The Edgartown selectmen on Tuesday unanimously rejected a proposal by shoe company M. Gemi to sell Italian shoes with complementary gelato out of a truck on Main street this summer.
“I think it’s a bad precedent to set,” selectman Margaret Serpa said at the meeting, which ran the gamut of springtime issues, including tree plantings, parking regulations and yard sale permits.
“We just don’t have space for anything down there,” selectman Michael Donaroma said of the area at the foot of Main street, which is bustling in the summer.
Sinclair Knauff, senior partnerships manager at Village Marketing, had made the proposal on behalf of M. Gemi, a luxury shoe store based in New York city. Edgartown would have been one stop on its vintage gelato truck tour this summer. Selectmen cited concerns about space and precedent. Edgartown police chief Dave Rossi, who attended the meeting, also dismissed the proposal. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said.
In other business, the selectmen unanimously approved a pop-up store at 40 Main street, where businessman Gerret Conover plans to set up a real estate annex. The building is owned by the Hall family and formerly housed a liquor store. Mr. Conover said the space has been gutted, but he plans to fix it up with walls, electricity and basic furnishings. “It would be better than having it like it is,” he said, adding that someone else might want to make further improvements next year.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Mr. Donaroma said.
The selectmen voted not to allow the owners of 23 Morse street to delay planting a pear tree near their house. The selectmen had required the replacement planting last fall, and later allowed a smaller tree instead. Landscape designer Lil Province said her clients would rather delay the planting until next spring, at least partly because of drainage problems that came up over the winter.
Mr. Donaroma, who owns Donaroma’s Landscaping and Nursery Services, said contractor Kevin Cusack and architect Patrick Ahearn, who are on the job, should be able to handle any drainage issues at the site.
“We are trying to hold the line on this all over town,” he said of requisite tree plantings in general. “This one has already gone over.”
The owners now have until the end of September to plant the tree.
Town administrator Pam Dolby said the town plans to send letters to a number of homeowners who have failed to plant trees in the time allowed by the selectmen.
The selectmen approved two yard sale permits.
Town police have begun informing residents that cars parked in the lot off Dark Woods Road for extended periods must be gone by June 9, or be towed at the owner’s expense. Mr. Rossi said there were about 10 such cars in the lot.
“Certified letters have been mailed, and enforcement action is imminent,” the police department said in a Facebook post last week. “This will include criminal charges.”
Proposed revisions to the town shellfish bylaw will be aired at a public hearing June 19 at 4 p.m. The proposals include a number of clarifications, and a new schedules of penalties. The proposed changes are available on the town website and in town hall.
Mr. Donaroma noted progress in an effort to dredge Lighthouse Pond, which lies just north of the Edgartown Lighthouse. The Woods Hole Group has completed a study of the pond, including its plant life and former shellfish, Mr. Donaroma said, and the results will be sent to the state as part of the review process.
“You never know what the state is going say, but I think it’s moving along well,” he said.
The selectmen voted not to grant a taxi license to Jermaine Sharpe, who had been offered a job at Adam Cab but was convicted of operating under the influence within the last year. Mr. Sharpe told the selectmen he hasn’t had a drink in five months, and has been invited to be a recovery coach for someone dealing with a similar problem.
Mr. Rossi, who initially denied the permit, said he would rather revisit the issue next year. “It’s not a violent crime,” he said of the OUI. He added: “I think he’s a decent kid . . . but this was within a year.”
The selectmen agreed unanimously to uphold the denial at least until after Mr. Sharpe’s probationary period is cleared by the court.
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