The Tri-Town Ambulance service is requesting a 60 per cent increase for their budget next year due to a new state mandate that requires full-time paramedics for the service.
If all three towns — Chilmark, West Tisbury and Aquinnah — approve the hike, the cost of the service will go up $275,420, from an operating budget of $452,995 to one of $728,415.
The real estate market on the Vineyard appears to be showing signs of life, according to the most recent data from the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank.
Land bank revenues are up for the first six months of the fiscal year, even though the number of sales remains relatively flat.
OVERPRICED REAL ESTATE
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Before the economy took a tumble, homeowners used to check the weekly sales of nearby real estate rather than the Dow Jones averages to see how much their net worth had increased. It was a joyous experience for those who owned a home as well as the real estate agents who were reaping high sales commissions.
Surf and Turf
From Gazette editions of January, 1936:
Menemsha Pond appears to be producing an unusual variety of scallops this winter. Although the set is not particularly heavy, the scallops, especially those in Gay Head waters, are said to be the largest ever marketed in this locality.
The Charlotte Inn of Edgartown received the 2011 Forbes Four-Star Award for its third consecutive year, making the inn one of only a select few hotels worldwide to earn the organization’s rating designation that recognizes superior guest satisfaction.
Calling Writers, Directors
The board of directors and artistic staff for Island Theatre Workshop (ITW) are accepting play submissions for the 2011 One Act Play Festival which will be held in March at both the Katharine Cornell and Grange Theatres. The ITW New Directors Studio also welcomes new directors for this project.
Interested parties may call Kevin Ryan at 508-627-3166 or e-mail artistic director Kaf Warman at kwarman@andrew.cmu.edu.
A few weeks ago, in mid-December I was chatting with a woman I had just met in Vineyard Haven in the way strangers talk when waiting for their holiday gifts to be rung up at the cash register. Suddenly she stopped the banter and said, “You should come to a party someone told me about.”
Mr. Keating Goes to Washington
William Keating on Wednesday swore an oath to represent the people of the 10th Congressional District, including us here on the Vineyard, in our federal government. Say what you will about this moment in time — the worst recession, the most vicious partisanship, the biggest government, the least effective government — it all has been said before, in fact, it’s been said since the beginning.
Tale of Two Libraries
The West Tisbury and Edgartown library building projects are textbook examples of the right and wrong way to do things.
Hostel Award
The Martha’s Vineyard Hostel was named Most Efficient in Hostelling International New England’s Best Hostel Awards for 2010. Awards were based on more than 77,000 customer ratings and reports of 1,800 hostels worldwide.
The Vineyard hostel, located on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, was noted for the helpfulness of the staff and their need to make sure that everyone got the most out of their stay.
