Can’t Chili the ram have a second chance with his family now that he’s been castrated?

I enthusiastically support Stop & Shop’s proposal to invest more than $15 million in our community to replace their outdated store with a new building in Vineyard Haven. It is beyond me why anybody would oppose this project. The existing store has served the Island well, but it is time for a much needed upgrade that will also help revitalize the downtown.

It is shame to walk down Water Street and see the current row of buildings in disrepair. We should applaud Stop & Shop’s efforts to revitalize its building. The design is excellent and will be an asset to Vineyard Haven. The proposed size is appropriate and much needed. The benefits of this project will be an asset to the Town of Tisbury and the community at large.

I am writing to offer my strong support for the application of Stop & Shop to build a new store on Water Street in Vineyard Haven. Our local officials and representatives from Stop & Shop have worked hard over the past year to ensure that the new store is a benefit to the entire community.

Stop & Shop, in accordance with its international parent company Ahold’s corporate model for dominating any marketplace it enters, has instructed its team of developers, engineers, architects, and lawyers to shoehorn in the largest shopping center they can fit, and, for a first on Martha’s Vineyard, a parking garage.

The headline of the Gazette’s March 7 front page article about the proposed changes to the Squibnocket beach, parking lot, and two-lane bridge project was “Careful Study Advised at Squibnocket.” We could not agree more!