An unspoiled view of Aquinnah beach is not priceless. photo by Tim Johnson
Aquinnah’s recently completed town-wide revaluation has some unwelcome surprises for beach lot owners. But for a group of long-lost taxpayers, owners of nine parcels previously thought to be town-owned, the tax bill will arrive like a winning lottery ticket.
Aquinnah will experience a drop in real estate value of $3.2 million, or 0.5 percent, on a total valuation of $795,147,849, according to preliminary figures provided
Continue reading Aquinnah land values drop slightly, but not for beach parking…
The study will explore ways to slow erosion
As erosion inches the Gay Head Lighthouse closer to the edge, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is moving ahead with a study to assess the urgency of relocating the 156-year-old structure.
The study will take place over the course of three years and provide a “more realistic” prediction of what the long-term needs are for the area, museum director David Nathans said yesterday.
“Hopefully each year we’ll gain more information and
Continue reading Study will illuminate lighthouse’s future…
Leaders of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) have announced their intention to open a casino in Massachusetts, on the mainland or in the tribe’s unfinished community center building in Aquinnah. In order to help Aquinnah residents and AGHCA members stay up to date with these events, we will be collecting news feeds and archiving this material on our site. You will find links to news stories about the tribal gaming situation, archived articles and a live Twitter
Continue reading Tribal Gaming News Coverage…
The good news began in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, when 68 flapping fish were delivered to the Wampanoag Tribe’s hatchery in Aquinnah near the edge of Menemsha Pond. The adult winter flounder had just been caught earlier Tuesday by Greg Mayhew and his son, Todd, in the Menemsha fishing dragger Unicorn. The hatchery hopes to raise over 50,000 juvenile winter flounder this spring. Later in the year they’ll be released into Menemsha and Lagoon Ponds.
Continue reading No Flip-Flopping, Winter Flounder Arrive, Hatchery Readies Nest…
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 demands of the job are putting too much strain on his family life.
“I am losing touch with my family,” Mr. Vercruysse wrote in the e-mail. “If
Continue reading AQUINNAH FIREFIGHTERS FACING CRITICAL SHORTAGE, LOSS OF CHIEF…
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.
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 public hearings that began in October, the committee voted 7-0 on Tuesday night to deny a special permit for James Decoulos to build on the two-plus-acre property.
Continue reading MOSHUP TRAIL LOT DENIED PERMIT DUE TO LACK OF ROAD FRONTAGE…
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 lease land available at the Town Landfill for ten (10) years for the purpose of installing, maintaining and operating a solar photovoltaic system to provide renewable energy
Continue reading Special Town Meeting to Consider Solar Power Plan at Landfill Site…
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 to commercial bidders, while one is reserved for a federally-recognized Indian tribe. The Mashpee Wampanoags are seen as the favorite pick to run that casino, but in
Continue reading Wampanoags here press for seat at table…
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 price was $225,000.
The property will be added to the land bank’s Aquinnah Headlands Preserve, which includes land at the north and south heads of the clay
Continue reading Land Banks Adds to Aquinnah Headlands…
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 of the most troubled fish resources in Southern New England.
For more than a year scientists from the University of New Hampshire together with local scientists have
Continue reading Tribe Allows Use of Hatchery for Winter Flounder Project…
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 Tuesday, selectman and board chairman Jim Newman assured voters the number will decrease next year as negotiations for a new cost-sharing method are underway. The article passed
Continue reading AQUINNAH VOTERS SAY YES, YES AND YES AGAIN…
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 either of the two warrants. Most of the articles concern financial housekeeping measures.
The biggest question of the evening will be whether enough people show up to form
Continue reading Aquinnah will try again to convene special town meeting…
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 into three regions, each of which would be eligible for no more than one resort casino: a Western Massachusetts region that includes Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire
Continue reading One Wampanoag tribe could cash in from renewed gaming push…
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 more cab companies in town. All new taxi company licenses must first be approved by the selectmen.
Rates for taxi travel between Aquinnah and different Vineyard destinations were
Continue reading Taxi rates and regulations set, ride from Aquinnah not cheap…
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