Will Rogers said if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.
So it was for officials in Oak Bluffs, who tried for six months to move forward with a plan to dredge Sengekontacket Pond to improve its tidal circulation and reduce bacteria levels that previously forced the state to close the pond to shellfishing during the summer months.
Island authorities must radically cut nitrogen pollution in the Edgartown Great Pond, state officials told a public hearing Wednesday at Edgartown town hall about the final report from the Massachusetts Estuaries Project.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection held the hearing to discuss the pond’s nitrogen problems and the requirement for a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan to limit nitrogen seeping into it.
The Mill Pond in West Tisbury, which serves as the unofficial gateway to town along the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, has long served as a haven for passive and leisurely endeavors: bench-sitting, bird-watching, nature walks. At this pond, swimming is prohibited, boating is forbidden and even sunbathing along the shores is frowned upon.
Calling it a danger to those who skateboard there, an insurance inspector for the town of Oak Bluffs has called for the town skate park on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven road to be closed immediately.
Paul Chipman, senior risk control consultant for the town’s insurance carrier Trident Insurance, sent a letter to town administrator Michael Dutton on March 19 laying out his concerns about hazardous conditions at the park, while recommending it be closed immediately.
The Vineyard was a frightening place for a young girl to be during World War II, but exciting too. Servicemen were walking the streets before their deployment to Europe. Navy and Army pilots conducting training exercises overhead occasionally came crashing into the ocean. And there were the constant rumors of enemy spies and submarines along the Island’s shores.
It was a roller-coaster ride watching the Squirt C hockey team this season. With four losses in the first four games, things were not looking great. But behind the scenes things could not have been any better. The little team was growing in every sense, supporting each other and gaining confidence. Coaches Julie Hatt and Travis Thurber were teaching, giving these kids more than just hockey moves. The 11 players were given a weekly feed of encouragement and locker room motivational speeches, and the kids were listening.
