Across the Island, hundreds of acres of beautiful land were designated as conservation property and protected from development.

Still, prominent conservationists joined together to make a dire prediction, that all the Vineyard's undeveloped land will be built upon by 2005.

Meanwhile, throngs of cars were increasingly viewed as villains on the Island's two-lane roads.

Although it is still without furniture and there are files on the floors, the new $1.4 million Tisbury Police and Ambulance Facility was open for business this week. Still located on Water street and 10 times the size of its 700 square foot predecessor, it shadows the four parking spaces where the old station was once situated.

"I am extremely pleased now that we have something decent to work in," said Tisbury police chief John McCarthy. "We have a building that will serve the community for a minimum of 20 to 30 years. It's great."

Designs for the new Menemsha School met with considerable support and some opposition this week at the Chilmark selectmen's meeting.

Charles Rose of Thompson and Rose Architects presented the designs for the new school to the selectmen for the first time Tuesday evening. The designs are ones selected by the Chilmark school building committee last week based on four schemes Mr. Rose presented to them.

Leaders for the the new Conservation Partnership of Martha's Vineyard and the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank have pledged full cooperation with one another, announcing among other things that they will begin to hold regular meetings to exchange information pertinent to the conservation movement.

"The land bank is committed to meet with the partnership monthly, to talk about specific properties and also priorities," said land bank executive director James Lengyel.

“The preservation of the road, its bordering hedgerows and walls, its overhanging limbs, its vistas of rolling countryside, is a matter of dollars and cents. Visitors come to the Vineyard for just such enjoyments as this noble old road offers....What it represents is what we need to keep and cherish, and when we are troubled we may well drive up and down the Middle Road and clear our thoughts to the proper order of the natural world.”

Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission heard last week about a comprehensive new effort to lessen the number of cars on Island roads and make sure that those roads maintain their rural character.

In order to solve the Island’s traffic troubles and preserve its country feel, the MVC must embrace a plan and aggressively seek federal funds for two goals, they were told: establishing a system for reducing the number of cars on Island roads and rewriting government standards for road construction, at least as they apply to the Island.

An insidious disease that afflicts oysters but is not harmful to humans is widespread in Edgartown Great Pond. While there are not yet any reports of die-offs, there is concern that at least a portion of the oysters in the pond will die.

The Tisbury police and ambulance facility is nearing completion. According to police chief John J. McCarthy, the department will move into the $1.4 million building within three weeks. "I do see the light," he said. "And that's the first time I've ever said that."

The chief and Allen M. Lieb Architects of Marblehead currently are tracking all expenses to date, giving them an idea how much money they have left for furnishings.

Students at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School will receive a more balanced education during the new school's second year thanks to a new teaching format adopted by the staff.

Last year, students studied all the core subjects established by the state, but they did so on an intermittent basis. For example, instead of studying all the core subject areas simultaneously and year-round, a student might have taken English and history during the first trimester, math and a language during the second and science during the third.