The fate of historic buildings, plastic bag bans and spending proposals from a new town hall to fire trucks will be up for discussion Tuesday as three Vineyard towns convene their annual town meetings.
The Island’s Super Tuesday features annual town meetings in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and West Tisbury. All begin at 7 p.m. Edgartown will gather at the Old Whaling Church, Oak Bluffs will meet at the high school Performing Arts Center, and the West Tisbury meeting takes place at the West Tisbury School.
Oak Bluffs will tackle a wide-ranging 48-item town meeting warrant that features several hotly debated issues. Voters will decide whether to borrow $9.9 million to build a new town hall, a proposal that failed three years ago at the ballot box and town officials say is badly needed.
Voters also will be asked to settle on a plan of action for the run-down Island Theatre on Circuit avenue, a long-running issue for town officials and source of debate among residents. A proposal to spend $200,000 on temporary repairs is on the table, though demolition has also been discussed. The town would recover the cost through liens on the property, which is owned by the Hall family.
Oak Bluffs will also debate two different bylaws banning single-use plastic bags. The bans, one proposed by the Vineyard Conservation Society and the other by business owners, differ in the type of plastic bags allowed, among other things. Amended moped bylaws and a petitioned article to declare three moped rental licenses in town null and void are also on the warrant.
The hot topic in Edgartown is a $3 million proposal for the town to acquire the run-down Yellow House on Main street by purchase or eminent domain. The building is owned by the Hall family and has been in a state of disrepair for more than a decade, and town officials said the acquisition would restore the heart of Main street and put an end to years of litigation with the Hall family. Benjamin L. Hall Jr., chief spokesman for the family, has said the property is worth more and that the family opposes the proposal.
The 69-item warrant also features a variety of spending proposals, including $600,000 for a new town dredge, $750,000 for a new pumper for the fire department, $250,000 to build bike paths on Meshacket Road and several spending proposals for repairs at the harbor and waterfront.
West Tisbury voters will take up an overdue plan for maintenance of town buildings, a series of Community Preservation Act spending articles, and a proposed bylaw to outlaw Jake braking, also known as exhaust braking, on town streets. Voters will also be asked to spend $460,000 for a new pumper truck for the fire department and $82,420 for repairs to town roads.
Voters in all three towns will revisit a previously-approved $2.5 million expansion plan for the Martha’s Vineyard Refuse District. The plan was approved by all towns two years ago but required approval again last year because of a technicality. That time Edgartown voters balked at the plan.
All Island towns will also be asked to decide whether to ask selectmen to “refrain from using town funds and/or resources to enforce federal immigration laws, in keeping with current practices, unless presented with a criminal warrant, or other evidence or probable cause” as required by the Constitution. We Stand Together, an Island coalition, submitted the article by petition.
Thursday is election day in all three towns. Oak Bluffs voters face a three-person race for two seats on the board of selectmen, and two people are running for one seat on the West Tisbury board of selectmen. In Edgartown the only contested race is for a five-year seat on the planning board.
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