Letters to the Editor
Published: July 15, 2010
Building a sustainable world
To the Editor:
The Vineyard Youth Summit for Sustainable Development was a success — thanks to so many. More than 50 youths were nominated by the community to serve as youth delegates. Seventeen graduated on July 2, sharing their vision, their passion, their joy with their parents, teachers, sponsors, and Island leaders.
We are very grateful to all of our sponsors for investing in these young people. The Menemsha Inn owners and staff welcomed our youth delegates and supported us all week. Stone Soup style, the Island pitched in and fed these young people with their tasty food.
Thanks to all those who nominated young people, especially Sherri Church, Leo Frame, Karen Krowski, and Noli Taylor. These youth leaders are ready to implement their Sustainability-In-Action projects with local organizations. The first is building a greenhouse with Andrew Woodruff at Whippoorwill Farms, so Islanders can have year-round local greens.
Thanks to our advisory council: Nancy Cole, Nancy Gardella, Chuck Hughes, Mark London, William Marks, Mark Martin, Carrie Tankard, with special thanks to Sidney Morris and Jane Parquet. To the Martha's Vineyard Vision Fellows, Emma Green Beach, Liz Baldwin, and Noli Taylor for sharing their passion, joy and practical knowledge; for Bob Woodruff, our sustainable Vineyard tour guide, and Chris Seidel, our Sustainable Vineyard map coordinator. Our project coordinators, Adrian Aristide and Isabelle Lew, who invited their friends, like John Stanwood, to help. More than 100 people and sponsors helped to make this possible. We are grateful to everyone.
Given the times we live in, it gives everyone hope to see a new generation of young leaders who are learning to build a more sustainable world.
Marianne Larned
Stone Soup Leadership Institute
Vineyard Haven
No timetable to call Hospice
To the Editor:
Over dinner conversation with my wife recently, the conversation turned toward the struggle of a friend with cancer. "Did they call Hospice of Martha's Vineyard?" I asked. "She may not be that far along," my wife responded, "and I am not sure that's what she would want right now".
I had to think for a moment. Then my first thought was that calling Hospice of Martha's Vineyard is for right now. It is for your life while you are living it. While it is certainly true that Hospice is there for end of life care, the end of your life is not our goal. There is no timetable to call Hospice of Martha's Vineyard; there is no specific prognosis required.
You may have heard about "different hospices" on Martha's Vineyard. There is a good reason for that. Hospice of Martha's Vineyard does not charge for its services. There is no prognosis requirement to qualify for the help. However, in this world of complicated health care, there are services that require payment. This is where Island Hospice, a Medicare-certified organization, comes in. If appropriate, Hospice of Martha's Vineyard will transfer your care to Island Hospice, so you can get the benefit of insurance coverage. Together, the two hospices provide seamless care. No matter where you are in your journey, you have the services that are appropriate.
I am a paramedic. I am the coordinator of the Tisbury Ambulance Service. I am also on the board of directors of Hospice of Martha's Vineyard. I have been to your homes in the middle of a cold or wet night. I have helped take you home. I am far from alone. Our EMTs on Martha's Vineyard know about the confusion and tension of lights, radios, strangers, and more. We know that these are your most private moments. We know that this may be the fourth, fifth, sixth trip to the emergency department in a short period of time. We also know that because of Hospice we may not have to come as often.
As an emergency service coordinator and administrator I see first hand the positive impact on public health that Hospice of Martha's Vineyard has. Quality home care improves the quality of life for patients and families.
At my first Hospice of Martha's Vineyard board meeting, I learned that if my family, a friend, or I was in trouble with serious disease, that's the time to call Hospice of Martha's Vineyard.
Jeffrey Pratt
MAEMT-P
Ambulance Coordinator
Tisbury Ambulance
Member
Board of Directors
Hospice of Martha's Vineyard
Loving care
To the Editor:
It is with heartfelt thanks to Dr. Bridget Dunnigan and the staff of the Vineyard Veterinary Clinic that I write this letter today. Dr. Dunnigan and her staff provided quality veterinary care to our dear, adopted greyhound, Brad, for the past ten years.
