The Oak Bluffs selectmen took the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company to task this week for parking tour vans along Circuit avenue extension and other parts of downtown, which they say runs counter to their approval of a street license in January.

Selectman Kathy Burton acknowledged a wave of recent complaints over the blocked parking spots in the congested downtown area. “It seems like we need to remind everyone of the rules,” she said at the Tuesday selectmen’s meeting, although there was later confusion over exactly what permits are required.

The selectmen had unanimously approved a municipal street license for the company, which allowed it to drive vans on Lake avenue and Beach Road as part of the company’s Island tours. All six Island towns have granted similar licenses to the company, which also has a license from the state allowing it to collect passengers from public streets.

Caleb Caldwell, a co-owner of the Land and Wharf Company and Dockside Inn, downplayed complaints over tour-hawking this year, and sought to clarify the company’s intent in light of the January meeting, which selectmen said had led them to believe that tours would serve hotel guests, with staging on hotel property.

“I apologize if the takeaway on the part of the board was that we were limiting our customer base strictly to our hotel,” Mr. Caldwell said Tuesday. “That’s not a viable business model.” He added that the intention was for the Dockside Inn to serve as an assembly place for the company’s tour customers, and said the parking situation for commercial vehicles in the area was a “level playing field.”

“That’s deceiving,” selectman Michael Santoro said.

Oak Bluffs police chief Erik Blake, who attended the meeting, also raised concerns. “Why are the vans parked in front of my police station?” he said. “Your license says you can do that, but that’s not what I thought you guys would be doing.”

Selectmen Gail Barmakian said tour buses in town could park in loading zones, but not in designated parking spots. “It was going to be contained,” she said of the original proposal, “and that’s just absolutely not the case.”

Complaints have also focused on sandwich-board signs downtown, and reports of an employee dressed in a lobster suit to attract customers. Lobster suits did not enter the discussion on Tuesday, although selectman Brian Packish pointed out the need for sign permits in the downtown area.

Scott Dario, who owns the tour bus company Island Transportation and attended the meeting, said after reviewing a video of the meeting in January he concluded the selectmen had been duped into granting the street license so that the Land and Wharf Company could then apply for the state license. He disagreed that tour companies have a level playing field in terms of parking, since he pays a fee to stage his busses downtown.

“I myself don’t know why I’m really paying the town of Oak Bluffs for staging my buses, which is substantial money, because you have taken the liberty to park all three vans, all at once, every day for the last five weeks on town property,” he told Mr. Caldwell.

Ms. Burton proposed doing some research to find out what licenses the Land and Wharf Company would need to continue its tours. She also said she would ask town counsel Ronald Rappaport about the possibility of revoking the earlier street license.

Mr. Santoro expressed regret over the situation, which he said could be remedied by sticking to the original plan. “The vans look awesome,” he said.

In other business, selectmen voiced strong apprehension over plans for the second Martha’s Vineyard Craft Beer Festival, slated for Sept. 22 to 24 at Waban Park. Pointing to a lack of organization surrounding last year’s festival at Washington Park, they declined to grant a liquor license until event planners show a more detailed plan.

“It was the most unorganized event that this town has ever seen,” said Mr. Santoro, who noted a large number of complaints last year and delayed payment for a fire department detail.

But selectman Greg Coogan was more forgiving, calling the event a success for both the town and those who attended. “There were certainly a few neighbors who came and said the sky was falling,” he said. “What I viewed was not as bad as they put it.” He agreed with others that the event was disorganized.

Plans this year call for the event to take place on the back side of Waban Park (away from the ocean), although neighbors have raised concerns about live music. Amy Billings, a member of the town parks commission which is working with event planners, said one option would be to aim the speakers toward the ocean.

Oraibi Voumard, who appeared on behalf of event manager Erin Bayer Santos, said the area would be fenced off, and that a sound engineer would respond to concerns from abutters, among other measures. But the selectmen questioned whether Mrs. Santos would run a tighter ship this year and expressed concern that she was not present at the meeting. Mr. Voumard offered to take on whatever responsibilities were required himself, but that fueled more apprehension.

“This is just another indication of being somewhat irresponsible, doing a major event and not being able to appear.” Ms. Barmakian said. “When can she ever come before us?” Mr. Voumard couldn’t say.

The project heads back to the parks commission on July 10, and the selectmen agreed to put it on their agenda for July 11. But Mr. Packish said event planners were late to the game. “For me, as always, process occurs first with people, which is notification to the abutters,” he said. “Everybody weighs in.”

“I don’t think anybody here is against it,” Mr. Coogan said of the festival. “I think we just don’t need it to be as haphazard as it was last year.”