We invite you to be part of the most positive revitalization our harbor has seen in decades. Please join our Island community to witness the gathering winds of change on the Vineyard Haven Commercial Waterfront.

With your support, the nonprofit, Vineyard Lands for the Community, will soon close on the purchase of the DeSorcy properties situated between the Gannon and Benjamin Boatyard/MV Times newsroom and Garde East Restaurant. Concurrent with the purchase, the boatyard property and Boch Park will become part of the greater whole — a working campus that will transform the nature of our harbor.

Called Harbor Works, the project is economically and ecologically sustainable with year-round business activities that will energize the waterfront.

The Harbor Works campus will be a center for traditional wooden boatbuilding and provide internship programs. It will be a home for MV Ocean Academy and Shenandoah, provide an office and classroom for Sail MV, as well as studio space for artisans and artists. The MV Times office and new digital hub will be relocated on Boch Park along with a waterfront pavilion performance center for community events. The harbor, open spaces, and campus activities will be open to the public.

This is an opportunity to envision a waterfront that tells the story of our maritime heritage, facilitates a high standard of craftsmanship and work ethic and will inspire future generations. For our unique coastal village, it is an endeavor whose time has come.

Please help us get this done. We are halfway to our $4 million purchase goal and we need you.

Nat Benjamin, Vineyard Haven