Chilmark selectmen voted Tuesday to upgrade the retirement policy for Tri-Town Ambulance paramedics.
Six full-time paramedics will be moved from group one to group four retirement plan, granting them improved retirement benefits and setting eligible retirement at age 55, with mandatory retirement age set at 65.
A 2008 Massachusetts law allows towns to accept the costs of moving public medical services employees into retirement plans classified for public safety employees.
Kelly McCracken, administrator the Dukes County Retirement Board, said by phone the next day that group one retirement in Massachusetts is typically for administrative positions and group four is for public safety jobs. She said EMS employees were not included in the original definition of group four; as a result towns must vote to adopt the 2008 act to change the classification.
“It allows them to retire earlier with a slightly better pension,” she said.
West Tisbury and Aquinnah have also voted to make the change.
Tri-Town Ambulance chief Ben Retmier told selectmen that he requested the change in order to follow the state standard for public safety employees.
“It’s the same as police and firefighters across the Island,” he said.
“It is a physically demanding job,” said selectman Warren Doty. “Giving people an option to leave it at an earlier age I think is a good thing.”
The estimated annual cost to the three towns for the change is about $96,000, according to Chilmark executive secretary Timothy Carroll.
Mr. Retmier also expressed concern about the state of the current Tri-Town facility in West Tisbury and urged selectmen to quickly come to an agreement on plans for a new Chilmark emergency services building.
“We have been appreciative of efforts to accommodate us, but we have outgrown our facility. We just want to help keep pushing the ball forward and get a proper facility for tritown and our employees,” he said.
“We’re moving as fast as our government process allows,” said selectman Bill Rossi.
In other business, selectmen agreed to ask the planning board to explore writing a bylaw banning amplified music in the town after 10 p.m. Mr. Doty said he received noise complaints from two weddings taking place at Menemsha Hills last week with music that continued past 10 p.m. He said the police were called.
“I always assumed we had a rule that amplified music had to end by 10 p.m.,” he said.
“There is a rule, it’s just not a bylaw,” said selectman Bill Rossi. He said a penalty should be attached to any proposed bylaw “just so everyone knows that it’s an enforceable law.”
Rob Hanneman of the Vineyard Sustainable Energy Committee got a green light to develop and head a five-member town energy committee. He said the committee will look into options for installing air conditioning in the Chilmark Community Center by next summer. He said residents interested in joining can contact him or the town.
“Me wandering around as the lone ranger on energy issues in town is actually not the best thing,” Mr. Hanneman said. “There are other people that can add a lot of value.”
The board approved plans for a new pedestrian path on Basin Road along the DiMaura property.
“I think it’s really going to be an improvement, especially in the summer where it will be a lot safer,” Mr. Rossi said.
A public hearing to replace the tennis shack at the Chilmark Community Center with a new structure will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 4:35 p.m. in the Chilmark town hall.
Selectmen agreed to adopt a resolution from Chilmark library director Ebba Hierta proclaiming Friday, Oct. 5 Chilmark Friendship Day to welcome visitors from Chilmark’s sister town of Chilmark, England. The library and Chilmark historical society will hold a reception in the library at noon.
“Tea and lobster rolls,” joked chairman Jim Malkin.
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