Government
Tisbury selectmen Tuesday approved a common victualler’s license for Cafe Moxie, clearing the way for the long-awaited re-opening of the Main street restaurant.
The Tisbury town hall will be closed next week and a portion of Spring street in Vineyard Haven will be closed on Friday as contractors continue painting work on the building.
The Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday approved a new contract for chief of police Erik Blake.
Town administrator Robert Whritenour said the board unanimously approved a new three-year contract for Mr. Blake, with an annual salary of $111,666 plus a 20 per cent Quinn Bill stipend for education. The total salary amounts to about $134,000. Mr. Blake will also be eligible for pay increases, he said.
Mr. Blake’s previous contract, with a base salary of $108,000, had expired last summer, so he had been working without a contract.
The new West Tisbury police station is in final design stages but needs additional funding to complete construction and bid documents, the town selectmen learned this week.
At their meeting Wednesday, the selectmen approved placing an $80,000 warrant article for the November special town meeting to fund the last phase of construction documents, prepare the project for request for proposals and complete the bidding process. Voters will be asked at the annual town meeting in April to pay for the project, planned to be built at the public safety building.
The Dukes County Commission heard this week from members of the Eastville Beach committee that they would like to disband.
Eastville Beach is located on the Vineyard Haven Harbor near Lagoon Pond and spans Tisbury and Oak Bluffs. The county owns 5.3 acres of the beach, which includes a shorebird habitat, while Tisbury owns half an acre and Oak Bluffs owns just over three-quarters of an acre.
Incumbent Cong. William Keating fought off a primary challenger Sept. 6 to secure a spot on the November ballot for ninth district, while a Plymouth businessman was finally named the winner in a narrow GOP contest.
The results of the Democratic primary race for the governor’s council are still up in the air, with a recount underway.
The Secretary of State certified Christopher Sheldon, 34, as the winner of last Thursday’s primary, with Mr. Sheldon defeating Adam Chaprales, 28, of Barnstable, by 79 votes. The final tally was 11,046 to 10,967.