Community action and regional cooperation will be critical as the Island tackles new solutions to an old problem: affordable housing. This was the consensus among community leaders who gathered at the Oak Bluffs Library Wednesday night to hear a presentation on the first draft of the Housing Needs Assessment Study.

A meeting called to discuss long-range management for the Menemsha Pond system took a surprise turn when a spokesman for the U.S.

A plan for the U.S. Coast Guard to begin construction on the new Menemsha boathouse sometime this summer was met with harsh criticism by a group of town residents at a Chilmark conservation commission meeting last week.

Trees are ready to come down, property markers have been staked and utilities are being prepared for relocation at the blinker intersection in Oak Bluffs, with all signs pointing to one direction: the roundabout project is set to begin.

Massachusetts department of transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes said this week selective trees in the area will soon be cleared in order to relocate underground wiring and make way for impending construction. If all goes according to plan, Mr. Verseckes said, the state-funded project could be completed as early as May.

The Gay Head Light, the beacon at the farthest end of the Island, helping boats navigate Vineyard waters safely for more than 150 years, inched closer this week to becoming town-owned.

Voters unanimously backed the acquisition and move of the lighthouse at a special town meeting on Tuesday, paving the way for the town to move forward with planning to relocate the historic structure, due to heavy erosion.

Martha’s Vineyard officials are bracing for a weekend blizzard that could bring 18 to 24 inches of snow, hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding to the Island. The storm, predicted to arrive Friday morning and last through Saturday afternoon, has prompted early release from school, travel restrictions and parking bans, and is expected to result in widespread cancellations. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to declare a state of emergency sometime on Friday, Chris Cini, chairman of the Martha’s Vineyard emergency management group, said.