JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark appears to be enjoying these short days of midwinterwithout much winter. We have had some cold days but most have been sunny and without ice. The great blue heron still visits the Menemsha marsh; a flock of robins was feeding on juniper berries at Abel’s Hill this week and just yesterday I had a brief encounter with a handsome bluebird, a species I seldom see in my part of town.

All indications are of a peaceful and dormant town but, as the kids say, not! The activity at town hall belies any idea of peace and quiet. Committees are hard at work hammering out the details that will allow a farmer to lease the Tea Lane Farm. More than 30 letters of interest have been sent to the committee. The selectmen held a meeting on Wednesday last to set up a special town meeting for Feb. 13 to allow the voters a chance to review the plans and express their support, or not.

The farm is not the only project under consideration. The planning board recently held a public hearing to discuss the increasing number of very large houses being considered for construction in town. There is a committee hard at work planning repairs and improvements to the Community Center. There are folks meeting to discuss the condition of the Squibnocket and Menemsha Ponds and their continued environmental health and there are other projects of importance being worked on by tireless volunteers and employees. This is the time of year that the town benefits from the lull in activities in most households.

The Feb. 13, special town meeting to deal with the leasing of the Tea Lane Farm will take place at 7:30 p.m., at the community center. The annual town meeting to discuss all other subjects will be on April 24, with voting to take place on April 25 at the community center.

The town clerk has nomination papers for all elected jobs ready at town hall. They must be picked up by March 5 and returned, completed, by March 7. For more information, please call the town clerk or check Chilmark’s webpage.

We send congratulations to Andrea Langman and Patrick de Laperouse of Washington, D.C., on the occasion of their wedding on Jan. 14 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington. Andrea is the daughter of Virginia Weil of Washington and Tom Langman of Washington and Chilmark. Patrick is an international consultant in economics and Andrea is a chef, recently graduated from the Academy de Cuisine in Maryland. The couple will honeymoon in Thailand. Cheers from us all!

The Chilmark Democrats will meet from 11 a.m. to noon on Feb. 18 at the selectmen’s meeting room at town hall. All are welcome to attend and help plan activities for the coming election year.

Andy Goldman and Susan Heilbron are back at their Menemsha home after an interesting and enjoyable trip to Egypt and Jordan. Among other attractions, they visited the Amman Airport in Jordan that was designed by Sir Norman Foster. The Chilmark connection is that the acclaimed architect is the new owner of Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark. It is indeed a small world.

The Chilmark Community Church continues to offer soup suppers with additions of salads and desserts at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the church. All are invited to share the evening of food and games.

The Friends of the Chilmark Library are continuing their Friday night movie at the Chilmark library with free admission, popcorn and drinks. Please call the library at 508-645-3360 for the movie schedule.

Susan Johnson is displaying her oil paintings at the library this month. Susan has been painting the varied landscape of the Beetlebung Farm for a year. The project is her final one for the Boston University Graduate Art Education program. She is going to the Vermont College of Fine Art this winter. Some of you may remember Susan when she was working part-time at the library last year.