Chilmark voters sped through the majority of articles at a special town meeting Monday night, but money for Menemsha improvements, harbor master training and use of property behind the town landfill saw debate.
A total of 95 of the town’s 1,006 registered voters filed through the doors of the Chilmark Community Center before moderator Everett Poole called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. There were 15 articles on the warrant.
The meeting began with a moment of silence for Chilmark residents who died recently: Jimmy Morgan, Harriette Poole Otteson, Mark London and photographer Peter Simon.
Mr. Simon died this week.
“He was often in the front row at our town meetings taking photos,” selectman Warren Doty said.
Voters approved a request for an additional $15,000 to construct a bus turnaround north of the Menemsha comfort station after debate over how the project would affect the surrounding area.
“I’ve been opposed to this plan,” said Menemsha Texaco co-owner Katie Carroll. “This proposal is a dramatic change in the aesthetic of the open space we have. The bus turnaround will interfere with the safety of the beach to bathroom pathway.”
Barbara Armstrong agreed. “I find this whole plan extremely invasive onto beautiful natural area,” she said. “I think it’s a slippery slope. Once we start . . . we may ask for more parking to be put back there.”
But conservation commission member Chris Murphy said the project is needed to ease the growing problem with traffic congestion in Menemsha.
“This isn’t going to go away and we need to deal with it,” Mr. Murphy said. “This isn’t the right solution for forever, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Voters also approved a request for $22,000 to build a pedestrian walkway along Basin Road, but a followup article for $27,000 to build another walkway on North Road narrowly failed.
Reading a prepared statement, Debbie Packer claimed the walkway plans include Native American burial ground land.
“As a town we can choose to protect and leave undisturbed this Native American archeological site and still preserve pedestrian safety,” she said.
In a 40-37 standing vote, voters approved $24,000 for three months of training for the new harbor master after current harbor master Dennis Jason leaves his post in June.
Ms. Carroll questioned what the $24,000 was based on and called the overlap training excessive. Assistant harbor master Richard Steves agreed.
“Having worked there for 18 years, I think it’s excessive,” he said. “It’s certainly not going to take three months.”
But selectmen Jim Malkin and Bill Rossi said the new harbor master will have a lot to learn and just a few months to prepare for the busy summer season.
“I don’t feel it’s excessive at all,” said Mr. Rossi.
An article requesting $15,000 for the design and layout of eight acres behind the town dump for various municipal uses passed after three proposed amendments failed.
Building inspector Leonard Jason Jr. asked that the town not allow commercial fishermen to store equipment on the land.
“They should stick their gear on their own property,” he said.
“We don’t have room in Menemsha for storage of all fishing equipment,” Mr. Doty responded.
Pam and Heather Goff both proposed that language be added to allow the use of the land for affordable housing, but town counsel Ronald Rappaport said the change was outside the scope of the article.
“The suggested use for this parcel really is detrimental to the neighborhood . . . I think we’d prefer seeing residences in that spot,” Mrs. Goff said.
Voters also approved:
• $5,000 for one month of training for a new fire chief starting in July;
• $25,000 for a new utility vehicle for the fire department;
• $100,000 to replenish the town’s rent subsidy program;
• $108,000 total for various town building improvement projects and reconstruction of a culvert at Tea Lane.
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