Choose Granite Countertops in Aquinnah, MA for Elegance and Durability

I’m prepared for the very real possibility that there may yet be another freak blizzard as late as April 1. It did happen once before. Even though I can’t put away my coat just yet during these first chilly days of spring, I can finally exhale. I’m marking the days off my calendar until there are green trees and outdoor cafes, and most importantly, until it’s time for my first warm weather ferry ride over to the lovely Martha’s Vineyard.

But as upbeat as I am about my upcoming time on Martha’s Vineyard, I’m despondent about a significant change to my special island’s culture and landscape. The long talked about Aquinnah Bingo Hall will soon be reality — one that I envision will be a jarring juxtaposition to the quiet beauty of this western tip of the island. Aquinnah is home to a historic lighthouse, a stunning beach and a charming restaurant. The place has an overall laid-back vibe. It has never drawn the kind of crowds that down island towns Oak Bluffs and Vineyard have — probably because it takes some effort to get there, and the most direct access is a long, narrow, winding road.

To be clear, this is not a full casino, but rather a community center turned bingo hall built on land owned by the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe. Compared to full casinos, the bingo hall is small. But this will not be the church bingo you may be imagining of quirky game callers, big score cards and markers. No, electronic bingo is church bingo’s gaudy game cousin, featuring high-tech bells and whistles, handheld devices and video screens. The computerized tracking mechanisms make it easy for players to manage multiple games, and easy to win bigger or lose faster. This should be a financial boon for the Aquinnah Wampanoag, a much better financial return than the sale of their jewelry and handicrafts.

I’m not a gambler, so this will not interest me, though I know it will attract plenty of recreational gamblers. My fear is that what was an off-the-beaten-path treasure will soon become overrun with players, making Aquinnah just another stop on their New England casino trail.

When construction of the bingo hall began a few weeks ago, it sparked some initial tension between tribe and town officials, who seem surprised that the building had actually begun. In a letter, the tribe reiterated its sovereign right to build and its long history as a good neighbor. Since then, there has been a meeting to iron out impact details and soothe hard feelings. But no question, many town residents would rather not have a bingo hall as a local attraction. But then, so would I. If there are no unforeseen construction holdups, the Aquinnah Bingo Hall will be completed by the end of the year. I’ve got one last summer before I become one of those annoying remember when-ers, nostalgic for a long, narrow road to Aquinnah less traveled by.

The Aquinnah select board unanimously approved a single tax rate during the fiscal year 2023 tax classification public hearing on Tuesday morning.

Tax assessor Harald Scheid, who had to work through various Massachusetts Department of Revenue requirements with his Regional Resource Group colleague Daniel Golden, led the presentation for the public hearing.

“This hearing really ultimately is about the setting of a tax rate, or alternatively, shifting the tax burden onto the commercial property owner to provide a reduced residential rate,” Scheid said.

Scheid “highlighted some key aspects” of the tax rate-setting process. The tax levy, one of four major ways Aquinnah’s budget is funded, is set to raise $5.73 million in property tax revenue. This reflects a 6.6 percent increase from the fiscal year 2022 property tax revenue of $5.38 million.

“By far, the property taxes are the greatest source of revenue to the town,” Scheid said.

Aquinnah’s tax levy ceiling, or the maximum amount that can be collected, is 2.5 percent of the “full value of the town,” according to Scheid. Aquinnah’s aggregation value equates to $940.1 million and the levy ceiling is $23.5 million. The town’s levy limit, or the “maximum allowable levy,” was certified by the Department of Revenue at $5.74 million. Meanwhile, Aquinnah’s fiscal year 2023 new growth revenue, “property taxes derived from newly taxable properties or property improvements,” was certified by the department as $30,199.

Residential properties made up 98.1 percent of Aquinnah’s property valuation at $922.5 million, which would put too much of a burden on commercial properties if there were a split tax rate.

“It would really take a huge increase in the commercial tax rate to yield even a very modest decrease in residential taxes,” Scheid said. A 1 percent reduction in residential taxes would require approximately a 51 percent increase in commercial taxes, according to Scheid.

When board member Gary Haley pointed out a $200,000 discrepancy for the levy to be raised, Aquinnah town accountant Emily Day said there was “an override of $200,000.” This was approved during the annual town meeting in May.

