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The
Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 10 - March 16, 2005 Edition
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in Brief March 10, 2005 Island teen center opens Saturday The YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard and its youth council will open the Island’s first teen center in 20 years this Saturday, March 12. The teen center, operated and funded by the YMCA, is located in the Cottager’s Corner building in Oak Bluffs at 57 Pequot Ave. The center is open to anyone in high school through age 20. The center offers a variety of activities including food, games, pool, ping-pong, foosball, TV, computers, and music. Opening weekend hours will be from 6 to 11 pm on Saturday, and from 4 to 8 pm on Sunday. Normal operating hours, beginning next week, are Thursdays, 2 to 8 pm; Fridays 2 to 11 pm; Saturdays 4 to 11 pm; and Sundays 4 to 8 pm. John Clese, YMCA executive director, said, “The youth of Martha’s Vineyard and their parents have long indicated a real desire for a place where teens can go. We want them to know this is their place — a safe, substance-free space to hang out and have fun.” For more information on the new teen center, call the YMCA at 508-696-7171. SSA hears strong support for Hy-Line fast ferry service Audience members at a Steamship Authority (SSA) public hearing Monday night expressed overwhelming support for Hy-Line Cruises’ plan to offer year-round high-speed service between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs, beginning this spring. About 20 people turned out for the public hearing, and while several audience members raised some concerns, no one spoke out against the proposal. Company officials expect the 55-minute trip to attract visitors and Islanders traveling to the mid-Cape for various reasons, including access to medical and education facilities. At Monday’s hearing Islanders described the various potential benefits. Robert Moore, director of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, said that the proposed service would be a great way to open up off-Island education opportunities for students and teachers. Art Flathers of Tisbury said that he had just come from Cape Cod Hospital earlier that day. “It is easy walking distance from the facilities in Hyannis to the hospital, and I think that this service would be a boon on many fronts. I might just point out that also within easy distance of the Hyannis port on the other side are at least 20 museums that people here on the Island could take advantage of,” he said. John Nelson, a biology teacher at the Oak Bluffs School, said that he has firsthand experience with Hy-Line, and he urged the SSA to support the company’s proposal. “In 1966 I was a 14-year-old eighth grader at Barnstable Junior High School, and my first job was as a deckhand for Hy-Line,” he said. “I worked for them from 1966 to 1974, all through high school and undergraduate school, and I know firsthand exactly what kind of operation Hy-Line provides, not only for its employees, but for its customers. I have no question in my mind that the service that would be brought to Martha’s Vineyard by the Hy-Line would be efficient, proficient, and ship-shape.” Renee Balter, Oak Bluffs association executive director, said, “We see this as a tremendous economic opportunity. I also think that for the year-round residents it will be a tremendous help because there are so many things in Hyannis that people can take advantage of.” Dan Flynn of Oak Bluffs said the decision should be an easy one for the SSA. “I don’t think you have to put a lot of thought into this,” he said. “If you are not willing to do it, let them do it.” Mark Wallace of Oak Bluffs, one of the few to raise a concern, said if the service is to benefit Islanders the ticket price must be affordable. Murray Scudder, Hy-Line vice president, said that his company was also working on a fee structure to provide further discounts for Islanders, particularly for same-day travel. “We will do our best to keep rates coming from the Island very affordable,” he said. The SSA board is expected to vote next week on granting the company a license to operate beyond the scope of its current grandfathered Oak Bluffs summer service. Hy-Line has operated traditional ferry service seasonally on the route since 1971. On Tuesday Marc Hanover, Vineyard SSA board member, said he was not surprised by the positive support. “These guys are professionals, and they do a wonderful job lobbying. They really do their homework and they have a great reputation. It is very impressive to watch,” he said. Time for Tisbury kindergarten preregistration The Tisbury School reminds parents or guardians of children who live in Tisbury and will be five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2005, or those who would like to take advantage of the school choice program, to preregister their children by March 18. To preregister, call Barbara Armstrong at the Tisbury School between 9 am and 3 pm at 508-696-6500. Charter School holds open house The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School is inviting Island parents, prospective students, and the general public to an open house on Tuesday, March 15. Bob Moore, charter school principal, said the purpose of the annual open house is to introduce the school and its project-based learning programs to interested families of prospective students. He said the school expects to have ten openings across the grade levels in the next school year. Parents of children interested in attending the school must fill out an application. School spaces will be filled by a lottery scheduled for March 17. The kindergarten open house is at 5:30 and grades 1-8 at 6:30. Call 508-693-9900 for more information. SJC finds for Cape Cod Times in public records case In a decision that underpinned the Massachusetts public records law and