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  • Aquinnah residents give Land Bank an earful over cliff trail

    Aquinnah residents give Land Bank an earful over cliff trail

    In October, the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank announced the purchase of one acre abutting its Aquinnah Headlands Preserve, a purchase it said could provide access to the beach below, called Pilot's Landing, where steamboats once stopped. Monday, public and private interests clashed sharply at a meeting of the Aquinnah Land Bank ...

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  • AQUINNAH FIREFIGHTERS FACING CRITICAL SHORTAGE, LOSS OF CHIEF

    Already facing a critical shortage in staff, the Aquinnah fire department now finds itself about to be leaderless after the town fire chief said this week that he would resign by the end of the year. In an e-mail to selectman and board chairman Jim Newman, acting fire chief Jim Vercruysse ...

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  • AQUINNAH SAYS YES TO LANDFILL SOLAR PANELS

    After nearly two hours of debate at a special town meeting Wednesday night, Aquinnah residents voted to allow Vineyard Power to install 200 solar panels at the town landfill. The one article-warrant passed 29-13. The 60,000 kilowatt system will power all of the town buildings and street lights.

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  • MOSHUP TRAIL LOT DENIED PERMIT DUE TO LACK OF ROAD FRONTAGE

    A long-running effort by an Aquinnah property owner to build a house on a lot off Moshup Trail was blocked by the town planning board plan review committee this week, which found the lot lacks adequate road frontage under new zoning rules adopted by the town eight months ago. After a ...

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  • Special Town Meeting to Consider Solar Power Plan at Landfill Site

    From Adam Wilson: On behalf of the Board of Selectmen, a singular warrant article is to be considered next Wednesday at a Town Special.  The article is to see if the Town will vote to enter into a solar power services agreement between Vineyard Power Cooperative, Inc. and the Town of ...

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  • Wampanoags here press for seat at table

    The passage of a bill that legalizes gambling casinos in Massachusetts has renewed hopes among the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) for a casino of their own. The bill signed on Tuesday by Gov. Deval Patrick legalizes three full-scale resort casinos and one slot machine parlor. Two of the casinos ...

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Aquinnah residents give Land Bank an earful over cliff trail

In October, the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank announced the purchase of one acre abutting its Aquinnah Headlands Preserve, a purchase it said could provide access to the beach below, called Pilot’s Landing, where steamboats once stopped.

Monday, public and private interests clashed sharply at a meeting of the Aquinnah Land Bank advisory board,

Continue reading Aquinnah residents give Land Bank an earful over cliff trail

AQUINNAH FIREFIGHTERS FACING CRITICAL SHORTAGE, LOSS OF CHIEF

Already facing a critical shortage in staff, the Aquinnah fire department now finds itself about to be leaderless after the town fire chief said this week that he would resign by the end of the year.

In an e-mail to selectman and board chairman Jim Newman, acting fire chief Jim Vercruysse said the

Continue reading AQUINNAH FIREFIGHTERS FACING CRITICAL SHORTAGE, LOSS OF CHIEF

AQUINNAH SAYS YES TO LANDFILL SOLAR PANELS

After nearly two hours of debate at a special town meeting Wednesday night, Aquinnah residents voted to allow Vineyard Power to install 200 solar panels at the town landfill. The one article-warrant passed 29-13.

The 60,000 kilowatt system will power all of the town buildings and street lights.

MOSHUP TRAIL LOT DENIED PERMIT DUE TO LACK OF ROAD FRONTAGE

A long-running effort by an Aquinnah property owner to build a house on a lot off Moshup Trail was blocked by the town planning board plan review committee this week, which found the lot lacks adequate road frontage under new zoning rules adopted by the town eight months ago.

