Town Meeting Report Card

Vigorous selectmen’s races in three towns. Feisty debates on issues small and large, from streetlights at Katama to beer and wine provisions in West Tisbury to new rules for swimming pools in Chilmark. A financial squeeze caused by shrinking revenues in a stubborn economic recession that keeps hanging around like a bad cold. These were the hallmarks of the annual town meeting season on the Vineyard this year, which draws to a close next week with the town meeting and election in Aquinnah.

Living Local’s Meaty Side

The recent move by the Island Grown Initiative and the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society to form a partnership to consider construction of a facility where Vineyard farmers can have their sheep, cattle and pigs safely, humanely and cleanly converted to cuts of meat for sale and home use is encouraging.

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Treatment Required

Who’s minding the store at the Edgartown wastewater treatment plant? The question has now been taken up by the Cape and Islands district attorney, who is investigating allegations of fraud in connection with shoddy accounting practices flagged by town auditors. Under investigation is the way the sewer plant has documented septic pump-outs hauled by independent contractors; discrepancies were found between receipts at the plant and self-reporting done by the haulers on a handwritten ledger.

Up-Island School Lesson

The Up-Island Regional School District dodged a bullet this week when West Tisbury voters refused to cut the district’s budget despite a strong argument to the contrary from both the town finance committee and the three selectmen; as a result school administrators may breathe a little easier knowing that they will not be forced to make cuts in educational programs.

April Days

Rain, rain go away — the familiar children’s rhyme runs through the mind this month. April showers? More like deluge with nearly five inches of rain dumped on the Island by Wednesday this week in a record storm that washed out roads and sent highway and emergency workers scrambling. Suddenly winter coats have been replaced by slickers and tall rubber boots, the better for fording puddles the size of small lakes on downtown streets and in driveways.