Chief Trovato’s Vision
To the editor:
Fire Chief Mike Trovato’s vision for the VFW site as a police station and first-responder housing and substation actually sees our needs. This vision makes so much sense to so many people.
Proper response is what Mike has been doing for years. He was given an extension on the mandatory rule for retirement because of his excellent record for keeping the town and the first responders safe.
The select board “came down hard” on Mike’s plan, the Independent reported last week. At the same meeting they voted to give the remaining sewer gallons for housing to a longtime local businessperson for his workers. I agree with the board’s vote to let the businesses provide housing for their workers. Businesses can also pay their workers a living wage so they can live here without having to go through the process for affordable housing.
We can all agree we need more housing for everyone of modest means. But housing more people before housing first responders is putting the cart before the horse.
We need the town to provide for first responders so we can all live here safely. Mike’s vision for the VFW site is sound and will meet the needs of the town now with a police station and into the future with fire and rescue. It has been such a drawn-out process for the police station that using the VFW is the best solution.
We can either see this as our chief and 200-plus residents see it — the perfect opportunity to move forward on a project that has been on hold for far too long — or we can let it get lost again in more process.
Jean Horner
Provincetown and Truro
Artists Identified
To the editor:
There is a wonderful photograph on page 19 of the Nov. 14 Provincetown Independent featuring many world-renowned artist members of the Provincetown Art Association. The gentleman on the right side of the photo with a beard wearing a bow tie is listed in the caption as “unknown.”
I am writing to identify him as painter-illustrator Ben Wolf, who was closely acquainted with my uncle, the painter Edwin Dickinson. Mr. Wolf was also my freshman painting instructor in 1957 at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art.
Frank Foley, Eastham
Editors’ note: Our thanks to Frank Foley for identifying Ben Wolf at the far right in Arnold Newman’s 1960 photograph of Provincetown Art Association members. Gallerist Berta Walker confirmed that it is Wolf — she contacted the Independent after we’d gone to press and added two other identities: sitting second to the right, below Ben Wolf and Gerrit Hondius, is Harry Engel (whom we guessed might be Will Barnet); and, at the far left, sitting and holding glasses, is Umberto Romano. The man holding a pipe in the center of the photo remains unknown to us.
A Caption Correction
To the editor:
While I appreciated the announcement of the Center for Coastal Studies’ Nov. 19 Local Bounty Banquet benefitting our ghost gear recovery project, the caption under the eye-catching image on page 20 of last week’s issue was inaccurate.
The photo was of Orly Genger’s “Red, Yellow and Blue,” which was installed in Madison Square Park in New York City about seven years ago. It was built with rope from the commercial lobster fishery, which I had secured for the Brooklyn artist. That massive sculpture was dismantled after six months at the park to be installed at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, and after another year went on to become other unique iterations of rope sculpture, such as “Terra” (in Oklahoma), “Current” (in Austin), and “Hot Rod” (in Chicago).
Working with Orly was a privilege, but I am also honored to know other artists who work with material from the fishing industry and who were represented at the Local Bounty Banquet, including Sarah Thornington from West Yarmouth, John and Alicia Morgan from Sandwich, Cindy Pease Roe from Greenport, N.Y., and Gin Stone from Harwich.
Laura Ludwig, Provincetown
The writer is director of the Marine Debris and Plastics Program at the Center for Coastal Studies.
