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Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 31 - April 6, 2005 Edition
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in Brief March 31, 2005 Oak Bluffs building inspector on sick leave Oak Bluffs town officials confirmed this week that Richard Mavro, Oak Bluffs building inspector, is on paid sick leave, and that the position has been filled on a temporary basis. According to the Oak Bluffs selectmen, Mr. Mavro notified the town on March 18 that he would take sick leave effective immediately, and that the decision was based on a recommendation from his doctor. Kerry Scott, Oak Bluffs selectman, said that the town has made arrangements with Edgartown and Tisbury to fill the position while Mr. Mavro is on leave. Lenny Jason, who is both the Edgartown and Chilmark building inspector, is currently filling the position. If Mr. Mavro remains on leave for much longer, Ken Barwick, Tisbury building inspector will also work part-time for Oak Bluffs, said Ms. Scott. Mr. Mavro has been under fire recently in connection with his actions and permitting on several building projects, most notably a three-story garage built by Joseph Moujabber on Seaview Avenue Extension and a building on Circuit Avenue that was demolished illegally. SSA makes early trip for nought On Monday, the Steamship Authority (SSA) cancelled the last two boats of the night leaving both Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven due to high winds. With the winds expected to subside overnight, SSA management decided to make an early run with the ferry Martha’s Vineyard to clear away a backlog of cars at Vineyard Haven. Although the crew was ready to roll at 4 am, the terminal was empty — no dock crew, no ticket sellers, no staging area workers. A greatly embarrassed Mark Rozum, director of terminals and parking, had failed to let the Vineyard Haven terminal manager know of the change in plans. One SSA manager agreed with the assessment: A for effort, F for communication. Unlocked door allowed inmate to escape On the night of Feb. 6, Sean Garvey, 23, escaped from the Dukes County house of correction. He was recaptured the next morning following a lengthy foot chase by police officers. At the time, Mr. Garvey was being held at the jail in lieu of bail, following his arrest by Oak Bluffs police on Jan. 16, on a variety of charges, including assault and battery on a police officer and malicious destruction of property over $250. This week, Sheriff Michael McCormack issued a one-page report describing how Mr. Garvey was able to take advantage of a broken lock on a door leading from his cell unit and walk through an unlocked door to the recreation yard and scale a perimeter security fence to gain his brief taste of freedom. Based on the findings of the report, Sheriff McCormack said that he had taken appropriate corrective and disciplinary measures, including upgrading the locks on all outside doors and retraining personnel. Land Bank, Kupersmith close Southern Woodlands deal Capping years of fierce controversy over his various development proposals, Connecticut developer Corey Kupersmith sold 190 acres of the southern woodlands of Oak Bluffs to the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank for $18.6 million, last Thursday. It was the largest purchase to date for the public land-buying agency, in both price and acreage. Mr. Kupersmith and the land bank reached the sale agreement last April following months of closed-door negotiations. It took a year to close the deal while the Oak Bluffs planning board reviewed and ultimately approved another component of the arrangement, which calls for Mr. Kupersmith to build a 26-house subdivision on 90 acres of land that he still owns. The plan required Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) approval. After denying three separate golf course proposals and a massive 40B housing project on the land, the MVC unanimously approved the subdivision on April 8, 2004. Both the land bank and Mr. Kupersmith have begun working on their plans for their respective pieces of land. The land bank is currently conducting its official study of the property in preparation for a management plan. A final plan is expected by next fall. Earlier this month, Mr. Kupersmith started construction on his development project. Workers have already cut a swath of land for the access road into the development from County Road.
