The Cape and Islands district attorney’s office has declined to prosecute the Vineyard Trust for altering contractor quotes, according to a statement from the DA’s office.
“After a complete review of all investigatory materials submitted to date, we have determined that there is insufficient evidence to support any criminal charges,” spokesman Tara Miltimore wrote in an email to the Vineyard Gazette. “However should any new evidence come to light then the matter will be reconsidered.”
The announcement from the DA comes after the Edgartown and Oak Bluffs police departments confirmed that they were investigating public funding requests submitted by the Trust for the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown and Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs earlier this summer. The departments referred the investigation to the state police and DA’s office.
The issue arose following town the Edgartown town meeting in June, when officials tabled a warrant article requesting nearly $300,000 in Community Preservation Committee funds to paint and renovate the Whaling Church. Town officials tabled the warrant article because it came to light one night earlier that the work quote had been increased by Trust executive director Funi Burdick without the knowledge of the contractor.
A similar issue was discovered regarding a public funding request for the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs. Although the Oak Bluffs warrant article was approved at town meeting, the funding request was later frozen.
Ms. Burdick resigned in the wake of the discovery, prior to a broader reshuffling of the Vineyard Trust board and leadership. The search for a new executive director remains underway.
The Vineyard Trust is an Island-based nonprofit that owns and manages 20 historic properties on Martha’s Vineyard, including the Whaling Church, the Flying Horses Carousel, Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury and the Vineyard Gazette.
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