Government
The town zoning board of appeals is considering whether or not to require the owners of Goodale’s sand and gravel pit to apply for a special permit to mine new areas of their property. A public hearing opened last week that saw strong expressions on both sides of the issue.
Some 742,000 acres of ocean south of Martha’s Vineyard will soon be available for commercial wind energy leases, Gov, Deval Patrick announced this week. A public meeting about commercial offshore wind energy leases is scheduled for Monday on the Vineyard.
Island Health Care has received a grant to implement a new state-of-the-art telephone service.
The Island health organization will share a $825,000 grant from the Partnership for Community Health with five other community health centers, according to a press release.
Hampered by delays and rising construction costs, the second phase of a planned solar project built by the Cape and Vineyard Electrical Cooperative in Tisbury has been cancelled. The town selectmen made an announcement about the decision Tuesday night.
The board of health will continue a public hearing on whether to remove fluoride from town water. Board member John Campbell said he would make strong recommendations against fluoridation. Oak Bluffs is the only town on the Island that fluoridates its public water supply.
Edgartown shellfishermen are one step closer to farming in a new spot in Nantucket Sound, following an approval from the selectmen on Monday. The site, called the middle flats, is a 35-acre area located about a mile north of Eel Pond.