News
As many as 166 wind turbines, generating enough electricity to power some 200,000 homes, could be built in Vineyard waters under a state draft ocean management plan released on Wednesday.
The plan sets aside two areas, one on the far side of Noman’s Land and the other off the Elizabeth Islands, as the sites which would provide almost all the offshore wind power for the state of Massachusetts.
The recession has hit Island nonprofits hard, a recent survey by the Martha’s Vineyard Donors Collaborative has found.
Released this week and based on a survey done in May of a wide range of Vineyard charities, the six-page report by the collaborative found that 56 per cent of Vineyard nonprofits had experienced a decrease in contributions over the winter, and 20 per cent saw a dramatic decrease.
“The Vineyard has struggled like the rest of the nation as the recession takes its toll,” the report says.
Tomorrow afternoon the streets of Edgartown will close, but the town will be far from quiet. The kickoff for this year’s Fourth of July festivities will have already begun, with an outdoor barbecue sponsored by the Preservation Trust on the lawn of the Daniel Fisher house. The familiar scent of grilled burgers and hot dogs will float through the town roads, enticing visitors and locals alike to fill their rumbling bellies as they wait for the first float to materialize on Main street. Finally, finally, the summer has arrived. And with it, some much needed sun.
Patriotism, Vineyard history and the meaning of the Fourth of July holiday remain vibrant at Memorial Park in Edgartown. The one-and-one-half acre park has never looked finer. The Civil War-era cannons and cannonballs, the whaling-era trypot and other aging features of the park were just recently repainted.
Tomorrow is the 108th birthday of the dedication of the park and the unveiling of a tall bronze obelisk, a tribute to the service of veterans, men and women, who served in the Civil War, a war that was felt deeply by the residents of the Vineyard.
The Massachusetts Community Preservation Act has been around for a short eight years, but in that relatively short span Island towns have come to depend on funding raised through the program to preserve open space, renovate and improve public parks and create affordable housing.
The act allows towns to assess a three per cent surcharge on property tax bills, which is then matched by the state through a county deeds tax paid on real estate transfers. In the early years of the program, the state matched the local portion 100 per cent.
Tenth generation Vineyarder S. Bailey Norton Jr. will be honored at a public event hosted by the Edgartown library: the Legacy of Learning Summer Brunch, to be held on Sunday, July 12, at noon at the Boathouse Field Club in Katama. The brunch also aims to raise awareness and funds to renovate and expand the library.
Mr. Norton was born into a family of fishermen, whaling and yacht captains. His book, My Long Journey Home, A Life Worth Living, documents the people and scenes of the Edgartown he loves, particularly the waterfront.