From the docks of Menemsha to the rutted roadway at Lucy Vincent Beach, a laundry list of town improvement projects are on the docket when Chilmark voters gather for a special town meeting Saturday afternoon.
The meeting begins at 1 p.m. and will be held outdoors on the basketball courts at the Chilmark Community Center; voters are advised to dress warmly. Town moderator Janet Wiedner will preside. There are 19 articles on the warrant, including a hefty spending measure for a major heating and cooling system upgrade at the Chilmark School.
Voters will be asked to appropriate $950,000 to pay for the installation of a cold climate heat pump system plus additional installation at the town school. The article hinges on approval from the up-Island regional school district and the towns of Aquinnah and West Tisbury. The three up-Island towns have a formula for sharing costs associated with the two-school district.
A separate school article later in the warrant seeks $41,000 to pay for the town’s share of a $321,000 roof replacement project at the West Tisbury School.
Another spending article relates to the ongoing project to build a new fire station and EMS building on town-owned property at 3 Menemsha Crossroad and 399 Middle Road. Architectural design work is already under way, using $640,000 appropriated at the 2019 annual town meeting. On Saturday voters will be asked to approve $5,500 for civil engineering services at the sites.
An array of requests for dock work in Menemsha include $33,000 to replace charter dock floats in the southeast corner of the basin, $50,000 to be taken from the waterways improvement account to complete maintenance dredging and spile replacement, and $4,500 to replace three power pedestals on the transient yacht dock.
Another package of spending items is aimed at computer system upgrades in town hall, including $12,000 to buy software, $26,000 for general upgrades, and $25,000 to install an online permitting system for town departments.
Voters will be asked to spend $5,000 as the town’s match for a $300,000 coastal resiliency grant that is being administered by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
A $14,500 transfer from the cemetery lot sale fund will be used to buy and install a fence along the King’s Highway at Abel’s Hill Cemetery, if voters agree.
Another $200,000 transfer from the highway stabilization fund would pay for repairs and improvements on town roads.
The town is being asked to pay $36,000 for its share of a project to replace seawater lines at the John T. Hughes Hatchery in Oak Bluffs.
Voters also will be asked to approve $12,000 to pay for repairs and improvements on the road to Lucy Vincent Beach and at the coastal town parking lot there.
Other requests include:
• $16,000 to cover unpaid bills from a previous fiscal year;
• $35,000 for a new four-wheel-drive pickup truck for the highway department;
• $2,500 to pay for two replacement windows at the North Road fire station;
• $4,500 to buy a line-painting machine for the highway department.
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