Meeting in West Tisbury Marks Town Turning Point
By IAN FEIN
West Tisbury voters will gather next Wednesday night for what could
mark a turning point in the rural town where landowners pay the highest
average property tax bills in the region.
Island Veteran Reflects on Meaning of Holiday
As the Vineyard joins the rest of the country this morning in
observance of Veterans' Day, Curtis S. Jones of Vineyard Haven
will stand quietly on the sidelines and watch the parade in Oak Bluffs.
Mr. Jones is a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. The
88-year-old veteran served his country in Europe for three years during
World War II and spent 26 months in a German prisoner of war camp in
Poland. The camp was called OFLAG 64.
Finance Committee Assails Legal Bills
Board Reverses Position Before Meeting, Deciding to Recommend
Against Payment to Lawyer in Tax Case
By IAN FEIN
West Tisbury town officials this week brought mounting
assessors' legal bills under intense scrutiny during a flurry of
last-minute meetings before the Nov. 16 special town meeting where
voters will be asked to approve more than a quarter-million dollars in
legal expenses.
Library Group Tries Fresh Tack, but Is Rebuffed by Selectmen
By RACHEL KOVAC
The Edgartown library expansion project took another turn this week
when a joint advisory committee reviewing the $11.5 million project
asked the town selectmen for $35,000 to study the possibility of
converting the old elementary school to a library.
The proposal, which is not supported by library trustees, was
quickly shot down by selectmen.
Dropout Rate Sees a Decline
State Report Reveals Vineyard Students Are Staying in School; Strong
Network of Support Cited as a Key Factor
By RACHEL KOVAC
The student dropout rate at the Martha's Vineyard Regional
High School has been steadily declining over the past five years and now
stands at just 1.7 per cent, compared with the state average of 3.7 per
cent.
Engineering Report Targets Bridge Safety
By MAX HART
The committee charged with studying the replacement of the Lagoon
Pond drawbridge approved an engineering consultant's report on the
condition of the bridge this week, but the central question of whether
to replace the bridge in two phases or one remains unresolved.
Biga Bakery Is Leavened with Much Friendship
By IAN FEIN
During the most of their nine years together at Biga Bakery, owners
Beth Kramer and Douglas Reid, who are married, rarely saw each other.
Ms. Kramer would work through the night - putting in more than
15 hours to bake as many as 1,000 loaves per night - while Mr.
Reid would spend 14 hours behind the Biga counter during the day,
cooking countless breakfast sandwiches.
Finance Committee Withholds Endorsement of Project Spending
By IAN FEIN
The West Tisbury finance committee shared some sharp words with
members of the town hall building committee last week, before voting not
to recommend the extra funds needed to keep the $5.5 million renovation
project moving forward.
West Tisbury Leaders Question Legal Bills
By IAN FEIN
Facing more than a quarter-million-dollar price tag for what has
become the costliest legal case in town history, some West Tisbury town
officials are now questioning the validity of the legal bills and the
town's obligation to pay them.
More than a year after the Tisbury planning board first floated its
ambitious proposal to link State and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven roads,
voters this week endorsed the layout for a connecting system of streets
that would ease congestion on the heavily trafficked corridors.
