Bids Opened for Town Hall Project; Cost of Renovation Over $5.5
Million
By IAN FEIN
The price tag for the West Tisbury town hall renovation project shot
up to $5.5 million yesterday, after selectmen opened construction bids
that were, as expected, well over the original estimate.
Voters will now be asked at a Nov. 16 special town meeting to open
their wallets and approve another $1.8 million for the beleaguered
renovation. A special town election will be held the following day with
a corresponding Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question.
The construction of a road connecting State and Edgartown-Vineyard
Haven roads and a garage to temporarily house the town's new
ladder truck top an atypically weighty list of requests facing voters at
the Tisbury special town meeting Tuesday night.
The night is dark. And it is Halloween.
You are driving home from a party in Chilmark near Windy Gates when your car's engine suddenly and unexpectedly dies on a dark, quiet road. Attempts to restart it prove futile, and with no cell phone reception, you are forced to search for help. A faint light far off in the dense woods signals a flicker of hope for salvation, so you grab your flashlight and head out.
Minerals Board Takes the Lead in Reviewing Wind Farm Plans
By IAN FEIN
The regulatory stage for the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound
has shifted, after a federal environmental agency within the Department
of the Interior quietly assumed lead authority over the controversial
Cape Wind project.
Town Selectmen See Legal Bills
Assessors in West Tisbury Unveil Bills from Graham Tax Case with
$275,000 Price Tag; November Meeting Set
By IAN FEIN
West Tisbury selectmen this week saw their first glimpse of the
legal bills related to the tax case against town assessors. The total
estimated price tag tops $275,000.
Town Selectmen See Legal Bills
Assessors in West Tisbury Unveil Bills from Graham Tax Case with
$275,000 Price Tag; November Meeting Set
By IAN FEIN
West Tisbury selectmen this week saw their first glimpse of the
legal bills related to the tax case against town assessors. The total
estimated price tag tops $275,000.
High School SAT Scores Remain Solid
By RACHEL KOVAC
Students at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
continue to do well on the SAT, posting verbal scores above the state,
New England and national mean scores. And in math students scored above
the mean for New England.
Although the SAT scores for the class of 2005 were lower than the
class of 2004, scores overall still show a steady increase over the past
nine years.
Spending time with Augustus (Gus) Ben David 2nd at the World of
Reptiles is a learning experience from start to finish.
But it is in the snake room, in the basement of his home in
Edgartown, surrounded by over a hundred feet of slithering reptiles
locked in wooden cages, where Mr. Ben David is in his element.
Boat Line Governors Approve Rate Hikes
By JULIA WELLS
Citing an unyielding trend of flat car and passenger traffic on
ferries to both Islands topped by the high cost of fuel, the Steamship
Authority board of governors voted yesterday to approve across-the-board
rate hikes aimed at collecting an additional $4 million in revenue next
year.
Beginning Jan. 1 Vineyard residents of all stripes will pay more to
travel on boat line ferries. Nantucket residents will see a combination
of fare hikes and reduced service.
School District Takes Transportation Reins
Committee Members Vote 8-1 to Allow Superintendent's Office to
Run Busses; Costs Projected to Stay Under Budget
By RACHEL KOVAC
School committee members voted this week to allow the Vineyard
school district to continue managing its own transportation system for
the remainder of the year, but not without some hesitation.
