Dockside fire extinguishers in Menemsha showed neglect, as did outlets provided for transient boaters, when The Times visited the harbor on the evening of July 25. Of the three extinguisher cabinets in close proximity to the harbormaster’s shack, one cabinet was empty and one held an extinguisher leaking foam from its discharge head, while the other cabinet was broken and held an extinguisher without an inspection tag. All three cabinets were missing their doors, and pin seals on the extinguishers inside them were a year out of date. The two fire extinguishers in pedestal cabinets on the transient dock were hung with inspection tags a year out of date. From the shellfish constable’s berth down the entire length of the commercial fishing wharf, no fire extinguishers were evident. Many of the 30-amp boxes along the edge of the bulkhead that visiting boats draw power from were missing doors and light bulbs. Two were affixed to cracked wooden posts. One electrical box was seen seeping sand.
Reached by telephone, selectman Jim Malkin, liaison to the harbor, told The Times that the extinguishers and outlets were issues of routine maintenance, and will be addressed as part of a harbor checklist.
“I find it astonishing and disappointing that any Chilmark resident would note issues of safety and rather than bringing them to the attention of the harbormaster, the town executive secretary, or the selectmen, would notify the newspaper,” he said.
No one from the town who should have noticed, noticed. But now there’s astonishment and disappointment that this dangerous outrage is in the newspaper. That’s like #45 getting upset over leaks that expose him as incompetent, ignorant, and idiotic. Come on, Chilmark, get it together.
You can’t help yourself by visiting a non sequitor upon a simple news report. I hope you get deleted minsk
Mr. Engelman, you can’t help yourself. Your comment says nothing about the article nor about my objection to the town for allowing this to go on for so long. And you used a misspelled term and used it incorrectly: NON SEQUITUR. I used a comparison, an analogy, to make my point. Google “literary devices” and educate yourself before you throw around misspelled, big words you do not understand.
A lack of fire extinguishers and exposed, uncovered electrical outlets are indeed a danger to the community and I thank the Times for reporting on it. Ineptness and failure to perform one’s job, whether it be a harbor master, liason to the harbor, or an ill-prepared, whiny, non-accomplishing bumbler in the White House, can all lead to tragedy. Instead of whining that someone “leaked” to the news something true and of impact and importance, the town should take immediate steps to remedy these long-overdue repairs. And people who make mistakes or don’t/can/t do their jobs, normally apologize, not whine when their failures come to light. If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that there has been a serious issue with water and electrical current in an area of the harbor. Whining about leaks, on-island or in DC, is a distraction from the reality of the dangers at hand and does nothing to solve the problems. It’s what bunglers do when they’ve bungled big time but don’t want anyone to know– and then they get indignant when their bungling comes to light because they don’t like the way it was made public. People who are doing their jobs competently and honorably do not whine about leaks, especially if they have nothing to hide and recognize they can do a lot better. We can all do a lot better at whatever we do. Electricity and water don’t mix. Neither do greedy, self-aggrandizing self-interests and democracy.
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