VOICES OF FREEDOM VINEYARDERS REFLECT ON NATION'S 250TH BIRTHDAY Special pullout section A9. Publisher's editorial A8
Thursday, July 2, 2026
THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES
Volume 43, Issue No. 26
2 Sections
New SSA terminal opens in Woods Hole
Price $1.00
Construction finishes after two years. BY EUNKI SEONWOO
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MICHAEL BLANCHARD
SAILING INTO THE FOURTH
s the Island enters the heart of summer and visitors sail in from the mainland, ferry passengers will be welcomed in Woods Hole at the Steamship Authority’s newly completed terminal, a project that was fraught with controversy throughout more than a decade of development. The new terminal building for the Steamship Authority (SSA) was opened to the public for the first time on Thursday, June 25, capping two years of a noisy, multiphased construction project in the heart of the seaside village of Woods Hole. The management of this $37 million building project is not without its critics, and the SSA has much work to do to improve its standing both in Woods Hole and on the Island, but by many accounts, the design and function of the new terminal are winning some hearts and minds. Ted Gavin, the Vineyard’s representative to the SSA board, said while there’s still work to be done, he felt relieved that the terminal was open and that there won’t be any more construction during the summer, as the ferry line seeks to enter a “new normal.” “I’m glad it’s finally done,” Gavin said. He told The Times that the building will serve people for the next 50 years, and while “we can quibble about design,” the new terminal seems to be meeting the needs of travelers. Alex Kryska, SSA general manager, said in a statement, “The opening of this terminal marks a tremendous milestone in the decadelong project to totally reimagine and rebuild the Woods Hole terminal.” Discussions of a new terminal began more than 10 years ago as the ferry line pursued a building to upgrade its facilities and counter rising sea levels. But it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, with pushback from Woods Hole neighbors over the size and location of the building as well as concerns over Continued on A19
As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, one of Martha's Vineyard’s most beloved symbols of maritime heritage is
sailing into its final season. The 108-foot wooden topsail schooner Shenandoah, a regular majestic sight in Vineyard Haven Harbor, and the only vessel of her size known to operate without an engine in the world, will retire after its annual voyage with Chilmark students in their first week of school after Labor Day. Designed and built in 1964 by Island legend Capt. Robert S. Douglas Sr., and modeled after an 1849 revenue cutter called Joe Lane, the Shenandoah has sailed 63 seasons and shaped tens of thousands of lives through hands-on education programs, now run through the Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy. While bittersweet, the retirement paves the way for Shenandoah II, a steel-hulled successor designed by Douglas himself. Current Capt. Ian Ridgeway, executive director of the academy, said they plan to preserve the original hull as a waterfront exhibit, ensuring her legacy as a piece of American history that lives on for future generations. Michael Blanchard, photographer of the above picture, plans to create a “Shenandoah Through the Years” video later this summer.
Gov. Healey backs Island leaders on tick mitigation At a roundtable discussion last Wednesday, the governor met with Islanders on ticks. BY SARAH SHAW DAWSON
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his summer, ticks are the talk of the town on Martha’s Vineyard. And on Wednesday, they were also the subject of a roundtable discussion at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury, where Gov. Maura Healey gave her support to Island organizations and town efforts, urging locals to push on with tick mitigation and preparedness. The event brought the governor into a local — and national — conversation about what some local health experts say is the largest public health issue the Island has faced since the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued on A18
Housing close to the land Island Grown Initiative constructs yurts for seasonal farmers. BY SARAH SHAW DAWSON
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artha’s Vineyard has culturally shifted since the 17th and 18th centuries, when agriculture was the primary economic driver of the year-round community, but the Island continues to be a hub for farms and the workers who tend them. The still-prosperous industry results in an influx of seasonal workers when the weather turns warm, which means an increased need for housing. Three seasonal farm hands recently unpacked their bags of clothes, art supplies, and books into circular dwellings called yurts, which they were provided as their summer workplace accommodations. The wood-and-canvas shelters, which originated 3,000 years ago in Central Asia with nomadic tribes on the windswept plains, are one solution among many for an ongoing local crisis in affordable housing availability. “I could not have gotten this job without having housing,” Isabel Villanueva, 31-year-old Continued on A18
Isabel Villanueva and Lina Raciukaitis outside one of the yurts.
ASTRID TILTON © 2026
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