Government
Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday agreed to pursue a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, giving the town time until regulations are handed down by the state Department of Public Health and Island towns can work together to decide how to handle the issue.
The selectmen agreed to have town administrator Robert Whritenour draft town meeting articles calling for a moratorium and a public consumption bylaw, which the selectmen will look at during their next meeting on Feb. 26.
The Steamship Authority will take a look at establishing a policy for unaccompanied children traveling on their ferries.
At the monthly meeting of the Steamship Authority governors Tuesday in Woods Hole, the board discussed creating a policy that would set a minimum age for travel by unaccompanied minors.
A plan for the U.S. Coast Guard to begin construction on the new Menemsha boathouse sometime this summer was met with harsh criticism by a group of town residents at a Chilmark conservation commission meeting last week.
Trees are ready to come down, property markers have been staked and utilities are being prepared for relocation at the blinker intersection in Oak Bluffs, with all signs pointing to one direction: the roundabout project is set to begin.
Massachusetts department of transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes said this week selective trees in the area will soon be cleared in order to relocate underground wiring and make way for impending construction. If all goes according to plan, Mr. Verseckes said, the state-funded project could be completed as early as May.
Edgartown will be getting two new liquor stores, as the selectmen Monday approved seasonal all-alcohol licenses for package stores on Main street and in Nevin Square.
The 65 Main street store, Edgartown Spirits, will be operated by manager Barbara Courtney. Son Ted Courtney, who spoke on his mother’s behalf because she could not attend the meeting, said his mother planned to open a store with a “bright, welcoming atmosphere” that offers artisanal liquor and microbrews, as well as supplies for outdoor entertaining, including picnic baskets and kitchen utensils.
The Gay Head Light, the beacon at the farthest end of the Island, helping boats navigate Vineyard waters safely for more than 150 years, inched closer this week to becoming town-owned.
Voters unanimously backed the acquisition and move of the lighthouse at a special town meeting on Tuesday, paving the way for the town to move forward with planning to relocate the historic structure, due to heavy erosion.