The massive security effort required to accommodate a Vineyard vacation for President Obama and the First Family next month is now under way, as recession-stricken Island businesspeople fix their sights, with broadening smiles, on August.

Local and state officials relevant to security and law enforcement on land, sea and air have been contacted by the U.S. Secret Service and told to direct all media queries to its Boston headquarters.

The spokesman there did not return calls yesterday and Wednesday.

Martha’s Vineyard Airport facility managers have been told to support the security demands of the First Family for a presidential vacation during the final week of August, the Gazette has learned.

Meanwhile, a rental agreement on an Island property for the First Family is likely to be signed within a week, according to sources, though there is still no confirmation from the White House about the visit.

Steamship Authority general manager Wayne Lamson said the boat line is already working with government agencies to respond to transportation needs.

“We’re working with the appropriate agencies,” he said. “The Secret Service mainly, but also the White House, to provide whatever space and transportation they need, particularly vehicles going over and back before, during and after the stay.”

Oak Bluffs police chief Erik Blake confirmed that he also had been contacted by the Secret Service.

Chief Blake, who was a patrol officer during the years when then-President Clinton vacationed on the Island, said the local police job is chiefly to provide traffic control during any movement of the First Family.

“The Secret Service do a really good job of communicating their needs. It’s mostly traffic enforcements. You know, ‘He’s going golfing Tuesday,’ or, ‘There’s a good possibility he’ll be going to church at this location, at this time.’”

Chief Blake said his department will select a group of officers to be on special duty for the duration of the visit.

“They volunteer to come in at short notice, if we need five extra people on Beach Road,” he said.

Chief Blake added that while crowd control will be a concern, Oak Bluffs being inundated with people at the height of the summer is a given in any case.

“A couple thousand more people in August, when town is saturated anyway, won’t change anything. But it’s an event,” he said.

In Aquinnah Chief Randhi Belain, who also confirmed that the Secret Service had been in touch, was a special officer when the Clintons came to dine at the Kennedy house in his town, and remembers it as a rather laid-back affair in the small town.

“We held up traffic and that was it,” he said. “They needed traffic held at the intersections — in Aquinnah, there aren’t many intersections.”

State Police station manager Sgt. Neal Maciel would not give information about the number of troopers assigned to the detail and would divulge nothing yesterday beyond the fact that he too had been contacted by the Boston Secret Service. “I’d be court-martialed,” said the sergeant.

During the Clinton years, Edgartown harbor master Charlie Blair wrangled with some late evening boat trips, but has heard nothing so far about the Obamas’ visit.

“Not in the loop on this one,” he said yesterday. “I was with Clinton and Laura Bush. The others liked to play on the water. I don’t know if this guy’s a water guy.”

A sitting president has not visited the Island since 9/11, but one early indicator of security levels is this: the Secret Service has booked 60 rooms at the Wesley Hotel in Oak Bluffs in August, a number of rooms similar to those reserved during the Clinton years, according to owner Peter Martell.

Meanwhile the effect the Obamas’ visit will have on an ailing Vineyard economy is clear in the minds of business people across the Island.

Mr. Lamson said an August presidential visit is likely to provide a much needed boost in a month when, in recent years, traffic has trailed off.

“We’re looking forward to this,” he said. “It used to be Labor Day was the end but kids are going back to school earlier. There’s a drop-off, particularly in foot traffic, much more than in the old days. It will help having this boost at this time of year.”

Robert Donovan of Coldwell Banker real estate said his agency saw a sharp spike in rentals this week.

“Past couple of days I’ve been slammed, it’s crazy,” said Mr. Donovan. “I’ve done four bookings today and working on a fifth.”

The pace of deal-making is unusual this time of year, particularly during a recession, he added.

“We don’t get a spike to this degree; all of a sudden there’s an uptick. If we could only build a bridge across, we could sell much more. Many people aren’t prepared to risk going standby with the car.”

Not everyone is excited about a presidential visit. Mr. Donovan said the only certain correlation with a presidential visit and August rentals was, rather than an Obama bump, an Obama slump.

“Two people cancelled,” said Mr. Donovan of clients slotted for the end of August who backed out to avoid the presidential rush. “A couple from Maine said, “We deal with it enough with Bush in Kennebunkport.’”

Anne Mayhew of Sandpiper Rentals Inc. had a similar story: “A longtime vacationer just told me he is hoping the President will not come; he was familiar with the crowds and traffic issues it brings,” she said.

Merchants are beginning to consider how they might capitalize on the business draw from the First Family.

Carol McManus, of the Edgartown cafe Espresso Love, is hard at work on a new presidential muffin.

For President Clinton, Ms. McManus concocted a star-spangled-banner-themed muffin, mixing cream cheese, blueberries and strawberries.

This time she’s looking at something with macadamias, coconut and dried pineapple. “Not fresh pineapple because that’ll be too wet,” she said.

“The pineapple is because of Hawaii, and I saw during the play-by-play of the all-star baseball this week he mentioned macadamias, so, I’m still perfecting it.”

Elizabeth Eisenhauer has on central display at her Edgartown gallery, work from Immi C. Storrs, a sculptor whose work was displayed in the West Wing of the White House during the Clinton years. Purely coincidental, she says, but the buzz is certainly welcome.

“It’s a nice change from people talking about empty parking spaces in July,” said Ms. Eisenhauer.

Claudia Canerdy, a longtime Island jeweler with stores in Vineyard Haven and Edgartown, said she doesn’t change her ways for a presidential visit.

“I’m too lazy,” she said, adding: “We do have a string of pearls which is similar to the ones [Michelle Obama] is wearing at the moment. We wouldn’t put a sign next to them but I did put them in the window . . . .”

J. P. Uranker, an Oak Bluffs woodworker whose patriotic eagle carvings go to clients across America, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, told the Gazette that he has had interested parties inquire about commissioning an eagle as a presidential gift.

Renowned weathervane maker Anthony Holand, who runs Tuck and Holand workshop in Vineyard Haven, said several recent commissions are for clients within a single degree of separation of the First Family.

Most merchants are gasping for a boost to business, he said.