After being closed for months due to winter storm damage, Atlantic Drive, which runs parallel to South Beach, is open to traffic again.

Efforts to ease the Island’s housing crunch, funding for repairs to South Beach and potential borrowing to shore up aging septic pipes will all be put before Edgartown voters at town meeting next week.

The Donnelly house on South Beach, the last of several old fishing shacks, was demolished Thursday, another victim of the ceaseless march of the sea.

The road along South Beach initially closed in December, when a sinkhole opened up during the first of a trio of storms. A culvert in the area failed during a second storm, causing even further damage. 

Edgartown officials recently met with the state and federal government to survey the damage at South Beach and Norton Point. Though emergency aid is in limbo, work has already begun.

The state Department of Environmental Protection Monday granted Edgartown emergency authorization to dredge Katama Bay, clearing the way for a project intended to help restore the storm-battered South Beach.

Declaring a state of emergency expedites the permitting process to dredge and restore sand in the area and opens the town to additional sources of funding and reimbursement from the Massachusetts emergency management agency (MEMA).

A strong storm with winds of 50 miles per hour hit the Vineyard Tuesday night, causing erosion, destructive washovers and scattered power outages throughout the Island. 

After the tinsel and lights have been put back into storage, Christmas trees on the Island are getting a second calling.

Although initial cleanup efforts of the Dec. 18 storm have been completed, towns still face hard decisions as erosion continues to eat away at the edges of the Island.