Moving on, the proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2023 would be $6.10 per $1,000 valuation. Sales in fiscal year 2022 indicate that property values have appreciated more than 10 percent. According to the presentation, “this required that assessed valuations be increased accordingly,” and most property owners “will see higher assessed valuations” that will be “partially offset by a lower tax rate. In fiscal year 2022, the tax rate was $6.27 per $1,000.

“This was a major revaluation year for us. In that effort, we’re trying to reflect market conditions as they existed in calendar year [2021]. Hasn’t been that long ago, but we all know 21 to be an extraordinary year in the real estate market,” Scheid said. “Appreciations across the commonwealth, and no less in Aquinnah.”

Scheid showed that the “average single-family valuation” in fiscal year 2023 is $1,787,000 and the proposed rate leads to an average of $10,901 in average residential tax bills. In fiscal year 2022, the average single-family valuation was $1,589,400, and the average residential tax bill was $9,966. Despite the lower rate, Aquinnah residents will see a $935, or 9.4 percent, increase in their taxes on average, compared with fiscal year 2022. According to Schneid’s information, Aquinnah’s 400 single-family homes will have a lower tax rate than 33.3 percent of Island towns, and 96.4 percent of the rest of Massachusetts.

Aquinnah town administrator Jeffrey Madison told Scheid and Golden an email will be sent to them about “major capital improvements in the town” and to ask for a determination of “the effect of the values of those capital improvements on the tax rate as it’s being set today.” Aquinnah is planning renovations to the Aquinnah Circle comfort station and the town hall and offices.

The board will send the required documents to the Department of Revenue for approval.

The town of Aquinnah has recently installed two vehicle charging stations — one at the town hall, and one at the Cliffs.

Drivers can use these chargers to power up their electric vehicles, free of charge.

Members of the Aquinnah climate and energy committee (ACEC) worked with Aquinnah selectmen and town administrator Jeff Madisn to secure funding for the project. The Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC) helped the town take advantage of incentives offered by the commonwealth and Eversource. A grant from the Massachusetts Department of

Environmental Protection paid 60 percent of the hardware cost of the stations, and Eversource installed the necessary facilities without charge to the town, under its “Make Ready” program.

The program was created to help to advance Massachusetts’ development to a clean transportation future by providing electric vehicle charging stations in municipalities seeking to make those forward steps.

Noli Taylor, co-chair of the ACEC, said she and her family are “so excited” to have the electric charging stations in town, and it is allowing her family to consider the possibility of changing over to all electric vehicles.

She said people are already using the charging stations for their electric vehicles: “People seem to be really excited about it, and there are already people taking advantage of it.”

Town administrator Jeff Madison said the electric vehicle charging stations are a major step forward in the town’s objective of greening the town buildings as part of the Green Communities designation.

“We are really excited to offer this service at no charge to the community. This is part of our objective to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change,” Madison said

Madison said both Taylor and Bill Lake, president of CVEC, were instrumental in the process of acquiring funds from the Green Communities program and installing the infrastructure for the charging stations.

“I have tried to facilitate the installation process with the help of Bill and Noli, and now the units are available for public use,” Madison said. “We are happy to have them, and I think there are several families who have electric cars here in town who are certainly welcome to use them whenever they need.”

According to Madison, the installation process was laborious, and the steps taken to get the charging stations operational were involved, but overall the process “went quite smoothly.”

Both chargers, Madison said, will be able to accommodate two electric vehicles at a time. He said he anticipates both chargers will be used frequently, as there are dedicated spots for vehicle charging where folks can park for extended periods.

“They are rapid-charging units, but if cars want to come up and top off their tank, they will do that in a relatively short time,” Madison said.

For Madison, the electric chargers are symbolic of the town’s initiatives to work toward a more sustainable power infrastructure.

This includes the imminent installation of solar panels on the roof of the town hall, as well as a solar canopy over the dirt lot in front of the fire station, where the town meeting was held last summer.

“That will be similar to the canopies at Cronig’s, except ours will be an inverted L shape, which will allow for trucks to pass underneath the structure without any obstructions,” Madison said.

Overall, the installation of electric chargers fits into the town’s energy goals, and Madison said there will be continued improvements to the town hall, the cultural center at the Cliffs, the town offices, and the fire station to make them more energy-efficient.

“We recently got our first installment of monies from the Green Communities grant, and I think we are going to pursue putting mini-splits in the town hall. Engineers were here earlier this week to begin that process,” Madison said.

