Aquinnah Incumbent Returns to Office in Close Vote Cast by Record
Turnout
By JULIA WELLS
Incumbent selectman Michael Hebert squeaked back into office this
week, beating challenger Camille Rose by just six votes in the Aquinnah
annual town election. The final count was 108-102; Mr. Hebert will begin
a third term as selectman this week.
Informally, Commissioners Seem Inclined to Okay Housing Plan, but
Voice Doubts on Access; Other Issues Linger
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Early road signs now point to possible approval for the Pennywise
Path affordable housing project in Edgartown, but members of a key
Martha's Vineyard Commission subcommittee said this week that
access and impact on the neighborhood are stubborn trouble spots in the
plan.
SSA Management Sets a Course for Collision on Security Measures
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Turning a deaf ear on the growing uproar among Islanders over a
controversial new policy that will bar people from staying in their cars
on board ferries, senior managers at the Steamship Authority announced
flatly this week that the policy is expected to go into effect sometime
later this month.
The early framers were the Thomas Jeffersons of the Vineyard - visionaries and idealists ahead of their time. They looked down the road, saw trouble and took action, with an eye toward a regional solution.
The result was the Martha's Vineyard Commission, a regulatory commission considered unique in American government, both then and now.
A bare quorum of Chilmark voters agreed without dissent this week to borrow another $200,000 to pay for a mounting list of problems in the physical plant at the Chilmark School.
"We are a little embarrassed but we are trying to put our best foot forward and fix the problems," said selectman Frank Fenner at a special town meeting held Wednesday night in the Chilmark Community Center.
The meeting saw a light turnout - about 40 voters attended. In Chilmark, 25 makes a quorum. Town moderator Everett Poole presided.
The money request was the sole article on the warrant.
Nantucket Rallies Around Idea; CEO Says It Would Be Costly; Representative and Senator Cautious in Remarks
By JULIA WELLS
A quiet move by the Nantucket Steamship Authority governor to
explore the breakup of the 42-year-old boat line grew legs this week, as
the people of Nantucket rallied around their representative and the
people of the Vineyard struggled to absorb the news.
Years of Talks Pay Off in 62-Acre Conservation Gift Along Middle Road
By JULIA WELLS
A wide swath of rolling farmland and wooded hillside that includes a high ridge perched above the scenic Middle Road in Chilmark and West Tisbury will remain forever wild, thanks to an unusual conservation gift from Virginia Crowell Jones and Everett Noteman Jones to The Nature Conservancy and the Vineyard Conservation Society, the Gazette has learned.
Superior Court Ruling on Bridge Housing Dismisses Neighbor's
Attempt to Appeal
By JULIA WELLS
Marking one more win in court for the Martha's Vineyard
Commission, a superior court judge last week threw out a
neighbor's appeal of the Bridge Housing project planned for
Vineyard Haven.
The Hon. Richard J. Chin, an associate justice of the superior
court, ruled that Kenneth and Nicole Bilzerian have no standing, and he
allowed summary judgment for Bridge Housing and the 30-year-old regional
land use commission.
