With a new town hall on the horizon in Oak Bluffs, town leaders are grappling with the question of where to put town offices during construction. A proposal to house some or all of the offices at the regional high school has stirred debate in recent days.
At an Oak Bluffs selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, town administrator Robert Whritenour offered a brief update on the proposal, which he said would involve the town investing money to improve the school facilities. However, some school activities would need to take place in temporary trailers during the project. Mr. Whritenour said that as a backup plan, the town offices would move into temporary trailers on town property.
Capital program committee chairman Bill McGrath said relocating to the school would keep more money on the Island, although the selectmen’s office and possibly the information technology department might be housed separately in the town fire station. He said the project to use existing buildings instead of trailers was still gaining public support, but he called it a win-win situation.
But not everyone was so optimistic.
“This is a really big item for our community,” said selectman and planning board member Brian Packish, who had questioned the proposal at a recent meeting of the regional high school committee. “It’s really not that shiny a diamond when you get to the bottom of this proposal.”
He noted the estimated $180,000 cost to the town, and criticized the building committee for what he saw as putting its own agenda ahead of the public process. He also raised concerns about the possibility of some town departments being isolated on a different site.
John Lebicka of Daedalus Projects Inc., which is managing the town hall project, pointed out that a final proposal for relocating the offices was still in the works, and that a high school committee meeting on June 26 might shed more light on the subject.
A public forum to address the issue scheduled to take place at the high school Performing Arts Center Wednesday has been cancelled.
In other business, the selectmen designated a town-owned property on the corner of Linwood avenue and Front street for affordable housing. The approximately 5,000 square foot property will add to an existing area where the town plans to create home-ownership opportunities. Selectmen also discussed the possibility of designating a 4 to 5-acre property on the corner of County Road and Jessica Lane for affordable homes or homesites, although that discussion was put on hold to explore options for the site.
The selectmen, along with the town affordable housing committee and planning board, will hold a joint meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20 to discuss the town’s draft housing production plan, which among other things identifies properties that could be used for affordable housing.
In light of an updated agreement with the Martha’s Vineyard Skatepark, the selectmen raised concerns about whether the town should continue providing maintenance for the park, which serves all six Island towns.
“This is yet another example of a regional benefit that we are shouldering,” selectman Gail Barmakian said. “We are doing the same thing over and over. And while it’s a wonderful idea, we need contributions.”
Others agreed that the town should draw the line, although Mr. Coogan questioned whether the skate park could exist without the town assuming liability for maintenance. He asked Mr. Whritenour to consult town counsel about whether the town’s agreement to handle cleaning and repairs was in fact meant to cover liability. The selectmen also agreed to invite the skate park association to a future meeting and try to work out an alternate agreement.
Mr. Whritenour said emergency repairs on the Island Theatre are underway, with exterior painting expected to begin early next week. The repairs were ordered by a superior court judge last month in response to a formal complaint by the town. The historic but crumbling theatre at the foot of Circuit avenue has been a source of public concern in recent years.
The selectmen also agreed to send a letter to the state Department of Agriculture to oppose Eversource Energy’s plan to apply herbicides under its power lines in Vineyard Haven. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission, along with the Vineyard Haven selectmen and board of health, have also sent letters to the department, which is responsible for approving the plan.
Commission executive director Adam Turner, who attended the meeting on Tuesday, said Eversource has declined to communicate on the matter, or even to say when the herbicide application would begin.
“We’re not going to talk to Eversource anymore,” he said. “But we do feel like the Department of Agriculture owes us an explanation, and also owes us some analysis of what the long-term effects of these chemicals are.”
He added that the commission has devoted some of its own money to studying the long-term effects of herbicides on the environment. The selectmen welcomed the opportunity to formally oppose the plan.
“I think that’s one train we should jump on,” selectman Kathy Burton said.
The selectmen also signed on to the state’s Complete Streets program, which could provide funding for town projects that follow certain guidelines. Mr. Whritenour said the town already follows those guidelines in practice, and would not end up with any additional requirements as a result of joining the program. “I don’t really see much of a downside,” he said.
The selectmen approved the request unanimously.
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