Moving trucks arrived at the Lagoon Pond drawbridge Monday morning as the state took the next steps in a plan to raze a home tucked under the bridge that is owned by a longtime Vineyard summer family.
The home, owned by Charlotte Holloman, is slated to be demolished to make way for the new bridge project that begins in the fall.
Dukes County sheriff Michael McCormack confirmed that his office had issued a warrant of possession at the Holloman home, which is similar to an eviction notice.
On the morning of May 22, Charlotte Holloman packed up a few items, helped her 91-year-old mother into the car and drove away from their home at the edge of Lagoon Pond for what could be the last time.
Barring a last minute reprieve by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the house will soon be demolished to make way for the new Lagoon bridge.
The Tisbury department of public works last week unveiled an ambitious plan to build a public walkway along a both sides of a section of Beach Road spanning the town harbor and the Lagoon Pond.
At a joint meeting with the planning board and the DPW, architect James Weisman of Terrain Associates Architects, presented a conceptual draft for a harbor walk.
This from the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street: “Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.”
State highway engineers have begun a new monitoring regime on the Lagoon Pond drawbridge after it apparently shifted on its pilings and would not close, blocking traffic for several hours over the busy Memorial Day weekend.
The bridge was stuck in the open position for about three and a half hours from 5 p.m. on Sunday, forcing traffic to detour along Barnes Road. The malfunction caused traffic jams and delays, and created a substantial backup at the blinker light intersection in Oak Bluffs where many cars were detoured.
By the time the new permanent Lagoon Pond drawbridge is finished in Vineyard Haven sometime in the next decade, it will be one of the most expensive projects in Vineyard history with a total price tag well north of $30 million. It will also likely go down as the longest gestating project in Island history; the drawbridge plan has been stuck on open for nearly 20 years now.
