Steamship Authority Leadership Proposes $68 Million Budget; Vineyard
Passenger Fares Would Rise by 50 Cents
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Fare hikes for the Vineyard and Nantucket are now on deck at the
Steamship Authority, as boat line managers confront the realities of
keeping a $68 million operation afloat against a backdrop of anemic
revenues and rising operating costs.
Two Bidders Respond to Request for Ferry Service Proposals from New
Bedford; One Offers Year-Round Run
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Expanded ferry service between New Bedford and the Vineyard moved
one step closer to reality this week after senior managers at the
Steamship Authority got their first look at two proposals from private
companies who have an interest in running the route.
Tree-Cutting Questions Pull Southern Woodlands Back Before
Commission
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Connecticut developer Corey Kupersmith came back onto the radar
screen this week in a fresh collision with the town of Oak Bluffs and
the Martha's Vineyard Commission - this time over a
tree-cutting project that may or may not be in violation of state and
local laws.
Judge Rejects Neighbors' Pleas Over Katama Farm, Supports
Current Usage
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
In a detailed decision that explicitly recognizes the value of a
190-acre, town-owned farm in the Great Plains section of Edgartown, a
superior court judge late last week soundly rejected a request from a
group of neighbors who are trying to shut down Katama Farm.
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.
Unspoiled beaches. A quiet, rural island community. Canoes and kayaks for rent. Cool caps and T-shirts for sale. Hundreds of cars. Long ferry lines. Fresh talk about how to manage it all.
This is the latest sketch from Chappaquiddick, where discussion has begun to heat up around a new long-range plan for two key properties owned by The Trustees of Reservations: Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation.
Superior Court Judge Will Not Revisit Ruling on Sovereignty of Tribe
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
A Dukes County superior court judge yesterday stood fast by a
decision he made five months ago that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
(Aquinnah) cannot be sued because of sovereign immunity.
"This court declines the … invitation to revisit [the]
issues, leaving the propriety of its decision for resolution by a higher
court," wrote the Hon. Richard F. Connon, an associate justice of
the superior court.
The director of the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group said yesterday that nearly four million healthy juvenile shellfish under culture at his Lagoon Pond hatchery have died in the last three weeks because of extremely poor water quality in the pond.
The deteriorating water quality has not affected mature shellfish and there is no danger to humans who eat shellfish from the pond.
