It was a routine meeting and a routine set of appointments, but the West Tisbury selectmen paused when they came to one office that was not so routine: fence viewers. After the death of Daniel Prowten last year the town is down to just two fence viewers and suddenly along with the appointment the question was there to consider: Does the town still need fence viewers?
“If we need them we should have three, if we don’t need them we should have zero,” said selectman Cynthia Mitchell.
The fallout from last week’s Oak Bluffs special election continues as town officials question why the election was improperly posted and department heads face the reality of a more frugal future with still more cuts to come — including the spectre of layoffs.
Last Thursday 559 Oak Bluffs voters turned out for a special election to roundly reject two Proposition 2 1/2 override questions that would have restored some $484,361 in line items for various town departments.
Out-of-towners leave your dogs at home, the West Tisbury parks and recreation committee has decided, at least if you are going to Lambert’s Cove Beach with your pooch.
On Wednesday the committee agreed to restrict dog privileges to town residents, amid increasing complaints from beachgoers who have watched sunset picnics blemished by uncontrolled canines and unretrieved dog droppings.
After a long winter of trying to beat the red lights between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, Islanders can look forward to a summer without traffic signals on Beach Road. On Tuesday highway department supervisor Richard Combra confirmed that stoplights at the two bridges on Sengekontacket would be gone for Memorial Day weekend as work wraps up on their reconstruction this week.
Sharky’s Cantina will enjoy a growing presence on Circuit avenue this summer after Oak Bluffs selectmen approved an indoor-outdoor 24-seat expansion for the popular year-round restaurant on Thursday. The expansion into a deck in a neighboring building is not contiguous with the restaurant and will require wait staff to cross an alley that also serves as an entrance to the Camp Ground.
Goodale’s Pit, the longtime family-owned earth mining business in Oak Bluffs, does not need review by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission as a development of regional impact, a key commission subcommittee decided Monday.
The MVC land use planning committee voted 10-1 to recommend no review by the full commission, sending the matter back to the town.
