Tisbury town leaders are pushing ahead to find funding for the long-planned connector road between State Road and the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road. On Tuesday selectmen voted to apply for $4 million in state grant money to build the road. The town hopes to build in two phases. In the first, $2.5 million phase, a road would be built between Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and Holmes Hole Road. A second, $1.5 million phase would connect that new road to High Point Lane.

Tisbury Department of Public Works (DPW) director Fred LaPiana said the plan is now being called an economic development project.

“It will be fairly significant in terms of its economic development,” Mr. LaPiana said on Wednesday. “It will make low-income housing opportunities available and will open up High Point Lane for other businesses. Easing congestion was the whole concept originally and as we got through the process we realized that this area of town would be great for smart-growth development.”

The town has been planning the project for at least a decade; last fall the town failed in its bid for $4 million in state department of transportation grant money.

“There were 25 proposals competing for $8 million,” said Mr. LaPiana. “Despite our presentations and representative support we didn’t win the day.” Now the town is trying to fund the project by going after a larger $68 million pool of grant money administered by the state department of housing and urban development. Mr. LaPiana is more optimistic this time around.

“We’re hoping we will be more successful because our commitment is that if we don’t make it this time we’ll be putting it on town meeting floor next time, because I know the town really wants this done,” he said.

On Tuesday selectmen also received an update from Joe Tierney on the trouble-plagued emergency services building. Mr. Tierney, who is chairman of the building committee for the project, said things had improved.

“It’s really taking on a much better appearance and there hasn’t been any water in the building for a week and it actually rained so we’re kind of excited about that,” he said. “[Seaver Construction] is saying they can have it done by the beginning of December. I won’t comment on that, but that’s what they’re saying.”

In other town building issues, Mr. Bugbee told the selectmen that $155,000 in CPA money tabbed to repaint the town hall, remove rotted clapboards and repair lower level windows would not be enough.

“The bids came in much higher, at about the $210,000 range so it looks like what we’re going to do is take out from the specifications the work on the lower level windows and fund those at a later point,” he said.

Mr. Bugbee said he expected to return to town meeting for money to pay for the window work, and he outlined the more serious problems with the historic building.

Selectmen expressed concern that the building had become something of a money pit in recent years. Selectman Tristan Israel directed Mr. Bugbee to compile a dollar figure for the past decade of work.

Next the board tackled smoking by cab drivers on town property.

“As a reformed smoker and a hypocrite I think it’s awful seeing someone standing outside a cab smoking a cigarette waiting for someone to get in their cab,” said Mr. Israel. “It’s our property at the steamship where they’re waiting. Ten to 15 feet away from the cab area seems like a reasonable distance where there should be no smoking by the drivers because it’s a privilege that we give them to drive.”

Mr. Bugbee said that town counsel indicated that the town could easily regulate smoking inside cabs but would have less leverage to do so outside.

Selectmen also struggled with the issue of a long-abandoned sailboat at the town DPW lot. The boat’s owner, Norman Ross, had been difficult to locate, Mr. Bugbee said. Selectmen would like to get rid of the boat.

“It looks like it’s going to be a very time-consuming process,” said Mr. Bugbee. “The problem in this case is due to the fact that the owner is unwilling to relinquish control of the vessel.”

Selectmen were incredulous that they were unable to dispose of a boat left on town property for what Mr. Israel estimated to be more than a decade.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “If I had a piece of property that I abandoned on town land at a certain point in time there’s got to be a point where the community is allowed to just deal with it.”

Selectmen also appointed Christopher Cini emergency management director, a title the interim director, selectman Jeffrey Kristal, was reluctant to relinquish.

“I just got a hat and I’ve got a T-shirt and a sweatshirt, I’ve had an earthquake and a hurricane and now you guys want me to give my position up?” he joked.

The board also approved a transient peddler’s license for Karen Trotier who is reopening a vintage clothing store at 151 Beach Road.