Amid the piles of sawdust and wood shavings, beyond the planks of
white pine, black locust and silver bali, heritage and history are
rising from the ground once again in Vineyard Haven.

At the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, Manny Palomo chisels and
planes the keel of September, a 26-foot sloop. Mr. Palomo crawls around
the ribbands and hull molds of the ship's skeleton, fine tuning
the frame for the garboard and rest of the planking.

Enough already.

Winter has buried the Vineyard and the rest of New England in one snowfall after another, and there is little argument among Islanders that spring can't come soon enough.

Selectmen Order Referral to MVC

Illegal Teardown of Old Army Barracks Now Goes to Commission as a
DRI; Building Owner Answers to Board

By JAMES KINSELLA

The Oak Bluffs selectmen directed their town building inspector this
week to refer the reconstruction of the old Army Barracks building on
Circuit avenue to the Martha's Vineyard Commission.

At their meeting Tuesday night, the selectmen voted 4-0 to require
building inspector Richard Mavro to refer the proposed project to the
MVC. Selectman Richard Combra was absent.

Land Plan for Ice House Pond Stirs Heated Commission Debate

By IAN FEIN

Angry exchanges and charges of bad faith erupted during a
Martha's Vineyard Land Bank meeting called this week to discuss
the draft management plan for Ice House Pond Preserve.

Land bank commissioner Michael Stutz of Aquinnah said the plan has
numerous inconsistencies and huge holes. He called for additional study
of the pond this summer, and criticized what he said was an
unprecedented effort to rush through the management process.

One of the first harbingers of spring on the waterfront is the arrival of herring in the Island's coastal ponds. They will start showing up in the weeks ahead, but there is rising concern across the state and on the Vineyard that their numbers are significantly down.

At a February meeting of the Tisbury selectmen, two selectmen raised the possibility of placing a moratorium on the Richard F. Madeiras herring run at the head of Lagoon Pond. The run is managed by selectmen in both Tisbury and Oak Bluffs.

Sparking a fresh war of words between the Steamship Authority and
the town of Tisbury, the Vineyard boat line governor said yesterday he
may call for the state attorney general to look into how the town plans
to use its ferry fee revenues.

Superintendent Field Narrows to Three

By IAN FEIN

Two of the five finalists for superintendent of Vineyard schools
withdrew their names from consideration this week.

Despite the drop in numbers, school officials remained optimistic
about the remaining candidates, each of whom has substantial
administrative experience in New England schools.

"We're down to three people," school board member
David Rossi of Edgartown said at the committee meeting Tuesday night.
"And the cream rose to the top."

Under pressure from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeal a ban on anchorage in Edgartown harbor, town officials stood their ground this week and said no.

The anchorage ban was approved last summer to protect the rich shellfish beds in Katama Bay.

Affordable Housing - Three Leaders: No Crowd Here, Only Advocates

By MAX HART

One raises money. Another spends it. The third is the manager.

Say hello to Emily Graham, Philippe Jordi and David Vigneault
- the newest threesome to tackle the Island's affordable
housing problem."The attitude is not whether we should do
affordable housing, but how," Mr. Vigneault says. "How do we
finance projects? How do we secure land? There is a renewed attitude
among the housing community that is very proactive and energized and
ready to move forward."

County Dispute Comes to Trial

Judge Robert Bohn Jr. Hears Case of Airport Commission Against Dukes
County Commission; Salaries, Control at Issue

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer