An Oak Bluffs family this week won the right to buy a refurbished home that became available last year through a bequest from the late Lorraine and Napoleon Pinckney. The affordable home award was announced at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday evening.
Out of 20 applications, Oneil Wilson, Claudia Murillo and their son Alex rose to the top as the only family that met all the criteria to buy the home at 42 Richmond avenue for a below-market price of $225,000.
Applicants were required to meet an extensive set of criteria that included an income below 80 per cent of the average median income and pre-approval for a mortgage. Income guidelines ranged from an annual salary of $46,100 for one person, to $71,100 for a five-person household.
On income and mortgage criteria, seven families qualified to enter the lottery, which was supervised by David Vigneault, executive director of the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority.
The complex lottery procedure also gave preference to a family of three or more, then gave preference to an applicant who currently lives or works in Oak Bluffs.
As the lone applicants who qualified under all criteria and preferences, Mr. Wilson and Ms. Murillo were awarded the right to buy the home without a lottery. The names of the six other applicants who qualified were drawn in a lottery Tuesday evening as alternates. The alternates will have the opportunity to buy the home if Mr. Wilson and Ms. Murillo cannot complete the sale process.
Napolean Pinckney died in 2010; Lorraine died in 2014. Following Lorraine’s death, through their estate, the Pinckneys gifted two homes to Island nonprofits. One went to Island Elderly Housing, and the home at 42 Richmond avenue went to the Island Affordable Housing Trust. With the help of funding from the town community preservation fund and also TRI, a nonprofit community development corporation, the housing trust completed substantial improvements on the house, including a deep energy retrofit that added extensive insulation and a new heating system.
The assessed value of the home was $327,300 when last reviewed by town assessors in 2012, according to tax records.
“It was a unique opportunity,” Mr. Vigneault said of the recent lottery process. “Ownership lotteries have been a bit quieter the last half-dozen years. There was a lot more interest this time. It was fun. Hopefully a sign of better things to come.” He added: “These are always bittersweet, there’s always one winner, the rest are alternates.”
Also on Tuesday, selectmen voted to grant a one-day beer and wine license to promoters planning a music festival in Waban Park next summer. Originally proposed as a two-day festival in August for as many as 7,500, Martha’s Vineyard Music Festival organizers revised their plans to a one-day event on August 6, with a maximum of 3,000 people.
“I think it’s a very reasonable request,” said selectman Kathy Burton. “I think you’ve responded to most of our concerns.”
Selectman Gail Barmakian objected to the August date.
“It’s really bad, the date is pretty bad,” Ms. Barmakian said. “I don’t see the need, especially that location. I don’t think it’s the right venue, especially at this time of the year.”
Ms. Barmakian eventually voted to approve the alcohol license, along with the other four selectmen.
Festival organizers still need a permit from the parks commission, which will require detailed plans and fees in advance for police details and infrastructure costs.
Selectmen also voted to approve a letter of support for a $750,000 grant to install a permeable barrier along a short stretch of the Lagoon Pond shoreline, designed to mitigate nitrogen flowing into the pond from septic systems and other sources.
“This is going to be part of a bigger solution,” Ms. Barmakian said. “It’s a 90 per cent grant, the town will have to come up with 10 per cent of the award.”
Oak Bluffs Association executive director Christine Todd outlined work her organization is doing to create a trash awareness campaign, to cut down on downtown littering. Among the actions under consideration are more police enforcement, a dedicated highway department employee and outreach to local businesses, including take-out eateries, to provide better management of trash that originates in their business.
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