The Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust confirmed yesterday that it will buy the Old Sculpin Gallery - the landmark building that fronts Dock street in Edgartown and was a grain mill turned boat building shop turned art gallery and education space.

The trust will pay the Martha's Vineyard Art Association $1 for the property, and in exchange the art association will receive permanent occupancy.

Christopher Scott, executive director of the preservation trust, said yesterday that he expects the deal will close sometime this fall.

The Nature Conservancy called it a globally rare community type.

The Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
said it is one of the most critical habitats to protect in all of New
England.

Many Island residents know it best as a secret late-night
skinny-dipping spot.

Against a backdrop of prolonged summer drought, the threat of wildfire in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest is now high, and Island fire chiefs this week issued grave words of caution to the public.

State High Court Upholds Edgartown

By JULIA WELLS

In an Edgartown case which is esoteric but has application for small
towns across the commonwealth, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
has ruled that a house on an undersized lot cannot be expanded without a
special permit - even if the expansion itself conforms to the
requirements under zoning.

Tisbury Selectmen End Chief's Tenure

By MAX HART

Citing an irreconcilable dispute over compensation, the Tisbury
selectmen quietly moved to not renew their contract with police chief
Theodore (Ted) A. Saulnier nearly two months ago.

The board informed Chief Saulnier of the decision in a letter dated
June 29, one day before his three-year contract expired.

Merchants Report August Spike in Island Tale of Two Summers

By JAMES KINSELLA

Oak Bluffs harbor reports a record July, while fewer boats appear in
Edgartown. Steamship Authority passenger traffic is up a bit, while
commercial airline traffic is down a little. July generally lags the
same month last summer, while August seems to be running ahead.

A classic mixed economic bag appears to have landed on the
Vineyard's doorstep this summer.

Town Appraiser Puts High Price on Land

West Tisbury Expert Takes the Stand in Protracted Graham Tax
Hearing; Values Property at $64.5 Million

By IAN FEIN

An expert real estate appraiser hired by West Tisbury assessors last
year estimated the total value of 235 acres owned by town resident
William W. Graham at $64.5 million, significantly higher than the
town's original assessments.

Council Wants to Swim at Peaked Hill

By BRIEN HEFLER

The Chilmark town affairs council is proposing construction of a
municipal pool on town land at Peaked Hill, but first the council needs
approval from town selectmen for a proposed warrant article.

An eight-year legal battle over property rights in Aquinnah resurfaced last week when the Massachusetts Court of Appeals reversed a 2001 state land court decision that had the potential to block the development of more than 100 acres of rare coastal heathland off Moshup Trail.

The complicated case centers on whether a group of private landowners and developers should be granted access to a vast area of landlocked lots between Moshup Trail and State Road.

The sword of Damocles apparently will dangle a while longer over the
finances of Dukes County government.

The county commission tentatively had slated a meeting for tomorrow
with the finance advisory board to discuss strategy in what could be a
major legal judgment against the county. But county manager E. Winn
Davis said yesterday the meeting had been canceled.