To the Editor:
With businesses leaving town (Basics, Linda Jean’s, Phillips Hardware, Murdick’s, etc.), this is the perfect opportunity to encourage business growth within the downtown area year-round. I strongly believe the Island Theatre should remain as a theatre (performing arts center) that can operate year-round: movies, live theater, music, comedy, educational talks, town meetings, etc. (The African American Film Festival will be looking for a new home once the high school construction gets underway.)
If so, the building could be a vibrant entry to the town 10 to 12 months a year, which should interest other businesses to go along for the ride. At a minimum, could the eminent domain process proceed with a plan to restore the two primary façades until a bottom-line (use) solution is developed? If so, the front façade is an easy renovation. The long façade could be much more interesting: a collection of large-format black-and-white images of 1890s Cottage City, an interesting (historic) look when entering Oak Bluffs. We don’t need more parks, nor do we need more modern housing built along Circuit Ave. Based on the renovation of Union Chapel, the Flying Horses, the arcade building (which is now seen from Kennebec), the Camp Meeting Association, and Ocean Park, another anchor to Circuit Ave. is a worthy responsibility. Don’t tear it down and replace it with something artificial, or nothing at all.
Phil Regan
Oak Bluffs
