There was a lot wrong with the warrant for an Aquinnah special town meeting planned for Feb. 3, but a posting error was the official cause for a last-minute cancellation.
The decision, made at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday, further postpones votes on some $20,000 in town housekeeping measures outstanding since last fall, and action on a proposal from Ted Cammann and Jim Glavin of Chilmark to stage a seasonal performing arts program at the Aquinnah Cliffs.
According to selectman Jim Newman this article, along with several others, warranted closer scrutiny before going before voters.
A new meeting is now tentatively scheduled for sometime in late February or early March.
An initial vote to reschedule for April 7 made at a Tuesday meeting of the selectmen was changed when Mr. Cammann, who attended part of the meeting, said the delay would significantly set back his project.
Town moderator Walter Delaney spotted the posting error while perusing the warrant Tuesday at town hall.
He took the paper down from the bulletin board and noticed it did not contain the two required selectmen’s signatures. Selectman Spencer Booker had signed his own name and initialed on behalf of another selectman.
“He made a mistake. It happens,” Mr. Delaney told the Gazette.
Mr. Glavin, who owns Deca Construction, helped put on last summer’s Aquinnah Music Festival, a concert in support of WVVY radio station. Mr. Cammann produces live musical events.
The pair submitted a proposal to selectmen earlier this month for an entertainment facility at the location.
“We propose to create the necessary infrastructure to make possible the reproduction of theatrical, musical, dance, cultural and audio/visual events in the circle,” the proposal says. “A truly unique and universally appealing venue for concerts, children’s programs, fund-raisers for nonprofits, town events and tribe related functions.”
The proposal argues that the natural limits on venue size will be imposed by the limited parking around the cliffs.
Town administrator Jeff Burgoyne said the lease may require approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission as well as consent from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). And he said the leasing opportunity would also have to go out for a public bidding process in the event that it is approved in principle by the town.
Mr. Burgoyne said the tribe has not been contacted officially about the proposal.
Speaking at the selectmen’s meeting, Mr. Cammann said he planned to talk with members of the tribe in the coming week.
A request for $4,500 to complete burial of utility lines at the Aquinnah circle also threw up a potential legal question; does the burial of utility lines at the Aquinnah cliffs qualify as a Community Preservation Act project for funding?
Voters approved $8,800 in CPA money to help bury the lines at annual town meeting last summer. Town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport raised doubts about the legality of this use of CPA money to supplement the job.
Mr. Newman said the CPC money issue must be resolved since it affects the stabilization fund request.
Meanwhile there is ongoing concern about achieving a quorum for a meeting.
Two town meetings last October and December were postponed for lack of voters. Most of the items on the latest warrant date back to October.
Aquinnah requires 39 voters or 10 per cent of the registered voters, to obtain a quorum.
Among the housekeeping articles is $500 for a town Web site, still under production, which has been temporarily paid by Mr. Burgoyne from his personal account.
A $1,500 payment is still due for towing abandoned boats from the Menemsha Pond carried out last summer.
And at the town hall, employees are waiting for a new furnace. Selectmen are requesting $8,500 from the stabilization fund to buy and install a replacement for a 15-year-old boiler that has functioned only sporadically for some time.
Mr. Newman said the proposal is likely to attract voter interest. He also predicted that two articles relating to the potential sale of landlocked town owned land may prove controversial.
The articles concern the auctioning of a tract of town land, off Lighthouse Road, sandwiched between private residences with no road access.
The minimum bid would be set at $600,000, the town assessed value of the land. Bidding would be limited to abutters. A proviso in the article would prevent a buyer from subdividing the lot and introducing road access.
“It would be good to get the land back on the tax rolls,” said Mr. Newman, adding: “The town could certainly use the money.”
In other business selectmen approved hiring Elizabeth Holtham as Internet developer. The town will pay $1,250 for the initial set-up of the Web site, which will provide meeting schedules and minutes and other information. The town has $250 per month available for the site maintenance.
Mr. Delaney was appointed as the town’s first trench inspector.
The job will be to oversee the size and condition of any town ditches. He will receive $40 per inspection and anticipates handling just two to three trench cases per year.
“You sure you won’t need a deputy, Walter?” quipped Mr. Newman before voting the appointment.
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