Brad, a retired racer and registered therapy dog of Massachusetts, required a particularly challenging care during the last 2 ½ years of his life due to the diagnosis of a mass in the brain, near the pituitary gland. Though a candidate for radiation treatment, we chose to care for Brad in a minimally invasive way. Research indicated the survival rate post-diagnosis was approximately 305 days. Brad lived nearly 3 years longer, celebrating family holidays and seeing 10 more seasons change.
We are grateful for the constant support and encouragement Dr. Dunnigan offered to us. There were ups and downs over the past few years, but we can say with confidence that the quality of Brad's life was the very best until his last week. With each appointment departure, she would say, "I love you, Brad." We knew she meant it.
When Brad softly told us it was time to leave this world last week, Dr. Dunnigan was there for him, as the tears she wept shared our loss. Though Brad was irreplaceable, when our grief subsides and our hearts are able to love another greyhound in need, it is a great comfort and relief to know that Dr. Dunnigan, Dr. Williams, Dr. Buck, and the Vineyard Veterinary Clinic staff will be here on our little island to offer the finest veterinary care with the greatest compassion and love for the newest member of our family.
Esther Teves
Vineyard Haven
Cyclists endanger others on bridge
To the Editor:
On June 15, I was walking over the Lagoon Pond Bridge and was hit from behind by a bicycle. We both had on earphones. The man on the bike had a lot of things to say, mostly swearing.
Then again I am walking on the bridge on June 22. I took my earphones out of my ears, and bang was hit by another bike. Handlebars slammed my elbows and knocked me into a fence. As mad as I was, I asked him if he had read or seen the sign that says, "Please walk your bike over bridge." And to my surprise, his reply was "I'm not from here." Well, I said, when you get to the end there will be a police officer to ticket you. Of course I lied.
June 28, walking the bridge, I had to press myself up against the fence to let bike riders go by. Ten of them and not one was walking his bike.
So: my question is, do I continue to walk the bridge or the street? Which would be safest?
Phyllis Keogh
Oak Bluffs
You should step up
To the Editor:
On Tuesday, June 29, I had to drive my husband's truck to work (which I really didn't want to do because he keeps it so immaculate). While it was parked at the NSTAR Electric Co. parking lot on Edgartown Road, a tan or brown SUV towing a 20- to 23-foot Sea Ox boat and trailer backed into it. The boat dented the driver's side, fender, hood, bug reflector and bumper, causing more than $2,000 worth of damage. The boat should have red paint on its right side.
I don't know if the driver realized he hit the truck, but he did not stop. If you have any info, please call Officer Pacheco at the Oak Bluffs Police Department, 508-693-0750.
Margaret Oliveira
Oak Bluffs
Slaughterhouse needed
To the Editor:
History tells us that during the Revolutionary War the crews from British ships took a great number of sheep to slaughter for the meat. As yet, now almost 250 years later, they have not offered payment.
During this time the many residual retaining rock walls have greatly increased in number and the cost of good, fresh cuts of meat has gradually increased, in part due to off-Island slaughtering.
A while ago a slaughterhouse on wheels was available here for chickens, turkeys, and ducks but didn't serve the real purpose.
This Island is now home to more than 50 farms with extensive retaining rock walls, meadows and fertile open land that could feed many cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats.
Interest is developing in conducting a centralized, well equipped slaughterhouse, permanently available on the Island.
In addition, a portion of the finished product could become a source of year-round employment and a real export, which we need.
The federal government is showing an interest, has agreed to contribute $40,000 for determination of need, location and cost.
Let's get behind such a promising endeavor. Speak to your neighbor, farmer, and friendly politician.
J. Walter Knapp
Edgartown
No love lost here
To the Editor:
Let me try again. This will be my second draft since the first one was rejected, apparently too long and filled with facts that only I and those involved can attest to.
