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Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 3 - March 9, 2005 Edition
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in Brief March 3, 2005 Oak Bluffs rebuild must go before MVC The Oak Bluffs selectmen instructed the town building inspector to refer plans to replace an illegally demolished building on Circuit Avenue to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC), at their meeting Tuesday night. The 127-year-old building, located at 45 Circuit Avenue, which formerly housed the Army Barracks, was torn down last month without any permits. Gene Erez, the owner of the property, told the selectmen that he plans to faithfully rebuild the structure to its original 1870s appearance. He said that he has been working with the town historic commission to finalize a design plan. At Tuesday’s meeting, one selectman expressed frustration that the rebuild project had not already been referred to the MVC as a development of regional impact (DRI). Kerry Scott, selectman, blamed the building inspector for delaying the referral. “Had there been a referral already, the first go-around [with the MVC] could have been scheduled for March 17. So whoever hasn’t referred you yet hasn’t helped you. You should have been referred last November and you wouldn’t be in this pickle,” Ms. Scott told Mr. Erez. According to town records, Mr. Mavro sent a letter to the MVC asking whether he should refer the project to the regional planning agency. On Feb. 22, Paul Foley, DRI coordinator at the MVC, wrote back to Mr. Mavro stating that the project should undergo MVC review. Mr. Foley wrote, “According to the [DRI standards and criteria administrative] checklist the demolition and reconstruction of 45 Circuit Avenue should have been referred to the MVC as a DRI based upon section 3.402.” Mr. Mavro was on vacation this week and could not be reached for comment. Mr. Foley said that the building inspector’s office followed the selectmen’s instruction and referred the project to the MVC yesterday morning. Mr. Foley said that the project would be on the agenda at the MVC meeting on March 17. At Tuesday’s meeting the selectmen also discussed fining Mr. Erez beyond the $300 that Mr. Mavro fined him for the illegal demolition of the building. The selectmen agreed to take he matter up again at their next meeting, scheduled for March 15. OB selectmen approve FY ’06 budget The Oak Bluffs selectmen heard a proposal from Hy-Line Cruises to operate a year-round fast ferry between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs and received some good news about the town’s 2006 budget at their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening. For the third year in a row town officials crafted a balanced budget and avoided a Proposition 2.5 override. Following a presentation by the Oak Bluffs finance committee, the selectmen unanimously approved a $20 million, fiscal year 2006 operating budget, at Tuesday’s meeting. The finance committee is scheduled to meet today at 4 pm to vote on the budget. The selectmen thanked the finance committee, their finance director, the town administrator, and the town department heads for working together to draft the budget. “I think we have really matured in the budget process and I am happy to endorse the budget and look forward to going to town meeting with a unified voice,” said selectman Michael Dutton. Oak Bluffs voters will be asked to approve the budget at the annual town meeting next month. In other business, the selectmen heard a proposal from Hy-Line Cruises to operate a year-round fast ferry between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs. Hy-Line currently operates a conventional ferry on the route on a seasonal basis. The Hyannis-based company hopes to begin the fast ferry service by Memorial Day. Overall, the selectmen seemed supportive of the idea. “I can’t help but think that it seems to be a positive step for the Island,” said Mr. Dutton. Selectman Greg Coogan said, “I welcome the added service… I appreciate you trying it because it does open up opportunities for us here.” The selectmen did express some concern about how the new service could impact Steamship Authority (SSA) ridership and revenues. Kerry Scott, selectman, said “The Steamship Authority is our life-line, and if other services siphon off the passenger traffic, then there is an impact on the Steamship Authority which all of us will end up absorbing in costs.” David Scudder, an owner of Hy-Line said that the service adds to the existing market, and licensing fees that Hy-Line would have to pay to the SSA would offset any possible loss to the boatline. The selectmen took no action on the plan, but encouraged anyone interested in the proposed service to attend an SSA public hearing on Monday, March 7, at 5:30 pm at the Oak Bluffs School. Last day of school pushed to June 29, for now Another day has been tacked onto the school year for Martha’s Vineyard students, but interim school superintendent Paul Dulac said he’s trying to change that. Last Friday’s winter storm gave students an early start to their weeklong winter recess, but it also pushed the last day of school from June 28 to June 29. Mr. Dulac said he would still like June 28 to be the official last day of school and he’s looking into ways to make that possible. He said there are several ways the time can be made up within the current school calendar. Options include lengthening the school day by 30 minutes for a period of 13 days, holding school on a Saturday, and taking away a vacation day during the April recess. “I don’t see us cutting into the April vacation,” he said. “I dislike the element of doing that and potentially disrupting people’s vacation plans.” Mr. Dulac added that special dispensation from the state is another possibility, though he admitted it’s unlikely. “Following the blizzard, there were a