Aquinnah will also be considering a nonbinding resolution at its Nov. 14 special town meeting that was passed by West Tisbury at their town meeting to limit reliance on fossil fuels so that by 2030, usage would diminish by 50 percent, and then 100 percent by 2040. The same article resolves to boost renewable electricity 50 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040.

Lake wrote in a press release that he is happy to see towns and entities on-Island looking to expand the availability of electric vehicle charging stations.

“Massachusetts is a leader in offering incentives to move to renewable energy, and every charging station that gets installed makes it just that much easier for island residents and visitors to decide that they too can be part of the necessary transition to electric vehicles,” Lake wrote.

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Lobster rolls and hot dogs are now available at the Aquinnah cliffs, with the famous tuna salad, meatball sub and clear-broth chowder coming over the next few days, says co-owner James Shephard,

Louisa Hufstader, Neighbor

|Updated Tue, May 7, 2013 at 5:19 pm ET

Hungry for a meal with a view from the Aquinnah cliffs? Faith's Seafood Shack is back for 2013.

"It's a soft opening — the weather's so beautiful," James Shephard said Sunday, as he served customers at the take-out window.

Shephard, who co-owns the cliffside eatery with Faith Vanderhoop, took several snapshots of his first-day customers to post on Facebook.

During vacation week and weather permitting, Faith's is open daily from 11 a.m. through sunset, said Shephard, adding that the menu will be expanding as days go by.

Hot dogs and lobster rolls are available now, tuna salad and meatball subs are coming in the next days and the eatery's signature dish should be available by the end of the week, Shephard said:

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"We're famous for our clear-broth chowder."

Located at 33 Aquinnah Circle on the cliffs, Faith's can be reached at (508) 645-4080.

For more articles about restaurants on Martha's Vineyard that have opened for 2013, please see our Restaurant Page. Our Food & Dining Directory has the phone numbers and addresses of your favorite eateries.

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In our guide to spending an ideal day eating, drinking, and adventuring through a new-to-you place, Brad Johnson shares his picks for the best restaurants in Martha's Vineyard.

Once you have visited Martha’s Vineyard, a 20-mile-long island just off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, you will fall in love. There are no chain stores or traffic lights. Instead, you'’l find bike paths galore, as well as cool small towns lined with quaint storefronts, housing art galleries, shops, and independently owned restaurants. Though you can cover the entire island in a day, getting around does require driving. The towns of Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, and Edgartown occupy the north and northeast of the island, with West Tisbury near the island’s center, and Chilmark and Aquinnah at the western point.

The distinct smell and taste of salty Cape air hits you the moment you drive across the Bourne Bridge to the ferry, getting you into traveling mode. That ferry and one small airport are the only ways to reach Martha's Vineyard, and since I’ve been coming as a child, watching cars full of summer supplies and groceries drive right onto the ferry has been a momentous first sight of vacation.

Some of the best restaurants and shops in Martha’s Vineyard have changed hands over the years, but the well-preserved spirit of this place remains intact. Nancy’s, once a modest dockside spot for burgers and fries, has quadrupled its footprint, adding multiple decks, an expanded menu, and cocktails. Others, like longtime favorite Giordano’s, with its walk-up pizza slice shop, fried clam bar and accompanying full-service restaurant, have been operated by the same family for four generations.

With the shifting tides of the seasons (many of the businesses here are seasonal, so check restaurants’ websites for current hours), the well-preserved, timeless beauty of Martha's Vineyard remains as magnificent as it ever was.

The Essentials

The best time to visit is… Memorial Day to Early October, if you want to catch New England bursting with color.

Don’t forget to pack… Comfortable shoes or sneakers for hikes and long walks, and a warm sweater or hoody. When the fog rolls in it can get chilly.

Don’t leave town without… The feta-style cheese from Mermaid Farm in Chilmark and a bottle of the house-made very popular salad dressing from MV Salads in Oak Bluffs.

The best place to stay is… A lovely bed and breakfast called Oak Bluffs Inn. It’s tough to beat its proximity to town, and a wraparound front porch, ideal for morning coffee and people watching.

Oak Bluffs Inn

Shop at

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Breakfast Worth Waiting in Line For

Looking for a tucked-away spot in the heart of bustling Edgartown? Behind the Bookstore is where you should go to find beautifully presented coffee, a slamming avocado toast, and assorted baked treats. During the busy summer season, the line may snake up the sidewalk, but this charming three-meal-a-day venue, with its canopied patio for outdoor seating, is the kind of place worth waiting in line for. Here you can expect inspired plates and perhaps the best espresso on the island.