You have got to be the advocate for your child and know what is going on after you drop them off. There is so much that you don't know, and when you do find out, stand up and take care of it. Stop sitting back and putting your trust into the hands of wolves in sheep's clothing. It's not just kids being kids, it's much worse, and often there are teachers who have been there far too long with very short fuses and do not belong there any longer.
My experience with Laurie Binney — this great man as he speaks of himself — has been our worst nightmare and I for one am glad that he is gone, the sooner the better. My son went to the OB school for six years from K-5. K-3 was great, he had all kinds of friends, he played sports, had friends over to play, and was a very happy outgoing kid who had the world in his hands.
For many reasons that I can't mention here, although they are very important to the reasons behind the sheer hatred that I have for this man, my son was bullied relentlessly under Mr. Binney's watch. He not only knew about it, but so did the superintendent. Not only were students involved, but a fourth grade teacher was actually the start of it all. Mr. Binney protected this teacher until the end, but refused to protect my son. She humiliated him almost on a daily basis.
I told Mr. Binney I wanted my son removed from her class and put in another class. He refused me on several occasions. I wrote to the superintendent, and he never answered my plea. I called the guidance teacher more times than I can remember and asked for mediation between the boys who were bullying him, and was told over and over again that he would take care of it and [he] never did.
I got to school a few minutes late and saw about five or six kids all around my son pushing him back and forth I pulled up with my car and yelled at them to get away from him. I received a letter two days later from Mr. Binney telling me if I ever did that again I would be banned from the school.
My letter in return was if he was not going to protect my son while under his care, then I was. I finally had to enlist an advocate for my son to go to meetings with me.
Every single day I had to drop my son off at that horrible, horrible school, I cried my eyes out because I knew I was sending him to the wolves, including adults who should have been protecting him. He missed so many Mondays of school because he was so afraid and would not go. I never got a call from anyone asking why.
By now his self-esteem was in the gutter, his passion for life was gone, he doubted himself around every corner. This is not my son; he was never like this. He was the happiest person alive with the best outlook on life, and anyone who knew him before this knew it was true. I thank god for Bob Moore, he is the best; and this man does not for one second tolerate bullying. He should be a role model for the rest of you, including the superintendent who chose to ignore my pleas.
It is true that this behavior starts at home, but it flourishes in the school system that does not get involved and keep it under control.
It was not only my child who went through this, there were many, many others whose parents were afraid to go to the school and stand up for their kids. They just wanted and hoped that the school would do the job and protect them. Wishful thinking.
I know I am not the only one who has pulled my child from Mr. Binney's clutches. Unfortunately, my granddaughter is going there after living off-Island for the past two years, and she has come home with stories of bullying that still goes on there. I hope that the superintendent does a thorough job at hiring the new principal. Two of the main questions should be: What is their stand on bullying, and what will they do to make teachers get the proper education to teach children with learning disabilities without drugging them.
I feel like I have to address a couple of Mr. Binney's quotes in the paper. The first being that he states "the stress that was being created by what's happening with me at work just said it's time to step away." You want to talk about stress? How do you think these kids feel that have to come to your school and feel true fear and stress of being bullied? Do you think that it is fair that they can't get a safe education and might be failing because they can't concentrate due to their stress? Do you think it's fair that they probably do not eat their lunch out of fear and stress that they will be bullied in the lunch room while your teachers stand idly by? What about their stress? After all, they are a lot younger than you, and you are supposed to protect them.
