The Massachusetts Historical Commission has information in its archives about the Oak Bluffs High School that was built in 1934-1935 as a junior/senior high school. It was described as having a Colonial Revival architectural style with front doors flanked by pilasters, crowned by a fan shaped pediment with dentils and with block columns flanking the ends of each section of the building. Its picture has an attractive eight sided, louvered cupola on the top and the windows are 12 over 12.

Built during the Depression as part of a Public Works Administration project as part of the New Deal it remained the junior/senior high school until 1959 when our regional high school was built. It was then used for grades four through eight until the kids moved across the street in the 1960’s to its new building, our present town hall.

The town sold the building to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fall River in 1998. I knew you’d wonder what amount of shiny beads it took to incentivize that transaction so I checked. It was sold for $225,000, which sounds like not too much money but would have been the equivalent of $1.6 million today which sounds like a lot, but it’s not. Its taxable value today is $2.3 million proving once again there’s no path to saving one’s way to victory as opposed to investing into success. Hindsight always wins. We probably shouldn’t have sold that building which today, although a tad shabby, still evokes the pride of its design by Edgartown architect George E. Eldridge, unlike our hand me down town hall in its forlorn and embarrassing condition.

There are two chances coming up to regain that pride, at town meeting next Tuesday and elections next Thursday. It’s heartening that town officials are finally addressing the needs of town employees. A new town hall requires a two thirds vote in the affirmative so you must attend and vote next Tuesday because common sense ain’t common. There are people on social media who want nothing new or positive and who may actually go and vote against it.

The Oak Bluffs Library hosts an egg hunt for kids on Saturday, April 8 at 10 a.m. You are invited to gather at the back entrance and advised to bring a bag or basket for your findings. Inquisitively, I’m wondering where the eggs came from. Will they be boiled and decorated, and by whom?

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services’ fifth annual Sexual Assault Awareness Walk is this Saturday, April 8 and starts at the bandstand in Ocean Park at 10:45 a.m. Preregistration is $5 or $10 that day. Proceeds go to victim and survivor services of the Connect to End Violence Program. To register or for more information contact Isadora Brito at 774-549-9667 or email her at ibrito@mvcommunityservices.com.

Oak Bluffs’ Alicia Oliveira graduated from the Army Assault School in Hawaii. Congratulations to her and the proud parents Margaret and Dave who recently posted a picture of Alicia about to rappel out of a serious looking helicopter. It’s not just a small Island; it’s a small world that found Alicia’s helicopter pilot to be a Vineyard person. Thanks for the service guys.

Spring is sweet. Ben & Bill’s is open already and the front door of Back Door Donuts opens Thursday at 7 a.m. with the famous Back Door opening Thursday at 7 p.m. It’s nice to see our colorful town come to life again, readying itself for another season.

Happy 140th birthday Tony’s Market, founded and continuously in business since 1877. We don’t know what we’d do without you.

It will be wonderful for the Massachusetts Historical Commission to expound upon the architecture of a new Oak Bluffs Town Hall in the future.

Keep your foot on a rock.

Send Oak Bluffs news to sfinley@mvgazette.com.