With a standing ovation and sustained applause at their annual town meeting Tuesday night, Aquinnah voters offered thanks to voters in five Island towns who voted to appropriate nearly $500,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to help move the Gay Head Lighthouse away from the quickly eroding clay cliffs.
“To ask at this scale, and to have the support of all five Island towns, was tremendous support,” said Derrill Bazzy, chairman of the Aquinnah Community Preservation Committee. “It’s unheard of in the state of Massachusetts. It was just amazing for them to come to bat for us.”
At the last of the Island’s round of annual town meetings, a total of 54, or approximately 15 percent of Aquinnah’s 368 voters turned out to attend to town business. Voters approved all but two of the articles on the special and annual town meeting warrants and a $3,823,866 operating budget for fiscal year 2015.
Voters went to the polls Wednesday to elect town officers. Julianne Vanderhoop challenged incumbent Beverly Wright for a seat on the board of selectmen. Results are available at mvtimes.com.