Cathy Peters
Oak Bluffs
Changing our behavior
To the Editor:
We watch with dismay as the scope of the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history unfolds day after day in the Gulf of Mexico. We bemoan the lack of corporate responsibility and government oversight to control "the spill," wording that connotes a glass of overturned milk. Thousands of miles away, here on the Vineyard we can make a personal commitment by small individual actions at the beach or on the water to replace negligence with stewardship. The consequences of marine debris are often not as obvious as an oil-soaked pelican, but just as lethal to marine mammals and birds.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines marine debris as any manmade object discarded, or disposed of, or abandoned that enters the coastal or marine environment. This debris includes everything from Styrofoam food containers, balloons, cigarette butts, bottle caps, tiny straws from toddler juice boxes, fishing line, and boating gear. Sea life die of starvation when these foreign objects become lodged in wildlife intestines or entangle animals that then cannot swim and feed. A young seal tangled in some kind of rug or mat was found in April on a Vineyard beach. Despite the heroic efforts of rescuers to save the seal, it died, a death far removed from the consciousness of the people who carelessly discarded the rug when it had lost its usefulness.
As summer gets under way, with its wonderful times with family and friends, remember the teachings of students at the Edgartown and Oak Bluffs schools, whose award-winning posters displayed on the Joseph Sylvia State Beach remind us to Carry In/Carry Out. Unlike "the spill" in the gulf, controlling marine debris doesn't require a high tech solution. Gather your trash and take it off the beach with you when you leave, disposing of it responsibly (not at roadside.)
To learn more about marine debris go to the www.sengekontacket.org web site. Click on Recent FOS Activities — marine debris. By changing behaviors that cause marine debris to enter the oceans, together we can prevent this kind of pollution, helping to ensure clean healthy seas and beaches for all.
Christina G. Miller
Friends of Sengekontacket
Hospital cost shift
To the Editor:
The residents of the Vineyard have long wondered why we have to wait five to six hours to be seen and treated at the Emergency Room at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital. There has never been an answer given by the hospital, and that is frustrating. Another question that we have asked is why it costs roughly $800 to walk into the ER and then have to pay $42.50 for a bandage or another $9.50 for a single aspirin.
We have just learned one of the reasons, when the hospital recently reported its financial statements for the last year. The hospital had a daycare program for 14 employees that cost in excess of $100,000. How many local employers here in the Vineyard have the luxury of a daycare center for their employees? I wonder if chief executive officer Tim Walsh runs his own personal household with such disdain and disregard for financial responsibility. Who paid for this daycare center? It was certainly not the 14 hospital employees, but it was us, the local residents who use the facilities of the hospital. Is there no restraint on keeping the cost of medical attention down to a reasonable level?
The hospital reported that they wiped out almost $3 million in bad debt. Mr. Walsh's explanation was "Bad debts is uncomplicated. Patients come into the hospital and receive care, and then do not pay the bill. It all adds up." Who pays for this bad debt? It is certainly not Tim Walsh, with his high salary and perks, but it is the local hard-working residents who struggle to pay our insurance premiums that we are required to pay under Massachusetts law.
What do other hospitals or even other business concerns do when they have bad debts? They attempt to earnestly collect them. When one goes to the Emergency Room for any kind of service, a detailed questionnaire is filled out with one's home ownership and current place of employment. If payment is not made after numerous collection calls, the case is put through the court system to secure payment. It might be an attachment on the equity of the debtor's real estate or maybe an attachment of the debtor's wages. This information is not a secret, as it is in the questionnaire filled out at the commencement of the rendered medical services.
The collection of this bad debt would not even cost the hospital anything extra as the terms of the contract provide for collection fees to be added to the overdue account. Upon checking the local court dockets, [I find that] Martha's Vineyard Hospital does not seem to take this avenue of recovering this $3 million dollars. Like the free daycare center used by just 14 of their employees for a mere $100,000, the hospital just adds the expense of $3 million dollars to those working people who have to pay $800 to walk into the Emergency Room and pay $9.50 for an aspirin.
Last year, the hospital reported the receipt of $48 million for net patient services, and wrote off $3 million dollars in bad debt. Many of us really feel that Martha's Vineyard Hospital can use a little more effort to collect this $3 million, so that the rest of us do not have to struggle at the end of each month to pay our ever-increasing medical insurance premiums. We all struggled to make our contributions to build our magnificent hospital here in the Vineyard, and so is it not feasible for the hospital to help us to lower the cost of going to the hospital?
