Traffic concerns, official appointments and herbicide application topped a full agenda as Tisbury selectmen met Tuesday night.
After receiving a letter in July from power company NStar stating its plans to selectively apply herbicide along power lines on rights of way, the board discussed options for responding to the correspondence.
“We’ve objected in the past to their methods of spraying along the power lines, and so have a lot of communities on the Cape,” selectman Tristan Israel said. Board chairman Jonathan Snyder also noted opposition to the materials used in spraying.
Mr. Israel said the state had already ruled last year that NStar was allowed to continue its current practices, but that he felt the town should nevertheless take some sort of measure against the practice.
Board of health member Michael Loberg, who attended the meeting, said the town’s best option was to request that NStar strictly adhere to its yearly operating plan. Mr. Loberg said last year NStar did not notify the board of health before they began work. A state-required notice appeared in the Cape Cod Times, but not on the Island.
“They have not treated us well, NStar hasn’t, and they need to treat us better,” Mr. Loberg said. “I think there’s every reason to write them a tough letter.”
Selectmen also voted to send a letter to the Steamship Authority regarding July correspondence. Mr. Israel said he was disappointed with how the Steamship Authority had responded to Tisbury’s requests for more dialogue regarding the design of a new ferry.
“I think they could have done a better job of engaging our community earlier,” he said. Mr. Israel added that the SSA had not fully honored the town’s designation of the harbor as a district of critical planning concern.
The board announced that a public forum would be held Sept. 16 regarding future plans for Beach Road. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is working on a $1 million improvement plan for the area between Five Corners and the Lagoon Pond bridge. The project is in the initial design phase.
Selectmen approved funding for a feasibility study to explore baling and barging trash from Tisbury and Oak Bluffs. The feasibility study would cost no more than $25,000 total, town administrator John (Jay) Grande said, with both towns paying a share.
Harbor master Jay Wilbur reported that a new anchorage rule enforcing a three-day limit in all town waterways had been a summer success.
“I can see all kinds of advantages to that already,” he said. “We have way fewer derelict boats at this time of year than we usually do because we’ve been right on top of them all the time. We’ve had a reason to go out there and contact them.”
In other business, the second annual electrical plug-in day was confirmed for Sept. 20. The event will be held at the Cronig’s parking lot from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Attendees will be able to test-drive a number of electric vehicles, including motorcycles.
The Rotary Club’s sixth annual Cycle MV event will take place Oct. 4.
The board approved creation of a traffic committee, which will tackle short-term solutions to improving vehicle congestion and traffic flow in town. The five-member committee will consist of representatives from the selectmen, planning board, and police department, as well as two at-large members.
Selectmen also appointed Ruben Cronig to the finance committee and Ben Robinson to the planning board. Harold Chapdelaine was appointed as a Tisbury representative to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Mr. Chapdelaine’s term runs through Dec. 31, at which point he can be reappointed. Mr. Israel thanked outgoing member Ned Orleans for his years of service on the commission.
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