Summer would make a lot of sense.”
The harbor management committee and Tashmoo management committee also gave their recommendations about a new mooring transfer policy.
Melinda Loberg said the proposed regulation would ask prospective mooring holders to obtain inspections for their future moorings.
“Then any sale or purchase of that equipment attached to the mooring would be between the old mooring holder and the new mooring holder,” she said.
Harbor master Jay Wilbur was apprehensive.
“I find it a little bit of a glitch when I’m telling people to hire a mooring inspector to inspect a mooring they don’t own yet,” he said.
“Real estate does it all the time with home inspection,” replied Mr. Kristal. “And that goes into the final sale of the home.”
As of now there is no mooring transfer regulation. Currently Mr. Wilbur recommends new mooring holders pay old mooring holders $500 — an estimate of what inspection and installation of new mooring gear would cost.
The selectmen will hold a public hearing at the next meeting to discuss the mooring transfer policy.
In other business, shellfish constable Danielle Ewart announced dates for scalloping season. For waters outside the harbor and town ponds, recreational scalloping will open on Saturday, Oct. 13 and commercial scalloping will open on Monday, Oct. 15.
For Lagoon Pond, recreational scalloping will open on Saturday, Oct. 27 and commercial scalloping will open on Monday, Oct. 29. Tashmoo will be open to dip netting only. A date has not yet been set.
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