Tisbury Votes for Fire Truck

Also: New Police Cruisers, Cycle; Plan to Join Estuaries Program;
Chairs For Katharine Cornell; Overrides on April 27

By ALEXIS TONTI

A host of pricey requests were put to Tisbury voters this week, but
in the end they wrangled most over whether to replace the tattered
avocado green chairs at the Katharine Cornell Theatre. In the closest
vote of the night, the improvements to the historic theatre passed by a
margin of 11 votes.

The moment of dissent stood out at an annual town meeting that was
marked by limited debate, unexpected generosities and overwhelming
unanimity. Tisbury voters approved all 23 warrant articles, including
the $16 million operating budget and $1.2 million in capital
appropriations.

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A total of 191 voters turned out for the meeting, held Wednesday in
the Tisbury School gymnasium. In the minutes before it began residents
talked outside in the gathering dusk. A basketball player shooting hoops
nearby was the only one indifferent to the business on tap for the
night.

With town moderator Deborah Medders at the podium, voters breezed
through the warrant in just three hours. Many left after signing off on
the big-ticket items, including a new $800,000 aerial ladder truck for
the fire department, the most costly item under consideration.

Fire Chief Makes Pitch

Fire chief John Schilling gave a half-hour presentation, including
PowerPoint, on the aerial ladder truck. Mr. Schilling painted a vivid
picture of the aged vehicle currently used by the department. It has
been subject to frequent breakdowns, nearly injured firemen and is so
old that mechanics have turned to salvage junkyards in the search for
replacement parts.

"It will take us 12 to 18 months to get a new truck, and I
doubt the existing one will even survive that long," he said.

"This certainly is expensive, but going without will be even
more expensive," the fire chief added, pointing to the likely
increase in the cost of homeowners' insurance if the
department's safety rating drops.

Jamie Douglas, a candidate for selectman, argued against the
purchase. "I don't see evidence of proper financial and
logistical planning here. It is not proper government to wait until
something is broken, and then go out and raise taxes to replace
it," said Mr. Douglas.

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He suggested that regionalization may be a better approach: "I
have common sense enough to see that one of these vehicles can serve
this Island sufficiently."

"We have had conversations about regionalization in the past,
but the current reality is they haven't been successful, and we
need the truck now," declared Tristan Israel, chairman of the
board of selectmen.

"We have a huge luxury in that we have a volunteer fire
department. They have showed us what they need; they take their lives
into their hands for us. Once in a while it's okay to be
extravagant and give these guys the tools they need to be safe and serve
the community in what is virtually a volunteer effort," said Mr.
Israel.

The article passed by an overwhelming majority.

Override Vote April 27

To greenlight the purchase of the truck, voters also will have to
approve a related ballot question April 27 asking for an override of
Proposition 2 1/2.

Discussion about where to store the new truck was fodder for a later
conversation about a $60,000 feasibility study for a new emergency
services facility. The study will include an assessment of the
town's immediate and long-range needs and will consider housing
the fire, police and emergency services departments jointly.

Voters also authorized the $60,000 purchase of two new police
cruisers, a request they turned down last year. Police chief Theodore
Saulnier said that after the sale of the department's oldest
vehicle, the new cars will bring the number of cruisers up to four.
Residents also signed off on $5,000 to lease a motorcycle for the
department and $4,000 to train and equip new officers.

Aase Jones, assistant to the town administrator, took the floor to
introduce her request for new chairs. She amended the article to $20,000
after announcing a $5,000 donation from Elizabeth Suppes, trustee of the
Nancy Hamilton Fund, which supports refurbishing of the theatre.

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"The Katharine Cornell is a beautiful old theatre, and it is
heavily used for public meetings. But these are 35-year-old chairs and
some are broken," Ms. Jones said. She drew laughter from the floor
when she added: "And of course there's that lovely avocado
green color which no longer really matches."

Finance committee chairman George Balco announced the
committee's opposition to the article. "Aase is a tough act
to follow, but we feel this is one of those things best handled by
private funding," he said.

The article passed by a 78-67 vote. Later in the evening funding
also was approved to replace the theatre's windows.

Ambulance Services

Residents also endorsed a host of upgrades in ambulance services for
the town, part of the new Martha's Vineyard Emergency Medical
Service Community Plan.

"This is about bringing critical care treatment to the
patient's location," said ambulance coordinator Jeff Pratt.
"We live on an Island, and we cannot depend on the next guy to
give us paramedics. We have to band together."

In separate articles voters allocated $20,000 for new equipment,
including a cardiac monitor and defibrillator; put $40,000 toward
funding a full-time paramedic position for the town, and agreed to an
Islandwide shared staffing initiative that calls for Tisbury to
contribute $6,100 toward nighttime paramedic coverage.

A critical article related to Lagoon Pond garnered strong support,
aided by a $10,000 donation from Tisbury Waterways Inc.

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Voters agreed to enroll the pond in the Massachusetts State
Estuaries Program - an effort aimed at assessing the overall
health and specific nutrient loading capacity for estuaries in
southeastern Massachusetts. A comprehensive analysis of the pond with
recommendations for improving its health will take about two years.

Although Tisbury must put $20,000 toward the program, the donation
from TWI cut the request before voters in half. Shellfish constable
Derek Cimeno explained the contribution was earmarked to fast track a
study that will evaluate the impact of dredging or widening the channel
between the pond and the harbor - information essential to
assessing the impact of the Lagoon Pond drawbridge replacement project.

Oak Bluffs also must approve participation in the estuaries program
at its annual town meeting.

Near the end of the meeting, after some minor tweaking, voters
approved the $16 million budget. Mev Good and Donald Amaral, members of
the finance committee, commended officials at the high school and
Tisbury School for reining in their budgets.

Afterward, residents filing into the night were met by an orange
moon low in the sky. Once away from the school, as they walked to
distant parking spots, it was the only light by which to find their way.