News Briefs
Published: July 22, 2010
Tisbury selectmen approve new town bike route
Although the Tisbury selectmen began a half-hour earlier Tuesday night, any advantage gained by the new 5 pm start-up time was lost over the almost 3-hour meeting.
The Tisbury selectmen voted to designate a town bike route from Five Corners along Lagoon Pond Road and up Skiff Avenue to Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road to help bicyclists avoid riding on State Road where there is heavy traffic, no bike path, and a narrow sidewalk.
Their action took place against the backdrop of a fatal accident on July 6 when Dina Dececca fell from her bicycle into the path of a tractor-trailer truck while riding on State Road near Camp Street.
Several concerned residents who live along that stretch of road attended the meeting and asked the selectmen to take whatever action possible to slow traffic down and increase bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Tisbury's department of public works (DPW) put up signs for the new route yesterday. DPW director Fred LaPiana said a bike path along Causeway Road behind Veterans Park would replace a portion of the route when constructed this fall.
The selectmen's vote on the bike route followed a presentation on a potential shared use path network for Tisbury by Martha's Vineyard Commission senior planner Bill Veno. He also serves on the MVC's bicycle and pedestrian planning advisory committee.
Mr. LaPiana followed up with a summary of where the multiple bike paths are, along with funding and access issues.
In other business, the selectmen approved a common victualler's license for Yeebiu Chang, owner of the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Water Street. They also agreed to hold a status hearing in 90 days to discuss the improvements to the building's exterior with landlord Sam Kim of Chelsea.
At the request of Emergency Services Facility (ESF) building committee chairman Joe Tierney, the selectmen approved $50,995 from a contingency fund to pay for change orders for construction of the ESF on West Spring Street.
On the other side of the ledger, Mr. Tierney told The Times in an email yesterday, the town saved $22,000 on a generator purchase for the new building by bidding it out separately from the construction.
The selectmen's next regular meeting is at town hall on August 3 at 5 pm. On August 10 they will hold a cable-TV franchise renewal hearing for Comcast at 5:15 pm, followed by a joint meeting with the DPW commissioners.
Oak Bluffs refers fishing pier project to MVC
The chairman of the Oak Bluffs conservation commission cut public comment short at a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal by the state Department of Fish and Game office of fishing and boating access to construct a 317-foot fishing pier. Instead, the commission referred the project to the Martha's Vineyard Commission (MVC).
The pier would be located approximately 200 feet north of the Steamship dock.
All pier projects are subject to review by the Island's powerful regional land use planning agency, which requires all piers to go through its regulatory process.
About 15 people appeared at the public hearing, ready to voice support or concern. Douglas Cameron, assistant director and deputy chief engineer office of fishing and boating access, provided a brief explanation of the project. Carlos Pena, vice president of CLE engineering, the firm that designed the pier, also described the project.
"I would be willing to take very limited comments," conservation commission chairman Joan Hughes said. "But the public part of this process is going to be referred to the MVC."
In the brief comment period allowed, several people who live in the area, questioned the siting of the fishing pier on the north side of the Steamship Authority dock, near to the North Bluff residential neighborhood.
The conservation commission continued the public hearing until the MVC makes a decision. "At that point there may be some alterations to the plan," Ms. Hughes said. "We will have it out for people to review."
Mr. Cameron said his agency has never gone through regulatory review before the MVC.
"This is a new wrinkle to me," Mr. Cameron said. "We are certainly more than happy to go through that process."
The proposed L-shaped pier would be 16 feet wide and extend 317 feet long offshore. The L-shaped extension at the end would be 48 feet in length. The width of the pier would provide access for wheelchairs, according to a plan submitted to the conservation commission.
Sudden stop to avoid bicyclist sends bus riders to hospital
Ambulances lined up at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, after transporting a dozen people injured in a bus accident last Thursday. Photo by Steve MyrickAt about 11 am Thursday last week, a Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) bus driver jammed on his brakes to avoid hitting a young woman who ran across the road pushing a bicycle, at Bend-in-the Road Beach in Edgartown. The sudden stop sent passengers flying and resulted in 12 people being transported to Martha's Vineyard Hospital with various injuries, none serious, according to Edgartown police.
The injuries included bumps, lots of bruises, head lacerations and some possible broken bones, according to police. Edgartown police, firefighters, and EMTs responded to the accident scene near the popular beach.
Angela Grant, VTA administrator, told The Times the number 13 bus was traveling from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown with a full load of passengers, many of whom were standing. The bus was equipped with a video camera that captured the incident.
