From massive dredging and beach renourishment in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown to renovations at the Gay Head Cliffs overlook, a number of public works improvement projects are under way around the Island this winter.
All are being paid for with a variety of public and private funds, including state grants, Community Preservation Act monies and private donations.
On the Beach Road running between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, piping and heavy equipment associated with dredging have been in evidence for months, as a two-town project to suck sand from Sengekontacket and replenish eroded beachfronts takes place.
The major project includes work on both ends of the north-facing coastline.
In Edgartown, sand dredged from Sengekontacket using the town-owned dredge has been sold to Oak Bluffs for its beachfront needs; more sand will be used to stave off ongoing erosion at Fuller street beach.
Meanwhile, Oak Bluffs obtained funding last year for a wide-ranging beach restoration project from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. The $2.7 million project, which includes a $689,000 contribution from the town, has included renourishing beach areas along Seaview avenue and the North Bluff, where a new seawall and boardwalk are already in place.
Final phases of the project will include the installation of new groins, and future phases will include refurbishment work on the Farm Pond culvert and jetties that line the entrance to the Oak Bluffs harbor.
Farther west, in Menemsha construction began early this month on a pedestrian path that will run along Basin Road, leading to beach. The path is aimed at better walking safety for pedestrians and beach-goers in summer, when the historic fishing village is jammed with tourists, residents and fishermen.
“The idea was to improve safety around that corner. In the summertime it’s a choke point for pedestrians, and cars, and a lot of people felt it was dangerous,” said town administrator Tim Carroll. “We don’t have sidewalks, so we’re just trying to make a little bit of room.”
The new path will feature a crushed stone and shell walk in addition to a low stone retaining wall. The project is being paid for mostly by private donors, Mr. Carroll said. About $27,000 will come from taxpayers.
Funding was approved at a special town meeting in November 2018. Property owners who are abutters have donated easements, Mr. Carroll said. The work is being done by Merry and Sons Inc., and John Keene Excavation Inc.
“[The path] is a small part of the discussion that has been going on for five-plus years,” Mr. Carroll said. The so-called Menemsha corridor plan, commissioned by the town and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission in 2017, outlined many renovations to make roads safer and ease the flow of traffic congestion to the village.
Other proposed improvements for Menemsha, including a VTA bus turnaround by the comfort station, parking lot changes and a boardwalk over the dunes, failed to pass muster with voters.
It was different for the small pedestrian walkway.
“This is the one part of the project that has seen no opposition at all,” Mr. Carroll said. “Even the online chat groups are saying nice things, which in this day and age is rare.”
The path runs across the road from the former Harbor Craft Shop, which will reopen this spring as the Ruel Gallery.
Next door, the Menemsha Bite has been vacant for almost two years. On the other side of the harbor, the Menemsha Market stands boarded up and vacant following a fire at this time last year. Chilmark building inspector Lenny Jason said the market will not reopen this summer.
Work has been under way in the harbor too, including maintenance dredging and the replacement of freshwater lines and new decking on the transient yacht dock.
Harbor master Ryan Rossi said the electrical issues that have plagued crab corner, a shallow wading area near the jetty, have been pinpointed. A light current that was turning up in the water was finally traced to a faulty ground.
“The [warning] signs will stay up this summer,” Mr. Rossi said, but he believes the problem has been solved.
“This is all just . . . to make sure everything runs smooth during the summer,” he said. “It’s all going very well.”
In Aquinnah, a major upgrade near the scenic Gay Head Cliffs will include a new viewing platform and other improvements around the Circle and shops. The $220,000 project will be paid for by a combination of Community Preservation Act funds and money from private donors. Derrill Bazzy, chairman of the town community preservation committee, said the upgrade has been long overdue.
“The area was so neglected, half of it was just asphalt and the rest was dirt, with poison ivy coming through the fences,” Mr. Bazzy said. “Once the decking goes in, we will be 90 per cent there.”
He added: “It will still feel like you’re in the middle of an untouched part of the cliffs. It will continue to have a simple feel, but it will be a much better and safer place for visitors.”
Future plans call for replanting the area with native species such as bayberry. New fencing will have less impact on the face of the cliff, Mr. Bazzy said.
“The deadline is Memorial Day, and we seem to be on target,” he said. “I would consider it a hard deadline, that’s when we start to get a lot of people coming up here.”
Aaron Wilson contributed reporting.
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