News in Brief
Published: June 5, 2008
Break-in at Tisbury School
Responding to a fire alarm indicating a sprinkler system leak at Tisbury School at 2:14 am last Sunday, Tisbury police and firefighters discovered evidence of a break-in and a fire hose deliberately turned on and left running in the third floor hallway.
"Because the water tripped the alarm sensor, we were able to respond quickly, which minimized the damage," said Tisbury Police Chief John Cashin.
Chief Cashin said police believe someone gained entry by breaking a window on the east side of the building. A pencil dispenser, from which students may purchase pencils for a quarter, was ripped off the third floor wall and a small amount of money taken from it. It also appeared someone attempted to break into the computer lab. However, the interior doors were locked.
Fortunately, Principal Richard Smith said yesterday, the water from the fire hose caused superficial rather than structural damage.
Mr. Smith said the school's custodians responded quickly on Sunday, pulling up the carpet and drying the area with fans and blowers. "The water didn't seep into the classrooms and most of it was soaked up by the carpet," he said.
However, some water dripped down through the third floor joists to the second floor, so plastering, painting, and new carpet will be required in an area about 4 by 4 feet. Mr. Smith estimated the repairs, which will be done in-house by the custodial staff, might cost about $2,000.
The silver lining in the cloud is that last year, Tisbury taxpayers voted to spend $30,000 on an upgrade of the school's fire alarm and sprinkler system, Mr. Smith said. "We can say the system paid for itself, because once the hose was pulled, the alarm went off," he pointed out. "Who knows how much damage there might have been if someone had been in the building for a longer time."
Chief Cashin said the break-in is under investigation. "Anyone who might have information is encouraged to contact us at 508-696-4240," he said. "This is a very serious matter in that Tisbury School is important to the community as both a public building and a school building - we're not going to tolerate this nonsense."
Owners fined for dog's chicken-killing spree
The Tisbury selectmen held a dog hearing during their meeting Tuesday. Storm, a Siberian husky, escaped from owners Ken and Nina Garde's yard on West Spring Street and killed several chickens on three separate occasions.
Animal control officer Laurie Clements said one incident occurred in October 2007, and two recently in May. Two of the owners whose chickens were killed attended the hearing, Beldan Ratcliff, who lives at Pilot Hill Farm, and Toby Riseborough on Blue Rock Road. Ms. Ratcliff lost four chickens, which are free-range, and Mr. Riseborough one exotic hen, which he kept in a cage. Storm has been impounded since May 27, when he killed Mr. Riseborough's chicken.
Following the first incident in October, Ms. Clements advised the Gardes to get Storm neutered and to put up fencing, which they did. Ms. Clements said, despite their best efforts, the dog continued to outsmart them and escape. In a phone call yesterday, Ms. Clements said she has had to pick up the dog seven times.
Ms. Ratcliff said she sells eggs, and the loss of her chickens was a financial loss. She was concerned the dog would continue to escape and would come back and kill more of her chickens. Mr. Riseborough's mother, Denise Dorsey, said in addition to her son's chicken being killed, her daughters have been afraid to walk their dog, out of fear that the husky will return.
Mr. Garde, who is a member of Tisbury's board of health, apologized to the selectmen and the bird owners, and offered to compensate them for their losses. His wife Nina, fighting tears, said, "We realize we can't live here anymore - we want to put our house on the market and go somewhere where we can keep our dogs."
Ms. Clements said the couple has visited their dog at the pound every day, taking him for walks and sitting with him. The Gardes have added about three feet to their fence, put big rocks around the perimeter, and installed two heavy-duty springs to make the gate slam shut in anticipation of his homecoming, Ms. Clements said.
Ms. Clements recommended that the selectmen require the Gardes to pay a $200 bond and keep the dog restrained for six months. Although state law suggests 12 months, she said she is not confident the Gardes will be able to keep the dog penned, no matter what they do. If he gets loose and is caught during the six months, then he must be removed from town. The selectmen approved her recommendations.
Ms. Garde said she has been in contact with a former Island resident who lives in Maine, who will take Storm if they have to find him a new home.
Oak Bluffs Selectmen complete budget transfers
Oak Bluffs selectman met with the finance advisory committee on Tuesday to complete line item transfers they approved a week earlier. The transfers are needed to close the town's books at the end of the current fiscal year.
A majority of the transfers came from savings that resulted when some town employees opted to use less expensive healthcare plans. In past years, such transfers were routine bookkeeping exercises, but in order to cover all legal bases, selectmen will send the budget transfers to voters at a special town meeting scheduled for June 24.
The selectmen notified the financial advisory committee of their intention to request a $41,000 transfer from unused salary accounts, to a building maintenance account, on the special town meeting warrant. The updated warrant was unanimously approved by the board.
Town administrator Michael Dutton also noted $20,398 in expenditures needed for the operation of the town's information technology programs, expenses that would not require approval by voters. The advisory committee requested that the selectmen use money left over from savings in medical coverage to cover those costs.
