Long-Running Case Goes to High Court

Edgartown Wastewater Treatment Plant Under Legal Seige for Ten Years
Over Its Discharge Permit

By IAN FEIN

A decade-long legal battle examining the environmental merits of the
Edgartown sewer system and wastewater treatment plant came before the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last week.

The court heard arguments on the case last Thursday and will likely
issue a decision sometime this spring.

Federal Inspectors Find Lapses in Security at Vineyard Airport

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

A federal inspection last November found lapses in security at the
Martha's Vineyard Airport.

Among the findings: the airport was unable to account for keys
issued for vehicle and pedestrian gates that provide access to the air
operations area and secured areas at the airport.

Visiting Nurse Merger Stalls

Talks Between Two Key Agencies to Form One Nursing Service Approach
Time of Decision After Thirteen Months

By JULIA WELLS

Talks about a potential merger between the Island's two
visiting nurse agencies have reached a critical juncture, and the next
few weeks will determine whether the merger becomes reality or falls
apart, leaders from both agencies said this week.

The 366-acre Aquinnah estate known as Red Gate Farm - and described by the state Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program as one of the most important tracts of land in the commonwealth - was the subject of a public hearing at the Martha's Vineyard Commission last week.

Property owners Caroline Kennedy and her husband Edwin Schlossberg have created a family subdivision for estate planning purposes. No building is planned at this time. The estate subdivision plan is under review by the commission as a development of regional impact (DRI).

Tension Inside Oak Bluffs Fire Department Leads to Emergency
Services Separation

By JAMES KINSELLA

Following mounting dissension in the Oak Bluffs fire department, the
chairman of the board of selectmen moved this week to make the ambulance
service a separate department.

Selectman and board chairman Gregory Coogan said he made a
management decision Wednesday to split the two services, a move he said
was long overdue.

"I think there are inherent problems in the two
departments," Mr. Coogan said. "I think they have been at
odds over time."

Direct Sale of Fish Eyed at Menemsha

Chilmark Selectmen Explore Options on Waterfront

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

The Chilmark selectmen are exploring ways to enable fishermen to
sell their catch directly at the Menemsha dock, part of their ongoing
search for ways to support the fishing fleet and boost the village
economy in general.

One idea is to attract another market to town, in particular one
that would sell fresh fish caught by the Menemsha fleet, with the rest
shipped to the mainland by truck, the old-fashioned way.

An esoteric case that has implications for the future of small parks in Oak Bluffs and throughout the commonwealth was argued at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Monday.

A decision is expected sometime in the next three months.

On its surface the case is about three small wooded lots behind Crystal Lake on East Chop, and whether the current owners can build there, though the lots have been labeled as parks since they were set out in an original 1872 subdivision.

State Study Panel Hands High Marks to Charter School

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

A state education inspection team has given a mostly glowing
evaluation of the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School in West
Tisbury.

The team's 42-page report, based on a visit to the school from
Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 last year, will be among the information
considered by the state board of education at its Feb. 28 meeting in
Malden on whether to renew the school's charter for the next five
years.

If you want to find Basil Welch, just pull into his Chilmark
driveway and follow the signs.

Pass the one on the right that says Caution: Old Hunter Crossing,
tacked to the tree on the edge of the yard.

Stay left of the working outhouse with the crescent moon cutout and
the signs that read Turnips and, below that, Selectmen's Meeting
Room.

The floors of the houses tend to be linoleum or older carpet, or perhaps cheap pine. The windows often are nondescript, the detailing undistinctive, and the lots small.

But if you can lay hold of between $400,000 and $500,000, chances are that one of these less-than-pristine homes on Martha's Vineyard - the bottom of the Island real estate market - can be yours.

"They're a good opportunity to get into the market . . . especially for a young couple who can put in some sweat equity," said Alan Schweikert, owner of Ocean Park Realty Inc. in Oak Bluffs.