couple of days that the governor declared a state of emergency,” he explained. “We’re looking into whether or not those days can be waived so they wouldn’t be counted against us.” Mr. Dulac said he’ll consult with school administrators and make a recommendation to the all-Island school committee at a future meeting. Five snow days are built into the school year, but all five days were used in the wake of January’s blizzard. Some Oak Bluffs residents will lose water today The Oak Bluffs water district will turn off the water to a wide area surrounding Crystal Lake on East Chop from 9 am to 1 pm today to repair a broken valve. Deacon Perrotta, water district superintendent, said that a gate valve, which allows the water main to be turned on and off, malfunctioned and is stuck in the open position. To make the repairs, workers have to shut off the water from about Monroe Avenue to Eastville Avenue, he said. “It’s a pretty good-sized shut down, but it is necessary to repair the valve so that if we have any problems in the future we are able to shut off the water where we need to,” said Mr. Perrotta. The water department handed out flyers to residents in the affected area on Monday. The flyer advised homeowners to fill containers with water for cooking, washing, and flushing the toilet. The water department advised anyone who experiences rusty water after the water main is turned back to run their faucets until the water clears. Census Bureau seeks interviewers Next week the US Census Bureau will hold an information and testing session for persons interested in becoming part-time interviewers for the American Community Survey (ACS). The meeting will be at 10:30 am on Monday, March 7, at the Tisbury town hall. Preregistration is required by calling 1-800-562-5721. According to the web site of the census bureau, the ACS will provide annual demographic, socio-economic, and housing data about America’s communities, information that up to now has been available only every 10 years. Communities of 65,000 or more will be able to learn the results of the ACS beginning in 2006. It will take longer to accumulate enough data for smaller geographic units, such as Dukes County, which will eventually be able to access three-year composites on a rolling basis. The ACS will be mailed on a randomly selected basis to addresses, not to persons by name. About 1 in 40 homes will be surveyed each year (2.5 percent). The current resident at the address is supposed to fill out the form and return it by mail, but some do not, which is where the interviewers come in. Kathy Ludgate, director of the Boston office, said that the census bureau will be hiring one or two persons on the Vineyard to interview residents who do not return the mail-in ACS form. She said that this ACS work is expected to continue indefinitely, year-round. She added that the census bureau is often asked to do other data collecting for government agencies, and wishes to have a pool of interviewers to call on. Applicants should have good people skills, a car, and a valid driver’s license. The census bureau will provide each interviewer with a laptop computer to use, and the interviewer needs to have a telephone land-line to plug into. No internet service is required, as the computer will communicate directly with the census bureau. Ms. Ludgate said that applicants need not have computer skills, as the bureau will train each interviewer in the use of the computer, training which can be transferred to other applications. The job will pay $10.52 to $11.81 per hour, depending on experience, and will provide 40 to 60 hours of work per month, chiefly nights and weekends, when subjects are more likely to be at home. Interviewers set their own schedules and report their hours via the computer. Chamber appoints new board members The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce announced the appointment of James Carter of Clarion Martha’s Vineyard – Edgartown Heritage Hotel and Michael Hoyt of Chapman Cole & Gleason to the organization’s executive board. At the same time the Chamber announced the appointment of three new members to the board of directors: Bob Clermont, Thrifty/Adventure Rentals; Susan Goldstein, Mansion House Inn, Health Club, Spa and Pool; and Dennis DaRosa of DaRosa’s. “We are thrilled with the new appointments to our Board of Directors and are grateful for the expertise each will bring to the Chamber of Commerce,” said Valerie Richards, chamber executive director. Donors Collaborative sponsors workshops for nonprofits The Martha’s Vineyard Donors Collaborative (MVDC) will hold a series of workshops for Island non-profit organizations. According to a press release, the “creating a professional organization” series is designed to provide tools and guidelines to help organizations make sure their agency has the infrastructure to attract the support they need. The first workshop, “Successful Strategic Planning,” will be led by Jaime Pullen, of Community Assessment & Development Associates in Boston. Ms. Pullen is an organization development consultant, providing technical assistance to community and public policy organizations nationwide. The workshop will be held from 8:30 am to noon on Wednesday, March 23rd at the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven. The cost is $50 per person and includes all course materials and a continental breakfast. A limited number of scholarships are available through the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation for those organizations that cannot afford the workshop fee. For more information or to register, e-mail barbara@mvdonors.org, or call 508.696.4647. Space is limited to 25 attendees. Snow bursts tennis bubble Vineyard Youth Tennis (VYT) executive director Gordie Ernst confirmed this week that the program’s clay-court covering bubble collapsed during January’s blizzard, rendering the facility unusable until