A Tisbury youth was honored at the selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday. Rasmus Sayre, 13, who only a few weeks ago rescued a helpless fellow competitor from the waters in Mexico, was called a hero by the selectmen.

Selectmen presented Rasmus with a plaque reading: “On this day, the board of selectmen and the citizens of the town of Tisbury honor Rasmus Sayre for his heroism, courage and selfless action to safe the life of another....”

On Saturday, Feb. 19, the young windsurfer was competing in the North American windsurfing competition in Cozumul. As the Gazette previously reported, Rasmus was winning the morning race when he saw another racer who had fallen from her windsurfer. In high seas, strong winds and current, Rasmus abandoned the race to make the rescue.

Jeffrey C. Kristal, chairman of the selectmen, said: “This type of recognition is important, and it something we should do more of.

“Rasmus’s decision to abandon the race in favor of assisting a racer in desperate need of help showed maturity far beyond his years.”

It was the start of a three-hour meeting that included reviewing drafts of the special and annual town meeting warrants.

John Best, chairman of the wastewater committee, came before the board to report on efforts to plan for both increasing the usage of the seven-year-old wastewater treatment plant and expanding it.

Mr. Best said the process for expanding customer flows to the treatment plant was taking place too quickly. He also said the granting of increased usage by commercial users needed to be more fair and transparent.

Though the facility was built to handle 100,000 gallons a day, it is only now using 60,000 gallons on a busy day in summer. He said some customers have not yet tied into the facility; any planning needs to take into account the current and future needs. He said there are commercial users who want to expand their flows to the plant. Mr. Best said allowing that should be far more public process than it is.

Selectman Kristal disagreed. He said that no increased flows had been allowed without a public process.

Mr. Best said an article in the April annual town meeting would call for spending $50,000 to hire experts to assist in planning for the facility’s future, but “it may be as little as $25,000.

“We are asking someone to tell us what we need to ask for,” Mr. Best said, adding that expanding the wastewater facility is a complicated process and his committee needs guidance.

The Steamship Authority ferries will be among the newest customers to the wastewater plant. New regulations prohibit the boatline from discharging into the waters between the Vineyard and Woods Hole, so SSA officials are looking at discharging effluent at ports. Voters will have an opportunity to approve the change, estimated to be no more than 5,000 gallons a day, at the special town meeting on Tuesday, April 5.

Vineyard Haven harbor master Jay Wilbur said the new town patrol boat will be ready in June. Mr. Wilbur said he just returned from Palacios, Tex., where the $250,000 boat is being built. The boat is being paid for through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act security grant. The 25-foot aluminum boat when completed will have firefighting capability.

Voters at the town meeting will be asked to purchase a $150,000 front end loader for the Department of Public Works. DPW director Fred LaPiana said it would replace a 20-year-old vehicle that has a cracked block, failed hydraulics and other problems.

The DPW is also looking at purchasing a small dump truck and a refuse collection vehicle.