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Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
May 5 - May 11, 2005 Edition
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May 5, 2005 Enjoy the day To the Editor: Thank you so much for the wonderful coverage and article about our Day of Health and Beauty. Despite the weather we had a good turnout, and the women really enjoyed the day. Some women stayed for quite a while taking in all the activities. We hope that through the event and the news coverage women will become familiar with our program and seek us out for their breast and cervical cancer screening. Katherine Welch Director, Women’s Health Network Vineyard Nursing Association Literacy Volunteers end their program To the Editor: The following letter was sent to all those who recently contributed to the Martha’s Vineyard Literacy Volunteers: I am writing to inform you that the board of the Martha’s Vineyard Literacy Volunteers has decided to close the organization as of May 30, 2005. Making this decision has been difficult for us, but it seems the only choice, given our inability to find adequate funding for our programs. In 1987, the MVLV was founded in order to provide one-on-one tutoring in Adult Basic Education (ABE), Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED) and English as a Second Language (ESL). In the late 1990s the Massachusetts Department of Adult Education increased its financial support for ESL, but required that these funds be given to a larger, more complex community organization. As a result, the Martha’s Vineyard Adult Learning Partnership (MVALP) was founded, leaving the MVLV without state funding. The ABE and GED programs now also receive state financial support through the House of Corrections. Subsequently our organization has had to raise all its money through fundraising activities, which have been uneven in effectiveness. This letter is being sent to those who contributed to MVLV in the past six months. Without your help we would not have been able to complete the 2004-2005 program. We are deeply grateful for your past support and thank you for your interest in our work. Joyce Stiles-Tucker President Time for library rethinking To the Editor: It is too bad that a few brave Edgartown residents who volunteer their time have to have mud thrown at them by the vocal library group. Let’s get this straight: Edgartown has not lost anything with the library delay. In fact Edgartown has won, it has won time and the ability to think this through without a gun to our head. The three brave citizens who stood up for the silent majority deserve special praise, not criticism. So much of this whole library scheme was done by a large group that wanted to impose their will on the rest of the town without adequate time to discuss it. Show me another town project where we spent over $11 million with less than eight months worth of discussion. From the beginning the finance committee was bothered by the rush of this project, starting with the special town meeting that should not be used for this purpose. I have heard one appraisal for this property came in at $2.8 million and a similar property sold for $2.2 million. Why did we pay $3.5 million? This property would still be available to buy today, and there was no rush to overpay for this old house lot. $3.5-million-dollar homes do not sell that fast. There was no rush then, there is no rush now that we own the property. What is unconscionable is that the library 400-plus feel they can just push this down our throats without having the time to digest it. No one spends $11 million this fast. It is always easier to spend someone else’s money, which is what the library 400-plus did. With about 3,000 voters in Edgartown, the library 400-plus is not a mandate to do anything. It is enough to control meetings, however. We need to thank the Edgartown three for bringing control to this out-of-control train. It is interesting that on the day the library got a go-ahead at the stacked town meeting, the Boston Globe was working on an article about library closings across the state. Statewide, libraries are cutting back hours because they cannot afford to staff these large buildings, something we all should be concerned about with our university-size library. Edgartown’s trophy library will of course be larger than Oak Bluffs’s, and if you haven’t seen the new library in Oak Bluffs, go take a look and when you drive by remember this building is about 15,000 square feet. Edgartown’s new McLibrary will be more than 9,000 square feet bigger, in the range of 24,000 total square feet. Cape Cod Community College has 14,000 square feet of usable library space for its students. Remember, Edgartown has lost nothing here. In fact, we have gained time to figure this out and do it right. I am sure we all would be welcomed to visit the Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs libraries. They are not that far away. In the meantime, Edgartown still has a great library, no doors are closed, all are welcome, and we still have a wonderful staff, which has not changed. Edgartown deserves a modern library, but not a university-size library. It took a lot of courage to do what the Edgartown three did, and we all should be thanking them for giving us the gift of time. James Joyce Edgartown Not affordable housing, living wages To the Editor: Affordable housing is 20 years too late. I hate to say it, and I’ll probably make some people mad, but affordable housing isn’t going to work. There have been youth lot programs in the past, but not enough. Some were sold for profit. Renting will just be a project. I was an applicant in Chilmark and was turned down every time. I rolled up my shirtsleeves and picked up more work than I could handle, as well as many friends who were Islanders. I did it for 13 years single, and it was hard. Now it is still hard with a wife that works two jobs also. We are competing with unfair competition in the work market, kids on this Island that are still here and will be are competing with a workforce from the mainland that can work for a lower hourly wage and commutes daily. Then we are