In a few months gulls will patrol the dunes of South Beach seeking the ill-grasped sandwiches of naive tourists, but on Thursday the deserted area was the domain of “the bird.” That’s what contractor Michael Warminsky calls the extremely low-flying, modified Bell 206 helicopter that began sniffing Vineyard beaches this week for what remains of the physical legacy of the Vineyard’s encounter with World War II.
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum has extended its option to buy the former Marine Hospital property in Vineyard Haven for four months while it evaluates fund-raising sources for what could be a $20 million relocation and renovation effort.
Museum director David Nathans said this week that building on the enthusiasm of abutters, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and of the community at large, the board of directors voted last Friday to extend an option that expired on Jan. 31 until May. He said the move signals the museum’s commitment to the site.
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum heads to Vineyard Haven on Tuesday to learn from Islanders themselves about the history and personality of their town. The work is part of an effort to develop a permanent exhibit on Vineyard history funded by a $39,903 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission decided this week to move forward with a public hearing on the proposed demolition of the Denniston House in Oak Bluffs regardless of the timetable for other town committees.
By PETER BRANNEN
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School imported an annual tradition from big-time college football recruiting on Wednesday as standout quarterback Randall Jette signed his intention to accept a full scholarship from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst during a ceremony in the high school gymnasium.
Family members and classmates cheered as Jette signed his papers and broke in a fresh new UMass cap on what is known as national signing day.
On Monday crews from R.J. Cobb Land Clearing moved into the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest to begin clearing some 90 acres of dead red pine trees that have been blighted in recent decades by the fungus diplodia pinea. The work is part of a larger three-year effort to remove 237 acres of timber that was originally planted as early as 1925 in the forest.
