Early Closing April 25th due to Town Meeting

Vineyard Haven Library will close early on Tuesday, April 25th, due to the Tisbury Annual and Special Town Meetings that will take place that evening at the Tisbury School Auditorium at 7pm. The Library will close at 6:30pm, and library computers will be shut down at 6:00pm.

Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting
Warrant for the Special Town Meeting

Early Closing April 12th due to Town Meeting

Vineyard Haven Library will close early on Tuesday, April 12th, due to the Tisbury Annual and Special Town Meetings that will take place that evening at the Tisbury School Auditorium at 7pm. The Library will close at 6:30pm, and library computers will be shut down at 6:00pm.

Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Special Town Meeting Warrant
FY2017 Operating Budget

Early Closing April 14th due to Town Meeting

Vineyard Haven Library will close early on Tuesday, April 14th, due to the Tisbury Annual and Special Town Meetings that will take place that evening at the Tisbury School Auditorium at 7pm. The Library will close at 6:30pm, and library computers will be shut down at 6:00pm.

Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Special Town Meeting Warrant
Proposed FY16 Budget

Join us for a New Program Series: Tisbury 101

"Tisbury 101" is a six part series to be presented by the League of Women Voters and as part of the library's evening lecture series. The series will help you unravel the mysteries of Tisbury town government, discover What makes it run, and learn how can you get involved. Current and past members of many branches of Tisbury’s town government will talk about their roles and responsibilities, as well as how they got involved in the first place. We hope this will inspire you to take the next step – not just to become a more informed citizen and voter, but also to find new ways to participate.

Tuesday, January 17, 7 p.m.

Inside Town Hall, Inside Town Meeting

Panel: John Bugbee, Marion Mudge and Deborah Medders; Moderator: Judy Crawford

Our town administrator, clerk and moderator will take us behind the scenes to look at how Tisbury is run and how this relates to decisions made at town meeting.

Tuesday, January 24, 7 p.m.

Our Money: How Tisbury Gets It and Spends It

Panel: Tim McLean, Anne Marie Cywinski, and George Balco; Moderator: Denys Wortman

Our town treasurer, assessor and member of the Finance Committee will show us exactly where the money to run the town comes from and how priorities are set for spending it.

Tuesday, January 31, 7 p.m.

Places of Learning: Our Schools and Library

Panel: Karen Casper, Bob Tankard, and Amy Tierney; Moderator: Diane Harrington Purvis

Providing tools for lifelong learning for children and adults is overseen by the Library Board and School Committee. This panel will talk about their budgets, roles, and priorities.

Tuesday, February 14, 7 p.m.

What We Build and Where

Panel: Tony Peak, Jeff Kristal, Ned Orleans, Moderator: Deborah Medders

Members of the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals will take a look at Tisbury’s building codes and permitting, appeals, and enforcement processes. They’ll also explore the partnership between the Town and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

Tuesday, February 21, 7 p.m.

The Board of Selectmen: Our Executive Branch

Panel: Geoghan Coogan and Cora Medeiros; Moderator: Bea Phear

Past and present members of the Board of Selectmen will explain their responsibilities as well as the limits of their power. They’ll also talk about how they work with various boards and committees.

Tuesday, March 13, 7 p.m.

Protecting Tisbury’s Land and Water

Panel: Michael Loberg, Jane Varkonda and Tom Robinson; Moderator: Suzan Bellincampi

What gets protected and why? Members of various boards and commissions will shed light on how priorities are set to preserve Tisbury’s natural treasures.

About the League:

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that promotes informed citizen participation in government and works to influence public policy through education and advocacy. The League was founded by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920 as a successor to the National Women's Suffrage Association. The League's first goal was to teach women how to exercise their new right to vote. The scope was soon expanded to include service to all citizens. The League is focused on bringing individuals together to achieve accountable and responsive government. Membership is open to everyone.

The League of Women Voters of Martha’s Vineyard seeks to achieve these goals by holding annual Candidates’ Forums for local office seekers in each town, by conducting a voter registration drive at the high school every spring, by developing and sponsoring educational forums like Tisbury 101, by taking positions on issues of particular importance to Martha’s Vineyard, and by providing educational materials at many island public events.

"Common Threads" Poetry Discussions in April

Common Threads is a program of MassPoetry.org that seeks to have 10,000 people in the state read seven poems in the month of April, National Poetry Month. All the poets have strong connections to Massachusetts.

Michael West and Clark Myers will lead a discussion of the poems on two evenings in April at the Vineyard Haven Library. Discussions are scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday, April 19th, and 7pm on Wednesday April 27th. The seven poems and discussion questions are available at www.masspoetry.org/commonthreads

Early Closing November 17th

The Library will close early at 6:30pm on Tuesday, Nov. 17th. All public access computers will be shut down at 6pm.

Tisbury voters are reminded to attend the Special Town Meeting at the Tisbury School auditorium at 7pm that evening. The Warrant is available for preview in the library and on the Tisbury Town Website.

Draft Ocean Management Plan Now Available

The library now has two printed copies of the draft of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan available for review. The plan is the subject of the public hearing at 6pm tonight at the Katharine Cornell Theater.

The draft is also available online from the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Members of the public may also request a printed copy of the draft plan by sending an email to czm@state.ma.us.

Draft Ocean Management Plan

The Oceans Act of 2008 requires the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to develop a comprehensive ocean management plan by December 31, 2009. The public comment period on the draft plan is now open and will close at 5:00 pm on November 23. A public hearing on the draft plan will be held in Vineyard Haven on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 6pm at the Katharine Cornell Theater.

The library does not yet have printed copies of the draft plan, but it is available online from the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Annual Election Results

Congratulations to new Vineyard Haven Library Trustee Pamela Street, who was elected April 28th along with incumbants Nan Carter and Jo Weinberg.

Thank you to Tisbury voters who passed Question 9 on the ballot, for much-needed repairs to the exterior of the library building.

Annual Town Election: Library Issues

This year four candidates will compete for three, three-year seats as library trustees, including Anna Marie D'Addarie, Pamela Street, and incumbents Nan Carter and Jo Weinberg.

On April 22nd, the League of Women's Voters of MV will host a Candidate's Forum at the Tisbury Senior Center. Each candidate will make opening remarks, to be followed by a question and answer period. Contested candidates will be allowed to ask questions of each other after the public has had an opportunity to question them. Tisbury's annual town election is April 28.

Also on the ballot is Question #9: Shall the Town of Tisbury be allowed to assess an additional $40,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purpose of repairing and repainting all exterior wood surfaces of the Vineyard Haven Public Library and to replace all rain gutters of the building, for the fiscal year beginning July first two thousand and nine?