competing with a foreign workforce that works cheaper yet, doesn’t have to pay taxes, gets free health care, has a great work ethic, and can put 20 people in a house and pay cash for rent, pool their money and buy property. When was the last time you recognized someone’s wife at the cash register at the grocery store or their kid stocking shelves or doing yard work. Those people aren’t here. They are leaving in droves. You can’t feed your family, clothe them, and house them for $9 an hour. Unless your trust fund kicks in. Who gets a house? How are you going to say who stays? Are you going to import people to work and house them? Fair pay for fair work and fair play. Try paying rent or a mortgage on this Island, pay for a car and gas, milk and food, day care and still have to pay $1,300 a month for healthcare. I can see why we are leaving. What I want to see is a reason to stay. Pay a local what he needs an hour. Provide good pay for his wife and kids, and the rest of the workforce play by the same rules, and you won’t need to have housing. Jon R. Mayhew West Tisbury Great news To the Editor: Great news that Chilmark endorsed the Housing Bank at its town meeting and on its ballot. Along with Aquinnah, Chilmark passed the Community Preservation Act several years ago and has a nice nest egg for affordable housing. Now that all the towns have passed the CPA, we should convince our state representatives that affordable housing is taken very seriously on Martha’s Vineyard. In Chilmark, we will be asking for CPA funds to get going on the plan for Middle Line Road, an affordable housing project designed with six rental and six home ownership units. Zee Gamson Chilmark Housing Committee To the rescue To the Editor: After a very long winter and reading so many negative letters to the editor about the many controversial and ongoing issues throughout the Island, I have something positive to write about for a change. It is very easy on this Island to forget about those little people and not give praise when it should be given. On April 25, I received a call from the Edgartown School and was notified of an emergency regarding my daughter. A major piece of my daughter’s orthodontic work had come undone and was hanging. My daughter could not swallow correctly or even bite down. This was very serious because her dentist is off-Island and was not able to get on Island fast enough. Without hesitation Dr. Richard McNulty, a dentist in Edgartown, took my daughter in his office and fixed the problem immediately. It needed to be re-cemented back into place. Dr. McNulty was so efficient, very kind to my daughter and at the same time extremely gentle. We are not patients of Dr. McNulty’s practice and very much appreciated the warmth he and his staff showed us that day. Karen Altieri Edgartown Memorial chicken – lost To the Editor: Oh dear, oh dear, poor I. One of my memorial chickens has disappeared; My biggest, fattest, bestest hen. She flew up from Florida with a friend; Now she has flown her nest by my tombstone. My other chicks are very sad and cannot rest; They miss their Mother Hen. If you see her pecking around, Having been taken from her sentinel’s post, Please show me she’s been found. Poor I, Nancy Luce 19th-century Chicken Lady West Tisbury Cemetery Pat Sayre Vineyard Haven Hospitality when it was needed To the Editor: On April 19, 2005 I was back on Martha’s Vineyard due to the sudden passing of my cousin, Molly Anne Brown. I had not been on the Island in 19 years and therefore I saw so many changes. However, the one constant that remained was the generosity and hospitality of the people. On behalf of my mother, Enid A. (Brown) MacDougall, and myself, I would like to express our gratitude to those people who visited to offer condolences, provided food and looked after preparations for the service. They are Paul and Debbie Brewer, Andrew Kelly, Patricia Wheeler, David and Janet Willoughby, Linda and Cliff Karako, Debbie and Hughie MacInnis, Cathy Perry and The Edgartown fire and police departments and EMTs. A special thank you to all those who spoke at the service and stopped in to visit and share stories about Molly. Although we thought we knew Molly, you taught us more than we could ever imagine. She was truly a special person. Forgive me if I have forgotten anyone. It is not intentional. God bless each and every one of you. Our door is always open, so if you find yourself in Cape Breton, look us up so we can try to repay you for your kindness. To Uncle Dickie, Becky, Daniel and Joan, may you find comfort from those around you and in knowing that Molly was so special to so many. And may we all face each day with the same determination that Molly did. Molly, until we meet again: You are the brightest star in the sky, The whitest cap on the ocean, The greenest grass in the field The tallest tree in the forest. We saw the comet, So we know you are home now. May you be dancing with wolves And massaging angels wings. Forever missed and always loved. Hughena and Enid MacDougall Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia Edgartown selectmen questioned on library rejection To the Editor: Thanks to you for running a comprehensive and informative article regarding the recent decision by the Edgartown zoning board of appeals to deny a special permit which, had it been approved, would have allowed the expansion of the town’s public library to proceed in accordance with the will of the voters as expressed at two town meetings. In the interest of clarity, I would like to expand on a few facts mentioned in the piece. To refer to Larry Mercier as “a keen observer of town affairs” is an understatement, which does the gentleman a great disservice. Mr. Mercier, a life-long resident of Edgartown, has served both generously and tirelessly in a number of different capacities in the interest of building a better town for present and future citizens. He has served on numerous committees and boards and has even done a stint in the hot seat as selectman. Mr. Mercier’s tenure as highway superintendent was marked by the highest standards of professionalism, and, after retiring from that position, Mr. Mercier