Passers at the intersection of the County Road and the Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road in Oak Bluffs have noticed a new addition to the landscape: a 113-foot long, four foot high stone wall, which are decorated with the word “Ogkeshkuppe”.
The wall that is still under construction belongs to the long -time islander and landscape design, Dana Mylott. It stands on the roadside of his property, where he houses several of his employees.
“Ogkeshkuppe” is the Wôpanâak word for the country of Oak Bluffs, said Mr. Mylott. He told The Gazette that he wanted to use his clearly visible property to create something meaningful that people could enjoy while looking at the Wampanoag tribe.
“I've been on this island for 25 years and because I am so visible there, I started thinking about what I could create from this room,” said Mylott, who is not a tribal member. “Respect for the city had to begin with the original people on the island.”
The wall itself consists of Iceland Stone and is equipped with a label from steel edges by Island Metal Worker Lisa Leonard. The wall is booked by two empty squares, each five feet with a height of four feet long. On the left, Mr. Mylott plans to install works of art that represent the story of Oak Bluffs. He hopes to invite the harvest of Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Seniors from Martha to the property to create works of art on the right.
Mr. Mylott said he had obtained the permission of Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) before dealing with the project. He said he spoke to Bettina Washington, the historical preservation officer of the tribe, to bring the project to life and to ensure that the spelling on the wall was correct.
Ms. Washington did not answer this week to a request for comments.
Mr. Mylott also said that he saw the right channels to maintain permission for the project at the city level, and communicated with the OAK Bluffs Zoning Board of Appeals and the building department of OAK Bluffs.
“We don't need permission because it is a feat. It doesn't show business,” he said. “The city had no problem with it.”
Oak Bluffs Building official Matt Rossi confirmed in an e -mail to the Gazette that the installation of Mr. Mylott is legal and does not require approval. He said the size, placement and removal of the wall from the center line of the street freed them from the permission of the city's approval both within the framework of the state building code and in the local zone zones.
Mr. Rossi added that the wall does not require a shield permit per city zoning level, which a sign as “every permanent or temporary structure of privately owned, a lead, an advertising table, a word, a word, the banner, the pennant, the badge or the representation, which as, or in nature, in nature, an work, or the instruction, and the instruction, and the instructions is, define. “
“[Mr. Mylott] Originally, I told me that he wanted to carry out an art installation and then bring the abbreviation of his company (Dtal) to large letters in the middle. I told him that this would be seen as a sign according to the zone zones of Oak Bluffs, ”wrote Rossi.”[He] Then he asked if he could only do an art installation, and I told him that it would be allowed. “
Mr. Rossi said he received questions from people who wondered whether the wall is permitted as a sign. He also wrote that some officials worry about the potential effects of the wall on traffic safety.
“In informally, some employees of the city said that it will be a distraction for drivers at a busy intersection,” he wrote.
Mr. Mylott said that the feedback he received was mostly positive, although he also found that he had expressed skepticism online and personally.
He invites a conversation and visits to his property to discuss the wall, regardless of whether they support it or not.
“You are part of my community and it's okay if you don't agree with me,” he said.