News Briefs
DPH confirms Island case of swine flu virus
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Monday confirmed the first case of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) on Martha's Vineyard.
The Vineyard confirmation follows a report last week of one case on Nantucket.
The report of a case in Dukes County, which includes the six towns on Martha's Vineyard and Gosnold, means that every Massachusetts county has now had at least one confirmed case, DPH said in a press release.
A woman in her early forties was treated in the Martha's Vineyard Hospital last week, said Tim Walsh, hospital chief executive officer, who added that federal health privacy law restricts the hospital from providing information about the person's identity. He also said that the hospital is following all appropriate procedures to guard against the spread of infection.
On Tuesday, DPH confirmed 70 additional swine flu cases in Massachusetts. This brings the confirmed case count to 1,010. Eight of the newly confirmed cases were hospitalized. The total cumulative number of hospitalizations is now 73, DPH said.
Flu outbreaks evolve in unpredictable ways, said DPH in a press release, "and it is impossible to know whether this outbreak will decrease, remain the same, or grow in coming weeks, and whether the illness will remain at its current severity which, on the whole has been relatively mild."
Because there is no vaccine for H1N1 influenza, public health officials remind all Massachusetts residents to continue taking simple steps to keep themselves and others healthy.
· Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
· Cover your cough with a tissue or cough into your inner elbow and not into your hands.
· If you are sick stay home from work and if your child is sick keep them home from school for 7 days, or 24 hours after symptoms go away-whichever is longer.
More information is available at the DPH website (www.mass.gov/dph/swineflu) or CDC website (www.cdc.gov/swineflu).
Roadwork scheduled for North Road next week
North Road in West Tisbury, from its eastern terminus in North Tisbury to the Chilmark town line, will be closed to through traffic for approximately 3 days from 8 am through 6 pm beginning on Monday, June 15, according to a press release.
For more information, call the selectmen's office at 508-696-0102 or the West Tisbury Police Department at 508-693-0020.
A quorum in Aquinnah
Aquinnah town officials worked hard to round up voters for a special town meeting Wednesday June 3. And their efforts paid off when a total of 41 voters, two more than needed for a quorum, attended the meeting. Voters made short work and passed all articles.
Tisbury ZBA to hear MET tower appeal
The Tisbury zoning board of appeals (ZBA) will hold a pubic hearing today at 12:30 pm at the town hall annex to hear an appeal of zoning and building inspector Ken Barwick's denial of a meteorological (MET) tower building permit.
John and Janet Packer, the owners of Northern Pines Farm in Vineyard Haven, submitted plans and an application for approval to construct a 165-foot MET in support of a Mass Technology Grant to study the feasibility of erecting a 270-foot wind turbine on their farm.
In a May 8 letter to the Packers, Mr. Barwick said he denied the permit, in part, on the basis that the farm's agricultural operations could be conducted without the alternative source of energy. Mr. Barwick told The Times his denial was based on his understanding of the state's zoning bylaw agricultural exemptions.
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources commissioner Scott Soares sent a letter to the ZBA refuting Mr. Barwick's position that the Packers' proposed wind turbine tower would not be considered an essential farm use structure.
When asked why the public hearing is scheduled during the workday, ZBA chairman and Tisbury selectman Jeffrey Kristal said the board has found that most applicants and town officials prefer daytime to evening hearings. He said the board would accommodate any applicants who cannot attend daytime meetings.
Among the six Island town, Tisbury's ZBA is the only board that regularly schedules daytime meetings.
Tisbury selectmen to hear ESF comment
The Tisbury selectmen held what they described as a work session at 4 pm Tuesday at the Katharine Cornell Theatre. The main order of business was to discuss construction plans for rebuilding Café Moxie on Main Street with property owners Paul Currier and Michael Ryan (see related story, Page 3).
In other business, the selectmen approved emergency services facilities (ESF) committee chairman Joe Tierney's request to spend $7,760 to complete the first two steps in a traffic study of the town hall annex and Tisbury School area. Mr. Tierney said the funds could be taken from $30,000 left from a previous feasibility study.
With no public notice prior to the meeting, Mr. Tierney also announced that the ESF committee has scheduled another public hearing on the facility's proposed design Wednesday, June 17, at 6 pm at the Katharine Cornell Theatre.
Tristan Israel, chairman of the Tisbury board of selectmen, also announced that the selectmen's June 16 meeting at 5:30 pm will be moved from town hall to the Tisbury Senior Center.
Island pols split on Suffolk County holidays
Island lawmakers were on opposite sides of a vote to eliminate Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day, legal holidays for public employees in Suffolk County only which includes the cities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop.
