President Obama and daughter Malia ride bikes on Martha's Vineyard in 2011. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)
Presidential vacations often create hassles for nearby residents, and President Obama's getaway next week at Martha's Vineyard will be no exception.
Some locals are starting to complain about the pending closing of a key road near the president's vacation house Saturday to Aug. 18.
The Martha's Vineyard Times reports that "residents who have grown accustomed to the temporary disruptions of presidential vacation motorcades to the golf course and the beach can expect extraordinary and lengthy up-Island detours" when Obama and his family arrive this weekend.
Selectman Warren Doty told The Vineyard Gazette that "my response to this is we've had the president come to our town three times and it's been very cordial and there's been very little disruption and we love to have him -- this would change that approach ... and be very disruptive."
This closure of the South Road is a result of the fact that Obama has had to change houses in Martha's Vineyard.
"In 2009, 2010, and 2011, the Obamas rented Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark, a 28.5-acre compound on Town Cove, off Tisbury Great Pond, and situated at the end of a long dirt road.
"Blue Heron was sold in December 2011 to an architect, Lord Norman Foster, and his wife, Lady Elena Foster, of Thames Bank in Great Britain.
"This summer, the Obamas will stay in a 5,000-square-foot, four-bedroom house valued at $7.6 million, with an attached, two-bedroom guesthouse, small basketball court, and water views, surrounded by woods just a short distance off South Road."