Bruce Erickson
Vineyard Haven
A ladder would help
To the Editor,
They say the best things in life are free, and jumping off the bridge at State Beach on a warm sunny day is one of those things. I just started to jump off the bridge last summer, and boy, I realized what I was missing. There is nothing better than the rush you get when you realize that your feet have already left the wood railing and any second, you will meet the cool, refreshing ocean.
Unfortunately, there are often people who get injured. They cut their feet or knees on the barnacles as they climb out. A suggestion to prevent injuries would be for the town to install a ladder, so it is easier to safely get out of the ocean. Thank you for reading and taking my suggestion into consideration.
Aurora Austin
6th Grade
West Tisbury School
Let's move on bike safety
To the Editor:
I am very upset by the death of bicyclist Dina Dececca.
For decades we have known about unsafe biking-conditions on Martha's Vineyard, but have left them uncorrected. (Six bicyclists have died since 1987.)
In 2008, MTV (channel 13) aired an eye-opening video called "Let's Make Biking Safe on MV". The video showed hundreds of unsafe conditions, including the sidewalk that Dina fell from. (That sidewalk appears at the video's 40-minute mark.)
Another warning was given in a 2009 MVC report. It states, "Missing links [between bicycle paths] create safety hazards for users".
I urge selectmen and other decision-makers to quickly correct the Island's dangerous conditions. For a video introduction to them, go to channel 13 and watch the 2008 video. (Go to mvtv.org and watch it on demand.)
In addition to building safe bike facilities, bicyclists and motorists need an educational program that teaches how to safely use our roads and paths. (Sometime next week MVTV will begin airing a four-minute video called "Roll Together Concord". Although produced in New Hampshire, it should be required viewing for everyone on Martha's Vineyard.)
Let's not delay making corrections to the Island's bicycle facilities and learning to drive safely. We owe it to Dina's family and our own.
Chris Fried
Vineyard Haven
Member
MV Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee
We can do better
To the Editor:
It is with a sadness like no other that I write this. Yesterday, the mother who lost her life makes me wonder why? Why, with all the money and energy that people bring to us here in Vineyard Haven, we can't take care of them a little better?
What would it take to build a bike path connecting our towns? As a driver, the bikes and mopes are lethal on our roads. As a mom of three who wants to bike with her kids to pick up milk at Stop & Shop, or bike to the beach to conserve energy and pollute less, it is out of the question because of exactly what happened to this mother, who was probably watching her chicks as she tried to negotiate the heat and irate drivers, Five Corners, and a road fit for two horses only.
We can do better.
Lara O'Brien
Vineyard haven
Our community thanks you
To the Editor:
There is a serene easiness amongst the recently completed cluster of homes at Eliakim's Way in West Tisbury. Neighborly introductions have been made, the hammocks are hung, and the community of new homeowners is planning its future. At a recent homeowners association meeting/potluck dinner, the first orders of business were reviewed. A shared garden, community compost, and landscape plans were discussed among neighbors. It was also decided that a formal gesture of gratitude was in order to all parties involved in making this project happen.
First, a bit of praise and reflection to help orient those that are unfamiliar with Eliakim's Way. A series of eight homes, formerly referred to as 250 State Road, were designed and built as part of the Island Housing Trust's efforts to provide affordable housing to the year-round community. Set amongst the bucolic farms and trails of West Tisbury, a parcel was developed with an insightful approach to land planning. Two- and three-bedroom homes were grouped tightly around a shared commons leaving the remaining landscape in a perpetual state of conservation.
The generosity of West Tisbury, the clever design-build strategies of both South Mountain Company and Habitat for Humanity, and the diligent efforts of the Island Affordable Housing Trust have culminated in setting a new standard for progressive housing on Martha's Vineyard.
