The long search for a public safety building site in Chilmark has again turned to a property just south of the Chilmark Community Center.

But the owner has declined to sell, sparking discussion last week about a possible eminent domain taking.

In a letter to property owner Helen Benham in June, selectman Warren Doty said the current fire station on the Menemsha Crossroad is inadequate for the town’s needs, and asked her to consider making three acres of her 10-acre property available to the town.

“We would like to work with you on the proposed location and configuration of the property, and to negotiate a fair purchase price,” Mr. Doty wrote, adding that a town meeting vote would be needed to acquire the property.

Ms. Benham responded that she had other plans for the site, including a home business and possibly a youth housing lot. “In any case, it is not available for development by the town,” she wrote.

A joint meeting of the selectmen, finance committee and public safety building site committee last week explored the possibility of taking four acres of the land through eminent domain, arranging a land swap, and even relocating the Chilmark Community Center to create more space in the center of town.

“It’s black-letter law that a town may exercise the power of eminent domain to take [land] for public safety,” said building site committee chairman Andy Goldman. “We are not coming here because we want to recommend eminent domain, but because we have been backed into that situation.”

Selectmen Warren Doty, Bill Rossi and executive secretary Timothy Carroll ponder alternatives for public safety building at meeting last week. — Alex Elvin

Plans to buy a piece of land behind the town hall appeared all but certain last winter until fire chief David Norton raised concerns about the suitability of the site. As a result, a purchase and sale agreement for the property was scrapped. Prior to that, the selectmen had hoped to buy the former Santander Bank property across from the Community Center, but those plans also fell through when the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank purchased the property last summer.

The search for land for a new fire station goes back 15 years or more. On every occasion, the building site committee has pointed to the center of town as the best location. The property south of the community center has been singled out before, committee member Tim Rich said, although the owners at the time had eventually soured to the idea.

“If this were 25 years ago in Chilmark, I would say the idea would be dead on arrival,” he said. “This is an important decision and we really want to get it right.” In response to suggestions that the committee explore Peaked Hill as a possible site, he said the road itself would be a problem for the trucks. He also warned against building in areas that could be cut off during storms.

Other potential sites were ruled out for their size, distance from the center of town or proximity to wetlands.

Mr. Goldman noted the possibility of relocating the Community Center to Peaked Hill, but the idea had no takers. “That would be the political equivalent of touching the third rail,” said Mr. Rich, the former town police chief who served on the Community Center board for many years. “I think you’d alienate a lot of people.”

Mr. Doty and selectman Bill Rossi, who sits on the building site committee, agreed.

Several agreed that Ms. Benham’s property could suit the needs of both the fire department and Tri-Town Ambulance Service, although they regretted having to consider a taking.

“I think we have found a place — although none of us want to go eminent domain — that would be ideal in terms of response time,” said building site committee member Elizabeth Gude. “I hope we can sort the rest of it out and see if it would be possible.”

Mr. Rossi called eminent domain a last resort. “This is not a conclusion that we’ve come to lightly, and we’ve made every attempt to purchase the land outright, or look for alternate sites,” he said. “I think this is about the public good.”

He welcomed the idea of a land swap, as had been proposed in the past, and suggested offering even more then an equal amount of town-owned forest in exchange for the four acres. “We would be more than happy to provide that swap,” Mr. Rossi said.

The selectmen took no formal action, but said they planned to continue negotiating with Ms. Benham.

Any decision to take the land by eminent domain would require a two-thirds vote of approval at town meeting.