Edgartown Eyes Small Trial of Buried Lines
By MANDY LOCKE
Words of wisdom coming out of Edgartown town hall on the eve of the
annual town meeting included: bring a seat cushion and line up a
babysitter for two nights.
Ninety-two articles will face Edgartown voters Tuesday night -
a record number for an annual town meeting warrant. The bulk of the
town's business is financial housekeeping, but several big ticket
expenditures and zoning matters will also be debated on the Old Whaling
Church floor, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Less than two months after earning rights to share the new
Martha's Vineyard Skatepark, bikers are once again being told to
keep out.
The reversal came Monday night during an emotional parks department
meeting moments after commissioners heard pleas from teenage bikers
anxious to stay in the park. In the end, commissioners bowed to the
advice of Oak Bluffs' insurance agent and town counsel to ban
bikers.
Selectman Contest Is Three-Cornered
By CHRIS BURRELL
To hear Kerry Scott say it, next Thursday's annual town
election in Oak Bluffs and the race for selectman, in particular, mark a
pivotal moment in town.
"We're at a crossroads," said Ms. Scott, a
52-year-old business owner who is one of three candidates running for a
spot on the board of selectmen. She and Vincent Chestnut, a locksmith
and Vietnam War veteran, are trying to unseat incumbent Todd Rebello.
Amid conciliatory expressions and with the developer's representative waving a white hat in the air, the Martha's Vineyard Commission voted without dissent last night to approve a plan that is expected to close the final chapter in a bitter four-year battle over the development of the southern woodlands in Oak Bluffs.
"This has been a really trying time for the commission and for all those in the community that have been on both sides of the issue. I hope this is now time to put it behind us and heal the wounds," declared commission member Andrew Woodruff.
Boat Line Modifies Port Towns Funding
Cuts Former Annual Reimbursement, Citing New Passenger Surcharge;
Tisbury Selectman Objects
By ALEXIS TONTI
In a reversal of Steamship Authority policy, senior managers at the
boat line notified Island port towns this week they are withdrawing an
annual reimbursement for police assistance and traffic control.
SSA chief executive officer Fred C. Raskin said the revenue now
collected by the towns from a new ferry passenger surcharge relieves the
boat line of its former obligation.
Mighty Wind: Church Organ Gets a Tuneup Every 150 Years
By JESSIE ROYCE HILL
LAWRENCE - On a flat gray morning, 1,000 pewter and wooden
pipes and ivory keys are spread over three floors of workshop space in
the Andover Organ Company.
They are here to be examined, patched and reassembled again into the
organ that has served Edgartown's Old Whaling Church for 150
years.
Town Administrator Is Announced
By ALEXIS TONTI
Tisbury voters this week waded through the special town meeting with
little debate, approving the bulk of the articles under consideration,
among them a barking dog bylaw, new sewer and septage regulations and a
professional enhancement fund for Island teachers.
A bare quorum of about 100 residents came to the meeting Tuesday
night at the Tisbury School gymnasium. Town moderator Deborah Medders
took the podium only a few minutes past the scheduled starting time.
$16 Million Budget on Warrant
By ALEXIS TONTI
At town meeting next week Tisbury voters will consider a host of
articles related to public safety, including requests for an upgrade in
ambulance services, new vehicles for the police and fire departments and
a feasibility study for an emergency services facility.
The annual town meeting begins Wednesday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. in
the Tisbury School gymnasium.
Oak Bluffs Forum Promises Heated Selectman's Race
By CHRIS BURRELL
Like the ceremonial first pitch on opening day, the political season
in Oak Bluffs uncoiled last night slowly and politely before candidates
and voters really stepped to the plate and took their first cuts at a
range of issues - from the flagrant violation of zoning bylaws to
the lack of progress on affordable housing in town.
The forum was candidates night, an event sponsored and moderated by
the Martha's Vineyard League of Women Voters.
The Ritz Cafe has been cooking up lunches for the last month.
At The Rare Duck, the focus this summer will be on martinis, comfy
couches and a new brand of music.
