Exercise classes in public parks will have to be free but daytime mooring slips may not be in the future, as the Oak Bluffs select board grappled with a pile-up of land and water-based summer complaints at a three-hour meeting Tuesday.
After the subject of private exercise classes in public parks caused consternation at a meeting in late June, town parks and recreation department chairman Amy Billings told the board Tuesday that she had spoken with yoga and boot camp instructors, informing them that they did not have permission to be offering private classes on town property, and could not charge for the instruction.
Ms. Billings said the instructors told her the classes were free.
“We’re just making sure that everybody understands that anything that’s going on on the beaches, in the park, as far as exercise goes, you can join in and have yourself a workout,” Ms. Billings said. “If they’re going to use the parks and beaches, they can’t charge for this year.”
The board then moved to the subject of daytime mooring fees in the Oak Bluffs harbor. Under current harbor rules, boaters can moor their vessels for free in the harbor if they do not stay overnight.
But after a busy start to the summer, chairman of the harbor advisory committee Michael Santoro and selectmen Brian Packish and Ryan Ruley suggested the town consider charging a flat mooring fee regardless of whether boaters stay overnight in order to capitalize on lost harbor revenue.
“Basically we have a scenario where . . . if you come in for just the day, you pull up in the morning, you hang out on a mooring all day, and you leave before spending the night, there’s currently no fee being charged,” Mr. Packish said. “It’s inconsistent with the other harbors on the Island, as well as the amount of energy and cost it takes for us to manage 100 to 200 boats tied up in the mooring field.”
Mr. Ruley agreed, noting that between 60 to 70 boats per day will moor in the harbor without staying the night. He added that boats staying until late in the day potentially use a spot for paying night customers.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Mr. Ruley said. “It’s a revenue source we desperately need.”
Historically, the harbor advisory committee has declined to charge for daytime moorings to bolster business in the town, Mr. Packish said. But that was no longer necessary, he added.
“It’s noble, but at this point, we have a really, really busy harbor, we have a ton of activity going on down there. We’re looking for revenue sources to help offset tax rates,” Mr. Packish said. “There’s an opportunity to create a revenue source without any additional expenses at this particular point in time.”
The board voted unanimously to direct the harbor advisory committee to explore the daytime mooring fee, with an eye toward adopting the policy in the summer of 2022.
In other business, the board put off a vote on land damage agreements for three town-owned parcels along Beach Road. The agreements are required for the state Department of Transportation to begin work on the Oak Bluffs portion of a planned shared use path along the road.
Land takings for the project were approved at the 2021 annual town meeting, but the project has stalled after selectmen raised concerns with the state’s proposed agreements.
Selectmen also:
• Approved a license agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct lead remediation in soil on a small parcel of town-owned land next to the East Chop Light.
• Okayed the 2021 LadyFest concert, voting to close Circuit avenue on Oct. 2.
• Approved year-end accounting transfers.
• Approved the installation of picnic tables in the downtown area.
• Approved an alteration of premises permit for Sea Smoke Barbecue that allows the restaurant to add outdoor seating, on condition that the establishment remove an equivalent quantity of indoor seating, while outdoor seating is in use.
• Heard from a neighbor of Back Door Donuts during public comment, who requested the store close at 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. due to large crowds and loud noise. Selectmen took no action on the complaint.
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