The old West Tisbury town hall — a tall, 1870 mansard-roofed building that stands proudly between the Grange Hall and the Congressional Church — is ready for her makeover.

Up until last week she was still the center of the community, but time has clearly taken its toll on the three-story, high-ceilinged building that formerly housed the West Tisbury school and Dukes County Academy. Paint chips along windowsills resemble piles of potato chips and the wooden floor has warped to the point where there is a noticeable tilt.

More than 200 children showed up at the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority wharf on Sunday morning and not one of them left the Island. The gathering was for the annual Kids’ Day derby, an early morning fishing contest which recognizes that fishing starts with the young and can last a lifetime. For two hours the children ruled the wharf; the ferry boats arrived later.

In another abrupt change of course, backers of the Bradley Square project announced on Thursday that they would attempt to find common ground through a new committee made up of people on both sides of the project.

“It has always been our mission to create housing that is affordable within the context of thoughtful community involvement,” said Richard Leonard, chairman of the Island Housing Trust, reading a prepared statement at the start of a packed public hearing before the zoning board of appeals at the Oak Bluffs senior center.

Growth is on the horizon for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, the largest human service provider on the Island. A new strategic plan released this week announced plans for increased funding, larger facilities and expanded programs.

“The strategic plan is something we’ve put a lot of time and thought into,” community services executive director Julia Burgess said yesterday. “I think we’re going to be strong in the future. We will be able to meet the needs of the Island community on firm footing.”

Steve Amaral came in this morning to weigh in his own 18.15-pound striper as well as Michael Alwardt’s striper, a 17-pound fish. The two men have fished together for 17 years.

Mr. Amaral, of Oak Bluffs, 72, has fished 62 of the 63 derbies. One of the most respected shore striped bass fishermen around, he was named to the derby hall of fame last year. He said he caught his fish Sunday night sometime between 6 and 9 p.m. at the South Shore. The air was calm, the seas were the same. The men were fishing with eels.

This morning, you could have seen the smallest wavelet left by a fish at the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority wharf. The water was a flat calm, and mirrored the overhead deep blue sky. The sun cast long shadows across the wharf and more than 200 youngsters stood along the rails trying to catch fish.

Saturday night, an hour before sundown. The ferocious northeast wind from the day before has died, the only reminder a thick blanket of seaweed covering the rocky north shore. My friend and I are fishing. He has entered the derby; I have not. We trade off using two rods, one big, one small. The small rod has a sluggo, apparently the lure of choice for catching bass this year, the large one a popper.

Another lone fisherman stands in the rocks several
hundred yards away. We can hear the quiet whine of his reel as he casts far out into the setting sun.

Today is bluefish Saturday. Participating fishermen have an opportunity to win $500 if they catch the biggest fish today in a boat, and there is another $500 for the angler who catches
the biggest bluefish from the shore.

Assailing their critics, backers of the Bradley Square project in Oak Bluffs announced abruptly this week that they were putting the property up for sale.

Patrick Manning, executive director of the Island Affordable Housing Fund, sent an e-mail to fellow project backers Tuesday morning stating that continued opposition to the project coupled with the possibility of legal appeals led to the decision.

More Explanation Needed

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The following letter was sent to the Chilmark selectmen: