The winter of 2011 is one for the record books throughout the Northeast, but on the Vineyard it has been a different story altogether. Snow on the mainland has been measured in feet, while on the Vineyard it has been measured in inches. Ice has been the Vineyard’s most steady winter companion so far.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum has extended its option to buy the former Marine Hospital property in Vineyard Haven for four months while it evaluates fund-raising sources for what could be a $20 million relocation and renovation effort.

Museum director David Nathans said this week that building on the enthusiasm of abutters, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and of the community at large, the board of directors voted last Friday to extend an option that expired on Jan. 31 until May. He said the move signals the museum’s commitment to the site.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum heads to Vineyard Haven on Tuesday to learn from Islanders themselves about the history and personality of their town. The work is part of an effort to develop a permanent exhibit on Vineyard history funded by a $39,903 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

Tucked as it was into a quirky little spot in the middle of the busiest intersection on the Island, Courtesy Motors was a place where you always needed directions to find it, but once found you knew your car would be in good hands, whether for a simple oil change or a complicated clutch repair.

Now the reputable car repair business that was located for 30 years off Five Corners in downtown Vineyard Haven has moved. Last fall Courtesy Motors relocated to a bigger place off Holmes Hole Road. It has more space, more parking and friendly neighbors.

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission decided this week to move forward with a public hearing on the proposed demolition of the Denniston House in Oak Bluffs regardless of the timetable for other town committees.

Aquinnah selectmen were unhappy to hear this week about an NStar project that began with no apparent notification to the town to replace the utility poles on scenic Moshup Trail with much taller poles.

Clarification

A story in the Jan. 21 Gazette about two wind turbine projects on farms in Chilmark was unclear about the relationship of one person to a distinct group opposing the projects. Allen Farm abutter Jonathan Adler is not a member of the group battling a state plan to build turbines in waters off the Vineyard.

Online Island Map

Lot lines, bus lines, trail lines, U.S. Geological Survey topography, and wetlands are a few of the layers available on a new Islandwide graphic information system (GIS) available online.

Found on the Internet at http://map.mvpsis.net/dukescounty/, the site is a work in progress combining the efforts of the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the County of Dukes County.

Edgartown fire chief Peter Shemeth told the town selectmen this week that the Edgartown emergency medical service is upgrading to a full-time paramedic unit. The switch comes on the heels of changed state regulations requiring full-time emergency personnel to be at a paramedic level in order to keep their certification.

“Starting way back when, it [paramedic service] was almost nonexistent,” Mr. Shemeth said. “We’ve progressed a lot . . . we’re always trying to ramp it up another step to give a better quality of service.”

On Wednesday afternoon as the ice thickened on frozen Island streets, some teenagers played video games or napped while others spent the day laying the groundwork for their futures.

Thanks to the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative’s first annual Job Shadow Day, 18-year-old Anthony Piland, an aspiring pilot, spent the day watching Martha’s Vineyard Airport service manager Colin Ewing hard at work. At day’s end, Anthony walked away not only with a clearer picture of his longterm plans, but also with a pretty cool summer commitment.