The Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association has withdrawn both of the lawsuits it filed against Oak Bluffs this summer in response to town board decisions approving with conditions a planned roof replacement and 1,300 square-foot addition to the Tabernacle.
The decision to drop the lawsuits, announced August 24 in a statement provided to the Gazette by Camp Meeting Association president Andrew Patch, follows widespread backlash from Camp Ground residents over the MVCMA handling of the project.
According to the statement, MVCMA intends to reopen a dialogue with the town to meet conditions included in approvals granted by the zoning board of appeals and planning board for the project.
“As a gesture of good faith on the part of the MVCMA and to facilitate those discussions, the MVCMA has now withdrawn the pending appeals of the decisions of the planning board and the zoning board of appeals, which had granted the applications of the MVCMA subject to certain conditions,” the statement reads.
In a text message to the Gazette Wednesday, Mr. Patch said he does not intend to comment further on the matter at this time.
The roof replacement and auxiliary building are the final pieces of a long-running five-phase plan to restore the Tabernacle, a 143-year-old wrought-iron structure listed to the National Register of Historic Places. The plan includes 10 public bathrooms, a backstage area and storage space within the Tabernacle addition.
MVCMA filed an appeal of the planning board’s decision in July and an appeal of the zoning board’s decision earlier this month. Both suits were filed in the Massachusetts Land Court and sought to reverse conditions listed in the two boards’ approvals of the project.
In its approval in June, the planning board stipulated that the Camp Meeting Association must show evidence of cooperation with the town wastewater department for connecting the bathrooms to the town treatment plant. A second condition requires the association to hire a consultant to evaluate the storm water management plan.
“As a long-time partner with Oak Bluffs, the MVCMA has and will continue to work with the town to address the issues, particularly with regards to wastewater, and looks forward to a collaborative and timely resolution,” the MVCMA statement reads.
The ZBA approved a special permit for the project in July, imposing similar conditions in its decision. Under the special permit approval, the ZBA stipulates that only rough plumbing and no plumbing fixtures be installed at the auxiliary building until a method of wastewater removal is approved by the town.
“The MVCMA intends to continue to work with the town to clarify and meet the conditions of the various approvals received so far for the Tabernacle project,” the statement further reads.
The move comes days after Camp Ground residents organized outside an MVCMA board meeting on August 20, forming a picket line and calling for Mr. Patch’s removal. At the meeting, Mr. Patch was reinstated as president by his fellow board members. Representatives of the Oak Bluffs planning board and zoning board of appeals did not immediately respond to requests for comment by the Gazette.
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