With 10-inch thick, super-insulated walls and triple glazed windows, our homes are tight and temperate. Their solar orientation and thoughtful design offer an appropriate response to the sun and wind. The prevalence of non-toxic, low-maintenance, and local materials highlight a sense of care and thought for the long-term health, the well-being of residents and the planet. Each of our homes is equipped with a grid-tied 5-kw photovoltaic array to provide sufficient electricity for heat, hot water, cooking, and power in the homes. These systems were designed to fully offset the conventional reliance on fossil fuels for these needs.
The project has been recognized by the US Green Building Council as a LEED Platinum project, meeting their highest standards for sustainable design criteria. In an effort to learn from our experience as residents, South Mountain Company is compiling the energy data from each house for the first year of occupation. They have also posed a challenge for net-zero energy use over the course of the first year, with a CSA Farm Share prize as an added incentive for living lightly.
Our neighborhood is a setting for dignified living and an unparalleled opportunity for home ownership. For some, it will be a place to raise the next generation of Island residents. We take pride in place, aiming to live according to the same enlightened ideals that make this place exemplary. The town of West Tisbury has promoted a model of progressive social and environmental design, making way for the lives of our year-round residents while preserving land and fostering stewardship. The Island has an ally in the residents of Eliakim's Way.
From our new community to all those involved, we offer our deepest gratitude and respect. For your insight, care, and dedication, you are to be commended. Thank you.
Matt Coffey
The Eliakim's Community
West Tisbury
In response to the POINT advertisement
To the Editor:
The full-page POINT advertisement, so prominent on the back page, makes a few good points about the state's plan and raises some questions about wind power that must be addressed for any responsible offshore turbine project. On the other hand, there are many misleading assertions in this and similar ads. It's getting really tiresome. Let me respond again, in order, to those.
Wind power will reduce our oil dependence. Transportation, home heating and some electricity, comprising 62 percent of our Island energy use, is derived from oil. We envision those uses being mostly renewable electric by 2050.
Wind power will reduce carbon dioxide emissions —about 1.3 lb for every kWh we generate with wind. Don't be confused by the need for backup capacity.
National Grid will pay about a third more per kWh for energy generated by Cape Wind than conventional sources. It won't make much of a difference to the average ratepayer. Vineyard Power members will pay less than they do now and be immune from uncertainty in the price of fossil fuel-based electricity.
As noted in the ad, taxpayers will pay 30 percent of the cost to construct offshore wind turbines. According to Saturday's New York Times, taxpayers already pay oil, coal, and gas companies $4 billion a year in subsidies that began in the late 19th century to help stimulate a new business then. Give you any ideas?
We need every bit of renewable energy we can develop. There is not nearly enough excess available from other states or Canada. Why would we want jobs and revenue to go to another state? Vineyard Power wants to know why you would even want it to go to the mainland?
Paul Pimentel
Edgartown
Chair, Vineyard Power
It's a matter of our appetite
To the Editor:
My older brother, a geologist, asked for my thoughts on BP and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, from an oceanographer's perspective:
If BP would stop using oil dispersants — they are horrible biologically.
If the state of Louisiana would stay out of it — building barrier islands is ineffective oceanographically, and destructive biologically.
If the engineers would stay out of it — we have to realize there are some things we cannot engineer our way out of.
If we hold BP liable for the longterm — realize that they were unprepared for this, but currently doing the best that industry has to offer.
If the public would continue its dialogue, but quit demanding of our government that it be fixed immediately — it cannot be done.
If people would accept responsibility for the spill (where it really lies) and shoulder blame for the destruction of ecosystems and an economy — in
our hyper-consumerism and our insatiable desire for cheap fuel.
Then, and only then, perhaps we will all come to understand that ultimately, in 50 or so years, the earth will cleanse itself, but only if we find a way to: Emphasize and seek other means and sources of energy, and get over and end our desperate thirst for fossil energy — bike more, carpool, take the bus or train, live more frugally (4-wheel drive SUVs were meant for off-road work, not for picking up children from school) — and respect the only home we have.