State Senator Robert O'Leary, who represents the Cape and Islands, voted against eliminating the holidays. State Representative Tim Madden, who represents the Islands and portions of Falmouth, voted for the measure.
Evacuation Day, celebrated on March 17, commemorates the departure of the British from Boston in the Revolutionary War and coincides with St. Patrick's Day.
Bunker Hill Day is celebrated on June 17 and commemorates the bloody Revolutionary War battle. The Boston Municipal Research Bureau estimates that about 35,000 public workers are affected, costing the state money in lost time, and in overtime for jobs that must be staffed on the holidays.
The House vote on June 3 was a tie, 78 to 78. Without a majority, the proposal was defeated. The Senate voted against the bill on May 21, 22 to 17.
Groundwater reclassification for Five Corners area
Ralph Penney, president of Penney Engineering, sent a letter in April to Tisbury town officials and property owners around the Five Corners intersection in Vineyard Haven asking for their support for a change in the way the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) classifies the area's groundwater.
Mr. Penney plans to petition the DEP for a change in the area's designation from a "potential drinking water source area" to a "non-potential drinking water source area." Under the current DEP designation, Mr. Penney's letter explained, any accidental spills of contaminants requires cleaning up groundwater to meet drinking water standards. However, the groundwater in the surrounding Five Corners area cannot readily be used for drinking water to begin with, as it is brackish and contaminated from past uses in the area.
Under the current DEP designation, if property owners do not achieve the drinking water clean-up standards they will be unable to sell or refinance their properties he said.
In 1995 Mass Highway encountered extensive petroleum contamination in the soil and groundwater along Beach Road and Water Street when installing storm drains. Only some of the sources could be identified, Mr. Penney said.
Mr. Penney said his company has been working with Eric Anderson on his properties at 8 Beach Road and 23 Beach Street extension since 2001, with no end in sight under the current groundwater designation. "It would take millions of dollars to remove the historical buildings, dewater to lower the shallow groundwater table and remove huge amounts of contaminated soil," Mr. Penney's letter said.
A change in the DEP's groundwater classification would make current and future site cleanups easier for Vineyard Haven property owners to achieve, Mr. Penney said. The newly designated area would include all the properties located in the waterfront/commercial and B-1 districts, as well as the densely populated portions of the R-10 district.
Properties in the Lagoon Pond District of Critical Planning Concern (DCPC) or the portion of the R-10 District also in the Groundwater Protection District would not be included.
The petition process involves meeting several requirements, such as submitting technical data about water resources and supply, an aquifer map, and documentation of comments received in a public comment period.
"I would estimate the petition costs will be, worst case scenario, about $20,000," Mr. Penney said in a phone call this week. "It makes so much sense, and it would benefit everybody."
Performing Arts Center repairs in the works
Although the elevated section of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School's (MVRHS) has remained off-limits for spring performances and events, assistant principal Neal Weaver said this week that plans are being finalized for making the necessary repairs.
Oak Bluffs building inspector Jerry Weiner ordered the seating section closed in a letter dated January 30. His decision was based on violation findings noted in a report from building code consultant David Macartnery after a walk-through of the PAC on January 16.
The PAC's upper level, which seats 371, was not equipped with handrails in the stepped aisles as required by the state building code at the time of its design in 1994, according to Mr. Macartney's report. Also, about 80 percent of the aisle lighting does not work.
In a recent phone call, Mr. Weaver said plans to address the safety issues took longer than expected.
"We want to do it right, so we don't have to do anything again in the future," he said. "We want to get it done the way it was supposed to be done 15 years ago."
Mr. Weaver said he has been working with Maurice O'Connor of Sullivan and O'Connor Architects on finalizing cost quotes for the railings and the lighting to present to the MVRHS District School Committee at a meeting on June 22.
"If the school committee does want me to move forward with the project over the summer, we could at least get started in June - that would be ideal," Mr. Weaver said.
If the cost estimate for the project comes in at less than $25,000, written quotes may be accepted rather than having to solicit bids.
"And right now, it's looking like both components could be under the $25,000 threshold, which makes it a little bit easier, in that it would be quicker to just receive the written quotes," said Mr. Weaver.
Despite earlier concerns, he added, the addition of handrails will not require taking out seats, which also will save time and money.
Bow thruster failure leaves SSA juggling
The Steamship Authority (SSA) had to reroute the ferry Martha's Vineyard from the Oak Bluffs to the Vineyard Haven terminal, after a bow thruster motor failed Saturday.
Wayne Lamson, SSA general manager, said docking in Oak Bluffs without a bow thruster can be more problematic due to the current sweeping across the face of the pier. The Bow thrusters propel the front of a vessel laterally.
