Tisbury Proposal: New Access to State Road

By ALEXIS TONTI

As part of its work on a master plan for Tisbury, the town planning
board is now circulating an ambitious proposal aimed at transforming
upper State Road from a commercial corridor into a traditional
neighborhood with a mix of residential and business development.

Pennywise Path Vote Next Week

Informally, Commissioners Seem Inclined to Okay Housing Plan, but
Voice Doubts on Access; Other Issues Linger

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

Early road signs now point to possible approval for the Pennywise
Path affordable housing project in Edgartown, but members of a key
Martha's Vineyard Commission subcommittee said this week that
access and impact on the neighborhood are stubborn trouble spots in the
plan.

Citizenry of Oak Bluffs Raises Chorus of Protest Over Disputed
Building

By CHRIS BURRELL

An indignant crowd of more than 70 people piled into last
night's hearing of the Oak Bluffs zoning board of appeals and
clamored for town leaders to tear down the three-story building in
Joseph Moujabber's backyard.

Zoning board members were just as thorny, repeatedly questioning how
Mr. Moujabber's $22,000 garage replacement could have turned into
something more than 30 feet tall with balconies and sliding glass doors.

Dukes County Board Suggests Full Review of SSA Operations

By ALEXIS TONTI

Amid turmoil and turnover at the Steamship Authority, the Dukes
County commissioners this week called on the boat line to steady itself
by hiring a consultant for a full review of its operations.

Superior Court Ruling on Bridge Housing Dismisses Neighbor's
Attempt to Appeal

By JULIA WELLS

Marking one more win in court for the Martha's Vineyard
Commission, a superior court judge last week threw out a
neighbor's appeal of the Bridge Housing project planned for
Vineyard Haven.

The Hon. Richard J. Chin, an associate justice of the superior
court, ruled that Kenneth and Nicole Bilzerian have no standing, and he
allowed summary judgment for Bridge Housing and the 30-year-old regional
land use commission.

The ruling was issued July 7.

Chief Says Landlord Probe Just Beginning

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

A well-known electrician is now the subject of a widening police
investigation into whether he broke the law when he allegedly secretly
videotaped a female tenant while she was in the bathroom.

Richard Lehman admitted to Tisbury police on June 27 that he had
installed a camera in the woman's bathroom so he could watch her
taking a shower, police said. The woman rents a home from Mr. Lehman on
Franklin street in Vineyard Haven.

Armed with the results of an anonymous survey that praised the Chilmark School for it small class sizes and strong sense of community but was critical of its leadership, communication and staff turnover, the chairman of a fledgling school task force unveiled a report last night, urging regional school board members to take action on more than a dozen areas of concern.

More than 2,000 people gathered in the Tabernacle Saturday night to celebrate the structure's 125th birthday.

Grandparents, grandchildren, and everyone in between filled the rows, sitting on some of the same benches used in the 1800s, when the religious campers gathered under the oak trees and the canvas tent that predated the Tabernacle's construction in 1879.

"It had begun to look its age - and so have I," said the evening's host, newsman and Vineyard Haven summer resident Mike Wallace, complimenting achievements of the Tabernacle's current restoration project.

They Go 'Round the Island in Eight Hours

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By COLEY WARD

Godspeed, captained by John Nugent, won its class in last
year's 'Round the Island Race, sponsored by the Edgartown
Yacht Club. This year the boat came in third.

What went wrong? Nothing, if you believe Godspeed's crew.

Garage Case Gets a Hearing

Oak Bluffs Renovation Controversy Receives Zoning Board Review This
Thursday Evening; Battle of the Lawyers

By CHRIS BURRELL

The three-story garage that galvanized a neighborhood and triggered
political skirmishes across Oak Bluffs comes before the town zoning
board of appeals Thursday night when garage owner Joseph Moujabber tries
to win back his building permit and put his project back on track.