Governor Talks Space Concerns, Lost Grants on Martha's Vineyard

Governor Deval Patrick promised an open, two-way conversation when he visited Martha’s Vineyard as part of his with constituents on Saturday, and delivered—until weather could permit him no longer.

Dressed for sunny skies and relaxed banter, the governor glad-handed and touted what he said were his administration's focal points in his second term: jobs, closing the school achievement gap, bringing the cost of health care down and reducing urban youth violence. Approximately 50 islanders turned out for the event, held at the center green of Eliakims Way, an energy efficient, affordable housing neighborhood in West Tisbury.

Following an introduction by Rep. Tim Madden, Patrick spent nearly an hour responding to a series of questions and concerns from the audience, until the skies opened up, forcing all in attendance to make a hasty retreat.

Questions ranged from the broad, including infrastructure and prison over-crowding, to the specific, such as the need for services including Scout training courses and a Social Security office on the island.

Peter Goodale, of Goodale Construction Company, took issue with “priority habitat” restrictions, which regulates development on land that may be home to protected species. Approximately 75 percent of Martha’s Vineyard is designated as priority habitat.

Goodale Construction Company recently came under fire for expanding a gravel- and sand-mining pit on property that is home to protected moths. The construction company has been asked two permanently set aside two acres for every one acre on which it chooses to expand.

Goodale said he worried the stipulations were so restrictive that his son would be unable to continue the family business sin the future.  Gisele Gauthier, of the Hyannis-based Housing Assistance Corp., said that affordable housing developments both on Cape Cod and the islands are similarly impacted by priority habitat restrictions.

“I’m a tree-hugger. I’m a big fan of moths and everything else that grows, but it’s a real challenge [to find extra land to preserve],” said Gauthier.

“Frankly, I’m just hearing about this now,” said Patrick, who then asked Goodale and Gauthier their thoughts on how to resolve the issue.

Goodale suggested that priority habitat be considered in the context of the whole community, rather than on an individual basis. “We already have a substantial amount of land put aside on Martha’s Vineyard,” he said, which should reduce the amount of land the construction company is required to preserve.

Much of the remainder of the conversation concerned rejected $2 million Community Development Block Grants, which would have funded childcare and home improvement grants for under-served Island families.

The Massachusetts Department of Community Housing and Development rejected the grants earlier this month, after it was revealed that the firm that writes the town grants, Baily Boyd Associates, erred in its wording on a legal notice. The firm was required to list all five Martha’s Vineyard towns eligible to receive grant money; instead, it listed only two primary applicant towns, and omitted three other towns that served as secondary applicants. As a result of that error, many low-income island families will not receive subsidies for childcare.

Patrick asked for a volunteer to take the lead on compiling concerns, in order to determine what, if anything, could be done to restore the subsidies. Martha’s Vineyard Housing Fund director Ewell Hopkins volunteered.

As attendees made a hasty retreat from thunderstorms, Patrick and his team packed into a car and headed toward in West Tisbury. The governor was given a brief tour of the historic property, before heading to new local-food take-out eatery , where he met with owners Daniel Sauer and Wenonah Madison and enjoyed lunch.

Patrick, who spoke with Patch at 7a, said he was impressed with the Eliakims Way affordable-housing neighborhood, and with the crowd that turned out.

“There’s a lot of engagement. It’s wonderful to see so many folks involved in public and affordable housing, which I know has been an issue on the Vineyard,” said Patrick. “I know that those challenges are deep here.”

Affordable, energy-efficient alternatives to housing, as see at Eliakims Way, are “the direction we have to be going in,” said Patrick.

“I thought the questions were interesting,” he continued. “Some of those subjects I didn’t know anything about, so we have an opportunity to follow up. But it really is about connecting with the people we govern and letting them influence how we govern.”