spring. “There was so much snow and wind from that storm that it eventually just took it (the bubble) down and the lights on the ceiling of the bubble smashed on the ground,” Mr. Ernst said. VYT is a private, nonprofit organization that provides free tennis instruction to young Island tennis players. According to Mr. Ernst, VYT plans to replace the bubble, but not this winter. He said the program is still operating on a limited basis by renting court time at the Vineyard Tennis Center (VTC). Ironically, the VTC has been the biggest opponent of VYT. The business’s owners have contended that they stand to lose revenue when forced to compete against a nonprofit program that provides free court time and instruction. Mr. Ernst anticipates that the VYT facility, located at the Blinker in Oak Bluffs, will be “up and running” by April or May. “We’re disappointed and so are many parents with children who participate in the program,” Mr. Ernst said. “At this point we just need to be patient and wait for spring” VYT recently asked the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) to revise conditions it placed on its approval of the facility in 2001. VYT wants permission to increase parking, expand summertime class hours, expand parent-child play, permit fundraising tournaments, and allow the facility to use its covering bubble for an additional month each year. A hearing regarding the changes is scheduled for March 17, at 7:30 pm at the MVC offices in Oak Bluffs. Vineyard Yoga throws grand opening party Vineyard Yoga will host an opening party Saturday, March 5 to welcome the public to its newly built studio space in West Tisbury. The open house party will feature free yoga classes, food and entertainment. Vineyard Yoga is located off State Road in West Tisbury at the end of Cournoyer Road (Middletown Village). For more information, call 508-696-7769 or visit www.vineyardyoga.net. Housing bank coalition needs volunteers The Martha’s Vineyard housing bank coalition wants volunteers to help campaign in favor of two funding proposals on annual town meeting warrants this spring. The housing bank coalition is an ad-hoc committee of Islanders that is spearheading an effort to gain approval for the Community Preservation Act (CPA) and an Island housing bank, a long-term public funding source for affordable housing. This spring, at the annual town meetings in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury, voters will be asked to adopt the CPA. Chilmark and Aquinnah have approved it. Voters in all six towns will be asked to endorse the creation of an Islandwide housing bank. The housing bank coalition is looking for people to help share information about the two town meeting initiatives. Volunteers will spend time in person and over the phone campaigning for the proposals and will also help with public education forums and other related tasks. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Abbe Burt, campaign coordinator, at 508-693-4532. Rotary Club scholarships available The Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard is accepting applications for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship program, which will award selected students up to $25,000 for a year of study outside the U.S. in the academic year 2006-2007. The purpose of the scholarship program is to further international understanding and foster closer relations among people of different languages and cultures according to a press release. During the year of study, scholars serve as ambassadors of good will in the host country. The application process is competitive among the 66 Rotary Clubs in District 7950, which includes the Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod and northern Rhode Island. Applications are now available and must be completed and returned to the Vineyard Rotary Club by June 15. Additional information about this program can be obtained by contacting Harvey Hinds of the Martha’s Vineyard Rotary Club at 508-627-8427, or e-mail mvrotaryclub@yahoo.com. Martha’s Vineyard Hospital holds annual health fair The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital will open its doors to the community and health care providers Saturday, March 12 when it hosts its annual health fair from 8 am to noon. A wide range of Island health and human services providers will be on hand to talk about their programs and offer information on a variety of subjects, including nutrition counseling, cancer support services, Pilates, yoga and massage, poison prevention, Hospice services, acupuncture, and HIV/AIDS. Dr. Barbara Stelle will lecture on strokes and seizures at 11 am in the hospital cafeteria. Vineyard Complementary Medicine staff will demonstrate gentle yoga techniques for those with osteoporosis. The hospital radiology department will also offer a limited number of bone density screenings. Pre-registration is required by calling 693-0410 ext. 241; ask for Julie. Pulmonary function screenings will also be available and pre-registration will be required. Please call 693-0410 ext. 243 for an appointment. Between 8 am and noon the hospital lab will offer cholesterol screenings for a nominal charge of $5. For optimal test results, no food or dairy should be taken for 8 to12 hours prior to testing. Juice or clear liquids are acceptable. The cholesterol screening will take place in the outpatient laboratory. Signs will be posted throughout the hospital to help direct visitors. Participants are asked to park in the hospital’s main parking lot and enter through the main lobby. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be available all day. Corrections A story published on Feb. 24, “Chilmark looks at its affordable housing effort,” incorrectly identified selectman Frank Fenner as chairman of the Chilmark selectmen. The position is actually held by selectman Warren Doty. |
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