continues to serve the interests of the voters as a member of the board of assessors and the Old School Building Re-use Committee. The town and its citizens have long been the beneficiaries of Mr. Mercier’s dedication, vision, practical common sense and civic-mindedness. His wealth of experience is without parallel. The point, however, which must be brought forward in light of the recent ZBA decision, is that Mr. Mercier is, along with his many other hats, a present member of the ZBA, albeit an alternate. Although I fully realize that it’s easy for the lines to become blurred in a small town, I nevertheless find myself feeling more than a tad troubled by the fact that the chairman of the ZBA accepted testimony against an applicant before his board from a member of his own board, an individual who has established himself as a vocal and public opponent of the project. Perhaps I am a bit naive in saying this, but isn’t this the sort of thing that ethics rules are meant to prevent? In my opinion, the chairman of the ZBA has severely compromised the credibility of his own board by allowing and overtly supporting this testimony. Another irregularity in regards to this decision is that the petitioner’s application for a special permit was denied in the absence of any objections from abutters, although other individuals were present at the hearing that spoke in opposition to the variance. One of these was a selectman of the town, which, considering the overwhelming support for the project at town meeting, strikes me as a form of political suicide, and perhaps in any other town would be just that. I am left to ponder the appropriateness of an elected leader and public servant speaking against a project supported by town meeting vote. Wasn’t it just at a recent town meeting that a former selectman spoke quite passionately about the sanctity of a town meeting vote? Since we do have a town meeting form of governance in Edgartown, it stands to reason that the voters would (and should) believe that voting at town meeting actually confers some decision making authority on them. But, apparently, in Edgartown a refinement to this system has developed, in the absence, I might add, of the voters’ assent. What we seem to have now is that, in addition to the support of the voters, a project has to have the support of town officials, both elected and appointed, otherwise they will find a way to derail it. Should we call this a town meeting-ish form of governance? Not just a strange word, but a strange and ominous picture, indeed. Every applicant before the ZBA should feel certain that their request will be heard with objectivity and thoroughness. Considering the manner in which this recent meeting was chaired, the burden now clearly falls on the ZBA to prove to the citizenry that it can, in fact, perform with objectivity within proper procedural guidelines. The board of selectmen, as the appointing body, should be duly concerned with regards to the behavior of the ZBA in this matter, in particular the behavior of the chairman. I hope that the selectmen have the will to make some changes when re-appointment time rolls around. It falls on the electorate to scrutinize the role played by our selectmen and to take appropriate action at the ballot box. Now, this is a letter I’ve sent to the editor of the Vineyard Gazette: As a longtime observer of town affairs, I am admittedly captivated by the recent Edgartown zoning board of appeals decision to deny a special permit, which would have allowed the expansion of the town’s public library to proceed in accordance with the will of the voters as expressed at two town meetings. So it was with great interest that I read your editorial, entitled “Small Towns, Large Projects” in the last issue of this paper. I find myself in agreement with most, if not quite all, of the points you make, although I must chuckle at the suggestion that we need a plan that our “whole town can rally around with pride”. Quite frankly, I have given up on living to see the day that any plan, no matter how “thoughtful” and “sensible,” will enjoy that level of consensus in this community of strong individuals. But I digress. The point which I hope you will allow me to make is that, while there are indeed significant similarities between the two capital projects you discuss in the editorial, there is one substantial and very meaningful difference, and that is that the library expansion project, unlike the proposed West Tisbury police station, was not turned down by the voters. On the contrary, the project has received the overwhelming support of the voters throughout its development, both at the polls and at two town meeting votes. And what is so terribly troubling is to observe the ease with which this fact is being summarily dismissed by both appointed and elected town officials, and now also your paper. Democracy, in all its forms, is a messy business at best. The town meeting form of government is said to be democracy in its purest form, and so it stands to reason that it is also the messiest. But it is, alas, the unadulterated word of the people (or at least those who care enough to show up), and it is what we use in our Island towns to make decisions regarding, among many other things, annual budgets, borrowing, zoning, staffing and capital projects. The town meeting is the legislative branch of local government. Ironically, it was at a recent Edgartown town meeting that a former long-time selectmen spoke with great conviction regarding the sanctity of the town meeting vote. At that time, the topic in question was the new school, the planning for which, in hindsight, has arguably shown itself to have been quite myopic and off target – problems with funding and population predictions (sound familiar). It did, nevertheless, at the time enjoy the support of town officials who felt that they had done their homework and were able to get the approval of the voters. If, as some folks feel, it was a mistake to have approved the school project, then it is a mistake that is the right of the voters to make, just as the responsibility will fall upon them to make any necessary course corrections. The