‘That was awesome’

Grand thank-you for Tisbury traffic officer Eloise Boales.

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Updated March 29

 

Traffic from the 3:15 boat Wednesday afternoon had just passed through when the surprise was sprung on longtime Tisbury Traffic Officer Eloise Boales. The Tisbury Police Department, joined by other Tisbury and Vineyard emergency personnel, paraded past. It was Boales’ last day.

After serving the town since 2006, she was retiring, and her friends, family, and colleagues didn’t let her slip away unrecognized.

“Oh my God, I was so surprised,” Boales said. “I was crying the whole time. That was awesome. I never thought they would do so much for me — really heartwarming.”

Boales said the surprise was complete. “They kept it so quiet,” she said. “I’m one who’s hard to surprise.”

On social media, the Tisbury Police Department showed their appreciation for Boales. “Thank you for 15 years of dedicated service to this department, this town, and to all those that live here. Well deserved and enjoy!”

Even the Steamship Authority, where she was a staple at the end of the parking lot directing traffic, chimed in to congratulate her on Facebook: “Thanks for keeping our customers safe as they leave the boats in Vineyard Haven!”

She was also congratulated by dispatchers via the police scanner as her shift came to an end, a typical sendoff for retiring emergency personnel.

Further surprise came when she saw the “beautiful, beautiful” lavender-frosted cakes Tisbury Police Department staffer Meghan Montesian made for her at a gathering inside the station. Boales, who requires a gluten-free diet, was also impressed they were made especially with her diet in mind. Tisbury Police Chief Mark Saloio also presented her with a plaque made by Montesian and Tisbury Police Sgt. Max Sherman.

“The plaque that Max and Meghan put together was awesome,” she said. 

Boales, long a common sight on Vineyard Haven streets with her chalk-tipped rod for marking tires, passed that rod on Wednesday. She said her husband James Boales had made it for her so she wouldn’t have to bend over as much when marking tires parked in areas that are restricted by time. Boales passed it on to Tisbury Police Officer Carla Gomes, who she said will be doing some traffic work.

 “She was so happy,” Boales said.

“Ellie’s work ethic was second to none,” Chief Saloio told The Times. “She did a great job, and I will miss her here each day very much! Her work ethic remained consistent each day, and she was very considerate, and respectful to me from day one.” 

Boales began her tenure In Tisbury under Chief John Cashin. Before that, she said she worked in law enforcement in Philadelphia and on the Cape. She first worked as a traffic officer in Oak Bluffs in the 1970s: “In ’74, right out of high school, I was working for Oak Bluffs as a seasonal traffic officer. I did that for five, six seasons right in a row.”

Her time then and her time in Tisbury taught her brevity is key to dealing with ornery motorists. 

“We just try to make very little conversation with them, but try to explain to them why they are getting a ticket — you try to make very little conversation and walk away, and sometimes it doesn’t make them happy.”

In a town without parking meters, the chalk was a helpful tool, she pointed out. Tires are marked with each pass, and marked differently with each subsequent pass, to keep track of how long the vehicle was parked in a particular spot.

“Sometimes if you suspect the car moved a couple inches or whatever, one of our little tricks — we mark the road … the tire on both sides.”

Folks sometimes would try to foil her efforts to keep track of their vehicle. “Sometimes people rub it off,” she said. “You can see the smudges.”

Sometimes they roll over marks on the street.

“Going out and coming back in is a legal move,” she said. “You can’t just get in your car and roll up a couple of spaces, or even a foot.”

Some of the worst places for vehicles parking too long are behind Main Street, she said. 

“William Street is really bad, yeah, William and Spring. They pretty much like to sit there — go off-Island. Some of them go for four or five days or a week at a time.” The lot by the tennis court and Veterans Memorial Park are also problem areas.

What she found most irksome were folks who would park in handicap spaces illegally. “‘I was only stopping here for a minute,’” she recalled as a common excuse.

She would ask if they were handicapped or had a handicapped placard.

“‘No, I’m just stopping for a few minutes to drop somebody off,’” she recalled. “Or they’ll say, ‘But we’re not parked.’”

She would then ask what gear the vehicle was in, and they would say “Park.”

“And they’ll sit there and argue,” she said.”’I’m just dropping them off for a few minutes. It’s only going to take a few minutes.’ And they’ll jump out of their car.”

Boales, who is from Aquinnah, isn’t sure what retirement will bring. “I probably will not know what to do with myself for the next few weeks,” she said. 

A bit of decluttering and room-painting at home is on deck with her husband and her son, Gary Coates. 

As a member of the Wompanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), she is considering joining some tribal commitees. 

She said she’ll miss her colleagues. “I’ll miss the guys I work with, I’ll miss the department; but I won’t miss the stress,” she said. She said she finds folks are more high-strung these days. 

Updated with a comment from Chief Saloio. 

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. Ellie, you are the best. We will miss seeing you on Main St. You were the one we looked for as we came off the ferry , just to know we were home.
    Wayne and I wish you a retirement full of adventures and quiet moments.

  2. Enjoyed our many conversations and jokes as well as listening to Ellie’s insights on just about everything. I will miss her warm smile and pleasant greeting in front of my store. Rain, snow or sunshine her presence always brought a smile to my face.

  3. Eloise, we will miss you. Having known you way back to the Youth Center days as one of “our kids”, you were always pleasant and kind, intelligently conversational, and treated everyone with respect. It always made us feel welcomed home to see you when we drove off the boat… enjoy your retirement.

  4. Eloise, we wish good health, rest & relaxation. It was always a pleasure seeing you after we disembarked from the ferry. You are always pleasant. Blessings on your retirement!

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