News
Fewer fishermen and fewer fish — that has been the main theme for the 63rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby this year. The fall premiere saltwater fishing contest has been affected this year both by the economy and the state of fish stocks. Participation is down.
The tournament that began in mid-September ends tomorrow night at 10 p.m. with the last weigh-in. As of Wednesday morning there were 2,674 fishermen registered in the contest, significantly down from last year’s 3,042 participants.
The all-Island selectmen on Wednesday took up a wide range of topics during their semi-regular meeting at the Tisbury senior center, from algae blooms in Edgartown Great Pond to the possibility of new bylaws that would set residency restrictions for convicted sexual offenders.
But the only topic to generate any heat was a long-running plan to establish the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School as an emergency dispensing site for vaccinations and inoculations during a terrorist attack or outbreak of infectious disease.
The same state agency which has backed the controversial Cape Wind development could allow similar projects even closer to the Vineyard under the new Oceans Act, Cape and Islands Rep. Eric T. Turkington said this week.
The new law, signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in May, lifts the previous blanket ban on alternative energy proposals in state waters, opening up the prospect of wind or other energy projects within three miles the Island.
Two members of the West Tisbury selectmen appeared before the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission on Wednesday to urge the panel to deny a proposal from an advertising company to sell space in the airport terminal and along the tarmac that would cater mostly to high-end, affluent visitors arriving on Island by private jet.
Winter is coming and the Aquinnah town hall needs a new furnace.
But first town voters must approve $8,500 to pay for it.
The money for the furnace is one of 10 articles and some $25,000 in spending — all transfers from one fund to another — that will confront Aquinnah voters when they convene for a special town meeting on Tuesday night.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the old town hall and town officials are urging voters to turn out for what they expect will be a quick and painless — but necessary — business session.
The Oak Bluffs historical commission on Wednesday unanimously agreed that a cottage in the federally protected Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association that was partially torn down earlier this year does fall under the protection of the town’s demolition delay bylaw.
As a result, commissioners agreed the extensive work done on the cottage at 5 Pease avenue owned by Donald and Deborah Harmon was illegal and should have been referred to the historical commission by the town building inspector.