The discovery of potentially harmful lead paint has forced the closure of the YMCA teen center at the Cottager’s Corner building on Pequot avenue. The center was closed in May and remains closed now. YMCA officials are hoping the center will reopen sometime by the end of the summer.
Island police yesterday reported a busy but relatively smooth Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The biggest story, of course, was the devastating fire on Main street in Vineyard Haven that destroyed the Cafe Moxie restaurant and caused extensive damage to the landmark Bunch of Grapes bookstore, which cast a pall for many over the usually celebratory Independence Day weekend.
A disastrous Independence Day fire completely destroyed the Café Moxie restaurant and left the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore badly damaged, shutting down Main street Vineyard Haven for the entire day and leaving the town, its business community and much of the Island in a state of shock at the outset of peak summer season.
But the owner of the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore promised yesterday that it would reopen.
Cafe Moxie came down this afternoon and weary firefighters worked through the day to separate the charred remains of the building from the Bunch of Grapes book store, to prevent further smoke and fire damage and to allow fire personnel to enter the building and begin to evaluate the overall damage.
Speaking from the scene of the fire, with smoke still rising from the charred support beams and timber, Tisbury fire chief John Schilling said the priority now is to salvage the adjacent book store and make sure the fire is completely extinguished.
The developers for the upscale Field Club and adjoining subdivision in Katama have agreed to pay the Edgartown affordable housing committee $1.8 million in lieu of designating three lots in their project for affordable housing as required by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
The project was approved as a development of regional impact (DRI) in 2004 and calls for the construction of a 32-lot subdivision on the 24-acre site as well as a members-only recreational club. Club owners plan to sell 500 memberships for about $100,000 apiece.
The automobile has long been an integral part of American life; there are 40 million more registered motor vehicles in this country than licensed drivers.
Yet on Vineyard sidewalks and bike paths this week, people cruised along on bicycles with no worries about traffic and congestion. The parking lots for the Tisbury and Edgartown park and ride programs were jammed full, while bus stops for the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority were packed with people waiting to be picked up at all hours of the day.
