Mansion House Project Is Revised; Commission Drops Plans for Review
By MANDY LOCKE
The Martha's Vineyard Commission agreed last night, after a
brief discussion, to meet Tisbury Inn owners halfway - voting
unanimously to not require a fresh review of a reconstruction project
that stirred controversy in recent weeks because of design changes
following MVC approval of the project.
The latest survey of moped, bicycle and motorcycle accidents on the Island won't show the broken ribs, the punctured lungs or the "whole body rubbed raw" by a case of road rash, said Dr. Alan Hirshberg, the director of emergency services at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital.
Under pressure, John Alley this week resigned his position as a member of the Dukes County Contributory Retirement System.
"It's all foolishness and I resigned. I didn't attend enough meetings over the course of the three or four-year span," he said.
Following his reappointment to the retirement board at last week's meeting of the county commissioners, Mr. Alley, county chairman, came under fire from Noreen Flanders, retirement board chairman and county treasurer.
High School Faces Unexpected Bills
By CHRIS BURRELL
The regional high school has already racked up nearly $40,000 in
legal bills, negotiating a potential lease of school-owned land for an
aquatics center project that is still in the planning and feasibility
stages.
News of hefty legal costs connected to the proposed swimming pool
plan came amidst other troubling budget figures, showing roughly $90,000
in cost overruns so far this year.
The future of the First Baptist Church of Vineyard Haven is caught
in the middle between two opposing forces. Half the congregation wants
to sell the building and build a new church somewhere else. Half wants
to pursue a daunting task: Restoration of the 1885 building.
Deficit Staggers Nursing Home
Operating Loss of $500,000 Is Mainly Attributable to Loss of
Medicaid Payments from the State
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Leaders at the Windemere Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center
announced this week that the Island's only nursing home ended its
fiscal year with a staggering $500,000 operating loss, more than
$300,000 over the projected loss for the year. About half the loss can
be traced to retroactive cuts in Medicaid reimbursements.
Child Cruelty Is Vexing Issue for Educators
By CHRIS BURRELL
When a social worker from Maine came to the Island last month for
the second time in less than two years, he sat down with teenagers,
listened to their worries and feelings and walked away with a disturbing
impression: Vineyard kids, especially middle schoolers, are living in a
world dominated by teasing and bullying.
For much of the work week, Emily Bramhall inhabits a world devoted
to the creature comforts of the indoor world - stuffed pillows,
luxurious bedsheets and cozy handknit sweaters sold at her store on Main
street Vineyard Haven.
It was all the more shocking then to see Ms. Bramhall wearing a
crash helmet and scrunched into the wooden cockpit of a vessel capable
of reaching 60 miles per hour across the ice of a frozen pond.
Vineyard Varsity Teams Win Playoff Berths
By BRETT FERRY
Two varsity teams at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High
School won key games on the road Wednesday, earning berths in tournament
play.
The boys' hockey team secured a spot in the MIAA tournament by
defeating Barnstable 4-2 in a comeback victory.
"This was a huge game for us," said coach Matt Mincone.
"Definitely a tournament-type game."
Despite being outshot by the Vineyard 10-3, Barnstable led the game
2-1 at the end of the first period.
Land Bank Announces Two Purchases
By JULIA WELLS
Two purchases announced by the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
this week will protect a piece of fallow farmland in the town of Tisbury
and a tree-lined ridge with an old brook running through it in the town
of Aquinnah.
