State Ruling Backs DCPCs
Barnstable Process Is Upheld; a Town-Wide District There Parallels
Those on Vineyard; Vote for Planning Homework
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
In a key environmental protection decision for both the Vineyard and
Cape Cod, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) this week threw
out a lower court ruling and upheld a townwide district of critical
planning concern (DCPC) for the town of Barnstable.
Terminal Plan Would Pave Pizza Hill
By MANDY LOCKE
The Steamship Authority's visions for a revamped Oak Bluffs
terminal may have hit a snag this week when a town official questioned
whether the planned staging area infringes on a town park.
Pizza Hill, a North Bluff bank where townspeople take a slice of pie
and watch the moon over Nantucket Sound, could be transformed into an
asphalt parking lot - just one feature of a plan presented by
Steamship Authority officials Wednesday.
Boat Line Eyes Nantucket Freight Issue
By ALEXIS TONTI
A Steamship Authority agreement with the town of Barnstable turned
into a point of contention yesterday at the monthly boat line meeting,
where Nantucket officials and residents objected adamantly to taking any
steps that would force them to run freight service between that island
and New Bedford.
North Bluff Garage Permit Is Revoked
Next, Abutter Vows to Seek Demolition; Owner Says He Will Fight the
Move; ‘Somebody's Going to Pay'
By MANDY LOCKE
The Oak Bluffs building inspector this week revoked a permit for a
controversial garage built in the North Bluff.
Following advice of town counsel, building inspector Richard Mavro
declared the structure illegal Tuesday, six months after he originally
issued a building permit, and more than a month after he ordered the
contractor to stop work on the three-story garage.
Aquinnah Incumbent Returns to Office in Close Vote Cast by Record
Turnout
By JULIA WELLS
Incumbent selectman Michael Hebert squeaked back into office this
week, beating challenger Camille Rose by just six votes in the Aquinnah
annual town election. The final count was 108-102; Mr. Hebert will begin
a third term as selectman this week.
What the Mirror Sees: Secrets of Lip Sync Prep
By CHRIS BURRELL
Christopher Brophy is a little embarrassed to say this, but by the
time he hits the stage Sunday night at the Atlantic Connection in Oak
Bluffs, he will have spent innumerable hours in front of a mirror,
riveted by the sight of his own lips.
Odds are, he isn't alone.
Eight acts have already signed up to compete in the 17th annual WMVY
and Atlantic Connection Lip Sync Contest, now just three days away.
Island Community Rallies Around Grieving Families
Hundreds Remember Spirit of Two Friends Killed in Accident
By ALEXIS TONTI
At a time when the school year rushes to a close amid a flurry of
exams and festivities, life at the regional high school stopped this
week as students and faculty grieved for two Island sons, high school
juniors and best friends, who died in a car accident in Katama last
Friday.
Portrait of Close Companions, As Drawn at Oak Bluffs School
By C.K. WOLFSON
"If you can imagine it, you can dream it, if you can dream it,
you can become it," wrote Kevin Hayes (K.J.) Johnson in his Oak
Bluffs School 2001 yearbook.
Missing the Vineyard:
Polly Hill Sends Her Regrets: 'The Trees Will Be Beckoning'
By C.K. WOLFSON
A revered and familiar presence will be missing from the Polly Hill Arboretum this summer. Declaring, "Old age has caught up with me, and I can't deny it," the arboretum's founder, 97-year-old Polly Hill, made the decision to remain at her residential community in Delaware, Md. throughout the year.
Oak Bluffs Terminal Redesign Reflows Traffic, Rebuilds Pier
By ALEXIS TONTI
Two years after the Steamship Authority board of governors first approved a design plan to refurbish the Oak Bluffs ferry terminal, a revised version of the plan is set to come before the town conservation commission for permitting next week.
The $10 million project includes redesigning traffic flow around the terminal to relieve congestion and rebuilding the wooden pier to allow for better mixed use by cars, bikes, passengers and trucks.