Or get the day going at Lucky Hank’s, where the team sources locally, recycles, composts, and monitors their use of plastics. Start with cod cakes and a dab of lobster tartar sauce, or the Crunchy French Toast with fresh strawberry, slivered almonds, and vanilla mascarpone cream. Finding parking on weekends and during the peak of summer can be tedious, so if you’re not afraid to bike through some traffic, cycle here for brunch.

Lunch on Lobster Rolls and Banana Cream Pie

Along with my wife and son, I make a beeline straight from the ferry to John’s Fish Market and Sandy’s Fish & Chips (yes, that’s all one name) in Vineyard Haven. I’ve been coming here for lunch since lobster rolls cost $10. The rolls might be $26 now, but it barely matters when they’re this good: stuffed with sweet chunks of coastal Maine lobster and mayo, squished into a perfect buttered and grilled bun. Order a side of onion rings and a lemonade, and eat it all on the parking lot bench.

The Aquinnah Shop is another classic Martha’s Vineyard restaurant and has been one of my must-visit stops from my very first trip to the island with my parents in the ’60s. Perched atop the clay cliffs of Aquinnah, one of the most scenic vistas on the island, the view is nothing short of majestic. My go-to order is the grilled fresh fish of the day between a soft buttered and toasted bun with lemon and tartar sauce, and if it's chilly, a bowl of New England Clam Chowder. For as long as I can remember the matriarch of the family-run business, Anne Vanderhoop, has been working the line. The restaurant is currently operated by her son Cully and his son Jacob, the head chef. The homemade pies—banana cream is my all-time favorite—are not to be missed.

I don’t know if there is a place that better illustrates why people return to this magical island time and time again than MV Salads, a very popular, perpetually busy, centrally located salad and wrap shop in Oak Bluffs. If you’re walking over to nearby Inkwell beach for a late afternoon in the sand, stop here first for a few of the wraps. Many dishes, like the Tivoli Cauliflower wrap, are vegan. The BLT salad can be made with locally grown shiitake mushrooms, and the Mermaid Meadow Summer salad comes with that standout feta. I can never pass up the Menemsha Lobster Cobb, chased down with a house-made watermelon cooler.

Take a Ride on America’s Oldest Carousel, Then Head to the Beach

Just down the street in Oak Bluffs is Flying Horses, the oldest platform carousel in the country. Have some cotton candy and watch as the carousel goes around. Kids sit on replicas of horses, their outstretched arms grabbing silver rings from the mechanical “ring feeder” on each pass. For whichever lucky rider grabs the prized brass ring, the next ride is on the house.

In the early evening visit the quintessential fishing village of Menemsha. Grab some plump juicy cherrystone clams on the half shell from Larsen's Fish Market and take a blanket over to the public beach to watch the summer sky change colors as the sun sets over the harbor.

For Dinner, Jerk Chicken and Sweeping Views

The Veteran of Foreign Wars building in Oak Bluffs may not be the typical setting for a world-class meal, but don’t let that dissuade you from going to Chef Deon’s Kitchen. The Jamaican-born chef brings all of his culinary skills to the plate here, with dishes like jerk chicken, buttermilk-fried pork chops, and ham mac and cheese.

I highly recommend a leisurely, scenic drive across the island, and one such drive will bring you to Outermost Inn. The restaurant and hotel was built in 1971 as a family home and began taking guests in 1989. Located at the westernmost part of the island, perched on a hillside with sweeping unobstructed views of spectacular sunsets, the restaurant is considered by many to be one of the best fine dining experiences in town. Led by executive chef Scott Grewe, the kitchen turns out a seasonal menu that—for now, at least—features fresh veggies like grilled jumbo asparagus, along with braised spring lamb, crisped duck breast, and much more.

End the Night With Doughnuts

As a teenager, after nights of dancing to Parliament Funkadelic at house parties in Oak Bluffs, we’d regularly make a stop at the Old Stone Bakery’s back door. We’d plead with the overnight bakers for doughnuts before heading home. Well, that became a popular concept, and the current owners adopted the name Back Door Donuts in 2018. You can’t visit the island without sampling their crazy good apple fritters.