Four months after its first meeting, the committee on Squibnocket has shifted gears and is evaluating various proposals and considerations collected from the public.

The seven-member committee is feeling its way through unfamiliar territory in terms of state and local regulations, disputes among affected homeowners and other factors. The committee is currently working to fill out a large matrix to evaluate the elements of each proposal or consideration.

Chairman James Malkin said Tuesday that additional proposals by the Friends of Squibnocket, a homeowner group that has developed the most detailed proposal so far, may be accepted as the committee sees fit. “Meanwhile, we’re going to keep going,” he said.

The committee presented a very rough map showing five potential solutions to the problem of access to the homes at Squibnocket Farm. It includes a proposed dune ridge and gravel road, two possible locations for a raised causeway, a bridge for emergency access, and a proposed road beginning farther north that might be coupled with berms or culverts.

The current access road and a town parking lot are threatened by erosion. The committee’s charge from the town is to address the need for parking and beach access, as well as vehicle access to Squibnocket Farm.

An idea presented this summer to sink barges off the coast in order to calm the waves that are contributing to erosion was eliminated Tuesday.

Residents pointed out that the emergency bridge, which would span a narrow point in Squibnocket Pond, would likely be impossible, since the roads it would connect are on private property and too narrow for cars. Jay Walsh said part of the area is also in a flood zone.

Mr. Malkin had hoped the emergency route might be used in conjunction with the dune-ridge solution and provide a compromise between the two competing homeowner groups.

An earlier proposal that involved relocating the parking lot, building a raised causeway and expanding the town’s beach holdings was rejected at the annual town meeting in April in favor of further study. That proposal was developed by the Squibnocket Farm Homeowners Association and the Chilmark selectmen.

Much of the original proposal would have been paid for by the farm homeowners and the town. It is unclear how an alternative project would be funded. The new access road would likely be paid for by the association homeowners, if it agrees with the proposal.

A $280,000 state grant awarded in May could potentially be used to reimburse work that is completed by June 30. But it is unclear whether the grant will be available, since it was tied to the original proposal.

During a progress report at a special town meeting Oct. 20, Mr. Malkin asked for a nonbinding vote to help determine whether the committee should develop a final recommendation in time for another special town meeting this winter. Nearly all the voters said yes. The committee is now hoping to present a final recommendation in January, which could allow it to spend at least some of the grant money by June.

The town has reapplied for the grant and is waiting for a response from the state.

Mr. Malkin said in order to meet the January deadline, the committee will need to manage its time carefully. At a meeting scheduled for Friday at 8 a.m. the committee will address issues related to parking and a time frame going forward.

Meanwhile, both homeowner groups appear mired in disagreement. Experts representing both groups have met to determine areas of agreement, disagreement and uncertainty. The committee had expected to receive minutes from those meetings, but Mr. Malkin said Tuesday that neither group plans to submit the minutes.

“We’ve received from one side a summation of the meeting and a rebuttal of the other side’s comments and/or conclusions from the meeting,” he said. “We have a notice from that other side saying that they are preparing a rebuttal to the rebuttal.”

The selectmen approved $20,000 this month for cost estimates associated with the new proposals, and the committee plans to hire Island excavator John Keene to conduct some of the estimates. Mr. Malkin said that because the committee is unable to put out bids, a detailed budget will not be available

“What we don’t want to do is give a proposal to the town and the selectmen that is untenable, that can’t be permitted,” he said. “On the other hand, we don’t like to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s, because that’s not our job. So there is this solid middle ground that we are trying to find."