Mr. Lamson said on Monday the Nantucket ran into Oak Bluffs in place of the Martha's Vineyard, which ran the Nantucket's leg into Vineyard Haven.
Yesterday, the Island Home, which had been out of service for normal spring cleaning prior to the start of the summer season, replaced the Martha's Vineyard, which is scheduled to undergo regular maintenance. Mr. Lamson said the SSA would replace the bow thruster motor as part of that service.
It is no easy job and requires opening the deck. Mr. Lamson said it is unusual for a bow thruster motor to fail so utterly but the timing, just several days before a scheduled maintenance period, was fortuitous. "Had it happened in the middle of summer, it would have been more troublesome," said Mr. Lamson.
The SSA board meets Tuesday morning on Nantucket. In one bit of promising news Mr. Lamson said passenger and vehicle traffic numbers were up in May compared to last year. "Ridership is improving," he said.
Traffic for trucks over 20 feet in length continues to be off, however, about 11 percent in May when compared with last year.
W.T. selectmen consider roads, taxi regs, DAS
In a meeting dominated by discussion of town roads, West Tisbury selectmen revealed last week that Lambert's Cove Road, under town maintenance since the 1920s, has never formally been laid out by the town.
The bounds issue came into focus at a May 27 distributed antennae system (DAS) public information meeting, when resident Matt Merry said the layout showed that a proposed pole would be sited on his property, which fronts on Lambert's Cove Road. At last Wednesday's selectmen's meeting, selectman Jeffrey S. (Skipper) Manter recalled that an effort to lay out all town roads 25 or 30 years ago was halted before Lambert's Cove Road layout was completed. Selectmen agreed to research the status of the road before taking more action.
Street superintendent Richard Olsen also advised selectmen that the road needs substantial work, including regrading of the substrata and repaving. The project was estimated last year to cost $800,000. " I know this isn't a good economic time to raise this, but the price of liquid asphalt has risen substantially, adding $100,000 to the original cost," he said.
In another road related matter, executive secretary Jen Rand told selectmen that two Massachusetts Highway Department officials will brief selectmen on June 17 about two options the state has developed to reconfigure the intersection of State and Old County roads. The reconfiguration is intended to enhance traffic safety following several accidents at the intersection in recent years.
In other news, selectmen postponed a planned meeting with the town's three taxi companies to review rates and regulations. The selectmen want more time to master 11 pages of regulations described as "having lots of language issues" by Mr. Manter. Selectman Richard Knabel dryly noted, "These 11 pages would give me pause before I'd operate a taxi business in this town."
Mr. Knabel, West Tisbury's representative on the up-Island DAS committee, said the next public meeting, scheduled for June 22 at the Chilmark Community Center, would include a legal opinion on the rights and exposures towns face based on the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. The act provides cellular telephone carriers with a mandate to improve cell phone service where necessary, either by erecting cell phone towers or by signing on to an existing antennae system. It also limits community rights to block development of antennae systems.
Webcast discussion offers veterans information
The Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services invites all military veterans and their families to learn about programs and services through a 90-minute live webcast on June 16 at 7 pm.
Veterans' services experts will explain available benefits and take questions via instant messaging throughout the program, hosted by Mike Nikitas of New England Cable News.
Register for the free event at the website WeOweU.org. More information also is available at mass.gov/veterans or by calling 617-912-3835.
Police issue jury scam caution
Lieutenant Tim Williamson of the Oak Bluffs Police said there are reports of a telephone scam circulating around the country in which the caller pretends to be a court official checking on why the person who received the call did not show up for jury duty. The goal of the call is to steal information that could be used for identity fraud.
"The phone rings, you pick it up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the court," said an alert posted on the Federal Bureau of Investigation website. "He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. You say you never received a notice. To clear it up, the caller says he'll need some information for "verification purposes" that includes your birth date, social security number, maybe even a credit card number."
The FBI advises, "hang up, it's a scam." For more information, go to fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury.
Corrections
In a story published on June 4, "Senior student projects put best interests first," the correct spelling of Michael Hunter's Oak Bluffs boutique and gallery is PIKNIK Art & Apparel.
The story on the Wampanoag Tribe's environmental exposition published on May 14, "Environmental health fair debuts," incorrectly referred to mold and moisture expert Jeff May as Jeff Mayhew.
The story on summer camps published on June 4, "Island summer camps at a glance," incorrectly reported that the Martha's Vineyard Boys & Girls Club summer camp is for kids who have completed eighth grade. In fact, the camp is for children who have completed kindergarten up to the eighth grade.