library expansion project has gone through a similar, if not even more extensive process, receiving approval every step of the way. Letters of support were received from abutters, interested citizens, the highway department, police department, fire department, and planning board. It is important to note that although some letters in opposition of the project were received, no letters of protest were received from any abutters. The plan also received approval from the historic district commission, a group known for their rigorous standards in matters pertaining to the aesthetics of a design. All of this should serve to solidify the support expressed at town meeting, but instead we have three appointed officials, and two very vocal opponents (who also happen to be town officials) effectively derailing a project already approved by an overwhelming town meeting vote, a town meeting attended by 277 voters. That fact, in and of itself, is disturbing enough, but the chairman of the ZBA is quoted in the paper as believing that, based upon phone calls and conversations on the street, “perhaps there may have been many people at the town meeting who were afraid to speak up, that’s my guess.” Since the chairman is using this guess to impart some semblance of validity to his vote, should we assume that he has spoken with at least 270 certified voters? I posed this question to him, and, to his credit, the answer was no. I certainly hope that the chairman of the ZBA has not become so misguided as to actually believe that, as an appointed official, he has a responsibility to represent those voters too “afraid to speak up” by saying nay at town meeting. Funny, Edgartown never struck me as a town populated by shy persons, but I guess I need to get out more since perhaps the ZBA is on to something here. The sentiments expressed by the chairman of the ZBA are, in and of themselves, appalling enough, but just imagine my dismay to find the following in the official minutes of the ZBA hearing regarding the library project: “[ZBA member] Ms. [Carol] Grant went on to say that she does not see the mandate from the town, a number of people have told her they object to the proposal.” Again, was it more than 270? So, despite the documented facts (I refer you to paragraph five above), two members of the ZBA have expressed identical sentiments with regard to their preferred forum for consensus, i.e., “the street,” and in so doing have demonstrated nothing less than utter contempt for the vote of town meeting. (It was, after all, only 270 people.) Clearly, there is some very creative and audacious dissembling going on here, with the target, and I hope you will forgive me for the shameless descent into melodrama, being nothing less than our democratic form of local government. So, dear editor, what we have here goes much deeper than just another old, poorly vetted small town capital project. What to do? Otherwise sober-minded citizens have suggested such time-honored remedies as a public tar and feathering of the town officials responsible for this trashing of a town meeting vote. I say we denounce the ZBA’s new “street democracy initiative” with due haste and great vigor, but that we certainly should keep all of our options open. Aushra R. Galley Edgartown Wonderful event To the Editor: Along with friends and family, I would like to deeply thank all those that contributed to the Naomi McCarron Memorial Scholarship Fund. The event held the evening of April 29 at the Atlantic Connection went wonderfully and it was a good time had by all. It is through such wonderful events as this one that allows Naomi to remain with us forever and offer a helping hand to others. Thanks again to everyone involved. Linda Marshall Oak Bluffs Health care fresh air To the Editor: We are so fortunate to have as part of our community the relatively new Island Health Care Center at the Triangle in Edgartown. I have been to this clinic several times and just wanted to let our community know just what an awesome experience it has been time and time again. When one enters the clinic, the warm welcome as you enter is not only authentic but something I have not experienced in a medical setting on- or off-Island in a very long time. The courtesy, the friendliness, and genuine interest with which I was met made this place feel like more than a clinic to me. It was a place where my health seemed to matter to everyone who works there. Best of all, they are open when I can actually go there without missing work over and over again. During our recent camp for kids with HIV, I sent someone to the clinic for severe migraines. The speed and accuracy with which they diagnosed, and the timely referrals they made to appropriate treatment changed the life of the young man I sent there. They really paid attention and, as a result, his life has changed dramatically for the better. It is so nice to go to a medical office and actually have a medical professional take the time to sit and focus upon the patient, rather than the clock, the next appointment, the next day’s golf game, etc. At Island Health Care I have been repeatedly pleased with the fact that these professionals speak with me rather than at me, form a partnership rather than a parental relationship, and most of all, exude compassion and honesty in their discussions. I have never responded well to revolving door medicine. I want to be part of the process, and communication is key to my ability to do so and feel cared for. I almost hate to share this with people, as I know that more folks will probably check out this great facility. But I cannot keep it a secret. Island Health Care is truly a breath of fresh air in the Island’s medical community. Thank you to each one of the professionals involved. They accept insurance, and help those in need as well. I would bet they could use donations for supplies and equipment. This is one organization that all of us should work to insure remains for the future. It is the bridge we needed in a time when medical care for all is lacking in so many places in our nation. Tony Lombardi West Tisbury |
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