The town of Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, says the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is flouting the order of federal Judge Dennis Saylor to cease construction of its Class II casino until it subjects the design to the city’s building department for permitting.
According to a town building inspector, the tribe has installed rebar and footings at the building site. The tribe claims it is merely securing the site for safety.
Meanwhile the tribe has appealed the ruling and asked the court to issue a stay on the order until it gets an answer. The town building inspector has also issued a cease and desist order to the tribe.
Inspector Lenny Jason told the Martha’s Vineyard Times, “I was told to go to the construction site and tell them to stop. It appears that they were building a foundation.”
Tribal Chairman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais issued this statement: “Our position is that, while the tribe and the town disagree on what work needs to be completed in order to ensure the construction site is secured safely, the tribe remains committed to ensuring the safety of the site. We are fully complying with the court order, and will continue to do so pending our appeal. The tribe is discussing available options to ensure site safety with the town, and we’re optimistic that we will reach an agreement very soon.”
Town Selectman Juli Vanderhoop, who has called for more dialogue between the town and tribe, told the Times, “It’s hard to believe that a mutual relationship between the town and the tribe has never been attempted. It makes no sense at all for us to be on opposite sides of this issue; we need to work together.”
She added, “The council is very naive as to how to present this major development to the rest of the community, so instead they keep quiet.”
The tribe argues that the small Class II casino will create about 100 part-time and full-time jobs.