The driver had just passed by another VTA bus and a string of cars traveling in the opposite direction when the woman appeared. "She popped out right behind the last vehicle," Ms. Grant said. "She didn't look both ways."
Ms. Grant said fortunately a veteran driver at the wheel reacted quickly and stomped on the brakes.
Ms. Grant said the driver saved the young woman's life. "The video is very complete in that respect," she said.
Superintendent to appoint OB School principal soon
In the wake of Oak Bluffs School principal Laury Binney's June 26 announcement that he would resign this fall, James Weiss, superintendent of Island schools, said yesterday he hopes to appoint a new principal very soon.
In a phone call yesterday, Mr. Weiss said that over the past few weeks, he considered different options and made a couple of decisions about moving forward.
"First of all, I want the new principal to be on board by September 1, when school opens, and secondly, I want whoever we get to be kind of a long-term person, not an interim person for a couple of months or a year, but somebody who will bring stability and long-term leadership to the building," Mr. Weiss explained.
"So I'm looking for someone who is going to be able to be there for a number of years," he said. "And my hope is still to make that appointment within the next couple of weeks. I'm talking to a couple of folks, and hopefully, once I get that resolved, I can make the appointment."
Matt Malowski named RHS interim assistant principal
Superintendent of schools James Weiss appointed Matt Malowski as interim assistant principal at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) on Monday.
Mr. Malowski fills a vacancy left by assistant principal Neal Weaver, who made the decision to explore other options when his three-year contract ended on June 30.
"We had a committee that worked hard to find a suitable candidate, and they were unable to do that, so I've appointed Matt for a one-year-only interim assistant principal position that will allow us to reopen the search next year and hopefully find the right person," Mr. Weiss said. "Matt has been at the building for a number of years as a teacher and as the coordinator of our STAR [Students and Teachers Achieving Results] program, and he's done a good job with that, so he's kind of a logical person to try to do this."
Mr. Malowski moved to Martha's Vineyard in 2001. He worked as a teacher's assistant at West Tisbury School for two years. He moved to MVRHS as an English as a Second Language teacher and coordinator in the fall of 2003.
Mr. Malowski became a teacher and coordinator of the school's new STAR program in 2007, which provides extra academic help for a select group of ninth and tenth graders.
"It will be a good learning experience; it just seems like a win-win for everyone," Mr. Malowski said of his new assistant principal position yesterday. "The interim position works for both sides, to see if this is a new career path I want to pursue, and likewise for the school system, to see if I'm a good fit for this role. I'm very happy to fill this need for the school."
Mr. Malowski and his wife Tracy have two daughters, Paige, 4, and Reese, 2. When not in school, he is an avid fisherman who works part-time at Dick's Bait and Tackle and serves on the M.V. Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby committee.
Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament returns
The Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament returns to Oak Bluffs Harbor this weekend. Organizer Steve James, president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club, said he expects about 120 boats to participate in the 24th annual big game fishing contest.
Mr. James said the criticism that dogged the tournament in recent years has faded, and local businesses are very happy for the economic boost the contest provides.
The regional tournament turned into a big-time fishing event when it became the subject of an ESPN television special in 2004. In 2005, the tournament attracted a record number of 245 participating boats.
That same year, the catch of a 1,191-pound tiger shark attracted national media attention and the attention of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which mounted a determined effort to oppose the tournament.
The daily weigh-in of sharks, a spectacle that attracts throngs of enthusiastic viewers to the harborside scale set up near the bathhouse by Our Market takes place between 3:30 and 7 pm Friday and 3:30 to 6:30 pm Saturday.
Martha's Vineyard Commission ballot deadline nears
The November election is still four months away, but nomination deadlines are near for nine two-year seats on the Martha's Vineyard Commission (MVC).
The powerful regional permitting and planning body is legislatively vested with sweeping powers that allow it to influence development across the Island. It exercises these powers by ruling on projects designated as developments of regional impact (DRI) and approving zoning regulations for areas approved as districts of critical planning concern (DCPC).
MVC candidates are elected at large to two-year terms, but there must be at least one commission member elected from each town and no more than two from any one town.
For example, if the candidates with the three highest vote totals are from the same town, only two will be elected to the MVC. If a candidate with the lowest vote total overall were the only candidate from that town, he or she would be elected.
The MVC has 21 members. Vineyard voters elect nine in Island-wide elections held every two years, Martha's Vineyard selectmen appoint six, the Dukes County Commission appoints one, and the governor appoints five, of whom four do not vote on DRIs or DCPCs.
