Tisbury can expect a rollback to stricter state guidelines as Covid-19 continues to spread, health agent Maura Valley told the select board Tuesday.
The town is one of 30 Massachusetts municipalities designated red for their high rates of infection, and Ms. Valley said local building trades are experiencing a spike in cases.
“I fully expect that we will end up with at least three weeks in the red, which will force us to roll back from phase three step two to phase three step one,” she said.
All Island towns have been under phase three, step two guidelines since Oct. 5. A rollback to step one would begin Nov. 30, requiring indoor performance venues to close and outdoor venues to again be capped at 25 per cent of their capacity, with no more than 50 people overall, Ms. Valley said.
The limit on other outdoor gatherings also falls back to 50, with gyms, libraries, the museum and lower-contact recreational businesses required to reduce their capacity, indoors and out, from the current 50 per cent to 40 per cent.
“We’re really tying to get a grip on this and figure out what we need to do to get that message out to people that you need to remain vigilant, you can’t be complacent,” Ms. Valley said.
“We are seeing community spread and the only way to stem that spread is for everybody to recommit to doing what needs to be done to protect themselves and their community.”
The Martha’s Vineyard Builders Association is holding a town hall meeting on Zoom Thursday at 5 p.m., at which local health officials will report on the spread and discuss safer work practices.
Town health agents and boards of health are also working with adult English-learner classes and Brazilian clergy members to reach the Vineyard’s Portuguese-speaking community.
The key message, Ms. Valley said, is this: “You have some personal responsibly. If you want to go to work and have your kids be able to go to school, what you do in your social life and outside matters. You need to really choose your risks carefully.”
The select board then moved to release CARES Act funding to the board of health to help with contact tracing.
Also Tuesday, the board voted to set the town’s tax rate for fiscal year 2021 at $9.17 per $1,000 of residential property and $8.58 per $1,000 of commercial property.
As in past years, selectmen declined to change the 18 per cent residential exemption for year-round homeowners or to shift any of the tax burden from residential to commercial property.
The reversal of traffic flow on Union street has resulted in both pluses and minuses, board members heard.
Tisbury resident Christine Redfield praised the change, which directs cars from Water street to Main street, and said anyone going up island also loves it.
“It really releases a lot of pressure at Five Corners,” Ms. Redfield said.
But select board chairman Jim Rogers said the increase in traffic through a residential neighborhood and by the Tisbury School has been a downside.
Mr. Rogers also said the business community misses the natural circular flow of traffic through town, and that drivers who don’t find parking will simply leave the area via Church street.
“That’s a lost opportunity for our business community that we definitely need,” he said.
Board member Jeff Kristal said downtown businesses have seen their year-to-date proceeds decline since the switch.
He also said people who live in the historic district have seen an increase in traffic, and that the siting of the crosswalk and stop sign at the Main street intersection pose a safety risk.
If adequate parking could be found to replace the spaces on Union street, Mr. Kristal said, he’d support opening it to two-way traffic.
Mr. Rogers said the town is waiting for a traffic engineer’s survey to be completed before considering any future changes there.
Tuesday’s meeting also included the appointments of Reade Milne as the town’s alternate building commissioner and Savannah Barnes as a special officer with the Tisbury police department.
A proposed 1.4 per cent cost of living adjustment for non-union town employees was approved unanimously, and the meeting concluded with an executive session to discuss the potential purchase of the Edu Comp building at 4 State Road.
Aaron Wilson contributed reporting.
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