access to information compiled by public officials, the state Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday that Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings must comply with a request by the Cape Cod Times for the names and addresses of reserve deputy sheriffs. The newspaper made the request in 2003 after learning that one of the deputies was the subject of a police investigation, according to a published report yesterday in the Cape Cod Times. The sheriff refused, citing the deputies’ right to privacy. The sheriff appoints the approximately 200 members of the reserve deputy force. They are not paid, but carry badges. In its written decision, the SJC rejected the argument that the release of the names would “constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy” in violation of the public records law. The court said that the Legislature’s definition of public records “manifests a legislative intent to provide broad public access to government documents subject only to limited exemptions.” The court said that “Any constitutional protection of individual privacy does not insulate the disclosure of the names and addresses of those who have applied to, and been appointed by, a public official, regardless of the scope of their subsequent responsibilities.” Peter Meyer, Cape Cod Times publisher, described the lawsuit as a costly but necessary legal battle to protect access to public information. Sign up now for Sail MV summer program Sail Martha’s Vineyard (Sail MV), the Island’s community sailing program, will register children for summer sailing programs on Saturday, March 19, between 9 am and noon. Island children now in the fifth through eighth grades are eligible to participate in the sailing program. This summer Sail MV will offer two four-week sessions, each meeting three days a week. All classes are offered free of charge. Registration forms are also available at the Sail MV office and must be submitted by April 8. Sail MV offers beginner through advanced sailing lessons to Island children at the Sailing Camp Park on Barnes Road in Oak Bluffs. For more information, call 508-696-7644. State plans drawbridge repairs Traffic was reduced to one lane over the Lagoon Pond drawbridge for much of the day on Monday while Massachusetts highway department (MassHighway) officials inspected the aging bridge. Jon Carlisle, MassHighway spokesperson, said the state needs to determine what repairs are needed to make the draw mechanisms functional again. Back in November, the state concluded that the draw mechanism could no longer be operated safely, due to needed repairs and shifting in the structure. Current U.S. Coast Guard regulations require that the channel under the bridge be open to boats, but MassHighway officials said that it would keep the bridge in its closed position to maintain vehicle traffic until the necessary repairs are made to the structure this spring. Mr. Carlisle said that the extent of work that must be done to repair the bridge remains to be seen. While MassHighway prepares to repair the damaged bridge, Mr. Carlisle said they are also moving forward with plans to completely replace the structure. Currently, MassHighway plans to construct a temporary bridge while the old bridge is removed and replaced with a permanent structure. Mr. Carlisle said that MassHighway hopes to begin work on the temporary bridge later this year. He said waterway restrictions limit the time of year when work can be done in the water. He said the state hopes to begin work on the piers and support structure between Nov. 1 and Feb. 14. He said it would take three years to complete the project once work begins. Junior prom dresses wanted Hand Me Gowns, a program designed to provide high school juniors with prom gowns, is looking for people willing to donate new or lightly worn formal gowns that can be worn by students to the Martha’s Vineyard High School Junior Prom on May 14. Anyone interested in donating a prom dress should contact Annette Sandrock at the high school at 508-693-1033 ext. 173. SSA agenda includes Hyannis ferry and commuter parking The agenda for next week’s March monthly meeting of the Steamship Authority (SSA) board is expected to include a vote on private operator high-speed service between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs and changes that would make it easier for daily Vineyard commuters to park in Woods Hole. Wayne Lamson, SSA general manager, said he expects to provide a management recommendation at next Thursday’s meeting on a proposal from Hy-Line Cruises to provide year-round high-speed service between the two ports. The company currently provides traditional service on a seasonal basis. Marc Hanover, SSA Vineyard board member, said the degree to which the service would affect SSA revenues would be the major influence on his vote. SSA management will also present the results of a SSA survey of parking permit holders in the Woods Hole and Palmer Avenue parking lots. The survey revealed that a number of Woods Hole permit holders use their vehicles infrequently. Mr. Lamson will make recommendations designed to shift some permit parking owners from the Woods Hole lot to the more distant Palmer Lot. He said Islanders who commute on a daily basis year-round should have the opportunity to park in Woods Hole. Promising no sweeping changes, Mr. Hanover said that in some cases cars had not been moved from the Woods Hole lot for many months. He said those vehicle owners obviously do not need to be in that lot. In some cases, Woods Hole permit holders appear to have bought permits and or parked vehicles that are not used simply to avoid losing a place in the lot. Mr. Lamson said that included seven people who paid for their permits but never bothered to even pick them up. “Those are seven people obviously not using the lot at all,” said Mr. Lamson. |
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