A committee tasked with considering the future of the Chilmark Community Center is pondering changes to the management of the town hub. 

A preliminary report from the Chilmark Community Center moderator’s committee, released earlier this month, included recommendations from members to change the leadership of the nonprofit that oversees the center, as well as going out to bid for a new entity to run the summer programs.

At the same time, the current president of the Chilmark Tennis Affairs Council (CTAC) nonprofit, which oversees the community center’s programming, has announced she may not continue in the role after her term ends in February. 

“I think that I’ve been on the board a long time, and I’ve served the community center long and hard so I think it’s unlikely that I will ask to have a second term,” Suellen Lazarus told the Gazette Thursday. 

The moderator's committee was formed after the annual town meeting. — Ray Ewing

The recommendations come after months of tension over the center’s management, especially with regard to the tennis courts at the South Road facility. The moderator’s committee, formed at the spring town meeting, has been researching the community center’s governance, talking to former and current members of various groups, and taking public input at meetings. 

The opinions in the preliminary report could change moving forward, and a final report from the committee is due in January. 

Some members of the moderator’s committee called for Ms. Lazarus to step aside, citing her failure to address staff concerns on multiple occasions and separation between executive and financial oversight. 

“Change of president before the 2025 season” was a recommendation from committee member Linda Coutinho in the report, and another suggested term limits for the top spot.

Other overarching recommendations from committee members were to consider revising the nomination and election process of board members, seeking more community input. 

Another recommendation is to amend the current agreement between CTAC and the town, which owns the property, to present clear regulations on what the town and CTAC are responsible for. 

“Redrafting an up-to-date MOU and be prepared to issue as soon as feasible,” was one of committee chair Matt Poole’s recommendation, citing that the current memorandum of understanding isn’t substantial or transparent enough.

Ms. Lazarus agreed that more clarity on the subject was needed. 

“The MOU addresses some of our relationship with the town,” Ms. Lazarus said. “But it’s not complete and it’s certainly created vagueness in the relationship that both the town and CTAC have interpreted differently at different times. We welcomed the moderator’s committee work because we think it would be terrific to have that relationship clarified and solid.” 

Mr. Poole was also one of the members who suggested seeking other entities to run the public programming. 

“Issuing [a request for proposals] will allow the town to draft terms and requirements that reflect the town’s interests and responsibilities for managing a town property and would position the town to essentially function as the landlord,” he wrote.

CTAC is aiming to make improvements based upon recommendations from both the committee and the public, according to Ms. Lazarus. 

“We’re committed to doing a good job and improving,” she added. “We see that there’s absolutely things we could do better.”.

The select board was scheduled to address these findings in their meeting Wednesday but didn’t receive the necessary documents. The moderator’s committee is due to present final recommendations to the select board in January.