Two neighboring Oak Bluffs businesses squared off at the Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday over plans to expand the Ocean Club restaurant to include a second-story 500-person function hall. Surfside Motel owner Jeff Young claimed that sound from the expansion, which he characterized as a nightclub, would drive him and his family out of business. Ocean Club owners Mike and Mark Wallace argued that the issue would be more appropriately dealt with by the town.
On the walls of the regional high school gymnasium adjacent to two yellowing banners from 1985 and 1986, and below one hung just last year to commemorate the boys’ basketball team’s Eastern Athletic Conference championship, is an empty space where another E.A.C. championship banner will go. Mr. Joyce earned two of those banners as a center for the Vineyard team, and now he will hang his second as a coach. Last week The Boston Globe recognized him as their Division 3 coach of the year.
Dr. Paul Goldstein did not get stung by a bee last summer. That’s unremarkable unless you account for the fact that he tried to catch every kind of bee on the Island, bagging some 10,000 samples.
Just months after having to cut nearly a quarter million dollars from its fiscal year 2011 budget at the insistence of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Oak Bluffs voters approved a nearly $25 million budget with little discussion at Tuesday night’s annual town meeting.
Oak Bluffs voters sent a loud and clear message about their desire for change on Thursday, voting out two-term selectmen Ron DiOrio and board chairman Duncan Ross in favor of two fresh-faced challengers, former businessman Walter Vail and restaurateur Mike Santoro.
With 1,163 voters turning out, a 35 per cent turnout, Mr. Santoro led all candidates with 704 votes. Mr. Vail followed with 652 votes, while Mr. Ross received 385 votes, Mr. DiOrio got 264 votes and former health care administrator Abraham Seiman received 88 votes.
Selectmen stepped out of the deluge on Wednesday afternoon — with Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter 3rd wearing a life preserver for dramatic effect — to take care of town business. Police chief Dan Rossi updated selectmen on their submerged citizenry.
“You know the North Tisbury bridge near the old Humphrey’s?” he said. “The water is hitting the concrete on the east side. It’s still going through but I’ve never seen it that high, ever. I let Mass DPW know about it.”
