Parish Center Bid Is Called a Long Shot

By CHRIS BURRELL

They escaped a town hall that was making Oak Bluffs employees sick,
but their new quarters on School street are so cramped for meeting space
that selectmen are attempting a far-fetched solution - buying back
or swapping the old school building sold to the Catholic church six
years ago.

Library Plans Need to Be Scaled Back

By CHRIS BURRELL

Construction bids to build the Island's newest and biggest
public library in Oak Bluffs came in way over budget last week, forcing
library trustees to send their architect back to the drafting table with
orders to reduce the project's scale.

All four bids opened last week topped the $4 million mark, exceeding
the $3.5 million budgeted for construction of a nearly
15,000-square-foot library on Pacific avenue. Highest of the four bids
was $4.5 million.

Is Isabel Due? Not Too Early to Talk of Her

By ALEXIS TONTI

Do not panic. Check your flashlights and buy extra batteries for the
radio. Stock up on water and nonperishable foods. Make sure you have
first aid supplies. And if you own a boat, get it out of the water.

FARM Institute, the novice non-profit dedicated to bolstering the
Vineyard's agricultural heritage, is putting its first Island home
up for sale, planning to surrender a foothold in the storied Herring
Creek Farm.

The transaction will help bankroll the institute's vision for
neighboring Katama Farm - a 190-acre spread that the town of
Edgartown turned over to FARM Institute this spring.

Vineyarders Win Their Opener, 14-7

By ALEXIS TONTI

After a frustrating first half for the Vineyard football offense,
defensive end Zach Mahoney blocked a Carver punt just minutes into the
third quarter, shifting the momentum in the season's home opener
Friday night. A quick score tied the game, and the varsity went on to
defeat the Crusaders 14-7.

Mahoney, who played a standout game, also had six tackles, a fumble
recovery and a sack on fourth-and-16 that led to a Vineyard possession.

His workbench is situated under a tree for good reason. Russell O.
Steele 2nd needs those tree branches to support the ropes and chains,
pulleys and counterweights.

All that gear is critical for holding a bicycle up in the air.

Welcome to Russell Steele's used bike shop, where everything
in sight is a pile of junk just waiting for resurrection.

After six years of battling controversy over his golf driving range
in Oak Bluffs, owner Timothy Creato now wants the nets to come down and
see houses go up.

His plan to turn the ten-acre Windfarm Golf range, west of the
so-called blinker light, into a six-lot housing subdivision will have to
win approval from the Martha's Vineyard Commission as a
development of regional impact (DRI).

After a summerlong reprieve from the traffic snarls, torn up streets
and endless detours that marked last winter in downtown Tisbury,
construction resumes this month on the town's $10 million
wastewater project.

"The worst of it is over," said town administrator
Dennis Luttrell this week. "A lot of the work will be done off the
roads, and we don't expect to be working into the winter."

SSA Ventures Into Publishing

Boat Line Management Develops Plans for Advertising Displays on
Water and in Terminals; Considers New Magazine

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

Slick advertising contracts with retailers like J. Crew and the
Black Dog. Display advertising on ferries and inside boat line
terminals. A four-color glossy "in-float" magazine on board
ferries.

Vineyard Is Viewed as Costly ‘Red Spot’ for Home
Insurers

By ALEXIS TONTI

Over the past decade, insurance companies have become increasingly
skittish when it comes to writing policies for Island homeowners. For
many, the risks - namely a catastrophic hurricane - outweigh
the benefits. And for those who will do business here, their gamble
comes at an increasing cost to Vineyard residents, who find themselves
hit with new deductibles and higher rates.