The selectmen also discussed how the town would deal with an estimated $87,000 in budget cuts necessary when voters rejected a Proposition 2.5 debt exclusion question to pay for school buses. Mr. Dutton advised the selectmen to wait until later in the fiscal year, when revenue projections will be more apparent, to make any decisions about budget cuts.
Currently, three part-time positions are open in Oak Bluffs. Mr. Dutton recommended that the positions remain unfilled until the town's financial situation becomes clearer.
Nesting birds, erosion led to beach closures
Shorebirds nesting on portions of Chappaquiddick beaches managed by The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) are prompting beach closures. The sections of beach closed to off-road vehicle traffic may change on a daily basis, said TTOR Chappy superintendent Sara Trudel.
On Wednesday Wasque Point was not accessible from the Dike Bridge and much of East Beach was off limits on the ocean side. Norton Point beach remains open but is subject to ocean washover and erosion that can make driving risky. For up-to-date information, call 508-696-0731.
Chilmark selectmen vote not to reappoint town clerk
Chilmark selectmen Tuesday voted unanimously not to reappoint long-time town clerk Margaret Orlando.
Ms. Orlando's term ends on June 30, the end of the fiscal year. The board will advertise the position immediately.
Ms. Orlando said she filed a grievance with the personnel board Tuesday morning.
Selectmen and town officials were reluctant to discuss the vote because it involves personnel issues.
Reached by The Times yesterday morning, Ms. Orlando was unaware of the vote. By her own account, and according to minutes of various municipal meetings, she has had a stormy relationship with some of her co-workers at town hall.
The decision followed a series of meetings between town officials and Ms. Orlando. The board of selectmen has met in executive session to discuss personnel matters involving Ms. Orlando a number of times. In June of 2005 the board reappointed her temporarily through September of that year, with the understanding that they would assess her performance and other factors at that time. She was reappointed in September 2005 through May of 2006.
The part-time position most recently paid a salary of approximately $34,000 annually.
Island venue for Entwistle murder trial denied by judge
A judge Friday denied a request that the trial of high-profile murder suspect Neil Entwistle, accused of killing his wife and baby daughter, be moved to Martha's Vineyard.
Middlesex Superior Court Judge Diane Kottmyer denied a request from Mr. Entwistle's lawyers to move the trial to Dukes County Superior Court in Edgartown. Lawyer Elliot Weinstein argued that the intense media coverage of the gruesome double homicide has compromised their client's ability to receive a fair trial.
Neil Entwistle, a British native, is charged with the 2006 shooting of his wife, Rachel, 27, and daughter, Lillian Rose, 9 months, in their Hopkinton apartment.
The lawyers claimed that Martha's Vineyard might be the only place in Massachusetts where the case has not received saturation media coverage.
Sheriff stretches budget to cover payroll
Dukes County sheriff Michael McCormack says he has received enough money in a supplemental state budget appropriation to fund his department's payroll through June 13. But, he says he will need approximately $400,000 more to balance his books by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
"We have not missed any payroll, and I do not foresee us missing any payroll," said sheriff McCormack. "We have not cut any services we are providing to the public, or the inmates."
The sheriff has, however, suspended payments to vendors, deferred building and vehicle maintenance, restricted overtime, and delayed planned programs.
A second supplemental appropriation is stalled in the state legislature, while lawmakers wrangle with the governor about a proposed state takeover of seven county sheriff departments.
"I feel responsible to make sure that the employees get paid," said Sheriff McCormack. "I know my employees go from paycheck to paycheck. There's a lot of stress, a lot of calls, a lot of letter writing, a lot of trips back and forth to Boston. Every minute we spend in Boston, is time away from our duties here."
Slow down in Tisbury, or pay the price
The Tisbury selectmen want drivers to slow down. At their meeting on May 20, several town residents complained about speeding vehicles on Tisbury streets.
In response, the selectmen issued a press release reminding drivers to obey posted speed limits, as the number of people walking and biking to their destinations is growing as summer approaches.
The selectmen also have asked Police Chief John Cashin to step up enforcement in particular areas of concern, such as Franklin Street.
Contact town administrator John Bugbee at 508-696-4203 with questions or comments.
Tribe's MET tower plan hits guy-wire snag
A long-standing plan by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to erect a meteorological (MET) tower hit another snag last week when the Tribe received the wrong size guy-wires needed to support the 164-foot tower.
The MET tower will support scientific equipment that will track weather information to determine if the site located on tribal land, is optimal for electricity producing wind turbines.
Tribal planner Durwood "Woody" Vanderhoop hopes the Tribe will receive the correct wires by the end of the month, in time to coincide with the arrival of a team from the University of Massachusetts, which could erect the tower.
The Tribe's plan to erect the observation tower has been in the works for over two years and has encountered several problems.
Mr. Vanderhoop said, "The project has taken a lot longer than I ever expected."
