For three days every year, the Veterans Memorial Park in Tisbury is closed to the town so that the Beach Road Weekend Concert can be held there.
All the townspeople who use the park daily for soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, and the children’s playground are banned from the use of the park for three days every year.
The town of Tisbury has just spent a lot of money to make our town safe for bikers. They have widened Beach Road, and added safe space for the bikers. The path through Veterans Park is an extension of that Beach Road work. The path keeps the bikers safe from riding on the very busy State Road, where the mother of a family on an outing was killed a few years ago in a tragic accident. For three days every year, bikers are put in peril again by having the bike path through Veterans Park closed.
The abutters to Veterans Memorial Park are made to endure the noise and the light pollution for three days — every year, in the very busiest of our summer season. The three sides adjacent to the park consist of 18 residential properties, five mixed-use properties both residential and commercial, and only four commercial properties. The fourth side is a wetland with nocturnal wildlife.
We asked that the noise stop at 9 pm. And that the light pollution be put out at 10:30 pm. This is not being honored.
The abutters signed a petition last year that asked that Causeway Road not be closed for three days every year. We asked for the regular use of our road. This is not being honored this year.
We would like to know how much the town of Tisbury is gaining — and is it worth the negative impact it has on the residents, environment, and wildlife?
Shirley Kennedy
Tisbury
