A landmark study released this week by Mass Audubon portrays a dramatic shift in bird populations in the commonwealth, including a sharp decline in some native species and an increase in other species. And many of the most dramatic changes detailed in the report, such as a decline in grassland species and a marked northward shift in ranges, have been observed on the Vineyard.
Areas all around the Vineyard have been annexed for wind development, and on Wednesday representatives from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) wanted to hear the Vineyard public’s thoughts about one particular 400-square-mile plot between Block Island and Aquinnah.
With an interim town administrator in place, the Oak Bluffs selectmen have turned their attention toward a permanent replacement for former administrator Michael Dutton.
Selectmen met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the next steps. Robert Whritenhour has served for three weeks as the interim town administrator but was not present for the discussion. Selectmen said that they hope to name someone to the position by Dec. 13.
Oak Bluffs may not have a dog officer but it now has a dog. Selectmen voted last week to hire Buster the black Lab to serve as a K-9 officer.
Given the town’s financial predicament, selectmen were wary of approving the hire, but police chief Erik Blake and Oak Bluffs officer Jeffrey Trudel assured the board that Buster will come at no added cost to the town.
At the Oak Bluffs selectmen’s meeting on Wednesday night, where for months an empty chair has sat next to the board, Robert Whritenour took in the spectacle. It has been a whirlwind three days for the interim town administrator who has stepped into his new job just as the latest painful round of budget cutting, and acrimony, begins. Wednesday’s meeting was classic Oak Bluffs with outspoken, passionate and sometimes testy exchanges.
And Mr. Whritenour relished every minute of it.
Severe budget cutting has begun in cash-strapped Oak Bluffs as town leaders zero in on options for closing the gap on a $245,000 shortfall in the current fiscal year.