Deborah Medders (left), local Red Cross executive director, congratulated Anne Marie Reid as Lori Perry looked on after presenting both women with the American Red Cross nursing badge in recognition of their volunteer efforts. The March 20 annual meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of the American Red Cross at the Tisbury Senior Center provided an opportunity to recognize the history of the organization and the contributions of its many volunteers. Art Flathers, chapter board chairman, began the meeting by noting the centennial celebration this year of the 1905 Congressional Charter of the American Red Cross disaster relief mission, the history of the International Red Cross and its founder Swiss Henri Dunant, and Clara Barton, who began relief work on the battlefields of the Civil War. Ms. Barton founded the American Association of the Red Cross in Washington DC in 1881. The meeting program included recognition of retiring board members including Barbara and Ed Child of West Tisbury, Kaye Flathers of Tisbury, Sharry Stevens-Grunden of Oak Bluffs and Brad Fligor of Edgartown. Ms. Stevens-Grunden received a standing ovation for her major contributions in building the chapter’s organization and disaster services program over the past 15 years. The Chapter also presented certificates of recognition to Island individuals and groups for their contributions to various Red Cross relief and volunteer efforts. Deborah Medders, Executive Director, introduced four Vineyard nurses who volunteer their time to the chapter’s community safety and disaster services programs: Mary Elizabeth Keenan, of West Tisbury, and Lori Perry, Anne Marie Reid, and Mary Vivian of Tisbury. Each received a numbered badge issued by the American National Red Cross, linking them to a long line of dedicated Red Cross nurses dating back to the badge issued to Clara Barton. Islanders recognized for tsunami relief efforts included representatives from the Tisbury School kindergarten through fourth grade classes; Glen Caldwell and Frank Dumas, organizers of the Island Aid Concert; Linda Dixon and Christopher Porterfield representing the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital dietary department; and Michael Rotondo and Mike Gillman of Airport Mobil. The meeting also included the election of officers and board members. Tisbury voters sail through special town meeting Tisbury voters approved all 12 articles on a special town meeting warrant with little discussion Tuesday night at the Tisbury School. The prelude to next week’s annual town meeting wrapped up in one hour. The meeting was delayed 10 minutes until a quorum was present. By 7:45, 119 voters out of Tisbury’s 2,674 total registered voters had assembled. Most of the articles inspired little discussion with the exception of two concerning amending a zoning bylaw to allow storage of commercially owned equipment on town property, specifically at the site of former septage lagoons. James H. K. Norton questioned whether the storage was an acceptable use of the parcel, given to the town from the estate of Ellis Manter, under the terms set by a 1977 Probate Court decree. Both articles passed with an amendment assuring compliance with applicable laws. Some of the starch was removed from the leash law bylaw with an amendment to allow dogs to run off-leash in a designated area. Use of any dog park created by the selectmen will be bound by rules regarding animals’ health and behavior, with a liability disclaimer for the town. Voters also supported an article to look into preserving the historic Tisbury Water Works headquarters, which is featured in an illustration on the cover of this year’s town report. Voters approved a resolution to make Martha’s Vineyard a renewable energy Island by developing and implementing an Island-wide energy plan. State offers free hunter education class The state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will offer a four-session basic hunter education course on Martha’s Vineyard. Hunter safety education courses are widely credited with helping to reduce hunting accidents and create responsible hunters. Successful completion of the state-certified course meets certain state firearms licensing application requirements, as well as out-of-state hunting license requirements. The class instructor is Jeff Day, a Chilmark police officer and state master-instructor. Students must attend all four sessions to successfully complete the course and receive a letter of completion. The course schedule is: April 25 and 28, 6 to 9 pm; April 30 and May 1, 8 am to 3 pm. All classes will be held at the Rod and Gun Club, off Third Street in Edgartown. Space is limited to 35 students and all students must preregister in order to attend. Call 508-645-9265, extension 161. Funding for hunter education classes is derived from the sale of hunting and sporting licenses, and from federal excise taxes on firearms and archery equipment. For additional information about state hunter education courses, go to www.masswildlife.org. MVC Spring Series: What to plant? “Backyards and the State Forest: What Role Should Natives and Exotics Play?” is the topic of a program to be offered on April 2, from 2-4 pm, at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Hall. It is the first forum of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s Spring Series, Making the Vineyard a Sustainable Island. The program is featured as part of Sustainability Day, organized by the Polly Hill Arboretum in cooperation with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the MV Agricultural Society, and the MV Chamber of Commerce. The program is open to the public free-of-charge with free parking. Sustainability Day events, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Ag Hall, include a Sustainability Marketplace with local products and information, as well as a series of practical demonstrations, films, and lectures on a variety of topics. Corrections In a news story published March 24 concerning the West Tisbury selectmenıs proposal to purchase a building to serve as a temporary town hall and permanent police station, we erroneously reported that the selectmen had offered $625,000 to the owners of three separate properties. In fact they made only one offer, to Stephen Elrick for the home at 10 Old Stage Road. |
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