Stephen Cofer-Shabica, PhD
Oak Bluffs
A community that cares and acts
To the Editor:
It is with a heavy heart and great pride that I write this letter about the tragic bicycle accident last week in Tisbury. It was heartbreaking to witness the incomparable pain of the loss of a wife, mother, and good friend in an accident that struck without warning or preparation in the midst of a carefree day here on the Vineyard.
But the response of the Island community coming to the aid of these victims, and their police, fire and EMT rescuers was, as usual for the Vineyard, without parallel. The owners of Mac Sales provided initial shelter, followed quickly by Steve Perlman at the Hanover House, taxi service by Jeff Early at All Island Taxi, and transportation by the Patriot boats, aided by Ralph Packer. Meanwhile a professional crisis team from Hospice of MV quickly arrived with their tender, hands-on embrace to help these families through this extraordinary crisis in their lives.
There is yet still more that I would ask of the community that is so willing to give. There were many witnesses to this accident who were undoubtedly traumatized by what they saw and heard. It is quite normal to experience strong emotional repercussions from such an event. If you are such a person or are close to someone who may be suffering, please offer them time and a caring ear or suggest that there are resources to help them cope such as Hospice or Island Counseling Center. Thanks for being the kind of community that cares and then acts.
Melinda Loberg
Vineyard Haven
Gratitude abounds
To the Editor:
The free Pancake Breakfast on July 3, honoring our Island veterans who sacrificed so much for
the freedom of our country was a big success.
We had much good food, but the best part was the wonderful talk by our famous Island veteran,
Mev Good. Thank you Mev. Even the children were mesmerized.
We would also like to show our gratitude to the merchants that helped our efforts: Cash and Carry,
Cronig's, Reliable, Shaw's, Stop and Shop, and Walmart. Come one and all to join us next year.
Donna Maurice
Martha's Vineyard Branch
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Vineyard Haven
Is a university extension program possible here?
To the Editor:
I remember when the Nathan Mayhew Seminars started years ago on the Island, and I was excited about the possibilities. But that noble experiment died off.
Now, I look at the huge disparity between year-round Islanders and seasonal visitors, and wonder if a university extension might be established here.
The right school could bring more intellectuals and students, some of which could be counted on as summertime employees.
I've tried to think what kind of school could work. Perhaps a music or art school? Community college?
In any case, I'd like to see more thought given to this, and perhaps some reaching out to the academic communities.
Donald Hinkle
Oak Bluffs
Toward bicycle safety
To the Editor:
On behalf of the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting Association, I want to thank Chief Blake and the Oak Bluffs Police for providing officers to conduct a Bicycle Safety Clinic held at the campground on Saturday (July 10). Officers Trudel and Mendez were fantastic. There were about 30 kids and their parents from different areas of Oak Bluffs who participated. The officers made the kids feel welcome, comfortable, and involved. The officers reviewed basic safety rules, bike equipment and then conducted various activities (obstacle course, slow bike race, etc.). They also did helmet-fitting and reminded children and parents that Massachusetts state law requires all children 16 years of age and under to wear a helmet. They also strongly recommended that everyone, regardless of age, wear a helmet for their own safety.
This was a tremendous community service and the Oak Bluffs Police are to be commended for coordinating this activity. In addition to learning bicycle safety and having fun, it was also a great way for the kids to interact with the police in a friendly, casual environment.
In light of the tragic accident on Tuesday in Vineyard Haven, bicycle safety should be a priority for everyone. The O.B. Police and MVCMA will be conducting another Bike Safety Clinic on Thursday, August 5, at 10 am. All children and parents are welcome and encouraged to attend this important safety event.
The Bike Safety Clinic was a huge success. Kudos to the Oak Bluffs Police, and especially, Officers Trudel and Mendez for providing this valuable and timely safety clinic.
Craig Lowe
Vice President,
MVCMA
Oak Bluffs
