A stroll on a warm evening with stops along the way to greet friends, and with a friendly nod to those strangers we pass, is one of the delights of the summer on Martha’s Vineyard. Among the six Island towns there may be none more conducive to this type of activity than Oak Bluffs, thanks to the efforts of town leaders and a dedicated citizenry.
Those who have not been to Oak Bluffs lately might find it is worth a trip to see the recently completed North Bluff seawall. It is the newest and finest link in a promenade that for all extents and purposes begins at the corner of Oak Bluffs Harbor by Our Market, continues around the harbor slips past a lively collection of waterfront restaurants on one side and yachts and fishing boats on the other, follows the new ekki wood walkway — the public fishing pier provides an added detour — and proceeds along Nantucket Sound past Inkwell Beach — a testament in its own right to the multigenerational charms of the town — and on to Farm Pond.
Those who pay attention to such things may recall all the hullaballoo and the naysaying that dogged the $5.6 million seawall project throughout an almost eight-year permitting and funding process. Unhappiness over the decision to use a steel seawall in place of concrete, and the notion that the project would somehow eliminate a treasured public beach that in reality had not been much of a public beach for many years, prompted calls for delays and more review.
Well, take a walk. It is unlikely any of the town’s many visitors and residents even notice the steel wall while gazing at the sea. Those inconvenienced by the lack of sand only have to walk along the boardwalk and down the new set of stairs the town installed leading to Pay Beach. Hopefully, with any rain the landscaping will begin to take root on the bluff that one year ago was a scarred dirt pile held up by crumbling concrete.
Dissent and pointed questioning is to be expected with any municipal proposal, but at a certain point the positives are weighed against the negatives and we move forward, in one direction or another. The North Bluff may not be perfect, but it is pretty darn good, and overall a vast improvement over what was there before.
The same could be said about the roundabout, the product of a 10-year debate. “How long?” those new to Island dynamics might ask. Yes, believe it or not, Islanders argued and sued over that nifty little road improvement that has eliminated the once horrendous stop-and-go backups at the four-way knot known as the blinker intersection on the Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road. It may not be perfect, but it is pretty darn good.
Which brings us to the emerging battle over plans to install a synthetic turf field at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS), part one of an ambitious multiphase project to completely revamp the school’s entire athletic complex by MV@Play, a newly formed nonprofit group that has the backing of respected Island athletic leaders.
The first phase is to remove the existing track, which athletic director Mark McCarthy said is in such poor shape that it will no longer be certified for use, and install a new track and field facility with a turf infield for multisport use.
The proposed plan includes widening the radius of the track to allow for a 210-foot infield, adding stadium seating for 500 people, installing field lighting, and creating track equipment and facilities, such as long- and triple-jump pits, a pole vault box and cover, and a discus and shot put ring and cage. The estimated cost is $3.5 million.
There is no question that the current field is in a sorry state. The proposal as described promises to be a significant improvement. The sticking point for opponents is the reliance on synthetic turf, as opposed to natural grass.There will be time to debate the pros and cons of turf before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
As The Times previously reported (June 16, “As Vineyard turf debate heats up, opinions vary across the state”), schools across the state utilize synthetic turf. Coaches point to its use at national training facilities. The Vineyard is not being asked to participate in an experiment. For now, the plan as proposed may not be perfect, but it sounds pretty darn good.