Deliveries to Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs by way of the Camp Ground will continue for now, as the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association works with business owners on a plan to ease congestion in the area.
At its meeting last weekend, the association voted to continue allowing delivery trucks on Central avenue, despite a recent prohibition of trucks longer than 20 feet on all Camp Ground roads.
The prohibition in April had come as a surprise to the town selectmen, who said last week they had been under the impression that a shared solution was being pursued as part of the town’s ongoing streetscape initiative.
Linda Jean’s restaurant owner Marc Hanover said that the new rule would prevent him from receiving deliveries altogether.
Selectman Gail Barmakian, who attended a meeting of the association board of directors on Saturday, said the newly renovated Montgomery Square, just beyond the pedestrian tunnel that leads through the Arcade Building on Circuit avenue, had triggered the recent confusion, since large trucks can no longer navigate that area as easily.
“Nobody knew they were going to do that,” she said of the renovation, which was completed over the winter and includes brick walkways, resident parking and a fountain. But she also believed a compromise was within reach. “It’s a beautiful park,” she said. “If you look at it — something can be worked out.”
Others had a slightly different view of what caused the confusion. Patricia Hahn, president of the Camp Meeting Association board of directors, said in an email Wednesday that issues related to noise and large trucks in the Camp Ground go back many years.
“Last summer it hit a peak,” she said, noting that the association sent a letter to the selectmen asking for additional loading zones to be installed on Circuit avenue.
“Now that we have renovated Montgomery Square, we feel pedestrian traffic may increase,” Ms. Hahn said, also noting the existing hazard posed by large trucks. “Therefore, our board decided to limit their size.”
Camp Meeting executive director C.J. Rivard agreed that last summer was a turning point. “It was the wild west,” she said. “The trucks were out of control.” She added that Camp Ground roads were never meant for large vehicles, especially the full-sized tractor trailers that have become the norm for deliveries in recent years.
“It was an accident waiting to happen,” Ms. Rivard said, given the thousands of visitors that pass through the Camp Ground every summer. She said the new Montgomery Square had been three years in the making, with input from town officials.
But the new park and the new prohibition have created new problems for at least two Circuit avenue businesses that receive deliveries by way of Central avenue.
Mr. Hanover, who also met with the association on Saturday, said Central avenue is his only option for deliveries. As a compromise, he has asked the delivery companies not to use trucks longer than 36 feet. “That’s what fits into my loading dock without interfering with any of the CMA roads,” he told the Gazette.
Ms. Hahn said the association has granted waivers for both Mr. Hanover and Ryan’s Family Amusement president Rob Nichols for the year, although Mr. Hanover said he is still waiting for an official response to his proposal. He said the delivery companies have already switched to smaller trucks.
Mr. Nichols has also proposed using smaller trucks, although Ms. Rivard said those deliveries are less frequent and less of a concern.
The recent discussions have focused mostly on Linda Jean’s, which accounts for more of the weekly deliveries, although Ms. Rivard speculated that the larger trucks had been delivering to other Circuit avenue businesses as well. She pointed to loading zones on Kennebec and Lake avenues as an alternative.
Mr. Hanover saw some irony in the situation, recalling a time as recently as seven years ago when Central avenue saw twice as many trucks and deliveries.
“The traffic is minuscule compared to what it used to be,” he said, noting the closure of the Atlantic Connection night club in 2008 and Seasons Eatery and Pub in 2013, and the absence of pump trucks, now that the area is hooked up to the town sewer. “It’s a very changed landscape,” he said.
Looking ahead, Ms. Rivard said she believes Mr. Hanover’s proposal could help solve the problem, although it will depend on continued dialogue in the future. “As long as we can stick with that proposal, it’s going to work really well,” she said. She said she is hopeful that any glitches could be worked out before July.
Selectmen and association members alike noted a relatively amiable relationship in the past, and looked forward to improved communication in the future.
“It’s always been a pretty good working relationship,” Ms. Barmakian said.
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