The Martha's Vineyard Times

Coast Guard Station Menemsha dock is rebuilt

By Nelson Sigelman
May 25, 2011

The reconstruction of the Coast Guard Station Menemsha dock, destroyed by fire last July, was completed this week.

The Coast Guard's 25-footer and its 47-foot motor life boat returned to the floating dock and pier that extend from the lot where the Coast Guard Station Menemsha boathouse once stood.

"It's nice to be back," Station Chief Jason Olsen said. "We are very grateful to the town of Chilmark for accommodating our boats while the work took place."

On February 15, 2011, the Coast Guard released the results of an investigation by federal, state, and local authorities, begun right after the fire was extinguished. The fire may have been the result of a discarded cigarette on the pier, faulty electrical wiring to the boathouse, or faulty electrical wiring to the town's pier. There was insufficient evidence to determine a more precise ignition source, the report's authors concluded.