Three months after missing a deadline to finish dredging Menemsha Channel, contractor J-Way Inc. of Avon, Ohio, has yet to remove its equipment from Menemsha Pond and West Basin Road, drawing sharp criticism from town officials.
As of this week, the company’s dredge was still perched on a barge at the north end of the pond, where work was halted Jan. 31 to allow for the migration of winter flounder. About 15,000 cubic yards of sand were pumped a mile and half down the road onto Lobsterville Beach in Aquinnah beginning late last year.
At their meeting Tuesday, Chilmark selectmen expressed continued frustration over the project, which they have opposed from the beginning, fearing an influx of larger boats in the pond. But the two towns, along with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), had little say in the matter, since the channel is a federal navigation project.
A Feb. 15 right of entry with the town of Aquinnah and the Tribe had been extended to April 15.
“It’s not just us making noise, it’s everyone,” Chilmark harbor master Dennis Jason said on Tuesday, noting that the Coast Guard requires lights to mark the navigational hazard.
Selectman Warren Doty took aim at the Army Corps of Engineers itself, which is managing the project. “I thought when this contract went out, that it was going out to a top-notch group,” he said. “They know how to build things in Iraq.”
Chilmark executive secretary Tim Carroll said the Army Corps was working to have the dredge removed. But it appeared that the town’s authority was limited to a no-trespassing order and a $300 fine. He said various state departments were looking for other options. “They all agree it’s a hazard to navigation, and they all agree that the Corps of Engineers had the primary responsibility of doing what they are supposed to do,” he said.
Mr. Carroll suggested placing lighted buoys around the dredge, since that may leave the town unaccountable in the case of an accident.
“If we put a light on that barge and the light goes out and someone hits it, we now own all of the liability,” he said.
“This is truly a safety issue,” said selectman Bill Rossi, who also favored the buoy option.
In other business Tuesday, the selectmen awarded four new oyster grants in Menemsha Pond, with each site occupying about 1.4 acres. The recipients are Jesse Burton, Elisha Wiesner, Walter Wlodyka and his son Lev Wlodyka.
American Tower Corporation of Boston plans to bring four trash receptacles that double as wifi antennas to Menemsha this summer. The so-called TelecomTrash Stations would be provided free of charge for a two-year trial period, after which the company hopes to negotiate a monthly fee. Mr. Carroll said the goal was to provide backup service for boaters and the harbor department, as well as the nearby shops that use smartphones or tablets to conduct sales.
But newly-elected selectman Jim Malkin questioned the need to have wifi on the beach. The selectmen eventually approved the proposal, minus the receptacle closest to the beach.
Island schools superintendent Matthew D’Andrea, along with business manager Amy Tierney and others, attended the meeting to answer questions about a $995,000 request for capital improvement projects at the West Tisbury and Chilmark schools. The selectmen were notified of the request on March 30, starting a 60-day window to hold a town meeting to turn it down, or otherwise take no action and accept their share of the cost.
Mr. Doty said Tuesday that many people were surprised that the request had not come during the town budget process, which was finished by late March.
Ms. Tierney said the spending itself had been discussed with the town, but that the borrowing wasn’t found to be necessary until later. “When they came close to $1 million, we realized that we really needed to borrow as opposed to trying to piece it out year after year,” she said of the projects.
Improvements to the Chilmark School would include completion of a new heating system for $200,000, along with roof and gutter work totaling $86,900. Chilmark will pay 80 per cent, with West Tisbury and Aquinnah each covering 10 per cent.
Selectmen also agreed to pay for a new culvert at the intersection of North Road and Spring Point, where drainage has been an issue, with the assumption that the Spring Point homeowners association would pay for a new asphalt apron at the site.
Mr. Malkin pointed out that the project involves a private road. “We have a significantly low tax rate as well as all sorts of other good things,” he said of the town. “I don’t think it’s really up to us to bear the whole cost of this.”
Kent Healy, who has drawn up preliminary plans for the site, provided rough estimates of $8,000 for the culvert and $1,500 for the apron.
Jim Glavin described his own plans to repair the Lucy Vincent Beach Road where water has been running down from Azalea Lane. The selectmen approved up to $4,500 to grade and repair the road, pressing for the project to begin as soon as possible.
Caitlin Cook and her young daughter Maeve Cook-Martin requested a new road name at Nab’s Corner where they now live. Maeve had written to the selectmen in April suggesting the name Little Wing Road. Ms. Cook said it was a reference to a song by Jimi Hendrix and reflected the spirit of the neighborhood, where the town has provided several affordable homesites through a lottery process.
“It was an amazing moment that we all got these lots, and we already had connections,” Ms. Cook said of the community, which includes artists. “I think Little Wing Road somehow speaks for all of us.”
The selectmen unanimously accepted the proposal.
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