Nomination papers and instructions are available at the MVC office and town halls. Candidates for the MVC must collect ten signatures from registered voters only. Nomination papers are due in town clerks' offices for certification of signatures no later than 5 pm, Tuesday, July 27.
After certification by the Board of Registrars, nomination papers must be collected by the candidate and submitted to the Secretary of State by 5 pm, Tuesday, August 24, along with a receipt from the State Ethics Commission showing that the candidate has filed a statement of financial interest. Contact local town clerks for more information.
The current elected commissioners are: John Breckenridge of Oak Bluffs; Christina Brown of Edgartown; Peter Cabana of Tisbury; Chris Murphy of Chilmark; Katherine Newman of Aquinnah; Douglas Sederholm of Chilmark; Linda Sibley of West Tisbury; Holly Stephenson of Tisbury; and Andrew Woodruff of West Tisbury.
Road re-striping underway in Tisbury
Hi-Way Safety Systems of Rockland began re-striping crosswalks and center lines on State Road in Tisbury Monday night. Weather permitting, work will begin at 8 pm and end at 6:30 am each morning.
The night schedule is meant to ease congestion on busy Island roads. The re-striping work will done at night and continue during the same hours through Friday morning this week and Monday through Friday morning next week, according to Tisbury officials.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation's highway division identified the sections of the Island's State Road that require re-striping and awarded the contract in May.
SSA sets budget guides for 2011, and the winter/spring schedules
Steamship Authority (SSA) members, anticipating a draft calendar 2011 budget in September and a final version in October, agreed on a set of budget policy guides, including a willingness to make "schedule modifications and trip consolidations ... when practical"
The members meeting Tuesday in Hyannis, approved 2011 winter and spring operating schedules that are similar to this year's, except for starting and ending dates. The winter schedule will start on January 3 and end April 14. The spring schedule will start April 15 and end May 23. The result is that the summer schedule next year will start four days later than it did this year.
Wayne Lamson, the boatline general manager, reported that budgeting for fuel will continue to be difficult.
"However," he wrote in a memo distributed after the Tuesday meeting, "as a result of the hedge program for vessel fuel we instituted more than a year ago, our fuel oil requirements for all of 2011 are already effectively capped at an average cost of $3.15 per gallon.
"The budgeted cost of vessel fuel oil for 2011, however, will be based on the projected forecasts plus the premium cost of the hedging program. In addition, we will continue to make fuel and energy conservation a priority in both land and sea operations."
Carl Walker, in charge of capital projects, reported that Governor, out of service for several weeks while her drive motors were repaired, is expected back in service by August 1.
The members approved a 50 percent discount for a three-month, 10 or more round trip fare for Nantucketers traveling to and from that island aboard Lyanough, the fast ferry, for medical treatment on the mainland. Documentation of medical need will be required.
And, the members established a special motorcycle rate for bikers who want to visit both the Vineyard and Nantucket and do so, that is travel all four legs of the journey, within 31 days.
Child-care grants available for Island families
Low and moderate income residents of five Island towns are eligible for up to $5,000 in child care subsidies beginning in October. The subsidies will come from a $1.5 million federal community development block grant awarded earlier this month. Approximately $300,000 of that grant will go toward child care subsidies, and the rest will go toward home improvements for Island residents.
The grants are intended for single working parents, or families where both parents work, but earn 80 percent or less of the area median income.
For a family of two on Martha's Vineyard, the income limit is $52,750. For a family of four, the limit is $65,900. Grants will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Applications are available at Martha's Vineyard Community Services (508-693-7900) or at the Bailey Boyd Associates web site (baileyboyd.com).
Residents of all Island towns except West Tisbury are eligible. "Statistically they have a lower need than any other town on the Island, which doesn't make any sense to me," Alice Boyd of Bailey Boyd Associates, who helped write the grant application. Ms. Boyd said West Tisbury residents may be able to participate in future years.
She lauded local social service agencies, daycare operators, and the Island school system for working together to secure the subsidies.
"I've never seen anything like it, anywhere," Ms. Boyd said. She said 220 Island families have already pre-applied for the grants.
Island Affordable Housing Fund executive director Ewell Hopkins said housing advocates pooled their expertise at securing federal grants, with child care advocates who could identify and demonstrate the need, to secure the funds.
"The problem is there is social service money left on the table because that's not their expertise or their focus," Mr. Hopkins said.
