Chilmark selectmen signed a memorandum of understanding with the owners of Beetlebung Farm this week that clears the way for a new multi-purpose barn to go up on the small farm that spans the intersection at Beetlebung Corner.

Previously owned by the Fischer family for generations, the farm came under new ownership in 2018.

Speaking to the selectmen at their meeting held by Zoom Tuesday, Amy Weinberg of the Farm Group, the trust that owns the farm, described plans to bring a historic 1860 barn from Walpole, N.H. and reassemble it on site. The two-story rebuilt barn will be 30 feet high and will fall just under a 50-foot side yard setback requirement under zoning.

The barn will be used for storage and processing vegetables, among other things, as an aid to the growing farm operation. It will also help open up views of the farm fields currently obstructed by outbuildings, Ms. Weinberg said.

“The beauty is we’ve been able to put all these separate functions into this one arm,” she said. “It is going to be I believe a very idyllic beautiful view up towards the fields.”

The ambitious project initially raised concerns with the town at a site review, selectmen said.

“The concerns that we had were about a potential retail operation as opposed to a farm stand,” selectman Jim Malkin explained. “We have a lot of concerns about traffic in the center of our town, we have concerns about congestion . . . We wanted to make sure that Beetlebung understood that we support their efforts.”

According to the MOU drafted by the town and the farm, the new barn must house animals, must be open year-round and must only sell locally grown goods through its stand, Mr. Malkin said. Regulations around the size and siting of the barn are also discussed in the document.

While Mr. Malkin said he was satisfied with the agreement, selectman Warren Doty had concerns. “It sounds like I’m going to be the one dissenting voice. It seems to me that this is a really large building,” Mr. Doty said. “I just don’t understand the need for a building this size for a farm that has been a small operation, an artisanal owner-operated operation for all its life.”

But Krishana Collins, a flower farmer who has a long-term lease with the town at Tea Lane Farm off Middle Road, spoke in support of the change. “What we’re really trying to do is make this a sustainable farm, both financially and environmentally,” she said. “There’s a real need for food in the winter . . . This would be a heated space where we would provide year-round access to fresh vegetables.”

In the end, selectmen voted 2-1 to agree to the MOU, with Mr. Doty dissenting.

In other business Tuesday, selectmen signaled their approval for a plan to raise beach sticker prices across the board for the upcoming summer season.

Chilmark beach committee superintendent Martina Mastromonaco said the committee wants to raise prices for walk-on and parking passes at all town-owned beaches by $15. Parking passes for Lucy Vincent Beach would increase from $85 to $100, Squibnocket passes would go from $50 to $65, and walk-on passes would go from $10 to $25. Stickers issued to inns would be the only unchanged passes.

Beach committee member Margaret Maida said rising expenses for the beaches spurred the decision. “Last year, we had to get more expensive toilets with sinks and things like that. I feel that our expenses are going up all the time,” she said.

With summer traffic similar to that of last year, the town stands to earn $70,000 in sticker sale revenues, including $25,000 over the operating budget, Ms. Mastromonaco said.

Selectmen voted unanimously in favor of the hikes, but the vote won’t be final until a public hearing on the matter is held later this month.

Keeping their sights on the summer ahead, selectmen also expressed interest in reviving the Menemsha Market, which has been closed since a fire caused by a fallen utility pole shuttered the store two years ago.

Mr. Doty said he had begun efforts to encourage market owner Deb Packer to reopen the market, but Ms. Packer has not committed to reopening yet.

“We would love to see the Menemsha store in operation, it’s such a great asset to the town, it’s such a great asset to Menemsha and we’ll be talking with Deb more about that over the coming months,” Mr. Doty said.

Selectmen voted to hire Kara Shemeth as the town conservation agent, and Alison Kisselgoff as the administrative assistant to the zoning board of appeals.

The new positions will replace one held by Chuck Hodgkinson, who formerly did both jobs.

A search committee appointed to replace Mr. Hodgkinson settled on splitting the role between two employees.

Selectmen also appointed Wendy Weldon to her fourth term on the MV Cultural Commission.