Editor’s note: What follows is the progress report written on behalf of the Squibnocket Beach committee and delivered to the special town meeting Monday night. The committee members are Jim Malkin, Dan Greenbaum, Janet Weidner, Steve Flanders, Jane Slater, Alison Burger, Billy Meegan and Ron Rappaport (ex-officio). Mr. Malkin is chairman and author of the report.

We began holding open meetings in June; they were heavily attended even though they began at 8 a.m. The meetings have lasted from one to two hours. There have been 13 meetings.

The charge to the committee from the town moderator, in accordance with the amendment passed at the last town meeting, was to address two critical problems in the Squibnocket Beach area:

• To assist Squibnocket Farms in developing alternatives for access to Squibnocket Point for both vehicles and utilities.

• Improved access for Chilmark residents to beach resources, including parking and an expanded beach for swimming and recreation.

The committee sent requests for proposals and input to all abutters within 2,000 feet of Squibnocket Pond, to all town committees, to the selectmen and to the town of Aquinnah to distribute as appropriate to their emergency services.

The committee received proposals from an association called the Squibnocket Farm Homeowners Association, which proposed an elevated roadway, from a limited liability corporation called Friends of Squibnocket, which proposed the construction of a dune and an associated roadway. The committee heard suggestions from Chris Murphy proposing removing the revetment and allowing nature to take its course, from Tim Rich suggesting that the Vytlacil property at the end of Squibnocket Road be purchased by the Blacksmith Valley residents to locate the end of an elevated roadway further to the north, and from Duncan Caldwell proposing that barges be sunk off the beach to change the flow of sand along Squibnocket.

The committee heard from the board of assessors, the historical committee, the beach committee, the Squibnocket Pond district advisory committee and the selectmen. All of these groups indicated that the priority should be preservation of beach and access for the town and appropriate parking thereto in accordance with the town’s master plan, passed in 1985 and modified in the supplement of 1990-92 and 2000-2003.

Lenny Jason and Clarissa Allen volunteered as knowledgeable citizens of the town to meet with the Squibnocket Farm Homeowners and the FOS LLC to see if there could be common ground on a solution. The committee has not heard back regarding their efforts.

The committee has engaged consultants, examined regulations and has been examining data, both that presented by proposals and that gathered by the committee. The committee has engaged or is about to engage coastal engineers, cost estimators and environmental experts. The committee has made two site visits to all homes within 2,000 feet of the pond and examined impacts to the view shed. The committee has made a preliminary study of one versus two lane-elevated roadways. The committee is looking at alternative sites for an emergency use only elevated roadway with a smaller footprint that would be tied to a dune/roadway solution.

The charge to the committee from the town’s amendment sets no time limit or due date on its work. As the voters are aware, the town of Chilmark received a state grant for $280,000, which was presented at the April town meeting and is conditional upon town approval of the project. The state money is provided to facilitate four elements of the project:

• The relocation of the parking lot to a more stable location.

• The expanded town beach for continued recreation.

• Skiff access to Squibnocket Pond for recreation and commercial use.

• The removal of the revetment and return of the current parking lot to its prior state for both recreation and storm water flow benefits.

The state will release the money upon receipts for work performed on these four elements prior to the end of this fiscal year, ending June 2015.

The committee has asked the town to explore rolling the grant into next year and Tim Carroll has explored this with Coastal Zone Management. The answer was received on Oct. 8 and we were told we could resubmit the proposal by Oct. 10 (within two days) for consideration for funding in the next fiscal year. The committee asked the town to resubmit the proposal and it was resubmitted. We don’t know when or if that resubmission will be evaluated.

At the 13th meeting of the town committee on Squibnocket, this progress report was discussed and approved by vote. The committee is continuing its work to develop alternatives for consideration. The committee would like guidance from the town as to whether it should provide a recommendation to the town in time for a special town meeting in winter so as to use as much of the $280,000 as possible.

The committee requests the moderator to allow a vote on a nonbinding resolution to guide the committee.