Not an acceptable change

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To the Editor:
The following is a copy of a letter to the West Tisbury selectmen.

I attended the Tuesday-evening public meeting with Steamship Authority officials at the regional high school Performing Arts Center. I went to speak out against some proposed changes at the SSA’s Vineyard Haven terminal (Feb. 25, “SSA plans changes to Vineyard Haven terminal staging lot”), and I did.

I was informed by Marc Hanover, the Vineyard representative on the SSA board, that the proposed changes were instigated by a Tisbury committee. The additional ticket booth would be a welcome change, but the removal of the covered walkway and the parking space in front of it, on Water Street, is definitely not. Replacing pickup/drop-off spaces with a lane of traffic is not an acceptable change. Replacing shelter from the elements with landscaping is not an acceptable change.

I am requesting that you make it clear to the Steamship Authority, the town of Tisbury, and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission that any changes to the Steamship Authority’s handling of vehicle and pedestrian traffic at terminals that serve this Island are a matter of concern to the entire Island. No one committee of any one town here has the authority to speak for the entire Island on this matter, period.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,

Benoit Baldwin

West Tisbury