After a series of

Continue reading MOSHUP TRAIL LOT DENIED PERMIT DUE TO LACK OF ROAD FRONTAGE

Special Town Meeting to Consider Solar Power Plan at Landfill Site

From Adam Wilson:

On behalf of the Board of Selectmen, a singular warrant article is to be considered next Wednesday at a Town Special.  The article is to see if the Town will vote to enter into a solar power services agreement between Vineyard Power Cooperative, Inc. and the Town of Aquinnah to

Continue reading Special Town Meeting to Consider Solar Power Plan at Landfill Site

Wampanoags here press for seat at table

The passage of a bill that legalizes gambling casinos in Massachusetts has renewed hopes among the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) for a casino of their own.

The bill signed on Tuesday by Gov. Deval Patrick legalizes three full-scale resort casinos and one slot machine parlor. Two of the casinos will go

Continue reading Wampanoags here press for seat at table

Vineyard Power wins its first contract

The town of Aquinnah awarded a bid to Vineyard Power this week to build a solar array at the town landfill, marking the first major project for the Island energy cooperative.

Pending approval from town counsel, the selectmen signed a preliminary agreement at their meeting Tuesday to place about 200 panels at the

Continue reading Vineyard Power wins its first contract

Land Banks Adds to Aquinnah Headlands

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank added a small but significant piece of land to its holdings at the scenic Gay Head Cliffs this week with the purchase of a single acre near the historic clay cliffs in the westernmost reaches of the Vineyard. The seller was the Vineyard Open Land Foundation. The purchase

Continue reading Land Banks Adds to Aquinnah Headlands

Tribe Allows Use of Hatchery for Winter Flounder Project

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has agreed to lease its shellfish hatchery on the shore of Menemsha Pond to the Martha’s Vineyard/Dukes County Fishermen’s Association for $100 to raise winter flounder. The partnership is part of a federally funded two-year $308,000 National Sea Grant project to find ways to restore one

Continue reading Tribe Allows Use of Hatchery for Winter Flounder Project

AQUINNAH VOTERS SAY YES, YES AND YES AGAIN

Aquinnah voters agreed to restore full funding to the Tri-Town Ambulance Service budget at a special town meeting Tuesday night.

As a result, $25,900 that was cut at the annual town meeting in May will be returned to the budget for the ambulance that serves the three up-Island towns.

At the special meeting

Continue reading AQUINNAH VOTERS SAY YES, YES AND YES AGAIN

Aquinnah will try again to convene special town meeting

Aquinnah voters will be asked to pull double-duty Tuesday, September 27, and take action on a seven-article town meeting warrant, and another three-article warrant for a special town meeting postponed from July because of a lack of a quorum.

On the surface there do not seem to be any hot-button issues on

Continue reading Aquinnah will try again to convene special town meeting

One Wampanoag tribe could cash in from renewed gaming push

House and Senate leaders on Tuesday embraced an expanded gaming bill that would license three resort-style casinos in three regions of Massachusetts and one slot facility bid competitively, in a proposal that closely resembles the plan Gov. Deval Patrick agreed to last year before gambling talks collapsed.

The bill divides the state

Continue reading One Wampanoag tribe could cash in from renewed gaming push

Taxi rates and regulations set, ride from Aquinnah not cheap

Aquinnah selectmen on Tuesday approved the town’s first taxi regulations, adopted a maintenance plan for Old South Road and appointed a new assistant harbor master.

The taxi regulations passed with little discussion. Aquinnah Taxi is the only licensed cab company but selectmen said the new regulations could potentially pave the way for

Continue reading Taxi rates and regulations set, ride from Aquinnah not cheap

AGHCA Reception Postponed

The AGHCA Reception featuring a discussion about wind power led by Mark London, Executive Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, has been postponed due to the weather conditions and will be held on Tuesday, August 16, at the Vanderhoop Homestead at the Gay Head Cliffs on Aquinnah Circle, starting at 5 p.m.  Ample free parking will

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Aquinnah Summer Taxpayers Weigh Costs of Regionalization

Improvements to emergency services, including a new response system at the town beach, challenges facing the town fire department and the ever-present balancing act of managing the town budget were central topics at the Aquinnah summer taxpayers meeting on Wednesday night.

Aquinnah selectmen told a small but inquisitive group of seasonal residents

Continue reading Aquinnah Summer Taxpayers Weigh Costs of Regionalization