Oak Bluffs Turns to Healing Rifts from Election
Fault Lines Can Still Be Seen
By CHRIS BURRELL
The phones have stopped ringing, and the yard signs are down. In Oak
Bluffs this week, there is a weary sense of relief that the town finally
has its answer: They will remain in the Martha's Vineyard
Commission.
"People are so tired of fighting," said Renee Balter, a
resident and executive director of the Oak Bluffs Association.
"Now it's finally been settled."
In Oak Bluffs, ‘a Lot of Work' Lies Ahead as Town Tries
to Heal Rifts from Election
Stay in Commission, Says Record Vote
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Marking history and closing one of the most divisive chapters in the
annals of the town, a record number of Oak Bluffs voters went to the
polls this week and said no to pulling out of the Martha's
Vineyard Commission.
Martha's Vineyard Commission Defers, Yet Again, Its Decision
on Elder Housing
By JULIA WELLS
In an effort to iron out a series of confusing events that began
last week, the Martha's Vineyard Commission voted last night to go
back to the drawing board and take a new vote on a plan for a small
addition at a well-known elderly housing complex in Vineyard Haven.
The new vote on Hillside Village III will not take place until next
week.
Fast Ferry Plan Gets Approval
Would Link the Vineyard With New Bedford Next Summer; Meanwhile,
Schamonchi Has Woes this Year
By JULIA WELLS
Steamship Authority governors danced a cha-cha this week over ferry
service between New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard, taking one step
back as they announced a delay in the start date for the passenger ferry
Schamonchi this year - and one step forward as they voted to move
ahead on a plan to develop high-speed passenger service for next year.
County Report Cites ‘Offensive' Behavior, but Sees No
Illegality
By JONATHAN BURKE
Though he found instances of improper treatment by Dukes County
officials, including "inappropriate and offensive behavior"
by one commissioner, a human resources expert concludes in a report
released yesterday that there was no unlawful treatment of Marsha
Smolev, county employee.
Capping off the Vineyard season of annual town meetings and
elections, voters in Aquinnah this week delivered an upset victory in
their selectmen's race, handing the post to challenger Jim Newman.
Oak Bluffs Heads to Polls; Commission Vote Casts Fate of Town and
Island
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Oak Bluffs voters go to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a
crucial special town election whose outcome will set a clear course for
the town - and also the entire Vineyard - for many years to
come.
A simple majority of voters will decide whether to stay in or get
out of the Martha's Vineyard Commission.
In a surprise vote late last night, the Martha's Vineyard Commission narrowly failed to approve plans by Island Elderly Housing for a five-unit apartment building for low-income elderly on their Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road property in Tisbury.
Commissioners stopped short of a vote to deny Hillside Village III, deferring the decision for further discussion at the MVC's next meeting Thursday.
Stalled Negotiations in New Bedford Endanger SSA's Schamonchi
Service
By JULIA WELLS
Stalled lease negotiations between New Bedford city officials and
the owner of the Billy Woods Wharf in New Bedford may force a delay in
the start date for spring service on the passenger ferry Schamonchi
- or worse, a shutdown in the service altogether - Steamship
Authority managers said yesterday.
On Monday morning the ferry Martha's Vineyard will arrive at
the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority terminal. The landing will be without
fanfare, although it marks a milestone on the path to a new Island
summer.
When the Oak Bluffs dock workers and crew of the vessel exchange
lines for the first time, the season of summer can be said to begin. The
Steamship Authority's new summer schedule opens, and with it come
seasonal fare hikes for travelers to and from the Island.
