The Martha s Vineyard Times
Selectmen approve fire department restructure
Search for a new fire chief gets 14 applicants.
Oak Bluffs selectmen voted to restructure duties in the fire department.
After a year without a permanent fire chief, Oak Bluffs selectmen agreed to restructure duties in town’s fire department at a meeting Tuesday night.
Selectmen approved an organization chart compiled by Erik Blake, public safety director and police chief, and civilian technical advisor John Schilling.
The new organization will feature a fire chief who will oversee a deputy fire chief, an ambulance coordinator, and an administrator. Presently, the department is made up of a fire chief, deputy chief, and assistant chief, followed by captains and lieutenants. On the EMS side, there are a first and second lieutenant.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Land Bank approves doughnut hole agreement
Long-stalled deal needs Oak Bluffs approval before heading to the state legislature.
An agreement is in place to swap landlocked town parcel S with parcel T. Parcels O (already owned by Oak Bluffs) combined with T would give the town a large parcel with frontage on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, expected to be used for affordable housing.
Less than a week after The Times reported little to no progress in a land swap between Oak Bluffs and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, the Land Bank Commission suddenly added the issue to its agenda under “new business,” and unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement Monday to complete the so-called “doughnut hole” deal. The agreement will now be sent to Oak Bluffs selectmen for approval.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Chilmark considers installing EV rapid chargers
Potential spaces would be located at Post Office and Chilmark School.
Chilmark is looking to install electric vehicle rapid charging stations at several locations in the center of town.
Chilmark is looking to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the town center, which will be able to charge a vehicle fully in about 40 minutes.
During a Tuesday meeting of the board of selectmen, Chilmark energy committee chair Rob Hannemann said EVs have now reached a tipping point, where General Motors, Toyota, Ford, and many other major manufacturers are all producing them, and some have even pledged to go fully electric within the next two decades.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Why does Oak Bluffs still own the âdoughnut holeâ?
Town, Land Bank canât close out 2004 deal.
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A current map of the Southern Woodlands. The doughnut hole S is landlocked by the Land Bank s existing property F. Once the swap is executed, the Land Bank would absorb S and carve out 24 acres connected to the town-owned parcel O. The X and K parcels on County Road are listed as town property, but the Land Bank purchased the parcels in 2000.
An agreement is in place to swap landlocked town parcel S with parcel T. Parcels O (already owned by Oak Bluffs) combined with T would give the town a large parcel with frontage on EdgartownÂVineyard Haven Road, expected to be used for affordable housing.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Coalition seeks to create housing bank
In 2005, one of our local papers ran a story: “The housing bank initiative has cleared its first major regional hurdle, now that all six towns have thrown their support behind the idea, which aims to create a bank of money for affordable housing using a transfer fee on most real estate transactions. The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank is the model …”
Despite overwhelming support from voters in all six towns and the Vineyard real estate community, the effort failed in the state legislature due to lobbying by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, which opposed the concept of transfer fees. At the time, the M.V. median home sale price was approximately $500,000.